The Gold Mine and the PrincessWilliam A. AustinYou'll find this text adventure onSide "B" of this month's disk, allready to run as an AUTORUN file.Just turn the disk over so Side "B"is up, put the disk in drive 1, andturn your computer off, then on againWITH BASIC.  (XL/XE users DO NOT holddown [OPTION].)The object of the game is to findenough gold to buy cattle at auction.Get enough cattle, and you can marrythe king's daughter.  Your onlysource of gold, however, is theancient gold mine not far from thevillage, abandoned years ago when amonster appeared.  No one is certainif the Beast of the Deep is still inthe mine, but the mine is definitelydangerous, falling apart and now thehome of rats, bats and the fearsomeshaft wolves.Adding to your problems, the princesshas demands, too.  You must firsttoll the Bell of Wondrous Things, andgive her the diamond ring reportedlyhidden in the mine, before the kingwill even consider your proposal ofmarriage.HOW TO PLAYThe game has two main parts, thevillage and the mine.  In thevillage, an on-screen menu will guideyou.  In the mine, press [H] for aHELP screen listing possiblecommands.IN THE VILLAGEThe village offers you theopportunity to rest and recover frominjuries, rat-bite fever or poisoning(usually, one rest period alone willnot cure you completely.)You may also inspect your herd, andsee its current market value.  Birthsmay add to your herd, and rustlersmay subtract a few cows.You will also have the chance to hideyour money before returning to themine -- a good way to foil thieves.TREASURES and PITFALLSAt the beginning your character isquite weak, but every action takenadds to your strength.  At first, youwill not be able to carry much gold,or remain very long in the cavebefore you begin to experiencebreathing problems.The deeper you go in the mine, themore likely you are to find ore.  Ifyou look for gold at a given level,and do not find any, try again.Repeated searching may result insuccess.MAGIC ITEMSThe GOLD BEETLE will "sniff out" goldfor you.The GOLDEN PICKAXE will enable you todig out ore in ten times the normalamount.The EMERALD COW, when carried,changes the size of your herd.  Asyou go down into the maze you'll gaincows (One for level one, two forlevel two, etc.)  The reverse is trueas you ascend.The WIZARD will cast a spell on you.The unpredictable effects last untila puff of blue smoke indicates thatthe spell has expired.The RUBY AMULET protects you fromspells.A lucky CAT'S EYE NECKLACE will helpyou avoid disasters such as traps andfalling rocks.The BONE RING protects you fromoxygen deprivation.RED FUNGUS cures rat-bite fever.GREEN FUNGUS neutralizes poisons.BLACK FUNGUS transports you to the25th level, the very bottom of thecave.WHITE FUNGUS transports you back tothe Village.GREEN GAS is very poisonous.RED GAS will absorb oxygen from yoursystem.PURPLE GAS will cause you to wanderaimlessly.YELLOW GAS dissolves any gold youhave on you.A magical CANARY protects you fromthe effects of any of the gases aslong he perches on your shoulder.The SHAFT WOLF may bite or justwander by.  Rarely, he will elect toaccompany you, frightening away anyother animals.VISIONS can have results ranging fromadded wealth to instant death.CAVE GOBLINS react in various ways,but encounters are rarely beneficial.The BELL will perform a number ofunpredictable actions when rung.  Itcannot be instantly rerung.Various SACKS, CHESTS and BOXES maycontain desireable objects.  Some,however, are protected by explosivetraps.When you offer your herd to the kinghe will consider the current marketvalue of the collection, and not justhow many head are there.  If youbother the king with repeated pleasto accept your cows, or insult himwith a small offering, he can becamerather irritable.If you die without gaining theprincess, you can find out how closeyou got by pressing the [SPACE BAR].