Moonmist

More ghosts haunt the misty seacoast and stone ramparts of Cornwall than anyplace else on earth. One such soul roams Tresyllian Castle: a pale phantom with flaxen hair and a luminous, flowing gown. It seems like a fanciful legend... until the spectral "White Lady" threatens the life of your friend Tamara!

Arriving at the fog-shrouded castle, you meet a cast of eccentric characters ranging from a blue-blood debutante to an overly helpful butler. Has one of them donned the ghostly guise of the White Lady? Or has the drowned lover of Jack Lord, Tamara's fiancé, returned to haunt her successor? Perhaps the spectre is seeking the valuable treasure hidden somewhere in the lavish rooms and secret passageways of the castle. The solution to the mystery, as well as the location of the treasure, changes in each of the four variations of MOONMIST.

Get ready to spend the night in a haunted castle. But don't sleep too soundly. The next victim might be you.

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Back of box cover

Moonmist

Get Ready to Spend the Night in a Haunted Castle

You've spent the day driving southwest from London, from the small brick houses of the suburbs and the treeless plains of the South Downs to the Avon River and the picturesque villages of the Devon. Now, as evening draws near, you reach the storied land of Cornwall.

On either side, the moors stretch out, filled with heather and bogs. The fading light silhouettes craggy rocks on the horizon. At last you arrive at your destination: an ancient castle perched on the granite cliffs by the sea.

A full moon is rising above the castle turrets as you pull up to the gate. Fog shrouds the old stone walls. Is that a ghostly figure in the tower window, or merely the mist playing tricks on your weary eyes?

It's your job to find out. In Moonmist, the new interactive gothic mystery from Infocom, you're a famous young sleuth, called to Tresyllian Castle by your friend Tamara. A series of terrifying events have led her to believe that someone's trying to kill her. Worse yet, the culprit seems to be the spectral "White Lady" that haunts the medieval tower.

Inside the castle, you meet a cast of eccentric characters ranging from a blue-blood debutante to an overly helpful butler. Most of them have seen the ghost, and some say it looks like Deirdre, the former lover of Tamara's fiance, Lord Jack Tresyllian. Deirdre purportedly drowned shortly after Jack ended their romance. Could it be that she is still alive, jealously taking revenge on Tamara?

To add to the suspense, you learn that a valuable object is hidden somewhere in the castle. This treasure rightfully belongs to Lord Jack, but apparently he is not the only one searching for it. If it's not found, family heirlooms will have to be sold to pay off debts. You'll find yourself involved in a treasure hunt as well as a mystery, as you search the lavish rooms and secret passageways of the castle for the hiding place. Clues are given in the form of riddles, which hold the answers to the puzzles in the game.

Moonmist has four different variations, each with its own puzzles, treasure, hiding place, and solution to the mystery. This gives Moonmist more replay value than any other Infocom story to date, providing you with plenty of time to savor the gothic atmosphere of the castle.

Moonmist also responds differently to male and female players. When you arrive at the castle gate at the start of the game, you're asked for your title and full name. You can take advantage of your elegant surroundings by calling yourself "Baron Wilhelm" rather than plain old "Mr. Bill."

From your title, the program may deduce your gender and respond accordingly throughout the story. If you're a woman, you have a gown to put on for dinner. A man's suitcase will contain a dinner jacket. Lord Jack will kiss a woman's hand. If you're a man, he'll shake yours. And there's another guest who may flirt with you.

Since the puzzles are relatively easy, we recommend Moonmist as an excellent introduction to interactive fiction for players of all ages. It will fascinate every young girl who loves reading mystery books about that famous female sleuth whose last name rhymes with "grue." It will intrigue every man who wants to be the Lord of a castle and the consort of a seductive Lady. It will captivate every woman who imagines herself as the heroine of a Daphne du Maurier novel. And it will delight anyone who enjoys riddles, puzzles, and the detailed characters, plots, and atmosphere that distinguish each Infocom game.

To introduce you to mysterious Cornwall, the package contains an illustrated copy of "Legendary Ghosts of Cornwall." Also included are a Moonmist iron-on logo for your T-shirt; a visitors' guide to Tresyllian Castle; and two confidential letters from your friend Tamara.

Moonmist was written by Stu Galley, author of The Witness and Seastalker, and Jim Lawrence, co-author of Seastalker and author of dozens of books for children and adults, including numerous Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew stories. Moonmist will be available in October for a wide variety of personal computers, at a suggested retail price of $34.95 for Atari XL/XE and Commodore 64/128 and $39.95 for all other systems.

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From The Status Line, VOL.V No.3 Summer 1986

MOONMIST

MOONMIST takes you to an ancient castle on the misty coast of Cornwall, a castle housing a handsome Lord and his young bride-to-be, distinguished guests, and ghosts of unrequited lovers. You arrive in response to an urgent plea from your friend Tamara - her life is threatened, and the culprit seems to be the spectral "White Lady" who haunts the medieval tower. You'll meet a cast of eccentric characters as you hunt down the phantom and search for secret treasures. An excellent game for first-time players, MOONMIST has four variations, each with a different hidden treasure and solution to the mystery.

"When Infocom releases a new game, the question that goes through your minds should not be 'Should I get the game?' but, rather, 'When should I get the game?' And the answer should always be 'Immediately.'"

-A+ magazine

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From PASSPORT To The United Products of Infocom 1986

**"One of Infocom's most ingenious and unusual mysteries... MOONMIST should be on every mystery fan's shopping list."

-Questbusters**

More ghosts haunt the misty coast of Cornwall, England, than anyplace else on earth. One such soul roams Tresyllian Castle: a pale phantom in a luminous gown. It seems like a fanciful legend... until the spectral "White Lady" threatens the life of your friend Tamara! Arriving at the fog-shrouded castle, you find a cast of eccentric characters and a very real mystery to be solved. You'll put all your detecting skills to use as you hunt down the phantom and search for hidden treasure in the lavish rooms and secret passageways of the castle.

Written by Stu Galley and Jim Lawrence, MOONMIST is an excellent choice for first-time players. To give you plenty of time to savor the gothic atmosphere of the castle, the story has four variations, each with a different hidden treasure and solution to the mystery.

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From The Master Storytellers Infocom catalog, 1987

Infocom introduces four new games.

One really smells.

Infocom, the crazy people who brought you "Zork" and "The hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy," has a habit of coming up with games that add a new dimension to interactive fiction. And the best keeps getting better. Case in point: "Leather Goddesses of Phobos." It has a scratch n' sniff card and a 3-d comic book to excite all your senses. Once your interest is piqued, you'll embark on a rowdy romp through the solar system. This hilarious spoof of 1930's pulp science fiction has 3 "naughtiness levels," for the prude to the lewd. "Leather Goddesses" is sure to amuse members of either sex.

One's really warped.

Then there's "Trinity." It answers the question of whether a game can be both light-hearted and profound. You journey through a time warp into a mischievous fantasy world where all atomic explosions are mysteriously connected. "Trinity" takes you back to the dawn of the atomic age and puts the course of history in your hands.

One's a real circus.

It has been said that the circus is the only really mysterious thing left in civilization. One thing's for sure, there is plenty of mystery in "Ballyhoo." While trying to locate the circus owner's kidnapped daughter, you are somersaulted into a three-ring world of deception and crime. To solve the crime and save your hide from a permanent spot in the freak show, you'll need to stretch your puzzle-solving skills to the limit.

One's really haunting.

Wrapping up this new quartet is a classic gothic mystery set in a haunted castle on the mist-shrouded seacoast of Cornwall. In "Moonmist" you'll explore the darkest reaches of Tresyllian Castle and get involved with an eccentric cast of characters, including British nobility, while trying to save your best friend from a vengeful ghost. "Moonmist" offers four distinctly different sets of clues, problems, solutions and hidden treasures. So you'll die to replay it again and again.

All four are easy to get.

Simply follow your nose to your local software store today.

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Advertisement in COMPUTE!, October 1986