King Arthur's Quest

KING ARTHUR'S QUEST

(Hill MacGibbon)





A thick blanket of mist is covering the land. The ground is frozen,

the animals are dying, and the crops are unable to grow. Your people

look to you, King Arthur of Camelot, to rid the land of the evil spell

which Morgana has cast in vengeance.

The program will take you through the mystical three dimensional world

of Camelot. On your journey you will meet and see many strange charac-

ters, some beautiful, some grotesque; some friendly and some deadly!

While your eyes explore the landscape for clues your mind will be

struggling to unravel the evil spell.





Before you begin your quest make sure that you have with you every-

thing you will need:

Software cassette for 48K Spectrum;

Colour wallposter with the "Story so far" and the Merlin's spell-

breaker; [Following these instructions. JimG]

The running instructions included in this book;

Keyboard overlay [Missing from my copy. JimG]

Good luck! You are the last chance for the people of Camelot ...





Getting started



Set up your cassette recorder, computer, and TV set as instructed in

your manual.

1. Place the keyboard overlay above the top row of keys on your

computer keyboard.

2. Press J. Hold down SYMBOL SHIFT and at the same time press P twice.

LOAD "" should now appear on the screen. Press ENTER and then press

PLAY on your cassette recorder. After a few seconds the Hill MacGibbon

logo will appear.

3. About one minute later the title screen will appear.

4. The main program will continue to load while the title screen is

displayed. Loading will take about four minutes after the title

screen has appeared.

5. Stop the cassette when the screen border becomes white. It is

important that you do not stop the cassette before the program has

fully loaded.

6. Press SPACE to begin your adventure; or

press J to load a previously saved adventure (this is explained

later); or press M to save the program to Microdrive (see page 10).



Continuing an adventure

a To continue an adventure which you have previously saved (this is

explained later) press J.

b Replace the program cassette with the cassette that contains your

saved adventure (see page 8) and rewind.

c Press PLAY on your recorder.

d After about one minute the adventure will re-start at the point you

had reached when you saved the adventure.





Exploring the landscape



Morgana's land contains eight areas: Merlin's Tower, the Wilderness,

the Enchanted Forest, the Keep, Chapel, Crypt, Cavern, and Spell Room

of Morgana's Castle. Each area is based on a grid of 10 squares by 10

squares like the one shown below:



[blank 10x10 grid]



If you wish to succeed in your quest you will need to make your own

map of Morgana's land using 10x10 squares like the one above. Remember

to mark everything you find onto your map, even if it does not seem

important (at first sight, that is).



When the program has loaded you will see the screen divided into four

areas: Excalibur; The scene; Your objects; Messages.



[sample screenshot]



1 On the far left is Excalibur. As the game progresses, you will see

the sword change colour as your own life-force drains away because

of the icy spell Morgana has cast over the land. When the colour has

gone your quest will be at an end; you must act quickly!

2 The central portion of the screen is your view of Morgana's world.

Initially you are inside Merlin's Tower with Grymalkin the cat.

As you move you will see this view change. On the floor of the Tower

you can see the grid squares. You can see a maximum of two squares ahead.

As the adventurer, you are always standing in the central square

at the bottom of the screen. This is marked with a cross in the

screen photograph above. The diagram opposite illustrates which grid

squares you can see from any square. In your square is the owl.

To your right and also behind the owl are shelves. In the background

you can see the Tower's walls. You will find it useful to mark the

objects you find on the grid as shown in the diagram. The squares in

view, looking forward from the square with the cross, are shaded

grey. You can see the squares to your immediate left and right, and

two squares forwards. If you were now to turn left you would see all

the squares marked with cross-hatching.

Each time you move, you move into the square directly ahead. You

can always see trees, pillars, shelves, walls, etc. (when you are

close enough) but characters such as the Griffin or the Jester only

appear when you are in their square. When you turn left or right, you

do not move.



[diagram]



3 At the right you can see which objects you have brought along with

you. Initially this space is empty since you have nothing to bring

along. As you find people or things (like the compass) you can bring

them with you; these will appear in this area to remind you what you

have with you. As there are eight spaces you can only bring along

eight things at a time.

4 At the bottom is what you are told. Initially this shows a message

from Grymalkin, who will accompany you throughout your adventure.

Listen carefully to what people tell you - there may be more in

what they say than you might think.





Running the program



Moving about

a Press 2 to go forward one square.

b If you want to change direction, or just look around, press 1 to

turn to your left, or 3 to turn to your right. (You do not move

until you press 2.)

c Sometimes you may need to turn around and retrace your steps. In

this case simply press 1 (or 3) twice and then press 2.



Bringing things with you

Morgana's land is full of traps and obstacles. To get by you will

need to find some important things or people and bring them along with

you.



a When you find something you wish to bring along with you (eg. a

bow) press 5.

b "BRING ALONG bow" appears at the bottom of the screen. Press SPACE

to see what else is in the square that you could bring along (eg. if

there is also a pearl in the square when you pressed space, "BRING

ALONG pearl" would appear at the bottom of the screen).

c Press ENTER when the object you wish to bring along is displayed.

d A picture of the bow appears at the right of the screen to show that

you now have it with you.



Leaving things behind

Some characters will help you if you give something to them. For

instance the Monk asks you for some wine. To do this, you simply leave

the goblet of wine behind in the character's square.

You can only bring eight things along with you at a time. There-

fore if you are already carrying eight things and you want to bring

along something else, you must leave behind one of the things you are

carrying.



a Press 4 to leave something (eg. the goblet) behind.

b "LEAVE BEHIND sword" (if the sword is one thing you bring with

you) appears at the bottom of the screen. Press SPACE and the

message "LEAVE BEHIND compass" appears (if the compass is

the second thing you bring with you). Keep pressing SPACE until

the message shows what you want to leave behind; eg. "LEAVE BEHIND

goblet".

c Now press ENTER. The goblet disappears from the screen to show that

you no longer have it with you.

d If you return to this square the thing you left behind will still

be there unless it has been taken by a character in that square.



Eating and drinking

You can eat or drink some of the things you may find. Remember that

you can only eat or drink what you bring with you; if you find some-

thing you wish to eat or drink immediately (eg. bread) you will have

to bring it along before you can eat it.



a Press 6 to eat or drink something you have with you.

b The message "EAT/DRINK piece of bread" appears. Press SPACE to see

what else you can eat or drink.

c Press ENTER when the message shows what you wish to eat or drink.

Now see what happens!



How to use things

Sometimes you will need to use something, eg. you may need to use a

key to open a door. You can only use what you bring with you.



a Press 7 to use something you are carrying (eg. a key).

b "USE key" appears. Press SPACE to see what else you can use.

c Press ENTER when the message shows what you wish to use. Now see

what happens!



Saying a spell

Morgana's land is a magical land. There are special spells which help

you to do many things. To find out what spells you can use, you need

to find hidden clues, eg. An[UpArrow], Cd[DownArrow], and then use the

spell-breaker on the poster to find out what the spell- word is.



a Press 8 to say a spell.

b Now type in the letters of the spell using the letters A to Z. If

you make a mistake, press 0 to cancel the last letter you typed.

c When you have typed in the spell, press ENTER. Now see what happens!



What is in your square?

Grymalkin, your constant companion, always tells you what (if any-

thing) is in your square. Press 9 to repeat what Grymalkin has said.



Note you cannot repeat what other characters say to you. If you wish

to have more time to read other characters' speeches, press and hold

down SPACE to hold their message on the screen. Release SPACE to

continue.



Cancelling a command

a If you change your mind about doing something (eg. you do not wish

to use your sword), or if you press the wrong key by mistake, then

press 0 to cancel the command.

b If you are saying a spell, each time you press 0 one of the letters

of the spell you have typed in is deleted. When all the letters have

been deleted the command "SAY SPELL" is cancelled.

c Otherwise, when 0 is pressed, the whole command, eg. "BRING ALONG

boat", "EAT/DRINK herb" is cancelled.





Moving from one part to another



Because of the large number of different scenes that this adventure

contains, the program is actually stored in two parts. Part one

contains all the scenes from Merlin's Tower to Morgana's Keep;

part two contains all the scenes following the Chapel.

When you move from one part to the other (eg. if you go back into

Morgana's Keep from the Chapel) you will need to load information

from the cassette.



Going from part one to part two

a Make sure that side B of the cassette is facing upwards.

b Rewind the cassette.

c Press PLAY on the recorder and then ENTER on the computer.

d After about one minute, part two will have loaded.

e Press STOP on your recorder.

f You may now continue your adventure.



Going from part two to part one

a Make sure that side B of the cassette is facing upwards.

b Rewind the cassette. Fast forward for about fifteen seconds.

c Press PLAY on the recorder and then ENTER on the computer.

d After a few minutes, part one will have loaded.

e You may now continue your adventure.





How to use Merlin's spell-breaker



Morgana uses a special code for her spells. Merlin has broken

Morgana's code and left you a special spell-breaker with which you can

decode the Morgana's most devious spells.



a To decode a spell, first find the two letters of the code in the

table on the left-hand page of the book at the foot of the poster.

For example Bq is in row 4, column 4.

b Now find the same square (ie. row 4, column 4) in the table on the

right-hand page.

c Starting with the letter in the square, read off the other letters

of the spell in the direction in which the arrow points.





Saving a game



The adventure continues until either you get killed, or you break the

wintry curse. In all scenes, except Morgana's Secret Room, you can

stop playing the game and continue later. Follow these simple

instructions to record your position in the adventure.



a Replace the program cassette with a blank cassette and rewind.

b Make sure that the EAR lead is disconnected. Press RECORD on the

cassette player.

c Press S and then ENTER to save your adventure.

d If you make a mistake, press BREAK before you press ENTER. Remember

to stop the tape recorder.

e After a few minutes your adventure will be saved on the cassette.

You will need this cassette when you want to continue an adventure

from this point.

f After your adventure has been saved, you may continue with your quest.





Starting again



a At any time (eg. after you have been killed), you can press J to

start again.

b If you are starting the adventure from the beginning, insert the

program cassette with side A facing upwards. Rewind and fast forward

for about twenty seconds. (If you stopped the cassette after the

program had loaded, the cassette should already be wound to the

correct position.)

c If you wish to restart a previously saved adventure, insert the

appropriate cassette and rewind.

d Press ENTER and then press PLAY on your recorder.

e If you make a mistake, press BREAK before you press ENTER (for the

Spectrum).





To finish



Simply disconnect your computer from the mains power supply (Micro-

drive users should remove cartridge first).





Using a Microdrive



You are allowed to make only one copy onto a Microdrive cartridge. You

must not make more than one copy onto a Microdrive cartridge (or any other

copy of the program) either for your own use or for hiring, lending or

selling to other people. This would be an infringement of copyright for

which you could be prosecuted.



Please note: Although you can save the program onto a Microdrive cartridge

you cannot save your own adventures onto a Microdrive cartridge - you

must use cassette, as described on page 8.



How to make a copy onto a Microdrive cartridge:

a Format a blank Microdrive cartridge by typing FORMAT "m";1;"KAQ" and

then ENTER.

b Make sure the formatted cartridge has been inserted into your

Microdrive.

c Load the program from the cassette in the usual way.

d When the program has loaded, press M to save it onto the Microdrive

cartridge. After about 30 seconds the program will have been saved.

A new adventure begins automatically.

e If you press any key other than M, a new adventure will begin and

the program will not be saved. To save it, you must start again from c.



Loading your Microdrive copy of the program

a Make sure the Microdrive is connected and insert the cartridge which

contains the program.

b Press R and then ENTER.

c The screen blanks and after 10-15 seconds the program will have

loaded. A new adventure begins automatically.

d To continue a previously saved adventure now press J and follow the

instructions on page 9.





Summary of keys



How to move

1 Turns left

2 Goes forward

3 Turns right



How to do things

4 Leaves something behind then: For keys 4 to 7:

5 Brings something along SPACE Highlights the object you want

6 Eats/drinks something ENTER Chooses that object

7 Uses something

8 Says a spell



Other keys

9 Tells you what is in your square

0 Cancels a command

S Saves your adventure

J Restarts your adventure





Created by Five Ways Software Ltd

Published by Hill MacGibbon Ltd

Cover and poster illustration by Linda and Roger Garland





THE STORY SO FAR



It is the Dark Ages, in the land of King Arthur. The evil witch

Morgana Le Fey has cast a spell on the land since Arthur has refused

to accept her son Modred as one of the Knights of the Round Table.

Morgana has sent an ice-dragon to breathe a deep, thick blanket of

mist over all the land. The skies are dark, and the wintry sun cannot

break through to warm the fields. The ploughman cannot break the earth

with his plough so the crops do not grow. The sheep and cows will not

go out into the cold fields, so they sicken and die. The common people

call on their king, Arthur, to save them.



Lancelot, Arthur's best knight, has strangely vanished. Arthur is

troubled and feels the cold slowly but surely sapping his strength. He

goes to see his old friend Merlin the Magician to ask for his help.

But when he reaches Merlin's cottage, he finds it empty - except, that

is, for a strange cat ...





MERLIN'S SPELL-BREAKER



Aa An Ba Bn Ca Cn Da Dn Ea En Fa M L E F A Y L I S S T

Ab Ao Bb Bo Cb Co Db Do Eb Eo Fb N O A H B O R S G A P

Ac Ap Bc Bp Cc Cp Dc Dp Ec Ep Fc O V R N O R U O V N E

Ad Aq Bd Bq Cd Cq Dd Dq Ed Eq Fd L T F G C K H L I G L

Ae Ar Be Br Ce Cr De Dr Ee Er Fe A R T A A E T D N R L

Af As Bf Bs Cf Cs Df Ds Ef Es Ff V I W R S W R E E A I

Ag At Bg Bt Cg Ct Dg Dt Eg Et Fg A S T E M Y A N V I N

Ah Au Bh Bu Ch Cu Dh Du Eh Eu Fh T T A T O E N I E L O

Ai Av Bi Bv Ci Cv Di Dv Ei Ev Fi B R O H D U C Y N Y R

Aj Aw Bj Bw Cj Cw Dj Dw Ej Ew Fj K A Y I R R B A W A X

Ak Ax Bk Bx Ck Cx Dk Dx Ek Ex Fk R M L N E L E A M O N

Al Ay Bl By Cl Cy Dl Dy El Ey Fl E A O P D E I N D E O

Am Az Bm Bz Cm Cz Dm Dz Em Ez Fm B G L Y O N E L L N L

Fx Fw Fv Fu Ft Fs Fr Fq Fp Fo Fn A P E N D R R E H T U