SHADOW OF THE BEAST - GREMLIN GRAPHICS SOFTWARE LTD

GREMLIN

presents

THE SHADOW OF THE BEAST

Copyright Gremlin Graphics 1990

IN SEARCH OF THE BEAST

The grounds of Necropolis were silent. The moon, low and large on the
horizon, cast a cool blue light across the stony ground causing
ancient statues to cast long and dark shadows into the corners. One
statue in particular, a giant griffin, accounted for most of the
darkness. Its wings folded behind it, arms spread wide and stretched
heavenwards.

In the griffin's arms sat a lone creature, as still and cold as its
host. Scaly skin glistening in the thin light, it clutched a Globe of
Seeing which it moved slowly from side to side examining its reflected
features. As it did so it recalled the events of that day, the
frightened humans being herded into the central courtyard, the
pathetic pleas for help as they were dragged one by one to the
sacrificial stone, and the final air rending screams each time the
knife came down in one swift arc and the life blood ran.

He remembered a tired, resigned face being pushed towards the stone, a
face that seemed of some importance to him. Yet how could that be when
the lives of these people meant nothing to him? And, as the gleaming
blade struck home, he recognised the agonised face. It was his father.

Then he remembered. He remembered being younger. Being freer. Being
human. Suddenly the painful memories of all he had been came flooding
back to him.

The temple masters had done this to him. They had been responsible for
all that he was, and the loss of all he had been. A feeling of shock
rose, fighting with anger for dominance. Now he would stop serving the
temple masters. He would stop killing for them. He would kill them.

He scrambled to a standing posture, and lifted the globe high above
his head. He held it tightly in his gnarled claws, and, issuing a
bellowing roar, crushed it. It shattered, and thousands of tiny shards
arced downwards, making the ground around the statue look cold and
frosty. Nothing would stop him now. He would crush them as he had
crushed their globe, and wouldn't stop until the blood of each of
them, and the creatures they had created soaked the earth. Once this
was done, he would combat the Beast himself.

Flame red eyes stared out across the sun-scorched plain, scanning the
distant forests. Just for a moment he enjoyed the stillness. A respite
before he once again set mind and body against the unnatural creatures
his masters had spawned. He knew that somewhere within the giant
forest lay several Beast Mage buildings, and, hidden even deeper, the
Beast himself.

Drawing in breath sharply, he flexed his hardened muscles, feeling the
blood pulsing through his arteries, the double heart pounding
furiously in his chest. His power and speed were all that ensured his
survival. He knew that the minute he was weakened, and his reflexes
dimmed, that minute would be his last.

Setting off at a run he made for the trees, stirring up a trail of
grey dust behind him. To have remained on the plain while the sun was
high would have been fatal, and the trees would provide a respite.
Even so he knew that their shade would not prove entirely safe, and
were likely to be providing shelter for other beasts than himself. As
the warrior reached the edge of the forest his instincts told him that
he was unlikely to be alone for long. His eyes narrowed, darting from
side to side watching for the tiniest movement that would betray a
predator.

When it came it did so with speed, rushing at him full on. It provided
a warning, as its black wings crashed through the foliage, and from
its mouth came a piercing scream as it sighted its kill. The warrior
had barely enough time to turn as the giant batlike creature flew
directly at his head. Crouching, he brought his bone-covered fist up
hard into the creatures soft underbelly, using its own momentum to
direct it into the trunk of a tree. It screamed in pain, hitting the
tree with its spine curved back-words before falling to the ground,
its spine smashed and skull broken. It made no noise but for the
treacly blood bubbling from its mouth and ear.

The warrior ignored the body. Behind him had come another screech,
this time even closer. As he turned and dived for cover another winged
demon flew at him, claws extended for the kill. The warrior struck out
again, but too late this time, and he felt its talons tearing into his
flesh as he rolled away into the undergrowth, dragging the creature
with him, rolling onto it and breaking its neck in one movement. He
lay there panting, momentarily dazed. He could feel a warm wetness
across his side and stomach, and with it a sharpening pain.

He stood slowly, fighting the waves of pain that passed through him,
feeling his hearts pounding faster. He had to keep moving. Other
creatures would smell the blood soon and he could not ward off another
attack.

As he stumbled between the trees he noticed something out of place
against a distant trunk. Coming closer he realised that it was a
doorway, and recognised that it was a Beast-Mage construction.
Thinking only of the things that would soon be trailing him, the
warrior took a chance and dropped through into the darkness.

There was a cool breeze coming from somewhere beneath him, and, now
that the creature was out of the forest, a menacing silence fell, a
silence disturbed only by the slow dripping of water deeper within the
cavern.

As the warriors eyes became accustomed to the poor light he made out a
worn stairway curving away from him into the darkness. So, his
suspicions were confirmed. He had stumbled upon one of his ex-master's
outposts. An outpost that would definitely be inhabited by bizarre
creatures, but that could also possibly host the Beast. There was only
one way to find out...

Padding slowly down the stairway, the warrior readied himself for
whatever abominations lay in wait at the bottom. Soon the stairway
straightened out and the warrior found himself on a narrow ledge. The
phosphorescence from the cavern walls was enough to reveal that he was
in a huge chamber that extended away into pitch darkness. Now the
silence was interrupted by distant sounds of angry growling. Whatever
inhabited this place had obviously picked up his scent.

The ledge that he was on appeared to be deserted, so he advanced
slowly. Without warning there was a sizzling sound behind him.
Instinctively the warrior jumped, and felt his feet burn as a white
hot fireball shot beneath him and explode violently against the cavern
wall. So, his former masters were aware of his presence, and realised
his intent. He would have to be twice as alert now. They would use
every means in their power to stop him.

Ahead of him now he could make out a rough wooden ladder staked into
the side of the ledge. He swung himself onto it and began his descent,
dropping silently the rest of the way when he saw another ledge
beneath him. No sooner had his feet hit the ground than a scaled
abomination rushed forward, his large teeth glinting as he roared
ferociously. The warrior turned calmly and despatched it with a single
blow.

And so the ordeal went on as he worked his way deeper into the cavern.
Unnatural creatures beset him at every step, but each was destroyed
with determination as the warrior remembered his promise to himself to
continue until every last one was dead.

He had just dropped onto another ledge when he caught a glimpse of
something shining in the distance. Moving closer his keen vision made
out a key sitting on a shelf on the other side of a broad chasm. He
started to move swiftly towards it when he was halted by an almighty
roar. Suddenly he was confronted by a huge guard. His opponent took a
short moment to size him up and then made a charge, swinging his
double headed battle axe at the warrior's head. Without losing a
moment the warrior sidestepped the blow and slammed his fist into the
guards throat. There was a sickening crunch as the neck snapped, and
the warrior stepped back quickly as the huge body tumbled forward over
the ledge.

There was no time for recovery before another hulking figure was
rushing headlong at him. But this time the warrior was ready, and his
flying kick sent the guard plummeting backward to join his accomplice.
Now a clear way lay ahead of him to the key. He sprinted along the
remainder of the ledge and, just as the edge of the abyss met him, he
leapt forward, hands flailing, reaching to grasp the edge of the
shelf.

He made it in a shower of dirt and stones, and caught his breath as he
hung swinging above a seemingly bottomless chasm. He could feel his
sweaty hands begin to lose their grip. Now the warriors true destiny
would be decided....

THE WARRIOR'S OBJECTIVE

You must fight your way through several different regions in order to
reach the heart of the enemy's stronghold and face your ultimate
adversary. Creatures you encounter will invariably be hostile, and
will cause damage when they come into contact with you. Contact can be
avoided by punching or kicking creatures away from you before they get
too close, or by shooting them if you have a weapon.

Each time you are damaged your heart-rate will increase. Your current
heart-rate is shown on the monitor in the centre of the screen at the
bottom. If your heart-rate gets too high your hearts will burst,
resulting in instant death. During your attack on the stronghold you
will find various artefacts which can be used to assist you on your
quest. Some of the items, keys for instance, can be collected for
later use when you move over them. Items that you have in your
possession will be shown at the bottom of the screen. Other items,
such as potions will have an instant effect which is shown on screen
when you move over the item.

There are also weapons that can be collected at certain points in the
game. These are used instead of punching and kicking to destroy your
opponents. Certain creatures can only be destroyed by special weapons.
It is up to you to discover the best way to use the artefacts you find
and how to tackle the creatures you encounter.

CONTROLLING THE WARRIOR

Use the joystick or keyboard to control the Warrior's movements.

Joystick Keyboard Effect

Up Q Jump up/use exit.
Left O Move left.
Right P Move right.
Down A Move down.
Fire Space Bar Kick, punch, or fire weapon.
H Pause the game.

Press the fire button to punch, or kick while jumping. If you have a
weapon in your possession, pressing fire will fire the weapon rather
than kicking or punching.

Moving the joystick up or down will normally cause the warrior to jump
or crouch. If, however, you are standing on or against a ladder moving
the joystick up or down will cause the warrior to ascend or descend.

There are exits between areas. If an exit is facing you, simply walk
into it to use it. If an exit is to one side of you, stand next to it,
and then push the joystick up to use it.

LOADING INSTRUCTIONS

Spectrum 48K/128K/+2

Insert the cassette into the cassette player and press LOAD "" and
then press the ENTER key. Follow the on screen loading prompts for
further instructions.

Spectrum +3

Insert the disk into the disk drive, and use the disk loader. Follow
on screen loading prompts for further instructions.

Amstrad CPC 464

Insert the cassette into the built in cassette deck, press the CONTROL
and ENTER keys. Follow the on screen loading prompts for further
instructions.

Amstrad CPC 6128

Insert the disk into the built in disk drive, and type |CPM. Follow
the on screen prompts for any further loading instructions.

(c) Gremlin Graphics Software Limited 1990

This manual and the information contained on the floppy disks are
copyrighted by Gremlin Graphics Ltd. The owner of this product is
entitled to use the product for his or her own personal use only. No
one may transfer, give or sell any part of either the manual or the
information on the disk without the prior permission of Gremlin
Graphics Software Limited. Any person on persons reproducing any part
of this program, in any media, for any reason, shall be guilty of
copyright violation and shall be subject to civil liability at the
discretion of the copyright holder.