Z-code games in uncommon formats

Most post-Infocom Z-code games are created for either version 5 or version 8 of the Z-machine, and as such, the names of their story files conventionally end in .z5 or .z8 respectively.

However, there are other versions of the Z-machine that are also available, although rarely used. This page lists some of those games.

Z1 Games

(Used by Infocom only for very early builds of Zork I.)

• Fade to Black (Jake Wildstrom; 2004). Speed-IF Century.

Z2 Games

(Used by Infocom only for some early builds of Zork I and II.)

• Little Green Robbing Hood (Jake Wildstrom; 21-Jan-2006). Speed-IF Gruff

Z3 Games

The most common version used for Infocom games.

While uncommon in the first decades post-Infocom, in the late 2010s there was a revival of interest in the Z3 format by the retro-machines community, leading to e.g. bugfixes in Inform 6's Z3 support in 6.34 (2020). Since then, occasional new Z3 releases are not uncommon; this is by no means a complete list.

• Catseye (Dave Bernazzani; 2004).
• Endgame (Samuel T. Denton; 2004). C32 Contest.
• Moonglow (Dave Bernazzani; 2004).
• Turning Point (Robert Rafgon; 2004). C32 Contest.
• Zombies! (Chris Cenotti; 2004). C32 Contest.

Z4 Games

Used by Infocom for a few games (A Mind Forever Voyaging, Trinity, Bureaucracy, Nord and Bert).

• Words Get Twisted Round and Tumble Down (Gunther Schmidl; 2000). 2000 IF Art Show.

Z6 Games

Used by Infocom for its graphical games (Shogun, Zork Zero, Arthur, Journey).

• Moments Out of Time (L. Ross Raszewski; 2001). IF Comp 2001.
• Scopa (Aldo Cumani; 2011). Graphical implementation of the card game called Scopa.
• Sunburst Contamination (Fredrik Ramsberg and Johan Berntsson, together as "Att Scoddams"; 2007). Inform port of same authors' 1982 C64 game.

Z7 Games

(An almost-never-used post-Infocom extension.)

• Custard (Evin Robertson; 2000). 2000 IF Art Show.