The Kroz Series

What is it?: A series of action-adventures, or puzzle games, 1987–90, using ASCII graphics.
What computer or emulator will it run on?: Any PC at all.
Similar Games: Diamaze, Beast, Rogue.

Does the name Kroz sound vaguely familiar? Hey, In't that Zork spelled backwards? It is. Scott Miller was a great admirer of the Zork games and put this homage into the title of his own adventure series.

The Kroz games have, however, little in common with the Zork series. Labeled action-adventures by their creator, they are actually more a sort of puzzle games. Gameplay is the same in all of them:

You get dropped onto a level filled with various beasts and objects. You can look around as long as you want at first. As soon as you start the level, the beasts will close in on you. Usually you will want to lead them into crumbled walls, which will collapse, killing the beast. If they reach you, you will kill them in fight, losing one to three gems in the process. Gems are your hitpoints; if you run out of them, you die and have to restart the level.

You can pick up gems as well as other goodies, especially whips. You use whips to destroy crumbled walls if you cannot lead a beast into them. Besides, archaeologists wielding whips were popular at the time ;-)

There were seven Kroz games published in rapid succession:

Kingdom of Kroz	87	This game won a national programming contest as Best Game in Shareware. It features 25 levels of rousing action, 16-color graphics and a library of 200+ sound effects. It's a unique combination of arcade, adventure and strategy. This is Volume I of the original Kroz Trilogy.
Caverns of Kroz	88	The two sequels to KINGDOM OF KROZ—more levels, more action, more fun. CAVERNS OF KROZ has 40 new screens and DUNGEONS OF KROZ has 30 more. Both have unique goals and puzzles. These two volumes complete the original Kroz Trilogy.
Dungeons of Kroz	89
		Also known as Castle of Kroz or Shrine of Kroz.
Return to Kroz	90	Released together as the Super Kroz Trilogy. Temple of Kroz is also known as Valley of Kroz. Along with the Super Kroz Trilogy, a remake of the original trilogy was released. The new versions come in a single executable, whereas the originals consisted several files.
Temple of Kroz
The Final Crusade of Kroz
The Lost Adventures of Kroz		Since Scott Miller got so much mail demanding a sequel, he produced this even though the Kroz series was supposed to be finished.

What makes them remarkable among the ASCII games was mainly their elaborate sound effects, all played over the PC speaker, of course.

You should certainly try them out, especially if you are a fan of games with ASCII graphics, but don't expect too much.

Links

Kingdom of Kroz on Text Mode Games:
Spend just a few minutes in the world of Kroz and you'll see why the game earned such a lofty place in shareware history. It boasts twenty-five intricate, detailed levels that are the equal of any commercial offering. It has a vast library of sound effects. It is filled with mysterious objects that lend the thrill of discovery to the adventure. Most impressive are the two side-ways levels, something I have never seen before in a text-mode game. Most levels are of the traditional top-down design, but in these two, you move horizontally across a playing field where gravity is in effect. The effect is mesmerizing, and truly unique.
The Kroz Series in the Apogee FAQ.
In 1987, Scott wrote Kingdom of Kroz and, with the full knowledge that, at the time, 99% of shareware was not profitable for its authors, released it into the shareware market. Thus, it was a mystifying surprise when Kroz turned out to be a smash hit. The letters poured in, expressing love for the game and demanding sequels. One of the reasons it was so successful, besides the merit of the game itself, was its then new marketing scheme; Kroz was the first game to be split into smaller episodes, with one episode released as shareware.
Home of the Underdogs has the complete Kroz series in one zip file less than 500k in size.
It is nothing short of amazing that Miller manages to code a charming action/adventure/puzzle hybrid with only standard 255 ASCII characters. Kingdom of Kroz and subsequent games in the series contain dozens of levels, all of which are very cleverly designed. There are many mysterious objects to find and use. Among the game's most memorable features are the two side-scrolling levels, in which you move horizontally across the screen. With clever level design, cool sound effects, and many devious puzzles and objects, the Kroz series provides a thoroughly entertaining and unique adventure. In many ways, it is a true precursor of ZZT, a much more expansive ASCII adventure from Epic Megagames that boasts a level editor but inferior gameplay. A must have!
The Kroz On-Disk Hint Sheet