ZXZVM homepage

ZXZVM is an interpreter that runs Infocom's adventure games, and Z-code games produced with Inform.

Supported platforms are:

• Spectrum +3/+3e.
• Spectrum with ResiDOS (thanks to Garry Lancaster).
• Amstrad PCW (any model, including the PcW16).

Features

Supported features include:

• Z-machine versions 3, 4, 5 and 8.
• Timed input.
• Accented characters.
• The graphics font (not PcW16).

Unsupported features include:

• Colour. The Spectrum version allows you to choose the colour scheme, but the game itself cannot control colours. And PCWs, of course, are monochrome.

• UNDO.
• Unicode characters.
• Blorb files, such as those produced by the latest Inform 7 compiler. Even if you did extricate the Z-code from its Blorb wrapper, the games would almost certainly run too slowly to play on a Z80.

Download

ZXZVM programs (116k) for all systems.

ZXZVM source code (181k) for all systems. You don't need this to use ZXZVM, but you do if you want to port ZXZVM to another system, and if you distribute a modified ZXZVM you must distribute source for your changes.

Screenshots

ZXZVM on a Spectrum +3, in 64-column mode, playing Beyond Zork.

ZXZVM on a Spectrum +3, in 32-column mode, playing Zork 1.

ZXZVM on a PCW10, playing Curses.

ZXZVM on a PcW16, playing Spider and Web.

Technical information

• ZXZVM porting hints

John Elliott 2006-05-22