<!--
	Title: (Scorpion's Tale) Moonmist: As told by Scorpia
	Author: Scorpia
	Source: Computer Gaming World, 7(1)
	Date: Jan-Feb 1987
	Transcription by Steve Derby
-->

<img class="float-left" src="/public/img/articles/cgw-scorpions-tale-amfv/scorpions-tale-logo-amfv.png" alt="Scorpion's Tale logo">

That's it, step right in and close that door,
quickly! Baby, it's cold outside. Of course, you
wouldn't expect anything else in January. But I
shouldn't keep you standing here like that; you look
a bit frozen in that, ahhh, bronze, umm, costume
of yours. Just sit here by the fire and warm up
your body; Fred's already concocting something to
take care of your insides (not too strong now,
Fred!). Well, after all that jaunting around the solar
system, it's time to get your feet back on the
ground, and I have just the place for you. A nice,
solid, castle in Cornwall.

Moonmist is an introductory-level game, so most
folks shouldn't have too much trouble with it. Still,
the game has some neat features, and takes the
concept introduced in Cutthroats, namely, the replayable
game, a step further. There are four
separate games within Moonmist, each controlled
by your choice of color at the beginning of the
adventure: green, blue, yellow, and red.

Actually, you could pick other colors, but you'll
still get one of the same four scenarios. You also
get to decide if you're male or female; this has no
real effect on the game, it just lends a little extra
touch, and some people will react to you differently
depending on whether you're male or female.

While there are four separate games, they are all
based on the same functions: find the hidden
treasure, and discover the secret of the ghost that is
haunting Tresyllian Castle, and making a nervous
wreck of your good friend Tamara. There is a
different treasure and ghost in each scenario.

The one problem with all this is you have to
play every scenario right from the very beginning;
you choose the color when you first arrive at the
castle. Thus you must to go through all the same
motions four times, and considering the amount of
disk access in this game, that can become a bit
much. Only after dinner, when you begin the hunt
for the treasure (and the ghost) do things change.
So the opening is pretty much standard: you
arrive at the castle, meet Tamara and all the guests,
change into your dinner outfit, and go downstairs
for the dinner party. Afterwards, a tape machine
starts playing, setting off the hunt. The first clue is
an indication of the treasure you're looking for, the
second one begins the quest.

<img class="float-left" src="/public/img/articles/cgw-scorpions-tale-moonmist/moonmist-cover.jpg" alt="Moonmist cover">

One of the really terrific features here is the
ability to 'go to' a place. As long as you know the
name of the room or area you want to visit, you
can go there in a single command. For instance, if
you're in the foyer, and you want to go to the
library, you just say: Go to the library. And off
you go!

Mapping is a breeze, too. A very nice map of
most (although not all) of the castle is provided. It
even shows the secret passages (of course, you'll
have to figure out how to get into them on your
own). I wouldn't want to sleep in this place, myself.
Those passages are everywhere, and peepholes, too.
The castle must have been designed by Big Brother.

Ok, let's take a look at the variations themselves,
starting off with the green one, which is the easiest
of the four. Dinner is over, the tape has played,
and you have the first two clues. What you're
looking for is pretty obvious, especially if you read
the brochure (an absolute must!), paying careful
attention to the description of the Old Great Hall.

The second clue may be a little harder, and
you'll have to poke around in unmapped places.
Remember to examine everything, like the good
detective you are, and the third clue should be in
hand before long. Let's look at it. Hmmm. Sounds
like secret stuff to me. Which reminds me: you'll
want a light source sooner or later, probably sooner
in some cases. Might be a good idea to wander
around and find one.

So now you have the fourth clue. Uh-huh, this
one's not too hard; just look in the write place, and
I'll bet you find the treasure. Nice going, Sherlock!
All that's left is finding out about the ghost. Bet
you know by now who it is, even if you have no
evidence. You don't? Oh tch, breathes there a soul
so dead, who doesn't know the most likely spot for
a secret passage?

You're making progress now! All that's left is a
little snooping in a certain room (keep that aerosol
device handy!), and the case should be wrapped up
in short order.

The blue variation is a bit tricky; there are only
three clues, instead of four, to the treasure. That
should make it easier, but you have to do a bit
more running around with that second clue. As
before, the first one is a hint to what the treasure
is.

That second clue is a looong one. Three parts, in
fact! Filling in the blanks is pretty easy, but
figuring out where they point to could be another
matter. Let's look at the first part. That one seems
to have a musical air to it. But, what's this? No
clue when you find the right place? That's ok, just
keep going, and all will be clear shortly.

<img class="float-right" src="/public/img/articles/cgw-scorpions-tale-moonmist/moonmist-map.png" alt="Tresyllian Castle map">

Now, the second part. Watch out here...this one
is a trifle devious! No, don't go running off to the
dungeon! Re-read that brochure! That's better. You
probably have an idea now where you're headed,
but let's look at the third part of the clue, just to
be sure.

This one is simple, and now that you have all
three parts worked out, you know where to go
searching next. Hmmmm. This third clue is also a
fill-in. I never figured out why, myself, because
the parts to fill in don't spell out anything special.
In any case, a few minutes of thought, and the clue
should ring your chimes as to the location of the
hidden goodie.

On to the ghost! Hold on there...you won't find
anything where you did in the last version.
Remember, each one is different. Of course, you
have some ideas as to the identity of the spook;
time for more nosing around someone's room. Gee,
this is pretty easy, huh? Well, the next one is a
trifle harder.

In the red variation, we are back to four clues
again. And the ghost may surprise you. Do make
sure you read the maid's note. In fact, it's a good
idea to read it in all the scenarios, because it's a
little different each time. Now to the treasure hunt.

The second and third clues here are pretty
simple. The fourth one, tho, may give you pause
for thought. What could it mean? Time for that
invaluable brochure again (it must be getting dogeared
by now!). Aha! Sneaky, sneaky! Imagine
having to look in a place that doesn't show up in
the room description.

So we come to the ghost. More tricks. You've
searched the guilty party's room, right? And you
didn't find what you were looking for, did you?
Hehehe. What a surprise! Gee....you don't suppose
this means that the ghost is (gasp!) real, do you?
Well, there's only one way to find out. You'll have
to wait for it to show up (yep, the Infocom
hallmark - waiting - has finally reared its ugly
head! Good thing it's only in this variation).

Of course, you're not going to wait in any place
so mundane as a room. That wouldn't be any fun at
all (not to mention, nothing would happen). So
think about it: if you were a ghost, where would
you likely be, especially if you didn't want to be
seen?

Patience wins the day! At least, it should if you
did everything right. And another case has been
brought to a successful conclusion. Even tho it may
not have been thrilling for one person.

And now, we come to the yellow variation,
which may be a bit of a downer. You'll know why
pretty soon into the game. This one is also the
'Edgar Allan Poe' hunt; all the clues are taken from
his poems and stories. Those of you familiar with
Poe's works will breeze through the clues. Even if
you don't know them, all but the fourth clue can
be figured out pretty easily with a little thought.

So we take a peek at the second clue. Yep, that
one's easy. Up you go and grab the third clue.
Hmmmm. Not so easy, at least in figuring out
where to go. Look sharp, my girl, and you'll find
the fourth clue. Now, if you know the story
mentioned in the clue, you know where to go next.
If you don't know the story, think about the legend
of the White Lady, which may suggest something.

All right, we're almost done here. You have the
treasure, only the ghost (sigh) is left. Time to do
the usual snooping. Well, you found something, but
perhaps, again, not quite what you were looking
for, eh? No matter. Check the name on the paper.
Bet you know where to look now. And so the last
variation is finished, although the ending may not
be so happy. Such is life.

I see by the invisible clock on the wall that time
is almost up for this issue. Remember, if you need
a hand with an adventure game, you can reach me
in the following ways:

On Delphi: Stop by the GameSIG (under the
Groups and Clubs menu). On GEnie: Visit the
Games RoundTable (type: SCORPIA to get there).
On the Source: Send SMail to ST1030.

By U.S. Mail (all correspondents in the U.S.
must include a self-addressed, stamped envelope to
receive a reply): Scorpia, P.O. Box 338, Gracie
Station, New York, NY 10028.

Until next time, happy adventuring!

Copyright 1986 by Scorpia, all rights reserved.