Spellbinder =========== Introduction ------------ Leg of Toad, and Golden Fruit, Mix with Ashes and Nightshade Root. At the end of the thirteenth century, there lived in the land of Larraine ten wise and powerful Magelords. Each of them had studied sorcery and enchantment from childhood days, and each knew how to evoke potent spells capable of causing metamorphosis and devastation. You play the role of one such Magelord named Eldon The Spellbinder. Your task is to find the evil Zorn, who has deserted the Magelord brotherhood and fled to the Castle of Lorraine. Then, by collecting the correct ingredients, you must mix the Ultimate Spell, cast it at Zorn and banish him for good. A captivating 3D arcade-adventure full of problems to be solved by magical means. Only the appropriate ingredients mixed in the correct order will produce all the powerful spells which you need to complete your mission of destiny. The Scenario ------------ At the end of the thirteenth century, there lived in the land of Lorraine ten wise and powerful Magelords. Each of them had studied sorcery and enchantment from childhood days, and each knew how to evoke potent speels capable of causing metamorphosis and devastation. Your Mission ------------ You play the role of one such Magelord named Eldon The Spellbinder. Your task is to find the evil Zorn, who has deserted the Magelord brotherhood and fled to the Castle of Lorraine. Then, by collecting the correct ingredients, you must mix the Ultimate Spell, cast it at Zorn and banish him for good. The Castle of Lorraine ---------------------- You must work your way through the many rooms comprising the castle's two floors, three citadels, catacomb and dungeon. To move between levels, you must locate a teleport or use the portals. Your route through the castle is complicated due to secret passages, one-way doors and doors that will appear only after specific tasks have been performed. The Creatures of the Castle --------------------------- The creatures guard the castle from trespassers. When a creature touches you, it takes a certain percentage of your energy dependent upon its strength and your shielding. Without shielding, the percentage (for each type of creature) is: WATCHER ...................................... 2% BLACKWITCH ................................... 3% CYCLOPS GUARD ................................ 4% WINGED SKULL ................................. 5% FOREST HAG ................................... 6% ZOMBIE ....................................... 7% DEATHMONK .................................... 8% The Magic Ingredients --------------------- Magelords have extrensive knowledge about magical ingredients and their use in spells. Some of the important ingredients are:- Burned Ashes. The first and most common ingredient. This ingredient is created in some villages by buring the bark of the Red Oak Tree. It is used in spells that will cause effects on other beings: for example, Freezing spells. Sulphur. This profane ingredient is found as a yellow powder. The villagers around the castle use it in a simple way to cure wounds. The Magelords use it to restore strength and for Healing spells. Toad's Legs. This pungent-smelling ingredient is created by taking and drying the legs of the Giant Green Toad. Some of the villagers use it in soups and exquisite delicacies. The Magelords use it for Freezing spells. Dried Roots. This ingredient is not so common nowadays since it is produced from the roots of the Nightshade, once abundant, but now rare indeed. It is used in spells that will work upon the spellbinder, such as healing and Shielding spells. Use Of Spells ------------- The magical spells are created by mixing an effective recipe. All novice Magelords are taught these three extremely useful spells:- Heal. Casting this spell will raise your strength by 10%. Ingredients: Sulphur and Dried Roots. Freeze. This spell is used against creatures. It cools their blood and thereby slows them down. The spell will cease its effectiveness once you have left the room in which it was cast. Ingredients: Toad's Legs and Burned Ashes. Airshield. A spell which will protect you from the creatures in the castle. It causes the air around you to swirl rapidly thus making the creatures' hits 50% less effective. Ingredients: Wine and Burned Ashes. You can't kill creatures by regular spells, but the freeze and airshield spells will help you to avoid their bad effects. When wandering through the castle, you may find hints or clues about creating more effective or totally new spells. If you come across new ingredients or recipes, always make a note of them - you never know when they might come in useful! The Icon System --------------- At the bottom of the game screen, you will see the Icon System. There are six icons that may be selected:- MOVE - This icon is automatically selected at the start of each new game. You can move left, right, forwards and backwards. After selecting other icons, you should resume movement by choosing this icon. LOOK/SEARCH OBJECT - When standing next to an object, this function will search it for other objects, clues or special uses. CHECK INVENTORY - When chosen, you are first shown your Strength Percentage. Other items are displayed each time you press the Forward Movement key (the "?" key). MIX A SPELL - You must first have an appropriate recipe. Scroll down the list of ingredients by pressing the Forward Movement (the "?" key.). To select an ingredient to be used for the spell, press the Selection Key (the RETURN key). After you have chosen the required ingredients one at a time in the specified order, you should then scroll down the list to the END marker and press the Selection Key. The ingredients will then be mixed together. CAST A SPELL - Scroll down the list and choose the spell by pressing the Selection Key (the RETURN key). USE AN ITEM - Scroll down the list and choose the item you wish to use by pressing the Selection Key (the RETURN key). Game Controls ------------- The movement keys are user-definable. However, you will not be able to choose the function keys, ESCAPE, CTRL or SHIFT because these keys have a constant usage. The following keys are suggested: Z - Left, X - Right, * - Backwards, ? - Forwards, RETURN - Selection key BBC MICRO ELECTRON f0 ................ Select MOVEMENT icon .................. 1 f1 ................ Select LOOK/SEARCH icon ............... 2 f2 ................ Select INVENTORY icon ................. 3 f3 ................ Select MIX SPELL icon ................. 4 f4 ................ Select CAST SPELL icon ................ 5 f5 ................ Select USE ITEM icon .................. 6 f6 ................ SOUND ON/OFF control .................. 7 f7 ................ PAUSE ON/OFF control .................. 8 SHIFT and ESCAPE .. Commit suicide ......... SHIFT and ESCAPE Loading ------- Tape: CHAIN"" (RETURN) Disc: SHIFT-BREAK