YAZI on the Newton



I was looking for something new to do with my Newton MessagePad 2100 during my December break from work. My mind drifted back to Scrawlsoft's YAZI, a Z-machine interpreter for the Newton. Infocom used the Z-machine to program such hits as the Zork series, Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, and many others that I used to play on my Apple II+. I had played with YAZI back when I first got my MessagePad but I never purchased a copy. Scrawlsoft's site has disappeared from the Internet and while there was some talk on the NewtonTalk mailing list about how to contact them, I didn't have much hope of being able to purchase this program in 2009.

So imagine my surprise when, not half an hour after emailing one of the owners, he responded. I asked him if I could still use Kagi to purchase YAZI. He replied that I could send him my Newton ID and as a holiday present he would send me the serial number at no cost!! Unbelievable!

I loaded YAZI onto a 20 MB card I have for the Newton. I found a site with Z-machine files for a number of Infocom games, but I chose Leather Goddesses of Phobos. I created a Newton package on my PowerBook 3400c, loaded it onto the Newton along with YAZI, and I was ready to play. I also found a good walkthrough in case I got completely stumped. I loaded that page in Newtscape and turned it into a package so I would have it on hand, too. Fun times on the Newton!

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