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Dmitry Usmanov.
ROBIN OF SHERWOOD.
Touchstones of Rhianon.
------------------------ ROBIN OF SHERWOOD.
Touchstones of Rhianon.
"... In those days, when the Lion was struck by the Devil's Spawn, a man cloaked in a hood came to Sherwood Forest. He met there Gerny the Hunter - Lord of the Trees and, becoming his son, began to carry out his orders. The forces of light and the forces of darkness grew stronger with him. The balance could be disrupted..."
Thus begins the wonderful adventure game "Robin of Sherwood..." by "Adventure International" (United Kingdom). I do not claim to be 100% accurate in my translation - the text flows off the screen a bit faster than I can translate. Well, let's try to figure it out.
The game is purely text-based, but almost every location has a beautiful picture with elements of animation, and speaking of the difficulty of the game, it should be noted that many players got stuck firmly in the first location. This is not surprising, as you start the game in the dark dungeon of Nottingham Castle, where you have been imprisoned along with your friends: Much, Will Scarlet, and other prisoners. Let's look around: 12 feet (3.6 meters) above the floor is an opening barred with a sturdy grate. That's how you got here. You have nothing in your hands... Not an enviable position, to say the least.
But there's no need to despair, it's better to ask someone to boost you up (CLIMB PRISONERS). Here you are, standing on someone's shoulders, and you can even see through the grate the guard sitting on a chair. Wait until he, attracted by the commotion in the dungeon, comes closer to you. As soon as you hear footsteps, boldly grab the guard by the ankle (TAKE ANKLE) - he won't be able to maintain his balance: he will fall and lose consciousness. While he is still unconscious and hasn't gathered soldiers from all over Nottingham, you need to quickly take him out. Try to strangle the guard (STRANGLE GUARD). Now let's search him (EXAMINE GUARD), maybe we'll find something useful? Indeed - we found a sword! A dead man has no use for a weapon, but we will need it. Let's take it (TAKE SWORD).
Now let's take a close look at the grate (EXAMINE GRATTING) - it is secured with a bolt (BOLT). Let's use the sword to unlock the bolt (UNLOCK BOLT). Did it work?
Now let's open the grate (OPEN GRATTING), the body of the dead guard rolls off it, clearing the way. Let's crawl through the grate (GO GRATTING).
If the person you're standing on can't hold you and you fall, you need to quickly climb onto someone else.
So, you have escaped from the dungeon, but that doesn't mean you are safe. While you are with your friends in the guard room, you hear the sound of running soldiers and in a panic, you drop the sword down. I sincerely advise against going back for it: you'll lose precious seconds and remain a prisoner forever. It's better to try to exit through the only door here (ENTER DOOR).
You have stepped into the castle courtyard, the main gate with the raised grate looks very tempting. Let's try to run out (GO GATE). Unfortunately, only Much and Scarlet managed to escape, the grate fell right in front of you.
Let's look around: there are two doors leading into the castle - one into the guard room, the other into the Sheriff of Nottingham's main hall. It's better not to venture there. Try to climb the wall (CLIMB BATTLEMENTS). From there - through the door (ENTER DOOR), and you find yourself on the second floor. If you climb higher, you will reach the upper bedroom, which has nothing of interest. There are two doors left. First, you can go into the left door (GO LEFT).
You have entered the sheriff's bedroom: a huge bed, a window, and... a chest of jewels! It's heavy, you can't lift it, and it's locked tight. Let's look out the window (LOOK WINDOW) - it overlooks the courtyard, where soldiers are already plentiful. Maybe luck will smile upon us in another room? Let's go back and "take another path" (GO RIGHT).
This is now Lady Marion's bedroom, she has just woken up and is looking at you with a puzzled expression from her bed. Let's talk to her (TALK MARION). The lady will tell you that she lives on the Leaford Grange farm, and that her father, Sir Richard, is in the field. Hmm... What is this lady doing here?
Well, let's take this information into account and focus on saving our own life. There is also a window in the bedroom. If you look out of it, you can see your native Sherwood Forest. Jumping out the window (GO WINDOW), Robin finds himself in the forest.
Suddenly, Hern the Hunter appears, who says: "You need to find six Touchstones of Rhianon and return them to their place." After that, the Hunter disappears, and you begin the actual game - all that preceded was just a small introduction to it.
The main game space occupies Sherwood Forest, (8*8=64); the outer locations are closed upon themselves, creating the impression of an endless road. It is very easy to get lost in this forest - I recommend starting to draw a map right away.
Commands in the game are given in the form of "verb" + "noun", and the program understands abbreviations, just enter the first four letters.
It should also be noted another feature of the program: if there is a verb in its dictionary that you typed, but for some reason it cannot perform the action you intended, the computer will write: "not understood" or something like that. If the program does not know such a word, the computer will ignore the command altogether. Unfortunately, nouns cannot be "sensed" in this way.
Time in the game flows in real-time, so in extreme situations you need to act quickly. And don't forget to save your game state to disk often using the "SAVE" option.
* * *
Contents of the publication: Spectrofon #05
- Экспертиза - Дмитрий Усманов
Description of 'THEATRE EUROPE' game mechanics simulating hypothetical NATO-Warsaw Pact conflict in the 1980s, with emphasis on strategic decisions and potential nuclear scenarios. Players manage military units with options for offensive and defensive strategies. Explores the severe consequences of nuclear warfare.
- Дебют - Дмитрий Усманов
Description of the text adventure game 'Robin of Sherwood: Touchstones of Rhianon' by Adventure International. The article provides a walkthrough for the game's initial challenging locations. Emphasizes the game's real-time mechanics and encourages frequent saving.
- Экзамен
Quiz section 'EXAM' in Spectrofon #05 remains popular, receiving many answers from readers about 'ROBIN OF THE SHERWOOD'. New questions are posed and readers compete for journal issues. First correct answers win issues of the journal.
- Обзор - Анатолий Хоробрых
The article provides an expert review of 'ELITE-3', covering its features and challenges. It discusses civilized software distribution in Russia. Key gameplay elements and missions are explored in detail.
- Архив
Description of the strategy game '1812' involving troop command and battlefield choices. Highlights include game mechanics, strategic options, and in-game scoring based on player performance. Updated version optimized for speed with save state features.
- Фантазия - Анатолий Хоробрых
A computer novella based on the game 'NIGHT RUN' by DIVIDE BY ZERO, following agent John Ladd's mission against double agents and a treacherous general. The story highlights Ladd's dangerous encounters and his relentless pursuit of justice. It’s an arcade adventure for fans of 'VENDETTA'.
- Система
Introduction of 'GRAPHIC ADVENTURE CREATOR' by INCENTIVE SOFTWARE for creating adventure games, featuring an unprotected version with an example. A detailed review is available in 'ZX-REVU' 1994. Includes instructions for using the software to create a standalone game.
- Горячий привет - Сергей Симонович
Analysis of adventure games evolution from text-based to multimedia. Discussion of simplification and challenges in modern adventure games. Nostalgia for classic gameplay and potential for Russian game development.
- Реклама
Advertisement for the Spectrofon magazine with distribution details and call for authors, artists, and musicians.
