Typed in by Dave Rees (rees@cs.bu.edu) from the manual included with the Infocom game "Spellbreaker". ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Sample Transcript and Map This transcript is not from SPELLBREAKER, but it does show most of the usual things you can do in the story. It contains several simple puzzles and their solutions, and it will give you a good idea of how Infocom's interactive fiction works. The player's sentences appear in capital letters after each prompt (>). The map represents the terrain in the sample transcript as you might have drawn it. [Picture of map. Can be inferred from the transcript, so I won't reproduce it here]. Road Near Brook You're standing on a wide, bumpy north-south road. An impenetrable forest lies to the east, and a babbling brook runs along the road to the west. A sign is leaning against a pile of pebbles and small stones. >READ THE SIGN The sign has two arrows: one pointing north marked "To Greener Pastures," and one pointing south marked "To Gornforb's Grocery." >GO NORTH Road Near Bridge A small wooden bridge to the west spans the brook and leads (you can see) to sunny, open pastures, where birds sing and swoop playfully. A wide road leading south runs parallel with the brook and disappears into the dark shadows. An impenetrable forest lies to the east, and north of here is a marsh. On the far side of the bridge is a troll, either dead or sleeping. Guarding the bridge here is a buck-toothed cyclops wielding a mace. He scowls as you approach. >WEST The cyclops roars at you, swings his mace, and tries to bite you. You jump out of the way. >INVENTORY You are carrying: your spell book a pouch containing several gold nuggets The cyclops spits out a horrible assortment of syllables that you barely decipher as a demand for all your valuables. >READ THE SPELL BOOK My Spell Book gnusto spell: write a magic spell into your spell book frotz spell: cause an object to give off light urbzig spell: turn a dangerous object into a harmless one The cyclops again utters some threatening sounds, this time louder. >SPELLS The gnusto spell is yours forever. Other than that, you have the urbzig spell committed to memory once and the frotz spell committed to memory once. The cyclops raises his mace above his head and leans back, preparing to leap at you and strike you full force with the mace! >CAST THE URBZIG SPELL ON THE CYCLOPS The cyclops is replaced by a moth, which flutters away. The mace falls to the ground. >TAKE THE MAXE I don't know the word "maxe". >OOPS MACE The mace is much too heavy for you to lift, let along carry. >WEST Bridge Your're standing on a small wooden bridge spanning a babbling brook. You can see sunny, open pastures west of here, where birds sing and swoop playfully. As you cross the bridge, the boards creak loudly. The troll wakes up and pulls a long nasty knife out of his shabby clothes. He points the knife in your direction as he hisses, "Gold! Give me your gold!" >MEMORIZE URBZIG urbizg spell: Using your best study habits, you commit the urbzig spell to memory. The troll jabs the knife in your direction, his blood-red eyes dripping with greed. "Give me your gold, and maybe you'll live!" he hisses. >URBZIG TROLL You speak the words of the spell perfectly, but nothing happens! The troll seems surprised. "Your magic fails you, eh? Ha!" He adjusts his grip on the long nasty knife and walks slowly toward you, looking for the most vulnerable part of you throat. >GO EAST THEN SOUTH Road Near Bridge There is a mace here. Road Near Brook A sign is leaning against a pile of pebbles and small stones. >WEST Just as you're about to step into the babbling brook, you see giant electric eels light up in anticipation of electrocuting and devouring you. You step back away from the brook. >SOUTH Road Outside Gornforb's The wide, bumpy road continues north and south here. Nestled among the thick forest foliage is a stone building with a closed black door and no windows. Above the door is a sign. >READ THE SIGN "Gornforb's Grocery Open Every Day (Proprietor May be Napping-Knock Several Times)" >KNOCK ON THE DOOR You knock on the door. >AGAIN You knock again on the door. >AGAIN You knock again on the door. Suddenly the door opens, and you hear a voice inside say "Come in, come in!" >GO INTO THE HUT As you step into the hut, the door shuts quickly behind you, leaving you in total darkness. You can't see a thing. Darkness A voice in the dark mumbles something about not being able to find a match. >FROTZ THE SPELL BOOK There is an almost blinding flash of light as the spell book begins to glow! It slowly fades to a less painful level, but the spell book is now quite usable as a light source. Gornforb's Grocery You're standing in a nearly empty store. A closed black door leads west. Several empty glass jars, an empty bag, and a pencil are all you see on the dusty shelves. Gornforb, the storekeeper, continues to look in all the empty jars. "I think there's a match in here somewhere." >TAKE THE EMPTY BAG "No, no," say Gornforb. "No bag unless you buy something." Gornforb looks about and picks up the pencil. "Here. This will cost you 100 gold nuggets." >OFFER 1 GOLD NUGGET "2 gold nuggets, and not a zorkmid cheaper!" says Gornforb sternly. >BUY THE PENCIL Gornforb takes 2 gold nuggets from you, hands you the pencil, and opens the door. "Thank you, come again, come again." >GORNFORB, GIVE ME THE PAPER BAG "Help yourself, take it if you want it, thank you, come again, come again." He stands by the door, impatiently waiting for you to leave. >TAKE THE BAG Taken. "Good day, good day," says Gornforb impatiently. >LEAVE THE STORE As you step outside, the black door slams shut behind you. Road Outside Gornforb's >NORTH Road Near Brook A sign is leaning against a pile of pebbles and small stones. >TAKE PEBBLES THEN PUT THE PEBBLES IN THE BAG Taken. Okay, the pebbles are now in the bag. >WRITE "GOLD" ON THE BAG Okay, the bag now has "gold" written on it. >N.W. Road Near Bridge There is a mace here. Bridge As you cross the bridge, the boards creak loudly. The troll hears you coming and quickly puts his long nasty knife to your throat. "This time you shall not live!" >SHOW THE BAG TO THE TROLL The troll's blood-red eyes bulge disgustingly when he sees the word "gold" on the bag. He drops his knife and reaches for the bag. >PUT THE BAG INTO THE BROOK "Gold!" shrieks the troll with pleasure, as he dives into the brook after the bag. Suddenly you hear another shriek, this time of agony; some thrashing in the water below you; and then all is quiet, save for the singing of the birds to the west. >GO WEST Greener Pastures, Near the Bridge This is the edge of one of the most idyllic spots in the land. Rare and beautiful birds quickly encircle you, sensing no maliciousness in your heart. They look at you with curiosity and wonder, and then hundreds of them grab hold of your clothes and lift you up up up over magnificient fields of green and gold to a destination not discussed in this sample transcript.