



Welcome to Castle Adventure!  Written and directed by Ben Chenoweth (Copyright 2002 Grinnan Berrit Software).  Adapted to Inform 7 by Ben Chenoweth, 2012.

You have to rescue a princess of legendary beauty who is reportedly being held prisoner in a labyrinth beneath the Castle....

Good luck!

Castle Adventure!
An Interactive Fiction for the not-quite-beginning adventurer. by Ben Chenoweth
Release 1 / Serial number 120313 / Inform 7 build 6G60 (I6/v6.32 lib 6/12N) 

(If you are new to Interactive Fiction, type "help" for a list of basic commands.)

Forest
You are in a forest.

>n

Forest
You are in a forest.  There is a wide stream to the north.

>w

Forest
You are in a forest.  There is a narrow stream to the north.

>jump stream
You nimbly jump the stream.

Forest
You are in a forest.  There is a sheer cliff to the north and west, and a narrow stream to the south.

>e

Forest
You are in a forest.  There is a wide stream to the south.

>e

Forest
You are in a forest.  There is a wide stream to the south.

>e

Forest
You are in a forest, with a wide fast-flowing stream to the south.  The stream flows into a moat to the east full of crocodiles.  On the far side of the moat stands the castle.

>n

Edge of the Forest
You are at the edge of a forest that continues to the west and south.  There is a field of flowers to the north, a sheer cliff to the north-west, and a moat full of crocodiles to the east.  On the far side of the moat stands the castle.

>n

Field of Flowers
You are in a field of flowers that continues off to west, north and east.  There is a forest to the south, and a moat full of crocodiles to the south-east.  On the far side of the moat stands the castle.

You can see a sign here.

>read sign
The sign says:
"Do not, whatever you do, eat the mushrooms that grow in this field as they may have strange effects upon your person.  You have been warned..."

>e

Field of Flowers
You are in a field of flowers extending to the north and off into the west in front of the castle.  There is a moat full of crocodiles to the south, and a road to the east.

>e

Road
You are standing in front of the castle on a road leading north.  There is a drawbridge to the south, but it is up, and the moat is full of crocodiles.  Fields of flowers extend to the west and east.

>e

Field of Flowers
You are standing in a field of flowers in front of the castle.  There is a moat full of crocodiles to the south.  The road is to the west, and there is a sheer cliff to the east into which the moat flows noisily.

A large, rather ugly and mishapen field mushroom stands somewhat incongrously amongst the beautiful flowers.

>get mushroom
Taken.

>w

Road
You are standing in front of the castle on a road leading north.  There is a drawbridge to the south, but it is up, and the moat is full of crocodiles.  Fields of flowers extend to the west and east.

>w

Field of Flowers
You are in a field of flowers extending to the north and off into the west in front of the castle.  There is a moat full of crocodiles to the south, and a road to the east.

>w

Field of Flowers
You are in a field of flowers that continues off to west, north and east.  There is a forest to the south, and a moat full of crocodiles to the south-east.  On the far side of the moat stands the castle.

You can see a sign here.

>s

Edge of the Forest
You are at the edge of a forest that continues to the west and south.  There is a field of flowers to the north, a sheer cliff to the north-west, and a moat full of crocodiles to the east.  On the far side of the moat stands the castle.

>w

Forest
You are in a forest.  There is a sheer cliff to the north.

>w

Forest
You are in a forest.  There is a sheer cliff to the north and west.  There is a cave to the west, but its entrance is partially blocked by a rock-fall.

>eat mushroom
You eat the mushroom and immediately feel a tingling sensation in your extremities.  Before you can say "Alice in Wonderland" you have become half your normal size.

>w
Even in your miniature form you only just manage to squeeze through the gap.

Antechamber
You are in the antechamber of a cave.  The entrance to the cave is to the east, but it is partially blocked by a rock-fall.  The cave continues to the north.

>n

Cave
You are in the dark, although there is a faint glow to the south.

>e

Cave
You are in the dark.

>e

Cave
You are in the dark.

>n

Cave
You are in the dark.

>w

Cave
You are in the dark, although there is a faint glow to the north.

>n

Large Cavern
You are in a large cavern, open to the sky far above you.  There is a skeleton here, dressed in very tattered clothing.  The only exit is to the south.

Lying close to the skeleton is a shiny gold key!

A piece of paper is also lying near the skeleton.

>get key
Taken.

>get paper
Taken.

>read paper
Mysteriously, the piece of paper has "rake, kettle, ladle" written on it.

>s

Cave
You are in the dark, although there is a faint glow to the north.

>e

Cave
You are in the dark.

>s

Cave
You are in the dark.

>w

Cave
You are in the dark.

>w

Cave
You are in the dark, although there is a faint glow to the south.

>s

Antechamber
You are in the antechamber of a cave.  The entrance to the cave is to the east, but it is partially blocked by a rock-fall.  The cave continues to the north.

>e
Once again you only just manage to squeeze through the gap.

Forest
You are in a forest.  There is a sheer cliff to the north and west.  There is a cave to the west, but its entrance is partially blocked by a rock-fall.

>s

Forest
You are in a forest.  There is a wide stream to the south.

You can feel a tingling sensation in your extremities...

>w

Forest
You are in a forest.  There is a sheer cliff to the north and west, and a narrow stream to the south.

>jump stream
You nimbly jump the stream.

Forest
You are in a forest.  There is a narrow stream to the north.

That tingling sensation is getting stronger...

>s

Forest
You are in a forest.

>e

Forest
You are in a forest.

>s

Forest
You are in a forest.

Without warning, a short, brutish gnome bursts out of the underbrush and steals your piece of paper.  As he disappears in a pungent cloud of dust, he accidently drops a small pouch.

In an excruciatingly weird instant you regain your normal size.

>get pouch
Taken.

Without warning, a short, brutish gnome bursts out of the underbrush, looks at you with a startlingly mean expression, then disappears in a pungent cloud of dust.

>e

Forest
You are in a forest.

>e

Forest
You are in a forest.

>e

Forest
You are in a forest, with the caretaker's hut to the north-east.

A magpie swoops down from a tree, snatches the shiny key from your grasp, then flies off to the west where it apparently drops the key, before returning to sit in the tree.

>w

Forest
You are in a forest.

You can see a shiny gold key here.

>get key
Taken.

>put key in pouch
You put the shiny gold key into the small, rather smelly pouch.

>e

Forest
You are in a forest, with the caretaker's hut to the north-east.

There is a magpie sitting in a tree looking intently at you.

>e

Forest
You are in a forest, standing at the door of the caretaker's hut, which is to the north.

>get key from pouch
Taken.

>unlock door with key
You unlock the hut door.

>w

Forest
You are in a forest, with the caretaker's hut to the north-east.

The magpie swoops down, snatches the shiny key, then flies up to its nest where it drops the key.  It then turns to you and winks!  Who knows: perhaps your kindness to animals will pay off...

>e

Forest
You are in a forest, standing at the door of the caretaker's hut, which is to the north.

>n
(first opening the hut door)

Caretaker's Hut
You are in the caretaker's hut, with a door to the south.  There are a number of things hanging from the ceiling: a kettle, a pot, a ladle, a rope, a shovel and a rake.  They are all very firmly attached.

>pull rake
Nothing happens.

>pull kettle
Nothing happens.

>pull ladle
With a distressing grinding sound, a section of the floor rumbles aside revealing a well with iron rungs leading down into the gloom.

>d
You climb down the rungs into the gloom, but when you reach the bottom, the trapdoor suddenly grinds shut leaving you in pitch blackness, but not before you catch a glimpse of a torch.

Darkness
It is pitch dark, and you can't see a thing.

>get torch
You grope around but you can't find the torch.

>get torch
You grope around but you can't find the torch.

>get torch
You got the torch!

>look
Darkness
It is pitch dark, and you can't see a thing.

>switch torch on
You switch the electric torch on.

Caretaker's Cellar
You are standing in the caretaker's cellar.  There is a damp passage leading north.

>n

Passage
You are standing in a damp north/south passage which presumably is located beneath the moat.

>n

Musty Basement
You are in a musty basement, with empty boxes scattered all over the floor.  A damp passage leads south, and a steep staircase leads up.

>u

Food Stores
You are standing in the south-east corner of the food stores.  There are large storage chests all over the place, allowing passage only to the west.  There is also a steep staircase leading down.

>w

Food Stores
You are standing in the south-west corner of the food stores.  There are large storage chests all over the place, allowing passage to the north and to the east.

>n

Food Stores
You are standing in the north-west corner of the food stores.  There are large storage chests all over the place, allowing passage to the south and east.

There's a bottle of wine here, standing on a storage chest.

>get wine
Taken.

>e

Food Stores
You are standing in the north-east corner of the food stores.  There are large storage chests all over the place, allowing passage only to the west.  There is also a doorway to the north.

>n

Base of the Battlement Stairs
You are standing at the base of stairs leading up in a westerly direction to the castle battlements.  The main courtyard is to the east.  There are doorways to the north and south.

>n

Weapons Store
You are standing in the south-east corner of the weapons store.  There are partitions covered in exotic weaponry that only allow passage to the west and north.  There is a doorway to the south.

>w

Weapons Store
You are standing in the south-west corner of the weapons store.  There are partitions covered in exotic weaponry that only allow passage to the east.

Somone has dropped a knife here; it's lying on the floor partly hidden by a partition.

>get knife
Taken.

>e

Weapons Store
You are standing in the south-east corner of the weapons store.  There are partitions covered in exotic weaponry that only allow passage to the west and north.  There is a doorway to the south.

>s

Base of the Battlement Stairs
You are standing at the base of stairs leading up in a westerly direction to the castle battlements.  The main courtyard is to the east.  There are doorways to the north and south.

>w

Battlements
You are on the battlements.  They continue north and south from here.  There are stairs leading down to the courtyard in the east.

>s

Battlements
You are on the battlements.  They continue north and east from here.  There is a tall turret to the south.

>e

Battlements
You are on the battlements.  They continue west and south from here.  You are at the north-east corner of a tall turret.

>s

Battlements
You are on the battlements.  They continue north and east from here.  There is an opening into the tall turret to the west.

>e

Battlements
You are on the battlements.  They continue west and east from here.

>e

Battlements
You are on the battlements.  They continue west and east from here.

>e

Battlements
You are on the battlements.  They continue west from here.  There is an opening in the east wall.

>e

Army Barracks
You are in the army barracks, which extend to the north from here.  There is an opening to the west leading out onto the battlements.  There is messy bedding and dirty clothing strewn around the place.

>n

Army Barracks
You are in the army barracks, which extend to the south from here.  There is an archway to the north.  There are broken bits or armour here.

>n

The Mess
You are in the Mess.  There are archways to the north and south.  A long table runs the length of the room.

You can see a table (on which is a rather smelly smoked sausage) here.

>get sausage
You're carrying too many things already.

>i
You are carrying:
  a surprisingly sharp knife
  a bottle of wine
  an electric torch (providing light)
  a small, rather smelly pouch

>drop pouch
Dropped.

>get sausage
Taken.

>s

Army Barracks
You are in the army barracks, which extend to the south from here.  There is an archway to the north.  There are broken bits or armour here.

>s

Army Barracks
You are in the army barracks, which extend to the north from here.  There is an opening to the west leading out onto the battlements.  There is messy bedding and dirty clothing strewn around the place.

>w

Battlements
You are on the battlements.  They continue west from here.  There is an opening in the east wall.

>w

Battlements
You are on the battlements.  They continue west and east from here.

>w

Battlements
You are on the battlements.  They continue west and east from here.

>w

Battlements
You are on the battlements.  They continue north and east from here.  There is an opening into the tall turret to the west.

>n

Battlements
You are on the battlements.  They continue west and south from here.  You are at the north-east corner of a tall turret.

>w

Battlements
You are on the battlements.  They continue north and east from here.  There is a tall turret to the south.

>n

Battlements
You are on the battlements.  They continue north and south from here.  There are stairs leading down to the courtyard in the east.

>e

Base of the Battlement Stairs
You are standing at the base of stairs leading up in a westerly direction to the castle battlements.  The main courtyard is to the east.  There are doorways to the north and south.

>e

Courtyard
You are standing at the west end of the main courtyard.  A section of the courtyard continues to the west.

>e

Courtyard
You are standing in the centre of the main courtyard.  There are some stocks here, but they are empty.

>e

Courtyard
You are standing at the east end of the main courtyard.  There is a large archway to the east leading further into the castle.

The archway to the east is being guarded by the most enormous guard dog you have ever seen.

>throw sausage south
You throw the rather smelly smoked sausage towards the deep pit to the south.  The dog eagerly chases after it, catches the sausage on the edge of the pit, but its momentum carries it over the edge.  There is a moment's gravity-free pause, whilst the dog's situation sinks in, and then it disappears in a cloud of mangy fur.

>e

Entrance Hall
You are standing in a richly decorated east/west entrance hall.  Paintings of past royalty line the walls.

>e

Junction
You are standing at a junction of passage ways: the entrance hall to the west and the north/south residential corridor.  There is a wide archway to the east, and there is a steep spiral staircase leading up.

There is a ghost standing here!  She appears to be pointing to the south.

>s

Residential Corridor
You are standing in a richly decorated north/south corridor.  There are expensive tapestries lining the walls.

>s

Residential Corridor
You are at the south end of the residential corridor.  There is a doorway to the west.

>w

Royal Bedroom
You are in a royal bedroom.  The queen-size bed is to the north, and there is a doorway to the east.

>enter bed

Queen-Sized Bed
You are sitting on the queen-size bed.  The rest of the royal bedroom is to the south.

There is a ghost standing here!  She is watching you intently, but keeping her distance.

There is an intriguing panel on the wall above the bed.

>open panel with knife
You use the knife to force open the intriguing panel.  It slides side-ways to reveal a secret compartment containing a ring!  The ghost nods her head then disappears.

>drop knife
Dropped.

>get ring
Taken.

>s

Royal Bedroom
You are in a royal bedroom.  The queen-size bed is to the north, and there is a doorway to the east.

>e

Residential Corridor
You are at the south end of the residential corridor.  There is a doorway to the west.

>n

Residential Corridor
You are standing in a richly decorated north/south corridor.  There are expensive tapestries lining the walls.

>n

Junction
You are standing at a junction of passage ways: the entrance hall to the west and the north/south residential corridor.  There is a wide archway to the east, and there is a steep spiral staircase leading up.

The ghost is standing here!  Again, she is watching you intently, but keeping her distance.

>u

Balcony
You are on a balcony overlooking the dining hall.  The balcony continues to the north and south, and there is a steep spiral staircase going down.  On the wall of the dining hall opposite, the ornate tapestries have some letters on them.

>n

Balcony
You are on a balcony overlooking the dining hall.  The balcony continues to the south, and there is a steep stairway going up.  On the wall of the dining hall opposite, the ornate tapestries have some letters on them.

>examine tapestries
They are beautifully made, with stylish lettering that spells out "esw".

>s

Balcony
You are on a balcony overlooking the dining hall.  The balcony continues to the north and south, and there is a steep spiral staircase going down.  On the wall of the dining hall opposite, the ornate tapestries have some letters on them.

>examine tapestries
They are beautifully made, with stylish lettering that spells out "ene".

>s

Balcony
You are on a balcony overlooking the dining hall.  The balcony continues to the north, and there is a steep stairway going up.  On the wall of the dining hall opposite, the ornate tapestries have some letters on them.

>examine tapestries
They are beautifully made, with stylish lettering that spells out "wns".

>n

Balcony
You are on a balcony overlooking the dining hall.  The balcony continues to the north and south, and there is a steep spiral staircase going down.  On the wall of the dining hall opposite, the ornate tapestries have some letters on them.

>d

Junction
You are standing at a junction of passage ways: the entrance hall to the west and the north/south residential corridor.  There is a wide archway to the east, and there is a steep spiral staircase leading up.

The ghost is standing here!  Again, she is watching you intently, but keeping her distance.

>e

Enormous Dining Hall
You are in the enormous dining hall, extending north and south from where you stand.  A wide archway is to the west, and the huge, oblong table is to the east.

>s

Enormous Dining Hall
You are in the enormous dining hall, extending north and east from here.  The huge, oblong table is to the north-east.

>e

Enormous Dining Hall
You are in the enormous dining hall, extending north and west from here.  The huge, oblong table is to the north-west.

>n

Enormous Dining Hall
You are in the enormous dining hall, extending north and south from here.  The huge, oblong table is to the west, and there is a large doorway to the east.

>e

Large Kitchen
You are in a large kitchen.  There are doorways to the north and south.  There is a large doorway to the west, and a darkened stairwell leading down to the east.

>e

Cellar
You are in the cellar.  There are a number of large boxes on the floor permitting movement north, east and south from here.  There is also a stairwell leading up to the west.

>e

Cellar
You are in the cellar.  There are a number of large boxes on the floor only permitting movement west from here.  There is a socket on the east wall here.

>examine socket
The socket has a large central hole which is hemispherical, surrounded by a region of intricate patterns...

>examine ring
The ring has been beautifully wrought from the finest gold and has an intricate pattern surrounding a central ruby of stupendous size.

>put ring in socket
The ring fits into the socket perfectly.  You then turn the ring, and a large section of the floor slides open with a grinding of stone.

>d

Entrance to the Labyrinth
You are at the entrance to the labyrinth which is to the east.  There is a stone staircase leading up from here.

>e

Labyrinth
You are in the labyrinth.  Someone has scrawled a letter "A" on the wall here.

>s

Labyrinth
You are in the labyrinth.  Someone has scrawled a letter "B" on the wall here.

>w

Labyrinth
You are in the labyrinth.  Someone has scrawled a letter "C" on the wall here.

>e

Labyrinth
You are in the labyrinth.  Someone has scrawled a letter "D" on the wall here.

>n

Labyrinth
You are in the labyrinth.  Someone has scrawled a letter "E" on the wall here.

>e

Labyrinth
You are in the labyrinth.  Someone has scrawled a letter "F" on the wall here.

>w

Labyrinth
You are in the labyrinth.  Someone has scrawled a letter "G" on the wall here.

>n

Labyrinth
You are in the labyrinth.  Someone has scrawled a letter "G" on the wall here.

>s

Passageway
You are hiding behind some barrels in a passageway leading to the dungeons to the east.  The labyrinth is to your west.

From behind the barrels, you can see a guard in the guardroom.

>wait
Time passes.

From behind the barrels, it looks as though the guardroom is empty.

>wait
Time passes.

From behind the barrels, it looks as though the guardroom is empty.

>wait
Time passes.

From behind the barrels, it looks as though the guardroom is empty.

>wait
Time passes.

From behind the barrels, it looks as though the guardroom is empty.

>wait
Time passes.

From behind the barrels, you can see a guard in the guardroom.

>wait
Time passes.

From behind the barrels, it looks as though the guardroom is empty.

>e

Dungeon Guardroom
You are in the guardroom of the dungeons, with a lamp fixed to the wall providing a flickering light.  Passages leads south and west.  There is a celldoor to the north, and an open cell to the east.

>drop bottle
Dropped.

>w

Passageway
You are hiding behind some barrels in a passageway leading to the dungeons to the east.  The labyrinth is to your west.

From behind the barrels, it looks as though the guardroom is empty.

>wait
Time passes.

From behind the barrels, you can see the guard pick up the bottle, examine the label favourably, then remove the cork with his bare hands!  Then, in one swift movement, he drinks the entire bottle of wine.  As he finishes the bottle, he places it on the floor, then slowly collapses backwards, fast asleep...

>e

Dungeon Guardroom
You are in the guardroom of the dungeons, with a lamp fixed to the wall providing a flickering light.  Passages leads south and west.  There is a celldoor to the north, and an open cell to the east.

You can see a bunch of keys and a bottle of wine here.

There is a sleeping guard here.

>get keys
(the bunch of keys)
Taken.

There is a sleeping guard here.

>s

Dungeon Passageway
You are in the north/south passageway of the dungeons, with a lamp fixed to the wall providing a flickering light.  There is a celldoor to the west and an open cell to the east.

>unlock celldoor with keys
You unlock celldoor two.

>w
(first opening celldoor two)

Dungeon Cell
You are in a dungeon cell.  The exit is to the east.

>e

Dungeon Passageway
You are in the north/south passageway of the dungeons, with a lamp fixed to the wall providing a flickering light.  There is a celldoor to the west and an open cell to the east.

>s

Dungeon Passageway
You are at the south end of a passage in the dungeons, with a lamp fixed to the wall providing a flickering light.  There is a celldoor to the east and open cells to the west and south.

>unlock celldoor with keys
You unlock celldoor three.

>e
(first opening celldoor three)

Dungeon Cell
You are in a dungeon cell.  The exit is to the west.

The princess is here!  She says to you, "My hero!  I will follow you all the days of my life... or at least until we get out of this castle..."

>examine princess
The princess is beautiful and is wearing a beautiful diamond tiara.

The princess is here.

>w

Dungeon Passageway
You are at the south end of a passage in the dungeons, with a lamp fixed to the wall providing a flickering light.  There is a celldoor to the east and open cells to the west and south.

The princess is here.

>n

Dungeon Passageway
You are in the north/south passageway of the dungeons, with a lamp fixed to the wall providing a flickering light.  There is a celldoor to the west and an open cell to the east.

The princess is here.

>n

Dungeon Guardroom
You are in the guardroom of the dungeons, with a lamp fixed to the wall providing a flickering light.  Passages leads south and west.  There is a celldoor to the north, and an open cell to the east.

You can see a bottle of wine here.

There is a sleeping guard here.

The princess asks, "Wow, what did you do to this guy?  He's out cold!"

>w

Passageway
You are hiding behind some barrels in a passageway leading to the dungeons to the east.  The labyrinth is to your west.

From behind the barrels, you can see a guard asleep on the floor in the guardroom.

The princess is here.

>w

Labyrinth
You are in the labyrinth.  Someone has scrawled a letter "G" on the wall here.

The princess cries, "We're lost! We're lost!"

>w

Labyrinth
You are in the labyrinth.  Someone has scrawled a letter "F" on the wall here.

The princess complains, "You don't know where we are, do you?"

>s

Labyrinth
You are in the labyrinth.

The princess cries, "We're lost! We're lost!"

>w

Labyrinth
You are in the labyrinth.

The princess is here.

>e

Labyrinth
You are in the labyrinth.  Someone has scrawled a letter "F" on the wall here.

The princess is here.

>n

Labyrinth
You are in the labyrinth.  Someone has scrawled a letter "E" on the wall here.

The princess complains, "You don't know where we are, do you?"

>n

Labyrinth
You are in the labyrinth.

The princess complains, "You don't know where we are, do you?"

>s

Labyrinth
You are in the labyrinth.  Someone has scrawled a letter "E" on the wall here.

The princess is here.

>w

Labyrinth
You are in the labyrinth.  Someone has scrawled a letter "D" on the wall here.

The princess cries, "We're lost! We're lost!"

>e

Labyrinth
You are in the labyrinth.  Someone has scrawled a letter "E" on the wall here.

The princess wails, "We'll never get out of here alive..."

>s

Labyrinth
You are in the labyrinth.  Someone has scrawled a letter "D" on the wall here.

The princess is here.

>s

Labyrinth
You are in the labyrinth.  Someone has scrawled a letter "C" on the wall here.

The princess cries, "We're lost! We're lost!"

>w

Labyrinth
You are in the labyrinth.

The princess cries, "We're lost! We're lost!"

>s

Labyrinth
You are in the labyrinth.

The princess wails, "We'll never get out of here alive..."

>n

Labyrinth
You are in the labyrinth.

The princess is here.

>s

Labyrinth
You are in the labyrinth.

The princess is here.

>e

Labyrinth
You are in the labyrinth.

The princess complains, "You don't know where we are, do you?"

>s

Labyrinth
You are in the labyrinth.

The princess complains, "You don't know where we are, do you?"

>w

Labyrinth
You are in the labyrinth.  Someone has scrawled a letter "C" on the wall here.

The princess wails, "We'll never get out of here alive..."

>n

Labyrinth
You are in the labyrinth.  Someone has scrawled a letter "B" on the wall here.

The princess wails, "We'll never get out of here alive..."

>e

Labyrinth
You are in the labyrinth.  Someone has scrawled a letter "B" on the wall here.

The princess cries, "We're lost! We're lost!"

>n

Labyrinth
You are in the labyrinth.  Someone has scrawled a letter "B" on the wall here.

The princess cries, "We're lost! We're lost!"

>s

Labyrinth
You are in the labyrinth.  Someone has scrawled a letter "A" on the wall here.

The princess cries, "We're lost! We're lost!"

>w

Entrance to the Labyrinth
You are at the entrance to the labyrinth which is to the east.  There is a stone staircase leading up from here.

The princess is here.

>u

Cellar
You are in the cellar.  There are a number of large boxes on the floor only permitting movement west from here.  There is a socket on the east wall here.  There is also a large, forbidding hole in the floor.

The princess is here.

>w

Cellar
You are in the cellar.  There are a number of large boxes on the floor permitting movement north, east and south from here.  There is also a stairwell leading up to the west.

The princess is here.

>w

Large Kitchen
You are in a large kitchen.  There are doorways to the north and south.  There is a large doorway to the west, and a darkened stairwell leading down to the east.

The princess says, "I'm starving!  Any chance of a snack?"

>w

Enormous Dining Hall
You are in the enormous dining hall, extending north and south from here.  The huge, oblong table is to the west, and there is a large doorway to the east.

The princess is here.

>s

Enormous Dining Hall
You are in the enormous dining hall, extending north and west from here.  The huge, oblong table is to the north-west.

The princess is here.

>w

Enormous Dining Hall
You are in the enormous dining hall, extending north and east from here.  The huge, oblong table is to the north-east.

The princess is here.

>n

Enormous Dining Hall
You are in the enormous dining hall, extending north and south from where you stand.  A wide archway is to the west, and the huge, oblong table is to the east.

The princess is here.

>w

Junction
You are standing at a junction of passage ways: the entrance hall to the west and the north/south residential corridor.  There is a wide archway to the east, and there is a steep spiral staircase leading up.

The ghost is standing here!  Again, she is watching you intently, but keeping her distance.

The princess takes one look at the ghost and screams.  She takes to her heels and disappears up the stairs, dropping her tiara as she does so.

>get tiara
Taken.

>s

Residential Corridor
You are standing in a richly decorated north/south corridor.  There are expensive tapestries lining the walls.

The ghost follows you into the room, still fixated on the tiara.

>drop tiara
Dropped.

>n

Junction
You are standing at a junction of passage ways: the entrance hall to the west and the north/south residential corridor.  There is a wide archway to the east, and there is a steep spiral staircase leading up.

>u

Balcony
You are on a balcony overlooking the dining hall.  The balcony continues to the north and south, and there is a steep spiral staircase going down.  On the wall of the dining hall opposite, the ornate tapestries have some letters on them.

>n

Balcony
You are on a balcony overlooking the dining hall.  The balcony continues to the south, and there is a steep stairway going up.  On the wall of the dining hall opposite, the ornate tapestries have some letters on them.

>u

Dingy Attic
You are in a dingy attic.  There are large boxes preventing easy movement.  There is a steep spiral staircase leading down here.

>w

Dingy Attic
You are in a dingy attic.

>n

Dingy Attic
You are in a dingy attic.  There is a spiral staricase going up here.

>u

Spiral Staircase
You are on a spiral staircase that leads up and down from here.

>u

Highest Turret
You are on the highest turret of the castle.  The only way to go is down a spiral staircase.

The princess is here!  She looks at you in relief and says, "I don't know what came over me.  I guess that ghost spooked me a little.  Let's get out of here."

>d

Spiral Staircase
You are on a spiral staircase that leads up and down from here.

The princess is here.

>d

Dingy Attic
You are in a dingy attic.  There is a spiral staricase going up here.

The princess is here.

>s

Dingy Attic
You are in a dingy attic.

The princess is here.

>e

Dingy Attic
You are in a dingy attic.  There are large boxes preventing easy movement.  There is a steep spiral staircase leading down here.

The princess is here.

>d

Balcony
You are on a balcony overlooking the dining hall.  The balcony continues to the south, and there is a steep stairway going up.  On the wall of the dining hall opposite, the ornate tapestries have some letters on them.

The princess is here.

>s

Balcony
You are on a balcony overlooking the dining hall.  The balcony continues to the north and south, and there is a steep spiral staircase going down.  On the wall of the dining hall opposite, the ornate tapestries have some letters on them.

The princess is here.

>d

Junction
You are standing at a junction of passage ways: the entrance hall to the west and the north/south residential corridor.  There is a wide archway to the east, and there is a steep spiral staircase leading up.

The princess is here.

>w

Entrance Hall
You are standing in a richly decorated east/west entrance hall.  Paintings of past royalty line the walls.

The princess is here.

>w

Courtyard
You are standing at the east end of the main courtyard.  There is a large archway to the east leading further into the castle.

The princess is here.

>w

Courtyard
You are standing in the centre of the main courtyard.  There are some stocks here, but they are empty.

The princess is here.

>n

Courtyard
You are standing at the north end of the main courtyard.  The drawbridge is to the north, but it is well and truly up.

The princess is here.

>ask princess about drawbridge
The princess just replies shortly, "Hmmf."

The princess is here.

>s

Courtyard
You are standing in the centre of the main courtyard.  There are some stocks here, but they are empty.

The princess is here.

>w

Courtyard
You are standing at the west end of the main courtyard.  A section of the courtyard continues to the west.

The princess is here.

>w

Base of the Battlement Stairs
You are standing at the base of stairs leading up in a westerly direction to the castle battlements.  The main courtyard is to the east.  There are doorways to the north and south.

The princess is here.

>w

Battlements
You are on the battlements.  They continue north and south from here.  There are stairs leading down to the courtyard in the east.

The princess is here.

>s

Battlements
You are on the battlements.  They continue north and east from here.  There is a tall turret to the south.

The princess is here.

>e

Battlements
You are on the battlements.  They continue west and south from here.  You are at the north-east corner of a tall turret.

The princess is here.

>s

Battlements
You are on the battlements.  They continue north and east from here.  There is an opening into the tall turret to the west.

The princess is here.

>e

Battlements
You are on the battlements.  They continue west and east from here.

The princess is here.

>e

Battlements
You are on the battlements.  They continue west and east from here.

The princess is here.

>e

Battlements
You are on the battlements.  They continue west from here.  There is an opening in the east wall.

The princess is here.

>e

Army Barracks
You are in the army barracks, which extend to the north from here.  There is an opening to the west leading out onto the battlements.  There is messy bedding and dirty clothing strewn around the place.

The princess is here.

>n

Army Barracks
You are in the army barracks, which extend to the south from here.  There is an archway to the north.  There are broken bits or armour here.

The princess exclaims, "Oooh, it really stinks in here!"

>n

The Mess
You are in the Mess.  There are archways to the north and south.  A long table runs the length of the room.

You can see a small, rather smelly pouch (empty) and a table here.

The princess is here.

>n

Army Barracks
You are in the army barracks, which extend to the north from here.  There is an archway to the south.  There are pieces of broken crockery strewn all over the floor here.

The princess is here.

>n

Army Barracks
You are in the army barracks, which extend to the south from here.  There is a doorway to the west leading out onto the battlements, and there are piles of dirty underwear littering the floor here.

The princess is here.

>w

Battlements
You are on the battlements.  A door into the guardhouse , which is directly above the drawbridge, is to the west.  There is a opening to the east leading into the barracks.

The princess is here.

>w
(first opening the guardhouse door)
It seems to be locked.

The princess is here.

>unlock door with keys
You unlock the guardhouse door.

The princess is here.

>w
(first opening the guardhouse door)

Guardhouse
You are in the guardhouse, directly above the drawbridge.  The room extends to the west and there is a door leading out onto the battlements to the east.  There are two very thick chains coming out of the floor and going up through the roof here.

The princess is here.

>examine chains
You have never seen chains made up of links as big as these before.  The weight of these chains must be stupendous.

The princess is here.

>w

Guardhouse Mess
You are in the guardhouse mess, with a couple of tiny chairs haphazardly arranged around a small table.  The guardhouse continues to the east, there is a door leading out onto the battlements to the west, and there is a ladder going up through an open trapdoor in the roof.

The princess is here.

>u

Roof of the Guardhouse
You are on the roof of the guardhouse.  The roof extends to the east, and there is a ladder poking through an open trapdoor in the floor.

The princess is here.

>e

Roof of the Guardhouse
You are on the roof of the guardhouse.  The roof extends to the west, and there is a large winch here, connected to two large chains that emerge from holes in the floor.

The princess says, "Kick it!  That always works in the movies!"

>kick winch
You kick the winch hard, and it immediately begins to turn.  There is a loud rumbling sound from somewhere below you.

The princess is here.

>w

Roof of the Guardhouse
You are on the roof of the guardhouse.  The roof extends to the east, and there is a ladder poking through an open trapdoor in the floor.

The princess is here.

>d

Guardhouse Mess
You are in the guardhouse mess, with a couple of tiny chairs haphazardly arranged around a small table.  The guardhouse continues to the east, there is a door leading out onto the battlements to the west, and there is a ladder going up through an open trapdoor in the roof.

The princess is here.

>e

Guardhouse
You are in the guardhouse, directly above the drawbridge.  The room extends to the west and there is a door leading out onto the battlements to the east.  There are two very thick chains coming out of the floor and going up through the roof here.

The princess is here.

>e

Battlements
You are on the battlements.  A door into the guardhouse , which is directly above the drawbridge, is to the west.  There is a opening to the east leading into the barracks.

The princess is here.

>e

Army Barracks
You are in the army barracks, which extend to the south from here.  There is a doorway to the west leading out onto the battlements, and there are piles of dirty underwear littering the floor here.

The princess whines, "Do we have to come this way?"

>s

Army Barracks
You are in the army barracks, which extend to the north from here.  There is an archway to the south.  There are pieces of broken crockery strewn all over the floor here.

The princess is here.

>s

The Mess
You are in the Mess.  There are archways to the north and south.  A long table runs the length of the room.

You can see a small, rather smelly pouch (empty) and a table here.

The princess exclaims, "Oooh, it really stinks in here!"

>s

Army Barracks
You are in the army barracks, which extend to the south from here.  There is an archway to the north.  There are broken bits or armour here.

The princess exclaims, "Oooh, it really stinks in here!"

>s

Army Barracks
You are in the army barracks, which extend to the north from here.  There is an opening to the west leading out onto the battlements.  There is messy bedding and dirty clothing strewn around the place.

The princess moans, "I have definitely lost my appetite!"

>w

Battlements
You are on the battlements.  They continue west from here.  There is an opening in the east wall.

The princess is here.

>w

Battlements
You are on the battlements.  They continue west and east from here.

The princess is here.

>w

Battlements
You are on the battlements.  They continue west and east from here.

The princess is here.

>w

Battlements
You are on the battlements.  They continue north and east from here.  There is an opening into the tall turret to the west.

The princess is here.

>n

Battlements
You are on the battlements.  They continue west and south from here.  You are at the north-east corner of a tall turret.

The princess is here.

>w

Battlements
You are on the battlements.  They continue north and east from here.  There is a tall turret to the south.

The princess is here.

>n

Battlements
You are on the battlements.  They continue north and south from here.  There are stairs leading down to the courtyard in the east.

The princess is here.

>e

Base of the Battlement Stairs
You are standing at the base of stairs leading up in a westerly direction to the castle battlements.  The main courtyard is to the east.  There are doorways to the north and south.

The princess is here.

>e

Courtyard
You are standing at the west end of the main courtyard.  A section of the courtyard continues to the west.

The princess is here.

>e

Courtyard
You are standing in the centre of the main courtyard.  There are some stocks here, but they are empty.

The princess is here.

>n

Courtyard
You are standing at the north end of the main courtyard.  The drawbridge is to the north, and it is down!

The princess is here.

>n

Drawbridge
You are standing on the drawbridge.  The crocodiles swirl impotently through the water below you.  The main courtyard is to the south, and the road is to the north.

The princess is here.

>n

Road
You are standing in front of the castle on a road leading north.  There is a drawbridge to the south.  Fields of flowers extend to the west and east.

CONGRATULATIONS!

You made it out of the castle with the princess, and you did it in 274 moves!
The princess says to you, "Thank you, sir!  You have rescued me and I will be eternally grateful."

Just then, a king and queen arrive on horseback with the entire court of the castle, and an enormous army behind them.

The king turns to you and says, "Well, Sir Knight.  I see you have rescued our darling daughter from the dungeon.  However, you do realise that this is OUR castle and that she had been placed in the dungeon because she refused to eat her vegetables?  I hope that you didn't kill anyone to get her out.  We have been out riding for some days and I have been missing my dog Fido."

You decide that now is probably not a good time to discuss rewards, so you slink away, with a guilty look on your face... However, as you depart, you hear a great deal of barking and the enormous guard dog you previously saw disappearing downwards into a deep pit clutching a smelly sausage in its mouth has come running out of the castle, straight towards the king, and jumps in his arms.

So, all's well that ends well!

But then the dog turns to look at you, slinking away over the field of flowers, and its memory stirs.  You were the one responsible for throwing it that tasty sausage!  It leaps from the kings arms and starts to run towards you!  When it leaps on you, it begins happily licking your face.  The king comes over and says, "Well, Fido appears to like you!  Perhaps you would be a suitable husband for the princess after all.  Come in and be our guest!"

So you marry the princess and live happily ever after, all because you showed kindness to a pesky magpie!



    *** The End ***




Would you like to RESTART, RESTORE a saved game, QUIT or UNDO the last command?
> 