Level 9 Computing

Adventure Quest

Adventure Quest

BBC Microcomputer System - Released - 1983

The sequel to Colossal Adventure is an interactive fiction game with a VERB NOUN interface. The fantasy setting takes a clear influence from Lord of the Rings. After centuries of harmony, Middle Earth has hit problems due to a cataclysmic sequence of events - a crop failure leading to animals turning violent, and then an attack from a mysterious enemy to the north. The evil Demon Lord Alagiarept is discovered to be responsible, and as such the Wizards are given a week to beat him, before Middle Earth must surrender. You play a rookie magician with Meditation, Mysticism and Moneymaking skills. While the main war goes on, you attempt a much bolder mission - locate the four Stones-of-the-Elements and the Medallion of Life to enter Alagiarept's Dark Tower and kill him. Your quest will take you through Beaches, Moors and Rocky Outcrops, as well as more specific locations such as the Pillar in the Desert, the Cave of the Sun-Dial and the Mills of God. Wolves, skeletal hands, sharks and octopuses must be dealt with.

Adventure Quest

Adventure Quest

Amstrad CPC - Released - 1984

The sequel to Colossal Adventure is an interactive fiction game with a VERB NOUN interface. The fantasy setting takes a clear influence from Lord of the Rings. After centuries of harmony, Middle Earth has hit problems due to a cataclysmic sequence of events - a crop failure leading to animals turning violent, and then an attack from a mysterious enemy to the north. The evil Demon Lord Alagiarept is discovered to be responsible, and as such the Wizards are given a week to beat him, before Middle Earth must surrender. You play a rookie magician with Meditation, Mysticism and Moneymaking skills. While the main war goes on, you attempt a much bolder mission - locate the four Stones-of-the-Elements and the Medallion of Life to enter Alagiarept's Dark Tower and kill him. Your quest will take you through Beaches, Moors and Rocky Outcrops, as well as more specific locations such as the Pillar in the Desert, the Cave of the Sun-Dial and the Mills of God. Wolves, skeletal hands, sharks and octopuses must be dealt with.

Adventure Quest

Adventure Quest

Sinclair ZX Spectrum - Released - 1983

The sequel to Colossal Adventure is an interactive fiction game with a VERB NOUN interface. The fantasy setting takes a clear influence from Lord of the Rings. After centuries of harmony, Middle Earth has hit problems due to a cataclysmic sequence of events - a crop failure leading to animals turning violent, and then an attack from a mysterious enemy to the north. The evil Demon Lord Alagiarept is discovered to be responsible, and as such the Wizards are given a week to beat him, before Middle Earth must surrender. You play a rookie magician with Meditation, Mysticism and Moneymaking skills. While the main war goes on, you attempt a much bolder mission - locate the four Stones-of-the-Elements and the Medallion of Life to enter Alagiarept's Dark Tower and kill him. Your quest will take you through Beaches, Moors and Rocky Outcrops, as well as more specific locations such as the Pillar in the Desert, the Cave of the Sun-Dial and the Mills of God. Wolves, skeletal hands, sharks and octopuses must be dealt with.

Adventure Quest

Adventure Quest

Atari 800 - Released - 1983

The sequel to Colossal Adventure is an interactive fiction game with a VERB NOUN interface. The fantasy setting takes a clear influence from Lord of the Rings. After centuries of harmony, Middle Earth has hit problems due to a cataclysmic sequence of events - a crop failure leading to animals turning violent, and then an attack from a mysterious enemy to the north. The evil Demon Lord Alagiarept is discovered to be responsible, and as such the Wizards are given a week to beat him, before Middle Earth must surrender. You play a rookie magician with Meditation, Mysticism and Moneymaking skills. While the main war goes on, you attempt a much bolder mission - locate the four Stones-of-the-Elements and the Medallion of Life to enter Alagiarept's Dark Tower and kill him. Your quest will take you through Beaches, Moors and Rocky Outcrops, as well as more specific locations such as the Pillar in the Desert, the Cave of the Sun-Dial and the Mills of God. Wolves, skeletal hands, sharks and octopuses must be dealt with.

Adventure Quest

Adventure Quest

Commodore 64 - Released - 1983

The sequel to Colossal Adventure is an interactive fiction game with a VERB NOUN interface. The fantasy setting takes a clear influence from Lord of the Rings. After centuries of harmony, Middle Earth has hit problems due to a cataclysmic sequence of events - a crop failure leading to animals turning violent, and then an attack from a mysterious enemy to the north. The evil Demon Lord Alagiarept is discovered to be responsible, and as such the Wizards are given a week to beat him, before Middle Earth must surrender. You play a rookie magician with Meditation, Mysticism and Moneymaking skills. While the main war goes on, you attempt a much bolder mission - locate the four Stones-of-the-Elements and the Medallion of Life to enter Alagiarept's Dark Tower and kill him. Your quest will take you through Beaches, Moors and Rocky Outcrops, as well as more specific locations such as the Pillar in the Desert, the Cave of the Sun-Dial and the Mills of God. Wolves, skeletal hands, sharks and octopuses must be dealt with.

Colossal Adventure

Colossal Adventure

Commodore 64 - Released - 1983

Colossal Adventure takes its cue from the very earliest mainframe text adventures. Our hero must rescue the elves and find fifteen pieces of treasure. There are many dark areas, so lights and batteries are at a premium. Be careful of vicious dwarves, who can be killed using axes. You can carry up to four objects at a time; the useful ones include a newspaper, keys and sandwiches. The vocabulary includes saying spell names, DROPping items to stay within the carrying limit (and for other specific reasons), CATCHing a bird, and standard directions plus IN and OUT.

Colossal Adventure

Colossal Adventure

BBC Microcomputer System - Released - 1983

Colossal Adventure is a complete, full size version of the classic mainframe text adventure game "Adventure", with all the treasures,creatures, rooms and puzzles of the original. It was written by Pete, Mike and Nick Austin, based on the original "Adventure" game by Willie Crowther and Don Woods. It is part 1 of the Middle Earth (aka Jewels of Darkness) Trilogy.

Colossal Adventure

Colossal Adventure

Microsoft MSX - Released - 1986

Colossal Adventure is a complete, full-size version of the classic mainframe game 'Adventure' with all the treasures, creatures, rooms and puzzles of the original. This game was the first of the Jewels of Darkness Trilogy, the other two being Adventure Quest and Dungeon Adventure.

Colossal Adventure

Colossal Adventure

Amstrad CPC - Released - 1984

Colossal Adventure takes its cue from the very earliest mainframe text adventures. Our hero must rescue the elves and find fifteen pieces of treasure. There are many dark areas, so lights and batteries are at a premium. Be careful of vicious dwarves, who can be killed using axes. You can carry up to four objects at a time; the useful ones include a newspaper, keys and sandwiches. The vocabulary includes saying spell names, DROPping items to stay within the carrying limit (and for other specific reasons), CATCHing a bird, and standard directions plus IN and OUT.

Colossal Adventure

Colossal Adventure

Atari 800 - 1983

Colossal Adventure takes its cue from the very earliest mainframe text adventures. Our hero must rescue the elves and find fifteen pieces of treasure. There are many dark areas, so lights and batteries are at a premium. Be careful of vicious dwarves, who can be killed using axes. You can carry up to four objects at a time; the useful ones include a newspaper, keys and sandwiches. The vocabulary includes saying spell names, DROPping items to stay within the carrying limit (and for other specific reasons), CATCHing a bird, and standard directions plus IN and OUT.

Dungeon Adventure

Dungeon Adventure

Memotech MTX512 - Released - 1984

Dungeon Adventure concludes Level 9's Middle Earth lineage of fantasy interactive fiction games (later reprogrammed with graphics in Jewels of Darkness). The player is searching for magical treasures within the Demon Lord's fortress, after his defeat in Adventure Quest. There are over 200 specific locations, including rooms within the tower and outdoor locations to navigate en route. Objects range from a coffin and a giant belt to nasty images and a packing case; also watch out for Orcs, Dwarves and other creatures. The parser's vocabulary contains all the standard terms - EXAMINE, TAKE, OPEN and FILL for example.

Dungeon Adventure

Dungeon Adventure

Commodore 64 - Released - 1983

Dungeon Adventure concludes Level 9's Middle Earth lineage of fantasy interactive fiction games (later reprogrammed with graphics in Jewels of Darkness). The player is searching for magical treasures within the Demon Lord's fortress, after his defeat in Adventure Quest. There are over 200 specific locations, including rooms within the tower and outdoor locations to navigate en route. Objects range from a coffin and a giant belt to nasty images and a packing case; also watch out for Orcs, Dwarves and other creatures. The parser's vocabulary contains all the standard terms - EXAMINE, TAKE, OPEN and FILL for example.

Dungeon Adventure

Dungeon Adventure

BBC Microcomputer System - Released - 1984

Dungeon Adventure concludes Level 9's Middle Earth lineage of fantasy interactive fiction games (later reprogrammed with graphics in Jewels of Darkness). The player is searching for magical treasures within the Demon Lord's fortress, after his defeat in Adventure Quest. There are over 200 specific locations, including rooms within the tower and outdoor locations to navigate en route. Objects range from a coffin and a giant belt to nasty images and a packing case; also watch out for Orcs, Dwarves and other creatures. The parser's vocabulary contains all the standard terms - EXAMINE, TAKE, OPEN and FILL for example.

Dungeon Adventure

Dungeon Adventure

Atari 800 - Released - 1983

Dungeon Adventure concludes Level 9's Middle Earth lineage of fantasy interactive fiction games (later reprogrammed with graphics in Jewels of Darkness). The player is searching for magical treasures within the Demon Lord's fortress, after his defeat in Adventure Quest. There are over 200 specific locations, including rooms within the tower and outdoor locations to navigate en route. Objects range from a coffin and a giant belt to nasty images and a packing case; also watch out for Orcs, Dwarves and other creatures. The parser's vocabulary contains all the standard terms - EXAMINE, TAKE, OPEN and FILL for example.

Dungeon Adventure

Dungeon Adventure

Microsoft MSX - Released - 1984

Dungeon Adventure concludes Level 9's Middle Earth lineage of fantasy interactive fiction games (later reprogrammed with graphics in Jewels of Darkness). The player is searching for magical treasures within the Demon Lord's fortress, after his defeat in Adventure Quest. There are over 200 specific locations, including rooms within the tower and outdoor locations to navigate en route. Objects range from a coffin and a giant belt to nasty images and a packing case; also watch out for Orcs, Dwarves and other creatures. The parser's vocabulary contains all the standard terms - EXAMINE, TAKE, OPEN and FILL for example.

Dungeon Adventure

Dungeon Adventure

Sinclair ZX Spectrum - 1983

Dungeon Adventure concludes Level 9's Middle Earth lineage of fantasy interactive fiction games (later reprogrammed with graphics in Jewels of Darkness). The player is searching for magical treasures within the Demon Lord's fortress, after his defeat in Adventure Quest. There are over 200 specific locations, including rooms within the tower and outdoor locations to navigate en route. Objects range from a coffin and a giant belt to nasty images and a packing case; also watch out for Orcs, Dwarves and other creatures. The parser's vocabulary contains all the standard terms - EXAMINE, TAKE, OPEN and FILL for example.

Dungeon Adventure

Camputers Lynx - Released - 1983

Dungeon Adventure concludes Level 9's Middle Earth lineage of fantasy interactive fiction games (later reprogrammed with graphics in Jewels of Darkness). The player is searching for magical treasures within the Demon Lord's fortress, after his defeat in Adventure Quest. There are over 200 specific locations, including rooms within the tower and outdoor locations to navigate en route. Objects range from a coffin and a giant belt to nasty images and a packing case; also watch out for Orcs, Dwarves and other creatures. The parser's vocabulary contains all the standard terms - EXAMINE, TAKE, OPEN and FILL for example.

Dungeon Adventure (Level 9)

Dungeon Adventure (Level 9)

Amstrad CPC - Released - 1984

Dungeon Adventure concludes Level 9's Middle Earth lineage of fantasy interactive fiction games (later reprogrammed with graphics in Jewels of Darkness). The player is searching for magical treasures within the Demon Lord's fortress, after his defeat in Adventure Quest. There are over 200 specific locations, including rooms within the tower and outdoor locations to navigate en route. Objects range from a coffin and a giant belt to nasty images and a packing case; also watch out for Orcs, Dwarves and other creatures. The parser's vocabulary contains all the standard terms - EXAMINE, TAKE, OPEN and FILL for example.

Emerald Isle

Emerald Isle

Sinclair ZX Spectrum - Released - 1985

You have been hired to deliver important documents across the Caribbean. Heavy winds take hold of your plane across the Bermuda Triangle. At the last moment, you parachute out, landing on a mysterious island known as Emerald Isle. It is said that no one ever returns from that place, but legend has that one person may be allowed to leave - the ruler of the island. The way to freedom is fraught with problems, of course, deadly predators and peculiar natives the least of them. The game is a text adventure utilizing Level 9's adventure system. The parser expects two- or three-word commands. On some systems, the game features graphics (more than 200 pictures).

Emerald Isle

Emerald Isle

Commodore 64 - Released - 1985

You have been hired to deliver important documents across the Caribbean. Heavy winds take hold of your plane across the Bermuda Triangle. At the last moment, you parachute out, landing on a mysterious island known as Emerald Isle. It is said that no one ever returns from that place, but legend has that one person may be allowed to leave - the ruler of the island. The way to freedom is fraught with problems, of course, deadly predators and peculiar natives the least of them. The game is a text adventure utilizing Level 9's adventure system. The parser expects two- or three-word commands. On some systems, the game features graphics (more than 200 pictures).

Emerald Isle

Emerald Isle

Microsoft MSX - Released - 1985

You have been hired to deliver important documents across the Caribbean. Heavy winds take hold of your plane across the Bermuda Triangle. At the last moment, you parachute out, landing on a mysterious island known as Emerald Isle. It is said that no one ever returns from that place, but legend has that one person may be allowed to leave - the ruler of the island. The way to freedom is fraught with problems, of course, deadly predators and peculiar natives the least of them. The game is a text adventure utilizing Level 9's adventure system. The parser expects two- or three-word commands. On some systems, the game features graphics (more than 200 pictures).

Emerald Isle

Emerald Isle

BBC Microcomputer System - Released - 1984

You have been hired to deliver important documents across the Caribbean. Heavy winds take hold of your plane across the Bermuda Triangle. At the last moment, you parachute out, landing on a mysterious island known as Emerald Isle. It is said that no one ever returns from that place, but legend has that one person may be allowed to leave - the ruler of the island. The way to freedom is fraught with problems, of course, deadly predators and peculiar natives the least of them. It is possible for the player to die in the game. If that happens they are resurrected elsewhere and retain all the posessions they had. The game is a text adventure utilizing Level 9's adventure system. The parser expects two- or three-word commands. On some systems, the game features graphics (more than 200 pictures).

Emerald Isle

Emerald Isle

Memotech MTX512 - Released - 1985

You have been hired to deliver important documents across the Caribbean. Heavy winds take hold of your plane across the Bermuda Triangle. At the last moment, you parachute out, landing on a mysterious island known as Emerald Isle. It is said that no one ever returns from that place, but legend has that one person may be allowed to leave - the ruler of the island. The way to freedom is fraught with problems, of course, deadly predators and peculiar natives the least of them. The game is a text adventure utilizing Level 9's adventure system. The parser expects two- or three-word commands. On some systems, the game features graphics (more than 200 pictures).

Emerald Isle

Emerald Isle

Atari 800 - Released - 1985

You have been hired to deliver important documents across the Caribbean. Heavy winds take hold of your plane across the Bermuda Triangle. At the last moment, you parachute out, landing on a mysterious island known as Emerald Isle. It is said that no one ever returns from that place, but legend has that one person may be allowed to leave - the ruler of the island. The way to freedom is fraught with problems, of course, deadly predators and peculiar natives the least of them. The game is a text adventure utilizing Level 9's adventure system. The parser expects two- or three-word commands. On some systems, the game features graphics (more than 200 pictures).

Emerald Isle

Emerald Isle

Amstrad CPC - Released - 1985

You have been hired to deliver important documents across the Caribbean. Heavy winds take hold of your plane across the Bermuda Triangle. At the last moment, you parachute out, landing on a mysterious island known as Emerald Isle. It is said that no one ever returns from that place, but legend has that one person may be allowed to leave - the ruler of the island. The way to freedom is fraught with problems, of course, deadly predators and peculiar natives the least of them. The game is a text adventure utilizing Level 9's adventure system. The parser expects two- or three-word commands. On some systems, the game features graphics (more than 200 pictures).

Gnome Ranger

Gnome Ranger

Amstrad CPC - Released - 1987

Ingrid Bottomlow stands out from her family of gnomes - she's a gifted student, with a degree from the Institute of Gnome Economics. As a result, they exile her using a teleporting spell, leaving her lost in the forest. It is your job to keep her safe in this interactive fiction game. The game is split into three tasks, broadly relating to animal, vegetable and mineral in that order. The first involves defeating an evil witch, the second is the Riddle of the Shrinking Teapot, and the third involves precious stones. Commands such as FOLLOW, FIND and GO TO make travelling the game world much easier, and put an emphasis on object-manipulation and character interaction, rather than map-making. Instructions can be issued to other characters, with words like THEN, FIND and GIVE to join them. This co-operation is essential to solve many puzzles, and takes place in a world where characters have their own aims and motives. There are BRIEF and VERBOSE modes of text. A running joke in the game is that the screen display adds a 'g' to the start of all words beginning with n - 'gnorth' and 'gnugget' for example. Graphics are included in the disk versions of the game, except in the ports for Atari 8-bit and Apple II, which are text-only on every media.

Gnome Ranger

Gnome Ranger

Sinclair ZX Spectrum - Released - 1987

Ingrid Bottomlow stands out from her family of gnomes - she's a gifted student, with a degree from the Institute of Gnome Economics. As a result, they exile her using a teleporting spell, leaving her lost in the forest. It is your job to keep her safe in this interactive fiction game. The game is split into three tasks, broadly relating to animal, vegetable and mineral in that order. The first involves defeating an evil witch, the second is the Riddle of the Shrinking Teapot, and the third involves precious stones. Commands such as FOLLOW, FIND and GO TO make travelling the game world much easier, and put an emphasis on object-manipulation and character interaction, rather than map-making. Instructions can be issued to other characters, with words like THEN, FIND and GIVE to join them. This co-operation is essential to solve many puzzles, and takes place in a world where characters have their own aims and motives. There are BRIEF and VERBOSE modes of text. A running joke in the game is that the screen display adds a 'g' to the start of all words beginning with n - 'gnorth' and 'gnugget' for example. Graphics are included in the disk versions of the game, except in the ports for Atari 8-bit and Apple II, which are text-only on every media.

Gnome Ranger

Gnome Ranger

Atari 800 - Released - 1987

Ingrid Bottomlow stands out from her family of gnomes - she's a gifted student, with a degree from the Institute of Gnome Economics. As a result, they exile her using a teleporting spell, leaving her lost in the forest. It is your job to keep her safe in this interactive fiction game. The game is split into three tasks, broadly relating to animal, vegetable and mineral in that order. The first involves defeating an evil witch, the second is the Riddle of the Shrinking Teapot, and the third involves precious stones. Commands such as FOLLOW, FIND and GO TO make travelling the game world much easier, and put an emphasis on object-manipulation and character interaction, rather than map-making. Instructions can be issued to other characters, with words like THEN, FIND and GIVE to join them. This co-operation is essential to solve many puzzles, and takes place in a world where characters have their own aims and motives. There are BRIEF and VERBOSE modes of text. A running joke in the game is that the screen display adds a 'g' to the start of all words beginning with n - 'gnorth' and 'gnugget' for example. Graphics are included in the disk versions of the game, except in the ports for Atari 8-bit and Apple II, which are text-only on every media.

Gnome Ranger

Gnome Ranger

BBC Microcomputer System - Released - 1987

Ingrid Bottomlow stands out from her family of gnomes - she's a gifted student, with a degree from the Institute of Gnome Economics. As a result, they exile her using a teleporting spell, leaving her lost in the forest. It is your job to keep her safe in this interactive fiction game. The game is split into three tasks, broadly relating to animal, vegetable and mineral in that order. The first involves defeating an evil witch, the second is the Riddle of the Shrinking Teapot, and the third involves precious stones. Commands such as FOLLOW, FIND and GO TO make travelling the game world much easier, and put an emphasis on object-manipulation and character interaction, rather than map-making. Instructions can be issued to other characters, with words like THEN, FIND and GIVE to join them. This co-operation is essential to solve many puzzles, and takes place in a world where characters have their own aims and motives. There are BRIEF and VERBOSE modes of text. A running joke in the game is that the screen display adds a 'g' to the start of all words beginning with n - 'gnorth' and 'gnugget' for example. Graphics are included in the disk versions of the game, except in the ports for Atari 8-bit and Apple II, which are text-only on every media.

Ingrid's Back

Ingrid's Back

Atari 800 - Released - 1988

Ingrid is Ingrid Bottomlow, the intellectual-but-clumsy gnome we met in Gnome Ranger. Her beloved home village Little Moaning is earmarked for a yuppie-friendly transformation by Jasper Quickbuck of Ridley's Manor. Ingrid has three cunning plans to stop him - producing a petition with everybody's signature, finding a more orthodox prevention method, and finally infiltrating Ridley's Manor itself by pretending to be a maid, and then finding proof that he's a dodgy geezer who should be locked up. These three quests can be played in any order, although they logically follow on from each other. She is accompanied by Flopsy the dog in the first 2 parts, and her cousin Daisy in the third. Ingrid's Back! uses the same game system as the original, and other contemporary Level 9 titles such as Knight Orc . Giving instructions to other characters (including Flopsy) and jumping around the map using GO TO and FOLLOW commands. A living and breathing world of people travelling, trading and relaxing underpins it all, and plays a part in most puzzles. The disk versions of the game contain graphics, the exception being the ports for Apple II and Atari 8-bit, which are text-only.

Ingrid's Back

Ingrid's Back

Amstrad CPC - Released - 1988

Ingrid is Ingrid Bottomlow, the intellectual-but-clumsy gnome we met in Gnome Ranger. Her beloved home village Little Moaning is earmarked for a yuppie-friendly transformation by Jasper Quickbuck of Ridley's Manor. Ingrid has three cunning plans to stop him - producing a petition with everybody's signature, finding a more orthodox prevention method, and finally infiltrating Ridley's Manor itself by pretending to be a maid, and then finding proof that he's a dodgy geezer who should be locked up. These three quests can be played in any order, although they logically follow on from each other. She is accompanied by Flopsy the dog in the first 2 parts, and her cousin Daisy in the third. Ingrid's Back! uses the same game system as the original, and other contemporary Level 9 titles such as Knight Orc . Giving instructions to other characters (including Flopsy) and jumping around the map using GO TO and FOLLOW commands. A living and breathing world of people travelling, trading and relaxing underpins it all, and plays a part in most puzzles. The disk versions of the game contain graphics, the exception being the ports for Apple II and Atari 8-bit, which are text-only.

Ingrid's Back!

Ingrid's Back!

Sinclair ZX Spectrum - Released - 1988

Ingrid is Ingrid Bottomlow, the intellectual-but-clumsy gnome we met in Gnome Ranger. Her beloved home village Little Moaning is earmarked for a yuppie-friendly transformation by Jasper Quickbuck of Ridley's Manor. Ingrid has three cunning plans to stop him - producing a petition with everybody's signature, finding a more orthodox prevention method, and finally infiltrating Ridley's Manor itself by pretending to be a maid, and then finding proof that he's a dodgy geezer who should be locked up. These three quests can be played in any order, although they logically follow on from each other. She is accompanied by Flopsy the dog in the first 2 parts, and her cousin Daisy in the third. Ingrid's Back! uses the same game system as the original, and other contemporary Level 9 titles such as Knight Orc . Giving instructions to other characters (including Flopsy) and jumping around the map using GO TO and FOLLOW commands. A living and breathing world of people travelling, trading and relaxing underpins it all, and plays a part in most puzzles.

Ingrid's Back!

Ingrid's Back!

BBC Microcomputer System - Released - 1988

Gnome Ranger II: Ingrid's Back! (known as just Ingrid's Back! on the game box cover) is a text adventure game by Level 9 and the sequel to Gnome Ranger A 3rd game to be called Gnome Ranger III: Gnome Free (or just Gnome Free) was written and designed, but was never programmed and released. Ingrid is Ingrid Bottomlow, the intellectual-but-clumsy gnome we met in Gnome Ranger. Her beloved home village Little Moaning is earmarked for a yuppie-friendly transformation by Jasper Quickbuck of Ridley's Manor. Ingrid has three cunning plans to stop him - producing a petition with everybody's signature, finding a more orthodox prevention method, and finally infiltrating Ridley's Manor itself by pretending to be a maid, and then finding proof that he's a dodgy geezer who should be locked up. These three quests can be played in any order, although they logically follow on from each other. She is accompanied by Flopsy the dog in the first 2 parts, and her cousin Daisy in the third. Ingrid's Back! uses the same game system as the original, and other contemporary Level 9 titles such as Knight Orc . Giving instructions to other characters (including Flopsy) and jumping around the map using GO TO and FOLLOW commands. A living and breathing world of people travelling, trading and relaxing underpins it all, and plays a part in most puzzles. The disk versions of the game contain graphics, the exception being the ports for Apple II and Atari 8-bit, which are text-only.

Ingrid's Back!

Ingrid's Back!

Commodore 64 - Released - January 1, 1988

Ingrid is Ingrid Bottomlow, the intellectual-but-clumsy gnome we met in Gnome Ranger. Her beloved home village Little Moaning is earmarked for a yuppie-friendly transformation by Jasper Quickbuck of Ridley's Manor. Ingrid has three cunning plans to stop him - producing a petition with everybody's signature, finding a more orthodox prevention method, and finally infiltrating Ridley's Manor itself by pretending to be a maid, and then finding proof that he's a dodgy geezer who should be locked up. These three quests can be played in any order, although they logically follow on from each other. She is accompanied by Flopsy the dog in the first 2 parts, and her cousin Daisy in the third. Ingrid's Back! uses the same game system as the original, and other contemporary Level 9 titles such as Knight Orc . Giving instructions to other characters (including Flopsy) and jumping around the map using GO TO and FOLLOW commands. A living and breathing world of people travelling, trading and relaxing underpins it all, and plays a part in most puzzles. The disk versions of the game contain graphics, the exception being the ports for Apple II and Atari 8-bit, which are text-only.

Lords of Time

Lords of Time

Memotech MTX512 - Released - 1984

Doctor Who references are obvious in this adventure - you play a time travelling hero, who faces a group of Time Lords as they attempt to rewrite human history. To do this, you must collect nine objects which have an hourglass symbol on, from nine different time zones. You will encounter tigers and an Ice Queen in the Ice Age, a guard and a frog in the middle ages, a Cyberman in the future, and more mundane tasks in the present day. To enter different time zones, go into the grandfather clock in your home (the starting location) and activate one of the nine cogs. Lords of Time is played by typing commands to guide your character, moving in compass directions and with standard commands such as OPEN DOOR, GET GLASS and EXAMINE CAR. Objects you will encounter include keys, an emerald and a petrol can.

Lords of Time

Lords of Time

BBC Microcomputer System - Released - 1984

The first game in the Time and Magik trilogy. Doctor Who references are obvious in this adventure - you play a time travelling hero, who faces a group of Time Lords as they attempt to rewrite human history. To do this, you must collect nine objects which have an hourglass symbol on, from nine different time zones. You will encounter tigers and an Ice Queen in the Ice Age, a guard and a frog in the middle ages, a Cyberman in the future, and more mundane tasks in the present day. To enter different time zones, go into the grandfather clock in your home (the starting location) and activate one of the nine cogs. Lords of Time is played by typing commands to guide your character, moving in compass directions and with standard commands such as OPEN DOOR, GET GLASS and EXAMINE CAR. Objects you will encounter include keys, an emerald and a petrol can.

Lords of Time

Lords of Time

Commodore 64 - Released - 1983

The anonymous hero of the game (controlled by the player) appears to be a computer programmer in contemporary times. At the start of the game the hero is contacted by Father Time who sends the hero on a quest to recover nine treasures in order to defeat the machinations of the evil Time Lords. The game is divided into 9 eras of time (not including the starting section in the hero's living room), such as the 20th century, Ice Age, age of dinosaurs, Dark Ages, future, the Middle Ages, Tudor England and the Roman Empire. Due to the meddling of the Time Lords anachronisms abound, for example cavemen are found living in the same era as dinosaurs. Access to the nine different eras is via a grandfather clock that turns out to be a time machine in disguise. Hopefully you won't become the *master* of time.

Lords of Time

Lords of Time

Amstrad CPC - Released - 1984

Doctor Who references are obvious in this adventure - you play a time travelling hero, who faces a group of Time Lords as they attempt to rewrite human history. To do this, you must collect nine objects which have an hourglass symbol on, from nine different time zones. You will encounter tigers and an Ice Queen in the Ice Age, a guard and a frog in the middle ages, a Cyberman in the future, and more mundane tasks in the present day. To enter different time zones, go into the grandfather clock in your home (the starting location) and activate one of the nine cogs. Lords of Time is played by typing commands to guide your character, moving in compass directions and with standard commands such as OPEN DOOR, GET GLASS and EXAMINE CAR. Objects you will encounter include keys, an emerald and a petrol can.

Lords of Time

Lords of Time

Atari 800 - Released - 1983

Doctor Who references are obvious in this adventure - you play a time travelling hero, who faces a group of Time Lords as they attempt to rewrite human history. To do this, you must collect nine objects which have an hourglass symbol on, from nine different time zones. You will encounter tigers and an Ice Queen in the Ice Age, a guard and a frog in the middle ages, a Cyberman in the future, and more mundane tasks in the present day. To enter different time zones, go into the grandfather clock in your home (the starting location) and activate one of the nine cogs. Lords of Time is played by typing commands to guide your character, moving in compass directions and with standard commands such as OPEN DOOR, GET GLASS and EXAMINE CAR. Objects you will encounter include keys, an emerald and a petrol can.

Lords of Time

Lords of Time

Microsoft MSX - Released - 1983

Doctor Who references are obvious in this text adventure - you play a time travelling hero, who faces a group of Time Lords as they attempt to rewrite human history. To do this, you must collect nine objects which have an hourglass symbol on, from nine different time zones. You will encounter tigers and an Ice Queen in the Ice Age, a guard and a frog in the middle ages, a Cyberman in the future, and more mundane tasks in the present day. To enter different time zones, go into the grandfather clock in your home (the starting location) and activate one of the nine cogs. Lords of Time is played by typing commands to guide your character, moving in compass directions and with standard commands such as OPEN DOOR, GET GLASS and EXAMINE CAR. Objects you will encounter include keys, an emerald and a petrol can. This game was the first of the Time and Magik Trilogy, the other two being Red Moon and The Price of Magik.

Red Moon

Red Moon

Sinclair ZX Spectrum - Released - 1985

The Red Moon Crystal is the only source of Magik in the land, and stabilizes the forces of the world. This crystal has been stolen and as a result, the land has fallen into chaos. A single powerful magician is sent to rescue the Crystal from the castle where it's hidden. Red Moon is an graphical interactive fiction game. Players assume the role of the wizard on his quest to recover the crystal. They will have the use of many weapons and a dozen magical spells. Combat is a key element of the game: both the magician and enemy opponents have hit points, in the style of RPGs. Spellcasting requires certain objects to be collected, and many spells must also be cast on a specific target. Various objects will be found during the adventure, including garlic, pills and a mask.

Red Moon

Red Moon

Amstrad CPC - Released - 1985

The Red Moon Crystal is the only source of Magik in the land, and stabilizes the forces of the world. This crystal has been stolen and as a result, the land has fallen into chaos. A single powerful magician is sent to rescue the Crystal from the castle where it's hidden. Red Moon is an graphical interactive fiction game. Players assume the role of the wizard on his quest to recover the crystal. They will have the use of many weapons and a dozen magical spells. Combat is a key element of the game: both the magician and enemy opponents have hit points, in the style of RPGs. Spellcasting requires certain objects to be collected, and many spells must also be cast on a specific target. Various objects will be found during the adventure, including garlic, pills and a mask.

Red Moon

Red Moon

BBC Microcomputer System - Released - 1985

Red Moon is the second game in the Time and Magik Trilogy. The Red Moon Crystal is the only source of Magik in the land, and stabilizes the forces of the world. This crystal has been stolen and as a result, the land has fallen into chaos. A single powerful magician is sent to rescue the Crystal from the castle where it's hidden. Red Moon is an graphical interactive fiction game. Players assume the role of the wizard on his quest to recover the crystal. They will have the use of many weapons and a dozen magical spells. Combat is a key element of the game: both the magician and enemy opponents have hit points, in the style of RPGs. Spellcasting requires certain objects to be collected, and many spells must also be cast on a specific target. Various objects will be found during the adventure, including garlic, pills and a mask.

Red Moon

Red Moon

Atari 800 - Released - 1985

The Red Moon Crystal is the only source of Magik in the land, and stabilizes the forces of the world. This crystal has been stolen and as a result, the land has fallen into chaos. A single powerful magician is sent to rescue the Crystal from the castle where it's hidden. Red Moon is an graphical interactive fiction game. Players assume the role of the wizard on his quest to recover the crystal. They will have the use of many weapons and a dozen magical spells. Combat is a key element of the game: both the magician and enemy opponents have hit points, in the style of RPGs. Spellcasting requires certain objects to be collected, and many spells must also be cast on a specific target. Various objects will be found during the adventure, including garlic, pills and a mask.

Return to Eden

Return to Eden

BBC Microcomputer System - Released - 1984

This is part 2 of the Silicon Dreams Trilogy. The command robots of Snowball have found the colonisable planet Eden, and already set about colonising this lush verdant planet. Not easy though - native plants and animals have adapted and fought back at the threat to their territory. A walled area now encloses the city, which is crumbling around you. When Snowball 9 reaches the planet, Commander Kim Kimberley is filmed apparently committing a murder. As Kim, you must escape from the 'justice' of crazed robot droids. Snowball 9's landing is made dangerous due to the robots malfunctioning. Return to Eden is an interactive fiction game which sets you as Kim, and challenges you to enter and survive within the robot city. Strange and surreal outcomes about - what do you get when you plant a brick? The world includes a bank, a theme park, the Corridors of Power, and a Starbike.

Return to Eden

Return to Eden

Memotech MTX512 - Released - 1984

This is part 2 of the Silicon Dreams Trilogy. The command robots of Snowball have found the colonisable planet Eden, and already set about colonising this lush verdant planet. Not easy though - native plants and animals have adapted and fought back at the threat to their territory. A walled area now encloses the city, which is crumbling around you. When Snowball 9 reaches the planet, Commander Kim Kimberley is filmed apparently committing a murder. As Kim, you must escape from the 'justice' of crazed robot droids. Snowball 9's landing is made dangerous due to the robots malfunctioning. Return to Eden is an interactive fiction game which sets you as Kim, and challenges you to enter and survive within the robot city. Strange and surreal outcomes about - what do you get when you plant a brick? The world includes a bank, a theme park, the Corridors of Power, and a Starbike.

Return to Eden

Return to Eden

Amstrad CPC - Released - 1984

The command robots of Snowball have found the colonisable planet Eden, and already set about colonising this lush verdant planet. Not easy though - native plants and animals have adapted and fought back at the threat to their territory. A walled area now encloses the city, which is crumbling around you. When Snowball 9 reaches the planet, Commander Kim Kimberley is filmed apparently committing a murder. As Kim, you must escape from the 'justice' of crazed robot droids. Snowball 9's landing is made dangerous due to the robots malfunctioning. Return to Eden is an interactive fiction game which sets you as Kim, and challenges you to enter and survive within the robot city. Strange and surreal outcomes about - what do you get when you plant a brick? The world includes a bank, a theme park, the Corridors of Power, and a Starbike. Unlike its predecessor, it features graphics, with over 200 illustrative pictures featured. adds the ability to type while the screen is updating. Vocabulary is simplified - a new IT command refers to the last-mentioned object, and clothing can be WEAR'ed without being GET'ted first.

Return to Eden

Atari 800 - 1984

The command robots of Snowball have found the colonisable planet Eden, and already set about colonising this lush verdant planet. Not easy though - native plants and animals have adapted and fought back at the threat to their territory. A walled area now encloses the city, which is crumbling around you. When Snowball 9 reaches the planet, Commander Kim Kimberley is filmed apparently committing a murder. As Kim, you must escape from the 'justice' of crazed robot droids. Snowball 9's landing is made dangerous due to the robots malfunctioning. Return to Eden is an interactive fiction game which sets you as Kim, and challenges you to enter and survive within the robot city. Strange and surreal outcomes about - what do you get when you plant a brick? The world includes a bank, a theme park, the Corridors of Power, and a Starbike. Unlike its predecessor, it features graphics, with over 200 illustrative pictures featured. adds the ability to type while the screen is updating. Vocabulary is simplified - a new IT command refers to the last-mentioned object, and clothing can be WEAR'ed without being GET'ted first.

Scapeghost

Scapeghost

Atari 800 - Released - 1989

You were successful police officer Alan Chance, until you were killed during a raid on drug dealers, who managed to take a hostage in the process. People have assumed that you died as a result of your own mistakes. Now you have returned as a ghost, with psychic powers in place of your physical ones. Starting out at your own funeral, you must follow conversations to find clues. One early task is to find items which boost your physical abilities. You have help from other deceased beings, starting with pub owner Joe Danby. Scapeghost was Level 9's final adventure game, and it is in the same format as the existing ones, which makes for a text parser with additional graphics. Puzzles require instructions to be given to other characters. The game is split into 3 days, each of which can be played independently of each other - November Graveyard, Haunted House and Poltergeist.

Silicon Dreams

Silicon Dreams

Atari ST - Released - 1986

This interactive fiction game is a trilogy of the Level 9's adventures Snowball, Return to Eden, and Worm in Paradise. These had previously been released for some but not all of these systems. Silicon Dreams can be played as three separate games, but to obtain the maximum number of points, you must complete them in order (carrying your score from one adventure to the next). Snowball has graphics for the first time, and the other two games have more graphics than before, and some longer text descriptions are added to all 3 games. Snowball: As Kim Kimberley, your mission is to safeguard the colonization ship Snowball 9 and its passengers. When you are awakened prematurely from hibernation, you know something's wrong! Return to Eden: Your objective is to get into the new city of Enoch, and stop the Eden robots from destroying Snowball 9. Worm in Paradise: You have to find as much information about the city as possible, obtain money, and then become a member of the governing party of Eden.

Snowball

Snowball

Amstrad CPC - Released - 1984

Snowball 9 was sent to Colonize Eridani A, with robots sent to prepare the territory around 100 years before human beings arrive, but something went wrong en route. Commander Kim Kimberley became aware of this when she was abruptly awoken from hibernation. Snowball is an interactive fiction game, which uses compression techniques to provide 7000 rooms in computers of this size. Kim must go from her hibernation chamber to the ship controls, and then work them to guide the ship safely to Eridani. Commands like INVENTORY, EXAMINE, TAKE and USE are available. Objects include a drinks machine, a bed, green foam, Kevlar and a silver tray.

Snowball

Snowball

BBC Microcomputer System - Released - 1983

This is part 1 of the Silicon Dreams Trilogy. Snowball 9 was sent to Colonize Eridani A, with robots sent to prepare the territory around 100 years before human beings arrive, but something went wrong en route. Commander Kim Kimberley became aware of this when she was abruptly awoken from hibernation. Snowball is an interactive fiction game, which uses compression techniques to provide 7000 rooms in computers of this size. Kim must go from her hibernation chamber to the ship controls, and then work them to guide the ship safely to Eridani. Commands like INVENTORY, EXAMINE, TAKE and USE are available. Objects include a drinks machine, a bed, green foam, Kevlar and a silver tray.

Snowball

Snowball

Sinclair ZX Spectrum - 1983

Snowball 9 was sent to Colonize Eridani A, with robots sent to prepare the territory around 100 years before human beings arrive, but something went wrong en route. Commander Kim Kimberley became aware of this when she was abruptly awoken from hibernation. Snowball is an interactive fiction game, which uses compression techniques to provide 7000 rooms in computers of this size. Kim must go from her hibernation chamber to the ship controls, and then work them to guide the ship safely to Eridani. Commands like INVENTORY, EXAMINE, TAKE and USE are available. Objects include a drinks machine, a bed, green foam, Kevlar and a silver tray.

Snowball (Level 9 Computing)

Snowball (Level 9 Computing)

Atari 800 - Released - 1983

Snowball 9 was sent to Colonize Eridani A, with robots sent to prepare the territory around 100 years before human beings arrive, but something went wrong en route. Commander Kim Kimberley became aware of this when she was abruptly awoken from hibernation. Snowball is an interactive fiction game, which uses compression techniques to provide 7000 rooms in computers of this size. Kim must go from her hibernation chamber to the ship controls, and then work them to guide the ship safely to Eridani. Commands like INVENTORY, EXAMINE, TAKE and USE are available. Objects include a drinks machine, a bed, green foam, Kevlar and a silver tray.

The Price of Magik

The Price of Magik

Commodore 64 - Released - 1986

In the final installment of the Time and Magik series of interactive fiction, the light from the Red Moon is under threat. It was captured and harnessed by the magicians of Baskalos, but its keeper Myglar has turned against them and is using it for himself. He must be defeated before the crystal is exhausted. The typing interface is typical of Level 9 games of the era. Time saving features include an ALL command can apply TAKE and EXAMINE to every object you can see, and the ability to type future commands while the screen is still scrolling. 18 spells are available, activated using 3-letter codes you will discover while exploring. These range from confusing or angering an enemy to healing yourself and detecting danger.

The Price of Magik

The Price of Magik

BBC Microcomputer System - Released - 1986

In the final instalment of the Time and Magik trilogy of interactive fiction, the light from the Red Moon is under threat. It was captured and harnessed by the magicians of Baskalos, but its keeper Myglar has turned against them and is using it for himself. He must be defeated before the crystal is exhausted. The typing interface is typical of Level 9 games of the era. Time saving features include an ALL command can apply TAKE and EXAMINE to every object you can see, and the ability to type future commands while the screen is still scrolling. 18 spells are available, activated using 3-letter codes you will discover while exploring. These range from confusing or angering an enemy to healing yourself and detecting danger.

The Price of Magik

The Price of Magik

Atari 800 - Released - 1986

In the final installment of the Time and Magik series of interactive fiction, the light from the Red Moon is under threat. It was captured and harnessed by the magicians of Baskalos, but its keeper Myglar has turned against them and is using it for himself. He must be defeated before the crystal is exhausted. The typing interface is typical of Level 9 games of the era. Time saving features include an ALL command can apply TAKE and EXAMINE to every object you can see, and the ability to type future commands while the screen is still scrolling. 18 spells are available, activated using 3-letter codes you will discover while exploring. These range from confusing or angering an enemy to healing yourself and detecting danger.

The Price of Magik

The Price of Magik

Amstrad CPC - Released - 1986

In the final instalment of the Time and Magik series of interactive fiction, the light from the Red Moon is under threat. It was captured and harnessed by the magicians of Baskalos, but its keeper Myglar has turned against them and is using it for himself. He must be defeated before the crystal is exhausted. The typing interface is typical of Level 9 games of the era. Time saving features include an ALL command can apply TAKE and EXAMINE to every object you can see, and the ability to type future commands while the screen is still scrolling. 18 spells are available, activated using 3-letter codes you will discover while exploring. These range from confusing or angering an enemy to healing yourself and detecting danger.

The Price of Magik

The Price of Magik

Sinclair ZX Spectrum - Released - 1986

The Price of Magik[edit] Sequel to the previous game; Myglar the Magician, guardian of the Crystal, has become insane and is draining its energy for his own use; he must be defeated before it is exhausted. Discovery Charter school is trash

The Worm in Paradise

The Worm in Paradise

BBC Microcomputer System - Released - 1985

This is part 3 of the Silicon Dreams Trilogy. Eden has been successfully colonised, by creating several domed cities. Society is rigidly functioning, unemployment, crime and poverty all non-existent. The economy functions on fines rather than taxes, making for a plethora of petty rules and no penal punishment. Robot employees make everything run cheaply. Body part reselling allows hospitals to turn a profit. Robots can even control human reproduction. The end result is a society in which humans have no useful role. Who would live in a 'paradise' like this? The Worm In Paradise is the culmination of the Silicon Dreams series of interactive fiction. The game relies on strict timing and a day/night cycle (using a decimal clock with 10 100-minute hours) – return to your home before darkness falls, and don't expect robots to help with tasks which will not be finished in the day. Vital buildings can be located using colour-coded co-ordinates, but these change every time you load the game, so be careful to write them down.

The Worm in Paradise

The Worm in Paradise

Sinclair ZX Spectrum - Released - 1986

Eden has been successfully colonised, by creating several domed cities. Society is rigidly functioning, unemployment, crime and poverty all non-existent. The economy functions on fines rather than taxes, making for a plethora of petty rules and no penal punishment. Robot employees make everything run cheaply. Body part reselling allows hospitals to turn a profit. Robots can even control human reproduction. The end result is a society in which humans have no useful role. Who would live in a 'paradise' like this? The Worm In Paradise is the culmination of the Silicon Dreams series of interactive fiction. The game relies on strict timing and a day/night cycle (using a decimal clock with 10 100-minute hours) – return to your home before darkness falls, and don't expect robots to help with tasks which will not be finished in the day. Vital buildings can be located using colour-coded co-ordinates, but these change every time you load the game, so be careful to write them down

The Worm in Paradise

The Worm in Paradise

Amstrad CPC - Released - 1986

Eden has been successfully colonised, by creating several domed cities. Society is rigidly functioning, unemployment, crime and poverty all non-existent. The economy functions on fines rather than taxes, making for a plethora of petty rules and no penal punishment. Robot employees make everything run cheaply. Body part reselling allows hospitals to turn a profit. Robots can even control human reproduction. The end result is a society in which humans have no useful role. Who would live in a 'paradise' like this? The Worm In Paradise is the culmination of the Silicon Dreams series of interactive fiction. The game relies on strict timing and a day/night cycle (using a decimal clock with 10 100-minute hours) – return to your home before darkness falls, and don't expect robots to help with tasks which will not be finished in the day. Vital buildings can be located using colour-coded co-ordinates, but these change every time you load the game, so be careful to write them down.

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