The BBC and Master Computer Public Domain Library
PHILOSOPHER'S QUEST
Professional, Originally Released On DFS 1900 Disc
Game Type : Text Adventure; Disc-based; Revamp Of Earlier Title
Authors : Peter Killworth
Standalone Release(s) : 1987: PHILOSOPHER'S QUEST, Topologika, £9.95
Compilation Release(s) : None
Stated compatibility : Electron
Actual compatibility : Electron, BBC B, B+ and Master 128
Supplier : TOPOLOGIKA, 1 South Harbour, Harbour Village, Penryn,
CORNWALL TR10 8LR
Disc compatibility : CDFS 1900, DFS 1900
Instructions
About The Author...
By profession a theoretical research oceanographer - and an occasional anthropologist and magician - PETER KILLWORTH fell in love with adventures when he discovered 'Colossal Cave'. His own first attempt at this new art form ('Philosopher's Quest', originally published by ACORNSOFT) sold 25,000 copies.
'The programming,' he recalls, 'was totally functional, and fairly crude by my current standards. But the plot and puzzles were good. It's very easy to write a bad adventure (it just needs hard work); but a good one needs plotting like a novel, the appropriate writing skills, and the ability to create new puzzle types instead of just repeating old patterns'.
His family occasionally see him away from his computer terminal at home. They do NOT play adventure games.
About The Adventure...
Magic wands can be dangerous things.
The one you found in the junk shop off Market Street was no exception. It was a mistake to wave it at all, let alone while the old shopkeeper's back was turned...
Instantly the atmosphere turned inside out, taking you with it.
Then it swirled back again, dumping you back inside the shop - but a strangely altered shop indeed... No windows, precious little stock - and no shopkeeper either! You were in part of a cave system...
"Go and seek the treasure, mortal, and bring it back here in payment for the misuse of my wand..."
GAME SIZE: Compact, but with unexpected twists.
RATING: Difficult.
Also From TOPOLOGIKA...
'ACHETON' by Jon Thackray, David Seal and Jonathan Partington
A mysterious body - known only as The Ruling Council of Acheton - has issued a challenge to life-forms everywhere: "We hereby challenge the greatest adventurers in the universe to uncover the dread secrets of our Realm. Deeds of heroic valour will be required, and feats of intellect that Newton and Einstein would have boggled at... The rewards will be great: riches immense, and power supernatural, and the knowledge that you have succeeded where thousands have failed."
GAME SIZE: Expansive, with a wide range and very high standard of problems.
RATING: A real challenge.
Magic wands can be dangerous things. The one you found in the junk shop off Market Street was no exception. It was a mistake to wave it while the cranky old shopkeeper's back was turned... Instantly the atmosphere turned inside out, taking you with it. Then it twisted back again, dumping you back inside the shop - but a strangely altered shop indeed... No windows, precious little stock - and no shopkeeper either! You were in part of a cave system, to judge from the granite-grey walls, ceiling and floor.
As you paused, uncertain what to do, a voice seemed to weasel its way into your mind, crawling between the wet layers of flesh and skull:
"Go and see the treasure, mortal, and bring it back here in payment for the misuse of my wand. You will need every ounce of cunning to deal with the serpent in the Garden of Eden, the ancient mariner, the invalid old lady, the whale, and myriad other problems too difficult to mention.
"A word of warning - it is dangerous to travel in the dark!
"One final thing - READ MY NOTICE!"
As the words began to fade from your conscious mind, the temporary paralysis that had gripped your limbs since you waved the wand eased, and you began to realise that what happened now was up to you...
Help Sheet
PHILOSOPHER'S QUEST comes with on-line help which you get into by typing HELP <RETURN>. The program will halt and wait for you to type in a number so that it knows which 'hint' you want. You therefore need to know which numbers refer to which hints.
The following pages of this Hint Sheet contain a series of questions that players typically ask, like 'How do I find anything underwater?'
Various 'key words' have been deleted from these questions - making it harder to accidentally see the solutions to other questions - and are reproduced below.
The numbers alongside the words refer to the questions. The number that follows each question is the number to key for that particular hint. Good luck!
ALBATROSS 3 GRAVEYARD 19 SEA 44
AREA 15,23,50 INK 21 SHOP 36
BABEL 4 JUICES 18 SLAB 38
BATTERY 7 LADY 17,22,29,37 SNAKE 39
BENDS 6 45 SOLICITOR 28
BLACH 43 LAMP 30 SOURCE 53
BUCKET 38,52 LIGHT 23,53 STOMACH 42
CHEESE 8 MARINER 7,12 TEA 29
CUPBOARD 44 MAZE 16 TIME 30
DANGER 9,49 MOUSE 26 TOOTH 40
DARK 10 OBJECT 20,36,47 TREASURE 27,48
DOG 1,11,17,22 OCTOPUS 27 UNDERWATER 2,41
37,46,51 OFFICE 28 WALK 33
DOOR 32 PAINT 31 WATER 35
EDEN 13,50 PANTRY 32 WEIGHTS 52
ELEPHANT 14,19 PASSAGES 25 WHALE 16,42
FRUIT 39 PLANK 5,33 WILL 45
GAME 24 POINT 24 YOU 15,23
GARDEN 13 PORTCULLIS 34
GASTRIC 18 ROOM 9,49
Hint
1 How do I find the old lady's ***? 43
2 How do I see **********? 16
3 How can I drop the *********? 39
4 How do I do anything in *****? 22
5 How do I walk the full length of the *****? 21
6 How do I avoid getting the *****? 30
7 How do I avoid losing almost all my ******* time when I
visit the *******? 36
8 How can I get past the ******? 15
9 How can I stay alive in the ****** **** the first time? 19
10 Why do I keep dying in the ****? 2
11 How can I find the old lady's ***? 31
12 How do I get past the ********? 34
13 How do I get out of the ****** of ****? 33
14 How do I get past the ********? 27
15 How can I escape the '*** don't exist' ****? 37
16 How do I get out of the ***** ****? 26
17 How can I ensure that the old ****'s *** stays alive? 35
18 How do I avoid being dissolved by ******* ******? 29
19 How do I get back safely from the ********s' *********? 32
20 How do I lift heavy ******s? 5
21 How can I get the ***? 6
22 How can I get back to the old **** after getting her ***
down safely? 41
23 How can I get ***** again after escaping the '*** don't
exist' ****? 40
24 How do I finish the **** and get the last *****? 50
25 I don't understand the M. E. ******** 11
26 How can I pick up the *****? 24
27 How do I get the ******** chest from the *******? 23
28 What use is the *********'s ******? 4
29 How can I get the **** her ***? 14
30 How do I avoid running out of **** ****? 51
31 How do I use the *****? 47
32 How do I open the ****** ****? 7
33 How do I stay alive when ****ing the *****? 8
34 How do I get past the **********? 12
35 How do I enter the ***** safely? 10
36 How do I get more than two ******s out of the ****? 1
37 How do I find the old ****'s fourth ***? 44
38 How do I get the **** out to the ****** without dying in
the ****? 13
39 What do I do with the ***** and the *****? 25
40 How do I take the ***** safely? 28
41 How do I find anything **********? 17
42 How can I get dry things into the *****'s *******? 20
43 What use is the word *****? 49
44 How do I open the *** ********? 18
45 How do I make the old ****'s **** valuable? 48
46 How do I find the old lady's second ***? 42
47 How do I enquire about the use of an ******? 52
48 How can I locate an item of ********? 53
49 How do I stay alive in the ****** **** the second time? 45
50 How do I get out of the **** outside ****? 38
51 How do I find the old lady's fifth ***? 46
52 How do I get the heavy ******* into the ******? 9
53 How do I find a ***** ******? 3
========================================================================
"PHILOSOPHER'S QUEST" (C) Peter Killworth. Published by TOPOLOGIKA 1987
Instructions' Source : PHILOSOPHER'S QUEST (Topologika) Back and Inner Inlay
Review (Electron User) - "Old Favourite Revamped"
This adventure was originally published by Acornsoft in 1982 and sold 25,000 copies on tape and disc. You would imagine therefore, that there seemed little point in another company re-releasing it, as most respectable adventurers would already have a copy of the original.
However, it has been totally rewritten by its author, Peter Killworth, and in many respects is a different game from its predecessor.
PHILOSOPHER'S QUEST is now in disc form only, which means it is much larger with extra locations and a thicker layer of atmosphere, thanks to more detailed room descriptions.
The constant disc access slows down responses, but that gives you more time to think. PHILOSOPHER'S QUEST is not a difficult adventure by the standards of, say, ACHETON, but you will need to do a lot of head-scratching.
Magic wands can be dangerous things. The one you found in the junk shop off Market Street was no exception. It was a mistake to wave it while the cranky old shopkeeper's back was turned. One wave of that wand and you have been transported into a parallel existence in the same shop on another plane in a complex of caves.
A voice echoes in your mind: "Go and seek the treasure, mortal, and bring it back here in payment for the misuse of my wand. You will need every ounce of cunning to deal with the serpent in the Garden of Eden, the ancient mariner, and myriad other problems too difficult to mention".
So the scenario is set, leaving you as the hero to think, and, having thought, to act and think again.
All the familiar characters are still in the adventure - the old lady who has lost her dogs, the albatross and the whale - but the order in which you solve the game has changed quite dramatically. The M. E. passages are still bound to fox you and the solicitor's office will require a visit or two.
A novel and intelligent addition to this game is the facility to construct your own database disc and thus save ware and tear on the original copy. The game also comes with an excellent hint booklet, a leaflet all about playing adventure games and marvellous packaging.
PHILOSOPHER'S QUEST should appeal to a wide adventure-buying public. Whether or not you have played the original Acornsoft version of this game, I recommend this revamped escapade without reservation.
Presentation ................... 10
Atmosphere ...................... 9
Frustration factor .............. 8
Value for money ................. 8
Overall ......................... 9
Pendragon, ELECTRON USER 5. 8