Complete walkthrough of the public domain TI-99/4A text adventure "The Phantom of Blackmoore" (1983) by Paul Granese. Published by Instrumental Software Systems.
General notes:-
This is a two-part multi-load game. The GO verb must be used with directions. Only the first three letters of words need to be typed (except of course for the code needed to play part two, which must be typed in full). In addition to the four cardinal directions, part one also has UP and DOWN, but part two only has DOWN, no UP. There’s no obvious command to re-describe a location, but GO (direction) where such direction does not lead elsewhere will do it.
Part one solution:-
(You start in your office in Paris)
TAKE MONEY, TAKE PASSPORT, TAKE TICKET, GO DOOR, GO STATION, GO TRAIN, LONDON, GO SOUTH (in an alley with two large thugs), DROP MONEY (the thugs take it and run away), GO WEST (under Big Ben, a car drops a package off - ignore it), GO DOOR, ANSWER PHONE (you are told you will need to add 489 to last 3 digits of a code you will be given later, also you are told to go immediately to Rome, but we need to divert first), GO DOOR, GO EAST, GO NORTH, GO STATION, GO TRAIN, PARIS (we need to divert our journey to pick up the key), GO SOUTH (back in your office), TAKE KEY, GO DOOR, GO STATION, GO TRAIN, LONDON (*note1), GO STATION, GO TRAIN, ROME, GO NORTH, GO NORTH (manhole cover), [READ NOTE] (Blackmoore is a lot closer than you think), LIFT COVER, GO DOWN, GO WEST, GO WEST, UNLOCK GATE, OPEN GATE, [READ NOTE] (beware of some gifts), GO WEST, GO UP (In Coliseum, another package here - ignore it), GO NORTH (You have completed part one! *note2)
Part two solution:-
(First you must enter the following code to access part two)
1024 ASXOKAY 656
(You start by the base of a mountain somewhere in the vicinity of Geneva and you are already carrying your passport, master-key and ticket. You only need the passport.)
DROP MASTER, DROP TICKET, GO EAST, RIDE LIFT, TAKE SKIS, SKI DOWN, GO EAST, STOP SKIS, DROP SKIS, [READ NOTE, GO EAST, READ NOTE, GO WEST], LOOK CAPE, TAKE SKELETON (skeleton-key), GO SOUTH, UNLOCK DOOR, DROP SKEL, OPEN DOOR, GO DOOR, OPEN B (*note3), TAKE MAGNET, GO DOOR, GO NORTH, TAKE STRING, GO EAST, GO EAST, GO EAST (a man collapses here, which prevents you from going east just this one turn), GO EAST (wall of stone), LOOK STUMP (keys in there), TIE MAGNET, LOWER MAGNET, DROP MAGNET, DROP STRING, TAKE KEYS, UNLOCK WALL (*note4), GO CAVE, GO HELI (you are flown back to Paris), GO DOOR (back in your office again), [LOOK WINDOW], GO DOOR, GO WEST, GO DOOR, TAKE CHALICE (stairs are revealed), CLIMB STAIRS (man in a chair wearing a hood), REMOVE HOOD (It is Pierre Riche! He was the phantom all along.)
*note1 - We would actually like to go straight to Rome from Paris at this point, but there is an in-game flag which checks if you have visited the cities in what is deemed to be the correct order. If you go straight to Rome from Paris, you cannot complete part one of the game as you will be told you did not visit the cities in the correct order. So the solution is to instead go to Paris then London then Rome. The reason we need to go to London twice in the first place is that the player can carry no more than three items, and must be carrying both the ticket and passport to be allowed to board a train. This effectively leaves only one remaining inventory slot for another item. We need the money in London and the key in Rome - but we can’t carry them both at the same time and board a train, hence the need to travel back and forth.
However, if you have already noted the phone clue about the code from a previous play, then you would then only need to visit London once with the key and just get straight back on a train to Rome.
*note2 - We now have the code “1024 ASXOKAY 167”, but remember the phone call in London revealed that we have to add 489 to the last three digits to get the true code for part 2 of the game which is therefore “1024 ASXOKAY 656”.
Also, the player is instructed to type “OLD CS1” to load the second part of the game, which is correct for the tape version, however for the disk version as used in this walkthrough “OLD DSK1.XBLACK2” needs to be typed instead, followed by “RUN”.
*note3 - If you open package A, the game abruptly ends.
*note4 - Do not go west back into the forest after unlocking the lock but before entering the cave. If you do so, an internal counter is reset to zero on re-entering this location which makes it impossible to enter the cave without restarting the game.
Bugs:-
In the forest location where the ski tracks are, if you try to go any direction other than east or west, the game will crash with a syntax error.
On the mountain side outside the shack, you can take the shack and the door and they will appear in your inventory. You can even drop the shack (object) while inside the shack (location), effectively putting the shack inside itself.