Gold of the Realm
A dying man is found on your doorstep. He hands you a map and in his dying
breath, tells of a great treasure of gold located in one of four castles built
by the Four Princes of the Realm. Although deserted for many years now, the
gold still remains, along with only a few evil things and remnants of sorcery
that watch over the treasure.
You remember a tale your grandfather has told of a disguised evil magician who
had won the favor of the Four Princes and would serve as the Court Magician.
They would later trust him to hide away the Realms riches within the Gray
Castle, protected by his magic. But, once the gold was in his grasp, the
magician rose up against the Princes, casting them out of the castles with
powerful spells of magic. Legend also says demons rose up to destroy any that
remained in the land, especially each of the Princes of the Realm. Very few
survived to tell the tale. With only your work horse as company you leave on
your quest. At the start of this game of exploration, you have a choice of
difficulty, Easy, Medium, and Hard. The Easy level has one castle to explore
with 79 different screens. The Medium level has two castles, and 159 different
screens. The Hard level has four castles and 320 different screens. Each
increased level of difficulty has more foes and obstacles to overcome, and
more items to find. In addition, the Hard selection will randomize certain
items and conditions giving 4096 possible games, which effectively makes Gold
of the Realm always different whenever you start a new game.
Make your way through the castles by picking up items and using them when
necessary. Pick up items by standing over the item and pressing the joystick
button. The name of the item and its image will appear in the Status Bar. To
use an item or drop an item from your inventory, its name must be showing in
the Status Bar indicating that it is the current item. To drop an item, stand
on a blank area of floor and press the joystick button once. (Items can only
be dropped on wooden floors).
Avoid being touched by a spook – they will steal your current item and drop it
somewhere in the Realm. Doors can be opened by standing near them and pressing
the joystick button. Move up and down staircases by standing on the steps and
pressing the joystick button.
Map and save often to succeed on your quest. If you have defeated all
obstacles, and have the treasure, go back to your horse, and press the
joystick button.