In this game, you play as a would-be thief. You heard a rumour about an alchemist in the forest who's used alchemy to make a large stash of gold. After getting a lead on where the alchemist's house is, you decide to visit him and take some of his gold for yourself.
This solution is by David Welbourn, and is based on Release 1 of the game.
SPOILERS AHEAD. Reading a walkthrough prematurely can sometimes diminish one's enjoyment of an interactive fiction game. Please make an honest effort to play the game before reading this walkthrough.
You've learned the approximate location of the alchemist's house and have decided to help yourself to some of his gold.
The game includes an ASCII map which you can turn off with MAP OFF and get a text description instead. To turn the map on again, use MAP ON.
Forest
> x trees. n.
Trail
A squirrel is running around randomly in the game's first four locations. Examine it or otherwise interact with it when you can.
> x squirrel.
> e.
Clearing
> x stump. x axe. take it.
> w. n.
End of Trail
> x fence. x gate. open gate.(locked)
> x tree. x acorns. x sign. read it.
> chop tree.(+10; with the axe)
> x gate. x tree. take acorn. x it.
> n.
Pasture
> x tree. x shepherd. x sheep. pet sheep.
> ask man about alchemist.
> ask man about forest.
> ask man about map.
> ask man about squirrel.
> ask man about sheep.
> s. s.
Trail
This is probably the best place to find the squirrel.
> z —or— look.(repeat until the squirrel is here)
> give acorn to squirrel.
> take squirrel.(+10)
> pet squirrel.
> n. n.
Pasture
> give squirrel to man.(+10; he gives you a map)
> x map.
> e.
Path through Forest (at cart)
> x cart. x axle. x dirt.
> e.
Dense Forest (several locations)
There's more than one way through the maze. For this walkthrough, I'll use the way indicated in gold on map 2, which circles counter-clockwise at the edge of the map:
> s. s. s.
> e. e. e. e. e.
> n. e.
> n. n. n. n.
> w. w. n. n.
Path through Forest (north of maze)
> n.(+10)
South of House
> x house. x door. x steel lock.
> w.
Southwest of House
> x river. e. e.
Southeast of House
> x rocks. look under rocks.
> n.
East of House
> x tree. climb tree.(can't: too slippery)
> n. w.
North of House
> x crate. w.
Northwest of House
> x river. e.
North of House
> take crate. take sack. x it.
> e. s.
East of House
> drop crate. climb crate. u.(+10)
Top of Tree
> x branch. save. w.
Roof of House
> x chimney. x branch.
> move branch.(It falls to the north side.)
> d.
Laboratory
> x fireplace. x ashes.
> x experiments. x workbench. x flames.
> x papers. read papers.
> x oak door. x medium lock.
> x shelving. x acid. take it.
> x rug. x log. move log. move rug.(+10)
> x trapdoor. x small lock.
There's three locks but only one dose of acid. Choose wisely!
> pour acid on medium lock.(+10)
> open oak door. w.
Den
> x window. x river. x chair.
> x table. x key. x candle.
> take all from table.
> e.
Laboratory
> unlock trapdoor with key. open trapdoor.
> light candle. d.(+10)
Basement
> x poker. take it.
> x gold. take gold.(You need a container.)
> fill sack with gold.(The sack isn't strong enough.)
> u.
Laboratory
> pry iron door with poker.
> open door. s. e. n.
East of House
> take crate. s. w. n. d.
Basement
> fill crate with gold.(+10)
Time to get away from here.
> u. s. s. s.
Dense Forest (several locations)
> w. w. s. s. w. w. s. w.
Path through Forest (at cart)
> w. s. s.
Trail
You hear the alchemist to the south.
> e.
Clearing
You hear the alchemist to the west. Wait for the alchemist to pass by.
> z. z.
> w. s. s.(+10)
*** You have won ***
Extras
Characters
A squirrel is searching for food on the trail. It's particularly fond of acorns.
A shepherd tends his flock in the pasture. He'd like a squirrel for his dinner, and he's willing to trade a magic map for it.
Some sheep are grazing in the pasture.
A snake slithers into the forest when you search the rocks at the southeast corner of the house.
The alchemist returns on the trail with groceries when you're trying to escape with his gold. If he catches you, he turns you into a frog!
Mentioned:
A woodsman must have left the axe behind.
Credits
The response to CREDITS is:
Concept by Lucian Blebea and Mike Manard.
Game design and coding by Garry Francis.
Play testing by Christopher Merriner, Dee Cooke, Edo Rajh, Jade J Aincioa, Phil Riley, Rovarsson and Stu Dobbie.
Endings
You've been caught
if the alchemist catches you with his gold. He turns you into a frog.
You have won
if you successfully steal the alchemist's gold.
Inventory
Items are listed in the order you acquire them in this walkthrough. Don't worry about inventory limits.
an axe. It's embedded in a tree stump in the clearing.
At the end of the trail, chop the oak tree with the axe. The tree falls and crushes the gate and fence, so you can now go north into the pasture. The axe is destroyed. And you can now reach the acorns.
an acorn. The oak tree at the end of the trail has many acorns, but they are initially out of reach.
Chop the oak tree with the axe. Now you can take one, and only one, acorn.
Give the acorn to the squirrel. It will be fascinated with its new prize, and you can now easily take the squirrel.
a squirrel. It's running about randomly between the game's four initial locations: Forest, Trail, Clearing, and End of Trail.
Give an acorn to the squirrel. Now TAKE the squirrel while it's fascinated with its new prize. (Note that CATCH SQUIRREL won't work.)
Give the squirrel to the shepherd in the pasture. In return, he gives you a map.
a map. In the pasture, the shepherd gives you a map in exchange for a squirrel.
In the game, you can view the map either as an ASCII graphic or as a text description. MAP ON and MAP OFF toggles between these two choices. Also see my version of the map: map 2.
You must have the map in order to go east from the cart. You can't find the entrance to the maze otherwise.
The map shows a 7 by 7 grid of locations connected either by normal or one-way paths. There are multiple ways through the maze, but the simplest way from the cart to the alchemist's house is to mostly hug the outer edge of the maze, going counterclockwise.
a wooden crate. It's at north of house.
Carry it to east of the house. Drop the crate, climb it, then go up to the top of the tree.
Later in the game, take the crate to the basement and fill the crate with gold. Now all you have to do is carry the crate home without encountering the alchemist on the way.
a canvas sack. Find it by taking the crate at north of house. The sack was underneath.
In the basement, try to fill the sack with gold. Unfortunately, the sack isn't strong enough. The gold tears a hole in the bottom of the sack and falls through. So the sack is actually worthless to you.
a bottle of acid. It's on the shelving in the laboratory.
Pour the acid on the medium lock. Now you can open the oak door and enter the den.
After using the acid, it is now an empty bottle of no use to you.
CAUTION: If you pour the acid on either the large lock (of the iron door) or the small lock (of the trapdoor), you've made the game unwinnable.
a key. It's on the side table in the den.
The key unlocks the trapdoor in the laboratory.
a candle. It's on the side table in the den.
Light it in the laboratory, using the flames there.
You need its light to see in the basement, where it's dark.
a poker. It's in the basement.
In the laboratory, pry the iron door with the poker. You can now escape the house via the iron door.
Yes, you can also break the window in the den with the poker, but that doesn't help you. The river is directly outside the window, so you can't leave the house that way.
Score
The response to SCORE is:
You have so far scored your-score out of a possible 100, in several turns.
