SOLDIER OF FORTUNE - FIREBIRD SOFTWARE LTD by David O'Connor (c) Copyright Graftgold Ltd. 1988. Credits Soldier of Fortune produced by Graftgold Ltd. Soldier of Fortune - Spectrum version designed and programmed by David O'Connor Graphics by Brendan O'Connor. Music composed by Steve Turner. Published by Telecomsoft First Floor 74 New Oxford Street London WC1A 1 PS Copyright subsists in all Telecomsoft and Telecomsoft affiliated software, documentation and artwork. All rights reserved. No part of this software may be copied or transmitted in any form or by any means. This software is sold on the condition that it shall not be hired out without the express permission of the publisher. A free catalogue of all Telecomsoft products is available on request. Telecomsoft and Firebird are trademarks of British Telecommunications Ltd. OVERALL OBJECTIVES The Quest is to find and return the Zodiac Power Source and restore order to the land. LOADING THE GAME Cassette tape Insert the fully rewound tape into the tape recorder. Spectrum 48K/+ Type LOAD "" and press . Then press PLAY on the tape recorder. Spectrum 128K, +2 or +3 with Cassette. Enter 48K mode and type LOAD "" and press . Then press PLAY on the tape recorder. Should the game fail to load, please rewind tape and retry or try loading the copy on the other side of the tape. Accurate tape head alignment and a clean playback head are vital to successful loading. Disk (+3 only) Reset machine and insert disk into drive and press . THE SCENARIO Four figures huddled around a camp fire: Sarnak, Tartarus and Teron, adventurers, and Gorman, once mage to the king. Gorman slowly revealed the quest to the soldiers of fortune he had summoned to his aid. Long before the time of legend, the Zodiac Power Source was made. It lay buried for millennia, a prison to evil spirits, banished by a forgotten people from the realms of man. The evil emanating from this source has at last found a mind to move towards, Krillys, a meddler in the subtle arts of magic. In time Krillys became conversant of the secrets of the Power source and was able to separate the elements within it. The releasing of these elements attracted an equally powerful but opposite force of magic. When these two powerful forces met in collision they destroyed each other, but in doing so turned the land into turmoil. It was thought that the mage had perished during the collision until strange and unforeseen events began to happen to the mages who had created the Zodiac power source. Of these mages only Gorman and one other remained. To ensure the further safety of the land the Zodiac power source must be restored to its original form. As Gorman was revealing the details of the quest the ground beneath him began to shake. In the distance a rumbling noise could be heard which appeared to be moving towards the party. Suddenly the surface around them began to rumble rising to a crescendo. The ground then split and from the deep ravine that was created came great columns of fire leaping high into the air. Gorman became engulfed by the flames and crumpled to the ground. Sarnak rushed to his aid but as he reached Gorman he realised that he was too late to help. With the flames still leaping into the sky the ravine grew wider and swallowed both Gorman and Sarnak. The ravine then closed as quickly as it appeared. Sarnak looked in despair at Gorman who lay on the muttering something that was totally incomprehensible and foreign to Sarnak. As Gorman finished chanting a hazy blue aura emanated from his fingertips sapping the last energies from his body. The blue aura wound itself around Sarnak, protecting him and transporting him away from his place of imprisonment. When the magic dispersed Sarnak found himself alone on the surface far from the place of attack. Sarnak knew not where he was or the fate of his two friends, Tartarus and Teron, however, he knew one thing: he must find the Zodiac Power Source. PRE-GAME CONTROLS During the attract sequence, Control Mode selection can be made by pressing . The game can be started by pressing the fire key or button, depending on the currently selected control mode. If the attract sequence is not on the Title page then pressing ENTER or FIRE will first return you to this page. DURING GAME CONTROLS Keyboard A - JUMP Z - CROUCH/ENTER PORTALS K - LEFT L - RIGHT B, N, M, Sym Shift, Space - FIRE Joystick Joystick Left or Right will move you in that direction. Joystick Up - JUMP Joystick Down - CROUCH\ENTER PORTALS The Keyboard FIRE keys can also be used in any of the joystick modes. In addition the game may be paused by pressing the P key. To resume the game, press P again. To quit the game and return to the attract sequence, press Q while paused. THE WORLD Ebbledown forest is a dank and misty place beyond which lies an unknown and uncharted land. The forest stands above a vast area of underground caves, created by the hordes of evil creatures that have lived there since being set free by Krillys. The overwhelming evil has sent the land into decay, causing much of it to crumble away. The network of magic platforms set in place by Krillys for his own use, can be used to your advantage. However, beware the many traps set for the unwary adventurer. WEAPONS You are given a magical weapon at the beginning of the Quest. You always carry this weapon, and it has an unlimited supply of bullets. You may increase its power by absorbing the magical energy of a like weapon which you may find. Other weapons can also be found. However, energy will be used up in the process of change from one magical weapon to another. Some weapons are innately more powerful than others and can be built up to greater strengths. These strengths are displayed on screen. TABLETS AND ELEMENTALS There are six pieces of magical tablet which you must find in order to construct an elemental. The power of the elemental can then be used to defeat the Guardian of that region, allowing access to the deeper areas of the forest. Each region has an associated elemental. Finding all four elementals will give the power to summon the Zodiac Power Source. However, you must escape the forest first and return to the castle as this can only be done by a Mage. GUARDIANS Each region is protected by one of these and escape is only possible by defeating it. There are also other Guardians whom you may choose to meet in order to obtain their treasures. Escape from the forest is only possible by defeating the three Guardians located deep underground in the cavern of lava. PORTALS Different regions of the land are linked by portals. These can be used by crouching on them. Access to some portals may not be allowed in which case a message may be displayed. The message "ELEMENTAL GAINS ENTRY" means that the elemental associated with that region is required. The message "NO ENTRY HERE" signifies a link to another region, in which case the current region must be finished first. Access is generally not allowed to a region which has already been finished. Portals are also used to enter a Guardian's chamber. SKELETONS The remains of many unfortunate adventurers. with their souls locked inside, can be found. You can free their souls by touching them. Some will be grateful and reward you with a clue to the hidden entrance of a Guardian's chamber. Others may require the power of an elemental to be freed or even that of the Zodiac Power Source. EXTRA LIVES Glowing crystals which draw their power from the Zodiac Power Source can be found within the game landscape. Collecting eight of these will give the power for an extra life. You can absorb enough power far an extra life by defeating a Guardian.