Castle Of Riddles

By Barbara Gibb

Originally published in EUG #73

Notes

  1. The maximum score is 250
  2. You have to collect the following 12 treasures: TIARA, NECKLACE, FIGURINE, VASE, PORTRAIT, COIN, SCULPTURE, DIAMOND, BROOCH, CLOCK, MINK, CUSHION
  3. You have to solve 6 riddles to discover the final password; make a note of your answers in the order you give them
  4. You must not use your lamp unnecessarily, as there is just enough power to complete the adventure

Walkthrough

You start south of the Wizard's Castle, which stands on a hill above a vast forest to the south. Go NW (to the west of the castle), W (lost in dense forest), W (bald spot in forest - see a large gold coin), TAKE COIN, E (wandering lost in a dense forest), U (to top of tree), D (south of castle), NW (west of castle), NE (north of castle - see a small hole in castle wall), S (to cubbyhole - see a small battery lamp), TAKE LAMP, N, SE, SW, ON (lamp), N (as you go north a portcullis crashed down behind you). You are now in a guard room where "SOS" is scrawled on the wall - when you type SOS at any of the locations where there are "dots and dashes" you will be returned to south of the castle.

N (maze of white rooms), OFF (lamp, it is now pitch black but you can now see a luminous arrow pointing northeast), ON (lamp), NE, OFF, ON, N, OFF, ON, SE (now in a rough wooden ante room), N (a portcullis crashes down blocking the route back to the south - you are in a vast open courtyard with three circular exits each with a curtain of shimmering light, and steps to the northwest; you can see the Ring of Power which is out of reach).

W (through a shimmering light to an alcove), NE (wishing well - note what sign says, also see a three-foot long black metal rod with a hole in one end), TAKE ROD, THROW COIN (into well, you can retrieve the coin later - see a hidden exit to the north is revealed), N (note dots and dashes), WAIT (until a bear is at the south end of the corridor), N (bear shambles northeast, you are at the south end of the corridor), NE (winding passage), NW (bear is at south end of corridor, and you are at the north end), N, D (bear's bedroom), TAKE CAN (of red paint), SW, NW (square room of pure marble - to the north is an exit which pulses red and blue with a dim sign displaying a riddle - "What gets wetter as it dries?") say TOWEL (the north exit emits a loud fanfare and the sign says you may pass), TAKE CONTRAPTION, N (square room of pure marble - a sign says "Little Nancy Etticoat, with a white petticoat and a red nose, the longer she stands the shorter she grows), say CANDLE, TAKE BOOK (entitled "Scary Stories for Little Bears"), TAKE TIARA, S, S (north gateway), THROW BOOK (the little bear grabs it, sees the title and runs off), S, S, NE (winding passage), TAKE NECKLACE, NW, N, NW, N, N (large sitting room), SIT (in big chair - too hard), SIT (in middle chair - too soft), SIT (in small chair which is just right but your weight breaks it to reveal a hole underneath), D (tiny cell), TAKE FIGURINE, DIG (earth collapses but the rod (if carried) holds the roof up and you are now south of the castle).

N (guard room), N, NE, N, SE, N (courtyard - a voice asks if you are ready to take the Ring of Power yet), NO, OFF, DROP FIGURINE, DROP NECKLACE, DROP TIARA, OPEN CAN (of red paint), ON, N (alcove), N (awesome corridor of doom - see the letter "G"), W (see the letter "L"), W (see the letter "O"), W (see the letter "O"), W (see the letter "P" and a mirror on the west wall in which you see a creature behind you), THROW CAN (the creature thinks the red paint is blood, swallows it, chokes and disappears), S, S, S, TAKE BOX (which begins to tick), W, W, W, RUB MIRROR (a glowing gap appears), N (low damp wooden chamber with dots and dashes on floor - also see a valuable Ming Vase), TAKE VASE, W (bottom of well - see your gold coin and a wooden bucket), TAKE COIN, TAKE BUCKET (it is stuck), TAKE BUCKET (still stuck), TAKE BUCKET (this time is comes free of the mud).

E, NE (square room of pure marble - the sign says, "What does everyone overlook?"), say NOSE, N (see a portrait and a sign saying "A rich man has and wants more of, a fat man has and doesn't want, a poor man wants and can't get?"), say POUNDS, TAKE PORTRAIT, N (base of steep winding staircase), U (hear a baying sound), U, E (narrow ledge above forest), JUMP (the contraption enables you to land safely but it is destroyed - it starts raining), U (to top of tree), D (to clearing - small boat to the north), N (into boat before it drifts away - see a cushion), OFF (lamp), DROP CONTRAPTION, TAKE CUSHION, WAIT (if necessary, until you are warned the boat is filling with water), BAIL BOAT (need bucket, rain stops and the wind blows you to south of the castle), DROP CUSHION, N, ON (lamp - now back in guard room), N, NE, N, SE, N (courtyard), NO, OFF (lamp), DROP PORTRAIT, DROP COIN, DROP VASE, DROP BUCKET, ON (lamp), E (alcove), E (maze of jet black passages [*]), N, E, TAKE CASE (it starts to tick), NW, N, TAKE SCULPTURE, N, NE, W (small cylindrical cubicle marked "maze exit"), say RAINBOW (transported to south of a gateway marked "Danger! Giant's Shooting Gallery. Proceed with Caution"), N, NW, NE, SE, NE, NW, SW, DROP BOX, DROP CASE, NW, NE, NE (square marble room - a sign says "Lives in Winter, Dies in Summer and grows with its roots upwards".), say ICICLE, N (see a diamond and a sign which says "The beginning of eternity, the end of time and space".), say the letter E (should now hear a loud bang), TAKE DIAMOND, S, S (shooting gallery - the giants have been scared off by the explosion), SE, SW (see pieces of debris, a valuable antique clock and a valuable jewelled brooch), TAKE CLOCK, TAKE BROOCH, NW, SW (see a mink stole), TAKE STOLE, NE, NE, NE, N, N, U (flight of steps to landing), E (pinnacle far above south entrance of castle), OFF (lamp), JUMP (you land on the cushion you should have placed here earlier), TAKE CUSHION.

N (guard room), ON (lamp), N, NE, N, SE, N (courtyard), NO, OFF, U, ON (lamp - see a vaulted stone chamber and wall safe), GLOOP (the letters found in the awesome corridor of doom - the safe opens), W (into the safe, this is where you drop the treasures), DROP STOLE, E, OFF (lamp), N (a fine spray falls over you and your possessions and you feel rejuvenated - the lamp tingles (must be turned off) and the mangled cushion is restored to its former glory, as you are in the room containing "Ye Olde Fountain of Youth" - do not bring the mink stole into this location), S, ON (lamp), W, DROP CUSHION, DROP CLOCK, DROP BROOCH, DROP SCULPTURE, DROP DIAMOND, E, D (courtyard), NO, TAKE VASE, TAKE COIN, TAKE PORTRAIT, TAKE NECKLACE, TAKE TIARA, TAKE FIGURINE, U, W (into safe), DROP VASE, DROP COIN, DROP PORTRAIT, DROP NECKLACE, DROP TIARA, DROP FIGURINE. E, D (courtyard), say YES (as you have now deposited all the treasures in the safe you are told you are worthy but first you must say the password which is made up of the first letters of the answers to the riddles in the order you answered them), say TCNPIE to see the final congratulatory message.

[*] To map the maze of jet black passages you wave the rod which emits a puff of different coloured smoke in each room. The colours are those of the rainbow in the order of the spectrum (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet), however you will lose your rod digging out of the room underneath the bear's chair and so you may have to map this maze first of all. Use SOS at the locations where there are dots and dashes to take you south of the castle.