Where Time Stood Still

Your plane has ditched on a mountainous plateau somewhere in deepest Tibet. You and your companions are alive, but recovery from the impact is short lived - a large shape is moving toward you, as it gets closer you rub your eyes in disbelief; a Dinosaur!

Where are you... and when? Now learn to survive in a world untouched by the modern life - a world frozen in time. Stunning graphics and startling action in this thrilling innovative game.

The Game

The plane is descending rapidly, Jarret struggling with the controls, searches anxiously for a possible landing site. Breaking through the clouds, the ground is suddenly upon him, and, with one last heave on the joystick, he prepares for impact.

Out of the wreckage tumble Jarret, the guide and pilot Clive, a fat and wealthy man, Gloria, his delicate daughter and Dirk, her newly betrothed.

They have found themselves on a strange plateau, nestled between the peaks of the greater Himalaya. The only way of their predicament is via a high mountain pass somewhere on the other side.

As our friends will soon be aware, everything is not quite as it seems. Protected by the mountains from both climatic and other outside influences, this land has remained undistubed for millenia.

When your party is attacked by dinosaurs and harrassed by cannibals it becomes apparent that no western man has been here and lived to tell of it.

You (who initially control Jarret) must guide your party along tortuous mountain paths, across rivers and bottomless chasms, through swamps and forest, in the increasingly desperate search for the passage home.

The Menu System

Pressing the Space bar will call up a series of menus which facilitate the picking up, dropping and use of objects. It is important to note that the action of the game continues whilst these menus are being displayed.

If the menus are obscuring your view, they can be moved by placing the cursor in an iconless position, holding down the Fire button and dragging the menu to the required position.

The menus and icons are described below:

Menu 1: Cyan

This contains for options for pause, Music or Sound Effects, and the New Game option. The top four icons are used for selecting an inventory menu for the respective characters. You can only access these icons if the relevant character is within hailing distance of the hero.

Menu 2: Red

This is the inventory menu. Called from menu 1, it displays what a character is carrying (the top four icons) and any objects in his or her vicinity.

To pick up an object place the arrow over the icon and press Fire. The cursor then takes up the shape of the object. Move the new cursor up to the top half of the menu and press Fire again. The character has now been ordered to pick up this object, and will make his/her way towards it.

Each person can carry four items. There is a bag provided that will hold an additional four items. To place an item in the bag, simply move the object to the bag icon.

To examine the contents of the bag, use it as described below.

Dropping objects is the reverse; place arrow over item to drop, press Fire and drag object to the bottom half of the menu and press Fire again. The object will not be dropped.

Using An Object

Place the arrow first over the Use Item icon. Press Fire and the icon is highlighted. Then point to the object that you wish to use, press Fire and the icon is highlighted. Then point to the object that you wish to use, press Fire to order its use. The Use Item icon can be cancelled by selected it again. You can only use objects that a character is carrying.

Menu 3: Magenta

This menu replaces menu 1 upon the death of the player character. Once a player character is dead, you are allowed to choose another from any of those still alive.

Upon selection the menu will revert back to its original form, and the new player character will be under the same joystick/keyboard control as Jarret was previously.

Status Display

The status display permanently shows the player character's strength/injury, hunger/thirst, and ammunition levels. The score is represented as the percentage of game completion. A calendar is provided supplying a record of the days elapsed since the crash.

The other characters communicate their respective condition using the conversation windows that open from the top of the screen. These will tell you when people are tired, thirty, hungry, or are just frustrated at the lack of progress.

Hints And Tips

The success of the venture will depend greatly on the disposition of your companions. An understanding of their different temperaments will increase your chances.

Clive is slow, unathletic and ill-tempered. He is always the first to complain. If, on your travels, you find anything valuable, he will want it. You must watch him carefully, especially if escape is close at hand.

Gloria, a naturally elegant woman, isn't as weak as she may appear. Aware of stupid stereotypes, she is determined not to be a burden on the party. She complains rarely and is generally supportive of Jarret. Whilst he beloved remains Dirk, she finds Jarret strangely compelling, a fact she worriedly places to the back of her mind.

Dirk, an athletic type, with an exemplary background. He is very attached to Gloria and is never far from her side. However, should Gloria come a cropper, his will to survive is greatly reduced. His Cambridge studies on obscure eastern dialects may come in useful when dealing with the natives.

When a character is telling you that he or she is tired, Jarret must judge whether to rest or not. Just because someone complains doesn't mean they can't go on a little longer. If your team gets disillusioned with your lack of progress, they are quite likely to abandon you and try to make their own way. If you leave your companions behind, then they will continue their journey as best they can, but without your strong leadership it is unlikely that they will survive.

Scattered throughout the plateau are areas of mystical significance; these tend to be avoided by the inhabitants and are therefore ideal places to rest and recuperate.

Game Controls

Jarret is controlled by Kempston, Sinclair or Cursor joystick or keyboard. His companions, will normally do their best to keep up.

Keyboard: Options are provided at the beginning of the game. The player may define his own, with the exception of the Space bar, which is used to call up menus.

Use the space bar to call up menus. Hold the Fire button to run in one of the four directions.

Loading

128K only. Use Tape Loader.

Game Credits

© 1988 Ocean Software
Designed and created by Denton Designs 1988.