Zork and the Z-Machine: Bringing the Mainframe to 8-Bit Home Computers

Using the strong natural language processing capability of MDL, Marc Blank, Bruce Daniels and Tim Anderson then built upon Lebling’s efforts to create the first prototype game that would ultimately turn into the game we know as ‘Zork’ today. The concept of a home computer was only beginning to take hold, with the introduction of computers like TRS-80 and the Apple II in 1977, though even that system was incredibly limited compared to the mainframes that were being used for text adventures at the time by students around the US. They mulled various game ideas that could be adapted to work on home computers, but porting Zork just made too much sense.

Source: hackaday.com