Frankenstein's Legacy is a MS-DOS formerly-shareware text adventure game written with The Quill and is © 1992 by John Olsen. It was part of his Tales of Horror collection.
In this horror game, you play as Victor Frankenstein's last living relative. He's invited you to the family estate so you can assist him in bringing his newest creature to life.
This solution is by David Welbourn, and is based on Version 3.0 of the game. To play this game in 2020, I used DOSBox.
Note: There are other versions of this game. The earliest known version, called Frankenstein Adventure, was published in Cload TRS-80 magazine, October 1981, using TRS-80 BASIC, original author unknown: see newsletter. In 2004, William Stott ported Frankenstein Adventure to Inform 6 and the Z-machine.
SPOILERS AHEAD. Reading a walkthrough prematurely can sometimes diminish one's enjoyment of a formerly-shareware text adventure game. Please make an honest effort to play the game before reading this walkthrough.
NOTES:
Dirt Path
> i. exam envelope. open envelope. (You now have a key and letter.)
> read letter. (It's to you from Victor.)
> n.
Porch
> unlock door. (with the key)
> open door. n.
Entry Hall
For this walkthrough, I'll be using the entry hall as my cache location. You can only carry up to five items at a time, so you need to travel light.
> drop key. drop letter.
> exam table. take note. read note.
Dr. F wants you to bring his newest creature in his secret lab to life. (P.S. Beware of the dark)
> w.
Dining Room
> exam table. (You find a candle.)
> take candle.
> n.
Kitchen
> exam cupboard. (find thread and matches)
> take thread. take matches. take lemon.
> light candle.
> burn note. ("dial 656886" appears briefly; remember that.)
> put out candle.
> s. e.
Entry Hall
> drop thread. drop lemon.
> u. e.
Master Bedroom
> exam painting. (of Victor)
> take painting. (can't; it's screwed to the wall)
> e.
On Bed
While you may sleep here, it's unclear why you would want to.
> w. w. d. n.
Library
> take pen. (The bookcase opens; a passage is north.)
> drop pen.
> n.
Dim Alcove
You must have a lit candle beyond this point!
> light candle.
> w. d. w.
Laboratory
> take shovel.
> exam creature. (Its chest is open.)
> exam panel. (Has padlock.)
> exam slab. take scalpel.
> e. u. e.
Dim Alcove
> put out candle.
> s. s.
Entry Hall
> drop candle. drop matches.
> s. s. e.
Edge of Bog
> read sign. ("DANGER QUICKSAND")
> take crowbar.
> w. w. w.
Outside Crypt
The flyer is an ad for Olsen's solution kit #1.
> take flyer. read flyer. drop flyer.
> open door. (It won't budge.)
> e. n.
North End of Cemetery
> exam tombstone. (dated yesterday; no name)
> dig. (with shovel; find a coffin)
> open coffin. (with crowbar; find a fresh corpse)
> exam corpse. (find a screwdriver)
> take screwdriver.
> cut corpse. (with scalpel)
> exam corpse. (find heart and liver)
> drop shovel. drop scalpel.
> take heart. take liver.
> s.
Cemetery Gates
A snarling wolf is now here and won't let you pass.
> exam wolf.
> give liver to wolf. (It takes it and leaves.)
> e. n. n.
Entry Hall
> drop heart. drop crowbar.
> u. e.
Master Bedroom
> unscrew painting. (with screwdriver; find a safe)
> exam safe. unlock safe. (Dial the combination.)
> dial 656886. (The safe is unlocked.)
> open safe. (Map and diary fall out.)
> take map. exam map. (Shows a path through the bog.)
> take diary. read diary. ("require gold electrodes"; "must find heart and liver")
> w. d.
Entry Hall
> drop diary. drop screwdriver.
> take candle. take matches.
> s. s. e.
Edge of Bog
Carry only the candle, matches, and map.
> follow map —or— east. (You are now at...)
Island in Bog
> e.
Inside Old Mill
You must have a lit candle beyond this point!
> light candle.
> d. w.
West End of Long Tunnel
> push slab. (You are now in...)
Inside Crypt
> take cane. exam cane. (has a silver wolf's head)
> take urn. exam urn.
> take ashes. (electrodes found)
> drop urn. take electrodes.
> push door. (One-way passage to...)
Outside Crypt
> put out candle.
> e.
Cemetery Gates
The snarling wolf is back.
> hit wolf. (with cane)
The wolf died and reverts to human form.
> exam man. (find needle)
> drop cane. take needle.
> n.
North End of Cemetery
> drop map. take scalpel.
> s.
Cemetery Gates
> cut man. (with scalpel)
> exam man (found another liver)
> drop scalpel. take liver.
> e. n. n.
Entry Hall
> drop electrodes. take thread.
> thread needle.
> light candle. drop matches. take heart.
> n. n. w. d. w.
Old Laboratory
> sew heart. sew liver. sew chest.
> e. u. e. s. s.
Entry Hall
> drop spool. drop needle.
> take electrodes. take crowbar.
> s. s. w. n.
North End of Cemetery
Yes, it's inelegant to run back for the map at this juncture, but blame the limited carrying capacity, not me. Why do you need the map, you ask? Well, you'll see soon enough.
> take map.
> s. e. n. n. n. n. w. d. w.
Old Laboratory
I don't know why "hit padlock" doesn't work.
> break padlock. (with crowbar)
> connect electrodes.
> save. (This next part is dangerous.)
> pull lever.
The creature is alive but wants to kill you! Run into the bog! One wrong move and you're dead!
> e. u. e. s. s. s. s. e. e.
Island in Bog
Because you had the map, you survived. The monster, however, sank into the quicksand.
Congratulations on your destruction of the evil of FRANKENSTEIN'S LEGACY.
*** END OF GAME ***
And if you're asking why did we do any of that, I don't know what to tell you. Victor did it for science, presumably, but what was our excuse?
Dirt path
> x me. i. x envelope. open it. (You find a key and letter.)
> read letter. (It's to you from Victor.)
> n.
Porch of a mansion
> unlock door. (with the key)
> n.
Entry Hall
> x stand. x table. take note. read note.
Dr. F wants you to bring his newest creature in his secret lab to life. P.S. Don't walk in the dark.
> n.
Library
For this walkthrough, I'll be using the library as my cache location. You have a limited carrying capacity, so you need to travel light.
Note that the pen's description mentions it has lemon juice on it.
> x desk. x holder. x pen. take pen. (The bookcase opens; a passage is west.)
> drop pen. drop key. drop letter. drop envelope.
> n.
Dining room
> x table. take candle. x candle.
> e.
Empty kitchen
> x counter. take matches. x matches.
> open cupboard. (find thread and lemon)
> take thread. x thread. x lemon.
You don't need the lemon; leave it.
> w. s.
Library
> drop thread.
> u. e.
Master bedroom
> x bed. x painting. take it. (can't; it's screwed to the wall)
> w. d. w.
Behind the bookcase
You must have a lit candle beyond this point!
> light candle.
> burn note. ("23-45-56" appears briefly; your character remembers that.)
> w. d. w.
Dusty laboratory
This version of the game fails to mention that the monster's chest is open. It also don't mention the padlock on the lever until you try to pull the lever.
> x shovel. take it.
> x monster. x panel.
> x slab. take scalpel. x scalpel.
> e. u. e.
Behind the bookcase
> blow candle.
> e.
Library
> drop candle. drop matches.
> s. s. s. e.
Edge of a swamp
> x sign. ("DANGER QUICKSAND")
> take crowbar.
> w. w.
Inside the cemetery gates
The wolf doesn't attack unless you attack it first, but it will block you from leaving the cemetery later.
> x wolf. x tombstones.
> n.
Graveyard
> x grave. dig grave. (with shovel; find a coffin)
> open coffin. (with crowbar; find a fresh corpse)
> x corpse. (find a screwdriver)
> take screwdriver.
> cut corpse. (with scalpel)
> x corpse. (find heart and liver)
> drop shovel.
> take heart. take liver.
> s.
Inside the cemetery gates
> e. (The wolf blocks you.)
> give liver to wolf. (It takes it and leaves.)
> drop scalpel.
> e. n. n. n.
Library
> drop heart. drop crowbar.
> u. e.
Master bedroom
> unscrew painting. (with screwdriver; find a safe)
> x safe. unlock safe. (using the combo you learned earlier)
> take map. x map. (Shows a path through the swamp.)
> take book. read book. (require "gold electrodes"; "must find heart and liver")
> w. d.
Entry Hall
> drop book. drop screwdriver.
> take candle. take matches.
> i.
You should have only the candle, matches, and map. You're going to go through the swamp.
> s. s. s. e.
Edge of a swamp
> follow map —or— east. (You are now at...)
Ruins of an old mill
> e.
Inside an old mill
You must have a lit candle beyond this point!
> light candle.
> d. w.
West end of a long tunnel
> push slab. (You are now in...)
Inside the crypt
> x statues. take cane. x cane. (has a silver wolf's head)
> x urn. tip urn. (electrodes found)
> take electrodes.
> push door. (One-way passage to...)
Inside the cemetery gates
The snarling wolf is back.
> blow candle.
> hit wolf. (with cane)
The wolf dies and reverts to human form.
> drop cane. take scalpel.
> cut man. drop scalpel.
> x man. (find needle and liver)
> take needle. take liver.
> e. n. n. n.
Library
> drop electrodes. drop map.
> take thread. thread needle.
> light candle. drop matches.
> take heart.
> w. w. d. w.
Dusty laboratory
> put heart in monster.
> put liver in monster.
> sew monster.
> e. u. e. e.
Library
> drop needle.
> take electrodes. take crowbar. take map.
> w. w. d. w.
Dusty laboratory
> connect electrodes.
> pull lever. (find padlock)
> break padlock. (with crowbar)
> save. (This next part is dangerous.)
> pull lever.
The monster is alive but wants to kill you! Run into the swamp! One wrong move and you're dead!
> e. u. e. e. s. s. s. e. e.
Ruins of an old mill
Because you had the map, you survived. The monster, however, sank into the quicksand.
As it sinks below the surface forever, you can congratulate yourself on completing the Frankenstein Adventure.
*** You have won ***
Mentioned:
Selected sections from the README.TXT file included in Olsen's Horror collection:
SHAREWARE
These games are Shareware, and are copyright (c) 1992 by John Olsen. If you play them, register by sending your $20 (US) Shareware fee to:
John Olsen
P.O. Box 181
Newberg
Oregon 97132
USABy sending your Shareware fee, you are compensating the author for his time, effort, and creativity. This will encourage further efforts. And by sending in your Shareware fee, you also will become a registered user and receive maps, hints, and full solutions to all three adventure games. Specifically ask for SOLUTION KIT #1 to make sure you get the proper solutions, hints and maps for all of these games.
TECHNICAL STUFF
These games are copyright (c) 1992 by John Olsen. You are free to use, copy and distribute DEAD, LEGACY, and PHANTOM for NON-COMMERCIAL use if:
They are not modified in any way.
No fee is charged for use.
Only a nominal fee not to exceed ($5) for expenses and handling in copying and distribution.
If you distribute DEAD, LEGACY, and PHANTOM to friends, associates, or to a computer bulletin board system (BBS), please distribute the file HORROR30.SDN rather than the individual files for DEAD, LEGACY, and PHANTOM.
From the response to ABOUT in the Inform port by William Stott:
FRANKENSTEIN ADVENTURE
Welcome to Frankenstein Adventure, based on the story of Dr Frankenstein and his monster (the Boris Karloff film version rather than the book). The game was originally released in October 1981 as a 16K BASIC file in CLOAD magazine, which was produced on cassette for the TRS-80/Video Genie computer.
All endings in Olsen's version end with END OF GAME.
Note: You can make the game unwinnable by over-using the candle until it burns out.
The endings in Stott's version happen for the same reasons, but they use Inform 6's standard You have died and You have won epitaph-texts as appropriate.
In Olsen's DOS version, you have a carrying capacity limit of FIVE items. Also, many items won't have any description.
In Stott's Z-machine version, you have an increased carrying capacity, but it seems based on bulk or weight rather than a strict count of the number of items you have. Also, the items all have descriptions.
Note: I'll be using Olsen's names for the inventory items. They're named slightly differently in Stott's version.
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