Red Moon from Level 9 Computing A Magical adventure game with 200 pictures on most micros (check the gold label): Level 9 Computing specialise in big adventures with over 200 locations, detailed scenery and interesting storylines. Thins means more enjoyment for you and we'll send a free cluesheet if you get stuck. All adventures have SAVE and RESTORE commands for the state of play and graphic games have PICTURES and WORDS to turn graphics on and off. This game has graphics on most micros, but don't worry if the version for your micro is pure-text. The puzzles are the same and there is more room for longer messages. The game, Red Moon, re-enacts a tale from the time where Magik still worked and when mythical monsters guarded fabulous treasure. You have the use of many weapons and a dozen different magical spells to help you rescue the Red Moon Crystal, only source of Magik in the land. For more about the game, read the other side of this cover sheet. Here's what reviewers hae said about Level 9. "the ultimate adventure house" - Computing with the Amstrad "The appearance of a new program from Level 9 is a flag day for all aspiring aventurers" - Popular Computing Weekly "You really can't go wrong with any Level 9 game as they are all brilliant" - Crash Other Games """"""""""" Red Moon is Level 9's third true graphical adventure, following Emerald Isle and Erik the Viking. It has pictures on most computers, even the BBC micro. Out other games are basically pure-text, sometimes with pictures on larger micros. The full range is (June 85): 1) Colossal Adventure "Middle Earth" Trilogy 2) Adventure Quest 3) Dungeon Adventure 4) Snowball "Silicon Dream" Trilogy 5) Return to Eden 6) The Worm in Paradise (designed by Pete Austin and now being coded) 7) Lords of Time 10) Erik the Viking (with Terry Jones / Mosaic Publishing) 11) Emerald Isle 12) Red Moon RED MOON """""""" The old storyteller shuffles to her place in the market, noting with satisfaction that a crowd has already gathered. She sits, takes a sip from the leather flask at her side, and begins. "Once upon a time, when the moon was still red, there lived a magician. He, or she, for you can never be quite sure when sorcery is involved, was not the best magician in the world. But it was alread the age of failing powers when simple spells worked best. This is the tale of how that magician kept Magik alive. "When the World was new, gods walked upon the Earth and even animals could talk. Magicians were powerful then. Death, or "time", as some call it, had not been invented. "Magik needs the moon as plants need the sun, and people need both, for thought is magical and all flesh is grass. Then, in the first days of Earth, the moon was not dim as now but glowed with a cold crimson light: the colour of Magik and as bright as the sun. There was so much power that spells were easy as blinking, and so it went for a thousand years. "Overhead, the hot sun and the cold moon circled through the skies, each throwing its own kind of light on the World. But, every so often, their paths crossed. "Even today, whenever the moon blocks the sun, their fighting hurls dragons into space, and their early battles were a thousand times fiercer. Anyway, after each battle the Moon was weaker and paler - until now it's scarred and charred like grey and white ash. And its moonlight is white with little power. "Magik faded with the moon. First to go were the gods, and no one minded that much. You had to watch your language very carefully, I'm told, when they were around, and gods were very insistent indeed about being worshipped properly. Then the mythical beasts, which once ventured abroad by day, became restricted to the night when the moon was stronger. Now they are only seen at full moon. "Well, the conservationists made a fuss, of course, but no one listened. Then, one day at midday, all the cloud castles of all the Magicians fell out of the sky: their spells had failed. And because there was no magical power left to replay events, their inhabitants could not be saved. "When the moon rose that evening, its weak light restoring Magik to the World, the surviving Magicians met to decide their future. I'll tell the story of that gathering another day. They found that Magik of the level needed to revive the moon was no longer possible. Even a brave attempt by Wavyhill and The Warlock to use the power of the last god on Earth could not succeed, but that's for another day as well. "What could be done, though not easily, was to build a new moon. And so the 'Red Moon Crystal' was made as a new source of Magik. While much, much too weak to illuminate the whole World, this crystal was mounted in the Moon Tower in Baskalos to shine out over the kingdom. "So Baskalos remained as island of Magik and enlightened civilisation. And so it is still, especially under the rule of our noble King, even now when the moon is grey and the Dark Ages have overtaken the Earth. "But, to return to my story, Baskalos nearly fell to barbarism with the rest, for the moon crystal was stolen. My story today is of the Magician who recovered it and saved out country. "Now, if you'll each put a coin in the hat which my assistant is carrying among you, I'll tell you the tale ..." Magik """"" To cast a spell, enter: CAST spell-name optional-target For example: CAST ESCAPE or CAST SNOOP NORTH Spell Focus Action """"" """"" """""" BOUNCE BLACK BALL Reverse fall ESCAPE DULCIMER Teleport to/from start EXTINGUISH FAN Put out fire FIND LAMP Locate object MAGIC MEDALLION Is object magic? RESTORE none Restoe SAVE none Save SHIELD CLOAK Ward off attacks for a while SNOOP PEARL Look into nearby room STRONG SPICES Become stronger for a while TREASURE GLOVES Is object valuble? ZAP DAGGER Attack enemy magically Playing the game """""""""""""""" The adventure asks "What now?" (or something similar) whenever it expects you to type another command. Simply type a short English phrase, followed by ENTER or RETURN, to tell it what you want to do next. If the game stops dead for no apparant reason, then it is probably printing a very long message and has paused to let you read the first part of the text before it scrolls off the top of the screen. When you've read it, press SHIFT or RETURN and the game will continue. The game understands hundreds of words, many of which can be abbreviated (e.g. NORTH to N and NORTHEAST to NE). Here are some useful words known by Level 9 adventures - most will work in this game: TAKE, GET, WEAR, DROP, the 8 main compass directions, IN, OUT, UP, DOWN, LEFT, RIGHT, CLIMB, LOOK, LISTEN, LOOK AT, EXAMINE, FILL, OPEN, CLOSE, LIGHT, SCORE, QUIT, TAKE or DROP EVERYTHING, SAVE and RESTORE (see above), AGAIN (repeat previous command), INVENTORY (list what is carried, and WORDS and PICTURES (turn pictures off/on in a graphics game). Level 9 games use many words in descriptions that they will not understand in your sentences. For example, you might read "Black clouds hide the sun, plunging the world into twilight." However, if the game doesn't understand the words SUN or CLOUDS in your input, you can assume that they are not important for completing the adventure, but are included only to enhance your mental picture of the scene. The games try to be as helpful as possible. For example, if you are "deep in a narrow gully between walls of jagged rock" and try typing "TAKE ROCK", the game might reply "You can't see a space rocket". This looks odd at first sight, but it tells you that the game does not know the word ROCK (presumably it's just scenery), and also that there is a rocket elsewhere which does matter in the game and whose name can be abbreviated to save typing. Much better than responding "You can't see it"! In general, the game should understand if you keep commands simple. If the program doesn't know what you mean then you are probably trying something which is not important in the story. It can be worth rephrasing commands, though, and with a little practise you'll discover the best words to use. Good adventuring! Combat """""" You may need to fight some of the creatures you find in this adventure. If you do attack something, consider carrying a weapon and wearing armour first. Magik may help. Scoring """"""" The main aim of the game is to recover the Red Moon Crystal, and you score points for making progress towards this goal. In addition, you score 50 points for collecting each of 9 treasures which you should find along the way. Naturally, you should avoid getting killed.