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News
WoW!
Joan Pancott HPilg, the veteran adventuress, has started her own software company. 'WoW Software' will produce budget re-releases as well as some new titles. For more information contact Joan at the address in this month's Lords&Ladies.
PD Adventures available
Scull PD Library can supply a disc full (348K) of adventures if you send £1, a 3" disc and an SAE.
The adventures on the disc are:-
Raider - An interactive role-playing adventure (over 60K
of files)
Blue Raider - A two-part adventure by Matthew Roberts.
Can I Cheat Death? - An adult adventure by Simon Avery.
Adult two - Simon Avery's second adult adventure (the
follow-up to Can I Cheat Death?)
Doomlords - A three part adventure by Simon Avery.
Firestone - Another superb adventure by Simon Avery.
Spacy - A Sci-Fi adventure by... SIMON AVERY!
Welladay - The last adventure on the disc, by
(altogether now) Simon Avery.
Alan Scully, who runs Scull PD, goes on to say that if anyone would like to donate adventures to the library, then send them to him on a 3" disc with an SAE and he will return the disc with the adventures above or, if you send them on cassette with an SAE, then he will send a few of the above adventures (some are disc only).
Alan also has some more PD adventures in stock so get in contact with him at Scull PD Library, ***ADDRESS REMOVED AT ALANS REQUEST*** or telephone him on ***PHONE NUMBER REMOVED AT ALANS REQUEST***.
Confidential drops 8 bits...
Bad news this month as the gaming club, Special Reserve, and the adventure club, Confidential, drop coverage of the 8 bit machines. In the past Special Reserve was the place to buy those old adventures that weren't available elsewhere. No worries though as The Adventurers Club Ltd still supports the Amstrad and has a large catalogue of games available. For more details talk to Henry Mueller on (071) 794 1261 or write to him at 64c Menelik Road, London NW2 3RH.
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Balrog Post
'...I was really glad to see your mention of Blade's latest project in the
adventure column (Lords of Chaos - Balg). Does this mean that you'll be
reviewing strategy software as well? If not, why not? The two do go well
together, being a way of using the computer without blasting or kicking
everything in sight...'
Dave Harvard, Fareham.
At the moment the Balg has no plans to review strategy games as there are still
enough text adventures and role playing games around. But the Balg must move
with the times - many software houses nowadays do not release text adventures;
instead they produce role playing or strategy games (such as Lords of Chaos or
Castle Master) which, although not adventures as such, allow you to explore
other worlds by using your computer, solve puzzles and pick up/drop and
manipulate objects - in fact all the things 'traditional' adventures let you
do.
The text adventure does unfortunately seem to be nearly extinct - apart from
home brew games and the work of a few companies (ie Topologika) the only games
available are these role playing/strategy/exploration games... Magnetic
Scrolls, Level 9 and Infocom have all moved on to pastures new... In the future
the Balg may follow other adventure columnists in reviewing these 'thinking'
games but at present I'm happy to say that I have enough traditional adventures
to review to last quite a while!
Dave also volunteered to convert Spectrum adventures to the Amstrad so, if you
know of anyone who has written a game on the Spectrum and wants to make some
extra money, get them in touch with Dave at 21 Belvoir Close, Fareham, Hants
PO16 OPJ.
Fishing for info...
'Was Fish ever released for the CPC?'
Simon Netherwood, Huddersfield.
No, Fish was never released for the Amstrad even though the Pilgrim previewed
it in issue 39. For some reason (probably economic) Magnetic Scrolls decided
never to finish the Amstrad version which is a great shame.
Help wanted with new mag...
'...Calling all adventurers, I need your help to launch a new magazine,
"Adventure Quest 2000" which will cost £1.50 and be monthly. I need
you to send any home brew adventures for review, no matter how bad! These will
also be advertised so please include telephone number and price. Also needed
are hints, tips, solutions and reviews of the latest adventures. Also news
articles etc...'
Adrian Harper, Douglas.
Great news Adrian! The Balg wishes you all the luck with your new venture. For
more information write to Adrian at Adventure Quest 2000, 28 Harcroft Avenue,
Douglas, Isle of Man or ring him on (0624) 25886.
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Birthday Competition
OK, you all know that this is the birthday issue so, to celebrate, the Balrog has organised the biggest CPC adventure competition ever!
The ten winners will each receive:
Castle Master: The Incentive/Domark Freescape adventure romp through a
castle was given a Mastergame and rated an amazing 91%.
Lords of Chaos: Bladesoft's roleplaying/strategy game - rated 84% and awarded
an AA Rave.
Bloodwych: The epic role playing game - the CPC's own version of Dungeon Master
- another Mastergame rated at 92%.
Computer Adventures - The Secret Art: This book is a guide to writing good
adventure games and is a must for the serious programmer.
One year's subscription to the Adventurers Club Ltd: (including reference book
and binder) ACL is one of the largest and oldest of the adventure clubs, Henry
Mueller, the editor, has given the club a fine reputation.
On top of all this the first name out of the hat (well, shoebox) will also receive:
An Adlan ROM from Graduate: See review in AA60.
and a year's subscription to the fabulous Adventure Coder and Adventure Probe.
To stand a chance to be one of the ten winners of these brilliant prizes (worth over £800 in total) you just have to answer four simple questions...
1) Bloodwych and Lords of Chaos are role playing games - name another CPC role playing game.
2) Castle Master was written by Incentive Software who also marketed a famous adventure writing system - what was this system called?
3) ACL is the longest established adventurers club in the UK - what year was it formed?
and last, but not least...
4) In which issue did yours truly, the Balrog, first write for Amstrad Action?
Send your competition answers together with your preference for tape or disc on a postcard or the back of an envelope to Balrog's Birthday competition, Amstrad Action, Future Publishing Ltd, Beauford Court, 30 Monmouth Street, Bath, Avon BA1 2AP. The closing date is the 18th October. Remember to say whether you require tape or disc!
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Bard's Tale Club
David Melville has been nearly everywhere in the game except Mangars Tower
and asks 'Could somebody please help me get in?' He has an excellent party
including one named after the Balrog! He is offering help to all other
Bardists.
52 Alison Street, Kirkcaldy, Fife, Scotland KY1 1TT.
James Grant would also like to join the club - his party of characters
average about 250 in levels and his warrior has 3562 hit points! His Archmage
has 1561 spell points! He has completed the game seventeen times (!!) and uses
the Demon Lord, Archmage or Mangar as his Special Character. Seventeen times is
a very impressive score and the amazing thing is that James did not use any
maps!
James Grant, 53 Aldershot Road, Guildford, Surrey GU2 6AE. Tel: (0483) 32369.
Adrian Lewis of Aylesbury has written in with a list of multiface pokes to make your quest to thwart Mangar much easier:
spell to change level exps hits cond points money
character 1 1257 to ? 1242 to 1 1270 to 9 1272 to 9 1274 to 9 1258 to 9
character 2 1358 to ? 1343 to 1 1371 to 9 1373 to 9 1375 to 9 1359 to 9
character 3 1459 to ? 1444 to 1 1472 to 9 1474 to 9 1476 to 9 1460 to 9
character 4 1560 to ? 1545 to 1 1573 to 9 1575 to 9 1577 to 9 1561 to 9
character 5 1661 to ? 1646 to 1 1674 to 9 1676 to 9 1678 to 9 1662 to 9
character 6 1762 to ? 1747 to 1 1775 to 9 1777 to 9 1779 to 9 1763 to 9
Go to the advancement centre and get all of your statistics up to 18 and then change level to 255. Magic users should be given 13th level, the spells gained for that class and then 13th level for the next class etc. When magic user is an arch mage then give him level 255 for his level.
Simon Avery has discovered a useful tip for speeding up combat in TBT - the
cursor keys can be used to increase or decrease the speed of fights - very
useful when you've just MIBLed 99 berserkers!
'Marden Farm', Old Exeter Road, Chudleigh, South Devon, TQ13 0DR.
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Clue Sniffing with the Balrog!
The Balg stirs up another heady brew this month with a whole cauldron-full
of tips that should go straight to the heart of the problem. Shake your head,
take one last look around the dungeon, avail yourself of one huge sniff of the
following and... hey presto! You're free!
Don't forget these clues are almost all sent in by valiant adventurers like
yourselves, so why not join them? Send in your clues to The Clue Pot, The
Balrog, Amstrad Action, Future Publishing Ltd, Beauford Court, 30 Monmouth
Street, Bath, Avon BA1 2AP.
This month's clues come to you courtesy of the following adventurers:
Joan Pancott HPilg, Weymouth.
Antcrusher, The outer planes.
Howard Swains and Ian Howlett.
Simon Netherwood, Brighouse.
Adrian Forbes, Gourock.
Ken Stokoe.
Wendy Watters, Bacup.
Apache Gold
Horse Enclosure: Enter wagon, flick reins, fill bottle, N, cut cactus, fill bottle, N, examine anthill, get nest, Sx2, enter wagon, flick reins, W (you jump and grab jewel), drop nest, E, enter wagon, flick reins.
Ballyhoo
(To get the helium balloon): Get the pole from under the white caravan, then
go up the rope ladder in the ring. Balance pole, then go east.
(To find the ticket for midway): Wait until you have overheard the conversation
between Rimshaw and the detective, then go back to the ring. Look under the
bleachers, and examine the junk.
Classic Adventure
Bridge and Troll: Throw eggs, cross bridge, NE, E to Fork, SE, S, E, feed bear, unlock chain, get bear, get chain, Wx2, N to Fork, NE, E to small chamber, get spices, W, S to Fork, W, W to Bridge and Troll, drop bear, cross bridge, SW, D, SEx2, Wx2, D, climb, W, FEE FIE FOE FOO, get eggs.
Imagination
"I SCREAM!?!"- "ICE CREAM!!" get it!
Use yoyo to get key from hole.
Give map to lady in tower.
Paint pyjama cord to get past Karate Man.
Lord of the Rings
Make sure to close your house door.
Eat Tom's grub.
Throw jewel from flower pot at Barrow-Wight.
Knock at gate of Bree.
Mindfighter
To complete part 3: Make sure you have what you were wearing at the start
of part 1 (make sure you have the lighter and 10p in your pocket) and nothing
else. Go to "upstairs", sleep 3 times, inhale, hold, exhale. To
become an eagle: Inhale, hold, exhale and metamorph to eagle.
Never Ending Story
Light branch in the fire then run to the bush (NE, Ex6, D) and light
bushes.
Pawn
Shine light on the shapes.
Point the shapes to the dragon.
Throw the bottle at Kronos and wear his clothes.
Buy the whiskey and beer from Honest John and give the whiskey to the
gatekeeper at hell and the beer to J.Lee Lewis.
Say "Cast spell on book"
The Alchemist wants the rice and lead.
Times of Lore
When talking to people always stand with your sword facing away from the
subject, as one false move and the whole village is against you.
Get magic boots as these help you get around much faster.
Kill the robber to get axe and thus save money.
Always fight for a while to build up food and gold reserves because without
these you will die.
Venom
Ride east when leaving cave. Haq will get the heabal orb. Get orb to
examine arrell. Arrell needs to wear tinans clothes. Lock door before untying
arrell.
Very Big Cave Adventure
Take the log to the chasm by: W, drop lantern, E, get log, W, drop log, get
lantern, D, and so on.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Map of Arkham Manor by Thomas Christie
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Mrs Paulette Thompson comes to the rescue of Mark Cassell's blood curdling
problem in Dracula...
Buy paper from general store, get whatever is in compartment 'S' at post
office, open and read newspaper - this will disclose both the name and place of
J.H.'s company.
Ben Robinson has been saved in Roy of the Rovers by Alec Hay:-
To rescue the player in the supermarket: When you come to the locked door, keep
going. You will see you can move up or down into a greyroom. Go right. Show the
man guarding the fuse box the membership card. Play with the fuses until you
switch off the security alarm. If you switch the lights or freezers off, you
will be thrown out. Repeat until you find the security alarm. When you do, walk
back to the supermarket and walk into the player to free him.
Ben Isba has come to aid Simon Avery over his howling problem in Wolfman - you
must close eyes repeatedly.
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Help!
Alec Hoy is stuck in Roy of the Rovers - he can't find the fourth player!
He has found the ones at the burger bar, building site and supermarket.
Ben Isba is desperately looking for any tips for Spool Times by Hektik
software.
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Lords & Ladies
Well, what can we say? Every month kind-hearted people write in with help
for the rest of us wallies. And are we grateful? Do we reward them with
everlasting fame and adoration? No, we just phone them up, write to them,
pester them, badger them, and generally drive them up the wall with our
requests for help...
But here they are again, and the reason's simple - offering help to other
adventurers is one of the best ways of making friends around the world. What
more could you want, except a postcard and a post-box to pop it into, addressed
to: The Balrog, Amstrad Action, Future Publishing Ltd, Beauford Court, 30
Monmouth Street, Bath, Avon BA1 2AP.
Acheton, Apache Gold, Arnold Blackwood Trilogy, Atalan, Avon, Base, Black
Knight, Boggit, Bored of the Rings, Brawn Free, Case of the Mixed-Up Shymer,
Castle Blackstar, Castle of the Skull Lord, City for Ransom, Classic Adventure,
Colour of Magic, Countdown to Doom, Crystal Theft, Cursed Be the City, Dodgy
Geezers, Dracula, DAA, Enchanter, Escape from Khosima, Espionage Island,
Fantasia Diamond, 4th Protocol, Guild of Thieves, Heavy on the Magick,
Hitchhiker's Guide, Hobbit, Hollywood Hijinx, Hunchback, Imagination, Inca
Curse, Infidel, Island, Jinxter, Kentilla, Kingdom of Hamil, Kobyashi Naru,
Lost Phirious 1 & 3, Mindshadow, Mordon's Quest, Mountains of Ket, Necris
Dome, Never Ending Story, Not a Penny More Not a Penny Less, Nova, Panic Beneath
the Sea, Pawn, Philosopher's Quest, Planet of Death, Project Volcano, QOR,
Questprobe 3, Return to Doom, Rigel's Revenge, Robocide, Scary Tales, Seabase
Delta, Seas of Blood, Smashed, Smuggler's Cove, Sorceror, Souls of Darkon,
Spellbreaker, Spytrek, Star Wreck, Subsunk, Sydney Affair, Terrormolinos, Top
Secret, Vera Cruz Affair, Very Big Cave Adventure, Village of Lost Souls, Zork
I & ALL Level 9 and Interceptor games!
Joan Pancott HPilg, 78 Radipole Lane, Weymouth, Dorset DT4 9RS. Tel:
(0305) 784155 Any day - 1pm to 10pm.
Adventure Quest, Beer Hunter, Boggit, Classic Adventure, Colossal Adventure,
Colour of Magic, Cricket Crazy, Dracula, Dungeon Adventure, DAA, Escape from
Khosima, Fantasia Diamond, Football Frenzy, Forest at World's End, Frankenstein,
Heroes of Karn, Hunchback, Imagination, Inca Curse, Ingrid's Back, Island,
Jewels of Babylon, Kingdom of Speldom, Knight Orc, Kobyashi Naru, Lifeterm,
Lords of Time, Message from Andromeda, Mordon's Quest, Necris Dome, Never
Ending Story, Planet of Death, Price of Magik, Project Volcano, Questprobe 3,
Rebel Planet, Redmoon, Return to Eden, Rigel's Revenge, Scary Tales, Seabase
Delta, Ship of Doom, Smashed, Snowball, Souls of Darkon, Star Wreck, Subsunk,
Terrormolinos, Warlord, Wizbiz & Worm in Paradise.
Mr H Higgs, 20 Naworth Close, Highbury Vale Estate, Bulwell, Nottingham NG6
9EL.
Colour of Magic, DAA, 4th Protocol, Gems of Stradus, Not a Penny More Not a
Penny Less, Return to Eden, Scary Tales & Vera Cruz Affair.
William Conlon, 171 Mulvey Park, Dundrum, Dublin 14, Ireland.
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Next issue
Reviews of Topologika's latest game, Last Days of Doom and an adventure
writing guide book entitled 'Computer adventures - the Secret Art' plus all the
regular features.