This month the Balrog treats you to a massive Cluepot, Lords & Ladies and Programming section - the reason? Well, why not! But seriously, next months column will be an Adventure PD Special and will be jammed full of reviews of all the games available on PD and there won't be much room for anything else! Merry Christmas!

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News

Oops!
In a recent AA the Adventure Probe awards were mentioned and it was stated that Ken Bonds game, The Island, was awarded 'Best text only 8-bit adventure of the year' - this is, of course, not true! Although the Island is a great game, the award was given to Ken's adventure, 'The Test' - Sorry Ken! Fans of Ken's should look out for his latest game which is, I am reliably informed, ready now. Called 'The Spiro Legacy' it is a two parter PAWed game and costs only £4.50 (disc only) The Balg has been given a sneak preview and it looks to be Ken's best yet. Look out for the review soon. More details can be obtained from Ken at 17 Adel Park Gardens, Adel, Leeds LS16 8BN.

Competition Results
The massive Balrog Birthday comp certainly was popular even if it was mistakenly printed first time around! Out of the thousands of entries (ok, ok p'raps I'm exaggerating a little!) the following lucky people were picked:

Mike Riggall, Linconshire, Gareth Jones, Edinburgh, Joan Pancott HPilg, Weymouth, Sue Ilsley, Prestbury, Bob Adams, Welwyn Garden City, S Marini, St. Annes, Stephen Borner, Doncaster, Ben Isba, Bowdon, Lorna Patterson, Tillicoultry and K Hankin, Aldridge.

All win copies of Castle Master, Lords of Chaos, Bloodwych, Computer Adventures - The Secret Art and a years subscription to the Adventurers Club Ltd. Mike Riggall's name was first out of the shoebox so he also wins an ADLAN ROM and a years subscription to both Adventure Probe AND Adventure Coder! Pheeww! Well done Mike!

The answers? Well, role-playing games on the CPC are few and far between but Bards Tale, Swords and Sorcery and Rings of Darkness are all examples of accepted answers. Incentive produces GAC (Graphic Adventure Creator), ACL was started in 1985 and the Balrog first started writing for AA way back in AA50 (way before Rod, Adam and James!)

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Balrog Post

'...I'm writing to tell you all about a series of articles I have written about all the known adventures still available for the Amstrad. These articles will appear in 'Spellbreaker' from the January issue (No. 23). These will appear in the form of game description, mentioning the cost of each game, whether available on tape/disc and the address of the author or place available.
I think this will be a valuable service for new adventurers wanting to know where to buy games as nearly all the software houses have withdrawn from the 8-bit adventure market.
I'm in regular contact with about a dozen authors at present and would gladly expand that quota, so if anyone wants their games mentioning in this series could they please write to me, mentioning prices, availability and giving me a short scenario of the game.
Tragically many good authors have given up writing in the past because of lack of reviews - or not being given any magazine space (especially in the Pilgrim days...) and some really good games have been lost forever. I don't want to see this happen again...'
Mark Eltringham, 39 Gargle Hill, Thorpe St Andrew, Norwich, NR7 OXX
What a great idea Mark! It always is useful to know where to buy those old games from. More details can be obtained from Mike Brailsford (Spellbreaker editor) at 19 Napier Place, South Parks, Glenrothes, Fife KY6 1DX or Tel (0592) 757788.

'...Were the Infocom games Plundered Hearts and A Mind Forever Voyaging ever released for the CPC?...'
Peter Captijn, Holland
Officially no although I have heard rumours of a MAC version of Plundered Hearts running on the CPC (Strange but true!)

If I buy the 64K memory expansion and the DD1 disc drive for my CPC 464, will I be able to play disc games like Hitchhiker's Guide, Corruption, Pawn etc. without the 6128 ROM?
Jay Honosutomo, Hemel Hempstead
You can play any Infocom game (such as Hitchhiker's Guide or Suspect) with just a DD1 and 464 - you don't need the expansion! BUT you will need both the expansion and a 6128 ROM to run any Magnetic Scroll game (such as Corruption or Guild of Thieves). Buying a disc drive doesn't just mean you can play Infocom - it opens up the world of PAW, Topologika and Graphical Level 9's as well (later Level 9 games were text only on cassette).

Was 'Elvira, Mistress of Darkness' ever released on the CPC?
Stephen Wilson, Lancashire
Elvira will not make an appearance on the CPC, sorry!

'...I would like to hear from any home brew authors interested in a free review and advert in an electronic fanzine. No adventure turned away. Articles and contributions also wanted...'
Simon Netherwood, Rastrick
All sounds very interesting Simon! Simon can be contacted at 36 Toothill Bank, Rastrick, Brighouse, West Yorkshire HD6 3EZ or telephone (0484) 719326 5-9m weekdays. Don't forget to send me the final fanzine for a look at either!

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Clue Sniffing with the Balrog

A real stocking filler of clues this month to take you through the Christmas holidays! A Ken Bond special this month with tips for all of his games including a map of the Island drawn by Ken himself.

Note well the names of the people below for they have come to you in your hour of need to aid and comfort you with their knowledge:

Ken Stokoe, Northumberland
Antcrusher, Seventh Plane
Jerome Young
Dave Harvard, Fareham
Jungle DJ Towa Towa, Leeds
Debby Howard, London
Alistair Crook, Leeds
Simon Avery, Chudleigh
Howard Swains and Ian Howlett

Base

To play tape:- Find car, turn deck on, put tape in, press play. (The hi-fi is a red herring and will only result in your death (a dangerous herring! - Balg)).
The combination for the safe in part 1 is right 6, left 5, left to 3.
Get key-ring with broom handle.
Stick the photo in the space on the pass.
To get the light to work, turn switch on.

Cutthroats

In the deep wreck, prop up the bunks with the iron bar.
In the shallow wreck, to find some air, connect up the bottle and the compressor, then "fill tank with air". (This is a rare, fussy input from Infocom!)

Dodgy Geezers

Search the shop with pets for some cure for canine distemper. Follow the advice on the matchbook. Ask for a book on sewers (?!) in the library.

Dungeon Adventure

Drop things on sleeping giants from up in the tree. This gets you a girdle of giant strength. Just the job for all those cluttery things adventurers just can't do without!

Grange Hill (especially for the Kenderian)

To get into school, use chair leg, "break lock". Give a dog a bone. You need the Plane to get the Matches. Don't bother to cross the canal, you reach it from the other side later in the game. Climb up the phone box.

Heavy on the Magick

At the start do not pick up the book of spells as it is smeared in poison.
To get into wolfdorp say "DOOR, WOLF"
To be raised to the grade of zelator go to the door in secunda porta and say "DOOR, SILENCE"
Mirror kills medusa.
Nugget kills werewolf.
Pellet kills slug.
Garlic kills vampire.

Island

Turn the picture frame around to get the brass key, and use it to open the locked cabin. Put card in gap to gain entry to the captains office.
Cut the hawser holding up the gangway with the axe to get down to waters level.

Panic Beneath the Sea

Push the book to make an exit.

Price of Magic

The candle is for the SPY spell.
The grimoire is for the MAD spell.
Burn the woodpile with the candle to get ashes (used for ZAP spell).
Wave the mirror at moonbeast.
The wheel is for ZED spell (the bat will get the wheel if asked).

Suspect

Hide behind comfy chair in library and wait.
Follow the colonel after you see him in the library.
Put body in window box to add more time.
Hide behind BMW and wait.
Open trunk of BMW.
There is a way past the dogs!

Test

The correct order for the buttons on the first wooden door is:- 285953719. Once inside, get cane, put letter in cane and light letter on electric fire. Then melt the nylon rope... (and run!)
Fire the gun at the hump (it's a mine).

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=




Island Map by Ken Bond




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Robin Harley and R Melody have come to the aid of Stephen Borners problems in Ingrid's Back:-

To open safe: Drop some evidence, E, get letter and hide. Wait for Jasper, examine Jasper (he then slides portrait and enters combination), get out, slide portrait, 888155 and get anything inside safe.

To get into Jasper's Bedroom: From reading room due west of Entrance Hall - Ux3, Ex2, in, N, out (In here you must press record when telephone rings, get tape and get photo from wallet).

To get into Jasper's office: Go to Entrance Hall with Daisy, open door, Daisy, "out, wait 2, knock, wait 2, knock". When Daisy goes out the door, close door, U, wait until butler goes down, S, get paper, drawer and then stubs.

Chris "The Barbarian" Gore from Mallow has the answers to Stephen Borners questions in Lord of the Rings:

To get out of the old forest, after coming out of the tunnel into the mossy part of the forest blow out the stub of the candle, go E. If the trees block your way then wait till they move. From the Mossy place go Ex2, SE. This will get you out of the old forest, from there go S, NEx2, ask Tom Bombadil for help, SW, ask Tom for help, NE.

Zac Taylor from Bristol has sent in clues for Tombstowne as requested by Paul Stores:-

Get grey key from the bathroom next to the Master Bedroom. Get book from Master bedroom. Go to library (1st floor) with book, go to the left of the room, walk right and jump. You're now in the secret passageway. Go to the armoury, go to the bottom of the barrels and jump up and get shield. Go to hall. Go outside to "By the Bench". Drop book, go in tower to "End of Battlements", drop shield: this stops the arrows. Enter "Hut" and get rope on the table. Go out and go to the "Well", get bucket, drop rope and climb out of well...

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Clue Cauldron

A lot of clues have been received for the Magnetic Scrolls game Jinxter so the Balrog has put together a special Clue Cauldron to provide a massive overdose of clues.

One of the 'problems' with giving clues and hints to Infocom and Magnetic Scrolls games is that they are often so good that there are multiple ways of solving a puzzle. Hopefully none of the clues below are contradictory but, if they are, just remember it is merely another way of tackling the same problem!

Jinxter

Key Opens?
Rusty Xams front door.
Iron Your front door and back door.
Yellow Xam's mail box.

Cast OOJIMY on fire in the pub. Also cast it on the stool in the clockmaker's shop (to put out the fire).
To get the oil, put the plastic bottle in a container then cast OOJIMY on bottle.

Go to the boat-house and get the mousetrap then go to Xam's back garden and listen to the magpie. He will give you glasses. Put them on and go to kitchen, open trapdoor, D to the cellar, get cheese, U, set trap with cheese, drop trap. Now leave the room and re-enter, a mouse should now be in the trap. Show the mouse to the postmistress.

Post the saddle to the station so it will be available when you get there. You cannot take it with you on the cloud.
When you have the two coins try to buy the train ticket. Because one of the coins is foreign you will need to pester the station-master a number of times till he gets fed up of you trying to buy the ticket and sells it you for half price.
Take the hat with you to the dungeon. You need to stand a lighted candle in the hat to burn the rope. If you try to stand the candle up without the hat it will blow over.

Open the safe by turning the handles. Make sure all the handles are facing up, then turn them in this order;

TR = Top Right
TL = Top Left
BR = Bottom Right
BL = Bottom Left

TR, BR, TL, BL, BR, TR, BR, BL, TL, TR, BR, BR, TL - then open the safe.

To get the unicorn charm: Get the tin opener in your kitchen and the can of worms in the boat-house then get in the canoe and go to the pagoda. Go down into the pagoda and open the can of worms with the tin opener and drop the worms on the dirt. Then dig in the dirt and go east twice. Get the diving gear and go back to the canoe. Take off your clothes and put on the gear. N, D. Follow the current northwest and then north. Then go down and open the hatch, down again, close the hatch and press the left button then take the aqualung off. Turn the wheel on the door and open it. Go east, down, east and open the door, then return to the airlock.
Press the right button and get the aqualung then go east, down, east and put on the aqualung. Wait for the whole place to flood and go up. Get the unicorn charm and get out quickly. Once out wait for the guardian and he will pull you back to the pagoda.

To get the walrus charm: Go to Xam's house and get the match box and the candle. Wait until you hear a knock on the kitchen door. Then go to Xam's mailbox and read the postal note. Do as it says and ring 300 on Xam's phone. Then go into the kitchen and wait for the delivery man, when he has gone get a match from the matchbox and light the candle with it. Then hold your plastic key over it, and wait until it is melted out of shape then go out to Xam's mailbox and unlock with the plastic key. The charm is in the parcel.

Thanks to Adrian Forbes, Gourock, Keith O'Connor, Dublin, Brian O'Donoghue and Peter White.

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Help!

Have you got a problem in an adventure that no-one you know can solve? If so then write to The Balrog at the usual address and your plea for aid will be printed. Please only send in requests if you are desperate - use a Lord or Lady of Adventure if at all possible!

Alistair Crook is stuck in Heavy on the Magick - what is the password for the eye of Heaven?

Stephen Wilson needs help in Panic beneath the Sea and City for Ransom. In the former he want to know the PIN number for the cash card and in City he wants to know how to open the clothes chest .

Chris "The Barbarian" Gore is needy of advice in the Lord of the Rings - '...In part 1 I have Strider in my party and I keep following him around from Bree. I have found the message from Gandalf telling me to get an elfstone. I also got a message from Radagast the Brown via a bird. I pass Bree again only to get killed by the Dark Riders. Please help!...'

'The Kenderian' needs help in 'The Price of Magick' he (she?) wants to know where the fieldspar lens and blue box are and how to get the wheel (use the bat... - Balg)

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Lords & Ladies of Adventure

Four new Lord of Adventures join us this month, including Mark Eltringham with a very impressive list of solved games. As usual treat the Lords and Ladies with the care and respect they deserve - ALWAYS keep phoning within reasonable hours (or those stated) and ALWAYS send a Stamped SAE when writing - otherwise you won't get a reply!

Adventure Quest, Angelique, Apache Gold, Arnold Blackwood Trilogy, Beer Hunter, Bestiary, Big Sleaze, Black Fountain, Black Knight, Boggit, Boredom, Bored of the Rings, Brawn Free, Can I Cheat Death (I & II), Case of the Mixed-Up Shymer, Cave Capers, City for Ransom, Classic Adventure, Colossal Adventure, Colour of Magic, Crash Landing, Cricket Crazy, Dodgy Geezers, Doomlords, Dracula, Dungeon Adventure, DAA, Emerald Isle, Escape Alien Spaceship, Escape from Koshima, Espionage Island, Fantasia Diamond, Firestone, Football Frenzy, Frankenstein, Galaxias, Gems of Stradus, Ghosthouse, Grange Hill, Heavy on the Magick, Hobbit, Hunchback, Imagination, Ingrid's Back, Ichor, Island of Chaos, Jason of the Argonauts, Journey to Death, Kentilla, Knightmare, Knight Orc, Knight Tyme, Kobyashi Naru, Labyrinth, Lancelot, Life Term, Lords of Magic, Lord of the Rings, Lords of Time, Lost Shadow, Magicians Apprentice, Microman, Mindfighter, Mindshadow, Mordon's Quest, Mountains of Ket, Mural, Mystery of Indus Valley, Necris Dome, Never Ending Story, Not a Penny More Not a Penny Less, Panic Beneath the Sea, Price of Magic, Project Annihilation, Project Volcano, Quest, Questprobe 3, Quest for the Golden Egg-cup, Rebel Planet, Redhawk, Red Moon, Return to Eden, Revenge of Chaos, Rigel's Revenge, Robin of Sherwood, Roog, Scary Tales, Seabase Delta, Seas of Blood, Shard of Inovar, Shadows of Mordor, Sharpe's Deeds, Simply Magic, Smashed, Souls of Darkon, Spaced out, Star Wreck, Storm Mountain, Subsunk, Talisman of Power, Terrormolinos, Tizpan, Top Secret, Venom, Welladay, Werewolf Simulator, Winter Wonderland, Wizbiz, Wolfman, Worm in Paradise & all Interceptor games!
Mark Eltringham, 39 Gargle Hill, Thorpe St Andrew, Norwich, Norfolk NR7 OXX.

Andy Capp & Price of Magic. (penpal also wanted)
The Kenderian, 475 Westhorne Ave, Eltham, London SE9 5LR.

Jewels of Babylon.
Chris "The Barbarian" Gore, 22 St. Anthony's Pk., Mallow, Co. Cork, Ireland.

Gnome Ranger, Gremlins, Guild of Thieves, Ingrid's Back, Mordon's Quest, Price of Magic, Return to Eden, Rigel's Revenge, Scapeghost & Village of Lost Souls.
Robin Harley, 3 Shropshire Place, Eastgate, Peterborough, Cambs PE1 5BX.

Crispin Crunchy, Crystal Theft, Gnome Ranger, Message from Andromeda & Scapeghost.
Jay Honosutomo, 23 Tintagel Close, Hemel Hempstead, Herts HP2 6NL. Tel between Mon-Fri, 4.30-9pm (0442) 242957

Deadenders, Gnome Ranger, Hitchhiker's Guide, Lancelot, Quest for the Golden Eggcup, Rigel's Revenge, Smashed & Venom.
Richard Jamieson, 79 Land Street, Rothes, Aberlour, Banffshire AB38 7BB.

Adventure Quest, Angelique, Arnold Blackwood Trilogy, Big Sleaze, Black Fountain, Bugsy, Case of the Mixed-Up Shymer, Castle Blackstar, Castle of the Skull Lord, Crystal Theft, Cursed Be the City, Cutthroats, Dracula, Dungeon Adventure, DAA, Enchanter, Escape from Koshima, Espionage Island, Fantasia Diamond, Football Frenzy, Frankenstein, Gnome Ranger, Gremlins, Guild of Thieves, Haunted House, Hermitage, Hitchhiker's Guide, Hollow Graphic, Hollow Text, Hollywood Hijinx, Hunchback, Imagination, Inca Curse, Infidel, Ingrid's Back, Jack the Ripper, Jinxter, Kingdom of Hamil, Kobyashi Naru, Lancelot, Leather Goddesses, Lifeterm, Lords of Time, Lurking Horror, Mansion, Mindshadow, Monsters of Murdac, Mordon's Quest, Mountains of Ket, Mystery of Indus Valley, Myth, Necris Dome, Never Ending Story, Nova, Nythyhel, Pawn, Planet of Death, Planetfall, Questprobe, Rebel Planet, Rigel's Revenge, Robin of Sherwood, Robocide, Seabase Delta, Shard of Inovar, Sharpe's Deeds, Ship of Doom, Smashed, Sorceror, Souls of Darkon, Spellbreaker, Spytrek, Star Wreck, Subsunk, Theseus, Top Secret, Venom, Very Big Cave Adventure, Winter Wonderland, Wishbringer, Wolfman and Zork I, II & III and all Interceptor games!
Graham Wheeler, 2 Burford Close, Southdown, Bath, Avon BA2 1JF. Tel between 10am and midnight (0225) 426919.

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Programming with the Balrog

Aron Watson from New Zealand has sent in a couple of small programs for Quill owners. Both programs only work with text-only games:-

The first program lets your game have a re-defined character set:-

10 MODE 1:SYMBOL AFTER 32
20 FOR A=HIMEM TO HIMEM+767 STEP 8
30 FOR B=1 TO 4
40 A$=BIN$(PEEK(A+B),8)
50 B$=RIGHT$(A$,1)+LEFT$(A$,7)
60 POKE A+B,VAL("&X"+B$)
70 NEXT B,A
80 OPENOUT "D":MEMORY &E47
90 LOAD "<filename>":CALL &E48

The second program lets you change the screen mode to either 0,1 or 2.

10 OPENOUT "D":MEMORY &E47:LOAD "<filename>"
20 MODE <0, 1 or 2>
30 POKE &17C3,&2:POKE &17C4,&BC
40 POKE &17CA,&50:CALL &E48

Noel Llopis from Luanco in Spain has written explaining how to choose a random message between any two numbers in GAC:-

If you write RAND ( 5 ) you will have a number between 0 and 4, and if you write ( 100 + RAND ( 5 ) ) you will have a number between 100 and 104. So if you write MESS ( 100 + RAND ( 5 ) ) the program will print a message between 100 and 104 - simple! This is very useful for asking the player for an order (eg What now? What next? etc.) and for describing objects (You see... There are... etc.)

Thanks Noel! The simplest solutions are usually the best yet the hardest to think of!

Simon "Aragorn" Netherwood would love to know how Fergus McNeil and other adventure authors manage to get the Quill to accept four word sentences.

Simon also has some tips on character interaction:-

'With the Quill/PAW it is perfectly possible to have interactive, wandering non-player characters almost like a Level 9 game...

A character who moves away or does something when you are present. For example:
Starts
+------------+ Objects: 1. The Balrog Location 2
! Location 3 ! 2. Rod Lawton Location 1
! Office !
+-/-------\--+
/ \ Messages: 1. The Balrog goes NW.
+----/-------+ +-\-----------+ 2. The Balrog goes SE.
! Location 1 !_! Location 2 ! 3. The Balrog goes east.
! Rod's Room ! ! Balg's Lair ! 4. The Balrog sees Rod,
+------------+ +-------------+ "Mmmmm! Food!" shouts the cruel crusader before eating poor Rod.

Status Table

Entry 1 at 2 { Checks you're at location 2 }
present 1 { Checks Balrog is present }
message 1 { 'The Balrog goes NW.' }
place 1 3 { Puts Balrog in location 3 }

Entry 2 at 3
present 1
message 2
place 1 1

Entry 3 at 1
present 1
message 3
place 1 2

Entry 4 present 1 { Checks Balrog is present }
present 2 { Checks Rod is present }
message 4 { Print message }
destroy 2 { Removes Rod! (Hehehe!) }

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Next Month

The Balrog gets his teeth into the rapidly growing Public Domain adventure market as well as reviewing a new book entitled 'The Beginners Guide to Adventures'.