=============================================================================== FAQ/Walkthrough for ACORN'S QUEST =============================================================================== GUIDE INFORMATION ----------------- Author: Tom Hayes E-mail: thayesguides(at)gmail(dot)com System: ZX Spectrum Updated: 17th September, 2010 Version: 1.0 CONTENTS -------- 1. Introduction 2. Walkthrough 3. Item List 4. Maps 5. Credits 6. Copyright Information VERSION HISTORY --------------- 1.0: 17th September, 2010 (First version) =============================================================================== 1. Introduction =============================================================================== Acorn's Quest is an interactive fiction adventure that was made by AH Software in 1984. You play as Acorn, a professional adventurer who has been given the task of recovering the Chalice of Hope from a large cave system. The game has over 70 different rooms to explore. Perhaps due to its large size, the parser in some rooms is very strict and only accepts one type of command. For example, in one room you need to bind reeds. Bundle, combine, tie or any other commands do not work or even give a hint to the correct command. Despite this, Acorn Adventure is fun to play and is full of interesting locations and puzzles. =============================================================================== 2. Walkthrough =============================================================================== The game starts on the bleak hillside. Move EAST twice and NORTH to the sharp scythe. GET SCYTHE. Move WEST twice, NORTH six times, WEST, NORTH, WEST, SOUTH and WEST to the earthy cave. CUT ROOTS with the scythe. GET ROOTS. Move NORTH, WEST, NORTH and EAST to the sand dunes. CUT REEDS with the scythe. DROP SCYTHE. GET REEDS. Move WEST, SOUTH, EAST, SOUTH, EAST, SOUTH, EAST, SOUTH and EAST to the low cave. GET ROPE. Move WEST, SOUTH twice and EAST twice to the limestone cave. FILL BOTTLE with water dripping from the stalactites. Move NORTH to the wide cave. GET SPADE. Move SOUTH and EAST to the carbobinferous cave. BIND REEDS with the roots to make the bundle of reeds. SOAK REEDS in the pool to make the lit torch. Move WEST twice and NORTH to the volcanic cave. LIGHT TORCH in the geyser. Move SOUTH and WEST four times to the dank cave. GET STONE. WET STONE with the bottle of water to get the whetstone. DROP BOTTLE. Move EAST twice, NORTH, WEST and NORTH to the low dusty passage. DIG with the spade to find a rusty dagger. DROP SPADE. GET DAGGER. SHARPEN DAGGER on the whetstone. DROP STONE. Move WEST to the low musty passage. GET BAR. Move EAST twice, SOUTH, EAST, SOUTH three times and WEST twice to the wild goat. KILL GOAT with the razor-sharp dagger. DROP DAGGER. GET GOAT. Move EAST twice, NORTH three times, EAST twice and NORTH to the wide cave. BEND BAR in the rift to make a steel hook. TIE ROPE to the hook to make a grapnel. Move SOUTH, WEST twice and NORTH four times to the southern edge of the fissure. THROW HOOK across the fissure. CROSS ROPE to the northern edge of the fissure. Move NORTH to the inner cavern. OPEN EMASES to move the large rock. ENTER DOORWAY to move to the low tunnel. Move NORTH, WEST and SOUTH to the low cave. GET CROWBAR. Move NORTH, EAST, SOUTH and EAST to the dragon's lair. FEED DRAGON the dead goat and the dragon will sleep. CLIMB DRAGON to enter the upper chamber. Move WEST to the cosy cave. GET SPIKE. Move EAST and SOUTH to the star chamber to see a curious monkey. Say YES when he asks if you are enjoying the adventure or the game will end. Move SOUTH to the high cavern. HAMMER SPIKE into the wall with the crowbar. DROP CROWBAR. Move UP and EAST to the narrow east/west passage to see a small hole in the north wall. DROP TORCH. If you have any other items in the inventory, drop them here as well. CRAWL NORTH into the crawl-way. Move NORTH twice and DOWN to the vault. GET CHALICE. Move UP and SOUTH three times to the dark east/west passage. GET TORCH. Move WEST, DOWN and WEST to the side cave. GET WOOD. MAKE CROSS from the broken pieces of wood. Move EAST four times, SOUTH four times and WEST twice to the primeval forest. CLIMB TREE. Move DOWN, WEST five times, SOUTH twice, EAST, SOUTH, EAST, SOUTH, EAST and SOUTH seven times to the bleak hillside near the chalice box. INSERT CHALICE in the box to complete the game. =============================================================================== 3. Item List =============================================================================== 30FT ROPE Found in the low cave. It is tied to the steel hook to make the grapnel with 30ft rope. BOX OF DOGGY CHOCS Found in the side cave. They do not have to be used to complete the game, but can be given to the timber-wolf one screen north of the tree in the primeval forest. BROKEN PIECES OF WOOD Found in the side cave. They are made into a wooden cross. BUNDLE OF REEDS Made by binding the cut reeds to the long stringy roots. The reeds are then soaked in the pool in the carboniferous cave to make the unlit torch. CHALICE OF HOPE Found in the vault. It is put in the chalice box on the bleak hillside. CUT REEDS Found by using the sharp scythe on the reeds in the sand dunes. The cut reeds are binded to the long stringy roots to make the bundle of reeds. DEAD GOAT Found after killing the wild goat with the razor-sharp dagger two screens west from the narrow valley. It is fed to the dragon in the dragon's lair to make the dragon sleep. FULL WATER-BOTTLE Found by filling the water-bottle in the cave of limestone. It is used to wet the smooth stone from the dank cave to make the whetstone. GRAPNEL WITH 30FT ROPE Made by tying the 30ft rope to the steel hook. The hook is thrown from the southern edge of the fissure to make the rope span the fissure. HEAVY CROWBAR Found in the low cave. It is used to hammer the steel spike into the wall of the high cavern. LARGE BRASS KEY Found in the dark cave. It is not used. LIT TORCH Made by lighting the unlit torch in the geyser in the volcanic cave. It is used to provide light in some sections of the cave system. LONG STRINGY ROOTS Found by using the sharp scythe on the roots in the earthy cave. The cut reeds are binded to the long stringy roots to make the bundle of reeds. PIECE OF SEAWEED Found on the sand dunes. It is not used. RAZOR-SHARP DAGGER Made by sharpening the rusty dagger on the whetstone. It is used to kill the wild goat two screens west from the narrow valley. RUSTY DAGGER Found by digging with the spade in the low dusty passage. It is sharpened on the whetstone to make the razor-sharp dagger. SHARP SCYTHE Found on the bleak hillside two screens east of the narrow valley. It is used to cut the roots in the earthy cave and the reeds in the sand dunes. SMOOTH STONE Found in the dank cave. The full water-bottle is used to wet the stone to make the whetstone. SPADE Found in the wide cave. It is used to dig in the low dusty passage to find the rusty dagger. STEEL BAR Found in the low musty passage. It is bent in the rift in the wide cave to make the steel hook. STEEL HOOK Made by bending the steel bar in the rift in the wide cave. The 30ft rope is tied to the steel hook to make the grapnel with 30ft rope. STEEL SPIKE Found in the cosy cave. The heavy crowbar is used to hammer the steel spike into the wall of the high cavern. UNLIT TORCH Made by soaking the bundle of reeds in the pool in the carboniferous cave. It is lit in the geyser in the volcanic cave to make the lit torch. WATER-BOTTLE Available at the start of the game. It is filled with the water in the cave of limestone to make the full water-bottle. WHETSTONE Found by using the full water-bottle to wet the smooth stone from the dank cave. The rusty dagger is sharpened on the whetstone to make the razor-sharp dagger. WOODEN CROSS The broken pieces of wood are made into the wooden cross. It is used to pass the bat cave. =============================================================================== 4. Maps =============================================================================== MAP 1: SOUTH MAP ---------------- _______ _______ _______ | Musty | | Dusty | | Musty | |Passage|--|Passage|--|Passage| |_______| |___ ___| |_______| | *2 ___|___ _______ ___|___ _______ _______ | Musty | | Musty | | Open | |Volcano| | Wide | |Passage|--|Passage| |Cavern | | Cave | | Cave | |_______| |___ ___| |___ ___| |___ ___| |___ ___| | | | | _______ _______ ___|___*1 ___|___ ___|___ ___|___ _______ | Dank | |Smooth | |Sdstone| | Large | |Marble | |Lmstone| |Carbon | | Cave |--| Cave |--| Cave |--| Cave |--| Cave |--| Cave |--| Cave | |_______| |_______| |_______| |___ ___| |_______| |_______| |_______| | ___|___ | Low | |Passage| |___ ___| | ___|___ | Cave | |Entrnce| |___ ___| | _______ _______ ___|___ _______ _______ | Wild | | Bleak | |Narrow | | Bleak | | | | Goat |--|Hllside|--|Valley |--|Hllside|--|Scythe |------+ |___ ___| |___ ___| |___ ___| |___ ___| |___ ___| | | | | | | | | ___|___ ___|___ ___|___ ___|___ | | | Bleak | |Chalice| | Bleak | | Bleak | | +------|Hllside|--| Box |--|Hllside|--|Hllside|<-----+ |_______| |_______| |_______| |_______| *1: The torch needs to be lit before the sandstone cave can be explored. *2: Leads to the Sloping Passage on map 2. MAP 2: NORTH-WEST MAP --------------------- _______ _______ _______ | Side | |Vaulted| | Dark | |Cavern |--|Cavern |--| Cave | |___ ___| |___ ___| |_______| *4 | | __/ ___|___ ___|___ ______u/ | Low | | Low | |Dragons| | Cave | |Tunnel |--| Lair | |_______| |___ ___| |_______| | _______ _______ ___|___ | | | Sand | | Inner | |Seaweed|--| Dunes | |Cavern | |___ ___| |___ ___| |___ ___| | | | ___|___ ___|___ ___|___ |Narrow | | Sand | |N Edge | | Beach |--| Dunes | |Fissure| |___ ___| |_______| |___ ___| | | ___|___ _______ _______ _______ ___|___*3 |Narrow | | Cave | | Maze | | Maze | |S Edge | | Beach |--| Mouth | |Corridr|--|Corridr| |Fissure| |___ ___| |___ ___| |___ ___| |___ ___| |___ ___| | | | | | ___|___ ___|___ ___|___ ___|___ ___|___ |Narrow | |Earthy | | Maze | | Maze | | N/S | | Beach | | Cave |--|Corridr| |Corridr|--|Passage| |_______| |_______| |___ ___| |_______| |___ ___| | | ___|___ ___|___ _______ | Maze | |Sloping| | Low | |Corridr|-*2 |Passage|--| Cave | |_______| |___ ___| |_______| | *1 *1: Leads to the Open Cavern on map 1. *2: Leads to the N/S Passage on map 2. *3: THROW ROPE after making the grapnel and then CROSS ROPE. *4: Leads to the Upper Chamber on map 3. MAP 3: NORTH-EAST MAP --------------------- _______ |Hole in| | Floor | |___ ___| __/d | _______ ______u/ ___|___ | | | | |Crawl- | | Ledge | | Vault | | way | *1 |___ ___| |_______| |___ ___| \__ | | _______ \___|___ _______ ___|___ | Cosy | | Upper | | Vault | |Crawl- | | Cave |--|Chamber|--| Door | | way | |_______| |___ ___| |_______| |___ ___| | | ___|___ _______ ___|___*2 _______ | Star | |Narrow | |Hole in| |Narrow | |Chamber| |Passage|--| Wall |--|Passage| |___ ___| |_______| |_______| |_______| | __/d _______ ___|__u/ _______ _______ _______ | Side | | High | | Damp | | Bat | | Outer | | Cave |--|Cavern |--| Cave |--| Cave |--|Passage| |_______| |___ ___| |_______| |_______| |___ ___| | | ___|___ ___|___ |Bank of| | Cave | | River | |Entrnce| |_______| |___ ___| | ___|___ | Thick | |Forest | |___ ___| | _______ ___|___ |Timber | |Primevl| | Wolf | |Forest | |___ ___| |___ ___| | | _______ _______ ___|___*3 _______ ___|___ |Scrub- | |Edge of| |Primevl| |Primevl| |Primevl| *4-| land |--|Forest |--|Forest |--|Forest |--|Forest | |_______| |_______| |_______| |_______| |_______| *1: Leads to the Dragon's Lair on map 2. *2: All inventory items must be dropped before crawling into the crawlway. *3: CLIMB TREE before moving west to the edge of the forest. *4: Moving west three times from the scrubland leads to the Seaweed on map 2. =============================================================================== 5. Credits =============================================================================== - EMUZWin (http://kolmck.net/apps/EmuZWin_Eng.htm) The emulator that was used to run the tape image for this game. - GUEmap (http://www.cjmweb.net/GUEmap/) A program that was used to map out the locations in this game. - World of Spectrum (http://www.worldofspectrum.org/) A website that hosts a massive amount of Spectrum-related material. The tape image for this game was found here. - ZX Modules (http://www.zxmodules.com/) Hosts different applications for managing and editing Spectrum files. The ZX Preview application was used to extract information from this game. =============================================================================== 6. Copyright Information =============================================================================== This file is Copyright 2010 Tom Hayes. As it can be difficult to keep track of websites that haven't posted the latest version of this file, please do not distribute it without my permission. Send an e-mail to me if you would like to post this file on your website and you will likely receive a positive response. If you do post the file, please keep it in its original form with all of the sections intact and credit the author (Tom Hayes) as the writer of the file. The latest version of this file can be found at www.gamefaqs.com.