To be honest, I think that Grand Inquisitor is the ideal starting point to the series... The earliest games are type-based and a lot of fun, but there is just something about the combination of fabulous storyline, clever and complex gameplay, and nice graphics (for 1997) that makes it my favorite Zork game by a wide margin. It was also the adventure game that defined my whole childhood, so I may be a little biased...

If you like Myst, you run, not walk, and get yourself in a moving vehicle tostart looking for Zork Grand Inquisitor immediately! I would describe the game as "Myst, but with a wacky sense of humor" which lapses into teasing of D&D geekery, and with touches of Terry Pratchett-type genius. People have compared it to Monkey Island, as well. Some things you will get to do include: bypassing a security system by getting it drunk, fight the evil government by committing random acts of arson, and shove an inflatable raft up a dragon's nose. If I remember correctly, there is also a way to die that gets you exiled to "a terrible place called New Jersey."

This should help you install it on a modern system:
- http://www.thezorklibrary.com/installguides/zgi-win.html
- http://www.amazon.com/Zork-Grand-Inquisitor-Pc/dp/B00001QHYE