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THE GOLDEN
BATON (1982) |
REVIEW
by AtariGrub
A
nameless warrior on a mission to rid the land of evil… So begins the first
of the Brian Howarth 'Mysterious Adventures'. For years your homeland ruled
by King Ferrenuil, was peaceful and plentiful in food and wealth. Some believe
this to be down to the legendary Golden Baton, worshipped by the people for
generations. Now the future of the land is in doubt, as the precious artefact
has been stolen by some foreign evil. You embark quest to the farthest hostile
lands, where previous heroes have yet to return, in the hope of retrieving the
Golden Baton.
You begin the game in a spooky forest, carrying only a box of matches! It's not long before you uncover a sword, although you'd think a hero would already be carrying a weapon of this sort before setting out! No matter. Always useful in an adventure game and in this one it's used more than once and not just for vanquishing foes.
I suppose the main three sections to this game are a forest, castle and an underground cavern. The forest holds the first few items, along with a savage wolf, which needs to be dealt with if you wish to journey to the castle. Of course crossing the moat and entering the castle are just two more puzzles for you to solve, before you even get to venture inside the dark underground cave and its huge overgrown creatures that live within!
Fortunately,
every object that is found or obtained has a purpose or at least contains another
useful item. However, the inventory is limited to just six objects, so a certain
amount of storing and shuffling amongst your belongings is needed.
Most of the puzzles in the game are fairly straight forward, although a few solutions are fairly vague and may require a hint or two (see Hints section below). I suppose my only real concern with The Golden Baton is the lack of coherence in the game, mixing parts of the King Arthur legend with Ancient Greek mythology and a dose of Colossal Cave (the first ever text adventure).
Overall a good start
for Brian Howarth and a reasonable introduction to any who haven't played a
text adventure before.
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"Fortune
is ally to the brave."
(7/10) |
GAME
HINTS
Hold down the mouse button and drag cursor across the appropriate Hint or Solution
for help.
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PROBLEM:
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A Savage Wolf blocks my path! |
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HINT:
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You'll have to use force to get past him. |
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SOLUTION:
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KILL WOLF with Sword found amongst the Rotting Leaves |
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PROBLEM:
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How do I get across the castle moat? |
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HINT:
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It's actually the most obvious way - don't worry there aren't any crocodiles! |
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SOLUTION:
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SWIM |
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PROBLEM:
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How to do I open the Portcullis? |
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HINT:
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You can't. However, it is possible to climb over it…. |
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SOLUTION:
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THROW ROPE (made by CUTting BRIARS in forest with Sword) then CLIMB ROPE |
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PROBLEM:
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How can I get past the Dark Knight? |
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HINT:
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A disguise will help… |
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SOLUTION:
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WEAR CLOAK |
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PROBLEM:
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My Matches are wet! |
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HINT:
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You need to get them over the castle moat before swimming... |
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SOLUTION:
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THROW MATCHES |
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PROBLEM:
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My Lamp keeps running out! |
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HINT:
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Remember to DOUSE LAMP when above ground to preserve Oil. |
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SOLUTION:
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SQUEEZE the Old Sodden RAG to fill the Lamp with an extra supply of Oil. |
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PROBLEM:
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What use is the barrel? |
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HINT:
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It has no use in itself, but does contain a useful item…. |
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SOLUTION:
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LOOK BARREL to find SALT |
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PROBLEM:
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How do I unlock the huge door? |
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HINT:
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You need the key obtained from an item of jewellery found in the forest. |
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SOLUTION:
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RUB RING found in the tree hollow. |
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PROBLEM:
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The runes on the staff are unreadable… |
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HINT:
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A wearable magic item will help you to understand them… |
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SOLUTION:
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WEAR HELMET |
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PROBLEM:
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Are there any secret rooms in the castle? |
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HINT:
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Try searching each room. |
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SOLUTION:
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SEARCH STRAW in Straw strewn shed |
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PROBLEM:
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The Glowing Quartz is too hot to pick up! |
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HINT:
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You need to wave a magic item and say the magic words… |
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SOLUTION:
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WAVE STAFF and say the magic words enscribed on it. |
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PROBLEM:
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How do I kill the Lizard-Man? |
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HINT:
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Swords won't help here - you'll need a magic rock! |
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SOLUTION:
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SHAKE QUARTZ |
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PROBLEM:
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I keep getting turned to stone! |
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HINT:
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You need to be prepared for the Gorgon's stare… |
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SOLUTION:
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HOLD MIRROR before entering |
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PROBLEM:
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How do I unlock the Padlocked door? |
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HINT:
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Force is needed as the Padlock is too rusty! |
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SOLUTION:
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SMASH PADLOCK with Hammer |
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PROBLEM:
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A giant Crab stops me entering the lake! |
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HINT:
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The Crab is hungry, but will allow you to pass if fed… |
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SOLUTION:
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FEED CRAB the slugs |
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PROBLEM:
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I'm still not sure how to get past the Crab! |
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HINT:
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The gardeners weapon will come in handy here… |
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SOLUTION:
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DROP SALT on slugs to shrivel them |
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PROBLEM:
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The Golden Baton is still elusive to me… |
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HINT:
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Read the Parchment found in the castle for clues. |
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SOLUTION:
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You'll need to SAIL LAKE using the raft. BLOW HORN and then THROW KNIFE found on the Lizard-Man. |
FURTHER GAMES
in the series by the same author:
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MYSTERIOUS
ADVENTURES
(Chronological order) |
MYSTERIOUS
ADVENTURES
(Channel 8 Software order) |
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| 1) The Golden Baton 2) The Time Machine 3) Arrow of Death (Part 1) 4) Arrow of Death (Part 2) 5) Escape from Pulsar 7 6) Circus 7) Feasibility Experiment 8) The Wizard of Akyrz 9) Perseus & Andromeda 10) Ten Little Indians 11) Waxworks |
1)
The Golden Baton 2) Arrow of Death - Part 1 3) Arrow of Death - Part 2 4) Escape from Pulsar 7 5) Feasibility Experiment 6) The Time Machine 7) Circus 8) The Wizard of Akyrz 9) Perseus & Andromeda 10) Ten Little Indians 11) Waxworks |
The games above are listed on the left in the original release order and on the right in the Channel 8 Software numbered order.
All these adventures were also available on other computer formats, including graphical versions for the Commodore 64 and ZX Spectrum.
The following adventures
were announced in the mid-eighties, but never released:
12) Mid-Winter
13) After the Fire
14) Beyond the Infinite
ifiction.org
(Play The Golden Baton on-line!)
www.ifiction.org/games/play.phpz?cat=43&game=262&mode=html
Medusa in Myth
and Literary History
(Study on the history of the Gorgon)
www.english.uiuc.edu/maps/poets/a_f/bogan/medusamyth.htm