Introduction

Welcome to The Crack of Doom, in which Sam Gamgee and Frodo Baggins face the final challenge
in their quest to destroy the power of Sauron, the evil Dark Lord.

The Crack of Doom Software Adventure is based on Book VI of The Return of the King, the 
third and final book of Tolkiens classic trilogy.

In this final episode, we've tried to capture the climactic pace of Sam and Frodos 
terrifying struggle to save Middle Earth from the rule of Sauron. As a result, the game is 
more streamlined, oriented toward creative action as opposed to engineering. This is not to 
simply that thinking won't help you  weve provided you with mazes and traps worthy of the 
most challenging software adventure. But remember that Sam and Frodo's quest has become 
desperate. Time is priceless; they are exhausted and starving; and the Ring's power is 
causing Frodo to weaken rapidly.

It has been necessary to expand upon the story line of Book VI so that every location and 
every situation is not entirely predictable. None of these challenges to your navigational 
and survival skills seriously interrupts the story line of Tolkiens master work, and thus 
we hope that you will see them in the light in which they were intended. The essential 
atmosphere of Middle Earth remains unchanged, and we trust that it always will.

In this package you will find an order form for J. R. R. Tolkiens book The Return of the
King. The book remains the best consultant for guidance and hints; it doesn't have all the 
answers, but it contains vital clues.

The Crack of Doom is an extraordinary piece of fantasy software, thanks to the reworking of
many of the games systems by a devoted team of programmers. The flow of the game will be 
familiar to players of The Hobbit, The Fellowship of the Ring, and The Shadows of Mordor 
Software Adventures.

In playing this adventure game, you will be assuming the role of Sam Gamgee in J. R. R. 
Tolkien's fantasy world. You must specify the actions that Sam is to perform, and the 
program will evaluate the results; instead of being provided with a score, you will notice 
that the length of Sams life is dependent upon how quickly and efficiently he and Frodo 
move through the different locations in The Crack of Doom.

It should be noted that there are few if any puzzles in this game that have a single 
solution. The game allows for a variety of responses from both characters and locations. 
Some of these responses are more efficient than others, and for the most part they are 
impossible to predict.

As The Crack of Doom begins, Sam finds himself outside the Tower of Cirith Ungol, desperate 
to discover the fate of poor Frodo in the hands of the orcs, and if possible, to save his 
life. In spite of the horrors of the Land of Mordor, Sam knows he must rescue his master, 
and with any luck, prevent Sauron from finding the Ring before it is too late.

If you'd like to begin saving Middle Earth immediately, consult the reference card enclosed 
in this package, which includes complete instructions for loading The Crack of Doom Software
Adventure on your computer. On the back of it is a map that gives you a general idea of 
where you are in Middle Earth.

But it may be wise, regardless of your skill, to gather some helpful information before you 
challenge the power of Mount Doom...

Background

In a previous age of the Earth, in a time when the elves were powerful and men less prolific,
the great Rings of Power were forged. Great magical powers were granted to the wearer of 
these rings, but only if the ringbearers knew how to draw and shape the power of the rings. 
Sauron, who was fair to look upon in those days, helped to make the nineteen lesser rings, 
which were given to the great and powerful lords of the Earth, yet already the seeds of 
betrayal had been sown. For, in secret, Sauron made the One Ring, a ring that would enslave 
the bearers of the lesser rings to his will. After tying most of his power and magic into 
the Ring, his task was finally complete, and the Rings power flooded forth.

Millennia later, through a long and tortuous path, the Ring has ended up in the hands of 
Frodo Baggins, a hobbit of the Shire. Sauron has risen again and seeks for his Ring to gain 
the power he needs to snuff out his beleagured enemies. Fleeing the Shire, and hotly pursued
by the evil Nazgul, Frodo and his companions reached Rivendell, an elven stronghold, where 
the Fellowship of the Ring was formed to help Frodo destroy the One Ring. Their plan was for
the Ringbearer to cast it into the volcano Orodruin where it was made, deep in the heart of 
Mordor.

After a long and dangerous journey, the party reached the hidden elf kingdom of Lothlrien, 
where Galadriel gave Frodo and Sam powerful gifts to aid them on their quest. The Fellowship
of the Ring Software Adventure left the party setting off down the great river Anduin in 
elven boats. The first leg of the journey was over, but at the cost of Gandalf the Grey 
Wizard, the party's indispensable leader, lost to the Balrog in the bowels of Moria.

Sam and Frodo broke secretly away from their friends and struggled on toward Mordor by 
themselves, trusting to Hobbit courage to see them through. Crossing the treacherous Dead 
Marshes and plains of Gorgoroth, they encountered the sinister Gollum, a creeping, slinking 
creature who had once owned  and been ruled by  the Ring. Using the power of the Ring to 
bind him, Sam and Frodo enlisted Gollums aid to pass by the fortress to the Nazgul and 
enter the Mountains of Mordor. Here Gollum betrayed them into the clutches of the giant 
spider Shelob, the evil monster who haunts the dreaded pass of Cirith Ungol. Even though 
Sam wounded the creature and drove it back into its lair, Frodo fell wounded by its bite. 
Sam's master was paralyzed by venom, and his body discovered by patrolling arcs. Before Sam 
could intervene, Frodos body was borne up and carried into the nearby fortress of Cirith 
Ungol.

The Crack of Doom begins outside the forbidding gates of Cirith Ungol, where Sam hovers, 
exhausted. Dare he enter the tower and save his beloved master! Or should he somehow try to 
complete the ring quest alone and hurl the Ring of Power into the fires of Mount Orodruin!

The decision is yours, as you become the brave little hobbit Sam Gamgee, standing on the 
edge of the sinister land of Mordor, the Ring weighing heavily on your hand, and on your 
heart.

Food and water are scarce, as is hope. It is up to you to navigate this final mission, 
outwitting both the servants of the Dark Lord and the oppressive Land of Shadows itself.

Communicating with the Program

The Crack of Doom Software Adventure includes a sophisticated communications program called 
Inglish.

Inglish allows you to enter your commands and converse with other characters in everyday 
language. Those of you who have played The Hobbit, The Fellowship of the Ring, and The 
Shadows of Mordor Software Adventures will find Inglish a familiar language.

The Crack of Doom Software Adventure has a very large vocabulary, so you should have little 
difficulty expressing your ideas and commands. Commands usually take the form of actions, 
and this guide contains a list of some of the actions you can use. The program knows more 
than eight hundred words, and hundreds of these are available to you in playing the game. 
The best thing to do is to try a word. The program will tell you if it does not know it or, 
in some cases, needs clarification. If the program doesn't respond at all, try another word.

The Screen Display

The Crack of Doom screen display is divided into two windows: the adventure window at the 
top and the communication window at the bottom. The text that describes your surroundings 
and the happenings around you appears in the window at the top of the screen. The window at 
the bottom of the screen allows you to communicate with the program.

Whenever you enter a new location, the text in the adventure window gives you a full 
description of the location, the objects that are in plain sight, and a list of visible 
exits. Some objects are meant to be taken, examined, and used; others are there simply to 
provide atmosphere. The second time you enter a location, the program gives only a brief 
description. To view the lengthy description, type LOOK.

The LOOK command also brings up the illustration associated with a location. The 
illustrations, which are rendered in the style of J. R. R. Tolkien's paintings, provide a 
"snapshot" of your immediate location. A picture appears the first time you enter a location
and each time you use the LOOK command. Many, but not all, locations are illustrated. As 
much as possible, we have tried to leave the characters to your imagination.

The pictures may have captions, depending on the machine version. If the caption looks 
incomplete, this means that some of the corresponding text in the adventure window is hidden
beneath the communication window. You can view the complete caption by typing LOOK after you
have returned to the text.

Pressing any key returns you from the picture to the adventure text and the communication 
window, where a blinking cursor signals the program's readiness for your next command. Once 
you have typed in your command and pressed the Return key, the program either acknowledges 
your action or informs you that it does not understand the command. It also may do nothing, 
in which case you should re-phrase your command. Once the program recognizes a command, any 
new text resulting from your actions appears on the screen. A new cursor prompt in the 
communication window indicates that the program is ready to receive your next instruction. 
The commands typed in the communication window appear in capital letters, whether or not the
Caps Lock key is depressed. Sometimes words in this window will break in the middle of the 
word. Keep typing; the program will understand what you mean.

The Inglish Language

An Inglish Sampler included here is a list of actions you can use when playing the Crack of 
Doom Software Adventure. Please note that this list may not include magic words or special 
verbs for actions that can be used only in certain areas at certain times. Discovering these
words and how to use them is part of the fun. Nor is this list complete; there are over 
eight hundred words in the programs vocabulary, which includes many synonyms, nor does this
list include nouns, which you will have to discover for yourself. Furthermore, the program 
may not understand some words unless they are in certain contexts. For example, Jump may be 
meaningless to the program if there is nothing off which you can jump, although it may be a 
perfectly useful word in the appropriate situation.

The ten directions listed below are used for character or object movement. Directions may be
abbreviated using one or two letters, as indicated in parentheses after each command. Some 
action words may be combined with prepositions to cause an effect that would not have been 
possible with the verb alone.

Directions

NORTH (N)	SOUTH (S)	EAST (E)	WEST (W)	UP (U)	
NORTHEAST (NE)	SOUTHEAST (SE)	NORTHWEST (NW)	SOUTHWEST (SW)	DOWN (D)

Prepositions

AT	ONTO	THROUGH	DOWN	
OUT	TO	IN 	OUT OF 	
UP	INTO 	OVER	WITH
OFF

Action Words

BREAK		CLIMB	
CLOSE		COMFORT	
DROP		EAT	
EMPTY		EXAMINE
FILL		FOLLOW
GET		GIVE TO
GO THROUGH	HELLO
HOLD UP		KILL
LIGHT		LOWER
NO		OPEN
PULL		PUT
PUT OUT		RAISE
REST		SING
TAKE OFF	THANK YOU
THROW		WEAR
YES		

Special Commands

Some special commands do not require any game time to perform. They are: EXAMINE, INVENTORY,
LOAD, LOOK, PAUSE, PRINT, QUIT, SAVE, SAY TO (or TALK TO), STOP. The special commands listed
below can ease your way through the Crack of Doom Software Adventure.

EXAMINE is useful in trying to obtain more information about your surroundings in Middle
Earth. Examining objects often reveals information that is not readily apparent from a 
cursory (***) LOOK. Some objects cannot be examined, or an examination will give you no 
information other than the objects location.

INVENTORY (I) gives you an account of all the items you are currently holding or carrying.

LOAD returns a previously saved game to your computers memory. After loading, play continues
from the point where the game was saved. If you load a game saved with pictures into a game 
started with text only, the characteristics of the resident game prevail and you will not 
see pictures.

LOOK (L) lets you see where you are, all that can be seen at a particular location, and all 
possible exits.

PAUSE suspends the game until you press another key. This gives you time to solve a difficult
puzzle without being interrupted. Dont break out into a cold sweat if the cursor reappears 
after you type PAUSE; the program won't do anything until you press another key.

PRINT allows you to send the text of the adventure window to your printer. The PRINT and 
NOPRINT commands may not be available in all versions.

QUIT permits you to stop the current game and start at the beginning of a new game. Decide 
whether you want to save your current game before you QUIT.

SAVE allows you to save the game for play at a later time. The SAVE command is essential to 
conserving sanity before embarking on a dangerous course of action. A saved game has all the
details of what has happened to you in Middle Earth, including all the other characters and 
locations. Consult your reference card for details. All machine versions of the program 
request a blank, formatted disk on which to save your games. Serious players have a good 
supply of these at all times.

STOP terminates the next instruction to be processed in a long command sequence. This is 
useful if you thought you had a plan of action carefully laid out, then circumstances 
unexpectedly changed. Make sure you have used periods  not commas  to separate the 
sequential commands if you want to use the STOP command.

The Rules of Inglish

Inglish is a sophisticated language-recognition program developed especially for 
microcomputers. It allows you to communicate with the game program in words and phrases that
are familiar to you.

The rules of Inglish are simple. The main things to keep in mind are that every sentence must
have a verb and that each instruction must be in the form of "verb then noun." For example:

WEAR THE RING

If you say GOLLUM GOLD, the program will have no idea what you are talking about because 
there is no verb in the sentence. Some verbs, such as LOOK, imply a noun or pronoun.

Simply type your request to enter a command. Use the Backspace key to erase something you 
didn't mean to say. Press Return for the program to register the command. A command can be 
no more than 128 characters long.

The spellings in the Tolkien software adventures are, appropriately, the British rather than
American English spellings. A good example is phial (British) and vial (American). For 
the most part you will find the program recognizes both the American and the British 
spelling.

An Inglish Primer

The following examples are a guide to the way Inglish sentences may be properly constructed.

Sentence Structure

When an action does not directly relate to any object, only a verb is necessary:

HIDE
PAUSE

This is also the case if you simply wish to travel in a particular direction:

NORTHEAST (NE)

If the action concerns an object or a character, the object or character must be identified 
by a noun or pronoun. English grammar applies, but the order of the sentence parts is 
usually not critical:

GO THROUGH THE DOOR
FILL THE BOTTLE WITH WATER

The program assumes that, unless you use the SAY TO command, the player character is 
performing the action. Therefore, the subject of the sentence is always "I" (Sam), and the 
action he is about to perform starts the sentence.

Articles and Adjectives

You can omit articles such as THE in the examples noted above. You can also omit adjectives,
but it is a good idea not to leave them off if they make a crucial distinction: all commands
must be specific and unambiguous. You wouldn't want to type:

ENTER TUNNEL

if you knew that the BLACK TUNNEL led to certain death and the BLUE TUNNEL led to untold 
wonders. In such a situation, the program puts you through the first tunnel it finds, which 
may not be the one you intended. It would be better to specify exactly what you mean:

ENTER THE BLUE TUNNEL

Adjectives that describe nouns must come before the noun. If it sounds right in English, it 
probably is valid in Inglish:

THROW THE SHORT SWORD AT THE HUGE ANGRY ORC

Prepositions

The meaning of many verbs can be altered by the use of prepositions, such as ON, OVER, ONTO,
and so on. Examples of Inglish sentences with prepositions are:

ATTACK THE ORC WITH THE SWORD
PICK UP THE RING

Prepositions in Inglish usually go in front of the noun, but in some cases it sounds more 
natural to have them after the noun, such as:

TURN THE LIGHT ON

Prepositions can also be used to specify the position of an object; a prepositional phrase 
can specify where or how you wish an action to be performed:

PUT THE LEMBAS INTO THE BACKPACK
HIDE IN THE BUSHES

Speaking of prepositions, it is a good idea to specify WITH what implement you wish to make 
an action. For example, TIE UP GOLLUM may result in "Sam doesn't see anything to tie up 
Gollum with," even if Sam has a rope. TIE UP GOLLUM WITH ROPE is specific and unambiguous 
and will probably accomplish the action you intended.

Use of AND

In Inglish, you can use the word AND in many of its normal English meanings. This means, 
among other things, that you can enter more than one sentence or perform more than one 
action at a time:

GO EAST AND NORTH
TAKE THE GOLD AND RUN
DROP THE SHORT AND THE LONG SWORDS

Use of ALL

In most instances it is best to avoid the use of ALL. It is possible to use ALL instead of 
listing each item when you instruct the program to execute a complex command:

TAKE ALL
KILL ALL BUT FRODO

But be careful if you do this. For one thing, the player character is included in the term 
ALL. Also, the program takes you literally and may take, talk to, or attack all of the 
objects in your location, including the rocks, trees, and birds. This will take a very long 
time. Yet, if you use ALL in the phrase DROP ALL, the program may not always drop everything
you think it should have. It is wiser to list items or instructions specifically and 
separately.

Punctuation

You can use commas and periods in Inglish as you normally would, with a few important 
exceptions. Never use a comma in front of quotation marks, but instead say:

FRODO "WEAR BLACK CAP"

Unlike standard written American English, never put commas or periods inside quotation marks
when separating commands, but rather:

FRODO "WEAR TUNIC", GIVE CAP TO FRODO

You may also notice that because the program inserts punctuation at the end of your commands,
you may end up with nonstandard punctuation like ".".

It is perfectly all right to separate items in a list by commas, as in the sentence:

GIVE STALE BREAD, CLOAK, BOX TO FRODO

You must use either commas or periods to separate commands. For example:

S NW

(two commands separated only by a space) will be regarded as nonsense, and you will get a 
nonsensical response.

Sequential Commands

In this program, entire sentences can be separated with periods and entered as one command. 
Always separate each command with a period rather than a comma, especially if you intend to 
use the STOP command to interrupt the sequence of action:

FILL BOTTLE. TAKE TUNIC. GIVE CAP TO FRODO.

In a sentence like the one above, the program will deal with each of the commands in order. 
If you wish to type in a long sequence of commands, such as:

EAST. NORTH. HIT ORC WITH COOKING GEAR. SAY TO ORC "THANK YOU". EAST

or

SAY TO FRODO "EAST. NORTH. EAT BREAD. WAIT"

the commands will be processed sequentially until all have been completed. The cursor may 
reappear after each command is executed (if not, press any key, and it will). This allows 
you the chance to insert a new command. The commands you originally typed will then be 
executed. There are a few exceptions:

 The STOP command terminates the next instruction to be processed if, and only if, periods 
(not commas) separate the commands.

 Typing in a new command inserts it at the current point in the sequence. Note that if you 
press a key accidentally, the program expects a new command, so it is best to type something
harmless like WAIT, REST, or LOOK so that the program continues to follow your previous 
instructions; otherwise the program does nothing.

 Whenever you speak to someone, the spoken instruction is executed after all previous 
instructions have been completed. You may want to type what you want to do first, then type
what you want Frodo to do. If this doesnt work:

FRODO "DRINK". FILL BOTTLE. EAST. SOUTH

try:

FILL BOTTLE. FRODO "DRINK". EAST. SOUTH

Although the program tells you, for instance, "Sam talks to Frodo" immediately after you 
type a spoken command, the program always executes the speaker's actions before it executes 
the other character's actions. As in the example above, if the command results in Frodos 
and Sam's not being in the same place when Sam talks to Frodo, you may have to rephrase the 
command.

Conversing with Other Characters

The Crack of Doom Software Adventure allows you to converse with the characters you meet on 
your journey. Upon encountering a character to whom you wish to speak, type, for example:

SAY TO ORC "HELLO"

Saying HELLO is usually sufficient to draw most characters into conversation. You can also 
say:

ORC "HELLO"

In some cases, simply

"HELLO"

will evoke a response, although the program may assume you are muttering to yourself and 
inform you of that fact.

You can ask the characters within earshot to perform specific commands that are of use to 
you, such as:

SAY TO GOLLUM TAKE THE BUCKLER FROM THE DEAD ORC

Don't assume that because you instruct another character to do something he or she will 
automatically do it. If you tell Frodo to throw a sword, he might be thinking of home or 
what his old gaffer might have to say about the situation. Other characters decisions to do
your bidding are based on a number of factors, including their allegiance to you, what they
are currently doing, and so on. Also, just because a character refuses your first request 
doesn't mean that he or she will refuse the second time you ask.

You must be in the same location as other characters in order to converse with them.

General Principles of Middle Earth

A map of Middle Earth can be found in each book of the Lord of the Rings trilogy. A map 
specific to the Crack of Doom Software Adventure appears on the back of your reference card.

You may want to make your own detailed map of your travels. Some locations can be revisited 
in a straightforward manner. With others, the direction you traveled to get from Point A to 
Point B may not be the opposite of the direction you must travel to get back again. For this
reason, some adventurers construct a grid listing locations already entered and the 
directions used to reach them from other locations.

Passing Through Portals

If you want to go through an entrance, be it a conventional portal such as a door or an 
unusual type of entrance such as a wall of smoke, it is quite possible to say so directly:

GO THROUGH SMOKE

This is true whether or not you know in which direction the portal leads. When you first 
enter a location and are given the full text description, all visible exits are mentioned. 
On a second visit to the location, the brief description may not include all doorways. This 
doesnt mean that the portals have disappeared, as you can verify by typing LOOK or L.

Light and Dark

In some areas there will be no natural light. Unless you have the means to create light  
such as a candle or a torch  you will receive no description of the area in darkness. Once a
light has been struck, you will be able to see.

If you choose to travel in darkness, you may avoid meeting some unwanted characters. Remember,
however, that orcs can see perfectly well in the dark.

Objects and Containers

During the adventure, you will encounter many objects. Some are usable as weapons; others 
are intended as food or drink; still others are used as containers in which to carry things 
for instance, liquids cannot be carried without a container.

Most containers must be opened in order to reach their contents. Once a container is open, 
you may look into it or remove the objects within. Some containers may be transparent, 
allowing you to see their contents without opening the container itself. Furthermore, not all
objects can be taken; most of the objects in the description of a location do not exist as 
objects you can manipulate. Items that may be useful in your adventure are usually listed 
directly after the description.

Remember that even a stout hobbit cannot lift too heavy an object or carry too great a load.
To triumph over such objects, put a little hobbit ingenuity to the test. During the course of
play, you will have to pick up and carry some of the objects you find. Simply GET or TAKE 
the item in order to pick up and carry it. To check on the equipment that you are carrying, 
type INVENTORY or I. To rid yourself of an item, merely DROP it. As an alternative, you may 
GIVE the item to another member of the party, for example:

GIVE ROPE TO FRODO

Conversely, you may need items that other characters have. It's rude to go around grabbing 
things in other peoples possession. Please ask other characters to give you what you want, 
using the SAY TO command:

SAY TO FRODO "GIVE RATIONS TO SAM"

or

FRODO "GIVE RATIONS TO ME"

Some objects not only add weight to your burden, but they increase your effective size. This
can be troublesome if you intend to go through a small door or tunnel, so beware of adopting
the pack rat syndrome.

Combat, Resting, and Eating

Hobbits are poor fighters, albeit brave. Be wary of throwing yourself into the midst of a 
gory battle, no matter how well armed. Being rather slight creatures, hobbits have a tendency
to die with spectacular suddenness.

It is not possible for a hobbit to attack an inanimate object, which must instead be BROKEN.
A weapon is required in order to break an object or attack an enemy. If you do not specify a
weapon, the program may assume that you wish to attack with your bare hands. This is rarely a
good idea.

To attack an opponent, specify a verb, the object to be attacked, and the weapon with which 
you are about to make the assault:

KILL RAT FACED ORC WITH SPEAR

Persistence in combat is rewarded, but be careful: most opponents hit back, and if you are 
wounded, you are much more susceptible to being killed than if you are healthy. Sometimes 
magic words, objects, or strategies are necessary to dispel particularly nasty creatures. 
Sometimes the best way to overcome your enemy has nothing to do with fighting it.

All characters are rated for their strength and stamina. During the game the characters may 
suffer from wounds, lack of food, or simple weariness. If your friends will no longer follow
you, they may be too famished to take another step. If a character is wounded, its strength 
ebbs, and its hold on life grows more tenuous. As time passes, a character becomes more and 
more tired as energy is used up. Highly strenuous activities, such as combat, may exhaust it
even more.

The best remedy for depleted strength and stamina is a good meal and some rest. It is a good
idea, therefore, to snatch food-stuffs in whatever form they may cross your path. It is an 
even better idea to resist your hobbit instincts to gobble up everything on sight and wisely
ration food until you need it.

Legends and Common Knowledge

For players who are unfamiliar with Tolkien's Middle Earth, we provide the following 
information on the places and creatures which Frodo and Sam could be expected to have 
knowledge of through legend and rumor.

BARAD-DR: Saurons evil and imposing fortress, built into the side of Mount Doom (Orodruin),
and guarded by unimaginably horrible servants.

CIRITH UNGOL: Also known as The Spider's Pass in the Mountains of Shadow, the Ephel Duath. 
This is the location of The Tower at Cirith Ungol, a huge fortress now held by the power of 
dark and evil beings. To its southeast is the dreaded valley of Gorgoroth and further, 
Barad-dr.

DAGORLAD: The desolate, lifeless plains that lie before the black gates of Mordor, the 
Morannon Pass. Dagorlad is the Sindarin word for Battle-plain, for it was here that the 
might of Sauron was defeated in the final battle of the first War of the Ring. With his 
armies destroyed, Sauron retreated to his fortress of the dark tower of Barad-dr, where he 
was thought to have been defeated in mortal combat after a seven-year siege by the forces of
the elves and the men of the West.

EMYN MUIL: A knotted range of hills that lies between the Anduin river and the Dagorlad 
plains.

FARAMIR: Captain of Gondor and brother of Boromir, one of the original members of the 
Fellowship.

GWAIHIR: The Windlord, and Landrov-als brother, greatest of all Eagles of the North. Friend
and loyal supporter of the quest to destroy the power of Sauron.

CONDOR: An ancient kingdom between Mordor and the sea. One of the last strongholds against 
the rising forces of Sauron.

GORGOROTH: A plateau or plain, stretching from the Mountains of Shadow (Ephel Duath) across 
to the Ash Mountains (Ered Lithus), and plagued with wastelands and ash-covered desert.

HARAD: A cluster of minor kingdoms and city-states that devotes its time to warring with the
peoples of Gondor. Harad thus formed a ready-made ally for Sauron upon his return to power.

HOBBITS: A race of cheerful, strong-willed folk who chiefly inhabit the Shire. Although short
and often stout, hobbits are quite nimble and dexterous. Frodo is known to use his keen wits
and deep sense of right and wrong to surmount any obstacle. His faithful companion Sam will
endure unthinkable hardship to stay by Frodo's side.

ITHILIEN: A fair country of climbing woods and swift-falling streams on the western side of 
the Ephel Duath, now desolate, but once known as the "garden of Gondor."

MEN: Many different nations of men inhabit Middle Earth. The inhabitants of some cities, 
such as Rohan and Gondor, are implacable foes of the Dark Lord. Others, such as the residents
of Umbar and Harad, aid Sauron with troops, war elephants, and gold.

MINAS MORGUL: Originally called Minas Ithil, the "tower of the rising moon", this twin city
of Minas Tirith, the "tower of guard" and current capital of Gondor, fell to the Nazgl and 
their armies many years before Sauron's reappearance. Now named Minas Morgul, the "tower of 
death", this fortified city is the home base of the Nazgl and their evil armies.

MORDOR: The realm of Sauron. Already bleak and infertile before the advent of the Dark Lord,
Mordor is now chiefly composed of poisoned wastelands and plains of ash. At the heart of the
realm lies Orodruin, the volcano in which the Ring of Power was forged and which Frodo is 
striving to reach. Close by lies the fortress of Barad-Dr, where Sauron holds his court. 
Mordor is ringed with mountains that provide it with unrivaled protection against attack. 
There are only two passes through the Mountains of Shadow, and they are heavily guarded.

MORGUL VALLEY: The once-fair valley in which lies the tower of Minas Morgul. The valley is 
now choked with rottenness and decay, poisoned waterways, and noxious flowers.

MOUNT DOOM: Also known as Orodruin, the towering volcanic mountain housing not only Saurons
fortress but also The Crack of Doom itself. A cone-shaped monstrosity of ash and burned 
stone, it fills the air with unbreathable dust and the strange red light that is the Mordor 
sky.

NAZGL: The nine Ringwraiths, perhaps more familiar as the Black Riders of the Fellowship of
the Ring. After the disaster at the ford of Rivendell, where the Nazgl lost their black 
horses, Sauron gave his servants fearsome flying creatures that had been bred from eyries 
discovered in some dark recess of the Mountains of Shadow. Thus mounted, the Nazgl took to 
the air to further their search for the Ruling Ring.

ORCS: The soldiers of the Dark Lord are powerful, stooped, and twisted creatures, with long 
arms, hairy knuckles, and muzzles crammed with far too many teeth. Orcs hate sunlight, 
except for the Uruk-hai, the new, more powerful breed recently spawned in the pits of Mordor.

SAURON: The Dark Lord, the embodiment of evil in Middle Earth. Once thought to have been 
destroyed during the wars against him in the Second Age of the world, Sauron has arisen to 
attempt to spread his power over all of Middle Earth. Sauron seeks to recover the One Ring 
in order to gain the strength that he needs to complete his conquests and enslave all 
right-thinking people everywhere.

SMAGOL or GOLLUM: Long since corrupted by the powers of the Ring, Smagol is a loathsome, 
slinking creature obsessed with repossessing his "Precious". Known as Gollum because of the 
hideous gurgling noise he makes in his throat.

THE WATCHERS: The huge statues that guard the gateway of The Tower at Cirith Ungol, from 
whom emanates a mysterious sense of awareness and vigilance. Apparently carved from stone, 
each has three joined bodies and three vulture-like heads. They will not allow an enemy in 
or out of the Tower.

Relief for The Traveler of Mordor

You may have noticed the lack of HINT and HELP commands in the Crack of Doom Software 
Adventure. This is to encourage you to use your brain, just as Frodo and Sam had to as they 
made their way toward Mount Doom. Since all brains don't think alike, we have provided a 
number of clues to help steer you in the right direction. The hints are divided into several
levels. We hope youll read a general hint, think about it, try a new approach, and consult
the more detailed hints only if youre stuck.

General Hints

Fine Points of Inglish

If you are having trouble making the program understand what you want it to do, stop for a 
minute and think. Often, breaking a complex action into a series of smaller actions will do 
the trick. For example, if you want to light a match, you may first have to remove the 
matchbox from a backpack and then slide the matchbox open and remove a match before you can 
light it.

Although it is a good idea to be as specific as you can when you type a command, it is 
acceptable to use general words instead of specific ones: WEAPON instead of SWORD, or FOOD 
instead of BREAD.

If you type a command, await a reply, and none is forthcoming, do not despair. Sometimes the
program has no idea of what you are talking about and ignores you until you type a meaningful
command. Therefore, try again and review the section on communicating with the program. This
is also true if you type a command, get an immediate response such as You talk to Sam, but
no command is executed.

Some words are inextricably linked to other words. Therefore, if you use them in a 
circumstance other than the one for which they were intended, you may be surprised at the 
program's reply. For example, ROLL goes with ROCK and a direction and JUMP goes with OVER 
CLIFF. Thus if you try to JUMP at the waterfall, you may get a meaningless response.

Another quirk you may encounter is the program's responding with a word you did not use. For
example, you type SWIM and the program responds, Frodo doesnt see anything to drown in. 
Thats because the program recognizes SWIM as a synonym of DROWN, but doesn't have any use 
for the word SWIM in this game. (Most hobbits cannot swim.)

Similarly, if you try to attack Gollum while he's off in the bushes, the program informs you
that you can't attack Gollum. This doesn't mean that you can never attack him; it just means
that you can't just now because you and he are not in the same place. Along the same lines, 
if you have transformed a wooden stick into a pile of ashes, you will no longer be able to 
TAKE THE STICK because it no longer exists in that form. These few inconveniences are a 
minor price to pay for the flexibility of Inglish.

Some Advice

The most important piece of advice we can give you is to learn how to SAVE games and to do it
frequently. This will help you avoid the anguish of having lost several hours worth of play
because you unexpectedly found yourself surrounded by grinning orcs with no hope of escape. 
The game is full of such surprises, so make sure to save your games. If you are timid and 
fail to explore your surroundings to their fullest extent, you may miss some vital pieces of
information.

Although taking drastic action can sometimes be more fun than passive resistance, there are 
cases when the best course of action is to WAIT or to FOLLOW.

A number of items (food and swords) have immediate, obvious value. Other seemingly valueless
objects may save your life. Others may have great sentimental value. Yet there are times 
along the arduous path to Mordor when you are forced to decide which items to leave behind, 
or you will never reach the destination you seek.

Specific Hints

Your goal as Sam is to decide whether or not to rescue Frodo, and in any event to fulfill 
the quest: destroy the Ring of Power. You will find, if you check INVENTORY on beginning the
game, that Sam is currently the Ringbearer. When in doubt, try raising the phial that 
Galadriel gave you.

At all times, beware of wearing the Ring. The Nazgl are ever-watchful, and both Sam and 
Frodo are exhausted to the point of despair. On the finger of someone in this weakened state,
the Ring becomes a deadly foe. In an emergency, wearing it may help, but it may also cost 
you your life and the future of Middle Earth.

Though wearing the Ring is not recommended, it is a wise idea to attempt to acquire some 
orcish clothing as you go, and to wear it immediately. Orcs are not the brightest sort, and 
they can be easily fooled, particularly when it comes to items worn on the head, such as a 
CAP or HELMET. If possible, try to pick up a few extra items in case you need to disguise 
more characters than just Sam.

The Crack of Doom is overrun with orcs who are in terrible moods. Unsuccessful so far in 
their pursuit of the Ring, they are not being treated well by their vicious leaders. Now and
then Sam, Frodo, or both will witness horrible confrontations  and perhaps be part of these
fights  during which a wise policy would be to HIDE and WAIT until things seem to be 
settled down. In some locations you will be warned of a tussle by voices or foot-steps, but 
such is not always the case. Be cautious but hasty in your approach to corners and at turns 
in the road. Remember that leaving orcs to their own battles is the wisest policy, since 
they tend to do each other in without hesitation.

Mazes are perplexing places; sometimes a maze location can be distinguished only by its 
exits. Remember that exits can change, so that retracing your steps is not always the most 
effective plan.

COMFORT Frodo the moment he complains of exhaustion. Your support determines whether or not 
he stays with you, and without him there is no success. Sometimes it is wise to COMFORT him 
ahead of time; if you do lose him, though, you can usually find him (hopefully still alive) 
by retracing your steps.

On the way out of The Tower at Cirith Ungol, take the opportunity to stop and fill the 
bottle Sam is carrying. There may be long stretches of travel with no water or food, so 
taking a DRINK right then might also be a good idea.

Last Resort Hints

If all else fails....

Frodo is being held prisoner by a group of exceptionally nasty orcs in The Tower at Cirith 
Ungol. He is in no state to move around quickly, so don't worry that he'll change location 
while you search for him. Like most captors, the orcs have decided the highest, most 
secluded location is the best for their prized  albeit useless  prisoner: A dark and 
filthy loft above a narrow room with a trapdoor.

WAIT at the Wide Landing at the top of the stairs in the tower until the Huge Angry Orc 
turns his back and shambles off. At that point Sam can ATTACK THE HUGE ANGRY ORC WITH STING 
(provided he has the short sword in his inventory). Orcs can be tough customers, but they 
are clumsy. Keep trying.

When in the Narrow Room, HIDE (always a good policy) and SING at least twice. Frodo will 
attempt to answer you. Hobbits can never resist a good song; in many places within the Tower
you can get Frodos feeble answer if you try this. WAIT until the Rat Faced Orc comes in, 
places a ladder up to the trapdoor, and goes up. You can then climb up the ladder. Try to 
make sure the Rat Faced Orc is up there when you go.

There are three locations of food: the rations Sam is carrying, the lembas in Frodo's 
possession, and some stale bread hidden under the Bones in the Guard Room.

When leaving the Tower, youll find the Watchers are hardly willing to show you the door
politely. Remember the power of Galadriels phial, and the song that drove away the Black 
Riders once before. Say "ELBERETH" while holding up the phial.

Stay East near the Steep Rockfall. South may prove fatal, particularly if you are not dressed
for the occasion.

As a rule, when traveling through Gorgoroth, stay East and South.

When the Large Fierce Orc starts to push you around, tell him youre headed toward 
ISENMOUTHE. He wont become any less of a bully, but he may spare your life. Sam and or 
Frodo will be killed immediatel unless they head NORTH. If Sam or Frodo are not dressed in 
orcish clothing, they will no doubt be killed relatively quickly no matter what.

Though it may be difficult, keep your head as you navigate the disastrous terrain of Mount 
Doom. If Frodo falls unconscious, CARRY him. In order to do this, you must GIVE FRODO THE 
BOTTLE before he falls unconscious!

If you are fortunate enough to see the Ring safely into the Crack of Doom, try to move North
and then West quickly. The lava is fast, but you may find rescue at a most unpredictable 
moment and apparently out of thin air.

If you read through the hints and the entire users guide and still have questions, feel 
free to write to the following address. Note which computer version you are using and 
include an exact description of your problem. Please be sure you have sent in your 
registration card so we may give you full support.

Addison-Wesley Publishing Company, Inc.
Consumer Software Support
Route tz8
Reading, MA or86y

Best of luck, Sam and Frodo!

Commodore 64/128 Version

1. Turn on your disk drive, computer, and monitor. When the red in use light on the disk 
drive is off, insert the Crack of Doom disk. C128 users must align their hardware for C64 
software (type GO64 or press the Commodore key while turning on the computer).

2. At the READY prompt, type LOAD *,8,1 (Return) and wait two minutes for the program to 
load. Type Y(es) for pictures or N(o) for text only.

3. When the game begins, you see text, and (if pictures were chosen) a picture appears. Press
any key to return to text. If <MORE> flashes on the screen, press any key to return to text.

4. The Crack of Doom is programmed to play in "real time." To halt the game at any point, 
simply hit the spacebar once. To restart play, hit the backspace key. You can also type PAUSE
to halt play. Neither selection represents a "turn" in the game.

5. To SAVE a game, see below. To load a saved game, type LOAD (Return). Enter the name of the
saved game you would like to load. Type LOOK after you LOAD a saved game to see where you 
are.

6. To leave the game, type Quit (Return). At this point you can type "newgame" when the 
program asks for a file name to start a new game from your program disk. Two cautions: 
1. It's a better idea to turn off the computer and start from scratch to clear memory, and 
2. If you were playing without pictures in your last game, the same status will prevail in 
your new game. (If you selected pictures, you'll get pictures again.)

To Save Frames in Progress

Save games on a disk other than the program disk. The disk must be formatted. Each disk holds
7  8 games.

Type SAVE (Return) at the point you wish to save. Replace the program disk with a blank 
formatted disk or a Crack of Doom saved game disk. Type a name for the game (Return). The 
screen colors change while the game is saved.

As prompted, replace the program disk and press a key to continue.

Quickly replace the program disk after loading a saved game. Some machines may register two 
keypresses for one and automatically proceed after loading a saved game. If the program tries
to read a picture from your saved game disk, it can be corrupted.

If you are not playing with pictures, you may leave the saved game disk in the drive once the
program has been loaded into memory.

Turn off the computer before loading Crack of Doom to ensure that resident memory is cleared
out. A fast-load cartridge is not recommended.

The program may not load if any peripheral is attached to the disk drive. Detach all 
peripherals, turn off the computer, and start again (reattach the printer after the program 
is loaded). Or, turn on the connected peripherals and reload. A printer connected but turned
off may be the problem.

Type PRINT (Return), then turn on your printer. While you are using PRINT, the pictures are 
not displayed. To view them again, type NOPRINT and turn off the printer. Low memory may 
inhibit PRINT on some machines.

Please return your registration card to Addison-Wesley. See the user's guide for complete 
warranty information.

Commodore 64 and Commodore 128 are registered trademarks of Commodore Business Machines, Inc.

*********************************

Editado por Antares/Edited by Antares.
Goto1982 - http://www.goto1982.net
El sitio de los comentarios de juegos de C64 en espaol/The web site of C64 games reviews
in Spanish.



