Solutions to Dark Castle
========================

The Great Hall (about the game and the areas)
As told by the instructions, the left two doors lead either to the Trouble or
the Fireball area, the right door to the Shield area, and the upper door to
the Black Knight area. The Trouble area is an irritant one, and need not be
entered in order to complete the game. You should just watch out not to fall
down numerous pits in the other areas, but you probably will, especially in
the Black Knight area, but it isn't as much Trouble as the name says. You
probably even leave it with an extra live and some more rocks and elixir !
If you enter the Trouble area through the door, you'll have to complete it,
or quit the game (^Q), which is no great fun if you've already gotten the
Shield. So, I'd advise you first to go to the Fireball area, and press ^Q if
you appear to be in Trouble, then go into the Shield area and finally to the
Black Knight. The Black Knight area is truly impossible without the Fireball,
because you can't kill the numerous gargoyles without it, and you can't com-
plete the rooms with such a speed that no gargoyle would appear. It's also a
lot harder without the Shield, probably impossible, too, at least in the
final (third) room, where the Black Knight himself throws cups at you.
The Shield does not quite make you invisible, as told by the instructions,
it makes you invincible, but the enemies still come at you. You can stay in-
vincible for as long as you hold down the A key, but you can't use the Shield
while climbing or swinging on a rope, nor can you move while using it. It is
activated by pressing A at a point where there's nothing else to use the A
key for. The Fireball power is not much difference against most enemys, and
you still can't kill an indefeatable enemy (such as the dragon) with it, but
it kills the guards directly, instead of knocking them down, and it is the
only way of frying the gargoyle.

Bad guys (about the enemies and how to kill them)
Vultures always hang in the air, eight of them together. From the point you
are standing, they won't hit you, and you can throw them down, or most of
them. New vultures will appear soon. When in air, they're quite harmless, as
you can't possibly get to them. Soon, one or more of them will attack and
fly down in some direction, make a round and go back again. As with bats,
there are none in the Black Knight area, nor in the Trouble area.
Mutants are creatures who always appear from certain places and look at you
trying to say "Bleh ! You can't hit me !", but unfortunately (for them),
they can't speak, and you certainly can hit them easily, turning them to
dust. They just walk left and right and never leave their platform, except
by sliding down a rope in the Fireball area, room 1.
Movers are just platforms that float left and right in the air, always in the
same pattern. As with normal platforms, you can stand and ride on them.
Bats are not much trouble either, and you see them hanging as you enter the
room, so it's easy to throw them down immediatly. Again, they only take your
elixirs instead of killing you immediatly, but if one bytes you it'll stick
to you until all your elixirs are gone or you throw it off with 8. Luckily,
they don't appear in the Black Knight area.
Rocks are not quite creatures, as well irritant bouncing boulders, sometimes
thrown by an invincible henchman. You can't destroy them anyhow, so just try
and avoid them.
The Burning Eye is a flying creature shooting fireballs at you, but only in
straight ortho- or diagonal directions. It can't be killed, but if you hit
it, it will be paralyzed for a while, enabling you to touch it, if you want
to. After that it starts flying again, luckily very slow and sometimes even
in the wrong direction. It lives in the Fireball area, room 4.
The Magic Broom is a walking creature, also in room 4 of the Fireball area,
which can not be killed either. If you hit it, it'll explode into three
medium-sized broomsticks, which each explode into 3 small broomsticks,
over which you can jump.
The Wizard isn't an enemy, he's your friend and will give you the Fireball.
Rock Henchmen are just some bad guys throwing rocks at you. They can't be
killed with rocks or fireballs, but the one in the Black Knight area can be
killed by throwing a heavy block on it.
The Dragon is actually only a head which comes out of a doorway in the Shield
area, room 2, spitting flames. Then, it'll go back into the doorway and come
out again after a while. You cannot kill it in any way, but you can paralyze
it by throwing water on it, allowing you to pass.
Rats appear from rat holes and just scurry around or slide down a rope, in
special patterns and always on the same platforms. They don't kill you imme-
diatly, but only take an elixir from you, killing you only when you don't
have any left.
Clouds float in the air, protecting the Shield with lightning bolts. You can
not destroy them, but only avoid their lightning and run to the Shield.
Guards just walk left and right in the Trouble and Black Knight areas. They
appear from doors at the side of the screen. A rock will knock them down for
a few seconds, while a fireball will destroy them and make a new one appear
from the door, after a few more seconds. If they're at about the same height
as you are, they can fire darts at you, which you should avoid.
The Whip Henchman is torturing three prisoners in Trouble area room 3. He can
not be killed, but you'll have to pass him to get to the key. To do so, you
have to grab the mace, walk to him and hit him, which will paralyze him for
a while, just enough to get the key and run back.
Gargoyles only appear in the Black Knight area, when you've been in a room
for a while. They won't kill you, but they grab you in their flight and drop
you in a pit, and right into Trouble. They can only be killed by fireballs,
but that isn't that hard since they fly in such a way you will always hit
them with 4, if you await them calmly.
The Black Knight is, of course, in the Black Knight area, in room 3. Sitting
on his throne, he tries (and mostly fails if you stand in the right spots)
to kill you by throwing cups at you. He can only be killed by pulling all
five switches which hang around.

Fireball area, room 1 (vulture room)
Throw down the vultures with 2 and 3, the attacking ones with 4 and the
mutants with 5 until you think it's save. I usually move when there are no
mutants and no more than 3 vultures left. Run to the right and jump off the
platform. Jump up to a rope, climb a little and move to the right onto the
platform. Take the rocks and the elixir, then wait for the vultures to finish
their attacks, jump to the rope, climb up totally and leave the room.
Fireball area, room 2 (mover room)
First, get the rocks if they are there. Walk to the rightmost spot of this
platform, turn left and kill the bat with 8. Turn right again, wait for this
bat to come a little closer and kill it with 6. Jump as soon as the mover
hits the platform you're standing on. When you're below the leftmost stalac-
tite, jump again. Now, turn left and wait for the last stalactite to fall.
When it explodes, jump again. A little more to the left, jump again onto the
upper and again to the lower platform. Now turn right and time so that you
land on the lowest platform. Jump off at the end and go right again.
Fireball area, room 3 (raft room)
Throw down the bat with a 3, then walk to the right onto the first raft. To
dodge the rocks, you should wait until a rock is going to hit your raft, jump
off to the left before it does and jump right immediatly under it again. Now
you're safe under the platform. Just wait until you reappear in the lower
left corner. If a rock falls at you here, you should jump to another raft,
best to the left, and duck. Kill the mutant with a 5 just before you're about
to take a running jump of your raft to the platform, or it'll reappear. Watch
your jump, or you'll be in trouble !
Fireball area, room 4 (wizard room)
Ah! Found the wizard !  But how are you going to get to him ?
Hit the eye with 3 to paralyze it for a few moments, or it'll blow you to
death. You should hit it again as soon as you see it opening again. Hit the
broomstick with 5, and hit the 3 smaller broomsticks, too. Wait until 6 of
them have fallen of the ledge at the right, then jump off your platform, then
take a running jump over the last 3 of them. Jump to the rope and climb all
up. Jump off the rope by pressing up and left simultaneously. The little
platforms are not hard to jump over, and luckily the eye is harmless when
paralyzed with one of your rocks.  If they're there, get the rocks and
elixir. When you're on the leftmost platform, throw off the mutant, jump to
the rope (eventually via the platform), climb up and jump off as you just
did. Get the rocks, if they're there. Pull the 3 switches and then jump
through the black wall between you and the wizard. Walk to him and you'll be
rewarded with the Fireball, and zapped back to the hall.

Shield area, room 1 (rock room)
Run to the right immediatly, or you'll be in trouble, litteraly !  I mostly
get the first elixir and forget about the rest, to be safe. Run up the first
ladder and kill those stupid mutants with 3. If there's only one of them
left and you're in a hurry, you can jump over it. Wait for the first rock to
pass, then run up, right and up again. If you jump, you'll move faster, which
could be handy if there's a rock right behind you. Be careful with the last
ladder, and then run and jump to the right.
Shield area, room 2 (dragon room)
Throw those vultures out of the air with 2, 3 and 4. If you think it's safe,
run to the right, jump over the pit (trouble down there, again) and get the
elixir on the right. Wait for a safe moment to run up the stairs and get the
rocks there. Move a little to the left and throw the vultures out of the air
again. When most of them are gone, run up the two ladders, but watch out for
the dragon !!  Walk down the stairs and Action the bowl of water to extin-
guish the dragon for a while. If you've managed, run up the stairs, down the
ladder and over the dragon to the right.
Shield area, room 3 (rope room)
First, throw down the bat above you with 1. Then jump to the rope and move
to the right using all ropes, watching out for the rats. When you've gotten
to the lower platform in the middle, immediatly kill the other bat, and then
continue your way and move to the ladder in the corner. Climb up.
Shield area, room 4 (lightning room)
First kill the bats on the ceiling, then use the switch on the left to see
which platforms are solid (the black ones) and which are not. Jump all the
way to the upper ladder using these platforms and then climb the ladder when
the clouds are NOT on the left, or you'll be zapped by lightning. Wait until
the clouds are in the middle, then run and jump pass them, and pray you'll
not be zapped. Walk to the Shield and pick it up. Wait until the clouds are
close to you and press the action key to use the Shield and let the light-
ning zap you back to the hall.

Trouble area, room 3 (whip room)
You get in here out of the hall, if you want to try, or by falling down
numerous pits in other areas of the game. From there, first throw down the
two bats above you. Then walk down the stairs and get the weapon. Walk to the
right and knock down the henchman with it, being careful for his whip. Jump
over him and walk to the key. If the tortured men do nothing, or say yes, get
it. If they shake their heads, get the other one quickly. Run to the left and
jump over the henchman again. Walk up the stairs, kill the rat and the lower
guard, walk more up and jump over the hole. Now, knock down the guards, get
any elixirs or rocks if you want to, walk all up and jump and run right.
Trouble area, room 2 (swing room)
First, kill the bats. Then knock down the lower guard, jump off the platform
and get any elixirs or rocks you want. Knock down both guards and climb up
the ladders. Jump to the rope, over to the left rope, jump off again and walk
to the left.
Trouble area, room 1 (rat room)
Watch out for rats climbing down a rope. Run to the right and jump on the
higher platform. Hit the guard with 5, then kill the two bats. Climb up the
stairs, take any rocks you want, kill the two rats and go up the second
stairway. Walk to the door and press the action key to open it, if you have
the key. If so, walk through it back to the hall. If not, go back to trouble
room 3 and take the key with you.

Black Knight area, room 1 (zig zag room)
Walk off the platform you're standing on and jump to the first rope. Climb
up and jump off to the left. Grab the elixir, turn around and jump to the
next rope. Climb up and jump off at the top left platform. Take the elixir
or rocks, if they're there, then turn to the right and wait for the first
gargoyle. Aim 4 and hit it, or you'll be in trouble ! If it's dead, jump to
the rope again, climb down to the middle platform, and kill the rats with 7
before taking a big leap to the right, landing on that platform. Jump to the
rope on the left (don't stand too close, or you'll miss it), climb up and
move all the way to the right. Then climb down, jump to the lowest platform
and wait for the second gargoyle. Hit it with 4 again, then turn and hit the
two guards with 4 and 3. Climb up the stairs and the ladder, jump to the
rope, climb all up, jump to the right, climb down and take the ladder up.
Black Knight area, room 2 (chaos room)
Run and jump your way to the right, under the platform. Get the elixir, then
go up (you'll need a good timing here) and jump on the mover. Jump to the
next mover and to the platform, using your Shield if you have to (probably
not, if you do it fast). Climb up the ladder and you'll be in a quite safe
position for a while. Wait for the gargoyle here and fry it to death. Jump
to the mover and immediatly to the small platform. Press the Action key to
pull the switch and kill the henchman. Jump back on the mover, to the second
mover and to the lower platform. Kill the rats, then climb up the ladder and
the stairs and go to the right.
Black Knight area, room 3 (knight room)
Run to the left and jump over the pit immediatly. Pull the switch and press
A again, not to be killed by the first cup. If the Shield wears off, run to
the right, jumping over the three pits, and pull the other switch. Again,
use your Shield, then jump back (this will only work while running !) In the
middle of this platform, you're safe for the cups, so await the first
gargoyle here. If you fried it, jump to the rope on the right, climb up,
jump to the other rope, down, and jump off to the ladder. You'll probably
have to time it a bit for another cup. On this platform, you're safe again.
Climb up just between two cups (the top of the ladder is safe, too), run to
the switch, pull it, and run back to your safe place. Kill the rats beneath
you (and another gargoyle, if it takes you too long), then run left, down
the rope and up the stairs to another safe place. Wait here for another
gargoyle, then jump to the small platform, pull the switch, and jump to the
left again. Kill the rats, climb up the rope and pull the third switch. Run
down this ladder and take a running jump to the right. If you do this wrong,
you'll end up on the rope (jump back), or in Trouble, so jump only at the
edge of the platform. Pull this switch, kill another gargoyle, run right and
jump over this hole to the last switch...

Walkthrough by Radiant.
http://crystalshard.net

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