Introduction

You really don't appear to have any choice - if it's:

1. your mum's verbals, or
2. Grifiths, Imelda, a locked school and the horrors of the sewers

...then it has to be school!

She still hasn't forgiven you for having your first walkman stolen. It wasn't your fault that some swine stole it from the staff room after it had been confiscated during a maths lesson. Now she asks to see it every night when you get home - you sometimes think that you could return home direct from the hospital with two broken legs and her first words would be - "Where's your cassette player ?" Does anyone understand parents ?

The basic plan is to bet into the staff room and then steal the walkman back before going home to your mum. It's going to need a little planning though and you had better get some help too. Hollo is bound to help you - isn't he? Problem is that he's always complaining and might bottle out at any time. You'll just have to try to keep him happy.

The rest of the difficulties you find will be minor compared to braving your Mum - it's all a matter of a little thought and brilliant flashes of inspiration. There's bound to be everything you need somewhere around the school - it's a right dump you know.

You'd better get going - your mum is expecting you home and you can't return any later than midnight under any circumstances.

Game Objective

To find the confiscated walkman and then return home before midnight with it. If you return home without the walkman you lose the game. There are also several other ways of ending the game and having to start again. You have been warned!

Gameplay

Grange Hill - The Computer Game is an adventure game with a difference! Instead of entering the tedious GO NORTH, GO WEST type instructions you control Gonch by moving a joystick or pressing movement keys. This makes the game fast and fun to play but still gives you the puzzle and strategy elements that are present in most good adventures.

Other commands common to adventures, such as EXAMINE, USE and PICK UP, can be selected from a drop down menu. This means that the only time you ever have to type commands is when you want to talk to another player or use an object in a particular way.

Getting Started

Load Grange Hill by following the instructions printed on the cassette or disk label. To start the game you press FIRE and the first location will appear.

The screen has two windows, the top window shows Gonch (you), and other characters on that screen and any objects that you might need later. The lower window gives a description of the location and displays anything said by other characters in the screen.

Moving Around

You can move Gonch by using a joystick or the keyboard. If you move towards the left, right or top edge of the screen a new location will appear. You climb up objects to get to the top of the screen.

If you want another character e.g. Hollo, to follow you from one screen onto another you must wait for them to catch up with you.

Game Controls

O - Left, P - Right, Q - Up/Climb/Jump (With Left/Right Key), A - Down (Menu Only)
End Text - Caps Shift-1, M - Menu Down

All versions can use joystick. Spectrum users may use the Interface 2 or Kempston.

Using The Menu

Press the fire key or button and a menu will drop into the lower screen. This will display the following options:

Pick Up - Drop - Examine - Use - Take - Give - Talk - Exit Menu

You can select the action you wish to take by pressing keys or moving the joystick until the arrow highlights are indicating your choice. Pressing fire then activates that option.

Options IN Menu

Pick Up

Allows you to carry any object on the present screen. A second window drops down showing the possible objects that can be picked up - press fire on the ones you want to collect. You can only carry a certain number of objects at any one time. If you try to carry too many objects you may need to drop one in order to pick something else up.

Drop

The opposite of the above option. Drops the selected objects, press fire when the correct object in the second window is selected to drop.

Examine

Provides you with a full description of any object that you are carrying. Use the second window to select the object you want o know more about. The full description appears in the lower window and is cleared by pressing fire again.

Use

Allows you to make use of any object that you are carrying. The second window requires you to select the object you wish to use and then you may need to give full details of what you want to do by typing at the keyboard. Press the end text key to go back to normal control.

Take

May allow you to take an object from another player.

Give

Allows you to give a carried object to another player. You select the object to be given from the second drop down menu and then the person to give it to from the third window.

Talk

Enables you to speak to other characters and persuade them to help you, give you something or even follow you. A cursor appears under the lower window ready for your speech. Normal delete functions are used to correct input. Responses from those spoken to appear in the lower text window. Use the End text input key to return to normal control systems.

Exit Menu

Selecting this option returns you to the normal (upper window/graphic) control system. This option also allows you to exit from the drop down menus if you selected them by mistake.

Clock Display

The lower right of the screen displays you game time clock. This always starts at 15:50 and the game ends if this clock goes beyond midnight. Please note that one game minute takes 15 seconds i.e. time runs four times faster than reality.