Crossing Dragon - Aavlon, Castle of Dreams, Erik the Viking.

<b>Crossing Dragon</b> - Aavlon, Castle of Dreams, Erik the Viking.


     CROSSROADS DRAGONS



   Continued. Beginning in the ZX REVIEW
97/1-2.

            AVALON

           (Avalon)
1984
Hewson Consultants

"Avalon - the only currently adventyurnaya game, all
steps which are illustrated by a stunning moving
graphics - fearsome
animation. Avalon - it
breakthrough in transporting adventyuru
life ... Avalon Steve Tenure
(Steve Turner) - surely the game of the year! "
 "Sinclair User", in October 1984.


   "Sinclair User" - is not the only magazine that gave so
praised the program "Avalon". Computer Press 1984
year was an unusually unanimous. And it was enought to delight! 
Eight levels - it is really very much by the standards of 1984! 
A three-dimensional animation for the Spectrum - a to "Avalon" 
did not exist! And the size of the playing area ?!... 

   Players are invited to explore the amazingly truthful huge 
three-dimensional world, consisting of the 223 rooms and 32 
tunnels, populated by more than a hundred foes: goblins, 
ghosts, evil witches guards. And for

struggle against evil was given odnoedinstvennoe, but a 
universal and invincible in the capable hands of weapons - 
magic. 

   In the game, you control the "astral projection" Meroka (the
"Astral projection" of Maroc),
ghostly magic figure
roam the dark and creepy Avalon Waterways with a noble
purpose - to banish the Lord of Chaos
(Lord of Chaos) and did not give him
Goals plunge the Earth into
abyss of darkness and chaos. For victory
require remarkable patience
observation, magical skills and a lot of spells.
And gain skills and
to replenish spells will just go along.

   To get found magic item or spell, it is necessary
just hold our hero through them. Findings are depicted in
special roll, from them
as needed and should be taken
use (using the keyboard or joystick). For different
need different types of enemies, but it is
certain spells. There did not initially be able to do without
errors, but the accumulation of
their experience will be less, so
that by the time the meeting with Lord
Chaos you'll be a real
magician. Do not believe me? Then Locate
programa "Avalon" and see for yourself. No magic in this game, 
you will not be able to step and step, because

even the movement of it starts with
spells.

   Despite its age,
game for a long time blow you away, intriguing and entertaining!

   Inspired by the success of the game
"Avalon" firm Hewson Consultants did not stop progress, and 
less than a year, released its sequel - "Dragontorc". So if, 
defeating Lord of Chaos, you will not want to part with 
favorite characters, and find this program, and you'll be able 
to complete many more dangerous Adventures of hours in the 
company Meroka. 


        CASTLE OF DREAMS

          (Castle of Dreams)
1984
Widgit Software


   "An evil sorcerer Klingsor (Klingsor) hid in his castle box, 
filled with evil. If he ever reveal this box, and all its evil 
spell will fall to the planet ... 

   You must find the box and
carry her away from the magic spell Klingsora. In addition,
to get out of the castle, you
need to find the magic
Staff of the sorcerer. "

   This is the story of this tutorial
program differs from other adventyur primarily because
that the transition from location to
location subject to the mandatory
perform certain tasks.
I hope you are not frightened by the word
"Tutorial"? No, no,
there will be nothing to do with
so what is taught in school - "Castle
of Dreams "taught to play adventyury. And it makes it very
unobtrusively, and after each
incorrect attempts to speed the program slows down, thereby 
facilitating the task. 

   Players are invited unpretentious at first glance 
adventyura, and its complexity can be change, selecting the 
level Hard or Harder. The second is more complicated

so better to start with the Hard,
not too afraid of the fact
that the word means "difficult." It is this level and
will be discussed herein, and
Harder let him get a reward the most stubborn and persistent.
Management of the program with absolute ease: at the bottom of 
each screen-location is displayed Line - Press N, S, E, W, P or

H. Here the letters N, S, E, W refers to the traditional all 
adventyur move to the north, south, east and west. P - call the 
job-puzzle. Choosing this command, we must remember that while 
task will not be satisfied, in another location you do not get. 
H - Is to help, but help is very

sort of: first, it moves the player on the screen, with
he started the game, while maintaining all been extracted
objects, and secondly, if you start to do any job, helping 
disabled and then can not be helped - not Davie

Davie press H, and the puzzle
will have to decide until the end.

   Locations in the Hard level no greater than eight, and each 
of them corresponds to a certain puzzle. But from game to game

relative position of locations and
original job puzzles vary. Therefore, at this time
description will not map, but simply to describe locations. Not
will be thorough parsing
puzzles, but instead will
translation of their conditions and brief advice on the 
decision. But on the map completely abandon it is not necessary

- For the successful completion of the game
you'll need for the limited
Time to get out of the crumbling castle, there are very useful 
for simple his plan. Again recall that from game to game plan

This will change, so
each time it will have to draw again - but I think that neither
for whom no difficulty to draw a few rectangles, arrows 
indicating the possible pathways.


   Items in the game, too, eight
and determine their appointment
difficult:
Casket
- Box, it must seek out and
take away from the castle.
Charm
- Amulet; required when faced with headless ghost.
Handle
- Handle, used for lowering
drawbridge across the moat.
Key
- A key opens a huge iron gate.
Knife
- Dagger needed to cope
with a giant spider and pave
way through his web.
Lamp
- Lamp helps to pass the dark
winding tunnels.
Rope
- The rope provides a crossing over a deep wide chasm.
Staff
- Staff should take at most
least, as a touch to it resorts to
system destruction of the castle.

   However, please note that
more than two objects can not bear, so sometimes you have to 
leave or to exchange some of them. Items you will be able to 
"see" only after the next puzzle and the appearance of the 
object is always accompanied by new manager menu-prompt. Teams 
only four and they are introduced to the traditional "Castle of 
Dreams" way - by pressing a

the first letter of commands:

Take - take
Swap - swap
Leave - leave
Carry on - continue

                  (Game)


   Objects can be applied
Only after, stumbled on the next hurdle
at the request of the program that is
Do you have something useful, you
answer Y (Yes = yes). Then
program asks that the item you wish to apply, and if
you call a true subject, and he
have at your disposal
obstacle will be removed before
end of the game. Even if you repeatedly use the keys H,
passed the obstacles are not restored: the rope will
hanging over the abyss, the lattice is not
drops, etc.

   And finally, what should
to warn before the game:
locations on the number may be less than eight. That's not
except in the case that all the beating
available space, you do not
find some much-needed item. Well,
So, it's time to use the command Help - she will take you to 
the very first location, and thus probably find that solving 
the traditional to this location puzzle

you get the missing item.


    Above a large courtyard

      (Above a big yard)


   Once in this location, you
see a hint: "There are
directions to find the secret. =
Here are directions to find the cache. "Pressing P,
can begin to implement
next job (other
location will be described not as
detail, since the order of action everywhere the same: pressing 
P (Play = Game), the job, taking the subject back into the 
location, the continuation of the main game). Using the arrow 
keys locate the cache and then follow these directions ... 
Under this sign will be given column of letters and numbers and 
the scale Scale (Scale). Each of the risk scale corresponds to 
the ten steps. 

   Everything is simple: the letters
give the direction of travel, and
figures - the number of steps.
It remains to take these steps, and then press F (Finish).
On this key anywhere in the job
does not say (an unfortunate omission
programmers!), but not clicking it
You can wander around the game space to its full blackness and 
nothing in this case can not be achieved. To facilitate the 
assignment can on any a piece of paper to draw a massive scale, 
and move, attach this impromptu

line of the screen.

   Correctly performing the task,
you get the opportunity to take
some of the subjects (T) and continue the game (C).

 A table with a parchment scroll

  (Table with a roll of parchment)


   On parchment, written three
coded speech and given the key
to decrypt them. Look
All this may read as follows:

1.
De-code this message to
13 20

June 17, 1923
26 03 03 17
17 07 12 05

2.
De-code this message to
R Y

U H G
I L V K
U D F


   In either case, the first
what to do - take the English alphabet and number all of his 
letters from A to Z numbers from 1 to 26. Now let us turn to 
the first example, or more precisely to the very first of its 
digital line, as she is the key code. In This line is encrypted 
is the name you told the program,

starting the game, in this case
the letters OV. If you look at
Our numbered alphabet,
immediately evident that these letters
figures correspond to 15 and 22,
compare them with the first line of our example - here's a key 
figure 2. Now safely add to the figures of encrypted Words 2 
and, using a numbered alphabet, to obtain the necessary words. 
The difficulty can now Is that cause unexpected

a big number 28 in the penultimate line, but after the work 
already done you probably can guess that its interpretation 
should continue through the letters from A, and hence 28 is a 
letter " B. Ultimately, deciphering

the first example will give the word SHY,
BEES, SING. They need to dial a
keyboard on one line, separated by a space between words,
and finish the set by pressing ENTER.

   A second example of this is not much harder. By
Table-alphabet translate letters into numbers and then proceed
exactly the same way as in Example 1. In
results must be:
RED FISH RACE.


    A hall with mosaic floor

    (Room with a mosaic floor)


   Here it is necessary to man on the mosaic floor through the 
entire A vast hall, following the specified

program rules. These rules
on the screen before the start of the assignment, and slightly
vary from game to game. Let's look at them on a particular
example.

   Let the rules are as follows: "Whenever man comes to a cell 
with a multiple number 3 should be (Using the arrow keys)

move it down. If he
occurs on the cell fold 7
pass it up. If
number of cells is a multiple of both 3 and 7, you must move
man forward. Number of cells
on which the man, appears in the upper right corner
screen. "

   The solution to this problem suggests itself:
- You press the down arrow on the
cells 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, 24,
27;
- Arrow up - at No. 7,
14, 28;
- Arrow ahead (in the game is
corresponds to the "right") - only on box 21.

   Rules from game to game changing only the numbers, which 
must be multiples of your moves. (Lest you forget the key 
figures they are shown in the upper left corner of the screen, 
along with their respective areas of displacement). From cell 
to cell man transforms himself, so that

you just have to count
moves and the time to press the right
keys.


       An enchanted pool

    (The Enchanted Pool)


   Five people were on the verge
basin, but their reflection in water
messed up. Help people
return their reflection. Using the arrow keys (left
and right), you can move
extreme men, but by pressing X - swap them.
When the reflection and fellows will take their rightful 
places, do not forget to press the F (this time the program 
will remind you about it). In each new game reflection

entangled in its own way, but to cope with this task much
easier to collect than, for example,
at least one face of the cube.


        A very dark room

     (A very dark room)


   Pressing P in this location will not bring any surprises and 
puzzles. Without any problems, you can become the owner of 
Magic Box (A Magic Casket). But if you only

even start the game, do not rush
take the casket. Given that
you can not carry more than two items at the same time, the 
casket would be best to grab the very end of the game, when all 
obstacles have been overcome, and you going for the magic stick 
(A Magician's Staff). 


          A white door

         (White door)


   Here you razdobudete another
useful object, if you can
overcome a maze of 16 rooms.
All the rooms are not always held
sure, we need only observe the order of passing the locked 
doors. This order is always the same: first, the blue

door (B in Figure 2), followed by yellow (Y), followed by red 
(R), and Finally, White (W). All other doors - green, they do 
not locked, the key of blue you get in front of the maze,

and further, passing the blue door
become a key holder from
yellow door, and after it - from
red. Will only pass
this door and, having caught the last key, to return to the 
white door (W). Through it you will be able to out of the maze 
to get the next item and continue the game. 


   Everything would be quite simple,
if in every game situation
All four doors that you require
did not change arbitrarily. Therefore, in order not to waste
run from room to room,
better not be lazy and since
first step in a maze, draw a plan, so in Figure 2 depicts only 
one of its possible options. 

   To navigate through the maze
use your left, right, forward. Locked doors open automatically, 
if you have the correct key.



     A long portrait gallery

  (Long Portrait Gallery)


   Sort of Candra (Kundry) to substitute one of the eight 
portraits, and now required to identify him by

slight difference. If the
five attempts you can not find the right picture, the program 
will change all the portraits, and will have to solve the 
puzzle again. This will be repeated again and again until

as long as you do not do the job.


      The magician's staff

       (Magic stick)


   In this location from the traditional menu is only two
Team: E - exit locations, and
P - take a staff. As for the latter case, the program honestly
warns that as soon as
Staff will be in your hands
begin the destruction of the castle. Therefore, staff should 
take only when the casket with evil

is already yours. In all other cases, being near a magic staff, 
exit from location and continue searching

boxes. But here's casket was found, the staff is taken - Hurry
away! You must have time to get out of the castle before
collapse of its walls.

   "Well done!" You got out of the castle and threw the casket 
into the mouth of a volcano ...    It will take time until

Klingsor recuperate.
Planet of the time saved by ...

   Many years later you come back ... "

   Yes, yes, come back, come back to finish a level
Harder and forever free
this world from the forces of evil!



        ERIK THE VIKING

     (The Saga of the Viking Erik)
1984
Level 9/Mosaic


   "Erik The Viking" - a remarkable adventyurnaya game. She
has all the characteristics of the firm adventyur Level 9 - 
clear target text display, a map and

schedule a level that is to
this in adventyurah never met ... "

        "Computer 'Video Games"

                 October 1984


   The plot of the program was based on the book by Terry Jones
(Terry Jones) "The Saga of the Viking
Erica. "But this" adventyura "- not
mixture obtained from fragments
the original, and independent
work that uses the key points of the book to create a 
background of a new original saga. 

   Start the game, you can not
do not know the handwriting of its authors -
firm "Level 9", but for some unknown reason the market has 
released a software game for some reason, the firm "Mosaic". 
This circumstance is still causing controversy about the 
authorship among Fan Speccy, and after consultation with 
experts in the heading to which you are viewing, it was decided 
to specify both firms that participated in the

the fate of "Erik The Viking".

   Old age Eric ought to be a prosperous farmer, because more 
than anything else he liked to sit by the crackling fireplace 
in the company of their sons and listen to them on raskazy

service of the Vikings. However, the quiet life did not last 
long ... 

   Once, when Eric was dozing
under a tree on the edge of pastures on
his farm raided squad
unknown strangers. And our hero had to wake up
to track down the stolen in his
slavery family and return the lost treasure. It is here
the game begins and the challenge of Eric
is to equip
ship, staffed with the team and then get out of the fjord in
open sea towards the terrible
dangers and difficult struggle with
powerful forces of evil witchcraft.

   Journal "ZX-Revue" at its
pages on several occasions appealed to the program, resulting 
in a version of the game is such a debut: 

1. Break the table for
Strong Planks.
2. Blow the bugle (BLOW
HORN), to assemble a team.
3. Pushed out of the hangar ship
fix it and into the water.
4. Mend the sail.
5. Get a pen from his nose dragon.
6. Melt an iceberg, to ensure passage of the ship.
7. To kill a sorceress (Enchantress).
8. At home and find the witch
take the scroll with the inscription Greenland.
9. Get to the ledge silver
amulet.


   As you already understood, the script
program is made with fabrication and
the game is filled with events. Hero's
waiting for a meeting with the wizards, goddesses, sea monsters 
and fantastic enemies. Graphics locations and executed soundly

gives a nice taste of the time, but the portrayal of screens 
takes some time and, therefore, for the most impatient provided 
off graphics team WORDS.


   Mysteries of the program rather
versatile, as we always
expect from the "Level 9", a journey filled with Erica options
choice and requires a set of solutions. Even setting
initial requirements for the game carries a set of elements
pre-planning.

   In general, "Erik The Viking" -
interesting, versatile and
beautiful game, a mixture of heroic
adventure and detective stories. As usual, the firm "Level
9, "released a program that stands
slightly above the standard level
majority "adventyur.