DUN DARACH - GARGOYLE GAMES

[ These instructions taken from the '4 Crash Smashes' compilation ]

THE SCENE IS SET

It happened that, following a fateful, bloody and largely pointless
battle against the Conachta, Cuchulainn the Great was returning home
to Muirmethne in company of his faithful charioteer, Loeg; pointless
because the enemy was a scouting party and not intent on taking the
peak of Beann Ghulban, below which the battle took place; fateful
because, amongst their number was Amhair, a Prince of the Conachta and
the darling of his father, who vowed an instant revenge...

Towards the end of the second day, Cuchulainn and Loeg came across a
wayside inn and went inside to claim lodging and sustenance, leaving
their war chariot by a strange horse-drawn carriage, surmounted by a
huge Oak Log. While they waited for food, they were approached by
Skar, a strikingly beautiful girl, who was desperately troubled for
her conveyance had developed a shattered axle. With somewhat unseeming
haste, Loeg leapt to assist her and left the inn with Skar.

Cuchulainn smiled to himself and settled down to enjoy the freshly
arrived trencher. After a while, he went outside to see what progress
Loeg might have made, but was astonished to find no sign of Skar or
Loeg. Instead, one of the proud horses that pulled the chariot lay
slain on the ground; of the Oak-carriage, there was only a cloud of
dust disappearing along the Eastern Road, and on the wind, a hint of
ghostly girlish laughter. In a growing rage, Cuchulainn went back
inside the inn and shook the terrified landlord until the full story
was revealed.

Skar was, it seemed, a Sorceress and ally of the Connachtmen, and she
had seized Loeg as retribution for the Princeling's death, and had
taken him, body and soul, to the Secret City of Dun Darach. Vowing a
mighty vow, Cuchulainn mounted the remaining horse and took off to
find the mist-shrouded city. Long was his search and the trials he
endured form part of a different story, but, in time, he found Dun
Darach, for in truth, that was where the Secret City was located.

HOW DUN DARACH WORKS

The Option Screen is presented at the start of the game or upon
request via the keyboard; the screen offers the following choices:

1. Enter the Game
2. Save the current Game
3. Restore a Game

Note that returning to the option screen from a current game will
leave the game-world intact - upon re-entry, nothing will have changed
unless a previously stored game has been restored. This allows a game
to be saved at a critical point without destroying it. When saving or
restoring a game a version number will be asked for - this is to
ensure that the right game is restored, so keep a note of version
numbers.

The Keyboard controls the actions of the main character - which keys
perform which actions on your particular make of computer are given on
a separate card.

The following actions may be performed:

* walk left
* change camera angle 90 degrees left or right.
* enter a doorway; to achieve this on any computer, position
Cuchulainn in front of the door and press the enter button.
* Pick up or drop a specific object; note that objects may only be
dropped in certain places - i.e. shelves, counters, etc. Whether this
is in compliance with some whimsical city ordinance or merely an
inborn sense of tidiness is unclear...
* offer an object to another character - this will produce a display
in front of Cuchulainn of the proffered object - what happens next
will depend on how well you have judged the other character's
personality!
* select an object being carried for dropping, offering, etc. - the
currently selected object is indicated by an asterisk.
Note that Cuchulainn can carry 3 separate objects plus a large
amount of money.

[ Presumably, 'walk right' should have featured somewhere in this list
as well! ]

In addition, there are some special function keys:

* enter/exit Autorun mode.
* freeze/unfreeze frame.
* return to Option screen.

HOW TO PLAY DUN DARACH

The main objective of Dun Darach is to locate and release the
charioteer, Loeg. But, as you walk the streets of the Secret City, you
will encounter scores of secondary quests which will need to be
completed before a final solution is reached. Each player will develop
his or her own strategies as they progress through the game - there is
no set route to solve the Quest - however, as a guide, we will
describe the elements involved in Dun Darach and give a few hints on
play.

THE CITY

The layout of Dun Darach is as complex as any normal large city, and
the streets and buildings are continuously mapped by the program. You
will notice the following logical sub-divisions:

* The city itself is divided into a series of Quarters, each of which
possesses a distinctive character - for instance, one Quarter is
involved with entertainment, another houses all the financial
institutions.
* To aid the explorer further, each Quarter consists of several named
districts.
* every street in Dun Darach bears a street name; every door that
opens onto the street carries a house number.
* behind every door there is a room or set of rooms, which may be
occupied or empty.

THE POPULATION

While some of the other characters in Dun Darach stick single-mindedly
to their assigned tasks - for instance, shopkeepers - the streets are
full of independent, fully-animated characters, each with their own
personality. Most of them have something which you will need, like
specific objects or information or the knowledge of a secret way and
all of them are open to bribery, either directly, with money -
normally a large amount - or by some object which they themselves
desire or need. Note that you cannot be killed in Dun Darach (another
city ordinance?) but you will be fair game for pickpockets, confidence
tricks and other normal street activities. Note that the other game
characters are represented by one basic female figure and one basic
male figure; when a new character appears on screen, an identifying
symbol appears beneath the figure and the full name is shown in the
text display.

THE CURRENCY

The units of currency in common use in Dun Darach are Iridi (literally
rainbows); these are small gold sequins, variously coloured in the
minting process. Iridi can be gained in a variety of ways:

* by working! Opportunity to gain a steady job exists in several parts
of the city.
* by gambling; a visit to the Gaming House can be lucrative - or
disastrous...
* by selling at a profit; throughout the seven Universes, the
Entrepreneur will always flourish.
* by stealing; highly profitable but very risky.
* by banking: a wise move, and a reasonable interest rate.

Iridi can also be disposed of by many routes:

* by buying an object from a shop - pick up the object and offer money
to the shopkeeper who will deduct the appropriate amount. Of course,
you could try not paying...
* by bribery, but, beware, the denizens of Dun Darach will never give
you change...
* by being robbed - oh well.

EXTRACT FROM 'DINN NEMETON' - THE HISTORY OF THE SACRED GROVE, AN
ANONYMOUS, ANCIENT AND SECRET WRITING, WHICH MAY NOT BE PUBLISHED IN
FULL.

From the void sprang forth Lightning, that split asunder the long
Night to reveal the World to the sight of Men; and the Voice of
Darkness torn was Thunder, which rolled in majesty from mountain to
valley and from river to sea; and the shape of Thunder in the World
was the Oak, whose roots bound together the fabric of the earth, on
whose branches rested the canopy of the sky; and the site of the
Sacred Grove wherein rested the Oak was called Dun Darach, the Hill of
the Oak, and this was the most secret of knowledge and was entrusted
only to the chosen of the Druidhan. But the Druidhan were also the
race of Men, and needed food and clothing and shelter, and there were
ever those on hand to supply their needs. In time, the knowledge of
the Oak seeped abroad, and Druidhan surrounded the Grove with a Great
Castle, to hide it from eager eyes, and the castle was also called Dun
Darach, and for a while, the secret was contained.

But, alas, the Pendulum of History had been set into motion, and
around the castle grew a great City, built and inhabited by many men,
who also called their city Dun Darach, and knowledge of the Sacred Oak
filled the city with strangle tales and the minds of Men with longing.

In desperation, the Druidhan called a great conclave of all the
strongest of their Order and worked together on a mighty Magic. And in
that instant, a cold white mist settled on Dun Darach, and the city,
and all it contained, was freed from the bounds of the World and set
to drift on the Tides of Time.

Like a floating log in a dark sea, the shrouded city still comes on
rest on Mortal shores, and the black towers of the castle rear starkly
from the white mist. It is said that, at such times, there is much
furtive activity around the city gates and its streets are forever in
Twilight. Alas, Dun Darach has become a melting pot for diverse
cultures and a grim shield for the dregs of the race of Men.

[ Map of the City of Dun Darach, by BREN the mapmaker; available as
ftp://ftp.worldofspectrum.org/pub/sinclair/games-maps/d/DunDarach_3.jpg ]

[ Keys:

LEFT/RIGHT - Alternate bottom row keys
ENTER A DOOR - ENTER key
CAMERA LEFT/RIGHT - Alternate second row keys
PICK UP/DROP - Alternate third row keys
SELECT OBJECT - 2,3,7,8,9
OFFER OBJECT - 1,0,SPACE
AUTO-RUN ON/OFF - 4
PAUSE ON/OFF - 5
RETURN TO OPTIONS - 6 ]