You can only get full skill points if you play on the hardest level and complete the arcade sequences perfectly. Good luck with that.
This version of the Sierra interpreter supports right-clicking on objects to look at them. If there's no one else on the screen to talk to, ask about will always ask Merlin-in-your-head. In some cases the response to a look command gives the same text as ask [Merlin] about.
Castle Camelot
Go to your own room (the room you are standing on). Look at the rug. Look out the window. Change clothes. You will automatically wear your armor and pick up your shield and sword. Pick up your purse from the table.
Leave the room and go to the smallest tower at the east. Open the chest. Take the lodestone. (I can't stress this enough: take. the. lodestone. It's easy to mistakenly assume that you took it when you opened the chest, but you have to explicitly do so. Otherwise, you'll get a dead-man-walking scenario much later in the game.) Look at the scroll on the table, and read the scroll. Walk up to the map on the west wall and look at it. Click on each of the cities. When finished, press F6 to exit the map view. Ask about the Grail, Galahad, Gawaine, Launcelot, symbols, pentacle (i.e. the rug on the floor), Christ (i.e. the tapestry on the east wall), Southampton, Glastonbury Tor, and Ot Moor.
Leave Merlin's room and go to the large eastern tower (the treasury). Ask the treasurer about Gawaine. Give him your purse, and get silver and gold coins. Get your purse back.
Leave the treasury and go to Gwenhyver's bower, the small rectangle near the north tower. Ask Gwenhyver about Lancelot. (For short, you can refer to her as "Gwen".) Kiss Gwenhyver. Pick the rose from the bush.
Leave the bower and go to the west tower, the Chapel of the Two Gods. Ask about the symbols. Kneel at Mithras' altar and give first a silver, then a gold coin. Stand, then kneel at Christ's altar and make the same offerings. Stand and leave to the south.
Go to the outer courtyard. Ask the guard standing to the left of the gate about Galahad. Give him a gold coin. Return to the Treasury (eastern large tower) and give your purse to the Treasurer. This time fill it with all three kinds of coins. Get your purse back. Return to the courtyard, stand at your horse's left side, and mount. Ride out of the gate.
For Your Amusement:
In the treasury, type ham and jam and spam a lot. (It is a silly place.)
In the chapel, look at Christ or look at Mithras.
Glastonbury Tor (Gawaine)
Go to Glastonbury Tor (the top point of the diamond shape of cities that's slightly to the left of the center of the screen). Ride up to the shrine. Give one copper to the spirit, Widdershins. Ask about the shrine. Ask about Cernunnos. Go west.
Ask the hunter about the forest. Give him a copper or silver coin. Ask him about Gawaine, the Black Knight, skins, boars, and the spear. Buy the spear with a gold coin. Buy the skins. (You have already given the hunter their price, but you gain soul points for explicitly buying them.)
Save the game and ride west. (Don't worry about your mule for now.) You will shortly be attacked by three wild boars, one at a time. Press the spacebar to thrust the spear. It takes you a second to make the move, so press the spacebar when the boar is about at the line of red speckles that runs diagonally from bottom right to the tree in the middle of the screen. You have to press the key sooner than you probably think you do. (If you are having a lot of trouble, decrease the arcade difficulty. Try timing your thrust by the length of the animation of the boar pawing the earth: wait that long again.)
When you have killed the boars, go west again. Look at the large tree at right. Talk to it. Approach the skeleton. Answer yes to the crow's challenge. Ride up to the skeleton and examine it. Take the bit of silk (a sleeve). Ride east. After clicking through the Black Knight's dialogue, save the game.
For Your Amusement:
On the screen with the dead knight, pick the red and white mushroom growing under the tree on the left side of the screen. (save first)
Answer yes to the Black Knight and joust with him. Like the boars, this is pretty damn annoying even on Easy. To move your shield and lance, don't hold the keys down; just press them once to move in that direction. Keep your shield at the top right (E + F keys) to keep it in front of you. One technique that may get good results is to quickly move your lance from right to left or bottom-right to top-left at the last moment. Try to hit the Black Knight in his right shoulder or body. After you have won, continue east.
Dismount. Walk up to Gawaine and cut shackles to free him. Ask him about the Grail. Give your horse to Gawaine.
Go east. Walk into the circle of stones. Look at the large stones in the circle and the smaller ones around the pedestal the witch is standing on. Carefully approach the Forest Witch. Give the sleeve to her. Read the inscription left behind on the pedestal. The missing word is, of course, "riddle."
Walk through the trilithon at northwest. Look at your mule. Approach the five stones one by one and talk to them. (Don't get too close or you'll get zapped.) Answer the riddles.
| All about, but cannot be seen... air, wind At the sound of me... music, song Bright as diamonds... waterfall Each morning I appear... shadow Glittering points... icicle I am always hungry... fire I am only useful when I am full... sieve I am seen in the water... blue I drive men mad ... gold I go around in circles... wheel I turn around once... key, lock If a man carried my burden... snail If you break me... heart |
Lighter than what I am made of... iceberg Look you in the eye... mirror Lovely and round... pearl My life can be measured... torch, candle Three lives have I... water To unravel me... riddle Until I am measured... time Weight in my belly... ship When I am filled... glove When set loose... arrow You can see nothing else... mirror You heard me before... echo Young, sweet in the sun... wine, grape |
When you have answered all five, walk between the stones. Go south from where you teleport to. Look at the tree, the well, and the monk. Approach the well. Ask the monk about the well or the Grail to drive him off. Walk to the south side of the well and try to open it. Go south. Ask about the altar.
Wander about on the Tor until you run into three monks. Save the game and draw your sword (F8). Keep your back towards the edge of the screen, or failing that, try to get your back against a bit of the ruins. Swing your sword (spacebar) whenever one of the monks approaches you. He takes three hits to kill, and similarly will kill you in three hits. The other two will disappear, and you will meet the Old Ones.
Go back to the altar. Ask about the Old Ones. Call the Old Ones. Ask the Old Ones about Mother-Moon. Notice that they mention five children: give five silver coins. Take the key they leave behind. Go one screen north, unlock the well, and open it. Drink water. Search the water and you will get a crystal heart. Go south and you will be back at the riddle stones. Exit to the south (your mule will now follow you).
Ot Moor (Launcelot)
Go to Ot Moor (the northernmost green dot on the map). Go east, move to the center of the screen, then head north onto the frozen lake. While still on the white area at the bottom of the next screen, save the game. Recite the Message of the Rose from the game docs: love is my shield. Keep yourself within the cloud of rose petals (the mouse is very helpful here) and it will lead you safely across the ice. When it heads off the top of the screen, hold back a bit, beause the game detects you nearing a screen edge and will advance you faster than you want to go. (The alternate solution, for the same points, but less easy to follow, is: use heart, and carefully walk only when it is golden, retreating quickly if it turns purple.)
Enter the palace. Look at the Ice Maiden and Launcelot. Ask the Ice Maiden about Launcelot. Walk up to the Ice Maiden and give the crystal heart to her. Ask her to free Lancelot. When she leads you to the other room with the flowering bush, walk up to it and begin test. Save the game. Examine the bush.
For its sweet sake... forget-me-not (true love)
If a dream is abandoned... anemone (afterthought)
In time of grief, it gives relief... poppy (consolation)
It alleviates all pain and sorrows... daffodil (death)
It can be sweet on the tongue... yellow lily (falsehood)
Known to the priest and nun... cornflower (chastity)
Oh it is splendid... sunflower (haughtiness)
Surrounded by giants... buttercup (childhood memories)
When light is dim... almond blossom (hope)
Wise are those who seek it... chrysanthemum (truth)
After you are teleported back across the ice, go west two screens to leave the moor.
For Your Amusement:
Kiss the Ice Maiden.
Fail the flower test. (save first)
Southampton and Gaza
Go to Southampton. Look at the various things on screen. Ask the harbormaster about Galahad, destinations, and fare. Book passage to Gaza and pay three gold coins.
When you arrive in Gaza, ignore Jabir and go with Hazm. Look at the various things onscreen and at al-Sirat himself. Ask about figs and qahwah. Eat figs and drink qahwah. Ask the scholar about the Grail, the Goddesses, Galahad, guardians, and Jerusalem. Thank the scholar. Stand and leave.
Ignore Jabir a second time and proceed south. Go east, south, and east again. At the wadi, notice that your mule refuses to drink the water. Ask Merlin about the skeleton. If Jabir is here, ask him about the skeleton, then draw your sword to scare him off. Go behind the rocks and proceed east, then north.
Climb up the steps, then carefully down to the Pool of Siloam. Drink water. Ask Merlin about the Pool and about Hezekiah. Leave the Pool and go north. Look at the Dome of the Rock. Go north one more screen. Approach the gate. Give four copper coins, one for each of the thugs. Go west, north, and west. At this gate, simply draw your sword to scare off Yasser. Enter the city.
For Your Amusement:
At Southampton, walk off the dock into the ocean. (save first)
Book passage to each of the wrong cities: Dublin (1 silver), Rennes (2 silver), Rome (1 gold), Thessalonica (2 gold). (save first)
Drink the water at the wadi. (save first)
Walk into the desert (such as north from the wadi) and look at a lizard.
In the screen with the wadi cliffs, fall off the cliff.
Wander around in the desert until you see the two different mirages (this will take a fair amount of real time) and eventually die. (save first)
Eat your mule.
Fall off the steps leading down into the Pool of Siloam. (save first)
Walk west into the aqueduct at the pool until you reach a "pitch black" screen, then continue west. (save first)
Fall off the ledge surrounding the Pool into the sand.
Fall off the escarpment near Jerusalem.
Jerusalem Bazaar
There's no way to prevent the theft of your purse here. Walk up to the man, Mohammed, and talk to him. Sell him your mule. Go east, then south. Talk to the apple seller, Tamra. Ask her about Galahad, the Grail, and apples. Give her one dinar to buy the Apple of Truth.
Go east. Look at the urchin. Go up to the woman on the right, Sarah. Talk to her. Give her one fals to buy a felafel (you will automatically take it). Give the felafel to the urchin. (You can buy another and eat it yourself, if you like.) Talk to the man at the textile shop, Ibrahim. Go west. Talk to the man at the lamp shop, Tariq. Ask him about the oath and the broom. Buy herbs for 1 dirham and charcoal for 2 fals. Go west. Talk to the butcher, Fawaz. Talk to the man in the relic shop, Ismail. Buy a relic (enter any name you like) and pay 1 dinar. Ask him about the Grail. Buy Grail and offer 1 dinar in smaller coins (3 dirhams and 16 fals), but don't actually give him the money.
Go west. Look at the door and the symbols. Go south. Talk to the beggar. Give him the charcoal. Also give him a fals. Go west. Knock on the inn door and take note of what the innkeeper, Achmed, tells you about needing a broom. Go west again. Talk to the fishmonger, Hayyam. Give him the herbs. Talk to the man in the pottery shop, Farabi. Ask him about mirrors. Buy a mirror for 2 dirhams. Go west. Call Mari. Talk to her. Throw her the mirror. Call her again. Ask her about the veil. Go south and give the veil to Ibrahim.
Go west and give the relic to Tariq. Go south. Talk to the man at the grain shop. Buy grain for three fals. Go east. Knock on the inn door. Give the broom to Achmed. Enter the inn. In the morning, go south. Buy a cut of lamb for 6 fals. Go east two screens and give the lamb to Sarah. Go south. Talk to the woman, Ione. Scatter grain to capture the doves. Go south and west and talk to the Seeress.
Go west two screens and knock on the door. Look at Fatima. Talk to Fatima. Answer no to both her questions. Ask about the Goddess and the test. Walk close to Fatima and give her your purse. Save the game. Enter the inner room. Click on each empty niche, then select the correct symbol and click there again. (Yes, they seem to have gotten the Greeks and the Romans mixed up, or at least intentionally conflated, in several cases.)
| According to Greek legends.... Athene Among her other names were Astroarche... Astarte Another title for her is Giver of Life.... Isis Another title for her is The One Who Is All.... Isis Her hearth fire is thought to be the center of the earth. ... Vesta Her major festival was celebrated on April 19th. ... Ceres Her priestesses were famous for their skill in astrology.... Astarte Her priests and servants were known as Pastophori.... Isis Her sacred day is Friday.... Venus Her sacred element is copper.... Venus Her sacred fire was tended by six women ... Vesta Her sacred women were titled Matronae ... Ceres In Greek, her name was Kore or Demeter. ... Ceres In the ancient language of Sanscrit, her name means "shining."... Vesta King Solomon built a sanctuary in her honor in Jerusalem.... Astarte Mirrors are considered her sacred objects.... Venus One of her most important shrines was on the island of Cyprus.... Venus She gave birth to the sun and granted immortality to rulers.... Isis |
She had a great shrine at Aphaca.... Astarte She is the guardian of home and hearth. ... Vesta She is the Guardian of Innermost Things. ... Vesta She was a guardian of grains and the field. ... Ceres She was earlier known as a Goddess in the country of Libya.... Athene She was known to the Romans as Hestia. ...Vesta She was renowned as The Lawgiver ... Ceres She was renowned for her wisdom... Athene She was the Goddess of Byblos.... Astarte She was the patron of architects.... Athene The element of brimstone was associated with her.... Athene The Israelites burned incense.... Astarte The Morning Star and Evening Star are named for her.... Venus The name of her major temple means "virgin-house."... Athene The Romans knew her by the name Aphrodite.... Venus The yearly flood of the Nile was caused by the tears she cried.... Isis To the Egyptians, she was known as Hathor.... Isis To the Romans she was known as Mother of the Harvest.... Ceres |
When you have passed the Test of Symbols, leave. Go south. Walk up to the beggar, who is the Hierophant Fatima was referring to. Ask him about Galahad and the Grail, then ask him to open the catacombs.
For Your Amusement:
Read the various shop signs.
Pet the fishmonger's cat.
Eat the raw lamb.
Draw your sword in front of Fawaz (the butcher) and Ismail (the relic shop owner).
Draw your sword twice. (save first)
Answer yes to Fatima. (save first)
The Catacombs
Be careful to stay away from the mummies or you will get (prematurely) bitten by a rat. Ask about the mural. Go north. Look at the symbols over the doors. Ask Merlin about the Gnostics and Sophia.
Go east. Again look at the symbols. Ask about the pentacle and the labarum. Look at the small mummy on the left. Get medallion with sword. Go north, then north again. Look at the pentacle. Approach the sarcophagus. After the thing inside is scared away by the medallion, look in the sarcophagus. Take the golden apple. Walk to the center of the side of the sarcophagus and read the lid.
Go west, east, east. There's nothing you can do to prevent being bitten here. Walk up to Galahad and give him the elixir. Return west, then go north, north, east. Ask about the mural. Go south. Save the game and put the golden apple in the statue's hand. Answer her questions.
| In the kingdom of flora... apple In the kingdomof fauna... dove Of what was the statue made... ivory To what people... Greek Upon what did Hippolytus ride... chariot Upon whom did Theseus call... Poseidon What did Aphrodite give to the statue... life What is Aphrodite's sacred number... six What is the name of the king... Theseus Where did Pygmalion live... Cyprus |
Who did Aphrodite make to fall in love with Hippolytus... stepmother Who ended the dispute...Zeus Who fell in love with Adonis... Persephone Who transformed into a boar... Ares Who was dragged to death... Hippolytus Whom did Aphrodite love that was killed by a boar... Adonis Whom did Pygmalion worship... Aphrodite Whose company... women |
Take careful note of the directions the statue gives you, because she will not repeat them. To follow the directions, use the lodestone in each room so that you are sure to go in the true compass direction, not the apparent screen directions (which until this point were sufficient). The tip of the sword points north.
Go west (as indicated by the lodestone). Look at the mural and the spirals. Go east, south, east, south, and north. At the end you will reach a staircase. Look at the skeleton, then go up the stairs.
For Your Amusement:
Walk close to one of the mummies.
The Temple of Aphrodite
Walk through each of the temple screens. In the fourth one you enter, you will encounter the Saracen. Eat the apple of strength. Save the game. Wear the helmet. Of course, you must defeat the Saracen. Consult the manual for full details on the controls, but briefly, you use the number pad to strike high, low, and middle blows with your sword, and move your shield to high, low, or middle position. Pace yourself; if you keep swinging your sword around like a feather duster you'll just tire yourself out and lose.
When you have won, use the dove. Follow it to the southwest screen, with a staircase leading down. When Aphrodite is finished speaking, ask about the spiral. Count pillars from left to right across the south side of the screen until you reach the sixth. (It's at the right of the next screen, between two broken ones.) Push that pillar. Holy Grail, Batman! And holy Thief! Chase the Thief. When you reach the dead end, show the Thief mercy by simply taking the Grail, and watch the ending.
Points
Skill points are listed as easy/medium/hard.
| Action | Skill | Wis | Soul | Action | Skill | Wis | Soul |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Castle Camelot | Gaza | ||||||
| Get purse | 3 | Go with Hazm | 1 | ||||
| Change clothes | 3 | 1 | Ask scholar about Grail, Galahad, and guardians (1 point each) | 3 | |||
| Get lodestone | 3 | Ask scholar about Goddesses | 6 | ||||
| Look at scroll | 1 | At wadi, ask Merlin about skeleton | 1 | ||||
| Read scroll | 1 | Drink from Pool of Siloam | 1 | ||||
| Look at map | 1 | Ask Merlin about Hezekiah | 1 | ||||
| Ask Merlin about Grail, Galahad, Gawaine, Launcelot, symbol (or pentacle), Christ, Southampton, Glastonbury, and Ot Moor (1 point each) | 9 | Bribe guard with 4 copper | 1 | ||||
| Ask Treasurer about Gawaine | 2 | Scare Yasser with sword | 1 | ||||
| Get copper, silver, and gold | 3 | ||||||
| Ask Gwenhyver about Launcelot | 2 | Jerusalem Bazaar | Skill | Wis | Soul | ||
| Get rose | 1 | Sell mule to Mohammed | 10 | ||||
| In Chapel, ask about symbols | 1 | Ask apple seller about Galahad and Grail (1 point each) | 2 | ||||
| Give silver to Mithras | 1 | Buy Apple of Truth | 5 | 5 | 5 | ||
| Give gold to Mithras | 1 | 3 | Give felafel to urchin | 20 | |||
| Give silver to Christ | 1 | Buy herbs | 5 | ||||
| Give gold to Christ | 1 | 3 | Buy charcoal | 5 | |||
| Ask gate guard about Galahad | Buy relic | 5 | |||||
| Give gold to guard | 1 | "Buy" Grail | 5 | ||||
| Give charcoal to beggar | 5 | 5 | |||||
| Glastonbury Tor | Skill | Wis | Soul | Give 1 copper to beggar | 5 | ||
| Give 1 copper to Widdershins | 1 | Give herbs to Hayyam | 5 | 5 | |||
| Ask Merlin about Cernunnos | 1 | Buy mirror | 5 | ||||
| Give 1 copper to hunter | 3 | Give mirror to Mari | 5 | ||||
| Ask hunter about Black Knight | 1 | Ask Mari about veil | 5 | ||||
| Buy spear for 1 gold | 3 | Give veil to Ibrahim | 5 | 5 | |||
| Buy skins | 2 | Give relic to Tariq (get broom) | 10 | 5 | |||
| Kill boars | 3/6/9 | Buy grain | 5 | ||||
| Talk to Father Tree | 1 | Give broom to Achmed | 5 | 5 | |||
| Answer yes to crow's challenge | 1 | Buy lamb | 5 | ||||
| Get sleeve | 1 | Give lamb to Sara | 5 | 5 | |||
| Agree to joust | 5 | Capture doves | 5 | 5 | 5 | ||
| Win joust without falling | 8/16/24 | Deny Fatima (first time) | 10 | 10 | |||
| Win joust, falling once | 6/12/18 | Deny Fatima (second time) | 10 | 10 | |||
| Win joust, falling twice | 4/8/12 | Ask Fatima about Goddess | 1 | ||||
| Ask Gawaine about Grail | 1 | Pass Test of Symbols | 30 | ||||
| Give horse to Gawaine | 50 | Ask beggar (Hierophant) about Galahad | 1 | ||||
| Give sleeve to Forest Witch | 5 | 1 | Ask Hierophant about Grail | 1 | |||
| Read inscription | 1 | Open catacombs | 5 | ||||
| Answer five riddles | 15 | ||||||
| Ask Merlin about altar | 1 | Catacombs | Skill | Wis | Soul | ||
| Kill Mad Monk without being hit | 3/8/15 | Ask about first mural | 1 | ||||
| Kill Mad Monk, hit once | 2/6/12 | Ask about Gnostics and Sophia (1 point each) | 2 | ||||
| Kill Mad Monk, hit twice | 1/4/9 | Get medallion with sword | 5 | ||||
| Ask Merlin about Old Ones | 1 | Get golden apple | 5 |
||||
| Give 5 silver to Old ones | 1 | 1 | Read sarcophagus | 1 | |||
| Get key | 1 | Give elixir to Galahad | 50 | ||||
| Get crystal heart | 5 | Ask about second mural | 1 | ||||
| Give golden apple to statue | 5 | ||||||
| Ot Moor | Skill | Wis | Soul | Get dove | 20 | ||
| Recite the Message of the Rose | 2 | Look at third mural | 1 | ||||
| Reach ice palace | 10 | Look at spirals | 1 | ||||
| Give crystal heart to Ice Maiden | 10 | Open secret door | 5 | ||||
| "Free Launcelot"/accept challenge | 5 | ||||||
| Answer three flower questions | 15 | Temple of Aphrodite | Skill | Wis | Soul | ||
| Save Launcelot | 50 | Defeat Saracen | 20 / 30 / 40 | ||||
| Use dove | 5 | ||||||
| Southampton | Skill | Wis | Soul | Ask about spiral | 5 | ||
| Ask harbormaster about Galahad | 1 | Find Grail | 100 | 100 | 100 | ||
| Ask harbormaster about destinations | 1 | Take Grail from thief | 5 | ||||
| Pay fare to Gaza | 5 | ||||||
| Total | 313 / 339 / 367 | 294 | 358 |
Note on scoring: The game's stated total of 368 skill points is not correct, nor is the hint book's "correction" to 362. The maximum points available from arcade sequences is 34/60/88, giving the total above when added to the 279 skill points from puzzle actions. Additionally, there are actually 294 wisdom points available.
Last updated: 4/01/2023