Jewels of Darkness
Jewels of Darkness was a re-release of a collection of three text adventure games based on Tolkien's Middle-Earth. These three games were first released as The Middle-Earth Trilogy, which was then renamed "The Colossal Trilogy" (probably so as to avoid copyright violations).
In 1986, Level 9 programmed a collection of these three adventure games in one package, and Rainbird (known as Firebird in America) published this trilogy and changed its name to "Jewels of Darkness". They also changed all references to Tolkien (again, due to copyright violations) and added illustrations for every location.
The games could be played on the following platforms:
ZX Spectrum, Spectrum 128, Sinclair QL, Commodore 64, Amstrad CPC, Amstrad PCW, Apple II, Atari 400, Atari XE, Atari ST, Amiga, MS-DOS, Macintosh and MSX.
The individual games were called:
- Colossal Adventure (1983*)
- Adventure Quest (1983*)
- Dungeon Adventure (1984*)
*Release dates
Each game used the standard set of commands (North, South, Drop etc.) and a detailed text description of each location was given along with some graphics depicting the scene. The game contained many puzzles, tricks and even magic words which made the game both challenging and complex.
Later versions of the game came with the ability to RAM save and restore, and one could also type OOPS and go back to the previous room.
General Plot
Colossal Adventure (a.k.a. Colossal Cave)
You are standing beside a small brick building at the end of a road from the north. A river flows south. To the north is open country and all around is dense forest.What now?
The player starts the game having just lost a map which showed the location of the infamous Colossal Cavern, a cave which was rumoured to contain incredible riches and untold danger. It ends with the dramatic rescue of Elves which were imprisoned in dungeons below the cave.
Adventure Quest
You are at the end of a road from the north, outside a small brick building. A river flows south through a narrow valley, and there is dense woodland all around.What now?
Note:Sounds familiar doesn't it? It is indeed the same place as the starting point in Colossal Adventure.
Hundreds of years later, the land is being invaded by an army of orcs commanded by a Demon Lord named Agaliarept. The player has been sent by the Wizards Guild to find the four Stones of the Elements which can be used to enter the Demon Lord's Black Tower. The player must also find the Amulet of Life which would be used to destroy Lord Agaliarept.
Dungeon Adventure
You are on a wide stone bridge which stretches north-south across the placid waters of a huge river. At the north end, the bridge enters a gaping stone mouth in the cliff, below which is a narrow mud-bank.What now?
Lord Agaliarept has just been defeated and the player sets off on his journey to plunder Lord Agaliarept's treasures which were held within the Black tower. The player is struck by a magic spell and he wakes up the next morning without his provisions and floating in a river by a bridge.
Sources: http://www.lysator.liu.se/tolkien-games/entry/jewels.htmlhttp://www.birdsanctuary.co.uk/jewels/i.php and of course experience acquired through playing the game.