ARTHUR THE QUEST FOR EXCALIBUR

Instruction Manual

BOOK OF HOURS

EX LIBRIS LOTHIAN REX

No worthier warrior was before
Lot became Lord of all the land:
With sword so sharp and shield that shines...
proud Paladin beyond reproach.

He husbands heavy chests of treasure.
the envy of every earl and king.
His soul is stirred by precious stones and silver,
and gleaming gold which daily he doth gather.

No king so fair
by maid begot
was ever there
than good King Lot.

MARTINS

The toscin tolls the time for Midnight prayers
when the world's withdrawn in dreams.
Vigil voices vibrate, chanting shadows,
as candle-flames full in our sleepy faces
light us through long litanies.

LAUDS

The Lord will listen as our lips
show forth His praise in psalm and song...
A new day dawning for devotions
with hearts and hands for Him alone.

PRIME

Whatever tempests have tormented them
outside our walls, we watch the waste
with pity and compassion. All the poor
we will relieve, receiving them like rich,
God-guided guided guests whose gift is gratitude.

TERCE

In the scriptorium the scribes, inspired
to beauty and the bounty of the Book,
create with colors and calligraphy
another world to win souls and woo hearts
with precious manuscripts... to Paradise.

SEXT

At Midday, our one meal..then meditation
on holy text and teaching at the table.
Since labouring is prayer, we long to linger
at our task of love: to thank the Lord
for giving us the grace for gratitude.

NONE

Brothers and lay labour lovingly in kitchen;
cooking, baking, making medicines.
From the fields and gardens, fulsome harvest
to feed ourselves and freely share what from
God's gifts we gather humbly as His servants.

VESPERS

The twilight brings its blessed peace unbroken.
The heart unravels riches of the hours
spent in sweet Service and seeking Salvation.
Sleep and serenity, a sure repose
after day is done..in dedication!

COMPLINE

From dreadful dreams defend our rest,
from fearful fantasies of night,
that sleep serene may sanctify
both Aboot and all brethren now.

Greetings

My name is Merlinus Ambrosius,
but men call me Merlin.

Aye, I live still, even unto this present day,
And I shall live on into worlds which you do not dream of,
but which I already see.

Legends tell you
that I was beguiled into a trap, imprisoned in a hollow hill,
a doddering old man blinded by misguided love
for a beautiful yet evil sorceress.

Imprisoned I am, but not blinded - not now, or ever.

But let me tell you of those days.
In a time almost before memory,
there was a battle among the gods.
The evil demon Nudd was defeated and chained
to a golden throne below a mountain.
Manacled though he was, his evil still extended
beyond the mountain, making the surrounding land barren,
and polluting everything it touched.
The enchantment he had cast over the Lady of the Lake
had such strength that even my gods
were powerless to break it.

Then a new god came into the land.
His power was so great that the spell over the lady
could be broken by the mere touch of the hawthorn flower
that was holy to him, the one that bloomed only
on the anniversary of his birth.

When Arthur was born,
he learned to embrace the power of the new god.
But he also knew that the old gods, my gods, were not dead.
Only thus was he able to gain the sword.

So look now at those days
through the eyes of the boy.
Learn of England's need for him
and how he came to write his name in legend.
I say to you, the day shall come when the world
has need of him once more. On that day
shall I break these icy bonds and rise to my destiny
-- to bring new life, through fire and glory,
to the bravest and truest knight the world has ever known;
to Arthur -- the once and future king.

2

Preface to the Story

It has been many years since King Uther has died, and his once- proud
kingdom is in danger of coming apart at the seams. No one has been able to
draw the legendary sword from the stone. No one has been able to unite the
country against the invasion of the Saxons. The people grow weary of life
without a High King, and they are ready to accept a usurper on the throne,
even though they know he is not the rightful heir.

In Arthur, you play the role of the young king who has grown up in
ignorance of his heritage. The time has come for you to draw Excalibur
from the stone and rise up to defend Britain. But before you can do so,
you must prove to Merlin that you are ready to take up the burden of
kingship. As you progress through the game, you must earn the wisdom,
experience, and chivalry points that will demonstrate to Merlin that you
are indeed ready to claim your birthright.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

If you've never played Infocom's interactive fiction before, you should
read this entire instruction manual. If you're an experienced Infocom
player, just read Section I: About Arthur.

Section I: About Arthur

Using the New Interface. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4
Mapping. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4
If You Have a Mouse. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4
Hints. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5
Special Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5
Abbreviations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6
Sample Transcript and Map. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7
About Author . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9

Section II: About Infocom's Interactive Fiction An Overview:

What Is Interactive Fiction? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9
Starting and Stopping. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9
"Booting up"
Saving and restoring
Quitting and restarting
Communicating with Infocom's Interactive Fiction . . . . . .10
Basic sentences
Complex sentences
Talking to characters in the story
Tips for Novices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12
Eleven useful pointers about interactive fiction
Common Complaints. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13
Copyright and Warranty Information . . . . . . . . . . . . .14
We're Never Satisfied. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14
If You Have Technical Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14
Quick Reference Guide. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15
A brief description of the most important things to know
about interactive fiction.

3

SECTION I: ABOUT ARTHUR

Using the New Interface

We've developed a new look for the screen to make our games even
more enjoyable.

The lower part of the screen contains the command line and the
traditional written account of what happens to you during the game.

The upper part of the screen contains your choice of any one of the
following six windows. (Use the function keys specified to bring up these
windows.)

Graphics: This is the default setting in which the game will start. No
matter how far afield you roam, you will always be able to get a picture of
where you are. (Function key 1).

Map: This feature maps the environment for you as you move through the
game. The darkened square marks the room that you are currently in. The
empty squares are rooms that you have previously explored. The compass
rose displays all legitimate exits from your current location. If you have
a mouse, see the "If You Have a Mouse" section for quick and easy ways to
move around your once and future kingdom. (Function key 2).

Inventory: This window will display a list of all the things that you are
carrying. (Function key 3).

Score: Your level of accomplishment is represented here, both in bar
charts and in numbers. (Function key 4).

Room Description: This is useful if you want to take a quick glance at
your surroundings without "wasting" a turn. The window displays the same
information you would get if you typed LOOK. (Function key 5).

Text Only: For the hard-core, give-me-text-or-give-me-death games who
would rather die than look at a picture. Return once more to those
thrilling days of yesteryear -- when men were men, text was text, and
graphics got eaten by grues. (Function key 6)

The function keys on your machine are listed below:

Apple IIe, IIc, IIgs: Closed Apple/Option key pressed
simultaneously with keys 1 through 6
Apple Macintosh: Command key pressed simultaneously with
keys 1 through 6
Amiga: Keys F1 through F6
IBM-PC and compatibles: Keys F1 through F6

Mapping

Arthur contains an on-screen mapping feature. When you want to see the
map, press function key 2, which will bring up the map window (or simply
type MAP). The map will show only those locations which you've already
visited, as well as the then- current legitimate exits from those
locations.

On the map, your current location will be a darkened square. If
you have a mouse, you can move around the geography by clicking on an
adjacent room or on the compass rose.

You may still want to draw your own map to keep track of where
objects are found, and to be able to look at the entire Arthur geography at
once.

If You Have a Mouse

If you have an Apple IIgs or Macintosh, an Amiga, or an IBM with a
Microsoft-compatible mouse, you can take advantage of several Arthur
features.

You can use the mouse to move around the geography by clicking on
an adjacent room in the map window, or by clicking on the appropriate point
of the compass rose. (See the "Mapping" section above.)

In addition, you can use your mouse to navigate through the hint
menu and to select hints.

4

Hints

Arthur contains on-screen hints! If you ever get stuck, simply go to
Merlin's cave and look inside his crystal ball (or look into the crystal of
the torque that Merlin drops on the ground at the beginning of the game).
Then follow the instructions on your screen. The hints generally progress
from a gentle nudge to a complete answer. Sometimes you will be told that
there is an object or a piece of information that you haven't yet
discovered. When that happens, return to the story and try another
approach - - sometimes a puzzle cannot be solved.

The hint system tries to be smart about where you have been and
what you have seen. If you haven't seen or heard about the Bottomless Pit
of Despair, then it will not show up as a hint topic until you do. This is
to prevent you from learning about something's existence inadvertantly when
you consult the hint system on another matter. Thus, when you start the
game, the list of topics in the hint system will be very small. But don't
panic! As you progress, there will be more and more things you can consult
the hint system about.

Despite the above, we strongly recommend that you look at only one
hint at a time. Avoid the temptation to use the hints too often; this
inevitably spoils, or at least lessens, the fun of solving a puzzle.

If you don't have the willpower to stop looking at the hints, you
can type HINTS OFF. This will deactivate the on- screen hints (unless you
RESTART or RESTORE to an earlier point).

Special Commands

Below are explanations for a number of useful one-word commands, with their
abbreviated form following in parentheses. In many cases, these will not
count as a move. Type the command after the prompt (>) and press the
RETURN (or ENTER) key. Most of these commands appear in all Infocom games,
but those that are starred (*) are new.

AGAIN (G) - This will repeat your previous input. For instance, typing
ATTACK THE PLAID DRAGON they typing AGAIN would be like attacking the plaid
dragon twice in a row.

BRIEF - This command tells Arthur not to give a full description each time
you enter a location. In BRIEF mode, Arthur will fully describe a location
only the first time you enter it. On subsequent visits, Arthur will tell
you only the name of the location and any objects present. Arthur will
begin in VERBOSE mode (see VERBOSE below) and will switch to BRIEF mode
only if you type BRIEF. While you are in BRIEF mode, you can always get a
full description of your location and the items there by typing LOOK.

*COLOR - If you are playing Arthur on a computer with a color monitor, you
can type COLOR to change the colors of the text and background on your
screen.

INVENTORY (I) - Arthur will list what you are carrying and wearing.

LOOK (L) - This will give you a full description of your location.

*MAP - This will bring up the map screen in the upper window.

*NOTIFY - Normally Arthur, the game will notify you when your score
changes. You can turn off this notification feature by using the NOTIFY
command. Typing NOTIFY a second time turns the feature back on.

5

OOPS (O) - If you mistype a word, such that Arthur doesn't understand it,
you can correct yourself at the next prompt by typing OOPS and the correct
word. For example, if you typed SHOOT THE HEDGHOG WITH THE CROSSBOW and
were told "[You don't need to use the word 'hedghog']" you could type OOPS
HEDGEHOG rather than retyping the entire sentence.

QUIT (Q) - This lets you stop. If you want to save your position before
quitting, follow the instructions in "Starting and Stopping" section on
page 10.

*REFRESH (R) - This command clears your screen and redraws the display.

RESTART - This stops the story and starts it over from the beginning.

RESTORE - This restores a previously saved position. See "Starting and
Stopping" on page 10 for more details.

SAVE - This puts a "snapshot" of your current position on your save disk.
You can return to a saved position in the future using the RESTORE command.
See "Starting and Stopping" on page 10 for more details.

SCRIPT - This command tells your printer to begin making a transcript of
the story. A transcript may aid your memory, but is not necessary, and
will work only on certain computers. Read your Reference Card for details.

*UNDO - You can use this command to "back up" one move. Suppose, for
example, that you found a package but didn't know what was in it. You
might type OPEN THE PACKAGE and be told "An evil mist escapes from the
package and destroys all your possessions". You could then type UNDO, and
you would "back up" one move. Your possessions would be intact, you could
try giving the package to an enemy, or leaving it alone, or something else.
Note that the UNDO command works only on certain computers with enough
memory.

UNSCRIPT - This tells your printer to stop making a transcript.

VERBOSE - This command tells Arthur to give you the wordiest level of
description. See BRIEF above.

VERSION - Arthur responds by showing you the release number and serial
number of your copy of the story. Please include this information if you
ever report a "bug" in the story.

WAIT (Z) - This causes time in the story to pass. Normally nothing happens
in the game until you type a sentence and press RETURN (or ENTER). You
could leave your computer, take a nap, eat dinner, and then return to the
story to find that nothing has changed. You can use WAIT to make time pass
in the story without doing anything. For example, if you saw two soldiers
arguing, you might WAIT to see what they will do; if you were aboard a
ship, you might WAIT to see where it goes; if you expected something
interesting to happen at Easter, you could WAIT FOR EASTER. If something
interesting happens while your waiting, you'll have the option to stop
waiting.

Abbreviations

The following is a list of abbreviations you can use for commonly used
commands.

D - Down
E - East
G - Again
I - Inventory
L - Look
N - North
NE - Northeast
NW - Northwest
O - Oops
Q - Quit
R - Refresh
S - South
SE - Southeast
SW - Southwest
U - Up
W - West
X - Examine
Z - Wait

6

Sample Transcript

This transcript is not from Arthur, but it will give you a good feeling for
how Infocom's interactive fiction works. It contains some simple puzzles
and their solutions. The player's commands appear in capital letters after
each prompt (>).

Jewel
Girl
!-------------! !----------!
! Tower Room !---! Corridor !
-!-------------! !----------!
/
Woodsman Up /
!---------! !--------! /
!Clearing !------!Meadow ! / Tower
!---------! !--------!/ Large tree N
| |
| W----0----E
!---------! |
! Path ! Small box S
!---------!
|

>LOOK
Path
Your quest for the Seven Lost Jewels of Nimnul has brought you to a
path, deep within a dark forest. The path goes north and south from here.

You see a small box half-buried beneath a pile of leaves.

>TAKE THE BOX
Succumbing to the thieving instinct that drives adventurers such as
yourself to steal anything that isn't tied down, you take the box.

>OPEN IT
You open the box. Inside is a small scrap of paper.

>EXAMINE PAPER
Most of the writing is illegible, but you can make out the following words:

"When thou wisheth to cause something to lose dimension, utter the
ancient word 'Twerplotz' Contrariwise, if thou desireth to cause a thing to
become enlarged, then shalt thou say 'Blimpsnarf.'"

>NORTH
Clearing

You come to a clearing in the woods. A path leads to the south,
and the way to the east is blocked by a thick hedge of thorns. There is a
woodsman here, roasting a deer over a huge fire. You haven't eaten all
day, and the hunk of meat he holds in his hand looks particularly
appetizing.

>ASK WOODSMAN FOR MEAT
"Well now", says the woodsman. "There's enuf 'ere for two, but me father
told me never to give up sump'n for nut'n. 'Ave ye got anything to offer?"

>INVENTORY
You are wearing an expensive cloak that is fastened at your neck with a
copper pin.

You are carrying a sword, a small box, and an incredibly battered
brass lantern that is so banged up from past adventures that it's a miracle
it gives off any light at all.

>TRADE BOX FOR MEAT
You give the box to the woodsman and he gives you the meat. You wolf it
down and your hunger disappears.

>THANK WOODSMAN
"No need for thanks," the woodsman says, holding up the box,

"It's a fair enough trade."

>EAST
You wave a jaunty farewell to the woodsman, turn, and walk facefirst into
the hedge, impaling yourself on the thorns. You pry yourself free and do a
quick impression of a sieve leaking blood, then fall to the greensward,
dead.

******* You have died. ******

[Do you wish to RESTART, RESTORE, UNDO, QUIT, or get a HINT?]

>UNDO

[Undone]

>CUT HEDGE WITH SWORD
You hack away at the hedge with your sword. For every branch you chop off,
two grow back in its place. The woodsman chuckles knowingly.

7

>ASK WOODSMEN ABOUT HEDGE
"Oh, that there's an enchanted 'edge, that one is. On t'other side is a
beautiful girl locked up in a tower. Legend 'as it that once a year - at
the stroke of midnight on St. Winget's day - an 'ole opens up in the
'edge." He pulls his Old Woodsman's Almanac out of his back pocket and
consults it. Then he licks his finger, holds it up to the wind, ponders a
moment, and continues, "As luck would have it, today 'appens to be St.
Winget's day."

>WOODSMAN, TELL ME ABOUT THE GIRL
"A lovelier lass never breathed. They say 'er skin is fair as heifer's
milk, 'er neck is graceful as a swan's, and she's lively as a young colt.
Mind you, I've never seen 'er, but if I was twenty years younger, I
wouldn't mind 'aving a got at 'er meself."

>WAIT FOR MIDNIGHT
[Time passes...]

In the distance you hear the sound of a church bell striking the hour. As
you idly wonder if the hour ever strikes back, a hole opens up in the hedge
leading to the east.

>EAST
You are too big to fit through the hole.

>TWERPLOTZ ME
You shrink to half your original size.

>EAST
Meadow
You walk through the tunnel and emerge into daylight on the other
side. There is a perfectly round tower here that has no doors or other
openings, except for one tiny window at the very top. To the north is a
large tree with a huge trunk.

>CLIMB TOWER
The walls are too smooth to climb.

>HIDE BEHIND TREE
Meadow, behind tree
You walk behind the tree and peer around the trunk at the tower.

>Z
[Time passes...]
Suddenly an old crone comes up to the base of the tower and cries
"Grizbut, let down thy hair."
Moments later, a mass of golden hair cascades out of the window.
The witch climbs up the hair and disappears into the tower. [Do you want to
continue waiting?]

>YES
After a while, the crone emerges from the window, climbs down the hair and
disappears into the forest. The hair retreats into the window above.

>OUT
Meadow
You step out from behind the tree.

>GRIZLBUT, LET DOWN THY HAIR
A clump of hair falls from the window above, hitting you squarely on the
head and knocking you unconscious. After a few moments, you recover and
stagger groggily to your feet.

>CLIMB HAIR
[You don't need to use the word hair.]

>OOPS HAIR
Tower Room
Ignoring the shrieks and cries of pain from above, you climb up the
side of the tower.
Climbing through the window, you discover to your dismay that the
legend got the animals right, but the particulars wrong. The girl has the
face of a horse, the figure of a cow, and the voice of an enraged swan.
She looks at you as she hauls in her hair and squawks, "You're awfully
small to be going around rescuing maidens."

>BLIMPSNARF ME
Poof! You regain your original size.
The girl smiles at you demurely, bats her one eyelash, and rasps,
"Hello, sailor."

>LOOK
Tower Room
You are in a small room at the top of a tall tower. The only
escape lies through the window to the west or the locked door to the east.
Imbedded in the doorknob is one of the Seven Lost Jewels of Nimnul.

>TAKE JEWEL
You tug at the jewel, but it refuses to budge.

>OPEN DOOR
The door is locked.
The girl strokes her moustache meditatively and brays. "The witch who
imprisoned me here told me that the door would open only if I would speak
aloud the answer to the following riddle: Forward I'm heavy, backward I'm
not. What am I?"

>SAY "TON"
The door swings open, and the jewel pops out into your hand.
[Your score just went up by 5 points.]
"Darling!" the girl honks. "I'm yours!" She leaps into your arms.
You stagger backward under the tremendous weight and crash into the wall.

>DROP GRIZLBUT
The girl thuds to the floor and everything else in the room jumps. She
wraps herself around your leg and beseeches you to take her with you.

>EAST
Corridor
Dragging Grizlbut behind you like a ball and chain, you leave the
room to explore the rest of the tower.

About the Author

Bob Bates recently knuckled under to pressure from the programming
community and stopped wearing ties to work. Since the publication of his
last game (Sherlock: The Riddle of the Crown Jeweles) he has been literally
inundated with a request for his autograph. His wife, Peggy Oriani,
remains unimpressed and steadfastly refuses to carry his luggage when they
travel.

The author wishes to thank Duane Beck - without whom this game
would never have been completed -- and Stu Galley, whose lust for wallabies
is unequalled in the northern hemisphere. For a complete list of credits
and acknowledgements of all those who worked on Arthur, type CREDITS while
playing the game.

SECTION II: ABOUT INFOCOM'S INTERACTIVE FICTION

An Overview:
What is Interactive Fiction?

Interactive fiction is a story in which you are the main character. Each
interactive story, such as Arthur, presents you with a series of locations,
items, characters, and events. You can affect the direction of the story
by moving from place to place, using the objects you find, and interacting
with the other characters.

An important element of interactive fiction is puzzle-solving.
Think of a locked door or an invisible creature not as a permanent obstacle
but merely as a puzzle to be tackled. (Find the key that unlocks the door,
or figure out how to see the creature.)

In Arthur, time passes only in response to your input. Nothing
happens until you type a sentence and press the RETURN (or ENTER) key, so
you can plan your turns as slowly and carefully as you want.

Arthur measures your progress by giving you a score. You'll get
points for solving puzzles and for reaching new locations. A perfect score
is your goal; making sure you have fun getting there is ours.

Starting and Stopping

Starting the story: To load Arthur, follow the instructions on the
Reference Card in your package.

On your screen, you will see a description of the opening location
of the story followed by the prompt (>), indicating that Arthur is waiting
for your first input.

Here are a few inputs for you to try at the first several prompts.
After typing each input, don't forget to hit the RETURN (or ENTER) key.

>INVENTORY
>EXAMINE THE TORQUE
>LOOK AROUND
>EXAMINE THE STONE

You should now have a feel for interacting with the story. You decide what
to do next.

9

Saving and restoring: It will probably take you several days to complete
Arthur. Using the SAVE feature, you can continue the story at a later time
without having to start over from the beginning, just as you can place a
bookmark in a book you are reading. Even if you aren't about to stop
playing, it's useful to SAVE before (or after) trying something dangerous
or tricky. That way, even if you get lost or "killed" in the story, you
can return to your saved position.

To save your place, type SAVE at the prompt (>), and then press
RETURN (or ENTER). Then follow the instructions for saving and restoring
on your Reference Card. Some computers require a blank SAVE disk,
initialized and formatted. Using a disk with data on it (other than Arthur
saves) may result in the loss of that data, depending on your computer.
You can save your position as often as you like by using additional blank
disks.

Any time you want to return to a saved position, just type RESTORE
at the prompt (>), and hit RETURN (or ENTER). Then follow the instructions
on your Reference Card. You can then continue the story from your save.

Quitting and restarting: If you want to start over from the beginning,
type RESTART and press the RETURN (or ENTER) key. (This is usually faster
than re-booting). Arthur will ask you to confirm this command.

If you want to stop entirely, type QUIT and press RETURN (or
ENTER). Once again, Arthur will ask to make sure this is really what you
want to do.

Remember: when you RESTART or QUIT, you must SAVE if you want to
return to your current position in the story.

Communicating with Infocom's Interactive Fiction

In Arthur, you type your commands in plain English each time you see the
prompt (>). Most of the sentences that Arthur will understand are
imperative sentences. See the examples below.

When you have finished typing your input, press the RETURN (or
ENTER) key. Arthur will then respond, telling you whether your request is
possible at this point in the story, and what happened as a result.

Arthur recognizes your words by their first nine letters, and all
subsequent letters are ignored. For example, Arthur would not be able to
distinguish between DEMONSTRATtion, DEMONSTRAtive, and DEMONSTRAtor.

To move around, just type the direction you want to go. Directions
can be abbreviated: NORTH to N, SOUTH to S, EAST to E, WEST to W, NORTHEAST
to NE, NORTHWEST to NW, SOUTHEAST to SE, SOUTHWEST to SW, UP to U, and DOWN
to D, IN and OUT will also work in certain places.

Arthur understands many different kinds of sentences. Here are
examples, using objects and characters that don't necessarily appear in
Arthur:

>WALK TO THE NORTH
>WEST
>NE
>DOWN
>TAKE SHINY FISH THEN TOSS IT IN POT
>OPEN THE EGG
>READ THE PROCLAIMATION
>BRIBE THE GUARD WITH THE PUMPKIN
>TAKE THE BOW THEN THROW IT ACROSS THE RIVER
>SHOW MY MANACLES TO THE IDIOT
>HIT PURPLE KNIGHT WITH LANCE
>CLIMB INTO THE PIT

10

You may use lower-case letters and words like A and THE if you wish.
Arthur doesn't care one way or the other.

You can use multiple objects with certain verbs if you separate
them by the word AND or by a comma. Some examples:

>TAKE THE CANDLE AND THE CRAB
>DROP THE CANDLE, THE CRAB, AND THE NUTMEG

You can include several sentences on one line if you separate them
by the word THEN or by a period. Each sentence will be handles in order,
as though you had typed them individually at separate prompts. For
example, you could type all of the following at once, before pressing the
RETURN (or ENTER) key:

>TAKE THE KEY, GO DOWN THEN OPEN THE WOODEN DOOR

If Arthur doesn't understand one of the sentences on your input line, or if
an unusual event occurs, it will ignore the rest of your input line.

The words IT and ALL can be very useful. For example:

>CLOSE THE HEAVY WOODEN DOOR. LOCK IT
>TAKE THE ARMOUR. PUT IT ON
>TAKE ALL
>EXAMINE THE BREADFRUIT. TAKE IT. EAT IT
>GIVE ALL BUT THE TORQUE TO THE IDIOT

The word ALL refers to every visible object except those inside something
else. If there were an apple on the cabinet and an orange inside the
cabinet, TAKE ALL would take the apple but not the orange.

Sometimes Arthur "knows" you mean to answer a question posed by
another character. In these situations you can omit the name and comma.
For example, if Merlin asked, "What's your favorite color?" you could
answer

>BLUE

You can also ask questions of characters by using the form ASK [someone]
ABOUT [something]. For example:

>ASK MERLIN ABOUT CRYSTAL BALL
>ASK COOK ABOUT BIRD

Feel free to ask characters about anything that interests you. They may
have something to say about it. If not, you've probably asked them about
something that they're not interested in.

When a character asks you for a password or to solve a riddle, the
most effective way to communicate your answer is to enclose you answer in
quotes:

>SAY "ANSWER" TO CHARACTER

Other than the above case, use the verb SAY sparingly, if at all,
because the game will sometimes appear to understand things in quotes, when
in fact it doesn't.

Arthur tries to guess your intention when you give incomplete
information. When it makes a guess, it will tell you. For example:

>UNLOCK THE DOOR
[with the key]
The door is now unlocked.

If your command is ambiguous, Arthur will ask you to clarify. You
can answer these questions imply by supplying the missing information at
the very next prompt. For example:

>GIVE THE PROCLAMATION
Who do you want to give the proclamation to?

>THE QUEEN
The queen smiles as she accepts your gift.

11

Tips for Novices

1. Draw a map. It should include each location, the connections to
adjoining locations, and any interesting objects there. (See the small
sample map that goes along with the sample transcript on page 7.)
Remember, there are 10 possible directions (NORTH, SOUTH, EAST, WEST,
NORTHEAST, NORTHWEST, SOUTHEAST, SOUTHWEST, UP, and DOWN) plus IN and OUT.

2. EXAMINE all objects you come across in the story.

3. TAKE as many things as you can carry. Most objects that you find are
important for solving the puzzles that you'll run into.

4. SAVE your place often, so that if you mess up or get "killed," you won't
have to start over from the beginning. See page 10 for instructions.

5. Read the story carefully! There are often clues in the descriptions of
locations and objects.

6. Try everything you can think of. Even strange or dangerous actions are
fun and provide clues; you can always save your position first. Here's a
silly example:

>GIVE THE RUBY TO THE GRIFFIN
The griffin's beady eye fixes momentarily on the ruby. It
continues to peck at your leg.

Thus, you discover that maybe giving something more edible to the griffin
(a slab of raw meat?) might save your leg.

7. There are many possible routes to the end of Arthur. If you get stuck
on one puzzle, move on to another. Some puzzles have more than one
solution; other puzzles don't need to be solved at all. Sometimes you will
have to solve one puzzle in order to obtain the item(s) or information you
need to solve another puzzle.

8. Play Arthur with a friend! Different people may find different puzzles
easy and can often complement each other.

9. If you really have difficulty, get a hint. If you ever get stuck,
simply go to Merlin's cave and look inside the crystal ball (see the
"Hints" section on page 5). Then follow the instructions on your screen.
You don't need to use the hints to enjoy the story, but it will make
solving the puzzles easier.

10. Read the sample transcript on page 7 to get a feel for how interactive
fiction works.

11. You can word a command in many different ways. For example, if you
wanted to hide Excalibur inside a dark hole, you could type in any of the
following:

>DROP THE SWORD IN THE PIT
>THROW THE SWORD IN THE PIT
>PUT SWORD IN PIT

If you type a sentence that Arthur doesn't understand, try rephrasing it or
using synonyms. If Arthur still doesn't understand, you're probably trying
something that isn't important for completing the story.

12

Common Complaints

Arthur will complain if you input confuses it completely. Arthur would
then ignore any further sentences on your input line. (Certain events,
such as an attack, will also cause Arthur to ignore any additional
sentences on your input line, since the event may have changed your
situation drastically.) Here are some of Arthur's complaints:

[You don;t need to use the word ____________.] That word is not in the
story's vocabulary. It may help to use a synonym or rephrase the command;
more likely, you're just barking up the wrong tree. (Or you may have a typo
in your sentence.) Arthur recognizes over 900 words, all that you need to
use and most that you're likely to use. However, Arthur uses many words in
its descriptions that it will not recognize in your inputs. So, you might
read, "The moon casts violet shadows across the moor," but discover that
Arthur doesn't know the words MOON or SHADOW or MOOR in your input. When
this happens, you can assume that you don't need to refer to those things
to complete the story; they are there only to create a more vivid image of
your location.

[I think there's a verb missing in that sentence!] Unless you are
answering a question, each sentence must have a verb (or one of the special
commands). Among the most important verbs that Arthur understands are
TAKE, DROP, PUT, GIVE, LOOK, READ, EXAMINE, OPEN, CLOSE, ENTER, EXIT, EAT
and WEAR. There are many more. Remember: you can use a variety of
prepositions with your verbs. (For example, LOOK can become LOOK AT, LOOK
INSIDE, LOOK BEHIND, LOOK UNDER, LOOK THROUGH, and so on).

[I can't understand that many nouns with __________.] Arthur recognized
your verb, but it can't understand so many noun "phrases" with it. An
example is PUT THE SOUP IN THE BOWL WITH THE LADLE, which has three noun
"phrases", one more than Arthur can digest in a single action.

[You can't see any ___________right here!] The object that you referred to
is not visible. It may be somewhere else, or it may be present but in a
closed container.

[You can't use more than one object at a time with ________.] You can use
multiple objects (that is, nouns or noun phrases separated by AND or a
comma) or the word ALL only with certain verbs, such as TAKE, DROP, and
PUT. For example, EXAMINE will not work with multiple objects; you
couldn't say EXAMINE ALL or EXAMINE THE BOWL AND THE SWORD.

[There isn't anything to __________!] You uses the word ALL, but there
aren't any appropriate objects visible.

[Sorry, but I don't understand. Please say that another way, or try
something else.] The syntax (sentence structure) you used is not among the
hundreds of syntaxes that Arthur recognizes. For example, SIT UNDER THE
TREE and SKIP AROUND THE MAYPOLE are syntaxes that Arthur wouldn't
recognize. There's a limited amount of space in the program, so syntaxes
that are less common or not useful aren't included. Try rephrasing the
sentence.

[I beg your pardon?] You pressed the RETURN (or ENTER) key without typing
anything.

13

Copyright and Warranty Information

Limited Warranty

This software product and the attached instructional materials are sold "AS
IS", without warranty as to their performance. The entire disk as to the
quality and performance of the computer software program is assumed by the
user. However, to the original purchases of a disk prepared by Infocom and
carrying the Infocom label on the disk jacket, Infocom warrants the medium
on which the program is recorded to be free from defects in materials and
faulty workmanship under normal use and service for a period of ninety (90)
days from the date of purchase. If during this period a defect on the
medium should occur, the medium may be returned to Infocom or to an
authorized Infocom dealer, and Infocom will replace the medium without
charge to you. Your sole and exclusive remedy in the event of a defect is
expressly limited to replacement of the medium as provided above. This
warranty gives you specific legal rights and you may also have other rights
which vary from state to state.

N.B. After the warranty period, a defective Infocom disk may be returned to
Infocom with a check or money order for $5.00 U.S. funds for replacement.

We're Never Satisfied

Here at Infocom, we're constantly trying to "push back the envelope" and
explore the possibilities of this fledgling medium. Your input is
important. If you liked or disliked the story, or some section of it, or
if you found a bug, or if you think a certain puzzle was too hard or too
easy, or if you have some other suggestion, drop us a note! We love every
excuse to stop working, and a letter from you is just such an excuse! Write
to:
Infocom
P. O. Box 3047
Menlo Park, CA 94025
Attn: Merlin

If You Have Technical Problems

To report "bugs" and technical problems, but not for hints to solve
puzzles, call (415) 329-7699 Monday through Friday between the hours of
9:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Pacific Time.

If you have a modem, you can call our Electronic Product Support
Bulletin Board System at (415) 329-7684.

If your disk develops a problem within ninety (90) days after
purchase, we will replace it at no charge. Otherwise, there is a
replacement fee of $7.50 (U.S. funds). Send defective disk only with
replacement fee to:

Infocom
P. O. Box 3048
Menlo Park, CA 94025

If you call to report a bug, please provide your release number, which you
can find by typing VERSION. Please return you registration card to
register yourself as the proud owner of an Infocom graphic interactive
fiction story and receive a free subscription to our news magazine.

14

Quick Reference Guide

1. To start the story ("boot up"), see the separate Reference Card in your
Arthur package.

2. When you see the prompt (>) on your screen, Arthur is waiting for your
input. There are four basic kinds of sentences or commands that Arthur
understands:

Directions: To move from place to place, just type the direction you want
to go: NORTH, SOUTH, EAST, WEST, NORTHEAST, NORTHWEST, SOUTHEAST,
SOUTHWEST, UP, DOWN, IN, or OUT.

Actions: Just type what you want to do. Some examples: EXAMINE THE TORQUE
or LIFT THE STONE or ATTACK THE KNIGHT. More complex sentences are
described in "Communicating with Infocom's Interactive Fiction" on page 10.

Commands to other characters: Talk to characters in the story by typing
their name, then a comma, then what you want to say to them. For example:
KING LOT, HELLO or OLD MAN, GIVE ME THE PEAT.

Special commands: These give you information, such as INVENTORY, or affect
the state of the program, such as VERBOSE. A list of these appears in the
"Special Commands" section on page 5.

3. After typing your input, you must press the RETURN (or ENTER) key before
Arthur will respond.

4. Your screen display includes a status line which tells you your
location, what day it is, and the time of day.

5. You can pick up and carry many of the items you'll find in the story.
For example, if you type TAKE THE GOLDEN SWORD, you will then be carrying
it. Type INVENTORY to see what items you have.

6. When you want to stop, save your place in the story, or start over, read
"Starting and Stopping" on page 9.

7. If you have trouble, refer to the specific section of the manual for
more detailed instructions.

15

Graphic Interactive Fiction Reference Card for the

COMMODORE AMIGA

This booklet tells you how to run your Infocom story on your computer, and
provides a few other handy bits of information.

I. What You Need

Required:

Amiga computer with 512K or more of memory
Color RGB monitor (Commodore model 1080, 1084, or equivalent)
Workbench disk, version 1.2 or higher
Kickstart disk (for Amiga 1000 only), version 1.2 or higher

Optional:

Blank formatted 3-1/2 inch disks (for saving your position in the
story).
A second disk drive (for convenience with saves)
Compatible printer (for making transcripts)
Hard disk

II. Copying Your Original Disk

It is advisable to make a copy of the disk that came in your package. This
ensures that you will not accidentally erase or damage your only copy of
the story. Remember, however, that a copy of the original disk may only be
used in accordance with the licensing agreement found in your package.

Your copy of the story may be located on a floppy disk or on a hard disk
(if you have one). Copy the disk to another floppy in the usual way, see
your Amiga User's Manual for instructions. To install the story on a hard
disk, just create a new drawer (directory) on the hard disk, with a name
similar to that of the story, then drag each icon from the original disk
into the drawer.

Always start the story from your copy; put the original away for
safekeeping.

III. Getting Started

Turn on the Amiga and load the Workbench in the usual way. Then insert the
story disk and double-click on the storybook icon. Alternately, the story
can be started from the Command Line Interface (CLI) by typing its name
(enclosed in quotations, if longer than one word).

IV. Talking to the Story

Whenever you see the prompt (>), the story is waiting for you to enter a
command. If you make a mistake, use the backspace key to erase the error.
After you have typed your command, press the RETURN key. The story will
respond and the prompt (>) will reappear.

If a description will not fit on a screen all at once, [MORE] will
appear at the bottom of the screen. After reading the screen, press any
key to see the rest of the description.

V. The Status Line

At the top of the screen is an area reserved for the status line. This
area is used to display your present location in the story and is updated
after each move. The status line may also display (depending on the story)
various other types of information including score, total moves, time, or
character attributes.

VI. SCRIPTing

You can use the SCRIPT command to print out a transcript of your moves at
any point in the story. The SCRIPT function is an optional feature which
is not necessary to complete the story and may not be available with all
hardware.

1. If necessary, use the Amiga Preferences tool to identify the
port to which your printer is connected and to otherwise
configure the system for your printer. See your Amiga
User's Manual for details.

2. Turn on the printer and make sure it's ready.

3. Type SCRIPT at the prompt (>) to start the transcript. To
stop the transcript, type UNSCRIPT.

4. SCRIPT and UNSCRIPT may be used as often as desired.

If a problem occurs with the printer, there may be a 30-second period
during which nothing seems to happen. An error message will appear after
this time.

VII. Saving a Story Position

You can save your current position in the story to any disk, space
permitting, including a hard drive. It may be convenient to use a separate
disk just for your saves. No other files on the save disk will be
affected. The save disk must have been previously initialized.

1. Type SAVE at the prompt (>). A dialog window will appear.

2. If you want to save to a different disk than the one
indicated in the "Disk" box, insert the disk and click on
the "Next Disk" button until you see the name of the desired
disk in the "Disk" box.

3. Select the "Type a name" box by clicking on it if necessary,
and enter a name for the new save file. Click on the "OK"
button, or press RETURN.

The disk drive will spin for several seconds and, if all is well,
the story will respond with a message such as SAVED. If it responds
with FAILED, consult the Troubleshooting section. After saving your
story position, you may continue the story.

VIII. Restoring a Saved Story Position

To return to a previously saved position in the story, type RESTORE at the
prompt (>). A dialog window will appear, displaying a list of your saved
files. If there are more saved file names than will fit in the window, you
can click in the scroll bar area or on the arrows to see the rest of them.

If you want to restore from a different disk than the one indicated
in the "Disk" box, insert the disk and click on the "Next Disk" button
until you see the name of the desired disk in the "Disk" box.

Click on the name or the position you want to restore, then click
on the "OK" button. If you want to return to your last saved or restored
position (the name that you see initially in the "Type a name" box), you
need only press RETURN or click on the "OK" button.

The disk drive will spin for several seconds and, if all is well,
the story will respond with a message such as RESTORED. If it responds
with FAILED, consult the Troubleshooting section.

IX. Multi-tasking and Memory Usage

On a multi-tasking computer such as the Amiga, all tasks share the
available memory. Some tasks may require that a certain amount of memory
be available to work correctly. Also, actions like opening and resizing
windows or loading a printer driver can use large blocks of memory.

When the Infocom story loads, it will normally leave a minimum of
64 Kbytes of free memory. This can be changed by starting the story from
the CLI with a special argument of the form "F/n", where n is the new
minimum number of free bytes (e.g., Deadline F/128000).

You may need to increase the amount of free memory if, for example,
you are running several tasks and switching between them causes the system
to hang. Be aware that taking this memory away from the story may cause it
to access the disk more frequently.

X. Troubleshooting - Load, SAVE, RESTORE and Other Problems

If the story fails to load properly, or SAVE/RESTORE or SCRIPT fails, check
each of the following items. If none of these offers a solution, consult
your Commodore dealer for assistance.

1. Inspect all disks carefully for any visible damage.

2. For SAVEs, make sure the save disk is not write-protected
(the small opening in the corner of the disk should be
covered).

3. For SCRIPTing, make sure the printer is connected properly,
enabled for printing, not out of paper, etc.

4. Try again; the problem may be only momentary. If all else
fails, you can call the Infocom Technical hotline at (617)
576-3190. Please note that this number is for technical
problems only, not hints.

The $VERIFY Procedure

You can check to see if your disk is damaged by using the $VERIFY command.

1. Type $VERIFY at the story prompt (>) and press the RETURN
key. If your story is currently frozen (i.e. you are unable
to type from the keyboard) you will have to restart it
first.

2. After you successfully issue the $VERIFY command, the disk
will spin for a minute or so and a message similar to one of
the following will appear:

GOOD - The disk has not been damaged and the data is intact. If you are
having problems, they are most likely hardware related. It is also
possible that there is a bug in the program. If you suspect that there is
a bug, call the Infocom Technical Hotline.

NO GOOD - This indicates either disk damage or hardware trouble. Repeat
the $VERIFY procedure several times. If possible, repeat the $VERIFY
procedure on another computer (such as your dealer's). If you ever receive
a positive reply, the data is intact and you must look elsewhere for any
problems you are encountering.

If you repeatedly get a negative response on more than one
computer, the disk has most likely been damaged. Please send the disk only
to Infocom for testing and replacement. (Before sending your disk, check
the warranty information in your story manual to find out about fees). To
return you disk, send it in a disk mailer to:

Infocom
125 CambridgePark Drive
Cambridge, MA 02140
Attn: Customer Support

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DOCS PROVIDED BY -+*+-THE SOUTHERN STAR-+*+- for M.A.A.D.
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