<!--
	Title: Wishbringer™: The Story of Your Dreams
	Source: The New Zork Times, v4(2)
	Date: Spring 1985
	Transcription by Steve Derby
-->

Festeron's not a bad place to live. It's a little seaside town with a picturesque
church, a charming old-fashioned movie theater and a sparkling bay. There's that famous
tourist attraction, Pleasure Wharf, and the Free Public Library with its
collection of historic artifacts. There's even a miniature lighthouse.

The only thing Festeron doesn't have is a couple of dragons or
princesses to spice things up. But that's okay. You spend a lot of time
daydreaming, creating a Magick world that you can visit whenever
you want. The only problem is your boss, Mr. Crisp, who always shows
up when you're just about to polish off the dragon.

<figure class="float-right">
<img style="border: 1px solid;" src="/public/img/articles/nzt-wishbringer-story-of-your-dreams/wishbringer-packaging.jpg" alt="Wishbringer packaging">
<figcaption class="italic">Included in every <u>Wishbringer</u> package are a sealed envelope containing the
ransom note and a glowing Wishbringer stone.</figcaption>
</figure>

Mr. Crisp doesn't spice up your life — he's more like a thorn than a
dragon. But as mail clerk, you do what he tells you to do, whether it's
selling a stamp or delivering a letter. And, strangely enough, it's the letter
he asks you to deliver one day that makes your life in good old Festeron
as exciting as your dreams.

Here at Infocom, we like to turn fantasies into reality. In *Wishbringer*,
our newest introductory-level fantasy, you are the Festeron mail
clerk seeking the extraordinary in the land of the picturesque.

The special-delivery letter Mr. Crisp asks you to take to Ye Olde
Magick Shoppe turns out to be a ransom note from the mysterious
Evil One. The Magick Shoppe owner's beloved cat has been
kidnapped, and the ransom is an enchanted stone called Wishbringer.

When you leave the Magick Shoppe, after agreeing to help its
proprietress find her cat, the charming world of Festeron has disappeared,
familiar people and places gone or twisted into sinister forms.
Goldfish have turned into piranhas, trolls guard bridges, grues lurk in
caves, and your little post office has become a fortress-like tower. Overseeing
this skewed environment is the Evil One and her omnipresent
henchmen, the Boot Patrol.

As you venture through the grotesque realm of the Evil One,
you'll befriend mythic creatures and evade the traps that have been set for
you. And, like the Magick sword of your daydreams, the Wishbringer
stone will be there to give you help when you need it.

According to legend, Wishbringer holds seven Magick wishes. The
wishes, which are listed in *The Legend of Wishbringer* booklet
included in the package, may each be used only once. To invoke a wish,
you must have both the Wishbringer stone and a specified object in hand.
For example, "LUCK will bring good fortune, if ye hold a Horseshoe
and the Stone in thy possession."

You can solve all the puzzles in Wishbringer by logic alone. When
used in this way, the story is a challenge for experienced interactive
fiction fans. First-time players will appreciate having the Magick wishes
to help them out.

Along with *The Legend of Wishbringer*, each *Wishbringer*
package includes a postal map of Festeron and a sealed special-delivery
letter (the same one Mr. Crisp asks you to deliver at the start
of the story). You even get your very own glow-in-the-dark Wishbringer
stone.

*Wishbringer* was written by Brian Moriarty, a new member of Infocom's
in-house group of interactive fiction writers. It will retail for
$39.95 for most systems.
