SCOTT ADAMS presents A MARVEL COMICS ADVENTURE THE QUESTPROBE SERIES #1 THE INCREDIBLE HULK (TM) by SCOTT ADAMS Published by Adventure International A Division of Scott Adams, Inc. ADVENTURE INTERNATIONAL U.K. 119 John Bright Street, Birmingham B1 1BE Copyright May, 1984, Adventure International ALL RIGHTS RESERVED The Hulk, Ant-Man, Doctor Strange, Ultron, Nightmare, and the Chief Examiner and the distinctive likenesses thereof are trademarks of the Marvel Comics Group and are used with permission. The characters are copyright 1984, Marvel Comics Group, a division of Cadence Industries Corporation. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED Introduction ------------ Welcome to The Incredible HulkTM, the first instalment in the dynamic QUESTPROBE Series! Marvel Comics and Scott Adams have teamed-up to bring you a fantastic series of computer Adventure games that allow you to become your favorite Marvel Super Hero(TM). In this, the opening instalment, you will become the Incredible Hulk(TM), and meet the mysterious overseer of the entire QUESTPROBE Series, the Chief Examiner. Although the storyline spans the entire 12-instalment series, each is a separate and complete Adventure. Collect and enjoy one Adventure or all 12! How an Adventure Works ---------------------- If you've never played an Adventure before, you're in for a real treat. Adventuring permits the player to move at will from location to location within the game "environment" and to examine objects for clues that will help reach the objective of the game. For example, an Adventure might begin something like this: I'M IN A ROOM. VISIBLE OBJECTS ARE A RUBY-ENCRUSTED BOX AND A CLOSED DOOR. TELL ME WHAT TO DO. You might want to begin by entering a direction (North, South, East, West) to see if you can leave the room. Chances are, though, that you will have to find a way to get through the closed door. Let's try something basic. You type: OPEN DOOR . . . but the computer tells you in no uncertain terms: SORRY, ITS LOCKED. WHAT SHALL I DO? Since the ruby-encrusted box seems to be the only additional object in the room, let's take a closer look. You type: PICK UP THE RUBY-ENCRUSTED BOX However, the computer says: SORRY, I JUST DON'T UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU MEAN Don't despair, Pilgrim. The nature of Adventuring is such that the computer only understands two-word commands, generally in the verb/noun format. Try again, and type: GET BOX . . and the computer responds with: OK By saying "OK", the computer has let you know that the command has been accepted and the box "picked up". Now that you're "holding" the box, let's see if we can peek inside. You type: PERUSE BOX . . . and the computer responds with: SORRY, I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU MEAN This is your computer's way of letting you know that it didn't understand your command. Whenever this happens, it's usually safe to assume that a word has been entered that's not in the computer's 120-plus-word vocabulary. The problem could stem from any one of several factors, including misspellings, typos, etc. Let's rephrase and try again. You type: OPEN BOX This time the computer understands and you are rewarded with the following response: OK INSIDE, THERE IS A KEY AND A RARE POSTAGE STAMP. Since we still want to exit the room, trying the key to unlock the door might be a good idea. The postage stamp might come in handy later, too, so you type: GET KEY AND STAMP But the computer responds: SORRY, I CAN'T DO THAT . . . YET! Ah, yes — asking the computer to get both the key AND the stamp is most definitely a COMPOUND command, something that your computer can't understand. Try again, this time asking for the objects separately. You type: GET KEY . . . and then: GET STAMP The computer will answer "OK" each time and you will have what you need. By "getting" the key and the stamp, they are stored for later use as you are, in effect, carrying them. As for your next series of moves, you might want to go to the door (GO DOOR), try the key in the lock (UNLOCK DOOR), and move down the hallway that's just outside (GO HALLWAY). You're on your way! Some Helpful Words ------------------ Although the vocabulary accepted by your computer is extensive, you may find the words listed overleaf to be of great help as you set about your Adventure. Remember: These are just a few of the words available. Climb Examine Leave Move Quit Say Drop Go Light Pull Read Take Enter Help Look Push Save Hit One-Letter Commands ------------------- You may use the following single keys to perform a variety of tasks and to expedite playing time. Type the letter for the function you wish to use and press RETURN. C - Turn on/off lowercase (Apple only) V - Turn on/off optional Votrax speech unit (or printer output on Apple & Atari only) Z - Turn on/off Graphics mode RETURN - Review text window N,S,E,W,U,D - Go North, South, East, West, Up or Down I - Display Inventory of items on your person O - Output to Printer (Atari only) A - Atari character set (Atari only B - Script-style character set (Atari only) L - Look Graphics Mode On/Off -------------------- If you are playing a version of The Hulk (TM) that features graphics, you may cancel the graphics if you so choose. Turning the graphics off speeds up play, so you may wish to proceed sans pgraphics while moving through familiar territory. To cancel the graphics, press Z. Press Z again to restore the pictures to the screen. Reviewing Text-Window (Graphic Versions Only) --------------------------------------------- The text window continually updates as you move through the Adventure. Often, valuable clues appear in the text window, so you'll want to check this area often. Press RETURN at any time during play to display the text window. Note: This feature is not available on Commodore versions. Saving Your Adventure For Later Play ------------------------------------ An adventure will often last far longer than the time available in a single sitting. You may save the game you are playing and return later to take up where you left off. To save a game in progress, type SAVE GAME at any time, the WHAT SHALL I DO? message appears on your screen. You will be asked to specify A, B, C, or D. This will allow you to assign a code letter to your game so that you might restore it at a later time. To restore a saved game, type LOAD GAME before you begin a new game. The computer will ask: DO YOU WISH TO RESTORE A SAVED GAME? Type YES, and type the correct code letter (A, B, C, or D). The Adventure will resume at the point which you saved it. Note: Before you attempt to load or save a game, consult the loading instructions under your individual computer system as listed in this manual. To end a game in progress, type QUIT. If you intend to continue the game later, be sure to save it before using this command. Description of Marvel Characters You May Meet --------------------------------------------- HULK - Friend Real Name: Robert Bruce Banner Occupation: Ex-Physicist Indentity: Publicly known Legal Status: American citizen with criminal record pardoned Former aliases: None Place of birth: Dayton, Ohio Marital Status: Single Known relatives: Jennifer Walters (a.k.a. She-Hulk), cousin; Morris Walters, uncle Group affiliation: Former member of Avengers, former member of Defenders Base of operations: Mobile First appearance: HULK #1 Origin: Robert Bruce Banner was a thin, bespectacled nuclear physicist who worked on a government research facility in New Mexico. Having designed and overseen the construction of a nuclear weapon that had a high gamma radiation output, Banner was among those present in the instrumentation bunker of the test site of the bomb's first above-ground detonation. Observing that a civilian had breached security and entered the restricted test area, Banner told his partner Igor Starsky to delay the countdown while he tried to get the civilian to safety. Starsky, secretly an enemy agent, did nothing, confident that Banner would die in the explosion and that the project would come to a halt. Reaching the civilian, a teenager named Rick Jones, Banner threw him into a protective trench. Before Banner could get himself to safety, the gamma bomb detonated, irradiating its inventor with highly charged, radioactive particles. The radiation had a mutigenetic effect on Banner's entire cellular structure, causing him to frequently transform into the vastly powerful, green-skinned superhuman named by the military present at the test site, "The Hulk". Height: 7' Eyes: Green Hair: Green Weight: 1,040 lbs. Skin: Green Powers: The Hulk possesses extraordinary superhuman strength, making him perhaps the strongest mortal being ever to walk the Earth. The mutation to his body caused by certain frequencies of gamma radiation fortified his cellular structure and added, in some as yet unknown way, over 800 pounds of bone marrow and tissue to his body. The transformation of Banner into the Hulk is determined by Banner's emotional state, particularly the emotions of fear, rage or stress. Perhaps the most important truism concerning the Hulk: The madder he gets, the stronger he gets. The Hulk's powerful leg muscles enable him to leap to a height of 3,200 feet and a distance of 1.6 miles. He is capable of lifting 90 tons. Although the Hulk has never been provoked into demonstrating a maximum output of strength, there may well be no upper limit. He has been known to lift over 100 tons, and leap almost 3 miles. In addition to great strength, the Hulk's body possesses a high degree of imperviousness to injury, pain and disease. The Hulk's skin is capable of withstanding great heat without blistering (up to 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit) and great cold without freezing (down to minus 190°F) and great impacts without a puncture wound or laceration. It is possible to injure him; he could not, for example, survive a near-hit with a nuclear warhead. The Hulk's highly efficient physiology renders him immune to all terrestrial disease. The Hulk's only power apparently not related to his physical attributes is his ability to see astral forms. The nature of this ability is not yet known. ANT-MAN—Friend Real Name: Dr. Henry "Hank" Pym Occupation: Former adventurer, biochemist Legal status: United States citizen with a conviction for treason that was later overturned Place of birth: Elmsford, New York Known relatives: Marie (first wife, deceased), Janet Van Dyne (ex-wife) Group affiliation: Former member of the Avengers and the Defenders First appearance: TALES TO ASTONISH #27 History: Dr. Henry Pym, a biochemist with extensive knowlege in other scientific fields, discovered a rare group of subatomic particles, which have become known as the "Pym particles". Pym was able, through the application of magnetic fields, to entrap the particles within two separate serums. One serum would reduce the size of persons and objects, and the other would restore them to their normal size. Eventually, Pym discovered a way to store the serum in gaseous form, which, when used, allows him to shrink or enlarge at will. Height: 6' Weight:185 lbs. Eyes: Blue Hair: Blond Powers: As Ant-Man, Pym is able to reduce himself to the size, of an ant, approximately one-half inch in height. However, his mass remains constant, meaning that a punch delivered by a half-inch-high Ant-Man feels like the blow of a normal sized man. Among Pym's more dubious accomplishments was the creation of the mad robot Ultron (see below). Equipment: Ant-Man wears a cybernetic helmet he designed which permits him rudimentary communication with ants. He can broadcast up to one mile, depending upon the materials surrounding him. DOCTOR STRANGE—Friend Real name: Stephen Strange Occupation: Surgeon (retired), occult expert Legal status: American citizen with no criminal record Identity: Publicly known Other current titles: Sorcerer Supreme Formal aliases: Stephen Sanders Place of birth: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Marital status: Single Known relatives: None Group affiliation: Occasionally associates with the Defenders Base of operations: 177A Bleecker Street, New York City First appearance: STRANGE TALES Origin: Stephen Strange was a brilliant, ambitious and somewhat arrogant neurosurgeon whose meteroric career was tragically cut short in an automobile accident. Strange sustained minor nerve damage which prevented him from holding a scalpel steadily enough to perform delicate surgery. He invested a fortune in attempted cures and fraudulent doctors and saw it dwindle to nothing. He swiftly degenerated from recluse to drifter to drunken derelict. Then Strange heard of a learned man in Tibet known only as The Ancient One who could supposedly work miracles. Determined to find this miracle man, he made his way across the ocean and then the frozen wastes of the Himalayan Mountains. Strange finally located The Ancient One. The aged sorcerer told him he would only consider helping Strange if the erstwhile surgeon proved himself worthy. Eventually, Strange proved himself worthy and thus became The Ancient One's disciple. He learned the arcane secrets of sorcery and, in time, returned to America to set up shop in Greenwich Village in New York City. Height: 6' 21/2 " Weight: 180 lbs. Eyes: Grey Hair: Black with white streaks Powers: As Sorcerer Supreme of Earth, Doctor Strange possesses a greater knowledge and mastery of the arts of magic than anyone else on Earth. Strange's magic, like most magicians, is derived from three major sources: personal powers of the soul/mind/body (mesmerism, astral projection, thought casting, etc.), powers gained by tapping this universe's ambient magical energy and employing it for special effects (transportation, illusion casting, energy projection), and finally, powers gained through the tapping of extra-dimensional energy by invoking entities or objects of power dwelling in mystical dimensions, tangential to our own. Strange also employs a number of occult power-objects which he wields by mental control. Weapons: Besides his array of magical powers, Strange wields three major occult power-objects. The first of these is his Cloak of Levitation which enables his physical form to fly at moderate speeds (approximately 25 miles per hour) for indeterminate lengths of time. While Strange can levitate without the Cloak, the Cloak enables him to fly with no personal expenditure of magical energy. The second power object is the Eye of Agomotto, an amulet which grants him certain mystical perceptions such as the ability to divine the truth by gazing into another man's soul. Residing in his Greenwich Village mansion is the Orb of Agomotto, a crystal ball attuned to the mystic forces of the Earth. Through the Orb, Doctor Strange keeps constant vigil against the dark forces of the universe. ULTRON—Foe Ultron is a robot possessing the capacity for creative intelligence and self-repair who has become a menace to humankind. Originally designed by Dr. Henry Pym (at that time known as Goliath), the prototype Ultron-1 was non-humanoid, consisting of one large torso/head on tank treads with two slender limbs. Shortly after its completion, the robot developed an irrational hatred of its creator and tried to destroy him. Humbling Pym, Ultron-1 hypnotized him to forget his robotic creation and evicted Pym from his own private laboratory so it could undertake its own re-modification process. Ultron proceeded to design subsequent bodies. The end result was Ultron-5, a humanoid robot with a body constructed of adamantium, an alloy which once hardened can withstand a nuclear blast. Over the years of its existence, Ultron has augmented his adamantium body with additional offensive weaponry, including an "encephalo beam", a high-power concussion blasters, tractor and pressor beams, an induction device that was able to absorb energy from Iron Man's armor, and a molecular rearranger able to shape adamantium. Ultron is physically and mentally far superior to man. Its hatred of humankind and capacity for survival makes it an ever-present threat to human life. NIGHTMARE—Foe Nightmare is a malevolent humanoid entity, whose origins are unknown, who rides a demonic steed and "feeds" upon the dreams of humans for sustenance and power. Nightmare's ultimate goal is to expand his dimension into the waking world by occult means, perhaps overcoming the spirit of Eternity itself. Nightmare has but one natural enemy in all the dimensions, the creature Gulgol, who never sleeps. THE CHIEF EXAMINER — ? The mysterious overseer of the QUESTPROBE Series, not a lot is known about the Chief Examiner at this time. Some Playing Tips ----------------- Be sure to examine the items you find during your Adventure. Also, keep in mind that most problems and solutions require no more than common sense to solve; special knowledge and information are rarely required. For example, if an area is too dark to see in, you are going to need a light to avoid disaster. If you get stuck, type HELP and press RETURN. You may or may not receive assistance, depending on what you are carrying, where you are at, and a number of other factors. Too, be careful about making assumptions — they can be fatal! Finally, if you are seriously stuck, special Hint books are available from Adventure International (U.K.). Call (021) 643 5102 for ordering information. Here is a sample to show you how the Hint Book can save you hours of frustration while you are having fun solving the adventure. Read the questions until you get to where you are stuck. The numbers underneath refer to the dictionary listed at the end. Match each number with its associated word and you'll find an Adventure clue or 1. Can not get loose from chair?? 4 83 47 13 167 66 26 2. More help for above problem. 144 83 162 174 94 3. Solution to above problem. 5 67 Dictionary ---------- 4 REMEMBER 5 BITE 13 EGO 26 MAD 47 ALTER 66 GET 67 LIP 83 YOUR 94 PAIN 144 GIVE 162 SELF 167 AND 174 SOME Loading Instructions -------------------- SPECTRUM 48K 1. Place cassette in recorder and rewind 2. Type LOAD " " and hit ENTER 3. Press play on tape recorder and program will load and run automatically. If program fails to load alter tone and volume controls on tape recorder and try again. COMMODORE 64 Disk Loading Instructions 1. Place disk face upwards in drive 1 2. Type LOAD "HULK", 8 3. When ready prompt appears type RUN Cassette Loading Instructions 1. Place cassette in recorder and rewind 2. Hold down SHIFT KEY and press RUN/STOP 3. Press play on tape. Program will load and run automatically. BBC MODEL B 1. Place cassette in recorder and rewind 2. Type CHAIN "" and hit RETURN 3. Press play on tape recorder. Program will load and run automatically. If program fails to load, adjust tone and volume levels and try again. ATARI 32K Tape 1. Remove all cartridges (i.e. BASIC/STAR RAIDERS etc.) 2. Place cassette in recorder and rewind 3. Switch off machine 4. Switch on machine while holding down START key ** 5. Computer will beep once: Press return and program will load and run automatically ** XL users must hold down both START and OPTION keys together. ATARI 48K Disk Loading Instructions 1. Remove all cartridges 2. Place disk in drive 1 3. Switch machine off and then on again 4. After a short while further instructions will appear on the screen, follow these. Scott Adams, Inc. reserves the right to make changes or improvements in this product without notice.