You've heard of them -- while Infocom never to my knowledge offered upgrades, they did often quietly make changes to their games. Sometimes these were minor, as between the two Version 8 Suspended releases -- one simply fixes a cosmetic bug on proportional-font interpreters. Other times, these were major, as can be seen at the Infocom Bug List page. The changes never introduced any new puzzles, though sometimes they added (or removed!) a solution to an old one. Many times, the major change was a reduction in the length of text. As Infocom's editor gnomes apparently preferred the concise to the verbose, games become more terse as time went on. A few releases intended only for testing escaped to the public; these sometimes have additional code intended for debugging. All the ones I know about -- the good, the bad, and the beta -- are listed here.
| Canonical Name | Zcode | Version | Release | Correct length | Correct Checksum | notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AMFV | 4 | 77 | 850814 | 262016 | $5031 | |
| AMFV | 4 | 79 | 851122 | 262036 | $4860 | |
| Arthur | 6 | 54 | 890606 | 270848 | $8e4a | |
| Arthur | 6 | 63 | 890622 | ? | ||
| Arthur | 6 | 74 | 890714 | 269200 | $d526 | |
| Ballyhoo | 3 | 97 | 851218 | 128556 | $78ae | |
| Beyond Zork | 5 | 47 | 870915 | 261952 | ||
| Beyond Zork | 5 | 49 | 870917 | 261900 | $24d6 | |
| Beyond Zork | 5 | 51 | 870923 | 261548 | $0cbe | |
| Beyond Zork | 5 | 57 | 871221 | 261388 | $c5ad | |
| Border Zone | 5 | 9 | 871008 | 178372 | $2b37 | |
| Bureaucracy | 4 | 86 | 870212 | 243144 | $e024 | |
| Bureaucracy | 4 | 116 | 870602 | 243340 | $fc65 | |
| Cutthroats | 3 | 23 | 840809 | 112558 | $a5a0 | |
| Deadline | 3 | 18 | 820311 | 111342 | $39d5 | No checksum in file |
| Deadline | 3 | 19 | 820427 | 111420 | $780e | No checksum in file |
| Deadline | 3 | 21 | 820512 | 111706 | $bf83 | No checksum in file |
| Deadline | 3 | 22 | 820809 | 111782 | $df73 | |
| Deadline | 3 | 26 | 821108 | 108372 | $548d | |
| Deadline | 3 | 27 | 831005 | 108454 | $54fc | |
| Enchanter | 3 | 10 | 830810 | 109126 | $6db4 | |
| Enchanter | 3 | 15 | 831107 | 109230 | $5087 | |
| Enchanter | 3 | 16 | 831118 | 109234 | $58f5 | |
| Enchanter | 3 | 24 | 851118 | 108638 | ||
| Enchanter | 3 | 29 | 860820 | 111126 | $2547 | |
| HHGG | 3 | 47 | 840914 | 112622 | $2235 | |
| HHGG | 3 | 56 | 841221 | 113444 | $9235 | |
| HHGG | 3 | 58 | 851002 | 113332 | $7052 | |
| HHGG | 3 | 59 | 851108 | 113334 | $7378 | |
| HHGG | 5 | 31 | 871119 | 158412 | $410d | Solid Gold |
| Hollywood Hijinx | 3 | 37 | 861215 | 109650 | $f507 | |
| Infidel | 3 | 22 | 830916 | 93556 | $4122 | |
| Journey | 6 | 26 | 890316 | 279872 | $27cc | |
| Journey | 6 | 30 | 890322 | 280472 | $985b | |
| Journey | 6 | 77 | 890616 | ? | ||
| Journey | 6 | 83 | 890706 | 282312 | $d2b8 | |
| LGOP | 3 | 0 | BLOWN! | 128998 | $c15c | Possible Beta |
| LGOP | 3 | 50 | 860711 | 128988 | ||
| LGOP | 3 | 59 | 860730 | 129022 | $d070 | |
| LGOP | 3 | 59 | 861114 | 129022 | ||
| LGOP | 3 | 118 | 860325 | 129012 | Beta | |
| LGOP | 5 | 4 | 880405 | 159928 | $efe4 | Solid Gold |
| Lurking Horror | 3 | 203 | 870506 | 128986 | $fb9c | |
| Lurking Horror | 3 | 219 | 870912 | 129704 | $747a | Sound |
| Lurking Horror | 3 | 221 | 870918 | 129944 | $a24e | Sound |
| Mini-Zork I | 3 | 34 | 871124 | 52216 | $d870 | |
| Moonmist | 3 | 4 | 860918 | 129002 | $b5af | |
| Moonmist | 3 | 9 | 861022 | 128866 | $1d20 | |
| Moonmist | 3 | 65 | Broken | 128986 | $1e40 | Beta |
| Nord&Bert | 4 | 19 | 870722 | 170284 | $4986 | |
| Planetfall | 3 | 20 | 830708 | 107958 | $13f4 | |
| Planetfall | 3 | 26 | 831014 | 108674 | $4bd8 | |
| Planetfall | 3 | 29 | 840118 | 109052 | $842e | |
| Planetfall | 3 | 37 | 851003 | 109398 | $02d6 | |
| Planetfall | 5 | 10 | 880531 | 136560 | $d208 | Solid Gold |
| Plundered Hearts | 3 | 26 | 870730 | 128962 | $406d | |
| Sampler I | 3 | 26 | 840731 | 112610 | $a3e9 | |
| Sampler I | 3 | 53 | 850407 | 126708 | $7f9c | |
| Sampler I | 3 | 55 | 850823 | 126902 | $6f21 | |
| Sampler II | 3 | 97 | 870601 | 125314 | $a057 | |
| Seastalker | 3 | 15 | 840501 | 117738 | $1db4 | |
| Seastalker | 3 | 15 | 840522 | 117728 | $e083 | |
| Seastalker | 3 | 16 | 850515 | 117752 | $3fa8 | |
| Seastalker | 3 | 16 | 850603 | 117762 | $5890 | |
| Seastalker | 3 | 86 | 840320 | 116456 | $63fa | Beta |
| Sherlock | 5 | 21 | 871214 | 188444 | $79b2 | |
| Sherlock | 5 | 26 | 880127 | 190180 | $26ba | Sound |
| Shogun | 6 | 292 | 890314 | 341416 | $69b8 | |
| Shogun | 6 | 295 | 890321 | 341912 | $5c0b | |
| Shogun | 6 | 311 | 890510 | 344224 | ||
| Shogun | 6 | 322 | 890706 | 344816 | $5c88 | |
| Sorcerer | 3 | 4 | 840131 | 109734 | $2e36 | |
| Sorcerer | 3 | 6 | 840508 | 109482 | $e7ac | |
| Sorcerer | 3 | 13 | 851021 | 108692 | $33d7 | |
| Sorcerer | 3 | 15 | 851108 | 108682 | $28e3 | |
| Sorcerer | 3 | 18 | 860904 | 111052 | ||
| Sorcerer | 3 | 67 | 0 | 107096 | Beta | |
| Spellbreaker | 3 | 63 | 850916 | 128480 | $6c0a | |
| Spellbreaker | 3 | 87 | 860904 | 128916 | $09dc | |
| Starcross | 3 | ? | ? | 84740 | ||
| Starcross | 3 | 15 | 820901 | 84984 | $5e70 | |
| Starcross | 3 | 17 | 821021 | 83792 | $e34b | |
| Stationfall | 3 | 107 | 870430 | 128934 | $2871 | |
| Suspect | 3 | 14 | 841005 | 118692 | $d0ec | |
| Suspended | 3 | 5 | 830222 | 105418 | $26d4 | |
| Suspended | 3 | 7 | 830419 | 105500 | $947b | |
| Suspended | 3 | 8 | 830521 | 105492 | $8cf5 | |
| Suspended | 3 | 8 | 840521 | 105584 | $c123 | |
| Trinity | 4 | 11 | 860509 | 262016 | $faae | |
| Trinity | 4 | 12 | 860926 | 262064 | $16ab | |
| Wishbringer | 3 | 68 | 850501 | 128952 | $81a5 | |
| Wishbringer | 3 | 69 | 850920 | 128904 | $00dc | |
| Wishbringer | 5 | 23 | 880706 | 164712 | $4222 | Solid Gold |
| Witness | 3 | 13 | 830524 | 102608 | $1334 | |
| Witness | 3 | 18 | 830910 | 103728 | $db11 | |
| Witness | 3 | 20 | 831119 | 104740 | ||
| Witness | 3 | 21 | 831208 | 104704 | ||
| Witness | 3 | 22 | 840924 | 104664 | $d5b7 | |
| Zork I | 1 | 2 | AS000C | 82728 | $7dc3 | No checksum in file |
| Zork I | 1 | 5 | 82836 | $a8a4 | No checksum in file | |
| Zork I | 2 | 15 | UG3AU5 | 78566 | $e987 | No checksum in file |
| Zork I | 3 | 23 | 820428 | 75780 | $e6dc | No checksum in file |
| Zork I | 3 | 25 | 820515 | 75808 | $dfa0 | No checksum in file |
| Zork I | 3 | 26 | 820803 | 75964 | $05c5 | |
| Zork I | 3 | 28 | 821013 | 76018 | $2a49 | |
| Zork I | 3 | 30 | 830330 | 76324 | $808b | |
| Zork I | 3 | 75 | 830929 | 84868 | $a386 | |
| Zork I | 3 | 76 | 840509 | 84874 | $9efc | |
| Zork I | 3 | 88 | 840726 | 84876 | $a129 | |
| Zork I | 5 | 52 | 871125 | 105264 | $4b37 | Solid Gold |
| Zork I German | 5 | 3 | 880113 | 116216 | $d63d | Beta |
| Zork II | 2 | 7 | UG3AU5 | 85260 | $6fb6 | No checksum in file |
| Zork II | 3 | ? | ? | 89136 | ||
| Zork II | 3 | ? | 841220 | ? | ||
| Zork II | 3 | 15 | 820308 | 82110 | $7961 | No checksum in file |
| Zork II | 3 | 17 | 820427 | 82368 | $cf13 | No checksum in file |
| Zork II | 3 | 18 | 820512 | 82422 | $cf14 | No checksum in file |
| Zork II | 3 | 18 | 820517 | 82422 | $cf14 | No checksum in file |
| Zork II | 3 | 19 | 820721 | 82586 | ||
| Zork II | 3 | 22 | 830331 | 82920 | $7514 | |
| Zork II | 3 | 23 | 830411 | 81876 | $563d | |
| Zork II | 3 | 48 | 840904 | 89912 | $d899 | |
| Zork III | 3 | 10 | 820818 | 82334 | $01e3 | |
| Zork III | 3 | 12 | 821025 | |||
| Zork III | 3 | 15 | 830331 | 82558 | $e7cf | |
| Zork III | 3 | 15 | 840518 | 82642 | $1678 | |
| Zork III | 3 | 16 | 830410 | 81626 | $c06c | Possible Beta |
| Zork III | 3 | 17 | 840727 | 82714 | $2e7a | |
| Zork Zero | 6 | 296 | 881019 | 295536 | $8c61 | |
| Zork Zero | 6 | 366 | 890323 | 296376 | $c5cd | |
| Zork Zero | 6 | 383 | 890602 | 299392 | $6f7f | |
| Zork Zero | 6 | 393 | 890714 | 299968 | $791c | |
| ZTUU | 5 | 16 | 970828 | 102524 | $1185 |
A few cautionary notes: The latest version is not always the best -- Sorcerer and AMFV in particular have been reported to be buggy in their last release. And just because a game claims a given release number doesn't mean it really is -- crackers and pirates have been known to alter release numbers. Remember that except for very early game files and perhaps betas, the release number should look like a date. So a serial number of "861308" (which I've seen) is almost certainly bogus. Further, this list was compiled partially by hand and partially from game files of questionable origin; I offer no guarantees of accuracy.
Acknowledgement: The source for some of this information is Paul David Doherty's Infocom Fact Sheet.
And no, this table was NOT made using Cornerstone.