¢ o=o=o=o=o=¢¢ The Gold Mine and the Princess¢ William A. Austin¢¢ The object of the game is to find¢ enough gold to buy cattle at auction.¢ Get enough cattle, and you can marry¢ the king's daughter. Your only¢ source of gold, however, is the¢ ancient gold mine not far from the¢ village, abandoned years ago when a¢ monster appeared. No one is certain¢ if the Beast of the Deep is still in¢ the mine, but the mine is definitely¢ dangerous, falling apart and now the¢ home of rats, bats and the fearsome¢ shaft wolves.¢¢ Adding to your problems, the princess¢ has demands, too. You must first¢ toll the Bell of Wondrous Things, and¢ give her the diamond ring reportedly¢ hidden in the mine, before the king¢ will even consider your proposal of¢ marriage.¢¢ HOW TO PLAY¢¢ The game has two main parts, the¢ village and the mine. In the¢ village, an on-screen menu will guide¢ you. In the mine, press [H] for a¢ HELP screen listing possible¢ commands.¢¢ IN THE VILLAGE¢¢ The village offers you the¢ opportunity to rest and recover from¢ injuries, rat-bite fever or poisoning¢ (usually, one rest period alone will¢ not cure you completely.) You may¢ also inspect your herd, and see its¢ current market value. Births may add¢ to your herd, and rustlers may¢ subtract a few cows.¢¢ You will also have the chance to hide¢ your money before returning to the¢ mine -- a good way to foil thieves.¢¢ TREASURES and PITFALLS¢ At the beginning your character is¢ quite weak, but every action taken¢ adds to your strength. At first, you¢ will not be able to carry much gold,¢ or remain very long in the cave¢ before you begin to experience¢ breathing problems.¢¢ The deeper you go in the mine, the¢ more likely you are to find ore. If¢ you look for gold at a given level,¢ and do not find any, try again.¢ Repeated searching may result in¢ success.¢¢ MAGIC ITEMS¢¢ The GOLD BEETLE will "sniff out" gold¢ for you.¢¢ The GOLDEN PICKAXE will enable you to¢ dig out ore in ten times the normal¢ amount.¢¢ The EMERALD COW, when carried,¢ changes the size of your herd. As¢ you go down into the maze you'll gain¢ cows (One for level one, two for¢ level two, etc.) The reverse is true¢ as you ascend.¢¢ The WIZARD will cast a spell on you.¢ The unpredictable effects last until¢ a puff of blue smoke indicates that¢ the spell has expired.¢¢ The RUBY AMULET protects you from¢ spells.¢¢ A lucky CAT'S EYE NECKLACE will help¢ you avoid disasters such as traps and¢ falling rocks.¢¢ The BONE RING protects you from¢ oxygen deprivation.¢¢ RED FUNGUS cures rat-bite fever.¢¢ GREEN FUNGUS neutralizes poisons.¢¢ BLACK FUNGUS transports you to the¢ 25th level, the very bottom of the¢ cave.¢¢ WHITE FUNGUS transports you back to¢ the Village.¢¢ GREEN GAS is very poisonous.¢¢ RED GAS will absorb oxygen from your¢ system.¢¢ PURPLE GAS will cause you to wander¢ aimlessly.¢¢ YELLOW GAS dissolves any gold you¢ have on you.¢¢ A magical CANARY protects you from¢ the effects of any of the gases as¢ long he perches on your shoulder.¢¢ The SHAFT WOLF may bite or just¢ wander by. Rarely, he will elect to¢ accompany you, frightening away any¢ other animals.¢¢ VISIONS can have results ranging from¢ added wealth to instant death.¢¢ CAVE GOBLINS react in various ways,¢ but encounters are rarely¢ beneficial.¢¢ The BELL will perform a number of¢ unpredictable actions when rung. It¢ cannot be instantly rerung.¢¢ Various SACKS, CHESTS and BOXES may¢ contain desireable objects. Some,¢ however, are protected by explosive¢ traps.¢¢ When you offer your herd to the king¢ he will consider the current market¢ value of the collection, and not just¢ how many head are there. If you¢ bother the king with repeated pleas¢ to accept your cows, or insult him¢ with a small offering, he can became¢ rather irritable.¢¢ If you die without gaining the¢ princess, you can find out how close¢ you got by pressing the [SPACE BAR].¢¢ o=o=o=o=o=¢¢¢
