El Cid

In the quest for the parchment, you will meet vile and evil foes as you battle to stop Satan's legions being unleashed on the Universe.

In the eleventh Century, a parchment was left on the Earth. On it was inscribed a diabolical magic spell which could unchain the forces of evil and guarantee Satan's supremacy as the Prince of Darkness. Rodrigo Diaz, 'El Cid', a gallant Knight, was aware of the terrible threat and vowed to find the spell and guard it until it could be neutralised by two men of prayer.

Our hero has a certain quantity of LIFE (bottom left-hand counter) which will be reduced in proportion to the injuries he receives. At the same time the counter in the bottom right-hand corner displays the amount of strength remaining - this too will be reduced.

Both counters have a lower limit. If you go through the limit on the life counter, our hero will die, and passing the limit on the strength counter will leave him disarmed. If this sitation is not rapidly remedied, he will come across various objects which are essential for locating and gaining possession of the parchment. Amongst these it is particularly important to identify the Springs of Divine Essence and also the legendary Eagles which will pass on to us their vital energy and raise the level of the life counter.

Remember, the parchment must be seized from evil forces which are currently guarding it. They also hold Donna Jimena, our hero's wife. She alone is a source of inspiration to him and only she can retstore strength to his weary muscles. As soon as you have released her, her spirit will transform itself into twenty maidens who will give you the strength you need to fulfil your mission. There are some other objects you must collect: a lamp, which will give you access to the Devil's Domain, a Bag of Gold which you will use to by the Enchanted Key. This in turn will undo the spell which binds the parchment and prevents you from taking it. The possession of each of these objects is indicated by the lifting of one of the shields above the Life counter.

You also have combat counters which record the number of foes who have tried unsuccessfully to stop you fulfilling your mission. They will keep count of the mercenaries, the muslims and the other knights competing with you for the glory of victory.

To gain ultimate success in your mission, you must realise that if a particular enemy appears to be indestructible, try hitting him and then spinning round; in other words, press FIRE and then spin. Do not completely drain all the springs or use up all the Eagles that you find on the way.

Do not forget that, if you reach the parchment, you still have to think about the return journey.

Sometimes you may find that, after hitting one of your enemies with your sword, instead of disappearing he remains there, spinning with a madman. This is because you have destroyed his nervous system. You must steer well clear of such a spinning zombie because otherwise you will be taken over by his evil spirit!

If you suffer such an unfortunate accident, you have no alternative but suicide which you can achieve by using your sword until your strength runs out.

Game Controls

Spectrum:
K - Left, ENTER - Right, O - Up, S - Down, L - Fire, G - Pause

Amstrad:
Joystick only. Normal joystick movements apply.

Loading

Spectrum:
LOAD"" (ENTER)

128K owners should put their Spectrum into 48K mode first.

Amstrad:
|TAPE (RETURN)
Press CTRL and tap ENTER.