[This is an edited version of the manual, which is laid out to resemble a British broadsheet newspaper. Any content that does not relate directly to the game has been removed.] The London Chronicle _______________________________________________________________________________ No. 2,103 LONDON, MONDAY JUNE 23, 1924 PUBLISHED DAILY PRICE ONE PENNY _______________________________________________________________________________ MYSTERY IN ARKHAM _________ THE CHRONICLE ACTS _________ The editor of the LONDON CHRONICLE was recently in receipt of an alarming epistle which recounted most peculiar happenings in the quiet country village of Arkham. Ordinarily such unsubstantiated accounts are treated with the utmost scepticism, but on this occasion the letter was from a singularly reliable source: a man well-known to CHRONICLE readers, Colonel Lemin. Colonel Lemin saw distinguished service in the Boer War, and was afterwards elected MP for Bookham, going on to hold an important position in the Foreign Office. He retired to Arkham last year to pursue his hobbies of gardening and shooting, contributing articles on both these subjects to the CHRONICLE. Consequently, his letter is being treated with the greatest seriousness, and one of our best freelance reporters has been despatched to Arkham to investigate events. ONE MAN'S FOLLY _________ ARCHITECTURAL ODDITIES No 51 _________ One of the most unusual buildings we have yet looked at in this series is the Faulkner Folly. This towering edifice was built by Major Neil Faulkner in 1902, in the woods bounding his estate near the villages of Arkham and Bookham. Intended as a memorial for his late wife, the folly took two years to complete and consumed the Major's dwindling finances. In 1904 he was compelled to sell Arkham Manor to assuage his creditors. Standing over 100ft high, the folly boasts a breathtaking view across Arkham woods, the nearby village and the surrounding countryside, an ample reward for those who undertake the difficult ascent to the top of the tower. In modern architectural terms a monstrosity, Faulkner Folly yet stands as a curious oddity and testament to one man's obsession. REVOLUTIONARY PHOTOGRAPHS _________ CHRONICLE TO LEAD THE WAY _________ The news reporting in the CHRONICLE will, from today, be accompanied by photographs of events as they occur. The CHRONICLE is the first national daily newspaper to issue its reporters with a revolutionary portable plate camera, together with three photographic plates which can be re-used. In using the device, the reporter has to merely select CAMERA, and then select the plate he wishes to use. A square is then superimposed over the area viewed by the camera, and this square can be moved over the scene by use of the CURSOR keys. Due to the bulk of the unit, photographs cannot be taken above head height. When the camera has been positioned as desired, SPACE is pressed and the area within the viewfinder is transferred to the photographic plate. FREELANCE REPORTING _________ Many of our readers have expressed an interest in the means by which news articles reach the printed page. The CHRONICLE is happy to oblige by briefly explaining the principles of freelance journalism. Throughout the following, wherever ESCAPE is referred to, Spectrum readers should substitute BREAK and Commodore readers RUN/STOP. Similarly, RETURN should be replaced by ENTER, where appropriate. _________ NOTEBOOK _________ All reporters are equipped with notebooks which enable them to record events, clues and overheard conversations. The notebook is employed by selecting NOTEBOOK on the main menu, which brings up a sub-menu. Each page of the notebook can be written on by selecting the appropriate page number from this sub-menu. Text can be edited using the CURSOR keys or DELETE, while RETURN moves the cursor onto the next line. Once writing is completed, the ESCAPE key enacts a return to the main menu. Full pages which are no longer required can be wiped clear by selecting ERASE and the page number. Afterwards, the cursor is returned to the top of the clean page. All four pages of the notebook can be printed out to an attached printer by selecting the PRINT option. The notebook can be kept for later perusal by selecting SAVE, and a previously saved notebook can be reloaded using the LOAD option. _________ TELEGRAMS _________ Information about people and places which is unavailable to a reporter can be requested by wiring the CHRONICLE offices. He simply enters the local telegram office and selects REPORT from the main menu. By then selecting TELEGRAM from the sub-menu, a blank telegram form will be displayed. The message can be typed onto this form, and pressing ESCAPE will send the telegram. Provided the reporter has sufficient money to pay for the telegram, the amount will be deducted from his pocket. On receipt, the CHRONICLE staff will search the archives for the information. Our reply will usually arrive at the telegram office the next day. _________ STORY LAYOUTS _________ Reporters can supply the CHRONICLE with full-page layouts, enabling stories to be printed immediately. Selecting REPORT on the main menu, and then the STORY option, displays the report screen. A drop-down menu allows a full-page report to be assembled, including headlines, articles and photographs. HEADLINES: When the HEADLINE option is selected, a double-height cursor will appear. The required headline can be typed in and ESCAPE pressed when finished. ARTICLES: Selecting WRITE enables articles to be typed in, and the text can be edited using the CURSOR keys and DELETE. The cursor can be moved to the start of the next line with RETURN. It is possible to move the cursor over headlines and photos, but typing over these areas will destroy what is underneath. ESCAPE enacts a return to the main menu. PHOTOGRAPHS: Selecting PHOTO presents a photo selection menu and a box displaying what each photo contains. The required photo will appear on screen in double size at the current cursor position. The CURSOR keys can move the photo around the page, and SPACE will fix it in position. ESCAPE will cancel the placement and enact a return to the main menu. SAVING & PRINTING: The QUIT option on the report screen presents a menu with options for printing the whole screen, including photos, to an attached printer; saving the screen for later reference; or returning to the main game screen. The game assumes the following printer characteristics: Spectrum: If you can set up your printer so it can be driven from BASIC by the LPRINT command (or PRINT on stream 3), then set the printer up like this before you load the game and it should work. (Without any special setting up, Spectrum 48k machines or 128s in 48k mode will work with Sinclair thermal printers, 128s and Plus 2s in 128 mode will send signals on their RS232 port.) The notebook may be printed on all types of printer, but the newspaper report may only be printed on an "Epson compatible" printer. For correct printout spacing, the "auto LF on CR" switch inside your printer must be set to "on". If your printer or interface does not work with the game, you can select 'SAVE' instead of 'PRINT', this saves the screen to cassette from where you can load it and print it with a screen dump routine appropriate to your printer. Amstrad: The printer should be connected to the parallel printer port on the rear of the Amstrad. As with the Spectrum, only "Epson compatible" printers, such as the Amstrad DMP2000 or DMP 3000 (but not the DMP1), will print out the newspaper reports, and the "auto LF on CR" switch inside the printer should be set to "on". Commodore: The printer should be connected on the Commodore serial bus as device 4. The newspaper report printing is designed to work with the Commodore MPS803 printer. _________ FREELANCE FEES _________ The CHRONICLE pays its reporters for every story filed using the REPORT system. This payment is made to the local bank, from whence it can be withdrawn by reporters for their investigations. The amount of money available can be ascertained by selecting EXAMINE followed by STATUS. This will display the status screen, which shows: MONEY: the amount carried. SANITY: a measure of well-being and health. This is reduce by disturbing encounters and terrifying knowledge, and increased by sleep and rest. If SANITY reaches zero, all is lost. KNOWLEDGE: the amount of information acquired, and a measure of a reporter's success in solving a mystery. Certain actions cannot be performed, or objects used, until enough knowledge has been acquired to understand them. _________ SCREEN LAYOUT _________ The main screen is divided into: GRAPHICS AREA: displaying current location, characters, objects and the reporter's actions. MENU AREA: Only valid optionss are displayed, and these are selected by using the CURSOR keys to move the highlight bar the required option and then SPACE. INFORMATION WINDOW: The right-hand window displays the responses to commands input, and events which happen without the reporter's interaction. It is used by the SAY command to input text when speaking. INCIDENT WINDOW: displaying photos, notebook pages and telegram forms. CALENDAR & CLOCK. _________ LOADING & SAVING _________ The SYSTEM option on the main menu enables a partially completed game to be SAVED. When the first part of the adventure is finished, a character must be SAVED for loading into the second half. Before playing PART 2, the computer must be reset, the second half loaded, followed by the previously-saved character. _________ LOADING INSTRUCTIONS _________ SPECTRUM 48/128: Type the command LOAD"" and then press ENTER, or use the Tape Loader option on the 128. COMMODORE 64/128: Press SHIFT and RUN/STOP simultaneously. AMSTRAD CPC: Press CONTROL and the small ENTER key simultaneously. Then start the tape deck and the game will now load automatically. _________ "CREDITS" _________ Design & program - © Mike Lewis 1987 Commodore conversion - Alan Malik Graphics - Carl Cropley Sound - Consult Computer Systems CBM Sound - Andrew Craigie Instructions design - Serpentine Design Cover Artwork - Words & Pictures Ltd Published by: MELBOURNE HOUSE (Publishers) Ltd 8-10 Paul Street London EC2 _________ WARNING: Infringement of copyright is a criminal offence. Copying, lending, hiring, public broadcast, transmission or distribution other than in the original packaging are prohibited without the express written permission of Melbourne House Publishers Ltd. All Melbourne House products are sold subject to our terms and conditions of sale, copies of which are available on request.