Sorcerer

Although it is the weakest game in the Enchanter Trilogy, Sorcerer is still a fun game that boasts some of the most memorable puzzles in Infocom canon.

The game is set a few years after the events in Enchanter that ended with your triumph over the evil wizard Krill. Now a more powerful wizard, your task is to find Belboz, your mentor and leader of the Guild of Enchanters, who mysteriously vanished one day. Armed with a more powerful repertoire of spells than when you started Enchanter, you embark on another perilous journey in the fantasy world of Zork.

Like Enchanter, Sorcerer is full of well-written locations and characters, although the writing and overall atmosphere are weaker. The game introduces magic potions, which make for a lot of fun experiments similar to spellcasting, although only a few potions you find are useful. In a true Meretzky fasion, there are many red herrings in this game. Fortunately, most puzzles are not particularly difficult (although they are definitely more challenging than the ones in Enchanter).

It is worth noting that Sorcerer has two of the most devious/memorable puzzles ever seen in a text adventure game: the glass maze, and the coal mine puzzle. Both of these puzzles alone are well worth the time it takes to get to them.

Overall, if you enjoy Enchanter, you will no doubt like Sorcerer as well, even if the weaker writing may disappoint you. There are many new interesting spells to use, and the difficulty level that is one notch up from Enchanter makes the game a good middle ground between Enchanter and Spellbreaker, the last and most difficult game in the series. Highly recommended!

Review By HOTUD