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Gilsoft are modest enough to call The Quill an adventure writer's utility. I would go a lot further than that. If you can't program in machine code then The Quill is an absolute must!

Although an adventure creator, it produces machine code games. It consists of two parts - a database editor and an interpreter. The main menu controls access to all the utilities you need, such as saving, testing and loading your creation. Sub-menus cover printing, amending and inserting all the text, movement and status values for your adventure. Your adventure is created using the tables which are available from the main menu.

Text is selected from the main menu, then from the sub-menu you can either insert new text with or without specifying a location, or amend text already entered.

After entering your text you are returned to the sub-menu and can then view it or get a printout. Aside from text you also need to insert the data relating to the events that take place during the course of the game and this is done via three further tables - movement, event and status.

The movement table is used to set the directions for each location and the room that each move will take the player to. The event table specifies the actions the interpreter has to take to reply to a player's command, such as deciding whether an object can be dropped before allowing a player to DROP it. The status table contains the entries handled by the interpreter that are independent of player input, such as keeping track of the player's inventory as he moves from location to location.

It is possible to assign synonyms by giving them the same word value. A random function of especial interest to Dungeons and Dragons fans, is incorporated by the implementation of a CHANCE command.

It is also possible to use up to 64 flags for situations that can occur during the playing of the game.

They are simply variables that control situations and objects, such as whether or not a room is lit or how many objects a player is carrying.

The Quill allows a maximum of 253 locations and about the same number of objects and messages, so it is possible to create a lengthy adventure.

However, if you go for large amounts of text, you will find that memory limitations will affect the size of your adventure. It is possible to save your creation in two ways, either as a database - in which case you can load it back in and test it at a future time, or as a completed adventure in which case the interpreter is saved as well.

When saved as a completed adventure it will run independently of The Quill and Gilsoft have no objection to you marketing it provided you credit them with having used The Quill to produce it.

It is an absolute godsend to people who have the imagination, but not the programming ability, to create adventures. I simply cannot recommend it highly enough.

Paul Gardener