Ghost Town

It was during the great gold rush of 1849 that thousands deserted their homes and families to venture out West with the greedy intention of striking it rich. Only a handful made the dream reality. But most ultimately drifted away, poorer than the day they heard the rumor of "gold in them thar hills." Yeah, and my great grandfather, Dawson P. Dillard, just happened to be one of them. Fortunately, he survived the journey, but he sure as heck didn't bring back any gold. The only thing he did bring back was a darn good story. It's supposed to be a family secret, but since I'm not the dventuring type, I'm going to let you in on it.

Great Grandpappy, known as Alleycat to most, grew up in Nashville, Tennessee. He spent the biggest part of his younger days bunking in the saloons on Printers Alley. Since gambling was his primary source of income, he often went days without a decent meal. Just when Great Grandpappy was about to surrender his precarious ways and take a job with the railroad, the news of gold discoveries in the mountains out West made it back to Nashville.

Well, Grand pappy figured he wasn't going to get rich working for the railroad, and since he had made up his mind to swing a pick and a hammer anyway, he thought he might as well do it searching for gold. So one night, after a drunken barhouse brawl, Great Grandpappy found himself a partner, and the two of them got on their horses, left Nashville and headed for California. It took the prospectors-to-be nearly six months to cross the vast prairies of the Midwest. When they reached the Amargosa Valley of Nevada, the two weary travelers boarded a room in the little town that had sprung up near the foot of the mining hills. Amargosa Valley certainly wasn't the friendliest place they had ever visited. But what could be expected in a town full of thievish, cutthroat gold seekers. In fact, there were so many killings occurring over gold claims that the digger getting the richest was the undertaker, who kept busy burying the greedy stiffs.

Regardless, the two Tennessee whippersnappers stuck it out and spent months mining those hills. And, just as frustration was about to get the best of them, they hit a pocket of gold that was certain to bring a couple of good-sized ingots. You can bet they knew that keeping their discovery to themselves was essential if they expected to get their fortune out of town. Nevertheless, that night, while celebrating at the poker table, some good old Kentucky straight whiskey got the best of them and they let the cat out of the bag. The minute the three gold-thieving thugs at the bar got wind of it, the two Tennessee wisenheimers were given an ultimatum to sacrifice their gold or their lives. If there was one thing Great Grandpappy loved more than gold, it was living. So he gave up his find. His partner, however, was a little more stubborn and a lot less cooperative. He claimed to have hidden his gold where it could never be found and vowed to never tell them or anyone where it was, no matter what they did to him. His bullheadedness didn't pay off. The poor guy was buried in the cemetery of what is now nothing but a deserted ghost town. But he did keep his promise, and no one ever found his gold.

Of course there's nothing stopping you from trying, my friend -if you think you're game enough. You'll have to travel through the desert to reach Amargosa Valley, but I know how you like a good Adventure. I wouldn't get your hopes

up though. Sure, you will probably be able to find the ghost town easy enough, but finding the gold and staying alive... there's the rub.

As in most Adventures, if you LOOK at everything, you will gather various clues and treasures en route to the gold. You must drink occasionally or you will die of thirst. And, the more inventory you carry, the quicker you will need water, so travel light.

To travel through Ghost Town, use the single-key directional commands of N (North), S (South), E (East), W (West), U (Up) and D (Down). Two-word commands are also accepted and may be abbreviated by using only the first three letters of the verb and noun. For example, either OPEN DOOR or OPE DOO may be used. And, to free your mind for solving the Adventure, a verb list will be displayed each time an incorrect verb is entered.

Ghost Town can be solved in as few as 31 moves or you can wander for hundreds of moves and find all sorts of fun things. The number of moves made is displayed on the screen at all times. There are many ways to die, however, so try to keep your sense of humor.