A double pack of games originally written for Phoenix IBM. Cambridge University's System/370 mainframe, reworked for commercial release on home computers:

Avon is an appropriately Shakespearean adventure that is experienced in a rather innocent way, with a visit to the famous playwright's hometown. As the protagonist explores the streets and souvenir shops, certain people, animals, and objects begin to exhibit strange behavior; finally, the environment becomes completely unknown, and the English of the inhabitants is unusually rich and poetic… the stage is set for an exploration of this strange land, in an attempt to find a way out. The events take place on three different calendar dates; The world of the game is a mix of places and characters from Shakespeare's plays, but as the authors assure us, “an exhaustive knowledge of the Shakespeare Canon is not necessary.”

Monsters of Murdac is billed as a bonus game, in which an expat known only as George takes a flight from England to his homeland of Murdac. Here he meets a mysterious old woman recorded from her childhood, who is rumored to be a witch (in any case, at least it's somewhat unconventional). A stop at her oddly furnished house proves fateful, as the hero finds himself on a quest deep in the Murdac forest. Only the witch's incoherent mutterings about hostile powers and strange rituals hint at what is to come.

AVON

In this light-hearted yet immensely challenging look at the world of The Bard through the keyboard of modern man, you find yourself, after watching one too many Shakespearean plays (or perhaps reading them), wandering through a strange land. Here they use a richer language than usual and some of the scenes are reminiscent of certain works of Shakespeare. How you are going to successfully return to the present day is something you will have to discover for yourself! Why does the adventure take place on three different dates? What is the significance of Lady Portia's coffins? Why does Yorick sometimes say 'Golesida' and other times something else? Why do you suddenly find yourself with an ass head? These are just a few of the tantalizing brain teasers you'll find when you welcome AVON… An exhaustive knowledge of the Shakespeare Canon is not necessary as, in most cases, only the problems, rather than the solutions, come from of Shakespeare.

MURDAC

Murdac's forests are some of the oldest, as well as the wildest and most isolated on earth. Also, they don't like intruders; though he lives on the outermost fringes of the great forest, he has never been able to penetrate it: every time he followed a path into the dark forest, he found that it somehow turned and led you away from Murdac's secret heart. It almost became an obsession with you.

What is Murdac's secret? you wondered, frustrated at every turn. In the land where no one set foot, surely there was some terrible mystery to be revealed.

In your village lived a wise woman named Duessa. Some people said that she was a sorceress and that she could make milk sour just by scratching her nose. Others said that the reason Uncle George had only lived to be 91 (when his father was 102) was because he had bumped into Duessa's cat when he was drunk.

Obviously, she's a woman to watch out for, especially if you wanted to make sure you got home without getting an extra ear along the way. She certainly knew some secrets that no one else in town knew, like what it meant if you saw a hiccup rabbit on the night of a full moon, and if anyone could tell you about Murdac, it was Duessa.

So she went to her old cabin, knocked on the door and waited. “Come in, my young friend,” said a trembling voice. “I was waiting for you!”

The interior of Duessa's cabin was very dirty and full of strange and interesting objects: glass apparatus that generated noxious fumes, a stuffed platypus, icosahedral prisms, and many other curiosities.

Duessa muttered incoherently to herself. “This one looks brighter than the last one…it's time for the quest to be completed…the wizard needs help…but as for the manticore…” were snippets you heard as she toiled in the her house looking for something.

The wise woman returned with an old teapot. Just as you were wondering if you would accept a cup of tea, she poured the contents of the pot into the fireplace and stared at them. Deciding that the omens were favorable, Duessa gave you your instructions and you left her cabin.

Leaving, she heard the wise woman mutter, “I hope he gets there before the ogres are done. But I guess the Old Man of the Sea will catch him anyway…”

Following Duessa's instructions, she walked a certain path at midnight on Hallowe'en, until she came to a clearing. There she drew a pentacle, placed herself inside it and shouted “PANGORY PANTHRODULAM”, words of power that she had given him. Was the intonation correct? Otherwise, you may rot in a gloomy dungeon for ten thousand eons, tormented by creatures from the lower planes. But none of that happened.

The trees moved around you, exposing a long path that stretched on for miles. She followed him, fearfully, and the trees closed in behind you. After several hours of tireless walking, you have reached your goal. But… but… THIS was Murdac?

A beautifully designed garden? A small stone hut? Where were the ogres? The cannibals? The old man from the sea? Now is the time for you to continue exploring, but be VERY careful: not all adventurers are going to survive in this totally strange world!

Notes

Originally developed on the IBM “Phoenix” mainframe computer at Cambridge University, England in 1982. Renamed to “Monsters of Murdac” and ported to 8-bit platforms by Acornsoft and Topologika using game assembler by Jonathan G Thackray and David J Seal in the late 1980s. The Amstrad and Spectrum +3 versions were implemented by Locomotive Software. An Amstrad version released by Global Software of this game was advertised and reviewed.

Ported to Inform using a Perl script written by Graham A. Nelson in 1999. Adam J Atkinson helped with testing and fixing bugs in the original source code. David Kinder updated the Perl script in 2011.

• Original cover.

Here you have the front of the original cover.

• Retouched cover.

Its measurements are: Width 30.50 x Height 21.21 cm.

Below are the manuals printed double-sided on plain paper and printed in black. Its dimensions are: height 21.10 cm x width 29.70 cm.

Avon Manual

Murdac Manual

Original disk supplied with Avon & Murdac

Custom labels to print them. Over the years due to their use, the labels are spoiled and lose their color and quality. Now we try to adapt the closest thing to the best of our ability, the labels so that they can be printed and replaced or for those who work with a copy of the program and preserve the original disk. Measure in 3 “high: 7.00 cm - width: 7.10 cm. The first image corresponds to the original label of the game, the second is the same label modified to replace the broken one and the third and fourth image is for the 3.5 “discs.

Soon.

Notes

Here you have the documentation that accompanies the game. Its dimensions are width 15.20 cm x height 21.10 cm.

Game instructions

Here is the help guide that accompanies the game. Its dimensions are width 14.90 cm x height 21.10 cm.

Catalogue

Here you have the catalog that accompanies the game. Its dimensions are width 21.10 cm x height 29.70 cm.

Clues

Here are the tracks that accompany the game. The dimensions of the envelope are width 16.30 cm x height 11.40 cm. The clue sheet measures: width 15.50 cm x height 21.10 cm.

Game

The disk images, obtained from the original version of Avon & Murdac, have been recorded and verified.

• Avon & Murdac (Compressed .DSK file in ZIP format)

Various

Below you can download the Avon & Murdac game manual, guide and notes.

• Avon Manual (PDF file)
• Murdac Manual (PDF file)
• Game Technical Notes (PDF file)
• Catalog Topologika (PDF file)
• Game instructions (PDF file)
• Avon & Murdac Clues (PDF file)
• Avon solution (PDF file)
• Murdac solution (PDF file)

• Play Avon Online
• Play Murdac Online