Lord of the Rings

Introduction

Welcome! You are about to enter one of the most famous and well loved fantasy
worlds in the annals of fantasy fiction: J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle Earth.

Melbourne House, in association with the Tolkien estate, are proud to present
the Lord of the Rings adventure game. The background to the Lord of the Rings
includes some events with which a player of the game The Hobbit will be
familiar.

This is the first game in a series of three, which deals with the material
found in Tolkien's The Fellowship of the Ring, the first book in the Lord of
the Rings trilogy. Subsequent games will deal with the stories covered in the
next two volumes in the series, The Two Towers and The Return of the King.

In the Lord of the Rings adventure game, you will be able to play the role of
one of the four Hobbits: FRODO, SAM, MERRY and PIPPIN. FRODO bears a magic ring
of power, a ring which, in the hands of the DARK LORD, could cause the
destruction of all that you hold dear. You will need all of the cunning and
luck at your disposal to complete your quest and survive.

In playing this adventure game, you in effect assume the role of the characters
from J.R.R. Tolkien's fantasy world. You must detail out the actions that you
will perform, your reactions and movements, and the computer will perform them
accordingly.

Best of luck my furry-footed friend. The fate of the entire world of Middle
Earth rests upon you alone, but don't let that pressure you ...

Table of Contents

Bringing Tolkien to the ComputerPage 2
A Background to the Ring WarsPage 3
Getting StartedPage 5
Communicating with the ComputerPage 6
The Screen DisplayPage 10
Interacting With The Other CharactersPage 11
General Rules in Middle EarthPage 13
Special Adventure CommandsPage 16
Playing with FriendsPage 18
The Second AdventurePage 19
Beginner's IntroductionPage 20
Creatures of Middle EarthPage 21
Hints on PlayPage 24
An Abbreviated VocabularyPage 25
Reference Section for your ComputerPage 26
Hologram CouponPage 27
CreditsPage 29

Bringing Tolkien to the Computer

In producing the computer game Lord of the Rings, it has been necessary to
expand beyond the scope of the original book of The Fellowship of the Ring. If
it was not possible for the player to make alternate decisions to those that
were made in the books, or indeed even to tread paths that the characters in
Professor Tolkien's novels never walked, then there would be little point in
playing the game:
You could simply read the books and save yourself a great deal of trouble.

As it is, the player in Lord of the Rings will be faced with situations with
which he will be entirely unfamiliar, even if he is deeply versed in Tolkien's
world, but which are totally in keeping with the fantasy world created by
Tolkien. Even familiar situations can prove to be dangerous and challenging.
Fans of the books might be in for a nasty surprise if they confidently plough
into the depths of dire (but expected) encounters, secure in the knowledge that
simply knowing the books is enough to ensure easy victory.

To those unfamiliar with Professor Tolkien's works, the game is readily
playable. At no point of the game is a knowledge of the books assumed, although
it is recommended that the book should be read, if for no other purpose than to
become more familiar with the world of Middle Earth and its inhabitants.

For those new to Tolkien's material, computer adventures, or who just simply
want to experience the game mechanics under gentler conditions, there is a
beginner's game included, which should prove useful in learning the game.

So, play well, have fun, and if the wargs get you, just remember: you knew the
job was dangerous when you took it!

A Background to the Ring Wars

Three Rings for the Elven-Kings under the sky,
Seven for the Dwarf lords in their halls of stone,
Nine for Mortal Men doomed to die,
One for the Dark lord on his dark throne
In the land of Mordor where the Shadows lie.
One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them,
One Ring to bring them all, and in the darkness bind them
In the land of Mordor, where the Shadows lie.

In the middle years of the second age of Middle Earth, Sauron the Great, master
of the evil realm of Mordor, beguiled the great Elven smith Celebrimor of
Eregion to teach him the craft of making rings of power. Three rings were made
to grant the Elf lords their powers of wisdom and magic. Then Sauron and
Celebrimor laboured together to create the seven and the nine, which were
gifted to the great lords of Middle Earth. Unknown to Celebrimor, Sauron had
betrayed him. Deep within the bowels of Mount Doom, he constructed the ruling
ring, a ring which could enslave the wearers of the other rings to him forever.
So powerful was the spell that Sauron bound much of his power into it, forever
linking his fate with that of the ring.

When Celebrimor realised that Sauron had betrayed him, he hid the three elven
rings from him. The Dwarven rings were mostly destroyed by dragons over the
ages, but their wearers were even so brought into an all consuming greed and
folly before they fell. The nine mortal lords faded and became the nine
ring-wraiths, forever enslaved to Sauron's will. A bitter war took place, with
the prize being the fate of Middle Earth. At last Sauron was overthrown, and
the ring was cut from his finger by the Human King Isuldur.

Isuldur was in turn slain by orcs in an ambush many years later, the ring
slipping from his finger as he tried to swim across a river to safety.

Several millennia later, the ring was plucked from the river by Degol, who was
immediately attacked by Gollum, a skulking character, who saw the ring and
coveted it. Gollum then fled with his prize to the heart of the Misty
Mountains, where he hid himself in the darkness. The ring sustained his life
force for many dark centuries before it sensed its master stirring once again.

Many years ago, Bilbo Baggins, a Hobbit, found the ring in a Goblin's den,
where it lay after falling from Gollum's finger. After many adventures, Bilbo
returned at last to his home in the Shire.

Much of this background material is covered in the book The Hobbit, and you can
enjoy playing this as an adventure game from Melbourne House.

The ring has now passed on to Frodo Baggins, Bilbo Baggins' heir, Bilbo has
long since retired and moved to Rivendell. In recent times, Gandalf the wizard
(an old and trusted friend) has told you of the ring's dark history. The
servants of the enemy even now are seeking the ring, and the hobbit "Baggins"
that possesses it.

Gandalf tells you to take the ring to Rivendell, far to the east, and there to
seek Elrond, who will advise you on what to do with the now dangerous treasure.
As the enemy are watching the likely roads for you, he advises you to travel by
circuitous routes, and to adopt a pseudonym for the time being.

To aid you in your quest, you have three companions: MERRY, SAM and PIPPIN, all
of whom are hobbits. Sam and Pippin start the game with Frodo at Bag End,
Frodo's comfortable home in Hobbiton. Merry awaits the party at the house in
Crickhollow to the east of Hobbiton by the western bank of the Brandywine river.

A quality inherent in the ring is that it makes the wearer invisible to all but
the most powerful of creatures. Gandalf has warned you not to make use of the
ring yourself, lest you also fade and become a ring-wraith. Gandalf will aid
you as much as he can, but he has many tasks to perform to make the passage to
Rivendell as safe as possible for you. For all intents and purposes, you are on
your own.

Getting Started

The Lord of the Rings adventure comes on two cassettes - each containing a full
sized adventure - as well as containing a beginner's level version of the first
adventure.

If you are not familiar with adventure games, or have difficulty with the
adventure, it is recommended that you start with the beginner's level adventure.

There is more information in the section on the beginner's adventure on what
additional facilities are available in this game, including extensive HELP
messages.

For more information on how to load the cassette into your computer, refer to
the reference section for your computer.

Once the game has been loaded, you will find you are being asked the question
WHICH HOBBIT CHARACTERS DO YOU WISH TO
PLAY:
Frodo, Merry, Pippin or Sam?

If you are playing this adventure for the first time, it is recommended that
you choose to play only the role of Frodo. It is possible, as is explained
later in this booklet, to choose for you and your friends to play even all four
characters.

If you select none, the computer will assume you wish to play the role of Frodo.
Note that if you choose more than one character, the first name given is the
character you start off with.

Once you have selected your character, you must then instruct him on what you
would like to do.

Communicating with the Computer

The Lord of the Rings program includes a very sophisticated program, INGLISH,
which can understand your instructions in everyday language.

More details are given later in this booklet about the power of INGLISH, but
the important thing is that you can enter your commands freely and the computer
will then react according to your requests.

The computer program Lord of the Rings has a very large vocabulary, so you
should not have any difficulty in expressing your ideas and commands. Your
commands will usually take the form of actions, and at the back of this booklet
you will find an abbreviated list of the actions you can carry out. The power
of INGLISH together with the very large vocabulary of over 800 words makes this
one of the easiest and friendliest adventure games ever published on
micro-computers.

Moreover, if the computer is not sure of something that you mean, or if you are
ambiguous in any way, it will ask you for clarification.

The computer is also your source of information on what is happening to you,
where you are and the characters around you. Some things may not be readily
apparent to you, and thus can prove dangerous to the unwary player.

Performing Actions

INGLISH is one of the most sophisticated language-recognition programs ever
developed for micro-computers. It allows you to communicate with the program in
a language and structure that is familiar to you.

The rules of INGLISH are simple. The main thing to keep in mind is that each
instruction must be in the form of "verb-then-noun", where the noun (or pronoun)
can also be implied.

Each sentence must have a verb.

The following examples in this instruction booklet are a guide to the way
INGLISH sentences can be constructed. Note however that the specific examples
shown may not be valid in this adventure.

When an action does not directly concern any object, only a verb is necessary,
i.e.
WAIT
RUN

This is also the case if you simply wish to travel in some direction,

SOUTH
EAST

If the action concerns an object or a person, this must be identified by a noun,
English grammar applies, and the order of the different parts of the sentences
is usually not critical, i.e.
WEAR THE RING
GO THROUGH THE DOOR
DROP THE ROPE ONTO THE TABLE

Adjectives that describe nouns must come before the noun. If it sounds right in
English, it is probably valid in INGLISH, i.e.
THROW THE HEAVY AXE AT THE HORRIBLE ORC LIGHT THE WOODEN PIPE WITH THE MATCH

Terms used when making an instruction to the computer must be free from
ambiguity. If there were two doors in a room, one red and one green, and you
were to say
GO THROUGH THE DOOR
then the computer is placed in a quandary as to which door to put you through.
In such situations, the program will put you through the first door it finds,
which may not be the direction you intended.

In this case, it would be better to specify exactly what you mean
GO THROUGH THE GREEN DOOR

Prepositions

The meaning of many verbs can be altered by the use of prepositions, such as ON,
OFF, ONTO, and so on. Examples of INGLISH sentences using prepositions are:
ATTACK WITH THE SWORD
PICK UP THE RING

Prepositions in INGLISH usually go before the noun, but in some cases it sounds
more natural to have them after the noun, such as
TURN THE LIGHT ON
PICK THE GOLD UP

Prepositions can also be used to specify the position of an object, or where
you wish an action to be performed, such as
PUT THE GOLD INTO THE BAG
TAKE THE PIPE FROM THE BOX

Use of "AND"

You can use the word AND in all its normal meaning in INGLISH. This means,
among other things, that you can enter more than one sentence or perform more
than one action at a time.
TAKE THE LAMP AND THE MATCH FROM THE
CUPBOARD
DROP THE SHORT AND THE LONG SWORDS
TAKE THE GOLD AND RUN

Punctuation

Sentences can be separated by the use of punctuation. You can use commas and
full stops as you normally would.

The only limitation the program places on your commands is that your command
should not be more than 128 characters long.

Conversing With Other Characters

The Lord of the Rings adventure also allows you to talk and converse with the
characters you meet on your journey.

On encountering a person on your journey, you may wish to speak to them. The
general form is
SAY TO (name) "(sentence)"
i.e.
SAY TO GANDALF "HELLO"

This is usually sufficient to draw most characters into conversation.

You can ask the characters within earshot to do specific commands that are of
use to you, such as:
SAY TO TOM "KILL THE ORC WITH THE SWORD"
SAY TO PIPPIN "TAKE THE GOLD FROM THE ORC"

It is not necessary to use the full form of SAY TO (name). An abbreviation is
allowed whereby you can specify whom you wish to speak to, followed by the
message, such as
PIPPIN "GIVE THE GOLD TO ME"

Of course, because all the other characters have an independence of their own,
there is no guarantee that they will do what you ask of them. Their decision
will be based on a number of factors, including their allegiance to you, what
they are currently doing, and so on.

Some characters that you encounter will have messages for you that they will
deliver only when you identify yourself, or ask them certain questions.

In order to solve the Lord of the Rings adventure, it will be necessary for you
to become familiar with the SAY TO command. This is because some of the
problems you face can only be solved by cooperating with the other members of
the party. Each character also has his own limitations, such as strength and
so on.

Be warned that sometimes a certain character will be required in order to
succeed with a certain action. Thus it will be necessary to become familiar
with the varied talents of your party members.

Abbreviation of Commands

The abbreviation of your commands is quite permissible. For instance, if you
wish to attack a green knight, you might say;
KILL GREEN WITH SWORD

The computer will see that "Green" corresponds with the green knight. Note also
that the definite article "THE" can be omitted at will. In most circumstances,
the computer will understand exactly what you mean.

Unfortunately, if the Knight stood before a green door, then "green" no longer
serves to identify the Knight only, in which case you could write:
KILL KNIGHT WITH SWORD

Multiple entries are easily effected simply by placing a comma between your
instructions:

OPEN BOX, TAKE AXE, GIVE AXE TO SAM.

Each of the commands in the sentence will be dealt with by the computer in
order.

The Screen Display

On your screen will appear (in normal script), the adventure description - the
text which describes your surroundings, and the happenings around you. Upon
entering a new location, the computer will give you a full description of the
area, and the objects that are in plain sight. You will be given a list of the
exits that you can currently see.

The second time that you enter a location, the computer will only give you a
brief description of where you are. If you wish to obtain a more complete
description, you can simply enter the command LOOK, and the computer will
repeat the lengthy text.

Below the adventure script, an arrow indicates your "instruction window"; the
space in which you will type in the actions that you wish your characters to
perform. This will appear on the screen in capital letters.

Once you have typed in your commands and hit the "RETURN/ENTER" key, the
computer will either acknowledge your action, or inform you that it does not
understand you for some reason. Once the computer has acknowledged an entry, it
will print any new text which results from your actions, and then indicate that
it is ready to receive a new instruction.

Interacting With The Other Characters

The Lord of the Rings adventure requires that you lead a group of hobbits
through various situations. As a result, it is sometimes necessary to tell
other characters, including members of your own group, what you would like them
to do.

Since you will often be in a group of people, it is comforting to know that it
is not necessary to instruct each and every character on what it should be
doing at every moment. Most will follow your lead without any prompting on your
behalf. It is also possible to instruct characters to perform actions that will
exclude the rest of the party,
i.e.
SAY TO SAM "CLIMB TREE"

This instruction will not result in a massed exodus by all members of your
party within earshot to the tree tops. Sam will climb the tree by himself. If
you leave and Sam can still see you, he will follow you, and perhaps eventually
catch up with you.

Any character can simply be spoken to, and asked to perform an action, i.e.
SAY TO PIPPIN "GIVE ROPE TO FRODO"

Members of your party and friends are more likely to respond favourably than
the strangers and followers of Sauron. But even friends may say no from time to
time.

As well as following your lead, most members of your party will come to your
defence if you are attacked by any enemies.

There is no cosmic law which stops you from ruthlessly attacking a member of
your own party. Do not be too surprised however if the other members of the
party should be a little cooler towards you afterwards.

You can talk to yourself, but the result is not going to be very impressive.
Suicide is quite possible, as long as you name the character as in any other
attack, i.e.
KILL FRODO WITH AXE

In all probability, the result will be something like: "you attack you with the
axe. With one well placed blow you split your skull." If you find this
attractive, then by all means, be my guest . .

The Lord of the Rings allows you another method of instruction the hobbits in
your party on what to do. This is done by taking over their character for the
time being, using the BECOME command. (It is recommended that you should be
familiar with the adventure from a single player point of view before tackling
the multi-character game.) i.e.
BECOME PIPPIN

(Note that you can only become one of the four hobbit characters you have
selected at the beginning of the game. For example, if you enter FRODO, you can
only become FRODO. If you enter FRODO, SAM, MERRY, then you cannot become
PIPPIN. More information about changing characters is given later in this
instruction booklet.)

This technique can be used whenever the player wishes to detail out complex
actions to a character, or wishes to react to ongoing situations that will
confront the character. This is a useful means of conducting operations without
endangering the ring, or for controlling the party if you wish the Hobbits to
split up and go separate ways.

General Rules in Middle Earth

General

� A map of the immediate area of "The Shire" can be found at the start of
chapter one of The Fellowship of the Ring, and may prove to be of some help.

� A map of the western section of Middle Earth is printed in each book of the
Lord of the Rings, in the inside rear cover (map one).

� During the adventure, you will encounter many objects. Some are usable as
weapons, others are intended as food or drink, still others are used as
containers in which to carry other things. Liquids behave as such: They cannot
be carried about without a container. You cannot lift too heavy an object, or
carry too great a load.

� Most containers must be opened in order to reach their contents. Once a
container is open you may look into them or take the objects that are held
within. Once the objects inside a container have been exposed, they may be used.
Some containers may be transparent, allowing you to see their contents without
opening the container itself.

� Some doors are locked, this means that either the proper key is required to
unlock them, or that someone on the other side of the door must open the door
for you.

Finding Your Way

SPECIFYING DIRECTION:

There are assumed to be ten possible directions of travel:
NORTH, SOUTH, EAST, WEST, NORTH EAST, SOUTH EAST, NORTH WEST, SOUTH WEST, UP
and DOWN.

It is possible to abbreviate the words used to describe directions down to a
single letter for each word, i.e.
NORTH EAST
NE
Are both valid entries for movement instruction.

PASSING THROUGH PORTALS:

If you want to go through an entrance, such as a door or window, it is quite
possible to say so, i.e.
GO THROUGH GREEN DOOR

FOLLOWING OTHER PEOPLE

If a person that you have an interest in leaves an area, you may wish to follow
them. For instance, if Strider suddenly said that he was now going to leave the
current area, you might decide to
FOLLOW STRIDER

LIGHT AND DARK

In some areas, there will be no natural light. Unless you have the means to
create light such as matches and a candle you will receive no description of
the area that is in darkness. Once a light has been struck, you will be able to
see the area in question.

If you choose to travel in darkness, you may avoid meeting some unwanted
characters. Remember, however, that orcs can see perfectly well in the dark .

MAPPING

It is suggested that you keep a map of your travels to assist you in
finding your way. Be warned! Maps cannot be entirely relied upon.

Combat

Hobbits are poor fighters, but brave. It is not possible to attack any
inanimate objects. These must instead be BROKEN. A weapon is required in order
to attack any enemy.

To attack your opponent, you must tell the computer that you wish to kill the
creature with a specific weapon, i.e.
KILL WOLF WITH SWORD

No matter how well you arm them, be wary of throwing Hobbits into the midst of
gory battle. Being furry footed little runts, they have a tendency to die with
spectacular suddenness.

Persistance in combat is rewarded, but be careful. Most opponents hit back, and
an already wounded character is much more susceptible to being killed than a
healthy one.

Some weapons (like axes) can be thrown at an opponent. This removes the weapon
from your character, and drops it into the area in which you stand. If the
weapon that you threw was your only armament, then tough luck.

CARRYING ITEMS

During the course of play, it will become necessary to pick up and carry
inanimate objects. Once you have found an item, you need simply take the item
in order to pick it up and carry it, i.e.
TAKE ROPE

To check on the equipment that you are already carrying, simply make an
inventory of your character, i.e.
INVENTORY

To rid yourself of an item, you need merely drop it, i.e.
DROP ROPE

As an alternative, you may give the item to another member of the party, i.e.
GIVE ROPE TO SAM

In addition to adding weight to your burden, some objects increase your
effective size. This can be troublesome if you intend to go through a small
door or tunnel, so beware of adopting the pack-rat syndrome.

Fatigue, Wounds and Eating

All characters are rated for their strength and stamina. During the game these
characteristics may suffer from combat, or simple weariness.

As a character takes wounds, its strength becomes lower, and its hold on life
more tenuous. As time passes, characters become more and more tired as their
energy is used up. Highly strenuous activities, such as combat, may exhaust you
even more.

The best remedy for a lowered strength or stamina is a good meal and some rest.
In your travels, you may encounter skilled healers and magical herbs which cure
fatigue and damage. Needless to say, these items are rare.

Interacting With other Characters

There are a variety of characters in Middle Earth that a wandering party might
encounter. Some are friends, and some are foes, but many simply ARE. Such
characters live lives of their own, travelling about the lands or attending to
their own affairs. If a person that you meet does not fall over himself to help
you, try being patient. Just say HELLO, or try waiting until he notices you.

Special Adventure Commands

As well as the extensive INGLISH vocabulary, there are a few commands which are
specific to the Lord of the Rings adventure, and which are used to help you
control the game.

The following is a list of these special commands:

LOOK (can be abbreviated to L): Describes where you are, what you can see, and
all possible exits. This command should also be used after you take over the
role of another character (using the "become" command) who is at another
location.

INVENTORY (can be abbreviated to I): Describes all your inventory that you are
currently holding or carrying.

EXAMINE: Although this is a standard INGLISH word, special mention of it is
made here because this command is very useful in trying to obtain more
information about your surroundings in Middle Earth. Examining objects often
reveals information about those objects that is not readily apparent from a
cursory look.

SAVE: This command allows you to save the game for play at a later time. After
entering the command, the program will prompt you for your tape or disk for
saving the game. The saved game has all details of what is happening throughout
Middle Earth, including all the other characters and locations. After you have
saved the game, play will continue normally. This command is especially useful
before embarking on a dangerous course of action.

LOAD: Loads a previously saved game. Once again the program will prompt you for
your tape or disk. After loading, play continues from the point where the game
was saved.

SCORE: Tells you what your percentage is so far.

HELP: Gives you hints and suggestions on what to do. This command only applies
to the Beginners' game.

PAUSE: Suspends the game until another key is pressed.

PRINT: Allows the text of the adventure to be sent to your printer (if
connected), as well as to the screen. (PRINT and NOPRINT may not be available
in all versions. Check the reference section for your computer at the back of
this instruction booklet.

QUIT: Stops the game and returns to the beginning. Because of memory
limitations the information about Middle Earth at the beginning of the game is
not stored in memory, but needs to be loaded in. Following this command, the
computer will prompt you for the tape or disk; if the tape is requested, rewind
the game tape and place in the cassette recorder in the normal way.

Playing with Friends

As mentioned briefly previously in this booklet, the Lord of the Rings
adventure allows you to control not just one character but up to four of the
Hobbit characters.

This will enable you to play the game on many different levels, and to play
either on your own or with a group of friends.

When you choose to play just one character, the computer will take control of
the other three characters and ensure that their actions are in keeping with
their personalities. It also means that whenever you wish these characters to
perform specific actions for you, you will need to instruct them by talking to
them, using the SAY TO command.

When you play more than one character, the computer will still look after the
characters you are not controlling at the moment, but only in situations where
you have not instructed them to do anything for a while, or when the entire
party move somewhere else, for example. This means that you will need to
instruct each character much more carefully than when playing the one player
game.

The easiest way to play with more than one character is with another friend,
each of you controlling one of the Hobbits. In this way you can discuss things
and help each other most easily.

The command to change from one Hobbit character to another is BECOME (name)
such as BECOME PIPPIN. Note that you can only BECOME one of the Hobbit
characters you have specified at the beginning of the game.

An alternative to the BECOME command is the I AM command, which works in the
same way and has the same effect:
I AM PIPPIN

Alternately, both commands can be omitted, and just the name of the character
you wish to become entered:
PIPPIN.

Note that you should use the LOOK command where the character you become is in
a different location from the one you were previously.

The Second Adventure

As mentioned earlier in this booklet, the Lord of the Rings: Game One adventure
comes in two parts. The story and action in J.R.R. Tolkien's novel The
Fellowship of the Ring was just too much to be able to fit into a single
adventure game.

Each adventure is totally independent, and there is no need to have completed
the first adventure before attempting the second, although there would be
definite advantages in doing so.

Once you have completed the first adventure, the computer will prompt you to
save the game at that stage for loading into the second adventure game. By
doing so, you will ensure that each member of the party who is with you at the
end of the first part will venture with you into the second adventure. As well,
many of the objects you carry will be transported to the second adventure as
well.

You may of course attempt the second adventure without completing the first
adventure. This will make your task considerably harder, as you will not have
your friends with you to help you and some of the important objects from the
first adventure will also be missing. It is however not impossible to solve the
second adventure in this way, and advanced adventurers may wish to solve the
game in this way.

Beginner's Introduction

For any player unfamiliar with adventure games, or simply if you find
difficulties in playing the main adenture game, you will find included in the
Lord of the Rings a special beginner's adventure game.

This game is closely modelled on part of the main adventure, so you will
quickly become familiar with the setting and characters of the main game.

All of the commands available in the main game are available in this beginner's
adventure, except for the BECOME command. As it is recommended that you become
familiar with the one player game before attempting the multi-character mode,
it was not felt suitable to include this in the beginner's adventure game.

Many of the problems have been simplified in this adventure, while others have
been removed altogether. This means that solving this beginner's adventure will
in no way detract from your enjoyment of the main adventure.

If you find yourself in difficulties at any point an additional command not
available in the main adventure can be used. This is the HELP command, and is
used without any object:
HELP

The computer will then make suggestions as to ways to overcome the difficulties
you face, starting with hints and suggestions. If these are not sufficient to
help you solve the problems, further recourse to the HELP command will usually
give you a more detailed hint.

Creatures of Western Middle Earth:
An Observer's Guide

ELVES: An ancient and noble race of immortal folk. Elves are fair to the eye,
and wise beyond human understanding. They are peerless interior decorators.

DWARVES: A long lived race of doughty (if short) warrior/craftsmen. Dwarves and
Elves harbour a deep and abiding dislike of one another, due to an unfortunate
history of mutual competition and mistrust.

HOBBITS: A race of cheerful, strong willed folk who chiefly inhabit THE SHIRE.
Shorter than Dwarves, and lacking the latter's over developed musculature,
Hobbits are quite nimble and dextrous. Most Hobbits cannot swim (Merry is an
exception). Of all the party, PIPPIN is the most agile, SAM the most sturdy,
and FRODO the smartest. Sam, being Frodo's devoted friend and retainer, will
always attempt to stay near him.

MEN: Many different nations of Men inhabit Middle Earth. Some, such as Rohan
and Gondor, are the implacable foes of the Dark Lord. Others, such as Umbar and
Harad, aid Sauron with troops, war elephants and gold.

ORCS: Orcs (or Goblins, as Hobbits call them) are the soldiery of the Dark Lord.
They are powerful, stooped and twisted creatures, with long arms, hairy
knuckles and muzzles crammed with far too many teeth. Orcs hate sunlight,
except for Uruk-Hai, a new, more powerful breed recently spawned in the pits of
Mordor.

TROLLS: Trolls are huge, flinty creatures with lumpen minds and brutal
instincts who serve the cause of evil. Trolls turn to stone when struck by
daylight. In recent years, Olog-Hai (Olog = Troll, Hai = Mk II) have appeared a
wittier, more agile version of the Troll which can withstand sunlight.
Observers report that these creatures look similar to enormous, black orcs of
unusual ugliness.

WARGS AND WOLVES: The wolves of the wildlands are particularly large and
ferocious, and are frequently misnamed "Wargs". Wargs proper are werewolves-
phantasms that only assume real (and deadly) shapes after darkness has fallen.
Sunlight nullifies their power.

WIZARDS: A mysterious race of magic users, who first appeared in Middle Earth
several millenia ago.

Legends and Common Knowledge
For those new to Tolkien's Middle Earth mythos, we provide the following
information on items, people and places that were either legendary, common
knowledge, or were known to antiquarians such as Bilbo and Frodo.

ANGMAR:"Iron Home", a long dead evil realm which fell to the armies of the
last alliance of Men and Elves many millenia ago. The king of the realm was a
victim of the One Ring, and later became the chief of Saurons' Ring-wraiths.

ARNOR:In ancient times, Arnor was the northern most realm of the men of
Numenor, which fell before the onslaught of Angmar in the second age of the
earth. The ruins which dot the trollshaws, and old sites such as weathertop are
all relics of ancient Arnor.

BAG-END: The ancestral home of the well to do Hobbit family of BAGGINS (not to
be confused with their cousins the Sackville-Bagginses).

BALROG:An evil spirit raised from hell during the great wars which rocked the
first age of the earth. At least one has survived to the period of our
adventure by hiding in the roots of the Misty Mountains, where it was
responsible for the destruction of Mona several centuries ago.

BARROW DOWNS: A source of dread legends within the Shire. It is a place of
ancient burial mounds, and hostile spirits.

BLACK RIDERS: Ring-wraiths or Nazgul. The Dark Lords' most loyal and trusted
servants. The nine Black Riders are forever enslaved to the Ring of Power.

BREE: A small town at the edge of the wilds. It has a mixed population of Men
and Hobbits.

ELROND:Elrond the Half-Elven, lord of Rivendell is an ancient and learned
figure who has dwelt in Middle Earth since time immemorial. His wisdom is
without question.

GALDALF: Galdalf the Grey is the second most powerful Wizard in Middle Earth.
He is an old friend of Bilbo and Frodo.

HOLLIN: An ancient, long vanished kingdom of the Elves.

MORIA: A deep labyrinth beneath the Misty Mountains. Called in the Dwarven
tongue "Khazad-Dum", Mona was once the most fabled and powerful of the Dwarven
kingdoms of Middle Earth. It was here that mithril silver was mined, the basic
material of magical swords, runes and armour. The inhabitants were mostly slain
by the BALROG many centuries ago, and now orcs infest its dark halls.

RADAGAST: Radagast the Brown is a Wizard learned in ancient lore. Radagast has
many special skills and responsibilities concerning beasts and birds.

RIVENDELL: The dwelling of the Elrond the Half Elven, called the last homely
house east of the sea. Rivendell is not a fortress, nor a city, but a place of
learning, healing and merriment. The wisdom of the ages can be found within its
walls.

SARUMAN: Saruman the White is the chief of the order of wizards, and the most
accomplished of Middle Earth's wizards. He presides over the White Council, the
defense committee of the forces of good.

SAURON: The Dark Lord, Sauron is the embodiment of evil in Middle Earth. Once
thought to have been destroyed during the wars against him in the second age,
Sauron has risen again, and seeks to recover his Ring of Power, which will give
him the ability to vanquish the weakened forces of good, and enslave right
thinking people everywhere.

SHIRE: The Shire is the area between the Brandywine river and the Tower hills
that the Hobbits have made their own. It is a peaceful land of small rivers,
gentle woodlands and well-tended fields.

Hints on Play

The best hints for playing the Lord of the Rings can be gained through reading
the books. The first book in the trilogy, The Fellowship of the Ring, is
supplied with the adventure.

The only real hints that can be given are these:

Be careful. If you race through the game, you will both limit the enjoyment
that you get from it, and you will fail to pick up valuable details that might
come in use later on in the game.

Be smart. Hobbits are neither wise, strong nor magical. If you are going to get
anywhere, you will have to use your wits.

Don't be scared to try risky actions. If you take no risks, you will find no
rewards. In other words, "Be bloody, bold and resolute", and keep a good pair
of running shoes handy.

An Abbreviated Vocabulary

We include here a list of actions that will be of general use when playing the
Lord of the Rings. Please note that this does not include "magic words", or
special verbs used for actions that are only permissible in certain areas at
certain times: Finding out what these words are, and how to use them is all
part of the fun of the game.

Movements:

DOWN, EAST, NORTH, NORTHEAST, NORTHWEST, SOUTH, SOUTHEAST, SOUTHWEST, UP, WEST
These can be abbreviated to the first letters, such as D, E, N, NE, and so on.

Action Verbs:

ATTACK, BREAK, BLOW, BUY, CARRY, CLIMB, CLOSE, CROSS, DRINK, DROP, EAT, EMPTY,
EXAMINE, FILL, FOLLOW, GET, GIVE TO, GO THROUGH, HELLO, KILL, KNOCK ON, LIFT,
LIGHT, LOCK, OPEN, PAY, PICK UP, PULL, PUT ON, PUT OUT, READ, RUN, SAY TO,
SHATTER, SLASH, SLICE, SMASH, SMOKE, STRANGLE, STRIKE, SWIM, TAKE, THANK, THROW,
TURN, UNLOCK, UNROLL, WAIT, WEAR.

Special Verbs:

BECOME, HELP, INVENTORY, LOAD, LOOK, PRINT, NOPRINT, QUIT, SAVE, SCORE.

Reference Section for your Computer

SPECTRUM 48K/+

Ensure that the cassette is fully rewound and that the EAR socket of your
Spectrum or Spectrum + is connected to that of the tape player. Type the
command LOAD" "and press the ENTER key. In case of difficulty, consult your
Spectrum manual.

COMMODORE 64 (cassette)

Ensure that your cassette is fully rewound, and that the datasette is properly
connected. Type LOAD and press the RETURN key. This program uses the "Pavloda"
system to ensure fast and reliable tape loading.

COMMODORE 64 (disk)

For loading instructions, refer to the label on the disk.

AMSTRAD CPC COMPUTERS

Ensure that your cassette is fully rewound. Press CTRL and the small ENTER key
simultaneously. The computer will prompt you to press PLAY and then press any
key.

BBC MODEL B

Ensure that your cassette is fully rewound. Type CHAIN " "and press the RETURN
key. (n.b. Disk drive users should type * TAPE and RETURN before attempting to
load a cassette).

All Melbourne House cassettes are manufactured under the strictest quality
control conditions.
In the unlikely event of a genuine fault, please return the faulty cassette
only (retaining the rest of the package) to Melbourne House at the nearest
office to you. We will gladly replace it.
PLEASE DO NOT RETURN IT TO THE PLACE OF PURCHASE.
(This notice does not affect your statutory rights).

EXCLUSIVE OFFER TO
PURCHASERS OF
LORD OF THE RINGS
(the computer game).

Take advantage of this special offer and re-create the fantasy world of Tolkien
in your own home!

Apply now for one of a limited edition of exclusively created "LORD OF THE
RINGS" holograms which are only available to purchasers of the "LORD OF THE
RINGS" computer game.

Previewed at the P.C.W. Show, where they received much critical acclaim, these
holograms were created by HOLOGRAFIX, a leading holographic studio, using the
latest laser equipment. In a choice of two editions, each hologram features the
image of a Nazg�l or Ring-Wraith, commonly known as a Black Rider. Just shine a
spotlight on the Nazgiil's face to reveal the most terrifyingly realistic 3D
image imaginable!

The 5" x 4" hologram is on a glass plate and is supplied in a clip-frame at
�29.95 inclusive of postage and packing.

The larger, de-luxe hologram measures 10" x 8" on a glass plate and is
professionally framed and individually signed and numbered, at �149.95. This
edition is strictly limited to 100 copies.

An early order is recommended to avoid disappointment. Please do not delay in
sending your order to Melbourne House (Publishers) Ltd using the order form
overleaf.

LORD OF THE RINGS
HOLOGRAM OFFER
APPLICATION FORM

N. B.

1)Offer applies only in UK, Channel Islands and Isle of Man.

2)Prices include postage and packing.

3)Allow 28 days for delivery.

Cheques and P.O.s should be crossed and made payable to MELBOURNE HOUSE
(PUBLISHERS) LTD. Please do not send cash with your order.

If you don't want to cut this page out of your User Guide, photocopy the page
or write out your order on plain paper.

To:- Melbourne House (Publishers) Ltd
Castle Yard House, Castle Yard, Richmond, Surrey TW1O 6TF.

From:-
NAME

ADDRESS
POSTCODE

Please send me the following
a) 5" x 4" Nazg�l hologram(s) at �29.95 each (inclusive)
b) A 10" x 8" Nazgiil hologram at �149.95 (inclusive)*
*Offer limited to one per person
I enclose crossed cheque/P.O. made payable to Melbourne House (Publishers)

SIGNED(If under 18. parent or guardian must sign)

CUT
HERE

Credits

The Lord of the Rings was a major effort by the programming team at Beam
Software. The project was the work of many people and took over 15 months to
complete.

Program Copyright(c)l985 by Beam Software

This program is published with the cooperation of the Tolkien Estate and their
publishers, George Allen & Unwin (Publishers) Ltd. The plot of Lord of the
Rings, the characters of the Hobbits, and the other characters from the Lord of
the Rings are copyright (c)George Allen & Unwin (Publishers) Ltd
1966, 1974, 1979, 1981.

Group leader and chief programmer Philip Mitchell
Storyline developmentMichael 0' Rourke
Paul Kidd
LynC
ProgrammingDanny Davis
LynC
Stephen Taylor
Doug Palmer
Louis Madon
GraphicsGreg Holland
Russel Comte
Script developmentGeoff Halprin
Danny Davis
Paul Kidd
Richard Woolcock
Graham Stretton
Paul Mitchell
Cover illustrationIan McCausland

From the team who brought you the incredible HOBBIT program now comes LORD OF
THE RINGS GAME ONE - based on the first of J.R.R. Tolkien's brilliant fantasy
trilogy FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING.

Live out your wildest fantasies in the mysterious and enchanted world of Middle
Earth - a world of boundless imagination where nothing is certain and anything
is possible.

You and your fearless band of Hobbits may not be blessed with any super powers
or magic, but there are plenty of others who are. Stay close to them because
your quest is daunting and your adversaries are ominous and evil. But courage,
perseverance and imagination (with a little help from your friends) are enough
to destroy even the evil Sauron's insidious control over your world.

Published by Melbourne House (Publishers) Ltd.
Castle Yard House, Castle Yard,
Richmond TW1O 6TF, United Kingdom.
70 Park Street, South Melbourne, 3205, Australia.

THE LORD OF THE RINGS - SOLUTION - TYPED BY VAXALON - 1994
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
PART 1 (played as Frodo)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Open the drawer, chest, cupboard and door, take one of the canvas backpacks
and put into it the matchbox, bottle and food. Go east, then south to the
main highway, the west until you reach the turn-off for the town hall. Go
north and then east to meet the Mayor. Now go west, south, west and west to
enter the Mathom House (if the guard refuses you entrance, just WEAR RING
and go west). In here take the book and the candle. Then go west until you
are back at the highway outside your cottage, then go east, north-east,
north-east, south-east, south and east (through the yellow door) to find
Merry. EAT MEAL until it's finished and go west and north. If there are no
riders about go east and then south-east into the forest with the trees that
move. If the riders are present then go north, south, east and south-east
into the forest (moves east and west are fatal when the riders are about,
but others are usually safe until they've gone).
In the forest you need to remember two locations, the wide glade and the
grassy glade. To pass from the wide to the grassy you need to go east,
so just type WAIT and then EAST until the trees let you pass. In the grassy
glade it's the same, except that you want to go south-east to find the
hilltop. At the hilltop go south to the riverbank then north-east to the
willow. At this point your companions should fall asleep, so go north-east
to Tom Bombadil and SAY TO TOM "HELP". Now return to the willow and WAIT.
As soon as they are free go north-east to Tom's and EAT MEAL until it's
finished. Thank Tom then go east until you meet the Barrow Wight. Now tell
your companions to take a sword each, then WEAR RING and go east.
At the gate, TAKE OFF RING and KNOCK. When asked, SAY TO GATEKEEPER "FRODO"
and then SAY TO SAM "GO SOUTH-WEST AND OPEN RED DOOR". Once sam has gone
go south-west and then south into the store. Here take all the food supplies
and then SAY TO SAM "GO NORTH AND KILL A BLACK RIDER". Do the same with
Pippin, and when Sam returns tell him to do it again. WAIT until they both
return and then go north and west and SAY TO STRANGER "HELLO". Now WAIT for
Strider to leave, then FOLLOW STRIDER and continue to do so until you find
the flat stone. READ STONE and WAIT, then Strider will go off again so
FOLLOW STRIDER once more until you reach the Fortress Of Fornost. Here WAIT
until the Starling talks to Strider and then FOLLOW STRIDER back to the gate.
Now WAIT twice and them go east, WAIT twice more and go east again. Around
this point the Black Riders should enter, so go north and then east to the
bare hilltop and WAIT five times. Now go south and FOLLOW STRIDER.
At the bridge Strider will stop, so SAY TO STRIDER "GO EAST" (you will have
to do this at least twice). When he agrees to follow you, go east until
you can go no further and Part One is complete.

NOTE REGARDING BLACK RIDERS:
This solution depends on timing to avoid the Black Riders, but the 'correct'
way to pass time is to use the pale green jewels. The following routine
should enable you to learn the words needed to release their powers:
Go to the lake, then w, w, s, sw, s, e, ne, sw, w, s, to locate the Monk
who will tell you what to do next. Then go n, w, n, w, s to locate the
Green Knight. Attack and defeat him and make sure you take the Broken
Medallion that he leaves behind. Then back to Monk, then, n, e, se, to
locate the Red Lady, kill her and take her medallion. Return to monk and
you should be allowed to pass through the stone door to the south of him,
where you will find yet another door. Knock and wait until Radagast answers
and he should give you the scroll with the magic words on. Now whenever you
encounter the Black Riders, make sure that Frodo, Pippin and Sam are
carrying one jewel each and type in magic words to get rid of Riders.
Give any spare jewels to Merry to carry.

GENERAL TIPS
1)Keep up your strength by eating at regular intervals.
2)If the riders enter the same location as yourself, go any direction bar
east and west.
3)Elfstones can be found in the willow (Pippin will be carrying them when
he is rescued), at the top of a tree that can be climbed by Hobbits
and in a plant pot (TAKE THE PLANT and EXAMINE POT).
4)If you ever visit farmer Maggott's farm, just WAIT three times when dogs
arrive and all will be well.
5)If you must go via the tunnel, then light the candle before you enter it
(OPEN MATCHBOX, LIGHT MATCH, LIGHT CANDLE WITH MATCH).
6)If you want to use the ferry than take it in turns to wind the handle.
7)If you really want to live like a Hobbit, then you need to get the pouch
and a pipe. Now OPEN POUCH, FILL PIPE and LIGHT MATCH (as before).
Then LIGHT PIPE WITH MATCH and enjoy a good smoke of the pipeweed.

PART 2
~~~~~~
Go north-east and north and you should encounter a small brown pony, then
go south-west to meet Glorfindel. Talk to him and he will tell you that he
has been sent to guide you. Go south and then east, then RIDE STALLION and
SAY TO STALLION "GO EAST" as soon as you see the Black Riders approaching.
Continue east until you have crossed the ford, then GET OFF STALLION and
WAIT until your companions appear. Go east to Elrond's courtyard, then
north and east until you meet Bilbo. EAT MEAL until it's finished, then
FOLLOW BILBO to his bedroom. WAIT for him to speak, then SAY TO BILBO "NO"
and repeat until he gives you the sword. Then WAIT and he will also give
you the Mithril Shirt. WEAR SHIRT then go west, east, south, west to meet
the council of Elrond. When the meeting is over and you are assembled
outside, WAIT and the pony will be laden with supplies. Proceed south,
south, south-west, south-east and then WAIT again. Go south-east and WAIT.
Go south-west and WAIT yet again. Now take Strider's advice and EAT. Then go
south-east and at this point distribute the bundles of cakes amongst the
company (e.g. SAY TO BOROMIR "TAKE CAKES"). Go east until you encounter
the outline of a door upon the rock, EXAMINE DOOR and then SAY TO DOOR
"FRIEND". At this point you will be grabbed by the tentacle (ouch!), so
ATTACK TENTACLES and when they release you, go east.
In the mines, go u, e, e, e, d, d, w, w, w, d, and you should be in a
corridor (but see note 2). PUSH HORSE and the slab will open, so now go east,
e, e, u, and east and you should be in a room with a book and a stone block
in it, along with a pile of armour. READ BOOK and EXAMINE BLOCK in order to
hear a noise in the corridor. WAIT and when they enter, ATTACK ORCS. Now go
east and WAIT. When Gandalf talks to you, go east and LIGHT CANDLE WITH
MATCH. Go down, d, s, d, south until you enter the square room. If all the
party are not with you, you can backtrack at this point to round them up.
When all are present, s, d, and then proceed east until you get to the
bridge. WAIT on the bridge and Gandalf will tell you to flee, so go east
until you emerge into Dimrill Dale then WAIT and FOLLOW GIMLI. Now head
south-east until you arrive on the eastern bank of the Nimrodel. When the
elf enters, WAIT, then proceed east to the river. Here the best policy is to
SAY TO ELF "HELP" and then SAY TO GIMLI "GO NORTH-WEST". When he has gone,
you must go north-east over the rope and then WAIT. Now go west and WAIT
again. When the doors have opened, head east to the tree and then go up,
then SAY TO GALADRIEL "HELP". When she has replied, climb down and go west
to the bridge but do not cross it. Now go south until you reach the banks of
the Anduin river and your quest is complete.

NOTE:
1)There are many other incidents and happenings along the way, this is just
one solution, but it is impossible in a game with so many variables to
include a comprehensive guide to everything. If you have managed to get
through the game once, however, you should then be able to go back and
explore the complexity of it some more.
2)If the route given above when entering the mines doesn't work, try instead
going up, e, e, e, d, d, w, d, s, d.
3)If Gimli insists on killing the Tactiturn Elf then you can either send him
away or else try to take his axe from him.
4)The above solution relies on timing to avoid the black riders, as follows:
After the Starling has talked to Strider, return to the gate of Bree and
WAIT twice, then go east and and WAIT twice more. Now go e, n, e, e, and
WAIT five times before heading south then east over the bridge. In case of
problems, just try varying the number of times you WAIT in each place until
you find the correct sequence to enable you to pass over the bridge in
safety.