Playguide by Brian Burke

Published in issues 24-30 of SynTax Adventure Magazine
Used by kind permission of Sue Medley

Introduction

Amberstar is a large, colourful and enjoyable RPG. The programmers' objective was to out-Ultima the guys at Origin. Having never played an Ultima game whether they've succeeded or not I don't know. What I can say is that the control system is excellent once you've sussed out that the manual, though seemingly comprehensive, does not provide all the answers to which icon does what. You can't beat a bit of hands-on experience.

I understand that folks trying to play off floppies on the Amiga have had a problem, but the guy I spoke to at Thalion in Germany seemed to think all was OK now. Playing off a hard drive with only 1 meg you'll need to use [Control]-[D] to cut out Workbench loading.

The task is to find 13 parts of the Amberstar and join them in a special place to allow the party access to the Fortress of Godsbane and thus smite down the nasties. Piece of cake!

The graphic presentations come in four types of display. The opening scene finds your character in Twinlake Graveyard in an Ultima style scene. Some interior scenes replicate this such as in a house, a guild or an inn. Scrolling is a joy throughout. Entering a town or a cellar etc. brings up a scene that's a cross between SSI and Dungeon Master. Until a compass or the Staff of Direction is obtained the only way to tell which is north or south is to use the auto-mapping facility. In cellars and underground locations the auto-mapping will not work unless a torch is activated. Leaving a town, cave or tower brings an overhead view reminiscent of Faery Tale. The game map is very large and whether your party is walking, riding, sailing or flying you will encounter dawn, day, evening and night changes. This is reflected by the amount of map that you can see on screen. Time can be accelerated by use of the "Zzz" icon. The final scenario is the battle mode. The less active amongst us will be delighted to know that this is not realtime. Actions, such as fight or cast magic spells and movement can be planned on a character by character basis and a single icon press will carry out those instructions. You just sit back and drink your coffee whilst the hapless protagonists slug it out crying such encouragement out as "Hit him, you twit" and so on.

Character Set-Up

Although the game starts with a single character who becomes your alter-ego, you do need, in time, to fill all six character slots up with a selected group. The character stats need to be created prior to starting the game proper. Be patient and keep the dice rolling until you are satisfied with the figures. Subsequent promotions will enable such attributes like strength, attack and parry prowess, read and use magic scrolls, swimming, pick locks, find and disarm traps to be increased.

Movement over the map

At an early stage it is advisable to buy a horse from the stables in Twinlake. This means that you only lay out 150 gold for your single character. Subsequent additions to the party all clamber upon the back of this poor creature without detriment to its performance! If you've two characters when you buy a horse then it's 300 gold and so on. Having a horse means that rivers can be crossed without losing life points by not having sufficient swimming skills. You'll also not be allowed to enter lakes or the sea. To enter woods and forests though you must be on foot so will have to park Dobbin in a place where you can find him (her) again. Think I'm joking? This is a big game.

Twinlake offers rafts for sale but two of these are to be found for free. One at the end of a jetty on the western shore line and another in the northwest of the map. A boat, on the other hand, you have to buy at some point. As these cost 5000 gold it'll be a little time before you acquire one. Whilst this sum of money can be found in Crystal, I recommend that you use that to fund other purposes first. Boats can be bought in Crystal or from an extremely remote island in the northwest.

Later in the game, a "Blue Disc" can replace the horse and best of all the ultimate ways to travel is via your own tame eagle - Shades of Questron (no gambling in this game though).

Finally there's a method known as "The Windgates". These are croquet type hoops that transport the party - from a central island to the south of Twinlake, to locations that are close to points of interest. Before the windgates can be used, the artefact that enables them, must be obtained. There are two of these to be found.

Fighting & Character Promotion

As usual sending the baddies to their version of Valhalla is the only way to gain experience. Entering each relevant guild gives your character information as to how many points are required to reach the next level. Each promotion costs so have your purse available. Some classes cost more than others. At each promotion you are invited to allocate points to the disciplines I described above. Briefly these should initially be:

There are also monk and ranger classes which I did not employ but who are available in the game.

Misreading the manual I mistakenly thought my human character could enter a multitude of classes so when I'd acquired 30 experience points I beetled into the Warrior Guild for my extra skill points and to receive my extra life points. When I then tried to enter another class and was turned away I was inconsolable. In the event, I was well pleased as I set up my battle formation with a warrior at either side of the first row with all four weaker characters on the back row.

The warriors cannot advance beyond the second row of the grid. The enemy comes down the screen towards your team which can only be hit by the front men if they are adjacent or directly in front of your characters. Black wizards are the guys with offensive spells. They can cast spells on any retreating baddies in individual or group mode dependent on the type of spell. White wizards are the clerics and grey wizards cast defensive spells.

Healing & Defence

It's well to cast anti-magic spells as soon as you enter battle and follow that up with armour protection and weapon power in subsequent turns. Healing your folks when they are poisoned, go mad, blinded, stunned or made ill is a pain and expensive. Some of those ailments take your character out of a battle scenario so be warned.

Herbs can be bought that offer an "on-line" cure mode. There's a shop in the northwest of Illien, the Elf Village that sells:

Using these is much cheaper than the temple healers.

Potions are also available that do the same job. Again there's a shop in Illien to the south of the herb shop and the Monk Guild which also stock a good many. I can't replicate all the potion symbols due to the limitations of my keyboard, but hopefully you'll recognise which is representative of what from those below:

There's also one for "Treat weapon with balsam". Go on - get the edge.

Weapons & Special Objects

As your party root and loot their way through dusty crevices and rusty chests, they come across all manner of goodies. Practically everything is worth taking as this is the way to fill your purse with gold. The bad news is that you are limited by the strength of each character as to just how much weight each can carry. There is an on-screen statistic that will tell you this. The shops in Illien, Twinlake, Gemstone, Crystal and Snakesign all do reasonable second hand deals so these are the places to bring your treasures and turn 'em into cash. The shop in Crystal is run by an enterprising fellow who's open all day, every day. The others have homes to go to and their opening hours can be read outside each shop.

Frankly, apart from torches and empty flasks you can find most of the armour and weapons as you go. Torches are essential to progress in the sewers and cellars. Unless they're lit, the auto-map facility will not register and you simply can't see. Once an area has been mapped then by all means save your stock and alternate between map and direction arrow mode as you retreat or re-enter a previously mapped level.

The weight problem and the sheer number of objects, potions and scrolls you find will have you scuttling through areas more than once. For this reason it's as well to have a manual version of the on-screen map to hand.

The fact that an object is "special" will become apparent by virtue of its resale price. In Twinlake and Snakesign are wise men who will identify those items. Beware, as once identified, they won't look at that item again, so to quote Terry Wogan "Write it down". Each object costs 250 gold, so best to save outside the shop and restore when you've submitted those objects you want identifying.

I won't claim this list as exhaustive by any means, but here are some notes I made:

One to avoid even picking up is the "Coat of Moira" - there are two of these and they are cursed. Not only that, but they weigh a ton, too. A "Remove Curse" spell is the only way to loose them once in your inventory. There are other special objects that you will find on your travels and others that you will be rewarded with in return for completing sub-quests for characters in the game. Once these items are in your inventory, clicking the action icon on them will make them fulfil a purpose. Some, like the flute you receive for destroying an evil dragon and is subsequently used to summon an eagle, remain as part of your luggage. Whilst others, such as the compass and clock, are transported to a grey display window on the right of the screen.

Character Interaction

You can only learn about your quest(s) from "Talking" to the other characters in the game (they all look like they're exercising on a pogo stick). Some of these will be able to join your party if you have room. It's possible to be ruthless and drop a character, pick up another one, filch all their goodies, then go back and have the other guy join up again. Once a character has been dropped they can be found again in the place that you first met them.

Only those characters who speak the same language as the individual you're trying to converse with will get any sense out of them. Otherwise you receive a negative message so be sure your leading character is the appropriate one. From memory I believe the only words present in your on-screen vocabulary at the start are "Hello" and "Key". Either keep a pencil and paper record of these words or develop a good memory as key words are added to this list each time you talk. For example talking to the little girl outside your parents home in Twinlake brings out keywords such as "Felix" (her cat) and so on. For this reason and the fact that some dialogue responses contain keywords required later in the game, it is important to take a note of all conversations. Not verbatim but certainly noting keywords and names. The same is true for pictures on the wall of some rooms.

Saved Game, Life & Death

The bad news about Amberstar is that there is only one saved game. Yes, just the one. Mistakes you don't make in this game. It's true to say that you can die once and then be resurrected. Should this fate befall the party, your dead bodies are transported to a helpful wizard, name of Shandra, who lives in Twinlake. He then tells you that's your lot or that he can only help once more. The trick is to retreat when the odds are against you and to keep at least one character's life points up all the time. This should preferably be a paladin or a white wizard. Keep the Rod of Resurrection handy once you've found it.

Emerging from a battle licking your wounds you ponder how to regain your health. Resting is the answer, but you must have rations to consume in order to restore spell and life points. Rations are obtainable from Twinlake - cost 15 gold, Crystal - cost 12, Gemstone - cost 10, Snakesign - cost 10 or Manyeye Cave Village - cost 30 gold. An alternative to spending money on rations, but effective for life points only, is to bathe in the healing pools found in the crypt which is located in Twinlake Cemetery.

The two pools in Twinlake have different uses. One restores physical attributes, the other is for the mental side, so you not only restore all your health but you get all your spell points back, too.

Building a party

There are a number of characters in the game who are willing to help you solve your quest. Frankly you'll get absolutely nowhere without them. Here is a list for your recruitment campaign:

You certainly need black wizard skills. A thief is essential. Characters with grey & white wizard ability are also vital. I'd suggest that the warrior is your number one recruit. Build your initial experience points by walking over or sailing under bridges. Make sure the warrior and black wizard are with you. This way you fight single bridge trolls on a random basis. Fighting the first rats in Twinlake Sewers is also good preparation for your characters' first promotions. It's important to get life points under your belt to eliminate the frustration of early deaths.

General Hints

• It took me ages to realise that, although I could click the mouse button on clothes and weapons to take them from the inventory and place them on the figure, in order to action say, a torch, I had first to click on the hand icon in the lower right of the monitor screen and then on the inventory item I wanted to action.

• The game isn't exactly linear but it is true to say that some places are easier than others. My explanatory is in the order in which I tackled the game which isn't necessarily the easiest path, but I do know and will advise which areas were hard.

• There were two scenarios where doors closed behind the party irrevocably. This is no fun when there's only one saved game and it's midnight and you know that it'll take ages and three days to get out in one piece. Not only that but you don't know if you've enough life points and equipment to stay the course! The two places are - Pharaoh's Tomb and the cave under the whirlpool. This latter area should be left till last as it's quite (British understatement) tough.

• You will need to leave areas from time to time in order to unload your inventory. Keeping a note of your characters' experience points will enable you to see just when they can gain those vital additional life points and spell casting & learning points. All this takes time. Until you acquire the map locator in the swamp station to facilitate this activity, it's a task that you have to live with.

• When learning scrolls it's best to save the game first, as a degree of "SSI type" dice rolling takes place. One time you fail and the next it's OK. Watch the words as the scroll turns to dust whether successful or not. For this reason save between scrolls as well.

• Read signs and sign posts as these will give you trigger words in your speech inventory.

Walkthrough

Your start point is in Twinlake Graveyard standing close to the grave of your parents. Use the "Eye" icon to look around and head northeast to find the crypt. Use the "Zzz" icon to advance time and stop when Gwendoline appears. Read the notice outside the crypt first and make a point of reading this and the signs outside shops and guilds as you come across them. They give you keywords also and thus facilitate conversation. Hang around till midday to meet Gwendoline. She's pretty distraught. Say "Hello" and watch the keywords for further conversation. She requests that you obtain the Flower (Rose) of Sadness which is to be found in the Halls of Peace. She doesn't know where this is but if you talk to Olfin, who's to be found in the Jewel Inn in Crystal, he'll be only too pleased to tell you that this is a cave entrance located northeast of Crystal in a rocky but desert area.

Staying in the crypt note the two healing pools and advance time to midnight in order to meet Sir Marrilion, Gwendoline's better half. Speak to him of Gwendoline to obtain the key to the tomb. In here find a sword, armour and 589 gold. Both sword and armour can only be used by a paladin, so it's best just to take the cash for now and return later for the other stuff. There's a little guy in Crystal who's dying to get his hands on these things. More of him later.

Leave the crypt and head for the cemetery exit in the southwest. The only other thing of interest here is a statue in the southeast of the graveyard. Entering the town brings up a different perspective and enables the auto-mapping facility. Click on the icon to see where you've been - a super assistance to manual mapping.

The first place to head for is your parents' home. This is located down a passageway which is off the lane opposite the shop and past the food shop. You will meet Sunni, a small girl, in this area. Say "Hello" etc. to learn that she has lost her pet cat Felix. Whilst she makes reference to the cemetery, the poor feline is actually held prisoner in the sewers. The reward when you return Felix is that the lead character in your party at the time learns the gift of talking to animals. She also offers to sell you hats at a price of 3 gold. But before you enter the sewers, you have lots to do first. Use the key on the lock of your parents' home. Enter. In the dining room find a magic picture in an alcove to the right behind the table, use the "Eye" icon. Actioning this, transfers the picture to the large grey area in the mid-right of the screen and enables you to see if it's night or day. In the kitchen you meet Spike the Dog. When you have the gift of talking to animals, he can join your party. He's great at rat eating but I never found anything that enabled animals to be promoted, so his life points always stayed at 40. Better really to develop another class of character but useful in a battle until you fill up all six slots. At the end of the long corridor in the northeast find a chest with a small key and an old robe. Use the key in the bedroom to the east and find a wardrobe stuffed with 487 gold, armour, weapons, a potion and boots.

Leave the house and head south to find the Dancing Dragon Inn. Talk to everyone in here. One guy is an old friend and refers you to Jonathan's House (note the spelling) which is located to the nor' nor' east of Twinlake - tucked just in the trees. The key to the house is in a bush at the side of the path to the house before you enter the trees. Jonathan's House is an entire separate area and should not be entered until you have found the crowbar which is to be found in a barrel. The barrel is located near the top of the steps which lead down into the cellar. Again the cellar is a completely separate area which, in time and the right key, links up with Jonathan's House. More of that later. In the kitchen meet the cook and say "Quest". He wants you to find his ring. Recovering it from the sewers means that he gives you a crystal ball in exchange. This should be actioned when your party is trekking through the woods and you're hopelessly lost. It provides an aerial view of the surrounding countryside, just enough to get your bearings. It does have a limited usage so I'd suggest saving the game prior to use then restoring and heading off in the right direction. In the area to the north of the dining room meet Breth, who's mine host. In the cellar you'll find an old wine bottle for which he'll pay you 100 gold. Accompanying him will be Silk. He's a thief and well worth recruiting. He's carrying three lockpicks for a start. Only use these if he fails to open chests or locks by hand. Ensure that you develop his lockpick skills up to 95% before any other skill, then concentrate on Search. Also in the inn is Cyrlis the Cat. When you've acquired the gift of speaking to animals, she'll tell you where to find the hidden door to the Thieves' Guild. It's really not worthwhile staying in an inn as it only costs money and you can rest just as effectively outside the city or in your parents' home.

Time now to visit Shandra. His house is located in the east of the town, just past the entrance to the Lord Chancellor's quarters. Shandra's appearance is time related so hang around in his bedroom till he shows, if he's not elsewhere in his house. Say "Hello" to obtain the key to his laboratory. In the chest in here are lots of goodies. Just note them for now as you won't have room to store them all and it would be tragic to have to sell the potions and scrolls just to make room in your inventory. Come back when your party is larger and you have the appropriate wizards. Shandra tells you of a female wizard waiting in the Grey Wizard Tower. This tower is located on an island off the northeast shoreline and can be reached by either raft or boat. If swimming skills are good, I guess you could goose grease yourself and strike out that way. The map picture on the wall in Shandra's house serves no purpose so ditch it if you've picked it up. If you say "Potion" to Shandra and give him an empty flask, he'll mix you a healing 5 potion, very useful in the early stages when you're trying to build experience stats.

In order to start acquiring those vital points, head south from Shandra to visit Karwain, the Lord Chancellor. Say "Hello: Quest: Sewers: Key" to obtain the key to the sewers. You'll have passed this door en-route from the cemetery. The shops in Twinlake sell rations and arms. In the armoury shop, there is also an item called a "Bernstein". This is a translation error from the original German as in English it means "Amber", which you need when you enter the swamp station area.

In summery we've now identified the following sub-plots/ quests:

1. The Sewers

2. Dragon Inn Cellar

3. Jonathan's House

4. Halls of Peace

5. Tower of Grey Wizards

I've listed the above in terms of difficulty.

Presuming that you're still alone, now is the time to recruit some assistance. A warrior and a black wizard are necessary for sure, so I recommend that Gemstone and Crystal are visited, in that order, before coming back to Twinlake. As stated earlier, this is a big map so it'll take a couple of game days to find Gemstone.

Located in the southwest, tucked between two mountain ranges. Not a great deal to find here. There are a couple of specialist shops. One, in the east, sells tools and for sure you need a pickaxe. The crowbar you should already have from the Dragon Inn in Twinlake. Northwest of the town is a jewel shop. It can be useful to convert your excess gold into gems. Obviously the shopkeeper takes his cut when these transactions occur. Drobonir, the warrior, is waiting in the inn. The counter clerk, Andamael, is useless for now but does come into play later in the game. Take Drobonir and together head northeast to Crystal.

Located in a bay on the mid east of the island. A much more interesting place than Gemstone, there's a fair bit to do in Crystal. Take the right fork as you enter and find the entrance to the Jewel Tavern. Standing in the entrance hall is Captain Brix. He's looking for Orlando, the landlord who's hovering outside the wine cellar which is to be found south of the kitchen area. Inside you meet two potential recruits. Grylan is hanging around one of the corridors. He is a wannabe paladin. Make his day by taking him on but beware that initially he's as weak as you are. Like your character he needs experience points. Of far more use is Trasric, the black wizard, he's to be found through a couple of bedrooms near where Grylan is. He tells you where his guild is which is only accessible by boat. More of the Tower of Black Wizards later. In one of the rooms you meet Thonion. As you admire the pictures on his wall, he tells you of the white gates and how one is able to teleport around the island provided one has the appropriate artefact. The necklace, for that is the artefact, is to be found in the Temple of Sansri. However the temple is on the small island off the south coast and is only accessible in two ways. Firstly by air, you need to have access to the eagle. Secondly by fulfilling the quest set by Gwendoline whereby the Rose of Peace is returned to her in Twinlake Crypt. In return she gives you a teleport spell that takes you right into the heart of Sansri's Temple. Be warned that it's tough getting out again though. Another option is to sell the rose to Olfin who tells you about "the Flower". He'll pay you around 5500 gold for it which is just about the right amount to buy a boat.

There's an old man looking for Kevin, the bard. Kevin's drowning his sorrows in a bar in Illien, the Elven Village, and he can wait for now.

In the garden find a pond. Making sure that you don't lose life points by staying in the water too long, hop over to the tree to find 5000 gold and a parchment. This, I think, refers to The Sphere of Opening, which is hidden in a plant pot in the room with many plants. Go south and east in this room to find the sphere. It is this that will open the circle of rocks guarding the Black Wizard Tower.

In the kitchen meet Erek the cook and the landlady who directs you outside to meet Orlando. He's a bit busy right now but will help you once you present him with a golden wine goblet. The goblet is hidden in his cellar. In return he presents you with an old key which will open up the keyhole in the wall which is en-route to the Paladin Guild in Crystal. Before you go charging off into the cellar, your party needs to obtain a few promotions first, so keep exploring the rest of Crystal for now.

Leaving the Tavern head north and east to find a shop. In the shop is an old woman and the shopkeeper behind the counter. The woman warns of the dire consequences of visiting Dreblin, the Lord Chancellor. Don't be tempted, as I was, to waste your precious lockpicks on either the door to his room or the chest in the room. In the chest is a sarky message that says the equivalent of "Yah, Boo, Sucks". This shop is open all day every day and you and the sarky shopkeeper will do good business together.

Head east to find the market area and the ration shop in the lower east - a place you will visit frequently as it's easier to find Crystal then Gemstone and the price difference is only 2 gold. Meet Firlas down a passage in the northeast of the market. The poor fellow has lost his Bone of Wisdom in Twinlake. Your reward for safely returning it is a runic message and more importantly a piece of Amberstar. But first you must complete Twinlake Sewers, return Felix the Cat to Sunni, who gives you the gift of talking to animals and then recruit Spike the Dog from your parents' kitchen.

A healing temple is around here and right in the north is the boatyard where you can spend the 5000 gold you've just acquired. My recommendation is that you save this money for rations and suitable armour and weaponry. The Black Wizard Tower is by far too tough a place for the party right now.

Moving west you'll see the Lord Chancellor's House in the southwest. By all means walk in and have a look round. Talk to his wife, crying in the kitchen, and his son, cowering in the bedroom. You won't be able to enter the cellar area yet as the seal on Dreblin's signet ring is required as a pass key. The ring is deep within Jonathan's House. Make a note of the four portraits on the wall in the entrance hall. You need this information later on inside Dreblin's cellar area. Upstairs is dangerous as monsters are lurking in a room there. Use the Retreat option to escape or at least save before taking them on. When you "eye" the globe up here, the message is "Mortals, look deep into my eyes and see the pain my prince is preparing for you. No-one can stop the plans of prince Bralkur. He will suck your soul from your body the way you suck an egg." Fighting talk indeed. The teleport in the bedroom takes you downstairs to just outside the cellar.

To the north on the western side you'll eventually find the Paladins' Guild. In here you can buy white magic scrolls. A thorough exploration of the paladin area will have revealed a keyhole in the wall. The key for this is obtainable from Orlando once you've given him the golden wine goblet from his cellar. In the chest that is then revealed, find 657 gold and another piece of Amberstar.

So after exploring Crystal so far, there are a few more sub-quests:

1. Twinlake Sewers

2. Jewel Tavern Wine Cellar

3. Halls of Peace (to find rose)

4. Jonathan's House

5. Black Wizard Tower

6. Dreblin's Cellar

   This is a tough area and should only be tackled after a few class promotions. The cellar is an area that does not auto-map. It contains lots of monsters which need clearing before you find Dreblin. Mummies and skeletons are occupying the crypt where you will find a key with which to release the imprisoned Dreblin. The strategy for the cellar should be to take one monster on at a time and then nip upstairs to recover, save, and clear the next one and so on. In one section you'll come across three graves, one of these conceals two blue mushrooms. These aren't for eating, they enhance your attributes when administered to you by Mera the Witch. Keep the mushrooms in your inventory until you find her house which is to the west. Find the jetty on the western shore and go southeast to discover her house and hand her the mushrooms. Red ones enhance your speed and blue your strength.

   Having noted the portraits in Dreblin's entrance hall is necessary to complete the cellar. In the final section puzzlemouths will ask you who is

   The Rooster	Calwell
   The Pirate	Maltor
   Mourner	Fenora
   Blue Pearl	Leonore

   You will go through several doors till the party comes across a large water tank. Defeating the demon gives you a cage key with which to release Dreblin from his prison. Wait for the wooden bridge to fall into place before entering. Talk to him to receive a reward for rescuing him.

   In his chest are loads of useful things:

   • a clock that you can "action" which will then show the time in the large grey window on your monitor screen

   • a Girdle of Thieves which considerably aids the picklock ability of your thief

   • 1584 gold

   • an iron ring that gives shield assistance

   • two swords that'll help attack skills

   • and of course a piece of Amberstar.

7. Temple of Sansri

My suggestion now is that you either head west and explore Illien or return to Twinlake and, with your new recruits, explore the sewers. To build up some points before going down the sewers, try crossing bridges to fight the trolls that then appear. Should you head on the paths north of Crystal, you will find the orcs too tough for an embryo party.

Prior to climbing down the ladder search to find 3 torches under some rubbish by the barrels. Ensure that you have a few torches in your inventory. The auto-map will show where you've been if your light goes out but won't record any fresh territory. The first brush with rats is just along the initial passage. Choose the attack icon to ensure that your party gets the first hits in, otherwise the baddies bash you instead. Explore every nook and cranny. Select a lead character who has good search stats, otherwise you may miss something.

In the southeast find a dead body, goodies here include 3 precious lockpicks. In the centre west find the cook's old ring. Returning it in exchange for the crystal ball. In the very centre is a major battle. Defeat the rat king to rescue Felix the Cat and pick up the rat king's head. Hand the head to Lord Karwain to receive 600 gold reward and hear about Firlas. Searching the east side of the lair after the fight you discover the soldiers who failed in their mission.

Return Felix back to Sunni to receive the gift of talking to animals. You can now nip home and recruit Spike the Dog. Guess who's got Firlas's bone buried in the garden! Yup. Next time you're through Crystal, drop in on Firlas to return the bone and receive a piece of Amberstar as a reward. The runes on the scroll read "Oh Talmit, goddess of the future! Let me look deep into your eyes. - Find 13 parts. Go to the clearing where many rivers wind. Altar in Forest of Unity - Thank you, Talmit, for letting me see". After, or indeed during, completion of the sewers sell your excess inventory. Keep the good stuff, buy some more rations, tour the appropriate guilds for promotion and head to the next location. Practically wherever you go now (in an area), you'll need either light spells or torches, so stay well equipped.

The next three areas are all much of a muchness in terms of difficulty. It may be better to go to the cellar areas before taking on the orcs in Jonathan's House, so you can build up life points etc..

Located to the northeast of Twinlake. The key referred to in the Dragon Inn is hidden in a bush. The bush is just off a corner of the path before entering the trees to enter the house proper. Don't go near the house if you haven't already found or bought a crowbar. You can buy one in Gemstone or find one near the entrance to the cellar (in a barrel) in the Dragon Inn. As you approach the house, the party falls into the southeast area of the cellar (within level 2). Use the crowbar on the door to explore the cellar. In the northeast find 26 gold and some torches. In the southwest are clothes to be found. The exit stairs up to level 1 are in the west. Entry to level 1 is in the southeast corner. Four orc battles to go through in this level. The good news is that the door to the outside world is in the centre south and you can come and go at will. You'll need to do this to offload your excess baggage and to buy rations so you can recover spell and life points. Don't forget to use the crypt pools in Twinlake Cemetery as you're so close. These only replace life and not spell points though. You need orc communication skills to pass the time of day with the guy in the northern room. As I didn't have that we'll carry on! A door in the northwest has a trap that could blind your leader so if the screen goes black, the game's not crashed, it's just that you can't see. I had to wait a long time to develop sufficient picklock skills to enter here, but try your luck with the thief anyway. The chest beyond has loads of scrolls, 325 gold, a good sword, good helmet and other useful treasures. The stairs down to the rest of level 2 are located in the northeast. Entry point is north just right of centre. Search to flush out more orcs. Round a winding passage to find a door to your left. Break this down with a crowbar but don't enter the teleport in the south just yet. The reason why is that you teleport to a "Lost Island".

The only way back from here is via another teleport that is concealed behind a locked door. This door is resistant to lockpicks and can only be opened by means of a key obtainable from the Castle of Gelinda on the Dragon Island. The bad news is that the dragon is sitting on the wretched thing.

On the Lost Island is the body of Olgur, the missing orc; there are a few bits to pick up before entering the house. In the house the southeastern room contains a chest with 1248 gold, 5 potions and 2 scrolls and a vital piece of Amberstar. Then use the key on the western room to access the teleport back. I guess that having a teleport scroll could be an alternative option? Go right and north instead to find a door south halfway along this corridor. There are then three doors off each side of this long passage south. The first door west, the second door east and both third doors, west and east, conceal orcs so expect trouble. Just keep popping out as before to recharge your attributes. Through the door south there is another orc battle. Going left or right in the corridor beyond takes the party to two different areas. The eastern stairs lead to the long, long, long passage that eventually links up to the Dragon Inn (Area B) whilst the western stairs lead to Jonathan's Laboratory (Area A).

Let's go to the smaller section first, down the stairs to see a puzzlemouth. Naturally the answer is "Jonathan". Watch the spelling. The passage then opens up the rest of the area. Beware of three spinners in the room beyond. Use the auto-map feature to see in which direction you are headed. There is a door in the southeast of this room that leads to a room with teleports. Your objective is to reach the door in the southwest of this area. Behind the door is the laboratory.

Look in the barrels to find a parchment. There are more diary entries on the tables. The signet ring that'll allow entry to Dreblin's cellar in Crystal is here. In the chest are a few treasures including a tunnel key that is the means of opening up the passage from Area B to the Dragon Inn. If your thief isn't up to opening the chest, then you'll have to return when his skills are improved.

The diary entries are significant as they lead you to other areas. The blue disc device is a travelling bubble that enables the party to move over land or shallow seas. It is located in Pharaoh's Tomb. The entrance to the tomb is in the southeast of the island near rocks in a desert area. The locator device gives you grid map references and is very useful for finding your way around. The device is deep within the swamp station. The reference to "Water" in the diary entry is the means by which you flush out the blockage in the sewerage system. More of that later. The swamp station is located in the southwest.

Now return and head down the other set of stairs to enter the long, long...you know, the rest...passage. This heads north. Fight rats about a third of the way up. Beyond the point where the passage takes a left is a door that leads south. Take this route before heading north. The passage winds its way right down to a square room with a chest. On the way meet two sets of rats before encountering another set in the room itself. The chest is booby trapped so have someone qualified disarm the thing. Inside are goodies and black wizard scrolls. Somewhere in this area is more treasure in another chest. My records have a note of what you find but not where. In this chest is a compass which you should "Action". Direction notes then appear in the grey window on the right of your screen. Haul the party back to head north. Firstly on the east side to find and fight rats through the second door east. Then north up the western side. Keep west through a door to fight more rats and discover a chest with scrolls and other treasures. The silver ring will give the thief additional lockpick skills. Advancing up the other passage brings you to a keyhole in the wall. Use the tunnel key here to enter the Dragon Inn - level two. Keep north and east to find an empty flask, healing scrolls and other treasure. You can continue, if you wish, through the cellars to exit eventually in the Dragon Inn but I'll do that section as if you've entered from the inn.

New quests discovered:

1. Swamp station

2. Pharaoh's Tomb

The entry point is in the mid-north. Turning right follow the passage north to find a flask. Then south to a room where there are doors to the west and east. Explore the eastern door first. Initially heading south then north to find another flask and then south to use a crowbar on a door south. The door west leads to a battle with rats, then west again to go north to fight a wine slime. After disposing of this green mucus you find a few goodies. Head to the small room beyond to pick up an old flask of wine that Breth, the innkeeper, will pay 100 gold for. Return to the room where the door led west and use crowbar again. Then north before heading south through a south door to fight more rats. East of this point find another flask down a passage. Then south again through a door to fight rats. Go east down a long passage to enter a false wall and descend stairs to level two. At the end of level two, which is pretty small, find the keyhole in the wall that needs the tunnel key from Jonathan's laboratory to open up the route into his cellars.

Entry point is the northwest corner heading east. After passing through the first door find a door to the south heading east. This is the way to go. There is another door south round the corner but there's nothing and no-one in the rooms beyond. Through the door east head either north or south. The doors south along the northern passage lead to another barren area. Go to the southern passage and use your crowbar on the wall south (about 5 squares in from the eastern corner). You'll pass two drunken goblins before fighting goblins through a door south. Find a door west and then travel south and west to fight more goblins at the end of a passage.

Back to go north and west through a door, round a couple of corners and another goblin battle. South and head west to bash another set of goblins. Go north from here round yet more bends, keep west and south to finally discover a chest containing flasks and a golden wine goblet. Give this goblet to Orlando who'll reward you with the old key. This key then fits the keyhole in the wall in the area south of the Paladins' Guild in Crystal. The wall opens up and leads to a chest containing 657 gold and a vital piece of Amberstar.

The stairs down to level two are nearby, go west and south. Down a passage with three doors off. Behind each door are goblins to be fought. Again the door east conceals goblins. Explore and keep heading east. One of the small rooms has a chest. In the chest is a message and 1296 gold. The parchment reads "I would remind you again that you must be more careful! We don't want that old fool Orlando to notice that we are selling him his own wine!" signed Captain B. Much to my disappointment showing this to Orlando or Captain Brix produced no response. You will fight another five sets of goblins before emerging on an island. Beware for there are more goblins on the jetty and in the surrounding landscape.

Time now to tackle the Wizard Towers. Each of the towers has a fast track route to the guild contained within. It's tempting to enter the password straight off but in doing so you won't gain the experience that builds your party's statistics. The puzzlemouths ask for the name of the guild's founder and of course this is the last puzzle you solve. I'll provide the solution but only at the point that the puzzle appears. In terms of easiest first:

Entry point is in the mid east heading west. The puzzlemouth is located in front of you. Head north and then south to enter a room with loads of teleports.

The correct teleport takes you north. Head round a bend or three to find stairs leading to a small passage. There are three of these. Beware the spinner in the third one. Going south you enter a large room. Walking only on the bones make your way to the door in the southeast corner. Through the door and go west ignoring the teleport to the east. Half way along the passage is a false wall to the south. You may have to trigger this by visiting the statue at the end of the passage which has the message "There is no way past me". Twice through the false wall. Going west at the end of the passage south leads to a barrel containing eight torches. Head east through a couple of doors to find and fight skeletons. The lower ones in the three rooms are an illusion. Round and round the passages to find the statue of the founder whose name is "Kasimir". Back and north to find the guild entrance and meet Crag, a level six white wizard, inside. Crag has a useful staff should you choose to recruit him. Head east from the guild to use the password on the puzzlemouth.

Entry point is in the mid south. At the intersection to the north the puzzlemouth is to the north. Go west through two doors and north through the second door to find two flasks at the end of the passage. Head south to find two mushrooms in one alcove and three flasks in another. Shandra, the wizard in Twinlake, will place healing 5 potions in your flasks if you say "Potions" to him and Mera will convert the mushrooms to strength or speed enhancements. Go north but beware the spinner in the narrow section. There are three more mushrooms to be found in a corner to the northwest. Travelling east then north you discover a passage with five teleports. Each one takes you to an independent area in the northern area of your map.

Taking the most western teleport first, will take you to the mid north. From your arrival point go north and through a door east to fight orcs. Return to the teleport which takes you back to the intersection below the puzzlemouth. Unfortunately this happens each time so you have to traipse all the way back through the dreaded spinner to the teleport passage. Next teleport in from the west takes you east of the area you've just been to. Follow the passage round to meet orcs and goblins through the door and enter the teleport in the north. The centre teleport lands you in an area to the extreme northwest of the map. Go north to obtain some valuable treasures. In the chest are wands of light and fireballs; there is also a staff of direction and most vital of all a staff of resurrection. Return then to the teleport. The teleport second in from the east goes to the extreme northeast of the map. Fight orcs in the east and teleport back from the opposite corner. The final eastern teleport takes you into the remaining northern slot where you dispose of more orcs before teleporting back to the intersection.

From the intersection now go east. Travel round the walls to avoid a spinner in the next two rooms east. The doors north and south in the first room lead to empty areas but head north in the second room. Go west and north to encounter mummies. North again then west to find a door west. Search the passage south before going through the door to discover 359 gold and a torch. Through the door search the barrels in the centre of the room to find useful herbs and four torches. The herbs will cure sickness etc. that the mummies cast on you. See the introductory notes in an earlier part of this playguide to see which herb cures what.

Along the passage west to have a tough battle with more mummies. The staff of resurrection will probably come into its own now. Follow the passage round and round till you arrive at a locked door. Use the thief to pick the lock and find the guild entrance in the southern passage. Inside the guild, the party meets Satine, a level six grey wizard, who will be a great asset to your party. To the north of the guild find the statue of the founder "Landonis" at the end of a short passage. Back to the southern passage and enter the password in the puzzlemouth.

Entry point is in the mid south. The passage turns east at the puzzlemouth and stairs lead to the next level. From the stairs head southeast to find a pit halfway down a corridor. If you have a rope now is the time to use it, otherwise just drop down and take the hit points. The next few battles are tough. I suggest that you save before dropping down, just in case the party is still too weak to take on the three sets of skeletons that guard this room. Head east when the skeletons are done with and find a door north. There are more skeletons through the door and beyond them find 238 gold and three torches. Exit the room and head south to a room with loads of false walls. Cross the room to exit into a corridor in the northwest corner of this room.

The teleport sends the party west into a corridor where skeletons are waiting for you. There's another set round the corner to the north. Follow the passage east and explore north before entering the door east. Find a bit of gold and three scrolls in the alcove. Through the door and into an area with 14, yes fourteen teleports. Thirteen you can see and one you can't. Naturally it's the one you can't see that is the correct one. All the others send you back to rooms earlier in the level so you have the pain of finding your way back again. The real teleport is accessed from the north of the central pillar. Enter the false wall to be sent into an alcove. From the alcove find skeletons waiting to the north. Zap them and enter the door north and fight another set of skeletons. The rooms beyond have doors galore. Not only that but there are three spinners along the central corridor. More skeletons lurk in the room to the extreme west. Make your way east to exit this area to the north. You now follow passages in an anti-clockwise route. At the extreme northwest is a door behind which is 198 gold and a good helmet. Go south to find more skeletons with another lot much further on. Finally enter a door to find a teleport which takes you to the bottom of a long corridor north. Up the corridor to enter a door to the south and teleport again into a small room in the east of the map. Through the door and round to fight skeletons in the south. Enter another room to teleport again to the east. South through the door and head north fighting skeletons as you enter another room in the northeast and teleport again. Head south from the next room and head west to dispose of yet more skeletons. Just look at your experience statistics now! Retrace steps and go north then east at the crossroads and yes, teleport again. From the room in the northern area go south to teleport for the last time on this level. South through the door and fight skeletons en-route to the stairs which lead to level one. Your entry point is just mid east in the centre of the map. Go north meeting skeletons just before a door north. Up and round and fight two more sets of skeletons in the northern passage. Head south peek into the room east to find three robes. Continue south through the door and wend a torturous route to the south west corner of the map to enter a door north. Bash the skeletons within and find two lockpicks, a dagger and 99 gold east of here. North and east to discover stairs up to level two. Entry point is in the mid south. Go north and fight skeletons in the western passage. Again in the north corridor before entering a door south. Just west through the door are two flasks and a smidgen of gold. South round the houses to find the statue of the founder in a southern alcove, "Nicademus".

The guild entrance is to the left and stairs down on the right through level one and down again to the puzzlemouth on the entrance level. Enter the password and out into the light of day. In the guild look in the barrels to find dried herbs and three blue mushrooms. Time to make use of those mushrooms by exploring Mera's garden shed.

After you've talked to Mera and benefited from her magic mushrooms, talk to her to discover that she's lost her broom. Enter the garden to say "Mera" to the puzzlemouth. If you don't have a full complement of heads, you can recruit the cat. Talk to the cat anyway to learn of the frog pond. Go down the ladder to enter the caves in the southwest corner. Two steps in, you teleport to the east. Enter the false wall south and the wheel on the wall opens the northern end of the passage you just teleported from. Regain this passage by moving east through a false wall and head north then east to enter a door west. Enter the teleport to be transported into the centre east of the map.

Ignore the teleport to the north here as this sends you back outside the caves. Instead head northeast to find the labyrinth key. Now thread your way to the southwest of this area to find a keyhole in the wall where you use the labyrinth key. This opens up the route to the south and east. Just before the door east is a passage with a wheel at the end. Ignore this for the moment. The wheel opens up a passage behind you to the west. Go east and thoroughly explore the area to the east. You'll find five sets of gems. You'll receive around 550 gold for each gem from the shopkeepers. After picking all the gems up go south and west to find three more sets of gems and a puzzlemouth in the southwest corner. This puzzle took me ages, the answer is "Sprite". The passage to the west opens up and at the end is the missing broom. Back to the small passage with the wheel. Once activated go west and down a passage west. Watch for the spinner halfway down. Enter a door north. Thread your way through a series of false walls and impassable passages to enter a door to the east in the northeast section of this maze. Ignore the teleport to the southeast as it takes you back outside to caves. In the passage west there are some rocks. These are an illusion. You must now cast an anti-magic spell to avoid being teleported out the caves should you step beyond the rocks. Explore the rooms to the north to find four chests containing jewels and gems. Once through the room with many pillars you head south and east to go up to the northeast where the sprites concede defeat. Now return to one of the exit teleports to return the broom to Mera. She tells you of the frog pond.

This is located to the southeast of Mera's House. Enter the trees and the pond area is enlarged. Talk to each frog until one answers and tells you his sorry tale. Swim to the island in the centre and underneath the rock is a piece of Amberstar.

Located in the rocks at the end of the desert northeast of Crystal. Entry point is in the mid south. Meet the puzzlemouth and say "Jasmin". This name derived from talking to Olfin in the Jewel Inn in Crystal. Forward to meet a planthulk to the east and another in the room south of here. Going through the door north and heading west will bring another planthulk battle. North and east via area C meet the final planthulk monster. Taking the five outer areas in the following sequence: EDCAB

Head for the temple and use your flowers in the following order: Cloverleaf, rose, lily and forget-me-nots. Head north to hear the voice telling you that you are worthy. You can now either sell the flower to Olfin for around 5500 gold or be noble and trade it with Gwendolin for a teleport directly into Sanri's Temple. If you're low on experience and hit points, I'd recommend calling in on Olfin and taking the cash.

There are entry points north, south, east and west. Entering from the north you will immediately see statues. The statues carry the names of the Guardians of the Eyrie. More of the Eyrie in a moment. The names are:

Pelanis is the current guardian and it is he you must talk to to learn of the quest you must undertake. Successful completion gains the gift of a magic flute that summons your own personal flying machine - a friendly eagle. Pelanis lives in the southeast of the town. He'll tell you the tale of the female dragon and how it threatens the Eyrie. You must destroy the unhatched dragon egg and slay the dragon as well. To reach the island home of the dragon you can use a raft that is moored at a jetty to the northwest of Illien. The dragon's pretty tough so your party need to be in good shape before confronting it.

Elsewhere in Illien is a very useful herb shop in the northwest and an even more useful potion shop south of here. Wandering around this area is Samrais who'll tell you about the dragon and Pelanis. There's a shop in the centre of the village and a temple is in the southwest. In the southeast is a ration shop where rations only cost 10 gold.

The pathway to the inn is from the east. Before taking the northern route to the inn go south and talk to Bothor. Say "Amberstar" to receive a letter to his uncle Donner. Donner is working in a mine in the south of the island. The entrance is directly west of the jetty which itself is west of Gemstone. Cross the river to find the cave entrance.

In the inn there's an amusing encounter with the landlord's wife, particularly if you've noted the ladder outside the inn earlier. You'll find Kelvin inside. He'll tell you about his lost harp and that the riddle master has it. The riddle master's tower is located on an island way down southeast of the island. Take a bearing from the most eastern point east of the White Wizard Tower and sail your boat south until you sight the island. Use the crystal ball as a navigation aid. You'll also meet Thaer who tells you about the harp.

Sub quests identified, in order of battle difficulty:

1. Donner's Mine

2. Tower of Riddles

3. Dragon Island

Entry point is from the southeast heading west. Keep south and west to use your pickaxe on rocks prior to fighting cave rats to the north. Forgive my memory, but I believe that there's a set of bones to be found at the end of the passage here. Search them to find loads of treasures: 845 gold, 3 lockpicks and weapons, armour and a potion.

Return to take a passage north. Keep north to go west through a door and west again to fight more cave rats. Go south then west and meet spiders. Follow the passage north and just before the passage turns east again find the door that leads to Donner. At the end of the passage east is a barrel containing four torches. Look for Donner and give him Bothor's letter. He'll then tell you about the Dwarven Crown into which is set a piece of the Amberstar. The dwarves live in a volcano in a valley to the east of Twinlake. If you bring the crown back to Donner he'll prise the Amberstar free for you. Take the letter Donner gives back to Bothor in Illien. He'll tell you about the puzzlemouth password necessary to enter the Dwarf Mine.

Visit the riddle master in his house to talk about Kelvin and his harp. The riddle master throws down a challenge and gives you the key to his tower which is located on a nearby island.

Entry point on the first section is from the east. Use the key on the first door and go northwest to find a puzzlemouth ("Everyone listens to it again and again. Though it never says a word. Guess what is so silent in sleep you lie upon it?") - say "Ear". This opens up a door behind the party in the centre of the map and releases rats. Fight the rats and head northeast to find stairs to the next section.

Entry point here is from the northeast heading west. A passage south leads to a pit which merely drops you down to level one. Take the second passage south and fight more rats, then head east through six false walls before going north to a puzzlemouth. There's another puzzlemouth two squares west of this one - go south and north again to find it. The riddles are inter-related and took a phone call to Germany to resolve. I was climbing the walls for a week and my Thesaurus wasn't helping at all. To the question "It flew featherless, into a tree leafless. Who ate it?" the answer is "Sun". To the question "A woman came mouthless and ate the bird featherless. Who was flying?" the answer is "Snow". Easy when you know how! The correct answers open up a corridor east in the western passage where rats are waiting. Ignore the teleport to the south as it merely sends you back down again. Head north and east to climb another set of stairs.

Entry point in the third section is from the mid-east. Ahead of the party is a puzzlemouth: "What has no body but is still visible?" - answer "Shadow". The rocks to the north disappear. There are purpurslimes (yes, that is the right word!) waiting to the northwest and east. Once disposed of, go to the western corridor and south through a door to meet another set of these strangely named monsters. Round a couple of corners to another puzzlemouth. To the riddle "Neither air nor wind are as fast as I, I travel through worlds never seen by human eye. I am here and there in seconds." forget turning up your copy of Cosmos, the answer is "Thought". The rocks south of the first puzzlemouth open up allowing access to stairs in the southeastern area.

Entry point on the fourth level is heading north in the eastern half of the level. There's an anti-light square on the third square up just before the door. Ignore the teleport in the passage south beyond the door as this takes you right back to a sarcastic riddle master. Enter the door that leads south to find a puzzlemouth: "Once white as snow, then green as clover, then red as blood. You know me well." - answer "Cherry". The route south down the extreme west passage opens but you must fight three sets of skeletons on your way to the next stairway. In addition there are two anti-light squares in the southern passage.

Entry point in the fifth and final section is in the northeast. South through a couple of doors to fight rats just beyond the second door. Then through a third door in the west to fight purpurslimes. North to a puzzlemouth: "It is a beautiful bridge. No man has ever crossed it. It is a wonderful sight because the waters hang over it." - answer "Rainbow". The wall north opens and you fight another set of purpurslimes.

There are then four sets of stairs in front of the party. From the west:

1. Fight purpurslimes in the north and south rooms.

2. Go north to find the harp in a chest to the west. You can use the teleport to exit the tower.

3. Go south to fight sprites and goblins.

4. To the north and south fight skeletons and mummies.

Return to the riddle master and use the "Eye" on the harp to receive the last riddle. "You do it all the time. It is nothing but it is everything. It is the greatest riddle of all in the universe" (wow!) - answer "Life". I think that you now receive a scroll.

Back to the tower to use the harp at the point in the first corridor where you hear the harp. A door opens up to the south. Head west fighting one set of rats and discover 2158 gold, a Sickle of Returning (boomerang), a Pipe of Levitation and a Wand of Winds. Hightail it back to Illien and return the harp to Kelvin who gives you a piece of Amberstar as a reward. It's fun to play the harp as there are 19 separate pieces of music with some intriguing titles, I was quite loathe to hand it back!

Located in a desert area in the southeast near the coast. Entry point is in the south. Head north to the puzzlemouth and say "Relanukh". Move north and pray you're well equipped as the wall closes behind the party. At the junction go east and south to descend stairs to a new section. Head east through a door and keep east to meet your first, but by no means last, encounter with skeletons. Through the next door and round the corner to find a chest with a sun key. Back upstairs now to go west and south down the next set of stairs to another point in the next level. North to find a door where you need to use the sun key. Fight more skeletons through this door. Keep east till you find a long passage leading north and pass over four sets of bodies. Yuk!

Through the door west and south down the corridor to find six teleports, three to the east and three to the west. All take you to separate areas in the shrine level. Each of these relate to the name of a god and it is under these names that I'll explain each section:

Now we're done with the teleports, so it's back to the northern passage to continue west. You will turn south, keep south and ignore the passage west for now. In the passage south go to the end of each alcove where you'll be asked to show each of the treasures obtained from the chests. There are three in this area: Geb, Bala and Sobek. The other three are to the west of the map. En-route to the Harachte, Nut and Gala alcoves find a chest in the northwest containing a rope and a spade. Battle with skeletons just south of this point. In the southwest area is also a chest containing a rope and a pickaxe. You'll fight skeletons before reaching the chest. Upon showing the last treasure return to the northern passage to find the way open to a teleport. Enter this to be taken to the graves area.

Entry point is in the southeast heading north. You cannot pass the light ahead of you. Enter a false wall just before the light to either east or west. Skeletons are waiting for you. Head north after the fight and return through a false wall to the original passage having bypassed the light. There are loads of crossroads in this area. Salient points are that there are two spinners at crossroads, one around the central northeast and another in the southwest. Another spinner in the central northwest area is next to an area with doors galore. There are mummies and skeletons to fight here. The light in the central north passage teleports you to the bottom of a passage in the northeast. One light in the southwest teleports the party slightly southeast, not far, and the light next to where you land, sends you back again.

There are three sets of skeletons beyond the false wall. One set in the northeast and the other two to the southwest. The interesting section is to be found in the northwest area of the map. In the central west find a door north with alcoves each side. As you pass through, the wall will seal behind you. Each alcove in the passage ahead contains a chest in which there are treasures beyond the dreams of avarice (thanks to a certain C. Dickens for the quote). There's far too much to carry, so be reassured that you can enter Pharaoh's Tomb again and ultimately carry off all seven chests worth of goodies.

First you have to get out of here. Rest now and recharge your health and spell casting points. As you step on the square that leads to the third alcove, the wall ahead opens. Revealed now are mummies and skeletons plus the dreaded Relanukh. After the battle recuperate as there is another set of skeletons waiting outside near an oasis. The piece of Amberstar is in the third chest up on the east side. The blue disc is in the fourth chest up on the west. When you've loaded your party up, head north to find two puzzlemouths. Don't enter any of the three doors yet as two of them are death traps. To the question "What does everyone wants to become but no-one wants to be?" say "Old", and to "Hole by hole - but still it holds" say "Chain". The eastern door is then the only one remaining, so it's north into the sunlight. The tomb entrance is north of the oasis. Fight the last set of skeletons and hightail it to the nearest shop in your new found transport.

Access is gained via a small house. Go past the old lady and south to gain entrance. Entry point is in the southeast heading north. At the puzzlemouth say "Water". A passage south leads to rocks that can only be unblocked by "unlocking" eight separate keyholes, which are located deep within the swamp station. The water thus released clears this set of rocks and another set further along this passage. The "keys" are various precious stones that the party finds in other island locations as well as two actually in the swamp station.

Head north again and take the next passage west. Fight three sets of swamp rats in this area. There's nothing else of interest here. Return to the passage and head north again before yet again going west. The door north yields up more rats. West again to another door north to find a yellow painted circle. Not to bore you with the rest of this area. The circles to discover and their relevant keys are:

I apologise for the two stones whose source I don't know. Frankly until you enter the swamp station, you haven't a clue that the stones have a purpose and can't be sold just like the gems can. I was storing them up for a rainy day and didn't realise their significance.

Other rock areas can be cleared with a spade in one instance and a pickaxe in another. In the far northwest is reference to the rune chart that came with the game. Rather irrelevant halfway through the game! In the northeast is a chest that contains a paper that gives you the keyhole/ key relationship described above. There aren't many rats to fight, roughly three sets in the northwest, one in the northeast, one in the centre and two in the southwest. The map locator is found once both sets of rocks in the south passage are cleared. "Action" it to place it in the grey window and from now on it's much easier to find your way around the island.

Entry point is from the mid south. Head north to meet Bolina, a thief. If you've room, recruit him as he's got some useful items. Say "Gelinda" to the puzzlemouth to open up the wall north. The door ahead leads to a large lock which needs an eagle key to activate it. Both the passage east and west have firebirds waiting to ambush you. The puzzlemouth to the west needs the answer "Lugthir". The password is obtained by seeing a statue in the northeast area of the map. To reach it, take the passage east of the large lock. Beyond the first set of firebirds are another four sets in the southeast area and two more in the north. The puzzlemouth opens up the wall and the party teleports to the second section of the map. The new area is entered at a crossroad in the eastern section. To the southeast are two sets of firebirds. Through the door west and north to fight two more sets and find a teleport. Don't enter this yet as it is the route back to the puzzlemouth on the first level. Take the door east again and again fight two sets of firebirds. Take either eastern door north or south and east again to one set of firebirds. East once more to find two more sets of firebirds. South now through a door to another lot of firebirds. Then south down the passage to another door south. For completeness sake go west and north before entering the door south to blast the penultimate set of firebirds. Through the door south then west, south, east then south and west to fight the last set of firebirds. In the western alcove is the eagle key. Use the teleport in the other passage to land right in front of the door that leads to the large lock. Use the eagle key on the lock to open up the wall north of the lock. Take the stairs up.

There's room to map this new section on your level one map. Just miss one square north as you enter the Old Hall of Knights. Through the door north and keep north to fight firebirds in the northern passage. Then through the door west to enter a room with a door south. Gird up your loins and so on as the dragon awaits. It's got around 500 hit points to dispose of so I hope you've got plenty of tornado spells or scrolls to use on it. Once you've overcome the dreaded dragon, go south to find the nest with the egg and a piece of Amberstar. In addition you recover the key that will unlock the door to the homeward teleport on Jonathan's "Lost Island" to recover another piece of Amberstar. There are also four gems here and a Broach of Luck. Take the egg back to Illien and give it to Pelanis. In return you receive a super present - the flute that gives you the power to call on the eagle and thus fly everywhere. One of the first places to zoom off to is...

Land on the island and say "Mork" to the puzzlemouth. Strictly speaking you shouldn't pick this information up till you've been to Snakesign Village where the party can meet with Melchlor. Enter the guild to meet Balthar. Say "Quest" and he'll tell you about Bothor, the jewellery dealer in Gemstone. He'll also refer to The Guild of Rangers where you should go to meet Annorel. Also say "Library" to be referred to his wife Melina. Saying "Document" gives a reference to Melgrim who was one of the thirteen wizards who cast the spell against Tarbos. He's gone to ground in a cave beneath the whirlpool and has a piece of the Amberstar. Leave this area till last.

Go west and meet Melina and say "Potions", then go south to discover the stock that she tells you of. You can also buy lots of useful potions in the guild so use that gold up and purchase spell regeneration and healing 5 potions.

Enter the guild and go north. If Annorel is not around, accelerate time until she appears, then ask about the "Amberstar". She'll tell you that the original rangers' guild is elsewhere, in the bay to the right of Crystal, and that there is a piece of Amberstar hidden in the old cellar rooms. You'll then receive a Rod of Opening with which you open up the entrance to the guild.

Once you arrive on the "sandy" part outside the mine entrance, the party has to fight spiders and cave rats. After the battle read the sign "Doras Mine" then go to the puzzlemouth and say "Sarod". This password is obtained from Bothor after Donner's letter is delivered. Enter the mine only to fall down after four steps into another level. Head north then either east or west to discover a teleport in the south. You are sent southwest. Go through the door north and fight rats before travelling east. Ignore the teleport in the passage to the south of the door east for now. You will need to return here when all areas of the mine have been explored. The teleport takes you back to the corridor in which you fell when first entering this level. Follow the corridor round then north to fight more rats. North and east to meet spiders. East again and south. At a junction south first go west and down a corridor east, just before a door west, use a pickaxe on the rocks to reveal three sets of rats. At the end of the passage find one red and one blue mushroom. Take these to Mera's House to benefit. Through the door west fight spiders. Return to the junction and head east and south. Beyond the door south fight another set of spiders before seeing a set of stairs to the next (and third) level. The stairs take the party to enter this level from the southeast corner. Fight spiders before wending your way east and then north to battle some rats. North again through two doors. Keep north once past the second door and enter a false wall. Follow the passage round to find a chest containing a mine key. Regain the corridor east and make your way to a set of stairs in the southeast region of the map. You'll fight another lot of rats and two sets of spiders en route. The centre area of the map will be accessed later.

Now we're back on the entrance level. Heading from the east beware the spinner at the first crossroads. Initially go south past some rats to discover three torches in a barrel. Then straight north from the crossroads through a door and then east and north to zap rats again. More rats through a door west in the northern corridor. Keep west to fight spiders in the west before heading south. Through the second door south a "shadow" drops down in front of the party. Make his day and keep south. Fight again in the south at the end of a passage. Then east and north to use the mine key on a keyhole and discover the passage out to the fresh air. Back now to the first level to enter the teleport mentioned earlier. From the corridor you land in, stand beneath the pit and use a levitation spell. You are taken up to level two. Enter the door north. To the east through the door find a chest with 546 gold and some mithral mail. Down the adjacent alley find two gems and 859 gold. The corridor to the west leads south through a door to the crown. Back down the pit to follow the convoluted route out of the mine. Take the crown back to Donner's mine for him to extract the piece of Amberstar.

Use the Rod of Opening obtained from Annorel (from the new Ranger's guild) to enter from the southeast. Before heading north, enter the door at the end of the passage to find various articles of clothing. Don't take or wear the Clothes of Moira as they are cursed and weigh tons. Do grab the Robes of Nickademus. North then and through the door to be confronted by three sets of bloodsuckers! In the alcove ahead find 45 gold and an iron ring. The door to the southeast hides more bloodsuckers and 23 gold plus a buckler. West of the door is an alcove with 29 gold and a silver ring. Search all the alcoves in this section to find other small portions of gold and treasures. North again to discover a staircase down to the next level. Before descending go west and through a door north to find 89 gold and a gem. More vital treasure is to be found going east and keeping northeast through a false wall to find another staircase down. This leads again to another section of the lower level. Enter the door west of the staircase to open a chest that contains 7 torches and a rusty key. Return to the first set of stairs and descend into a smallish area. Make your way east to find ranger bones and lots of useful items plus 348 gold. In the north of this section are a set of bloodsuckers. Back upstairs and down the other set of stairs and head east, there's nothing of use to the west. As you travel east look in the first set of alcoves north and south to pick up loads of useful herbs. Keep at least one packet of herbs to give to Atacar in the Cave of Manyeyes later in the game. Through the door east to encounter bloodsuckers and again through the second door south. Go right down to the southeast to polish off another set. Use your pickaxe on the rocks to the west and fight two more sets of bloodsuckers before using the rusty key on the keyhole in the wall. A door is created to the south. Enter it and go north through two doors to be rewarded with the discovery of a chest containing a piece of Amberstar, 7 gems and 825 gold.

There are four points of entry to the village: North, south, east or west. In the southern area meet Melchlor, a monk who tells you about Sansri, the goddess of snakes. Say "Mork" and "Temple" for further information. Note the ladder leaning against the locked window for a smile later on upstairs in the inn.

To the west is the food shop, rations here only cost 5 gold so stock up here in future if money is a problem. In the northwest is a healer who you'll need if you haven't equipped yourself with the appropriate healing herbs once inside Sansri's temple. To the northeast meet Shi'ra who Melchlor referred to earlier. Say "Temple" to be advised that the entrance to the temple only opens at midnight. To the east also is a wise man who'll assess (identify) your possessions for a price. In the southeast is a shop that sells an item you'd have given your eye teeth for earlier - yes, it sells lockpicks amongst other things! Programmers can be right so-and-so's now and then. In the centre of the village is the tower inn. Speak to the young man inside to learn that, once inside the temple, stepping on the snake symbols causes the male members of the party damage. Upstairs meet the landlord's wayward wife who seems to think woodpeckers can climb ladders!

Entry point is from the mid-south. Go north and wait until midnight, then slip into the temple after fighting snakes. In the next room there's a pit to the east that you should avoid. It drops into a small sub-level with three teleports. The northern one takes you back into Snakesign village and the other two take you into the vestibule. Going west, you will receive damage as you pass over the snake sign. Fight more snakes before passing through the door north. More snake signs in the next room but head north via either east or west door. The statue you pass advises the party that it needs to find eight signs and join them. North to fight snakes and then use a pickaxe on the rocks ahead. Behind them find treasure amid the bones, potions, lockpicks, 875 gold, Brooch of Luck, iron ring, excellent Armour of Endurance and a super scimitar (these things cost a fortune). You cannot progress north now without entering false walls to the east and west. These by-pass the closing walls. Both the eastern and western routes should be explored.

First the west. Going west through the false wall note the sign "P" from the puzzlemouth. Head north then east to see stairs down. Leave these till all the entrance level and the towers are fully explored. Head south fighting two sets of snakes. Look out for and avoid the snake signs in the floor. You can get through by entering false walls. Eventually you'll see a passage south that leads to stairs up to the left tower. To the west and north at this point is a set of snakes to dispose of. You enter the left tower from the southeast. Head north at the junction and find a puzzlemouth with the sign "T" in the eastern passage. Regain the corridor west and enter the door north to get an "E" sign. Along the corridor passing through an anti-magic square, then relight your lamp and head north and pass through a blindness trap before fighting snakes. Onwards over a snake sign in the floor. In the northwest search the corpse for 621 gold, 4 torches, 2 potions, a snake ring (which is needed on the lower level; you must ensure that the ring is actioned by a female character) and clothing. Through the door east fight snakes and obtain the sign "E".

Now return to enter the false wall east. Again ignore the stairs that lead to the same level down that the other set of stairs to the west do. Going south fight two sets of snakes and again you can side-step the snake signs in the floor by the use of false walls. Same scenario as before with snakes to the east before climbing up into the right tower. Enter the right tower from the southwest. Through the door north is the sign "N". East and north to fight a set of snakes before entering the door west for an "R" sign. Fight two more lots of snakes before encountering a snake sign in the floor and a poison cloud trap beyond. Enter the door for an "S" sign.

Back now to enter one of the two down staircases. Entry is in the mid-north. Gain the main corridor via a door south and firstly explore west. Through another door south after a few bends. Fight the snakes and walk through the snake sign maze to find another door south. Once through you'll see two adjacent doors. The eastern door leads to a scrap with snakes and the southern one to another door south. North of here use your pickaxe on the rocks to find, I think, a small golden key. South again to find a door and use the golden key. Fight more snakes, then over the snake sign to discover three alcoves and a statue. The message on the statue says "Sansri". The central alcove contains a chest with loads of good goodies: 2549 gold (hope you're not too weighed down as there's loads more to come), Globe of Harachte (gives light when actioned), Brooch of Waterwalk, bi-handed sword, etc.. The two other alcoves should be entered as they both raise the level of your characters' skills.

Back then to the entrance corridor to go down the eastern route. Fight snakes in the east first. Entering the door south you'll be confronted with moving walls. Make your way south watching out for two snake signs in the floor en-route. Through three more doors south, fighting a set of snakes after the second door, to enter a false wall going east. Once in the false wall, head north then east through another false wall then south to gain access to a passage east. To the north in this passage talk to the puzzlemouth to get the "S" sign, then use your pickaxe on the rocks to the south to step on a pressure plate that triggers an opening in a passage to the west. To access this opening, return to the first false wall and go south to see the opening to the west. There's a stun gas trap before confronting the puzzlemouth and saying "Serpents", which is the result of the sign anagram. The way opens into the inner temple. Fight the snakes, then action the snake ring - only a female character can do this - to enter the throne chamber. After the battle look behind the throne to find loads of treasure, gold x 2563 & 2857, the wind necklace, Sansri's collar and whip. Enter the wall behind the chests to find the piece of Amberstar to the right and the pact between Marmion and Bralkur. There's also another 4256 gold which I doubt you'll be able to carry. Make sure that you've mended and healed everyone before entering the teleport, as there's a further three battles ahead, before the party can leave by the final teleport. Now you can use the windgates or use the eagle to fly around. The map location of Windgate Island is 118/313.

Maps - the cave area needs to be hand drawn and it's a bit of a pig. I've attempted below to show roughly where the places of interest are:

Once you've landed the party needs light. Avoid the shipwrecks as they cause damage. You'll almost immediately encounter an octopus or two. These beasts have something in the region of 700 hit points, they are really tough cookies. I think that there are around four sets of these yo-yos around. Make your way to the village and enter the inn to meet Atacar downstairs on the patio. The statues have no significance. If you're weighed down with gold there's a good chance to get rid of some by buying a scimitar from the counter. Say "Aching" after greeting him and give him a packet of herbs. He tells you about the treasure map hidden in a tree close to his brother's grave. Say "Brother" and "Manyeye" for more. The tree is located south of the grave with the fresh flowers.

The map shows part of the cave with a volcano at the centre. This is to be found in the southeast and is en-route to the castle. Search just to the north of the volcano, the north pile of ash. The chest you find contains two lockpicks, a piece of Amberstar, 2478 gold, Horn of Food, Orb of Magic, an assassin's blade and a mace. Still in the village visit the house to meet Sheba, a level seven ranger, talk to her to learn the story of Manyeye. If you've a spare slot recruit her, otherwise it's off to find the castle via the volcano and the treasure. Doubtless you'll encounter many swamp creatures on the way. Go southeast then west, north and west through a marsh then south past the sand through another marsh. South through a narrow channel and west, then north onto the grass and finally to the castle.

Entry point is from the mid-south. The door shuts behind the party as you walk forward. At the first crossroads go west and south into an alcove to search bones and find lots of treasure including a tower shield, a two-handed sword, a metal helmet and plate mail. Head into the southwest region to fight skullhunters and use your pickaxe on rocks to expose a set of stairs up. Up the stairs find a false wall to the east, then go north to fight skullhunters in the laboratory to the south. Ensure that you trigger the pressure plate by stepping on the symbol in the north before leaving. These pressure plates open up walls in a particular area later in the castle. Return to the entrance crossroads and go into the southeastern region. Again just one set of skullhunters here and, to the north from the fight, a set of stairs up. Up the stairs you find a girl imprisoned in a cage. Dispose of the two mutants before hearing her story. She can't be released until the cell key has been located. This will be found later in the castle. Before leaving, enter the north wall of the cage room to step on the symbol. In the northeast find another gang of skullhunters. Beware of a spinner at a crossroad in the mid-east of the map. Go west at this point, fight more skullhunters and find a red statue. Examine the statue twice to find two gems. West and south of the statue climb to the stairs.

At the top of the stairs go east to find Melgrim's diary. Now west to the knights hall, note the wine goblets - brrr. There are skeletons in the southern room but avoid the pit as it dumps you back outside the castle. In the northwest open the chest to discover the cell key that'll allow the girl in the cage to be released. There are two sets of skullhunters to dispose of. In the south is a bedroom with a chest that contains 6420 gold but more importantly a master key for use on the next level. It is this area that you will need to return to, once all the pressure plate symbols have been activated.

Back then to release the girl, only to find her transforming into a doppelgänger. Defeat the monster to be rewarded with a Necklace of Defence and be thanked by the girl's spirit as she transforms into a skeleton. Go now to the mid-west area of the map, enter through a door west. As you head west, you pass through anti-light squares, whether going the northern or southern route. Travel clockwise round a series of statues that give, collectively, the following message: "Find. the (beware the spinner between this statue and the next) secret doors. Meet him. way. is. Manyeye. from. only. escape. the". I'm sure you get the gist. Back through the door and north to find a teleport. Bash the skullhunters before entering it and be sent into the northeast area of the map. North to fight skullhunters then east and south to use pickaxe on rocks to expose more stairs up.

Upstairs read the sign on the door "Transporter Room". So this is the place referred to in the diary. To the north is a room with three teleports. The western passage has a door west. Fight the skullhunters, then go south through a false wall to step on another symbol. Avoid the centre of the three teleports, it's a trap. The picture on the wall says "Transformer defective, please do not use" Ho ho ho, Thalion! The other teleports say something about new force.

Back down to go right into the northeast corner and enter a teleport that returns the party to an alcove in the southwest of the map. Retrace your steps to the place where you first teleported and go west. Look out for a spinner at the crossroads. Keep west then north past skullhunters and round to another staircase up. The sign upstairs says "Store Room" and there are packets of herbs to be found in the northwest barrel. Fight skullhunters, then find loads of herbs in the northeast. Enter a false wall and in the southeast step on the final symbol. Before returning to the stairs in the centre of the map, explore the mid-north area to find four alcoves. From west to east the alcoves contain armour & robes, weapons, helmets and five torches & six potions. There are a set of skullhunters to the west of the alcoves. Back upstairs to find that a passage has opened up in the north allowing the party to progress. But first you must go through a series of traps: A blinding light in the first room and a green mist in the second, finally poison gas spores causing you disease in the third.

Onwards then to enter the next level. Entry point is from the southeast. Proceed west, onwards through a false wall. Should you explore the northern passage first, you find a message saying "If you find no way, search where it is not possible". Once through the wall another message to the north of here says "You will see at the centre, the centre, and next to it is the only true way to go". Make your way southwest to find three teleports. The western one takes you into the northeast area where you find three more teleports. Use the centre one here as the other two transport you back to the start of the level. Again you'll see three teleports, again take the centre one as the other two again lead back to the start. Now in the third room are three more teleports. Once more take the centre teleport to the room south and fight mutants there. Go east and south to discover a chest with a piece of the Amberstar plus ten gems. Return west to teleport back into the southwest. Back again in the southwest, take the eastern teleport to be transported to the northwest. Immediately fight mutants. Before going north to teleport back, go south and through a door east to discover loads of scrolls. It's wizard heaven here. Once past the mutants, there are white, grey and black wizard scrolls galore. I dread to think what level one needs to be to learn some of these, as even at the end of the game before the final confrontation, I didn't have enough experience to learn some of these. Once loaded up, return to the north to be teleported back and now enter the middle teleport to be transferred to the mid northeast of the level. Travel south passing a group of mutants and then north. Ignore the door north for the moment and go south again then west past more mutants. Continue past the doors north and south, there's nothing behind them, to the crossroads where there's a spinner. To the north and through the door east are twelve potions to be found. To the south and through the door east are two iron and silver rings plus a magical necklace and a dagger. I didn't enter either the northwest or southwest teleports, at a guess they land you back at the start of this level.

Back then to the door north and use the master key on the lock. Save the game and enter the door west to fight Manyeye (also known in SSI games as a Beholder). Cast anti-magic spells at him and you'll win the day. After the battle you receive the gate key and gain a windgate necklace. Leave this room to head north and east to use the gate key on the door east that leads to the windgate and out.

Now you have all the pieces of the Amberstar it's time to join them together. This then provides the key to let the party enter the Fortress of Godsbane and thus to the endgame battle. The pieces must be laid in a strict order. Failure means "Game over" time. Herewith the correct order:

On laying the final section, the Amberstar appears in the same window as the compass and map locator etc.. On then to Godsbane.

Entry point is from the mid-south. Once through the first door possession of the reunited Amberstar will open the second. At the junction go west. Be wary down this corridor as at each crossroad there is a spinner. In the southwest are two sets of yellowslimes to fight and a third set up the first passage north. Head north at the final crossroads of the spinner corridor and go east. Down the third passage south is a chest containing a host of good scrolls: Hurricane, Earthquake, Conversion of Dust, two reincarnation and salvation scrolls plus a magic sphere and two potions. At the end of the passage east is a door north. Avoid the centre of this room as there are four spinners here. Go north and west disposing of yellowslimes in the north. Through the door west round a twisty passage and fight another set before passing through a door north and finding another load of yellowslimes. To the west is another set but your way lies east. Make your way east then north meeting two sets of yellowslimes. Then west and south past another set before entering a door south in the centre of this area and flattening the final band of yellowslimes. Hop down the stairs into the cellar.

Go either east or west in the cellar to find doors east and west and battle a set of yellowslimes in each room. The passage north in the centre of the southern corridor finds Bralkur blocking the door north. Fear not, he's easy to beat. In the chest beyond is a disintegration scroll and a Staff of Runes which serves as the key into where Marmion meets his nemesis. Return to your entry point on the first level and go east till you find the door north. Fight yellowslimes - save your magic spell points as these guys are resistant. Then west and north to go east through a door. South here through a door south then east. Through two doors north to find an area with four teleports in the centre.

• The southern teleport takes you just to the southwest of your position. Round the bend to teleport into a corridor in the west. No go here.
• The eastern teleport takes you to the southwest and the teleport ahead lands you in the same corridor as the southern one, only just a little further on.
• The northern teleport takes you just west and again you teleport into the corridor as described above.
• Finally the western teleport takes you west again, but this time the teleport you enter next, sends you north.

You immediately have to fight yellowslimes. Head south after the battle ignoring the teleport down the passage east you pass en-route. This northeastern area contains three more sets of yellowslimes. After wiping them out, find a door in the mid-north heading south and enter to climb a staircase up to the tower level. In the tower you'll find cave trolls to the east and west. When you've destroyed them, travel south to go north into the centre of the map fighting a band of cave trolls and yellowslimes on the way. Use the Staff of Runes you found in the cellar on the keyhole in the wall to access the door that leads to the final confrontation.

Note that the wall closes behind the party as you advance. Moving into a candlelit room you encounter twelve wizards and the dreaded Marmion. They attack. You will be unable to use magic against the foe but do cast anti-magic spells. Keep your front men hacking until you destroy all the enemy.

Then walk forward into the light to activate the Amberstar. Shandra then provides an escape teleport back into Twinlake, where Lord Karwain addresses the party. Sit back and enjoy a satisfactory end game sequence.