THE BALROG

Welcome fellow adventurers! Lower that sword, untie that hobbit you were saving for lunch and sit down on the grassy bank and get stuck into the following epistle from the apostle of Adventure! This month includes a review of the latest FSF game, Axe of Kolt, the nomination of a new honorary Balrog, a new cluepot listing plus all your regular favourites.

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Review

The Axe of Kolt
£8 disc, 6128 & PCW only
FSF Adventures, 40 Harvey Gardens, Charlton, London SE7 8AJ.

You are Alaric Blackmoon, a penniless ex-mercenary who has decided to settle down and live the rest of his life in peace. Unfortunately the marauding forces of the Xixon feel differently and you feel duty bound to try and stop them by retrieving the magical artefact known as the Axe of Kolt. The axe will, according to legend, drive back the accursed Xixon and make the world a peaceful place to settle down in again.

Inspired mainly by Andre Nortons "Witch World" and "Star of Danger" by Marion Zimmer Bradley, Axe of Kolt was recently awarded the title of 'Best 8-bit text only adventure game' in the Adventure Probe awards. PAWed, the pedigree of Axe is superb - written by Larry Horsfield, the author of Magnetic Moon (reviewed AA72), with conversion and playtesting from two honorary Balrogs - Ken Bond and Lorna Patterson. Be warned though - Axe is no walk over as it comes in four parts - that's over 200K of code! The game isn't easy either so be prepared for many sleepless nights trying to solve it.

Only a couple of niggles - Axe is a little too difficult in places and can be frustrating (luckily Larry operates a telephone helpline) and the screen clears before describing a location (this is a minor niggle on the Balg's behalf - I prefer the screen not to clear). Overall a good game, although the Balg didn't enjoy it as much as Magnetic Moon (I preferred the science fiction scenario).

Atmosphere 76% Good storyline with well-written text.
Interaction 70% Good parser and some character interaction.
Challenge 84% Over 200K of code means there's lots to challenge even the hardiest of adventures
Overall 80% Good game let down slightly by its high difficulty level.

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Contacting the Balg

To get in contact with the Balg, write to him at Amstrad Action, Future Publishing Ltd, Beauford Court, 30 Monmouth Street, Bath, AVON BA1 2AP.

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News

New adventure mag unveiled

Yet another 8-bit adventure magazine has arrived to fill the void left by Adventure Probe. Bare Bones is now in its 4th issue and will be published bi-monthly. The issue the Balg saw looked good but there wasn't much in it for £1.50 - hopefully this will improve as Les, the editor, gets more reader response. Bare-Bones is available from 10 Tavistock Street, Newland Avenue, Hull HU5 2LJ.

Guild Adventure withdraws from CPC

Tony Collins of the Guild has announced that he discontinuing support for the Amstrad CPC. However all is not lost - Philip Reynolds of The Adventure Workshop has taken on board the Guild software list as well as adding many new titles. Prices range from £2.00 for a single part cassette game to £6.00 for a multi-part disc adventure. The new titles include many popular Spectrum games converted to the Amstrad and include Captain Kook, Microfair Madness, The Bounty Hunter and Desmond and Gertrude. For more details and a 14 page catalogue write to Philip at the following address: 36 Grasmere Road, Royton, Oldham, Lancashire, OL2 6SR. Tel: (061) 652 7565.

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Cluepot

Thanks go to Patrick Dyson and Gandalf the Grey for this months' selection of clues, as well as the Balg's extensive clue library.

Arkham Manor (esp. for Jim from Cambridge)

Give Mrs Lemin wallet before using knocker to get into house.
Give policeman hammer.
Three things are needed to blow up folly.
Give teacher the book and she will tell you something.

Castle Master (esp. for Thomas Crichton)

To kill spirit in Dragon's Lair keep shooting it between the eyes until it dies.
Go through the hole in the Hot Baths to cavern 4. Collect key then go up stairway into courtyard and onto drawbridge. Stand at far end and throw rock at trigger mechanism. You will land on the roof of the cathedral where you can get another key.

Colour of Magic (esp. for Steven Parker)

You must eat the meal in part one to kill the troll in part two.

The Crypt (esp. for Adrian Collins)

There are ten keys in all and here are the various locations:-

1) In the chest in the crypt.
2) On top of the cupboard in the room adjacent to Tantalus.
3) In the treasure chest in the room adjacent to Tantalus.
4) In the fire extinguisher holder in the lift (throw rock at glass).
5) Under the rock in the lift shaft (push rock under crusher, then go up to level 4 and come back down to level 1, the rock will be crushed).
6) One on the wall in the lift shaft.
7) One outside the door in the porthole (drop from door above to land on the ledge with the key).
8) One behind the steps at the level 3 stairs.
9) One in the rat-trap (do NOT go beyond the bar to get the key).
10) One on the shelf in the pillar (push stalactites up to form steps).

Heroes of Karn (esp. for Margaret Rose)

Attack Hydra with spear.
Get Khadim to kill the pirate with dagger found in the King's chamber.
Tell Beren to get the falcon.
Water the plant to make it a beanstalk.

Imagination (esp. for Laurence Boyce)

To pass the Japanese soldier, paint your cord/belt black.

Lifeterm (esp. for Carolyn)

Insert wax in ears.
Pick lock with wire.

Seabase Delta (esp. for Laurence Boyce)

To get the long plank type pull nail while you are holding the pincer. Get the nails, hammer, barrel and plank and type make seesaw.

Search for Largo Grann

Patience is the answer...

Wiz-Biz (esp. for Carolyn)

Give pipe to guard.

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Honorary Balrog

Yep! It's honorary Balrog time again! This time the award goes to a lady who is very busy in the Amstrad adventure scene. As well as running her own PD library dedicated to adventure games, she also publishes Dragon News as well as writing the adventure column for the 'CPC User' fanzine. Congratulations Debby Howard HBalg! Debby has dedicated herself to keeping the Amstrad Adventure scene alive and has had much success - her PD library was voted the second best PD library in the recent Probe Awards (she was only pipped to the post by a Spectrum library). Well done Debby!

If you have any suggestions for Honorary Balrog then jot them down and send them to the Balg at the usual address. Only totally dedicated adventurers are worthy of such an accolade - it shows that you have worked hard to advance the name of the adventure on the Amstrad as well as other machines.

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Cluepot Index

Acheton 55 56
Adventure Quest 2 15 54 73 74
Aftershock 16 17 57
Al-Strad 14 74 75
Andy Capp 59
Angelicus Saga 77
Apache Gold 55 56 61 79
Arkham Manor 66 67 72
Arnold goes to somewhere else 74
Astral Plain 75 76
Atalan 74
Avon 51 63
Ballyhoo 21 61 72
Bards Tale 37 38 53 57-59 61 70-74
Base 62-64 66 74 77 78
Beer Hunter 9 12
Bewbews 72
Big Sleaze 26 40 49 50 62 67-69 79 80
Black Fountain 84
Bloodwych 73 75 78
Boggit 12 13 18 27 54 58 63 69 79
Book of the Dead 77 78
Bored of the Rings 16 25 60 65 67
Bugsy 57
Case of the Mixed-Up Shymer 80
Castle Blackstar 14
Castle of Skull Lord 14 62
Castle Warlock 76
Classic Adventure 3 56 61 63
Colossal Adventure 1 2 9 53 75
Colour of Magic 51 58 59
Corruption 43 51 55 56 58 60 62 65 68 69 80
Crystal Theft 51 76
Cursed be the City 76
Cutthroats 53 58 60 64
Danger! Adventurer at Work 77
Dodgy Geezers 64
Dracula 58 59 61 62 78 82
Dun Darach 56 81
Dungeon Adventure 9 11 15 20 60 64 74
Dungeons Amethysts etc. 25 66 77
Emerald Isle 2 6 9 17
Erik the Viking 2 4 6 7 9 20
Escape from Koshima 65 84
Escape from Planet of Doom 75
Espionage Island 25
Fantasia Diamond 7-9 18 30 65
Firestone 74 77
Fish (never released on CPC) 56
Forest at the Worlds End 3 11 12 25 51 54 57
Fourth Protocol 11 75
Frankenstein 30 59 66 72 76
Gems of Stradus 73
Gnome Ranger 30 33 39 40-43 59 72
Grange Hill 64 69 77
Gremlins 1-4 9 22 27 43
Grue-Knapped 77
Guild of Thieves 30 33 43 52 55 56 60 67 68 72
Haunted House 30
Heavy on the Magick 11 64 65 70 73 77-79
Hero Quest 79
Heroes of Karn 1 11-13 15 20 49 50 57 75 76 81
Hitchhiker's Guide 22 49 50 58-60 75
Hobbit 6 9 10 30 50 58 74 77 79 81
Holiday 74
Holiday II 82
Hollywood Hijinx 53 54 78
How to be a complete an utter B****** 84
Imagination 25 53 59-61 79
Infidel 27 29 68
Ingrids Back 43 64 70 73 79
Island 64 67 68 70 73
Island Of Riddles 14
Jewels of Babylon 4 29 51 57 80
Jinxter 56 58 60 62 80
Kentilla 13 15 26 27 38 43 62 81
Kingdom of Hamil 66
Knight Orc 33 35 36 53 66 75 78-80
Knightmare 53 59 66 76 81
Kobyashi Naru 22 52
Kwah! 66
Lancelot 43 57 76
Leather Goddesses 21 30 49 53 66 74
Lord of the Rings 9 11 16 61 64 67 76 81
Lords of Chaos 66 70
Lords of Time 1 2 29 66 78 79 81 82 84
Lost Phirious 80
Lurking Horror 27 33 35 43 50 55 66 75
Magnetic Moon 80
Marsport 85
Message from Andromeda 4 20 26 57 84
Microman 14
Mindfighter 43 51 57 61 80
Mindshadow 7-10 16 43 60 63
Mission One 25
Moonmist 67 69
Mordons Quest 12 13 16 18 25 26 33 80
Necris Dome 74
Never Ending Story 6 8 10 20 38 61
Not a Penny More, Not a Penny Less 74 81
Panic Beneath the Sea 51 64
Pawn 21 27 56 58 61 67 74
Planetfall 27 73 80
Price of Magic 10-14 16 17 26 29 43 64 65 79 80 84
Quad X - II 85
Quest for Golden Egg Cup 65 79 81
Questprobe III 25 54
Rebel Planet 27 54
Red Moon 11 20 29 65 68 74 76
Redhawk 14 17 20 59 70 74
Return to Eden 2 3 11 14 17 18 49 50
Revenge 85
Rigels Revenge 29 30 33 35 37 40 43 55 57 62 72 81
Ring of Darkness 4
Robin of Sherlock 17 27
Robin of Sherwood 8 15
Roy of the Rovers 61
Runestone 30
Scapeghost 52 55 66 76 81 84
Scary Tales 35 66
Seabase Delta 10 12 13 15 20 38 59 66 69 72
Search for Largo Grann 55
Seastalker 35
Secrets of Ur 72
Secret of St Brides 15
Shadows of Mordor 25 66 68 72 74 81
Sharpe's Deeds 79
Simply Magic 74 81 84 85
Slaine 30 57
Smashed 63 84
Snowball 1 2 6 22
Sorcerer 52 66 74
Sorcery + 85
Souls of Darkon 33 63 66
Spellbreaker 25 27 35
Spiderman 4
Spiro Legacy 81 84
Spytrek 20 25 35 43 66 80
Star Wreck 29
Stationfall 35 51 60
Subsunk 10 17 62 65
Suspect 51 64
Talisman of Power 73
Terrormolinos 73 82 84
Test 64
Theseus 76
Times of Lore 61
Tombestowne 64
Total Reality Delusion 80
Trial of Arnold Blackwood 80 82
Use your loaf 80
Venom 30 33 49 61
Very Big Cave Adventure 33 61 62 82 84 85
Videoworld 82
Warlord 3 4 7-10 17 27 57 74
Well adventure 73
Wise & Fool of Arnold Blackwood 75
Wishbringer 75
Witness 60
Wizbiz 60 80
Wolfman 40 50 61 62 66 75 76 85
Worm in Paradise 29 35 52
Yarkon Blues 82
Zork 6 8 43
Zork II 73
Zork III 27 65

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GAC entry format

/* Rod,

Take this section out if you are stuck for space.

Stuart
*/

A lot of people have written asking for what they should send with the GAC games they write for the competition - so here they are - the full compo rules!

The game must be GACed (It is a GAC competition after all!)
It must be one part only (the covertape won't have room for a multi-part game but you can have a loading screen if you want)
You can send your game on a tape or disc (although I'd prefer the game on disc) but if you want your game back you must include a stamped self addressed envelope.
You must send a solution and map with your entry (I can't be expected to play hundreds of GAC games without any help!)
It would help if you sent any relevant instructions.
It would also help if you wrote why you feel your game is good- outline any clever puzzles, amusing responses or strong points.

Remember don't send your games yet - there's no rush!

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