Contents

The following Help Topics are available:

Story

How to play KNIGHT MOVES

Monsters

Power-ups

Menu bar

For Help on Help, Press F1


How to play KNIGHT MOVES

Object of the game

The playing field

Controls

Levels

Scoring

Hints and strategies


Monsters

     These are just some of the foul creatures found in the commercial version of KNIGHT MOVES.

Spider

Punkin

Treeguy

Bat


Power ups
Power-ups

     Power-ups give the Knight special abilities or allow him to change the gameboard in some way. Those that give him a special ability last only a limited period of time, while those that change the board last permanently. To activate a power-up, simply have the Knight jump onto the power-up's square. A musical countdown warns the player when the power-up is about to end. These are just some of the power-ups found in the commercial version of KNIGHT MOVES.

Stop Time

Restore Tiles

Teleporter Vortex


Menu bar

Starting a game

Pausing a game

Restarting a match

Changing sound option

Changing music option

Level menu

Viewing best times

Exiting KNIGHT MOVES


Object of the game

     The object of KNIGHT MOVES is to maneuver the Knight to collect all of the coins and swords in each match. Once all the treasures are collected, the player must move the Knight onto the crown-shaped exit portal. The Knight can only move in the traditional chess pattern--two squares forward and one square either right or left. The coins can be collected in any order, but the swords must be collected in order: I, II, III, IV, V and VI. The next sword or sword group the Knight needs to collect will be highlighted.


The playing field

     The playing field consists of a number of squares which the Knight can maneuver around. Once the Knight jumps on a square, it becomes "hot" and turns orange. If the Knight jumps back on a square while it is hot, it becomes a lava square and will kill the Knight if he jumps on it again. Some monsters the Knight will face have the ability to create lava squares as well, and a few can create the deadly slime squares. In many levels and matches, parts of the playing field will be missing, forcing the Knight to jump around these gaps until he can find a Restore Tiles power-up.


Controls

Mouse control

Keyboard control


Levels

     There are 3 levels of play in the demonstration version of KNIGHT MOVES. All of the levels consist of two matches each, for a total of 6 matches. The player must complete all matches of one level to move on to the next level. As the player advances in levels, the monsters become increasingly more difficult and harmful squares last longer. In order of increasing difficulty the levels are Top of the Castle Tower, Wizard's Chamber and Balcony. The commercial version of KNIGHT MOVES has ten levels, with over fifty matches of gameplay.


Scoring

     Players in KNIGHT MOVES are ranked by the amount of time it takes them to get through a particular match. The quicker the Knight finishes a level, the better ranking you receive. Only the fastest time for each match will be listed under the Best Times display unless a Knight wishes to view his or her own Personal Best times.


Hints and strategies

--If you have time before a monster moves in your path, it is often helpful to examine the gameboard and plot a path before beginning play.

--The Knight remains stationary only at the beginning of the level, so this is a good time to plan which path to take.

--Power-ups  are worth retrieving, but be sure not to use them up too quickly. Saving a Stop Time power-up for later in the match may be helpful.

--The bat is often difficult to see. Watch for its shadow to keep track of it.

--Killing creatures is an effective way of getting them out of the Knight's way. Jump on a square in their patrol path to make it hot, and then jump on it again to turn it into lava just before they cross it. Beware of those creatures that cannot be harmed by lava squares.


Spider

     The top of the tower is covered with all sorts of creepy crawlers, but none of these are more deadly than the poisonous green spider. First appearing on level one, the spider is the easiest monster to avoid in KNIGHT MOVES. It is slow but deadly, moving in a relatively simple pattern around the board. Two types of spiders exist, one which lives in the walls and moves around the edge of the gameboard, and the other which patrols a small area of space on the gameboard as its own.


Punkin

     The Adversary has created many foul beasts to serve him at one time or another, but nothing in most people's nightmares could ever come close to the horror of the Punkin-headed monster he created in a frenzy of powerful magic. Punkin moves slowly, but it can wander just about anywhere on the gameboard as it follows the last demands of its ruthless creator.


Treeguy

     The former rulers of the castle were often visible on its grand balcony, overseeing their vast lands and making grand proclamations to their subjects. Since the castle's downfall, however, a far more diabolical creature has been seen wandering this ornate battlement. A ravenous living tree, unaccustomed to life inside stone walls, has made this balcony its temporary home. Treeguy moves fairly quickly, but its wooden mind limits its path to moving back and forth along a single row.


Bat

     The castle's armory was abandoned decades ago, leaving it to only the rodents and the bats. The bats have become quite possessive of their inherited home and seek to drive off any intruders. Quick and deadly, the bat starts flying around the board on level three. Because of the bat's ability to fly, it can go over any square and is unharmed by lava and slime squares. The bat moves along much the same path as the Spider.


Stop Time

     This magical hourglass, first available on level two, freezes all of the enemy monsters in place for a few seconds.


Restore Tiles

     First appearing on level three, this lighting bolt brings back all empty squares to the playing field, giving the Knight a full field of play.


Starting a game

     To start a new game, select New Game from the Game menu or press the F2 key. KNIGHT MOVES will ask you to input your name so that it can remember what level you reach. If you wish to continue the game at a later date, KNIGHT MOVES will allow you to play the last match you played as well as any match under the current one. You may also begin a new game by left-clicking on the title screen.


Pausing a game

     To pause the game in progress, select Pause from the Game menu or press Ctrl-P. All of the monsters, power-ups and the Knight will disappear from the gameboard so that the player will not be able to plan moves while the game is paused. Press Ctrl-P or select Pause from the Game menu to resume the game.


Restarting a match

     To restart a match in progress, select Restart Match from the Game menu or press Ctrl-R.


Viewing best times

     To view the best times for the levels, select either Personal Best or Best Times from the Game menu. You have the option of viewing either your own personal best times for every match or the absolute best times for all of the matches.


Exiting KNIGHT MOVES

     To exit KNIGHT MOVES, select Exit from the Game menu or press Ctrl-X.


Teleporter Vortex

     This mystical vortex instantly transports the Knight across space and time to its matching exit. The Knight must be wary of creatures near the exit, as this transmigration may cause him some degree of disorientation. Note that more than one vortex may exist for each level, but all of the teleporters lead to the same exit. Teleporters first appear on level three.

     If all goes well, the Knight will appear in the midst of this cosmic swirl.


Story

     For nearly a millennium, the Lords of Dryn ruled justly and well over their vast realms. Merchants prospered, nobles grew wise and fair, artisans mastered their craft and even the common men were well fed and content. But harmony and prosperity could not last forever for one man had in his mind the desire to disrupt the normal order. Frustrated at his inability to gain power in the High Court of Dryn, an evil sorcerer known only as "The Adversary" used his magic to conjure up foul demons and bring together the brutal trolls and goblins into a great army. This bloodthirsty host marched over all the land, burning and pillaging as it went, before finally arriving at the gates of the fortress Dryn Annor. The Adversary called upon the Lords of Dryn to swear fealty to him, but their honor forbade them from serving the forces of evil. In a rage, the sorcerer ordered his forces to sack the castle, and after a siege of nearly a year the fortress fell. The world plunged into a dark age as the sorcerer's army destroyed what little resistance remained among the scattered Dryn armies.

     Now, after the passage of 200 years, some small groups of humans have begun to emerge from the dark times. Realizing that the ruins of Dryn Annor still hold great lure for the scattered humans, the Adversary created a series of deadly challenges within the fortress and stocked it with magical treasures and diabolical beasts. Human champions from across the land have entered the ruins in the hope of recovering some of these treasures, but none have ever returned. Until now. You are the greatest hero humankind has ever seen, a noble Knight in the traditions of old. You have trained hard to meet the Adversary's challenge, and you feel confident that you will return victorious when others have failed.


Mouse control

     Point to one of the blue-outlined possible landing spots to make the Knight jump there. The outline will turn yellow when the mouse pointer is over a legal jump target. If the pointer is over a square that is not an allowable jump, the cursor will change into a not allowed symbol. If you click on the landing spot while the Knight is jumping, he will land immediately. Time the jump right to turn squares into lava in order to kill enemies.


Keyboard control

     You can control the Knight three different ways with the keyboard. The left arrow key moves around the possible landing spots counterclockwise. The right arrow key moves around the landing spots clockwise. Pressing either the Spacebar or the Enter (Return) key causes the Knight to jump immediately. Alternatively, the player can use the numeric keypad or the keyboard itself to control the Knight. See the diagram above for details on these methods.


Changing sound option

     To turn the game sound effects off, select Sound from the Game menu or press Ctrl-S. To turn the sound effects back on, select Sound again. A check mark will appear next to Sound in the Game menu when the sound effects are set to on.


Changing music option

     To turn the background music off, select Music from the Game menu or press Ctrl-M. To turn the music back on, select Music again. A check mark will appear next to Music in the Game menu when the music is set to on.


Level menu

     If you wish to play a previous match, first select the desired level from the Level menu. A submenu will appear from which you can select the match you wish to replay.