MERLIN #17
AUGUST 1986
Solving the riddle of the Sphinx save game routine

The response to my request for a save game routine for Sphinx Adventure has been very good.

The first person to send me a routine was John Cummings and he wins a copy of Woodbury End and Terrormolinos, both of which are superb adventures.


Click here to see an enlarged scan of the listing

I have listed below the changes that need to be made to Sphinx.

Still on the same subject Rob Harley has written to say that I made a mistake when I said that the bad program fixer was in the December 1985 issue of Electron User. In fact it was in the December 1984 issue.

Rob goes on to say that there is a bug in Sphinx. If you type in " as a response to the What Now? prompt, the game crashes.

However typing in directly ?&5774=&FF and then typing in RUN gets the game running again.

Rob goes on to say that issuing an *FX200,0 can prove handy too.

M. Wheeldon is our first Lord of Adventure. He has written in offering help on three adventures. See below for more details.

You will have noticed that I have been printing a series of maps of Terrormolinos. If there are any other maps you would like let me know.

FEEDBACK

Linda Smith has written in with help for Harvey Reynold's problems in Ghost Town. You can't play the mirror, even though you think you should be able to.

You should TAKE BELL, GO EAST from the counter in the hotel, RING BELL, MOVE BED and TAKE TAPE.

Go back to the saloon and TAPE MIRROR, BREAK MIRROR, GO HOLE, PASS BOARD, TAKE $200 and TAKE BOARD. When the ghostly pianist appears CLAP, PLAY PIANO, OPEN PIANO and READ MAP.

Geoff Larsen has written in again with lots of help with previous problems. To start with he has taken me to task for giving wrong information about The Count.

You do have to go into the oven, but go in at night when it is cooler.

With regard to Harvey Reynold's problem in bringing the telegraph keys together in Ghost Town - move the large safe in the telegraph office and repair the two loose wires.

Now press the second key in the line shack across the ravine - with the gunpowder having been left in a keg in the telegraph office.

In Pyramid of Doom you don't need to shoot the nomad. If you have the gun he seems less likely to attack you anyway.

In Spiderman the block of ice is the frozen aquarium.

Terrormolinos has raised quite a few problems over previous months and Geoff has provided answers for these too.

Snorkelling in the bay will earn you more points. To take an excursion you should GO BULL, GO WINE or GO MONASTERY. To take the camera off the shelf you must first get and lock the steps and then climb them.

You also use the ladder to get to the loft and typing SWITCH ON will shed a bit of light on the scene. Geoff says that he has finished Strange Odyssey without translating the writing on the boulder.

In Escape from Pulsar 7 you must have first fixed the oven before you can bake the cake. To do this, a round block must be constructed from a square block on the repaired lathe.

In Arrow of Death Part 2 Andy Hollis should use the large rock and SMASH SKELETON.

If anyone is a candidate for Lords of Adventure Geoff is. I hope you will put your name forward Geoff.

PROBLEM CORNER

J.J. Foggitt has written in with questions about several adventures. In Castle of Riddles he keeps drowning in the boat.

Yes, you need the bucket. Don't try to dig it out, just keep TAKING it. Then when you get to the boat bail out.

Don't just use an explosion to get rid of the giants, use it to open a box as well. When the giants have gone explore the gallery to find another treasure.

You'll find your score will increase when you put things in the safe. Haven't you wondered what those letters on the wall mean? There's one in each location, they aren't all in one location.

In Bored of the Rings try inserting the battery into the vending machine. I'm not sure where location 17 is, but try planting some beans there.

Peter and Val Russell need to find Mr Snargsby to finish Terrormolinos. Go down into the catacombs, find him and call him.

The problem of finding the parachute in the forest in Stranded has cropped up again. Paul Dougherty says that he has tried CLIMB TREE, but gets the response "You can't do that now".

The reason for this Paul is that you are trying in the wrong place. Go north from the first location you come to in the forest and then try.

I have checked this on the game itself as well as on my map and it definitely works.

Susan Parsons and Robert CarIton have both written in asking for help with Dracula Island.

The heavy thing is an iron ball and you can find it by going down in the hut near the start location, though you will have to have the knife and crucifix to get past the snake first.

Susan also needs to get the ball but should get the gloves from the armchair in the library first, then go back to the hut and DROP ROPE, LIGHT
LANTERN, WEAR GLOVES and CLIMB ROPE.

If you sit in the armchair and drop the ball you can now find a secret door in the kitchen.

M. Wheeldon is having problems with Five Stones of Anadon. Move the tombstone in the cemetery.

Wear the gloves and get the plank, then go down. Use the plank to cross the pit and when you get to the rubble use the dynamite. You will soon find the cross.

LORDS OF ADVENTURE

This section is devoted to ardent adventurers who are prepared to answer readers questions on particular games.

Write to them if you need help with the games mentioned, but please remember to send an sae with your letter.

M. Wheeldon of <address removed> offers help with Twin Kingdom Valley, The Eye of Zolton and Firienwood.

SOS

Linda Smith is having trouble with Ghost Town. She wants to know if there is a word that will make the horse carry you rather than throw you off.

She also wants to know if you can get to the mountains, open the safe and what use are the fiddle strings. Can anyone help her out with these?

HALL OF FAME

Woodbury End - Les Shipton

Here are some more clues:

Wheel of fortune (continued) - Craig Romans

Explore the area you arrive at and head for the road leading south. You will hear a bird singing. Play the music box to get rid of it.

Now go to the china shop and ring the bell for service. Do what the man tells you and find the farmer. When you have found him tell him THE BULL IS IN THE CHINA SHOP and lead him to it. You will be rewarded with another penny.

Now go back to the field and explore it thoroughly. If you haven't managed to get past the snake you must drop the basket and play the flute.

Take the basket again and go to the canal bank. When you see the troll drop the basket and play the flute. The troll will run off and you can now enter his cave. You can leave your treasures here in safety.

Now go and fill the cup with oil, but remember to leave the basket outside the cave so that the troll can't get back in.

If you have got the silver bullet with you you should now go back up through the trapdoor. Go to the machine and insert the penny and get the gun.

Load the gun with the bullet and go to the well and get the bucket. Go to the building and spin the wheel.

Spiderman (continued) - Robert Henderson

When you see Dr. Octopus grab his arms and hit Electro. Now go to the penthouse and lower the thermostat until it is less than 32 degrees.

Then go to floor 1, get the aquarium and take it to the hall. Go back to the penthouse and turn the thermostat back up. Go back to floor 1 and get the gem out of the aquarium.

Take everything you can carry, including the aquarium, Electro, the couch and so on, and drop it all on the giant scale.

Now go to floor 3 and type RUN on the computer. Go to the presses and get the newspaper, open it and get the gem. There are also gems in the lift shaft's tool niches. You must leave gems with Madame Web regularly or your inventory will soon fill up. In addition to gems I have mentioned there are also some just lying about but you'll have to find them.

When you have deposited all the gems with Madame Web type SCORE. The chief examiner will appear and tell you a password.

The Count (continued) - AJ. Haynes

Day Two.

Raise the dumb waiter to the pantry. Take the matches, sheets and garlic and go down in the waiter to the dungeon. Find the pit and tie the sheets to the rings.

Climb down into the pit and light a match to reveal a torch. Climb back up the sheets and go to the front door and wait for the package - postcard and note - to be delivered.

Take everything to the closet, open the package and store it all here - except the blood and clip. Lock the door and go back to bed and sleep.

Revenge of Zor - H.J. Bastien

Some more hints that should help:

Rub the ring to kill the hydra. Wear the spectacles to read the book. Use the casket to keep the torch and matches dry.

Examine the sandwich to get the flies and eat the sandwich to move the boulder.

The key is behind the waterfall. GIVE COINS to enter the carriage. Make sure you have the right objects before entering - once in, you can't get back.

Robin of Sherwood - Martin Hanson

First of all you must escape from your cell so STAND on the PRISONERS and then GRAB the guard's ANKLE when he passes overhead.

Then STRANGLE GUARD, EXAMINE GUARD, GET SWORD, PULL BOLT and OPEN GRATING. Next GO DOOR, GO BATTLEMENTS, GO DOOR, GO RIGHT and GO WINDOW.

You now need to map out the forest. From your start location in the forest imagine you are on a horizontal line. You can move three locations east and four locations west.

At no point on this line can you move south. Including your start location the map extends for eight locations vertically.

This means that there are 64 locations on your map (8x8). There are also several locations outside this square.

Your first task is to explore the limits of the map and discover these extra locations then compile a map to show all the locations both inside and outside the square.

Terrormolinos - Map 2

Click here for larger image

This article appeared in the August 1986 edition of the "Electron User", published by Database Publications.

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