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Border Zone cover art
Adventure

Border Zone

by Infocom·published by Infocom

198728
PCDOSCommodore 64Apple IIMac

Reader score

7.2/ 10

21 votes

Gallery

2

About

It is the 1980's, and the Cold War between the Western Bloc (led by the USA) and the Eastern Bloc (led by the Soviet Union) is at its peak. The town of Ostnitz is located on the border between the fictional Eastern Bloc nation of Frobnia and the equally fictional neutral Litzenburg. The US ambassador is about to arrive in Ostnitz in order to deliver a speech on the occasion of the local Constitution Day. However, a plot to assassinate the ambassador, hence escalating the tension between the super-powers, is soon revealed.

Border Zone is a text adventure game in which the player controls three different protagonists throughout three chapters: an American businessman and two special agents - a Western and an Eastern one. Besides the traditional text-based exploration and puzzle-solving, the game has real-time elements: time passes even if the player does not interact with the game. Some stealth-oriented sequences rely on these elements, timing being crucial to advance.

Ways to play

Modes

Single player

Perspective

Text

Included in

The Lost Treasures of Infocom IIThe Adventure Collection

Languages

2 languages, with audio, subtitles and interface
Languageaudiosubtitlesinterface
English—
Russian—

Game details

Business Model

Commercial

Media Type

3.5" Floppy Disk, 5.25" Floppy Disk

Text Modes Supported

80×25

Input Devices Supported/Optional

Keyboard

Additional Hardware Supported

Printer

Number of Offline Players

1 Player

System requirements

Min. CPU Class Required

Intel 8088 / 8086

Min. RAM Required

128 KB

Box art

Also known as

Border Zone: A Game of Intrigue — Tag-lined title

Checkpoint — Working Title

Spy — Working Title

Reader ratings

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Facts

Developer

Infocom

Publisher

Infocom

Released

1987

Platforms

PCDOSCommodore 64Apple IIMac

Standing

Top 30% by visits

Tags

Real-timeInteractive fiction / text adventureStealthText parserSpy / espionage