Saracen
action puzzle game for Commodore 64, 1987
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Long ago, in the Middle Ages, zealous young Christian adventurers banded
together to drive the Saracen infidels from the Holy Land.
As one of these bold soldiers, Ilan the Crusader, you become separated from
your companions and find yourself in a huge Saracen fortress.
Alone, armed with only a longbow, you must battle your way through the fierce
castle guards and attack the Saracen Chief himself.
You must rely on your wits and skill to solve the mazes and find your way to
the Saracen. But remember, everytime you rid the world of one evil Saracen
ruler, another will rise up to take his place!
GAME CONTROLS AND INDICATORS
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The selection screen gives you these options:
J for Joystick K for Keyboard
LEVEL:
* Type the Level number at which you wish to begin play at the J and K
selection Screen. There are 100 levels, numbered from 00 to 99.
* Type J to use a Joystick. Push forward on the Joystick to move UP the
screen; pull back to move DOWN. Push Joystick left to move LEFT, right to
move RIGHT. To pick up and drop objects or shoot arrows, press the Joystick
button.
* Type K to use the Keyboard. S moves you UP the screen; X moves you DOWN;
K moves you LEFT and L moves you RIGHT. To pick up and drop objects or shoot
arrows, press the SPACE BAR.
* Typing J or K takes you directly into the game at the Level you selected.
* Pause the game by pressing RUN STOP. Press SPACE to resume play.
* Restart the current Level by pressing F1 (you lose one life).
* To end a game in progress, press F3; press any key to return to the
selection screen.
OBJECTS
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You may carry only one object at a time. You must stand directly on top of an
object to pick it up.
If you're standing on top of an arrow or other object, you can't drop objects
or shoot arrows.
Arrows point in four directions:
UP, DOWN, LEFT, and RIGHT.
Use an UP arrow to shoot UP, a DOWN arrow to shoot DOWN.
To shoot LEFT or RIGHT, use a LEFT or RIGHT arrow.
Arrow-Makers are reserve ammunition.. Shoot them and they break into four
usable arrows.
Bombs explode and kill you if you get too close. Use arrows to detonate bombs
from a safe distance.
Soldiers look like colorful "snowflakes" they move around the screen in
patterns. Shoot them with your arrows; but don't get too close or they'll zap
you.
Keys, placed in Keyholders, open Locked Doors. Magic Doors disappear when you
shoot the single white cross.
One-Way Doors look like arrows. You can only enter them from the notched
side.
Cannonballs bounce up-and-down or sideways. Stay out of their paths!
Wall-Makers are square spirals that can be used to "wall in" Soldiers and
block Cannonballs. Shoot at one and the explosion builds a red-brick wall.
Safety Zones are areas where you may travel without fear (Soldiers and
Cannonballs can't enter). You can't shoot arrows or pick up or drop anything
here.
Grenades are used to kill the Saracen Chief. Place a Grenade next to him and
shoot it with an arrow.
The Saracen Chief is the object of your crusade. Find and destroy him!
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Some useful keyboard shortcuts
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[PAUSE] - stop/continue game
[F9] - quick load game state
[F12] - quick save game state (still stored after leaving the site)
[F11] - toggle fullscreen mode
[ScrollLock] - quick switch control ports
[PageDown] - make a screenshot (320x200)