SPACE 1/SPACE - Library 1 - Volume 1.iso/games/567/arthur.txt

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 ARTHUR: THE QUEST FOR EXCALIBUR
             Part 1

 Bob Bates is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors. His first effort for
Infocom (SHERLOCK) was so rich in atmosphere and so well written, the player
found himself immersed in the England of Sherlock Holmes. ARTHUR has the same
power to draw you into the story and make you believe you're about to become the
famous King.

 You find yourself in the Graveyard, attempting to draw the legendary Excalibur
from the rock in which it has been embedded for so long. Just as you feel the
sword start to give, Merlin appears and tells you the true story of your birth.
He tells you that before you can ascend to the Throne of England, you must prove
yourself worthy. Then he vanishes, leaving behind only a torque: The Quest for
Excalibur has begun!

 GET TORQUE THEN EXAMINE IT. You will find that a torque is a kind of necklace,
 !Y7 Jand this one has strange crystals embedded in it. EXAMINE CRYSTAL. Merlin will
appear and tell you that by looking in the crystal you can obtai help from him
(hints). However, you can also take temptation out of the way by typing HINTS
OFF, which will remove the hints until you re-boot the game. Now WEAR TORQUE, so
you don't lose it.

 We'll assume you don't need a hint yet, so let's proceed. You've been assigned
a Quest by Merlin, and every knight knows there's one thing you must do before
setting off on a quest. Go east into the chapel, then PRAY. Now, go west and
you'll hear voices approaching the graveyard. (If you don't, go south and OPEN
GATE; you'll hear the voices then.) You can still be arrested for a curfew
violation, so HIDE BEHIND STONE. You'll be a witness to the theft of Excalibur,
but there's nothing you can do about it now, so just WAIT. You'll soon fall
asleep. When you wake up in the morning, you hear Lot telling the people a
cock-and-bull story about you being dead, his being in possession of Excalibur,
and the rightful King. He plans to hold his coronation in three days, so you
don't have much time to foil his plans.

 GET UP, then go out and south, and you'll find yourself in the Village Square,
face to face with the Village Idiot. He'll tell you to "Beware the Invisible
Knight." ASK IDIOT ABOUT INVISIBLE KNIGHT and he'll give you a clue which you
really won't need if you play your cards right. Since it's not very chivalrous
to keep referring to him as an Idiot, ASK IDIOT ABOUT HIMSELF. He'll tell you
that his name is FLOYD and reveal that he's not quite as stupid as people might
think. THANK FLOYD for some extra chivalry points. (It pays to be polite!)

 You suddenly remember that Merlin told you to come and see him beyond the
Meadow, so you'd better go do that. Go west twice to Outside the Town Gate, then
southwest. Uh-oh! Guess Floyd wasn't kidding about the Invisible Knight! And
guess what? He'll steal everything you're carrying every time you go through the
Meadow. But we'll deal with him later. Right now, just continue northwest twice
where you'll meet up with Merlin.

 Merlin will go into a lengthy explanation of how he's going to give you help
(but not too much!). Read what he says carefully. You should probably jot down
the five animals you can become. When it's time to use the spell, it should be
obvious which one will be better for that particular task. Also make note of the
restrictions. His warning about people becoming upset doesn't apply to Floyd;
Floyd is not impressed by magic.

 Go north into Merlin's cave. GET BAG, then LOOK INTO CRYSTAL BALL. This is the
source of power for the crystal you're wearing. Go south, then southeast twice.
Oh, well. It was a nice bag while you had it! Don't worry, we'll get it back
pretty soon. Go northeast and east twice to the Village Green. Somewhere along
here your stomach should begin growling, and we must do something about it. Go
south into the Tavern, then south into the kitchen. You'll see some cheese and a
bird. The bartender won't let you get the cheese; for now just EXAMINE BIRD.
You'll find that he's jumping up and down in the cage and apparently trying to
communicate. If only you spoke BIRD! Well, just WAIT until the cook is called
into the tavern. You don't have a second to lose! CYR OWL, and you'll be able to
understand what the bird says. Now, CYR HUMAN, OPEN CAGE, GET KEY, UNLOCK
CUPBOARD, THEN OPEN IT.

 TAKE BOTTLE AND CHEESE. The cook may come back just as you're getting the
cheese and bottle, but just go north, and you'll escape with your booty.

 Once back in the tavern, EAT CHEESE, then LISTEN for some interesting clues
about getting in the castle. Keep listening until they lower their voices. Then,
go north, east, and south to the Smithy. EXAMINE HOLE and you'll find that it
looks like a badger hole. Ring any bells? CYR BADGER and go DOWN to his den. See
those old stones in the castle wall? Piece of cake! PUSH STONE, then go east
into the cell. CYR HUMAN (the prisoner is chained and he can't attack you). ASK
PRISONER ABOUT GUARDS, and he'll tell you they come when he calls them. GET
STONE, then HIDE BEHIND DOOR, and CALL GUARD.

 You may have to WAIT once for the guard to enter the cell. If you do, read the
description of what's happening carefully. When you see that the guard has his
back to you and is looking at the prisoner, you'll be asked if you want to
continue waiting. Say NO, then HIT GUARD WITH STONE. GET HELMET AND KEY, UNLOCK
PRISONER WITH KEY, and GIVE HELMET TO PRISONER. Now, go north, and east twice;
MOVE TAPESTRY, and go east again. Go north twice and you'll be behind the
throne. WAIT FOR BELLS. The King will divulge the new Password. He'll give a
Verse and Line number referring to the poem that came with the documentation.
Stop waiting and go south four times. This is a good place to save your game.
You're about to do something dangerous; besides, you want to LOCK IN the
password because it's variable with every game.

 This is a fine kettle of fish! You can't go back, and there's a fire in front
of you. How can you get through the fire? Didn't you ever read "Fahrenheit 451"?
Simple! CYR SALAMANDER, and go west through the fire. (You'll drop the key and
stone, but you don't need them any more.) Once in the Kitchen, you'll see a
pumice stone and a barrel. CYR HUMAN. LOOK IN BARREL, and you'll discover
there's water in it! It's too heavy to lift, but if you PUSH BARREL, the fire
will be quenched. The prisoner will join you. You never know when a polishing
stone will come in handy, so GET STONE, then OPEN DOOR, and go northwest.

 Go south into the Armoury. Ah, just what a Knight needs! WEAR ARMOUR (you can
spell it the American way if you wish), and TAKE SHIELD. A Knight can't be seen
with a tarnished shield! POLISH SHIELD WITH STONE, then DROP STONE. Go north and
west. The guard will ask you for the password, so type SAY "xxxxxx xxxxx xxxx
xxx" and you'll find yourself outside the castle where the grateful prisoner
will tell you where you can find a hidden sword. At this point, he'll leave.

 ARTHUR: THE QUEST FOR EXCALIBUR is published by Infocom, Inc. and distributed
by Mediagenic.

 This walkthru is copyright (c) 1989 by Merlin. All rights reserved.


 ARTHUR: THE QUEST FOR EXCALIBUR
             Part 2

 Before going after your sword, you'd better retrieve what you dropped when you
became a badger. Go south and GET BOTTLE. Then go east twice to the Village
Green. CYR BADGER (handy little creature isn't it?) and DIG IN ROOTS. Aha,
there's the sword! CYR HUMAN and GET ALL. Go west, north, northwest, and north
to the Edge of Woods. You'll see a Knight's pavilion there. KNOCK ON DOOR. (For
an amusing sidelight, instead of knocking on the door, BLOW THE HORN to see what
happens. Actually, a Pavilion is a tent, so I don't know how you could knock on
the door, but who am I to argue?)

 A Knight will appear and invite you to a joust. He'll tell you to mount up, so
MOUNT HORSE, and he'll offer you your choice of lances. It doesn't matter which
color you choose. Just type COLOR (whichever you want), and he'll give you that
lance. You'll receive a series of questions about what you want to do. Remember
that a joust is a chivalrous event. Nobody is supposed to get hurt. A good
Knight will never aim at an unprotected part of his opponent. Since neither of
you is wearing any leg protection or a helmet, always chose the option to
PROTECT YOUR BODY and AIM AT HIS BODY. After about three sorties, he will fall
from his horse (and so will you, but he goes down first). He will declare you
the winner, present you with an ivory key, and leave.

 Now, go north three times. Here's a beautiful Ivory Tower. Any idea how you
might get in? Right! OPEN DOOR WITH KEY, and you find yourself in a circular
room. Go down, and you notice that it gets very dark down below. Who can see
well in the dark? Ah, you're getting very wise indeed, Arthur! CYR OWL. Go down
into a dark room with writing on the wall. READ WALL and write down what you see
there. (I'm going to make you do a little work here, even though it's a
walkthru!) Go up, CYR HUMAN, and GET ALL BUT KEY. Go up three times, and you'll
see an intriguing crack that's too small for you. CYR SALAMANDER, go west, and
write down what you see on the wall. Go east back to the stairway, and CYR
HUMAN. Leave your stuff; for now, just OPEN DOOR.

 You'll see an old man who says he'll reward you if you guess his name. You
don't have to guess! The words in the Abandoned Room are a cryptogram of his
name. The two lines in the cellar are the key -- a substitution code. Every
letter in "RIOTHAMUS" appears in the words in the Abandoned Room. The letters
above "RIOTHAMUS" are the substitutions. In other words "S" appears above the
"R" in "RIOTHAMUS" so every time you see an "R" in the cryptogram substitute an
"S" for it, and so on. Once you've figured it out, type "SAY xxxxxxxxxxx".

 Voila! He'll give you a ring, instructions on what it does, and how to use it!
THANK OLD MAN, OPEN DOOR, GET ALL from the Landing, go down twice, OPEN DOOR,
and you find yourself back in the Clearing. Going south twice will put you at
the Enchanted Forest. Go northwest twice, then north. When you try to pass the
horse chestnut trees, they'll start pelting you with conkers! You better act
quickly or you'll be pelted to death. CYR TURTLE, then PULL IN HEAD AND FEET.
Now, WAIT and continuing waiting until you are told "the hail of conkers
ceases." CYR HUMAN, and GET ALL. Going north will take you to the Glade where
you'll see some tiny footprints.

 Aha! The Little People! This might be your chance to get some gold! Since they
obviously pass this way, maybe you should hide and wait. HIDE BEHIND ROCK.
You'll hears some sounds, so LISTEN, and you'll hear someone complaining about
the flatness of the food. Maybe that bottle you picked up will come in handy
after all! Go OUT, DROP BOTTLE, then HIDE BEHIND ROCK again. WAIT. The
leprechaun will soon appear. Keep waiting until he is engrossed in the bottle,
then stop waiting, and GRAB LEPRECHAUN.

 Oh, well, you didn't get your gold, but you did gain some points, and who knows
when you might want a good, stiff drink? Go south, southeast, then a quick trek
north. Take a look across the chasm. Wild Boars are very dangerous. Your first
problem is getting over the Chasm. Well, that's easy, but you'd be over there
without any weapons! Better think about this for a while. Meanwhile, let's deal
with that pesky Invisible Knight. The way back is south, southeast, south twice,
southeast, south, _and_ southeast.

 Oops! You've lost everything again. Well, not to worry: We'll soon fix that!
RUB RING. Voila! The Invisible Knight is no longer invisible to you! Go east
into the Pavilion and confront the Knight. He'll hand over all your stuff
voluntarily, then he'll ask you if you want a brass raven's egg. Since you like
oddities, answer YES, and he'll pose a riddle. The answer is fairly obvious if
you think about it long enough. The first part of the sequence he's giving you
is firST, secoND, thiRD, fourTH. The answer is obviously SAY "TH". He will give
you the egg. PUT ALL IN BAG. (Some things won't fit, but it's easier to do it
this way. By the way, the bag can't be filled.)

 Now go west, then southeast to the Field of Honor. Go east, and the Red Knight
will give you a list of things you must bring him before he'll let yo pass. Go
back west and south into the Shallows. Since you're not a very good swimmer
(especially in chain mail!), you'd better use some magic.

 CYR EEL, and go south. Going east will take you to a window in an underground
chamber. LOOK THROUGH WINDOW, and you'll see a beautiful woman. This is Nimue,
the Lady of the Lake. Nothing you can do about her now, so go west, then
southwest. You'll see a Kraken and a sunken rowboat. EXAMINE KRAKEN, and you'll
see an interesting bracelet on its tentacle. EXAMINE ROWBOAT, and you'll have
proof that Lot lied about Excalibur!

 That bracelet looks valuable: Let's get it! (You might want to save here,
first.) ZAP KRAKEN. He'll be unimaginably mad! Quickly go northeast, then north
into the Shallows. CYR HUMAN, then GET SWORD, and CUT TENTACLE WITH SWORD.
You're safe, but unfortunately, the bracelet has gone into deep water. Not to
worry. CYR TURTLE, then go south where you'll see the bracelet. SWIM THROUGH
BRACELET, and go north. If you try to become human again, you'll choke, so PULL
IN HEAD, and CYR HUMAN. GET BRACELET, then WEAR BRACELET.



 ARTHUR: THE QUEST FOR EXCALIBUR
             Part 3

 It's time to resume our journey, so CYR EEL again, go south, southeast, and
northeast, and you'll see a slow minnow. Don't bother to try to catch it now,
but remember it for later. Continue north three times. Along the way, pay
attention to which way the river flows -- it's important. When you reach the
Ford, CYR HUMAN. Go east, northeast, and up to the Dragon's Cave. If you try to
go north into the cave, the Dragon will say something that is a hint as to how
to deal with him. If it doesn't ring a bell, try to go north again for an even
broader hint. (The first was a quote from W. C. Fields, a drunk.) If only you
could have brought the jug with you! Oh, well, for now, go down and southwest.
GET APPLE from the tree, and EXAMINE APPLE. Looks pretty toxic. Might come in
handy. Go west to the Ford.

 If you go west from here you'll pass a Black Knight, and he won't let you go
back east without a fight, for which you're not equipped. You can't go any
further west from the Knight because of a bog in which you'll get lost and
drown. The only way back is BACK. But how can you carry an apple when you're an
eel?

 Remember, I told you to pay attention to the flow of the river? It flows from
north to south! CYR EEL, you'll drop the apple, and it will float away toward
the south. Go south three times (ignoring the minnow again), southwest,
northwest, and north. Lo and behold! There's an apple floating here! CYR HUMAN
and GET ALL. For some reason the bag doesn't like the apple, so you'll have to
carry it.

 Go north, northwest, northeast, north, northwest, north twice, northwest, and
north to the South Edge of Chasm. Time to deal with that boar (remember, the Red
Knight wants a tusk). THROW APPLE AND SWORD ACROSS CHASM. The boar will eat the
apple and fall over dead. CYR OWL and go north across the chasm. Once on the
other side, CYR HUMAN, GET SWORD, and CUT TUSK WITH SWORD. Now, THROW TUSK AND
SWORD ACROSS CHASM, CYR OWL, south, CYR HUMAN, GET ALL, and PUT TUSK IN BAG.

 We're off on another adventure. Go south, southeast, and northeast twice to a
tall tree. You can't climb the tree, but it looks interesting, so CYR OWL, then
go up. You'll see a raven's nest with an egg in it. One of your Quests! The
raven is circling around, and you can't get the egg with it here, so LAND IN
GROVE. CYR HUMAN, GET BRASS EGG, then DROP BRASS EGG, CYR OWL, and go up again.
The raven will swoop down to investigate the brass egg. LAND IN NEST, CYR HUMAN,
and PUSH EGG FROM NEST. CYR OWL, and the raven will chase you from the nest.
LAND IN GROVE, CYR HUMAN, and GET ALL THEN PUT EGG IN BAG. (We could have done
this directly without first investigating, but how would you have known the nest
was there? Besides, by going directly from point to point, we're going to have
waste a lot of time somewhere along the line.)

 Go southwest twice, south twice, southeast, and northeast where you'll find a
cabin. OPEN DOOR, and you find an injured peasant whose fire is about to go out.
OPEN DOOR again, and you'll be outside. A crutch and a slean are here. If you
EXAMINE SLEAN, you'll discover it's a device for cutting peat (a great fuel for
fire). Go northeast, and you'll see a sign warning you not to proceed, but the
peat here is dry and firm. So, CUT PEAT WITH SLEAN, then DROP SLEAN because
you've broken it. Go southwest, GET CRUTCH, then OPEN DOOR.

 PUT PEAT ON FIRE. The peasant will wake up and thank you for your kindness.
GIVE CRUTCH TO PEASANT. He'll thank you again, then you should ASK PEASANT ABOUT
BOG. He'll give you directions. You should immediately save the game because
this is a variable. THANK PEASANT, then OPEN DOOR to leave the cabin. Now that
you have directions, go back northeast to the Edge of Bog, and follow the
directions you were given. (If you're using the MAP feature, the entire map
through the bog will appear after you make the first correct move.)

 Well, _this_ guy looks familiar. I think you're ready to fight him now, so try
going east again, and he'll tell you you have to fight him. FIGHT KNIGHT, and
watch the descriptions. Use "G" (for again) to keep fighting him until you see
he's lost his sword. CUT MEDALLION WITH SWORD, and the Knight will vanish,
leaving his armour behind. It's useless, so ignore it.

 Now we can deal with the dragon, but for some reason Merlin's bag is not
welcome East of the Ford; we'll have to carry what we need. GET JUG then DROP
BAG. Now go east twice, northeast, up, and GIVE JUG TO DRAGON. WAIT until the
Dragon passes out, then stop waiting. You probably should save the game here. Go
north into the cave, then northeast. When the Basilisk starts looking for you,
POINT SHIELD AT BASILISK, and he will turn to stone.

 Go northeast and you'll find yourself in a very hot room. And it's getting
hotter by the minute! A demon will tell you you have to give the password to
pass; he will even tell you the password! If you try to SAY "NUDD," you'll find
you can't speak. You're about to boil, so go back southwest to get out of the
heat. Go southeast, then northeast, and you'll be in a room where you can see
your breath freeze!

 Quickly SAY "NUDD," and then, as your words freeze, GET BLOCK, and go southwest
before you freeze. Ignore the ghosts. Quickly go northwest and northeast where
the block will melt, and the password will be said. The demon will usher you
north into the Hall where a girl is manacled. She's sitting on the Golden Fleece
that you need for the Red Knight, and she makes you a very attractive offer if
you'll free her.

 KISS GIRL, and as you approach you see she has some very strange features!
Suddenly you realize who she is. Type HELLO NUDD. The monster will reveal itself
to you and try to strike a bargain. If you unlock the manacles, you'll get the
Golden Fleece you need. But as the future King, you cannot let this evil
creature loose in the world! If you don't agree to do it, you won't get the
Fleece! Wise Knight that you are, you conceive a plan. AGREE to release her. She
will drop the Fleece. GET FLEECE. Then GET KEY from around her neck. Now, follow
your part of the bargain: UNLOCK LEFT MANACLE, LOCK LEFT MANACLE, UNLOCK RIGHT
MANACLE, and at this point, Nudd will catch on to what you're doing. You have
fulfilled your part of the bargain, but the demon won't be free! Nudd will put a
curse on you, and expel you from the Hall.

 You'll find yourself at the Dragon's lair again. CUT HAIR WITH SWORD, and you
have the final object you need to deal with the Red Knight! Go down, southwest,
west twice, and GET BAG. Then PUT FLEECE AND HAIR IN BAG. Go back through the
bog.

 From the Edge of the Bog go southwest twice, south, southwest, southeast, and
east to the Red Knight. Now GIVE TUSK, HAIR, EGG, AND FLEECE TO KNIGHT. He will
let you pass. Go south twice to the Silver Door. Ring any bells? UNLOCK DOOR
WITH SILVER KEY, and go down. You are now in the chamber where Nimue is being
held captive. If you've read Merlin's warning in the Instruction Book, you'll
know how to revive her. But right now you just need to kill some time.

 Type WAIT UNTIL CHRISTMAS EVE, and keep waiting until you are told you're
getting sleepy. Now, stop waiting and SLEEP. When you wake up, you will be
hungry and will have dropped everything, but don't worry about it. Just go up,
north twice, west, and south twice to the shallows. CYR EEL, then go south,
southeast, and northeast to the minnow. EAT MINNOW. Go southwest, northwest,
north, and CYR HUMAN.

 One more item to get. Go north, northwest, northeast, east three times, and
south. CYR BADGER. I'm going to give you directions through the maze, but just
so you'll know how, the way to map the maze is to DIG IN DIRT each time you
enter a new room. Dig ONCE in the first room, TWICE in the next room, etc. That
way every room will have a unique number of scratches, and you can find your way
through the maze.

 From the Smithy go down, south, up, down, up, and you'll find yourself on
Thorny Island. A thorny sprig has fallen from the bushes. GET SPRIG, then go
down, north twice, up, and CYR HUMAN. GET SPRIG again, and go north, west three
times, southwest, southeast, east, south twice, and down.

 Nothing to do but kill time now. If you read Merlin's warning in the
documentation, you know how to wake Nimue. Type WAIT UNTIL CHRISTMAS. When you
become sleepy, stop waiting, and SLEEP. When you awake, GET ALL. When conditions
are right, take the appropriate action to wake Nimue. Pay attention to what she
says. After she vanishes, GET GAUNTLET, and go back to the castle. Now, go up,
north twice, west, northwest, northeast, and east twice to Floyd. When you woke
up you were hungry. You can finish the game before starving to death, but for
the maximum points you should eat. GIVE RED GLASS TO FLOYD. He will give you the
dead mouse. It's not appetizing, but to some creatures it might be a delicacy!
CYR BADGER, EAT MOUSE, and CYR HUMAN. GET ALL, and proceed east three times to
the Great Hall.

 In the best tradition of Knighthood, SLAP LOT WITH GAUNTLET. You will be
immediately escorted to the Field of Honor where you want to FIGHT LOT. Since
Lot is quite a bit more experienced than you, he'll probably beat you, so you're
going to distract him. DROP BRACELET, then FIGHT LOT again. Being a true
chivalrous Knight, you should SPARE LOT. He will swear eternal allegiance to
you, but I wouldn't trust him for a second!

 CALL NIMUE as she instructed you to do, and whes, 101 Experience points, and
100 Quest points. Congratulations!

 When prompted for a last wish, you can learn a lot by asking for HINTS, and
reading the Notices and Bibliography.

 ARTHUR: THE QUEST FOR EXCALIBUR is published by Infocom, Inc. and distributed
by Mediagenic.

 This walkthru is copyright (c) 1989 by Merlin. All rights reserved.


 1 Graveyard, Floyd, Merlin's
    Cave, Tavern, Castle
 2 Joust, Ivory Tower, Enchanted
    Forest, Invisible Knight,
    Red Knight, Kraken
 3 East of Ford, Chasm, Raven,
    Bog, Black Knight, Dragon,
    Nudd, Nimue, Duel,
    Excalibur, Endgame



 ARTHUR

 ARTHUR is one of Infocom's latest (and perhaps final) additions to the
text-oriented adventure game market. As one of the best Infocom products ever,
it distinctly declares the genre by no means dead: Text-oriented games can be
just as exciting as those featuring graphics interfaces. (This review is based
on the Amiga version.)

 Its story obviously relies on careful research of the Arthurian legends, but
this isn't just a retelling of old tales. Engaging his own impressive
story-telling powers, author Bob Bates writes an adventure that for the first
time may be as rich and complex as any you'll find in a good novel. Although
graphics are available (if you want them), you won't need them to envision the
world ARTHUR creates. (I turned them off in order to display the on-screen map
at all times.)

 The originality of this adventure doesn't stop with a good story, however. The
way you move from place to place makes the game as excitingly different as
SUSPENDED seemed when first released. In brief, you have to visit Merlin to
learn to become a shape-shifter -- a being who's capable of transforming itself
into a variety of types. (Self-transformation, a fascinating element in most
mythologies, is utilized quite effectively in ARTHUR.) Once you master this
skill, your relationship to your world is no longer restricted by the usual
north, south, east, west, up, and down; as the standard adventurer-protagonist,
you can fly, swim, crawl, and move in ways previously unimaginable.

 This gives the game a twist in more than just movement: You now have to decide
whether your current being is the most effective for the task at hand. In some
shapes, you can get into places that would otherwise be inaccessible.
Occasionally, you'll need to carry items that a different being couldn't handle.
(Yes, the game is realistic enough to insure that you're not, say, a mouse
loaded down with a lantern, sword, and bag of gold.) Your ability to communicate
with other beings also depends on your current shape. (Note: I'm using the words
"being" and "shape" because I don't want to give away the kinds of beings or
shapes you may become). All of this makes for a far richer gaming environment
than most; the shape-shifting aspect imparts a truly magical feel.

 But what really makes ARTHUR a great game is Bob Bates's talent. Like his
predecessors in the genre, Bates writes with a creativity and elegance that far
surpasses the prose (and even plot twists) of other companies' best products.
His eloquent text adds a dimension that no amount of whiz-bang technology or
flashy graphics will ever reproduce. And although ARTHUR might easily have
fallen into the (by now, banal) category of Sword & Sorcery, your encounters
with its Arthurian characters are rarely repetitions of the comic-book cliches
common to so many other "fantasy" games.

 On to the gameplay. The parser is as sophisticated as ZORK ZERO's, but includes
some capabilities found in JOURNEY (the first Infocom game whose text interface
even a parser-hater can live with). There are separate Graphics, Mapping, Text,
and Inventory windows. You may display Mapping or Graphics, but not both
simultaneously; switching isn't difficult. A function key brings up room
description without wasting a turn. You can use a mouse for movement on either a
compass rose or the map display. The parser itself is quite dynamic, responding
much more amusingly than earlier parsers; every now and then, it interjects
editorial comments about actions you're considering. You'll find it very easy to
think of the parser as Merlin's voice in the background, almost a character
itself. Finally, you don't merely explore areas, solve puzzles, and pick up
items; as in an RPG, you gain experience, wisdom, and chivalry points -- all of
which contribute to your final success in the game. The quality and development
of your character is at stake here, as well as your involvement in the Arthurian
world.

 But long-time Infocom fans, take heart! You'd think with all this variety, the
actual size of the game would be reduced accordingly (as JOURNEY seemed to be);
this just isn't so. The data file for the game is only about 20K smaller than
ZORK ZERO's, and I can assure you that ARTHUR is one of the most extensive games
ever to come out of Infocom. At the same time, the difficulty level has been
adjusted almost perfectly: You're not spending _all_ of your time fixating on
those three horrendous puzzles, or simply reading a story and breezing through
each area without challenge.

 The initial stages of the game are relatively easier, and they reward small
successes with lots of great text, which helps you get into the game. Once
there, you'll run into a series of increasingly difficult situations (and they
_are_ situations, not just puzzles) whose solutions require the best of your
imagination. Although I've not yet reached the ending, from what I've seen, i
would surprise me if it were anything short of spectacular.

 On-screen hints are cleverly designed not to reveal topic heads until you've
reached certain points in the game; even so, I recommend erasing the hints from
your play disk as soon as possible. You can turn the hints off for each session
(without losing them from the disk), but I assure you that unless you have the
patience of Buddha, you'll relent at some point and take a peek -- something I
always regret doing. Figuring things out yourself is what these games are all
about, and using hints tends to diminish the excitement of gameplay. These
provisos notwithstanding, the hints are well done, and also offer some great
historical and bibliographical background that you should read.

 There are weaknesses in ARTHUR, as in every game. I think the graphics are
marginal at best (especially compared to the mental visions inspired by the
text), although they sometimes offer a clue you might not deduce as easily
without them. Which brings up an important point: Graphics are really
supplemental, rather than integrated, elements of the game; you can play ARTHUR
completely without the graphics. I'd have preferred a few instances, at least,
in which the solution required information not available from the text alone
(and I'm a real fan of the pure text adventure). I also wish the beginning of
the game had provided a bit more of a challenge, although I realize this could
discourage novices.

 I played ARTHUR on an Amiga 500 with 1MB of RAM (although 1MB isn't required);
the disks are not copy-protected. On this machine, at least, the graphics are
small: They take up only about 25% of the screen. They're not bad, as far as
they go, but they're not nearly as spectacular SHOGUN's. In fact, as computer
art, they're comparatively amateurish.

 However, these are all relatively minor flaws. If you're a text adventure fan,
you'll be very happy to find ARTHUR on your local dealer's shelf. Even if you've
given up on text adventures (or never played them), I think you'll still be
delighted by the experience this game has to offer. Let's only hope that recent
changes at Infocom/Mediagenic don't preclude the possibility of future games as
excellent as this one!

 ARTHUR is published by Infocom and distributed by Mediagenic.

 This review is copyright (c) 1989 by FT Reviews. All rights reserved.