Shadow of the Beast

SHADOW OF THE BEAST - GREMLIN GRAPHICS SOFTWARE LTD



GREMLIN



presents



THE SHADOW OF THE BEAST



Copyright Gremlin Graphics 1990



IN SEARCH OF THE BEAST



The grounds of Necropolis were silent. The moon, low and large on the

horizon, cast a cool blue light across the stony ground causing

ancient statues to cast long and dark shadows into the corners. One

statue in particular, a giant griffin, accounted for most of the

darkness. Its wings folded behind it, arms spread wide and stretched

heavenwards.



In the griffin's arms sat a lone creature, as still and cold as its

host. Scaly skin glistening in the thin light, it clutched a Globe of

Seeing which it moved slowly from side to side examining its reflected

features. As it did so it recalled the events of that day, the

frightened humans being herded into the central courtyard, the

pathetic pleas for help as they were dragged one by one to the

sacrificial stone, and the final air rending screams each time the

knife came down in one swift arc and the life blood ran.



He remembered a tired, resigned face being pushed towards the stone, a

face that seemed of some importance to him. Yet how could that be when

the lives of these people meant nothing to him? And, as the gleaming

blade struck home, he recognised the agonised face. It was his father.



Then he remembered. He remembered being younger. Being freer. Being

human. Suddenly the painful memories of all he had been came flooding

back to him.



The temple masters had done this to him. They had been responsible for

all that he was, and the loss of all he had been. A feeling of shock

rose, fighting with anger for dominance. Now he would stop serving the

temple masters. He would stop killing for them. He would kill them.



He scrambled to a standing posture, and lifted the globe high above

his head. He held it tightly in his gnarled claws, and, issuing a

bellowing roar, crushed it. It shattered, and thousands of tiny shards

arced downwards, making the ground around the statue look cold and

frosty. Nothing would stop him now. He would crush them as he had

crushed their globe, and wouldn't stop until the blood of each of

them, and the creatures they had created soaked the earth. Once this

was done, he would combat the Beast himself.



Flame red eyes stared out across the sun-scorched plain, scanning the

distant forests. Just for a moment he enjoyed the stillness. A respite

before he once again set mind and body against the unnatural creatures

his masters had spawned. He knew that somewhere within the giant

forest lay several Beast Mage buildings, and, hidden even deeper, the

Beast himself.



Drawing in breath sharply, he flexed his hardened muscles, feeling the

blood pulsing through his arteries, the double heart pounding

furiously in his chest. His power and speed were all that ensured his

survival. He knew that the minute he was weakened, and his reflexes

dimmed, that minute would be his last.



Setting off at a run he made for the trees, stirring up a trail of

grey dust behind him. To have remained on the plain while the sun was

high would have been fatal, and the trees would provide a respite.

Even so he knew that their shade would not prove entirely safe, and

were likely to be providing shelter for other beasts than himself. As

the warrior reached the edge of the forest his instincts told him that

he was unlikely to be alone for long. His eyes narrowed, darting from

side to side watching for the tiniest movement that would betray a

predator.



When it came it did so with speed, rushing at him full on. It provided

a warning, as its black wings crashed through the foliage, and from

its mouth came a piercing scream as it sighted its kill. The warrior

had barely enough time to turn as the giant batlike creature flew

directly at his head. Crouching, he brought his bone-covered fist up

hard into the creatures soft underbelly, using its own momentum to

direct it into the trunk of a tree. It screamed in pain, hitting the

tree with its spine curved back-words before falling to the ground,

its spine smashed and skull broken. It made no noise but for the

treacly blood bubbling from its mouth and ear.



The warrior ignored the body. Behind him had come another screech,

this time even closer. As he turned and dived for cover another winged

demon flew at him, claws extended for the kill. The warrior struck out

again, but too late this time, and he felt its talons tearing into his

flesh as he rolled away into the undergrowth, dragging the creature

with him, rolling onto it and breaking its neck in one movement. He

lay there panting, momentarily dazed. He could feel a warm wetness

across his side and stomach, and with it a sharpening pain.



He stood slowly, fighting the waves of pain that passed through him,

feeling his hearts pounding faster. He had to keep moving. Other

creatures would smell the blood soon and he could not ward off another

attack.



As he stumbled between the trees he noticed something out of place

against a distant trunk. Coming closer he realised that it was a

doorway, and recognised that it was a Beast-Mage construction.

Thinking only of the things that would soon be trailing him, the

warrior took a chance and dropped through into the darkness.



There was a cool breeze coming from somewhere beneath him, and, now

that the creature was out of the forest, a menacing silence fell, a

silence disturbed only by the slow dripping of water deeper within the

cavern.



As the warriors eyes became accustomed to the poor light he made out a

worn stairway curving away from him into the darkness. So, his

suspicions were confirmed. He had stumbled upon one of his ex-master's

outposts. An outpost that would definitely be inhabited by bizarre

creatures, but that could also possibly host the Beast. There was only

one way to find out...



Padding slowly down the stairway, the warrior readied himself for

whatever abominations lay in wait at the bottom. Soon the stairway

straightened out and the warrior found himself on a narrow ledge. The

phosphorescence from the cavern walls was enough to reveal that he was

in a huge chamber that extended away into pitch darkness. Now the

silence was interrupted by distant sounds of angry growling. Whatever

inhabited this place had obviously picked up his scent.



The ledge that he was on appeared to be deserted, so he advanced

slowly. Without warning there was a sizzling sound behind him.

Instinctively the warrior jumped, and felt his feet burn as a white

hot fireball shot beneath him and explode violently against the cavern

wall. So, his former masters were aware of his presence, and realised

his intent. He would have to be twice as alert now. They would use

every means in their power to stop him.



Ahead of him now he could make out a rough wooden ladder staked into

the side of the ledge. He swung himself onto it and began his descent,

dropping silently the rest of the way when he saw another ledge

beneath him. No sooner had his feet hit the ground than a scaled

abomination rushed forward, his large teeth glinting as he roared

ferociously. The warrior turned calmly and despatched it with a single

blow.



And so the ordeal went on as he worked his way deeper into the cavern.

Unnatural creatures beset him at every step, but each was destroyed

with determination as the warrior remembered his promise to himself to

continue until every last one was dead.



He had just dropped onto another ledge when he caught a glimpse of

something shining in the distance. Moving closer his keen vision made

out a key sitting on a shelf on the other side of a broad chasm. He

started to move swiftly towards it when he was halted by an almighty

roar. Suddenly he was confronted by a huge guard. His opponent took a

short moment to size him up and then made a charge, swinging his

double headed battle axe at the warrior's head. Without losing a

moment the warrior sidestepped the blow and slammed his fist into the

guards throat. There was a sickening crunch as the neck snapped, and

the warrior stepped back quickly as the huge body tumbled forward over

the ledge.



There was no time for recovery before another hulking figure was

rushing headlong at him. But this time the warrior was ready, and his

flying kick sent the guard plummeting backward to join his accomplice.

Now a clear way lay ahead of him to the key. He sprinted along the

remainder of the ledge and, just as the edge of the abyss met him, he

leapt forward, hands flailing, reaching to grasp the edge of the

shelf.



He made it in a shower of dirt and stones, and caught his breath as he

hung swinging above a seemingly bottomless chasm. He could feel his

sweaty hands begin to lose their grip. Now the warriors true destiny

would be decided....



THE WARRIOR'S OBJECTIVE



You must fight your way through several different regions in order to

reach the heart of the enemy's stronghold and face your ultimate

adversary. Creatures you encounter will invariably be hostile, and

will cause damage when they come into contact with you. Contact can be

avoided by punching or kicking creatures away from you before they get

too close, or by shooting them if you have a weapon.



Each time you are damaged your heart-rate will increase. Your current

heart-rate is shown on the monitor in the centre of the screen at the

bottom. If your heart-rate gets too high your hearts will burst,

resulting in instant death. During your attack on the stronghold you

will find various artefacts which can be used to assist you on your

quest. Some of the items, keys for instance, can be collected for

later use when you move over them. Items that you have in your

possession will be shown at the bottom of the screen. Other items,

such as potions will have an instant effect which is shown on screen

when you move over the item.



There are also weapons that can be collected at certain points in the

game. These are used instead of punching and kicking to destroy your

opponents. Certain creatures can only be destroyed by special weapons.

It is up to you to discover the best way to use the artefacts you find

and how to tackle the creatures you encounter.



CONTROLLING THE WARRIOR



Use the joystick or keyboard to control the Warrior's movements.



Joystick Keyboard Effect



Up Q Jump up/use exit.

Left O Move left.

Right P Move right.

Down A Move down.

Fire Space Bar Kick, punch, or fire weapon.

H Pause the game.



Press the fire button to punch, or kick while jumping. If you have a

weapon in your possession, pressing fire will fire the weapon rather

than kicking or punching.



Moving the joystick up or down will normally cause the warrior to jump

or crouch. If, however, you are standing on or against a ladder moving

the joystick up or down will cause the warrior to ascend or descend.



There are exits between areas. If an exit is facing you, simply walk

into it to use it. If an exit is to one side of you, stand next to it,

and then push the joystick up to use it.



LOADING INSTRUCTIONS



Spectrum 48K/128K/+2



Insert the cassette into the cassette player and press LOAD "" and

then press the ENTER key. Follow the on screen loading prompts for

further instructions.



Spectrum +3



Insert the disk into the disk drive, and use the disk loader. Follow

on screen loading prompts for further instructions.



Amstrad CPC 464



Insert the cassette into the built in cassette deck, press the CONTROL

and ENTER keys. Follow the on screen loading prompts for further

instructions.



Amstrad CPC 6128



Insert the disk into the built in disk drive, and type |CPM. Follow

the on screen prompts for any further loading instructions.



(c) Gremlin Graphics Software Limited 1990



This manual and the information contained on the floppy disks are

copyrighted by Gremlin Graphics Ltd. The owner of this product is

entitled to use the product for his or her own personal use only. No

one may transfer, give or sell any part of either the manual or the

information on the disk without the prior permission of Gremlin

Graphics Software Limited. Any person on persons reproducing any part

of this program, in any media, for any reason, shall be guilty of

copyright violation and shall be subject to civil liability at the

discretion of the copyright holder.