Finally, once you've got the game all gussied up as a Palm .PDB file, it's time to play. The best Z-code interpreter out right now is Pilot-Frotz (at http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Way/2367), created by Alien Hunter and distributed as freeware. Pilot-Frotz requires you to enter your instructions in Graffiti; there's no pop-up keyboard option, which is a minor drag. However, the program offers something even better: you can tap words on the screen to copy them into your command line. If the game tells you "There is a drooling monster here," scribble "kill" then tap "monster" from the description, and save yourself some handwriting. Figure D shows an example of a Pilot-Frotz pop-up menu.

FIGURE D

Pilot-Frotz's pop-up menus offer shortcuts and tappable commands while keeping the screen uncluttered.

There's also a pop-up compass and a list of common commands. Pilot-Frotz even lets you choose the font size and adjust the number of pages you can scroll back in the narrative. It's impressively flexible.

While Infocom games are teeny by modern standards--most run between 50K and 300K--keeping a handful of text adventures in your Palm memory will eat up a lot of space on a basic 1MB Palm like my Professional, as shown in Figure E.

FIGURE E

Text adventures take anywhere from 50K to 300K of Palm memory, depending on the length and detail of the game.

You'll need space for multiple save games, too; even though those saves increase in size as you progress through the games, they'll only take up 3K each at the maximum. Those of you with memory upgrades or more modern Palm devices probably don't need to worry, but low-end users will most likely only want to load and play one game at a time.

Also, Pilot-Frotz offers something many Palm toys don't: Stealth Fun. The program runs totally silent, and requires a lot of Graffiti input and serious-looking tapping--the hallmarks of "real work". If a colleague sneaks a peek at your screen, they'll see lots of text and assume you're merely documenting a detailed idea. As far as anyone around you knows, you're doing important things like scheduling meetings and reviewing notes, not goofing off and saving the world.

Pilot-Frotz has not only offered me cerebral, silent entertainment on my daily commute, but it's improved my Graffiti skills as well-- making me the envy of my nerdy Palm friends. Plus, you can't beat freeware for sheer gaming value. If you haven't visited Zork's fantasy world of Frobozz lately, perhaps it's time for a virtual vacation.

Dan Amrich is associate editor of GamePro, the world's largest multiplatform gaming magazine. Visit http://www.gameproworld.com for more information. Writing under the name Dan Elektro, he plays video games all day long, living the dream of 13-year-olds everywhere. With this article, he explores the wondrous world of nepotism thanks to his big sister Denise.