The BBC and Master Computer Public Domain Library

THE GREEDY DWARF

 

 

Professional, Originally Released On Cassette Only

 

Game Type          : Text Adventure

Author               : Simon Ainsworth

Standalone Release(s)  : 1986: THE GREEDY DWARF, Goldstar, £9.95

Compilation Release(s) : None

Stated compatibility    : Electron

Actual compatibility    : Electron

Supplier            : DORLING KINDERSLEY, 1-2 Henrietta Street, London WC2E 8PS

Disc compatibility     : Unknown

 

 

Instructions

"GOLD..." - The rumour spreads through the town like ripples on a pond. Seldom is that word even uttered by mere citizens yet now King Ardanga is offering golden treasure and the title of Adventurer to anyone who dares venture into the catacombs to recover his stolen gems. Arfa, the outcast and greedy dwarf, has made off with three precious jewels from the King's hoard. The sentence of death is upon him but who will volunteer to carry it out?

 

As you delve deeper and deeper into the twisted tunnels under the King's castle in your search for the missing gems life will become almost as precious as the gold you hope to earn. Time, as always, is of the essence as your lamp slowly fades. Strange monsters guard the way forward and still the jewels elude you.

 

"Perhaps if you took just one back the King might release you from this task...on the other hand, he might chop your head off!" Only if you survive this mammoth quest intact and bring him the gems will you earn the title of Adventurer, and the promised gold.

 

Equipped with an unusually powerful command structure, this outstanding text adventure will require all your skills as a solver of riddles and logic puzzles. 

 

"Only the bravest of the brave wear the King's gold: join them if you dare!"

 

A Proclamation

I, King Ardanga the Indomitable, Lord of the Fiery Kingdoms and Master of the Ultimate Limits of the Universe, seek vengeance on the person of Arfa, my loathsome and greedy dwarf who has stolen three of the finest jewels from my castle in the northern realm. He that returns with my gems and evidence of Arfa's death shall be named "King's Adventurer" when the task is completed and shall be given gold without measure. But he who cannot fulfil his vow and fails the attempt will be rewarded

with DEATH.

 

The Adventurer's Tale

"Riches without measure and a King's Adventurer...". Your mind reels at the thought. By this one deed, all your troubles will be at an end - you'll be covered in gold and glory. You conjure up the audience chamber and the scene when you return to lay the jewels and Arfa's head at the King's feet - the shouts of acclaim, the heaped treasure, yourself by Ardanga's side. The vision proves too much and forebodings of the dangers ahead, the dwarf's reputed treacheries and fears of the unknown vanish

like smoke. You take up King Ardanga's banner and launch yourself into the quest.

 

Arfa The Greedy Dwarf

Your adversary is a cunning and fearsome opponent. He has hidden the jewels in separate chambers and ensured their protection through a variety of nasty and unpleasant devices. He has his weakness though...

 

...and it's in your interests to puzzle them out, if you want to survive.

 

King Ardanga's Castle

In, around and under the castle, you must venture. If you knew what awaits you as you start your quest, even gold might not be reward enough! Shadow monsters, rats, spiders and a giant evil hound lurk among the chasms, mazes, booby-trapped chambers and confusing passages. Will there be oil enough for your lamp; will you be able to carry what you need; will you be able to complete your task?

 

Managing The Quest

Conversing With Your Computer

To explore the world of "The Greedy Dwarf" all you need to do is to type simple sentences in plain English. Here are a few examples to give you an idea of the sort of instructions that your computer is capable of understanding:

      RUN WEST QUICKLY

      TAKE THE LAMP

      EXAMINE THE SCROLL AND THE AMULET

      CAREFULLY DROP THE FLASK OF LIQUID PLEASE

      SHOUT HELP

 

Your computer has been provided with a vocabulary of over two hundred words, including:

 

      VERBS:       FLING, MOVE, LOOK, EXAMINE;

      ADVERBS:     QUICKLY, CAREFULLY, QUIETLY;

      NOUNS:       DIAMOND, COBWEB, TREE, RUBY;

      ADJECTIVES:  YELLOW, ELVEN, PINK.

 

Despite the large size of the vocabulary, you may soon find yourself wanting to use a command containing words which the computer does not recognise. For example you might try:

      REMOVE THE LANTERN

 

to which your computer will reply:

      I don't know the word "remove".

 

Don't give up! A simple change in the phrasing of your command is usually all that is required to make yourself understood. In the example above, you would find that:

      TAKE THE LANTERN

 

has the desired effect, as does

      PICK UP THE LAMP

 

Some Special Commands

Here are five special commands which you will soon find useful when you begin your quest:

   LOOK                 Describes your current location

   LIST or INVENTORY  Tells you which objects you are holding

   SAVE               Creates a cassette file containing a record of the state of the game, so that at a later date you may resume the game where you are now

   LOAD               Loads a game saved previously using the "Save" command

   QUIT or STOP       Ends the adventure

 

The actions invoked by these commands all take place outside "game time" so for instance you can request an Inventory as many times as you like without losing any valuable time.

 

Typing Aids

Whilst running "The Greedy Dwarf" adventure you will discover that the keyboard auto-repeat has been disabled. It is re-enabled when the program is stopped. To save wear and tear on your fingers, the function keys have been defined as follows:

   f0     LOOK <RETURN>

   f1     INVENTORY <RETURN>

   f2     SAVE <RETURN>

   f3     LOAD <RETURN>

   f4     TAKE THE

   f5     DROP THE

   f6     GO

   f7     EXAMINE THE

   f8     THANK YOU! <RETURN>

   f9     QUIT <RETURN>

 

If your machine is fitted with a 1.0 or later version of the Operating System then the cursor editing keys will be temporarily disabled and redefined as follows:

      CURSOR UP            NORTH <RETURN>

      CURSOR RIGHT         EAST <RETURN>

      CURSOR DOWN          SOUTH <RETURN>

      CURSOR LEFT          WEST <RETURN>

      COPY                 <BEEP>

 

You can save yourself even more time by abbreviating words to just the first six letters, so for instance you can type CUPBOA instead of CUPBOARD. You may also omit punctuation and words such as "the", "a", "an" and so on. In addition, some of the most frequently used words can be abbreviated even further. A list of such words and their abbreviations is given below:

 

      DOWN             D

      EAST             E

      INVENTORY        I, INV or INVENT

      LOOK             L

      NORTH            N

      QUIT             Q

      SOUTH            S

      TAKE             T

      UP               U

      WEST             W

 

Finally, note that directions such as north-east, south-west, etc. should not be written in full. Instead you must abbreviate them to NE, SW and so on.

 

Preserving Your Character

As the game is both very long and very complex, it is most unlikely that you will solve it in a single attempt, or even several dozen come to that! To prevent frustration at having to replay sections again and again there is a facility to store and recall your character's current position and status from tape.

 

To save the character type SAVE as a command (alternatively press f2). The computer will now request a filename of no more than seven letters. Type this in and press <RETURN>. If you are using a cassette system make sure you have a fresh tape in the cassette recorder. DO NOT USE THE PROGRAM TAPE!!! Instructions will be displayed on the screen just as for any normal SAVE or LOAD operation.

 

To load a saved character back into the memory simply enter LOAD as a command (or press f3) and then enter the filename when the computer requests the information. The character will now be loaded back into the game and all the necessary location and object information will be updated.

 

If you are new to adventuring it is worth saving your character at regular intervals. Although it uses a lot of tape it does help in solving the harder problems.

 

The Adventurer's Vocabulary

As you will already have realised from the above the game possess a very large vocabulary, some 230 words in all. As well as containing standard nouns and verbs the list includes adverbs, adjectives and incidental connecting words. Many words are included as synonyms, TAKE and GET, for example, have the same meaning as far as the game is concerned. Several examples from the vocabulary have been given already; whether they work or not is for you to discover!

 

As far as is possible every word used within the game to describe an object has been included: For example, an "elven long sword" could be acquired by taking the "elven sword" or the "long sword" or just the "sword".

 

It is worth bearing this in mind while playing the game as parts of the description of a location may well be more important than they first appear. Although it takes time to EXAMINE objects, and time is very strictly limited, you can learn a lot if you take the trouble.

 

Hints For Beginners

Plenty of paper is necessary, or a supply of Goldstar Maze Masters, as building an accurate and comprehensive map is essential.

 

Dying is educational! Unlike many adventure games THE GREEDY DWARF is always informative about how you died. Solving the riddles is just part of the game.

 

Use logic. THE GREEDY DWARF is always logical except when you're stuck in a maze, so a clear head for direction is an absolute must.

 

Try it! If you can think of a command that sounds sensible, THE GREEDY DWARF will always try to give you a sensible answer.

 

Aids To Adventurers

Goldstar offers a comprehensive range of material to help you in your quest. Maps, Maze Masters and Hint Sheets are all available for a small fee upon request to Dorling Kindersley Software, 1-2 Henrietta Street, London WC2E 8PS.

 

 

Instructions' Source   : THE GREEDY DWARF (Goldstar) Back And Inner Inlay

 

Review (Electron User)

The object in this text adventure is to aid King Ardanga, Indomitable Lord of the Fiery Kingdoms. Somehow, Arfa, the greedy dwarf, has stolen three jewels. What the noble king wants is his treasure returned and the evidence of Arfa's death.

You start at the top of a staircase leading down to the caverns where the dwarf is thought to live and the problems start at once. Some of there are very straightforward, but it won't be long before you're falling through trap-doors or having stalactites drop on you.

It's a well written adventure with a fast response time and great attention paid to creating atmosphere.

This starts with the booklet which comes with the program. It not only gives adventuring hints but also contains a proclamation from the King and details of your quest, the dwarf Arfa and the castle. The graphics in the booklet are excellent and this is a better place for them than in the game itself. The quality continues with the location descriptions which are varied and interesting.

The program knows around 230 words and these are not just verbs and nouns. There are also adverbs and adjectives. Commands such as "CRAWL EAST QUIETLY" are understood.

I have to confess I haven't found Arfa or any jewels, but it's a program I can't resist and I keep having another try. I'm certainly pleased that the load and save position facilities work smoothly and easily.

This is a program for the more experienced adventurer and it scores highly in my top ten adventures.

Rog Frost, ELECTRON USER 3. 2