THE SPECTRUM GAMES DATABASE KNIGHTLORE PUBLISHER Ultimate Play The Game (A.C.G.) AUTHORS Chris and Tim Stamper YEAR December 1984 CATEGORY Arcade Adventure CONTROLS CONTROLS: KEYBOARD CONTROLS LEFT Your Adventurer will turn left using the Z,C,B and M keys. RIGHT Your Adventurer will turn right using the X,V,N, and SYMBOL SHIFT. MOVE FORWARD Your Adventurer will move forward using any key on the second row A,S,D,F. etc. JUMP Your Adventurer will jump using any key on the third row Q,W,E,R, etc. PICK UP/DROP Your Adventurer can pick up or drop an object using the 1-0 keys. PAUSE The whole game can be paused by using the Caps Shift or Space/break keys. JOYSTICK CONTROLS Your Adventurer can be fully controlled by using the KEMPSTON INTERFACE, CURSOR CONTROLLED INTERFACE or the SINCLAIR INTERFACE II and joystick, by replacing the LEFT, RIGHT, FORWARD, JUMP and PICK UP/DROP commands. INSTRUCTIONS The game Knightlore is set in a dark castle where you, the sabreman have to rid yourself from the curse of the werewolf. The only way to do this is to find 6 objects and drop them into the wizard`s cauldron to create a remedy. The games gimmic, and arguably it`s selling point, was it`s forced 3D isometric perspective that gave the rooms a more realistic look. The inlay card doesn`t actually HAVE any instructions, just lots of riddles. As with all Ultimate games, the user had to use his brain to work out what to do. The object of the game is for you to first find the wizard of the castle and enter the room he is in when you are in your sabreman form. Out of the cauldron an item will appear. Your mission is to then hunt out this object and place it into the cauldron. Once this has been done, another object that you will have to search out and return will appear. Once you have done this 6 times you will have ridden the werewolf`s curse from your body. Be quick! You only have 40 days and nights to complete the spell. INLAY CARD TEXT THE WEREWULF My journey`s end is near; as the last few ebbs of daylight dance fleetingly in the cooling twilight, and then suddenly dart off to chase the red sinking sun. Behind me I feel night`s dark icy fingers slither up long looming shadows, hiding behind large mounds and boulders, watching my every move... silently waiting... For days I have journeyed from the realms of the junglewulf to "KNIGHT LORE" castle to seek the old dying wizard and ask for his help to free me from this deathly curse... For countless nights I have slept chained to tress to keep my deathly curse at bay, but now I am here... My footsteps echo around the damp mossy walls of the large chamber, as I enter through the open main gateway, colossal doors judder open in an untouched groaning symphony, beckoning me forward on my quest. I sense the old wizard`s gaze playing upon me, encapsulated within the labyrinth of traps and tests, to keep out all but the most persistent of unwanted guests who seek an audience with the great wizard MELKHIOR. Suddenly a cool blue mist starts to ebb forth from the cracks in the ancient stone-work. As it does so it begins to take form and become a powerful swimming swirling vortex of energy. Over all the noise can be heard the chanting and singing of long forgotten tunes, all sung in a blur of forgetfulness. THE MIST TUNES THE WIZARD`S OLDER NOW THAN ALL HIS HELP YOU SEEK WITHIN THIS WALL FOR FORTY DAYS YOUR QUEST MAY LAST LOCATE THE POTION, MAKE IT FAST THIS HIDEOUS SPELL UPON YOUR SOUL TO LOSE ITS HOLD MUST BE YOUR GOAL BEWARE, THE TRAPS FROM HERE BEGIN THE CAULDRON TELLS WHAT MUST GO IN TO BREAK THE CURSE AND MAKE THE SPELL TO SAVE YOURSELF AND MAKE YOU WELL. The mist suddenly ceases its action and dissipates as quickly as it came. I drop to the floor and with full knowledge of the old wizard I begin my quest. Dimly lit tortches light the massive stone walls, their tired flickering flames never seeming to penetrate the inky darkness for more than a few feet... crystaline Merkyls, hideous Hobgoblins, stand frozen on huge monoliths, glittering in the cool trembling moonlight. Encapsulated by the old wizard long ago, they await their fate in an un-ending task of defence, silent and stoney. This is to be their last everlasting fate as guardians of KNIGHTLORE castle, until the ultimate death of the old sorcerer... The moon has risen quickly and in the fulless of its cool blue light, I become a Werewulf... My fate is now all too clear, I have but forty days and forty nights to find the old wizard and seek his help and magical instruction, before my tourmented soul becomes forever a werewulf. KNIGHTLORE FEATURES ------------------- KNIGHT LORE features filmation (C) a unique process whereby you have complete freedom within the confines of your imagination to do as you wish with any of the objects found within KNIGHT LORE. Filmation (C) Stairways Sabreman Doorways Metamorphic Change Portcullis Gargoyles Jump Button Wizard Melkhior Materialization Magic Spells Continuous Pause Traps Collection feature Tests Sundial Face Clock 3D scenario Spell Ingredients Monsters Ingredient Display Dungeons 3 Dimensional Movement Castle Moving flooways Impalers Different levels Ball Chains Extra Lives Blocks Parapets Rover Balconies Chalices Surfing Demons Boots Caged Mosters Caskets Hidden Treasures Chests Suberb Graphics Diamonds Amazing Animation Potions Status Scrolls Tables Day Display Werewulf Sun Moon CHEATS Infinite lives 53567,0 Infinite time 50206,0 No metamorphosis 50084,201 Objects needed 49759,1 to 10 SEQUELS/PREQUELS Knightlore was the sequal to 2 games. These were Underwurlde and Sabrewulf. Alien8, among others, could also be regarded as a sequal to Knightlore as it was the followup game from Ultimate and used the same game engine, albeit improved. SCORES RECEIVED CRASH Issue 12, p16: 94% URL ftp.dcc.uchile.cl/pub/OS/sinclair/snapshots/k GENERAL FACTS Knightlore was, and still is regarded as a ground breaking piece of software. The game got rave reviews everywhere with people bowled over with the graphics and new style of gameplay. Apparently Chris and Tim Stamper, authors of the game were heard to mention in a RARE (sorry about that!) interview that they had the routine/game engine up and running for months and could have released it BEFORE Sabre Wulf, but if they did that Sabre Wulf wouldn`t have sold very well. According to the Stampers, the Spectrum world was just not ready for Knightlore until then. NOTES The game originally went on release back in 1984/85 at the price of 9.99. Mastertronic bought the budget rights to the game, and in 1987, released it on their 1.99 budget label, Ricochet.