And now for an adventure that is completely different...

The Cricklewood Incident

The story so far...

Life is pretty good being the sole owner of the Vole-strangler millions. You, Arnold Q. Vole-Strangler (the 14th) lie relaxed in a padded cell recalling the sumptuousness of Castle Vole-Strangler and the verdant lushness of Vole-Strangler Acres.

Things haven't been so ripping since the nubile Cynthia Smythe-Drongo ran off with that Spaniard from Llandudno. After all, apart from playing a mean pair of castanets, what could he offer that the Vole-Strangler empire couldn't?

Still, no point in worrying about it - there are more important problems to consider. For example, what to do until the launderette opens? Of course, the very thing! Why not pop out and find the HOLY GRAIL? It won't take long to get there and back again.

Warning: The authors and Salamander Software disclaim any responsibility for decisions, murders, suicides, insanity or cataclysms resulting from the playing of this game.

• Geoff Boycott
• Superman
• Ghengis Khan
• John Travolta
• Utter Wally

As Arnold Q. Volestrangler, bored millionaire eccentric, you have decided to venture forth, find the Holy Grail, and return to the privacy of your padded cell.

The Cricklewood Incident uses a formatted display. At the top of the screen is a brief description of the place you are currently in. Below this are two boxes, The one on the left tells you how much money you have, and which exits are available to you (e.g. N, S, U, D). The one on the right tells you how you're feeling. Below these two boxes are displayed any items of interest near you.

The bottom lines of the screen are reserved for your input and the computer's responses.

You will need money both to buy various items during the course of play, and to pay for riding on London Transport and British Rail. To complete the adventure, you will need quite a bit more money than the few pence you start with, so keep your eyes open for possible sources of income.

The display of your health gives you a rough indication of your current physical state. If this gets too bad, you will be whisked off to the Hospital for Sick Heroes so fast it will make your head swim. They have the technology to rebuild you, and only charge £1.00.

The Cricklewood Incident is an adventure game. As such, it is up to you, the player, to find your way around London and the rest of the world, carrying and using any items you find, as appropriate. To do this, you must issue instructions to the computer. These instructions take the form of a verb and a noun, separated by a space. An example would be EXAMINE TREES. When you've finished trying the command, press ENTER and the computer will respond.

The command INVENTORY is special. You only need to type the one word, and the computer will respond, telling you all the items you are currently carrying.

When referring to items that you find, only the last word should be used. For example, the IRON BAR would be referred to as BAR.

Most words can be abbreivated to three letters. For example, TALK and LOOK can be shortened to TAL and LOO. The only exceptions are when giving directions. The directions NORTH, SOUTH, EAST, WEST, UP and DOWN must be shortened to N, S, E, W, U and D.

At any point during the game you can save the current situation by typing the command SAVE. Because of the way the Dragon 32 saves files, your cassette recorder must have motor control to use this feature. Before you save the game, make sure that the cassette you are using to save on is correctly positioned. To restore the game to the saved position, you can issue the instruction LOAD at any time during the game.

1. Keep track of where you are and where you've been.
2. If the computer doesn't understand one word, try another.
3. Don't take anything for granted. Some useful-looking items may be no good at all, and vice-versa.
4. Try some lateral (or just plain weird) thinking if you get stuck.
5. Don't be afraid to do stupid things.
6. Don't go around doing stupid things all the time.
7. Be observant.
8. Don't just save the game when you quit a session. It can save time later if you save the game at various points.

There is no HELP facility for The Cricklewood Incident. If you get really stuck, send a stamped, self-addressed envelope requesting the helpsheet to Salamander Software.

CLOAD (ENTER)
RUN (ENTER)