In this western game, you play as a cowboy named Kenneth Johnson. After Cortez and his gang of bandits raided your ranch, left you for dead, and abducted your wife and daughter, you pursued them into the desert. But now your faithful horse lies dead and you must continue on foot, with only your wits and your revolver to protect you.
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.
The desert is a mini-maze, but this is the quickest way through:
> s. w. s. s.
Southern Outskirts of Desert
> x tracks. x depresssion.
> e.
Depression
CAUTION: Taking the skull is fatal!
> x skull. shoot skull. look.
> x mineral. take it.
> x snake. x bone.
> w. s.
Eastern Trail Out of Desert
> x stagecoach. x writing.
> s.
Inside Stagecoach
> x seats. search seats.
> x bottle. take it.
> n. w.
Western Trail Out of Desert
> x boulders. x bushes. x cacti.
> w.
East Bank of Kaywannah River
> drink water.
> x river. x barge. x ferryman.
> talk to ferryman.
> ask him about river. ask him about barge.
> ask him about Cortez.
> e. n.
South End of Canyon
> x path. w.(no: not enough energy)
> n.
Middle of Canyon
> x cougar. shoot it. x it.
> n.
North End of Canyon
> x flowers. w. w.
Indian Village
> x Indians. give mineral to Indians.
They are now friendly. Their shaman asks you to tell him whom you seek with hatred.
> x shaman. tell him about Cortez.
He tells you Cortez and his gang are on the other side of the river. He gives you a pouch containing a powder of death. You are also given a meal and you've regained your strength.
> x hogan.
> x pouch. open it. x powder. close pouch.
> e. e. s. s. w.
Old Mine Entrance
> x miner.
> give bottle to him.(You get a gold nugget in exchange.)
> x rifle. x gold. x mine.
> e. s. w.
East Bank of Kaywannah River
> give gold to ferryman.
> w. w.
Clearing
> x tracks. n.
Above Cortez's Hideout
> listen.
> x horses. x saddles. x blankets.
> x bags. open bags.
Don't bother taking the canteen. Let it stay in the bags while you mess with it.
> x canteen. open canteen.
> open pouch. take powder. put it in canteen.
> close bags.
> s.
Clearing
You automatically wait for one of the bandits to get the canteen and return to camp.
> n.
Above Cortez's Hideout
> listen.(Someone's calling you.)
> e.
The bandits are dead. You rescue your wife and daughter. You consider running for sheriff.
*** You have won ***
Extras
Characters
A ferryman is by his barge on the bank of the river. He will ferry you across for a fee.
A cougar prowls the middle of the canyon and regards you with a hungry grin.
Indian warriors of a Navajo tribe don't like intruders into their village.
A shaman will help you in exchange for the gift of the rare mineral.
An old miner lives at the entrance of an old gold mine, and he doesn't take kindly to strangers.
Four horses belonging to the bandits are tethered to some bushes above their hideout.
Cameos:
Sarah is your wife and Betty is your daughter. You're reunited with them when you rescue them at game's end.
Pablo Cortez and his gang of bandits can be heard in their camp. One of them is briefly seen taking the canteen, and you find them all dead shortly afterwards.
A rattlesnake lurks inside the bison skull. If you pick up the skull, it bites you, but if you shoot the skull, you kill the snake.
A vulture may be seen flying above the desert.
A coyote might be heard barking in the desert.
A bug might scitter across the desert in front of you.
Yosemite Sam appears if you say XYZZY.
Found dead:
Your dead horse died in the desert because of the heat and exhaustion. It was foolish of you to pursue the bandits on your own and in such a rush.
A bison skull lies at the depression.
Credits
This is the response to CREDITS:
Original concept, game design and coding by Bonaventura Di Bello with technical collaboration from Max Di Bello.
English translation by Gianluca Girelli.
Game redesign and coding by Gianluca Girelli with assistance from Garry Francis.
Play testing by Garry Francis, Ruggero Simoncelli, Piergiorgio D'Errico, Jade, improvmonster, Robert Eggleston, and RJ Kowalski.
Endings
You have died
if you pick up the bison skull. The rattlesnake inside bites you.
if you attempt to swim across the river. The strong current and cold water overwhelms you and you drown.
if the cougar kills you.
if the Indians kill you by staying too long unwelcome in their village.
if the old miner kills you by staying too long unwelcome at the mine entrance.
if you try to shoot the old miner. He's much faster than you.
if you foolishly enter the bandit camp before they're dead.
You have failed
if you shoot the ferryman, whichever bank he's on.
You have won
if you kill the bandits and rescue your family.
Inventory
your clothes. You're wearing them.
Leave them on and ignore them.
a revolver. It's in your dead horse's saddle bag.
Examine it; it has six bullets.
At the depression, shoot the bison skull to both kill the rattlesnake and reveal the mineral.
In the middle of the canyon, shoot the cougar, using up two more bullets.
a mineral. Find it at the depression by shooting the bison skull with your revolver.
At the Indian village, give the mineral to the Indians. They're now friendly, and you're now talking to their shaman.
a bottle. Find it by searching the seats inside the stagecoach.
You are unwilling to drink the whiskey.
At the old mine entrance, give the bottle to the miner. He gives you a gold nugget in exchange.
a leather pouch containing some poison powder. The shaman at the Indian Village gives it to you after you tell him about Pablo Cortez.
a gold nugget. At the old mine entrance, the miner gives the gold to you in exchange for the bottle.
At the east bank of the Kaywannah River, give the gold to the ferryman. You can now cross the river as often as you like.
a canteen containing some water. At above Cortez's Hideout, the canteen is in the bandits' saddle bags.
Put the poison into the canteen (automatically closing the canteen), put the canteen back into the bags, close the saddle bags, and retreat to the south end of the clearing. The bandits take the canteen. You can now enter the bandit camp, rescue your family, and win the game.
