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.

