Enchanter

Enchanter is a fantasy interactive fiction adventure published by Infocom in 1983 and written by Marc Blank and Dave Lebling. It was Infocom’s first fantasy game after the Zork trilogy and was originally intended as Zork IV.

The player takes the role of a novice Enchanter sent to stop Krill, a powerful evil warlock spreading chaos and destruction. With only a few weak spells at the beginning, the player must discover additional spells hidden on scrolls while responding to Krill’s growing awareness of the threat.

Spellcasting and parser

The game features a spell system inspired in part by Ursula K. Le Guin’s Earthsea series and the Dungeons & Dragons Vancian system. Spells must be prepared through memorization before they can be cast, and each spell is represented by a distinctive magic word that functions as a verb in the text parser. For example, the FROTZ spell can be used with an object to make it glow and provide light.

Its parser understood more than 700 words, making it one of the most advanced interactive fiction systems of its time. The game also includes references comparing spell use with command-line interfaces and mages with hackers.

Release platforms

• Amiga
• Amstrad CPC
• Amstrad PCW
• Apple II
• Atari 8-bit
• Atari ST/STE
• Commodore C64/128/MAX
• DOS
• Mac
• TRS-80
• TRS-80 Color Computer