SORCERER
(c) Infocom, Inc. 1984

Background
----------
Sorcerer, the second of a spellbinding fantasy series in the tradition of Zork,
takes you on a magical tour through the darker side of Zorkian enchantment. Your
journey begins with a cryptic diary - the last trace of the now-vanished Belboz
the Necromancer, grand and powerful leader of the Guild of Enchanters. It is
feared that Belboz is in thrall to evil sorcery. If so, the very existence of
the Circle of Enchanters could be forfeit. To rescue the kingdom and locate your
mentor in the treacherous mists of time, you must gain the power and cunning of
a true Sorcerer. 

Essential Information
---------------------
Type |CPM to load Sorcerer.

At the start of the game, you are carrying a spell book. Type READ SPELL BOOK to
see which spells you can cast, and what they do. You will find scrolls during
your adventure; read them and write the spells they contain into your spell book
by typing GNUSTO <spell>. Once you have written the spell in your spell book,
you can memorise the spell by typing LEARN <spell>. However, you can only
memorise a small number of spells at a time, and once you cast a spell, you will
forget it and will have to memorise it again. Typing SPELLS reveals which spells
you have memorised and how many times they can be used before you forget them.
However, some spells are too powerful to be written down by a wizard of limited
experience such as you.

You will find a book called "The Field Guide to the Creatures of Frobozz", also
known as the infotater, in Belboz's quarters. It contains details of twelve of
the creatures of Frobozz, described below.

BLOODWORM: Bloodworms live in shallow underground pools of water and are often
mistaken for mossy boulders. Their pointy, retractable fangs can extend up to 32
inches during an attack. They are repelled by the smell of boiled chives; always
carry some if venturing near known bloodworm spawning grounds. Bloodworms are
usually white and gray and black and red and black.

BROGMOID: In rare cases, these squat creatures can achieve the intelligence
level of a three-year-old human. Domesticated brogmoids are tame and can even be
taught to perform simple tasks. In the wild, they can be seen in huge packs
sorting through rock piles for edible rocks. Brogmoids (which live considerably
longer in captivity) are red and purple and red and black and purple.

DORN: The deadly dorn beast should be avoided at all costs - it can paralyse its
victim with a single glare from its powerful eyes. (Range: about three feet for
young beastlings to about twenty feet for full-grown dorns.) Dorns usually live
in crags and shadows near cliff bases. According to the last words of dying
explorers, dorns are grey and purple and black and grey and white.

DRYAD: Dryads, also known as tree sprites, are beautiful and shy. Many never
leave the shade of the tree they were born under. If coaxed, dryads can reveal
the location of forest treasures. They are only dangerous in large numbers, and
then only if threatened. (Angered dryads have been known to crush attackers
under tons of rose petals.) When awake, dryads are black and grey and white and
red and red.

GRUE: The grue is a sinister, lurking presence in the dark places of the earth.
Its favourite diet is Enchanters, but its insatiable appetite is tempered by its
fear of light. No grue has ever been seen by the light of day, and few have
survived its fearsome jaws to tell the tale. Toxicologists believe that grues
are black and black and red and black and purple.

HELLHOUND: When you spot a hellhound, run in the other direction as fast as you
can! Hellhounds are fast, fierce and capable of devouring a human twelve times
their size in 3 seconds. They normally inhabit burnt-out or enchanted woods and
rarely venture beyond their turf, even in pursuit of prey. Hellhounds are purple
and white and grey and red and grey.

KOBOLD: Kobolds are very capable fighters. If attacked, they will fight back; if
not attacked, they will fight back anyway. They look very similar to the less
aggressive paskalds, but can be easily identified because their middle toe is
slightly shorter than the toes that flank it. Kobolds live in small tribes in
caverns or in very dark forests and are red and purple and black and purple and
red.

NABIZ: Nabiz are mostly mouth, which is mostly teeth. They instinctively sense
their enemy's weakest point when attacking. Contrary to folklore, they cannot
fly, but they can leap tremendous distances. Nabiz are repulsed by the colour
blue, which explains that colour's popularity in adventurers' garb. Nabiz are
purple and black and black and black and red.

ORC: Once a fearsome race of warriors, the Orcs were civilised by their fondness
for computerised adventure games. Although a small segment (the Hi-Res Orcs)
enjoy graphic adventures, the vast majority (the Orcs of Zork) prefer
interactive fiction. In the reflected light of a CRT screen, Orcs appear to be
red and grey and purple and grey and red.

ROTGRUB: Less than an inch long, the rotgrub lies waiting in food. Once
ingested, the rotgrub heads straight for its victim's brain and begins feeding.
Rotgrub death is excruciatingly painful and lasts years before a welcome demise.
They are totally impervious to all forms of magic, and even worse, smell like
very old cheese. A common house rotgrub is grey and red and grey and purple and
red.

SURMIN: From their malodorous breath to their lice-ridden fur, surmins are
utterly repulsive creatures. If they get close enough, they can bore their
victims to death by reciting Greater Borphee County Penal Codes. A newly shaved
surmin is black and black and purple and red and black.

YIPPLE: The yipple is a master of disguise, able to alter form to match its
surroundings. If disturbed in the wild, some yipples may bite. They make
wonderful peys, but should never be allowed to rest in the cookie jar if guests
are expected. Yipples are violently allergic to many kinds of animal wastes.
When placed on a plain white tablecloth, yipples become grey and purple and
white and purple and black.

Use SAVE to save your current game, and RESTORE to load a saved game.

When running Sorcerer using |CPM, the 64K version of the game will load. If you
are using CP/M Plus, you can boot CP/M Plus and run the 128K version of Sorcerer
by typing SORC128 at the A> prompt.

Further Information
-------------------
All Infocom games came with additional reading material and objects that set the
atmosphere for the adventure. Some of this material is included in the ZIP file.
You can download the material for Sorcerer and other Infocom games from The
Infocom Gallery at this URL:

<http://infocom.elsewhere.org/gallery/>