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Key & Compass presents:
The Seven Doctors
by David Burke

The Seven Doctors is a Z-machine interactive fiction game written with Inform 6 and is © 1998 by David Burke.

In this game inspired by Doctor Who, you play as the Seventh Doctor. Old foes have captured your previous six incarnations. Rescue the Doctors by giving each a time-ring; they will return to when and where they belong.

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.


Maps

Map 1: Inside your Tardis

OutsideyourTardis JunkRoom ControlRoom Corridor Corridor Corridor TardisBedroom

Map 2: Gallifrey

Gallifrey InsideyourTardis

Map 3: The Celestial Toymaker's playrooms

Big Top YellowRoom Well-litPassage ChessRoom Snakes &LaddersRoom Cell Toy Room Attic InsideyourTardis u d

Map 4: Skaro, home of the Daleks

TheForest AClearing TheForest Northof theBridge Edge ofForest Edge ofForest Cave MetalBridge InsideyourTardis Ledge Entranceto theDalek City SmallRoom Cell Crawl-way Corridor Corridor MonitorRoom Crawl-way Room SmallRoom d u push down push up

Map 5: Two islands

MetalLanding Top ofstaircase End oflanding SmallCave Beach Sea Sea-fort Jetty Entrance Staircase Minefield MetalLanding Landingby analcove End oflanding GroundFloorof Fort A stripof beach In thealcove Cell InsideyourTardis u out u u d in d d

Map 6: In a Pyramid on Mars

Corner Corridor Corner Corridor Corner Corridor Corner Cell Junction LowPassage-way Room withLargeWindow InsideyourTardis

Logically, the corridors should encircle the cell, but it's not coded that way.


Map 7: Escherworld

GreenLanding Stairs AnotherBlackLanding Steps Staircase BlackLanding Stairway RedLanding InsideyourTardis ShortPassage SeaRoom SkyRoom Fish andBird Room Cell ShortPassage up down

Map 8: Telos, home of the Cybermen

NorthernRoom Corridor ControlRoom Corridor Cell IcicleCorridor EmptyRoom InsideyourTardis d u

Walkthrough

Control Room

> about. (Learn that RETURN will return you to your Tardis after you rescue a Doctor.)

> i. x bag. open bag. x ring.

> x coat-stand. x hat. take it.

> x scanner. (off)

> x console. x lever. x switch. x meter. x door.

> s. w. n.

Junk Room

> x junk. x helmet. take it. x cutters. take it.

> s. e. s.

Tardis Bedroom

There's no actual bed implemented here.

> x table. open drawer.

> x vial. x liquid. take vial.

> x book. take book.

> look up Skaro in book. (home planet of Daleks and Thals)

> look up Daleks in book. (depend on sight)

> look up Thals in book. (gave you anti-radiation drugs)

> look up Tardis in book.

> n. n.

Control Room

> push switch. x scanner. (You're on Gallifrey.)

> open door. (It's locked.)

> push lever. (doors open)

> n.

Gallifrey

> x Lord. (Flavia)

> ask Lord about me. ("Leave Gallifrey now.")

> s.

Control Room

> push lever. (The doors close.)

> push button. (The Tardis travels somewhere.)

> x screen. (White room with triangle-patterned floor.)

> x meter. (safe)

For the first two Doctors, drop things here that you don't need yet or that you're done with.

> drop hat, vial, helmet, cutters.

> push lever. n.

Toy Room

The voice of the Celestial Toymaker welcomes you.

> look up toymaker in book.

> x trunk. open it. x block. take it.

> open door. (too high up)

> x floor.

> close trunk. push trunk under door.

> put block on trunk. stand on block.

> stand on block. open door. up.

Attic

> x hammer. take it.

> d. n.

Well-lit Passage

> x paintings. (parodies of toys)

> e.

Chess Room

> x king. take it. (something's inside)

> break king with hammer.

> look. x key. take it.

> e.

Snakes and Ladders Room

> x snakes. x ladders.

> n.

Big Top

> x sawdust. x clown. x clowns hat.

> x jacket. x breeches. x gloves.

> take gloves. wear gloves.

> s. w. w. w.

Yellow Room

The door is actually south, not west.

> x door. x window. (see chair and ten unlit lights)

> x buttons. (from 1 to 100)

One randomly-chosen button unlocks the door, but if you push ten buttons, the First Doctor will be electrocuted and you'll cease to exist.

When you push a button whose value is too low, the next light in the cell will be violet. When you push a button whose value is too high, the next light in the cell will be red. You can only learn that this is the setup after much experimenting and dying.

Start with button 50.

> push 50. x window.

If the light is violet, try 75 next; otherwise, try 25 next.

> push 25orpush 75. (as appropriate)

> x window.

Always examine the window to see what the newest light's color is. Continue going by halves with the remaining buttons that could be correct until the door opens.

Let's assume the door is open now.

> s.

Cell

> x Doctor. x cuffs. unlock cuffs with key.

> give ring to Doctor. (+10; he's gone)

> x chair. (electric)

> return.

Control Room

> push lever. (doors close)

> push button. x screen. (edge of forest)

> x meter. (in danger area)

Because of the radiation danger, don't waste too much time examining the scenery after drinking the liquid, an anti-radiation drug. It wears off eventually, and it's best if you're back in the Tardis before that happens.

> drop hammer, key.

> take vial, hat, helmet. wear helmet.

> open vial. drop stopper.

> push lever. drink liquid. n.

Edge of Forest (middle)

> n. n. e.

A clearing

> x body. x rope. x paper. ("158")

> take rope and paper.

> w. s. s. e.

Edge of Forest (east)

> tie rope to spike. d. n.

Darkness / Cave

> turn on helmet. search rubble.

> x case. (has three digit-dials)

> set lock to 158. open case.

The case is great for carrying everything.

> put scrap paper in case. take case.

> x screwdriver. x map.

> turn off helmet. s. u.

Edge of Forest (east)

> untie rope. take rope. put rope in case.

> w. w. s.

Metal Bridge

> x Dalek. (Its top appendage is for sight.)

> put hat on Dalek.

There's no message telling you that the Dalek fell off the bridge, but it has, so you can now continue south.

> s.

Entrance to the Dalek City

> push pad. s.

Small Room

> push circular. (door closes)

> push down. push circular. (door opens)

> n.

Corridor (outside the elevator)

Oddly, there's no pad here to push to open the elevator on this floor.

To the east of here is a monitor room with a silver Dalek looking at monitors. When the screen is showing the cell with the Second Doctor in it, a letter "A" is illuminated.

I think that means that the cell is the "A" on the map you found. Unfortunately, the corridor to get there wasn't coded correctly because you're not meant to go that way, so visiting the monitor room or consulting the map is kinda pointless.

Here, let me guide you how to actually get to the cell:

> w. s.

Room

Yes, it's the crawl-through-the-ventilation gag. The grille goes west.

> x grille. (held by screws)

> unscrew screws with screwdriver.

> w. n.

Crawlway (at second grille)

> x grille. (see cell with 2nd doctor)

Make sure the camera's active light is off.

> push grille. n.

Cell

> give ring to doctor. (+10; he gives you a sonic screwdriver.)

> return.

Control Room

> push lever. (The door closes.)

> drop vial and hat.

> take cutters.

> put cutters in case.

> x sonic. (settings for intensity and range)

> x intensity. x range. (both set to low)

> push button.

> x scanner. (You're at a beach.)

> x meter. (safe)

> push lever. n.

A strip of beach

> x fence. x sign. ("DANGER MINEFIELD")

> x seaweed. x plastic. x sand.

Don't forget you have a sonic screwdriver now.

> look up sonic in book.

> set range to high. set intensity to high.

> turn on sonic. (The mines explode, but the sonic screwdriver is now broken. Darn.)

> put sonic in case.

> cut wire with cutters.

> n. n.

Beach

> x footsteps. x cave. x boat.

> w.

Small Cave

> take can. e.

Beach

> enter boat. x engine.

> start engineorpull cord. (The engine doesn't start.)

> x tank. x cap. take cap.

The syntax for transferring the fuel is finnicky.

> pour fuel into tank.

> put cap on tank.

> start engineorpull cord. (The engine starts.)

> e. e. out. u.

Entrance

> s. e. s.

In the alcove

> z.

Repeat waiting until a reptilian humanoid walks past eastward. Now wait until the footsteps are close but receding towards the east.

The humanoid will soon turn around and head back west, so you must leave the alcove as soon as you can do so safely and race ahead of them, then head down the staircase on the north side of the seafort.

> n. w. n. n. e. d. d.

Ground Floor of Fort

> x door. (has wooden bar)

> x tube. (requires a petroleum-based solvent)

> take tube. put tube in case.

> open door. (You move the bar to the floor.)

> s.

Cell

> give ring to doctor. (+10)

> return.

Control Room

> pull lever. (The doors close.)

> put can in case.

> push button.

> x screen. (You see a gloomy passageway.)

> x meter. (safe)

> pull lever. n.

Low Passageway

> x sheet. x pad. push pad.

> e.

Room with Large Window

CAUTION: Don't push the glass pad when it's glowing green. It opens the window and you'll die of asphixiation.

> x glass pad. (glowing red)

> x cartouche. (owl, vulture, mouth, cloth)

> look up cartouche in book.

The cartouche here is the key to other cartouches you'll soon see. You must push these four symbols, in order, in the other corridors.

> w. w.

Junction

> x cartouche. (ankh, owl, leg, cobra)

> push owl.

> n. w.

Corridor (with hawk jar)

> x shape. (ankh, beetle, vulture, arm)

> push vulture.

> x jar. open it. look in it.

> take gold dust. put it in case. put lid on jar.

> w. n.

Corridor (cartouche on east wall)

> x cartouche. (ankh, basket, quail, mouth)

> push mouth.

> n. e.

Corridor (cartouche on south wall)

> x cartouche. (ankh, flax, cloth, hand)

> push cloth. (You hear a scraping sound.)

> e.

Corner (south of junction)

> take pamphlet. read it.

> put pamphlet in case.

> n. w.

Cell

> give ring to doctor. (+10; get a jelly baby)

> x jelly baby. eat it.

> return.

Control Room

> pull lever. (Doors close.)

> push button. x screen. (marble steps up and down)

> x meter. (safe)

> pull lever. n.

Black Landing

> x mural. (White angels and black demons.)

> u. u.

Green Landing

> x engraving. (A city hangs above water.)

> u. u.

Another Black Landing

> x picture. (A pond, trees, and fish.)

> u. u.

Red Landing

> x door. (has keyhole and gap at bottom)

> x keyhole. (key on other side)

> x gap. (empty)

> take pamphlet. put it in gap.

> take sonic. put it in keyhole.

> take sonic.

> take pamphlet. (You get a black key.)

> put sonic and pamphlet in case.

> unlock door with key. put key in case.

> open door. s.

Short Passage (first of two)

The geography here is confusing. See my Escherworld map to understand better how the locations connect.

> s.

Sea Room

> x fish. (carved from ivory)

> e.

Sky Room

This is the exact same room as the Sea Room, but upside down. But somehow the fish is still on the ceiling, out of reach.

> e.

Sea Room

> take tube. open tube. squeeze tube. (A glue puddle is now on the floor.)

> put cap on tube. e.

Sky Room

The pool of glue is now on the ceiling with the fish.

> look. e.

Sea Room

The fish, stuck to the glue, is now on the floor and within reach.

> take fish. (no, it's stuck)

> take can. pour fuel on glue. (Glue is gone.)

> take fish.

> put can, tube in case.

> s. s.

Short Passage (second of two)

This short passage looks identical to the first one. If you go south from here, you end up in Sea Room again, but if you go north...

> n.

Fish and Bird Room

> x mosaic. (An ivory fish is missing.)

> put fish in hole. (East exit now open.)

> e.

Cell

> give ring to doctor. (+10)

> return.

Control Room

> push lever. (doors close)

> push button.

> x screen. (corridor with icicles)

> x meter. (safe)

> push lever. n. n.

Corridor (corner with Cyberman)

> look up Cyberman in book. (gold dust in their chest unit destroys them)

> look up Telos in book. (a cold planet)

> take gold.

> e. (The Cyberman turns to face you.)

> throw gold at Cyberman. (He collapses.)

> x Cyberman. e.

Control Room (the Cybermen one)

> x panel. pull lever. (The trap door is unlocked.)

The door handle is cold. You must be wearing the gloves to open the door.

> open door.

> n.

Northern Room

> x sarcophagus. x trunk. take hand.

> s. d.

Corridor (below control room)

> x pad. x lights.

> touch pad. (The red light lights up briefly.)

> touch pad with hand. (The door opens.)

> e.

Cell

> give ring to Doctor. (+10)

> return.

Control Room

*** You have won ***


Extras

ASCII art

There's an in-game map that uses ASCII art:

[A]---[B]--[C]
|
|
[D]---[E]---[F]
| O
|
[G]

Characters

Allies and former selves:

Foes:

Found dead:


Credits

The credits are accessed via the ABOUT command:

About the author

David Burke has been a Doctor Who fan for over twenty-five years, since seeing the first episode of Mind of Evil at the age of six. He has been a fan of interactive fiction for over fifteen years, since playing a Scott Adams game.
He started work on this game in GFA Basic on the Amiga back in 1993. It was restarted in Inform in mid-1997.

Comments and bug reports are welcomed at
email redacted.

Credits

Doctor Who is the copyright of the BBC.
This game written in Inform, a system for designing adventure games written by Graham Nelson.
The coding was performed on UltraEdit-32 by Ian Mead.
Special thanks go to my Beta Testers.


Endings


Inventory

You have inventory limits, so I suggest dropping unneeded things in your control room until you obtain the black case which can hold everything else.

Items found in the Tardis
Items found in the Toyland
Items found on Skaro
Items found on the Islands
Items found on Mars
Items found on Escherworld
Items found on Telos

Score

The response to SCORE is:

You have so far scored your-score out of a possible 60, in several turns.

Points are awarded as follows:


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