Wishbringer

It's an ordinary day in your ordinary little town, and you've been performing your ordinary mail clerk's duties in an altogether ordinary way. But there's something quite extraordinary in today's mail. It's a ransom note for a kidnapped cat, and it will lead you through unbelievably harrowing adventures to Wishbringer, a stone possessing undreamt-of powers. For though the note in question is addressed to someone in your ordinary little town, it's postmarked for Special Delivery to Parts Unknown. And its true destination is somewhere beyond your wildest dreams, c/o the magic of Infocom's interactive fiction.

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Back Cover

Wishbringer: The Story of Your Dreams

Festeron's not a bad place to live. It's a little seaside town with a picturesque church, a charming old-fashioned movie theater and a sparkling bay. There's that famous tourist attraction, Pleasure Wharf, and the Free Public Library with its collection of historic artifacts. There's even a miniature lighthouse.

The only thing Festeron doesn't have is a couple of dragons or princesses to spice things up. But that's okay. You spend a lot of time daydreaming, creating a Magick world that you can visit whenever you want. The only problem is your boss, Mr. Crisp, who always shows up when you're just about to polish off the dragon.

Mr. Crisp doesn't spice up your life - he's more like a thorn than a dragon. But as mail clerk, you do what he tells you to do, whether it's selling a stamp or delivering a letter. And, strangely enough, it's the letter he asks you to deliver one day that makes your life in good old Festeron as exciting as your dreams.

Here at Infocom, we like to turn fantasies into reality. In Wishbringer, our newest introductory-level fantasy, you are the Festeron mail clerk seeking the extraordinary in the land of the picturesque.

The special-delivery letter Mr. Crisp asks you to take to Ye Olde Magick Shoppe turns out to be a ransom note from the mysterious Evil One. The Magick Shoppe owner's beloved cat has been kidnapped, and the ransom is an enchanted stone called Wishbringer.

When you leave the Magick Shoppe, after agreeing to help its proprietress find her cat, the charming world of Festeron has disappeared, familiar people and places gone or twisted into sinister forms. Goldfish have turned into piranhas, trolls guard bridges, grues lurk in caves, and your little post office has become a fortress-like tower. Overseeing this skewed environment is the Evil One and her omnipresent henchmen, the Boot Patrol.

As you venture through the grotesque realm of the Evil One, you'll befriend mythic creatures and evade the traps that have been set for you. And, like the Magick sword of your daydreams, the Wishbringer stone will be there to give you help when you need it.

According to legend, Wishbringer holds seven Magick wishes. The wishes, which are listed in The Legend of Wishbringer booklet included in the package, may each be used only once. To invoke a wish, you must have both the Wishbringer stone and a specified object in hand. For example, "LUCK will bring good fortune, if ye hold a Horseshoe and the Stone in thy possession."

You can solve all the puzzles in Wishbringer by logic alone. When used in this way, the story is a challenge for experienced interactive fiction fans. First-time players will appreciate having the Magick wishes to help them out.

Along with The Legend of Wishbringer, each Wishbringer package includes a postal map of Festeron and a sealed special-delivery letter (the same one Mr. Crisp asks you to deliver at the start of the story). You even get your very own glow-in-the-dark Wishbringer stone.

Wishbringer was written by Brian Moriarty, a new member of Infocom's in-house group of interactive fiction writers. It will retail for $39.95 for most systems.

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From The New Zork Times, VOL.4 No.2 Spring 1985

You

are about to see the fantastic worlds of Infocom unfold before your very eyes.

WISHBRINGER You begin as an ordinary mail clerk delivering a mysterious ransom note and end up - magic stone in hand - embarking on a remarkable series of whimsical adventures. You'll need all the wishes that the stone will grant you. Because your final destination is somewhere beyond your wildest dreams.

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From the first Infocom fold-out catalog, 198?

WISHBRINGER

Neither snow, nor rain, nor nasty trolls, nor fortress-like towers, nor postmarks for Special Delivery to Parts Unknown, nor the very struggle between Good and Evil itself shall keep you from your appointed rounds as a postal clerk in the seaside village of Festeron.

When the story begins, your life is quite ordinary. But when you're asked to deliver a strange envelope to the outskirts of town, things become quite extraordinary. You'll embark on a search for a kidnapped cat in a town that's turned into a nightmare. The magic wishes in your Wishbringer stone will help you solve the puzzles, or you can use logic alone.

"Infocom adventures are particularly well-written with detailed descriptions, clever plot twists, surprising characters, and a strong doze of zany humor."

-The Chicago Tribune

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From PASSPORT To The United Products of Infocom 1986

**"Try WISHBRINGER - there's no better introduction to the richness of adventure-gaming experience than this beautiful, imaginative game."

-inCider**

In this award-winning story, you're an ordinary mail clerk in an ordinary little town. But there's something quite extraordinary in today's mail. It's a ransom note for a kidnapped cat, and it will lead you through amazing adventures to Wishbringer, a stone possessing undreamt-of powers. For although the note is addressed to someone in your ordinary little town, it's postmarked for Special Delivery to Parts Unknown. And its true destination is somewhere beyond your wildest dreams...

Author Brian Moriarty included a number of special features to make WISHBRINGER an ideal starting point for first-time players. The puzzles start out fairly easy, with the challenge increasing only as you become more skilled. Plus, you can solve the story with the help of magic wishes, or by the use of logic alone.

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From The Master Storytellers Infocom catalog, 1987