It's nostalgia. I have a great fondness for Zork because it was one of the few games my friends and I had on our Apples and Commodores in elementary school, but

It's nostalgia. I have a great fondness for Zork because it was one of the few games my friends and I had on our Apples and Commodores in elementary school, but one thing this podcast really captures is that much of the game isn't logical at all. I remember picking up cheat books and getting outright angry at some of the solutions to the puzzles, like "touch mirror with crystal skull." Really??? How the hell was I supposed to think to do that??? So no, I don't recommend playing Zork, but I do recommend reading the wikipedia and other articles about it so you can know the history, but there many great modern text-adventure games out there (or you might even try writing your own) for enjoying the medium.