Introduction
Listen up, True Believer! The world's premier comics company has joined with the originator of Adventure games to bring you the awesome Questprobe Series: an epic group of home-computer Adventures by Marvel Comics and Scott Adams in which you become the greatest Marvel Superheroes.
Much more than an arcade game and recommended by educators around the world, an Adventure allows you t move through a wonderous electronic world by entering English commands. In the Spider-Man Adventure you must prove to the Chief Examiner that you can utilise the powers of Spider-Man. Your objective is two-fold: to unlock the riddle of the Chief Examiner and... to survive.
The Game
So - there is more to come. In fact, the complete storyline spreads across the entire series of 12 comic-strip adventures, all involving different Marvel characters, and each story launches you into a separate and complete Questprobe computer game. So, without further ado, let's get striaght to this story's adventure.
What Is An Adventure?
If you've never played an Adventure before, you're in for a real treat. Adventuring permits the player to move at will from location to location within the game "environment" and to examine objects for clues that will reach the objective of the game. For example, an adventure might begin something like this:
I'M IN A ROOM. VISIBLE OBJECTS ARE A RUBY-ENCRUSTED BOX AND A CLOSED DOOR. TELL ME WHAT TO DO.
You might want to begin by entering a direction (North, South, East, West) to see if you can leave the room. Chances are, though, that you will have to find a way to get through the closed door. Let's try something basic. You type:
OPEN DOOR
but the computer tells you in no uncertain terms:
SORRY, IT'S LOCKED. WHAT SHALL I DO?
GET BOX
and the computer responds with:
OK
By saying "OK", the computer has let you know that the command has been accepted and the box "picked up". Now that you're "holding" the box, let's see if we can peek inside. You type:
OPEN BOX
This time the computer understands and you are rewarded with the following response:
OK. INSIDE THERE IS A KEY AND A RARE POSTAGE STAMP.
Since we still want to exit the room, trying the key to unlock the door might be a good idea. The postage stamp might come in handy so you type:
GET KEY AND STAMP
But the computer responds:
SORRY, I CAN'T DO THAT...YET!
Ah yes - asking the computer to get both the key AND the stamp is most definitely a compound command, something that your computer cannot understand. Try again, this time asking for the objects separately. You type:
GET KEY
and then:
GET STAMP
The computer will answer "OK" each time and you will have what you need.
By "getting" the key and the stamp, they are stored for later use as you are, in effect, carrying them. As for your next series of moves, you might want to go to the door (GO DOOR), try the key in the lock (UNLOCK DOOR), and move down the hallway that's just outside. (GO HALLWAY).
You're on your way!
Some Helpful Words
Although the vocabulary accepted by your computer is extensive, you may find the words listed overleaf to be of great help as you set about your Adventure. Remember: These are just a few of the words available.
| Climb | Examine | Leave | Move | Quit | Say |
| Drop | Go | Light | Pull | Read | Take |
| Enter | Help | Look | Push | Save | Hit |
One Letter Commands
You may use the following single keys to perform a variety of tasks and to expedite playing time. Type the letter for the function you wish to use and press RETURN.
| N, S, E, W, U, D | - | Go North, South, East, West, Up or Down |
| I | - | Display inventory of items on your person |
| L | - | Look |
Saving Your Adventure For Later Play
An Adventure will often last longer than the time available in a single sitting. You may save the game you are playing and return later to take up where you left off. To save a game in progress, type SAVE GAME at any time the "What Shall I Do?" message appears on your screen. You will be asked to specify A, B, C or D. This will allow you to assign a code letter to your game so that you might restore it at a later time.
To restore a saved game, type LOAD GAME before you begin a new game. The computer will ask "Do You Wish To Restore A Saved Game?" Type YES and type the correct code letter (A, B, C or D). The Adventure will resume at the point at which you saved it.
To end a game in progress, type QUIT. If you intend to continue the game later, be sure to save it before using this command.
Description of Marvel Characters You May Meet
Spider-Man - Friend
| Real Name | : | Peter Parker |
| Occupation | : | Freelance photographer, adventurer |
| Identity | : | Secret |
| Base of Operations | : | New York City. |
| Origin | : | Parker was bitten by a massively irradiated spider and, as a result, soon found out that he had gained the abilities of a pider and hugely increased strength. Using his new-found powers, Parker gained a short-lived show-business career that was soong given up in favour of crime-fighting. Peter Parker now woorks for the Daily Bugle as a freelance photographer, mainly selling photographs of Spider-Man in action. |
| Height | : | 5'10" |
| Weight | : | 165lbs |
| Eyes | : | Brown |
| Hair | : | Brown |
| Powers | : | Spider-Man possesses superhuman strength, reflexes and equilibrium, the ability to cling to almost any kind of surface, and a subconscious danger sense (Spider-sense). He can lift up to 10 tons, and his reflexes are on average 15 times faster than a normal man. |
| Weapons | : | Spider-Man has developed a spider-like web-spinning device and a silk-like compound that mimics a spider's natural abilities. |
Madame Web - Friend
| Real Name | : | Cassandra Webb |
| Occupation | : | Professional medium |
| Identity | : | Publicly known |
| Base of Operations | : | New York City |
| Origin | : | Cassandra Webb has been blind since birth but discovered at an early age that she possessed clairvoyant abilities. She became a professional medium later in life but was stricken by a disease of the nervous system which left her totally dependent upon a large spider-web like life support system equipped with robot arms that take the place of her useless limbs. |
| Height | : | 5'6" |
| Weight | : | 110lbs |
| Eyes | : | Pale grey |
| Hair | : | Black and silver |
| Powers | : | Madame Web possesses a number of phychic sensory powers. With great concentration she is able to scan people's thoughts or project her own thoughts into the minds of others. She also has the ability, to a limited extent, to predict future events. |
Electro - Foe
| Real Name | : | Maxwell Dillon |
| Occupation | : | Professional criminal |
| Identity | : | Publicly known |
| Base of Operations | : | Mobile |
| Origin | : | While working for an electric power company, Dillon was struck by lightning which caused a mutagenic change in his nervous system. This resulted in him becoming a human electrical capacitor. |
| Height | : | 5'11" |
| Weight | : | 165lbs |
| Eyes | : | Blue |
| Hair | : | Red-brown |
| Powers | : | Electro has the ability to generate electrostatic energy (up to 1,000 volts per minute) and is able to store up to 100,000 volts at any time. This can be discharged at a controlled rate, with anything from one volt, to the full 100,000 being released at a time (capable of killing a man at a range of ten feet). He can release a bolt of lightning which can travel up to 100 feet at a speed of 1,100 feet per second. Electro is also capable of travelling at great speed along electrical power lines simply by creating imbalances in his magnetic field, and he can manipulate certain electronic devices to a limited extent. |
Sandman - Foe
| Real Name | : | William Baker |
| Occupation | : | Former professional criminal |
| Identity | : | Publicly known |
| Base of Operations | : | Mobile |
| Origin | : | Baker was on the run from the police after escaping from prison in New York. He sheltered in a nuclear testing site where he was exposed to a massive dose of radiation. This caused his body to take on the properties of animated sand. |
| Height | : | 6'1" |
| Weight | : | 450lbs |
| Eyes | : | Brown |
| Hair | : | Brown |
| Powers | : | Sandman can convert all or part of his body to sand, compact his body to make it as hard as sandstone or loosen it to make him invulnerable to physical attack. |
Mysterio - Foe
| Real Name | : | Quentin Beck |
| Occupation | : | Former Hollywood special effects designer, now professional criminal. |
| Identity | : | Known to police, secret to the public. |
| Base of Operations | : | Mobile. |
| Origin | : | Beck was an extremely accomplished stuntman and special effects designer before he sset himself the task of killing Spider-Man and taking his place, but as mysterio, he was defeated and ended up in prison. |
| Height | : | 5'11" |
| Weight | : | 175lbs |
| Eyes | : | Blue |
| Hair | : | Black |
| Powers | : | Mysterio is a skilled fighter and athlete, a master hypnotist and illusionist. He wears a 'fishbowl' type helmet with an oxygen supply; carries portable projectors for the creation of large-scale illusions, and has cannisters attached to his back which emit a thick gas which not only obscures vision but also acts against Spider-Man's spider-sense. |
Ringmaster - Foe
| Real Name | : | Maynard Tiboldt |
| Occupation | : | Circus ringmaster and professional criminal |
| Identity | : | Publicly known. |
| Base of Operations | : | Mobile |
| Origin | : | Born into a circus family in Austria. Tiboldt became the master of his own circus after the second world war and came to America. However he soon discovered that his small circus could not make profits while in competition with huge American circus troupes, so he turned to crime. He now runs an outfit called the 'Circus of Crime' which travels across America hypnotising and robbing its audiences. |
| Height | : | 6'1" |
| Weight | : | 190lbs |
| Eyes | : | Green |
| Hair | : | Grey-black |
| Powers | : | Ringmaster has some skill in acrobatics and hand-to-hand combat but his main skills lie to hypnosis through the 'nummatron' device, concealed in his top hat. The hat is also equipped with projectors which transmit bright lights through a spinning disc mountd on the front. These lights can daze and disorient potential victims, making them less able to resist his mind-control. |
Doctor Octopus - Foe
| Real Name | : | Otto Octavius |
| Occupation | : | Ex-atomic research consultant, criminal mastermind. |
| Identity | : | Publicly known. |
| Base of Operations | : | New York City |
| Origin | : | Octavius constructed a chest harness with four tentacle-like arms to enable him to manipulate radioactive substances at a safe distance. In a freak accident the harness became bonded to his skin and nervous system due to exposure to radiation. |
| Height | : | 5'9" |
| Weight | : | 254lbs |
| Eyes | : | Brown |
| Hair | : | Brown |
| Powers | : | Dr. Octopus can mentally control his four electronically powered telescopic limbs to great effect. Each tentacle is five inches in diameter, can be extended from a length of six feet up to a maximum of twenty-four feet. The arms each end in three pincers capable of gripping with a force of up to 175 pounds per quard inch, and rotating a full 360 degrees in a screwdriver-like fashion. Each tentacle can lift 3 tons and travel at speeds of up to 90 feet per second. By spinning his arms like a giant fan, Dr. Octopus can create a wind of up to 50 miles per hour. The limbs can be separated from their harness and controlled by Octopus at distances up to 900 miles. |
Lizard - Foe
| Real Name | : | Dr. Curtis Conners |
| Occupation | : | Research biologist |
| Identity | : | Secret |
| Base of Operations | : | New York City and West Palm Beach, Florida |
| Origin | : | Conners was an army surgeon until his arm was amputated following a wound in the Korean war. He turned to the study of reptiles and became a leading authority. He discovered the chemical that allows reptiles to regenerate and when he applied it to himself, he found that not only was his arm regenerated but his whole body took the form of a reptilian-humanoid. |
| Height | : | 5'11" |
| Weight | : | 175lbs |
| Eyes | : | Blue |
| Hair | : | Brown |
| Powers | : | The Lizard can lift up to 12 tons, jump over 18 feet and run at 45 miles per hour. His reactions are about twice the speed of a normal man, and his 6'6" tail can be moved at a speed of 100 feet per second. |
Hydro-Man - Foe
| Real Name | : | Morrie Bench |
| A man who can transform all or part of his body into water. | ||
Chief Examiner - ?
The mysterious overseer of the Questprobe series; as yet, very little is known about him.
Loading
*TAPE (RETURN)
?&224=&A6 (RETURN)
CHAIN"" (RETURN)
