T-Zero

T-Zero is a video game in the adventure genre originally released in 1991. It is currently playable on DOS.

One of the most underrated IF titles in history, T-Zero is a great pun of epic proportions.

Long before the advent of Inform and TADS, two popular IF authoring languages of today, T-Zero boasts a powerful and versatile parser that understands hundreds of words. It even understands sophisticated verbs not usually seen in IF, such as FIND, WHERE and IMAGINE, the latter of which allows you to visualize objects and places that have not been encountered.

The initial premise of the game is reminiscent of Trinity and Curses, two of my favorite IFs, in its 'twilight zone' setting and basic objective. Your goal is to locate six objects 'scattered across epochs and landscapes', which must be transported 'somehow... to progressively future time zones where they can right the troubled times'.

But before you can say 'oh, no, another time travel game!', you'll soon discover that T-Zero is unlike any game you've played before. It's a heady, literary mix whose locations seem inspired by Lewis Carroll, premise by H.G. Wells and puzzles by Terry Pratchett. The result is a wonderful experience you won't easily forget.

The puzzles are not difficult, but anyone unfamiliar with English idioms or Western pop culture will have a harder time than others. The puzzle of turning the stones and the puzzle of crossing the suspension bridge, in particular, are simply ingenious.

In short, it doesn't get any better in the genre than this, folks. And yes, the game refers to itself as T-Zero, without capital letters, apparently to fit in with the many references to T.S. Elliott's poems. A must-have game.

It is possible that we have multiple downloads available when different versions exist.