Schwert und Magie IV: Folge 7+8

Schwert und Magie IV: Folge 7+8 is, like its predecessor a German text adventure that incorporates elements of a fantasy single-player role-playing game in which the player embodies a hero (or heroine) who has to solve a specific task by choosing between given alternatives. Your character is assigned certain primary attributes that are randomly determined at the beginning, for which you have to take tests as you progresses. The primary attributes are assigned among four choices: Intelligenz (Intelligence) (In), Charme (Charm) (Ch), Stärke (Strength) (St) and Geschicklichkeit (Dexterity) (Ge). The attributes that have an effect in combat are: Vitalität (Vitality) (Vit), Tapferkeit (Bravery) (Ta), Angriff (Attack) (An) and Verteidigung (Defense) (Ve).

Two episodes or chapters per disk were published together: * Folge Nr. 7: Unter Wasser! - After your last adventures you ride along the coast towards the city of Kiron. It's very hot, but since you still want to reach the city today, you spur your horse on. Suddenly the animal shies away. You try to stay in the saddle, but you can't. You hit your head hard on a piece of wood and lose consciousness. After a while you come to and your headache is tremendous. As if through a veil, you see a figure bending over you. A worried-sounding voice asks, "How are you feeling?" The veil in front of your eyes slowly lifts. You see that the voice belongs to a very pretty face. You lie in the shade of a palm tree and you feel a cold compress on your head.

You carefully raise your head and reply that you are reasonably well. But the word gets stuck in your mouth, because apart from the pretty face, the long, blond hair and a perfectly shaped body, the woman has a long fishtail with a wide fin instead of legs. Noticing your facial expression, she says, "Don't be alarmed. I'm a mermaid!" She moves her fin up and down to confirm. "When you rode past, I just happened to appear". Your horse noticed this and therefore threw you off. "By the way, my name is Sara", says the mermaid, "If I take care of you and if you rest, you will surely be well again very soon."

During the long and interesting conversations you have with each other, you will learn that, in addition to the People of the Sea mermaids, the people of the Atlanteans also live in the sea. The Atlanteans have physically adapted to underwater life by gaining gills after their island was swallowed by the sea many centuries ago. Together with the people of the sea mermaids, they built separate cities in sheltered places on the seabed. Since that time, both peoples have traded with each other and helped each other when necessary. But a few years ago, a bitter war broke out between the two city-states. The very angry Atlanteans accused the mermaids of the robbery of a golden statue of a god. It was several meters tall and stood right in the middle of the city on the market square. Due to its great weight, it was not specially guarded, as it was almost impossible to move it. But suddenly one morning the image of the god had disappeared without anyone noticing its theft. And although both sides had already suffered great losses, the war continues to this day.

One morning the mermaid says to you: "Now you'll soon be completely healthy and can continue riding. Actually I'm sorry, because I would like to find out a lot more about your world. But here, if you put one of these strips in your mouth and chew on it, you can breathe underwater." The package is green with red letters reading "Bubble Gum - Seaweed Flavored." You put it in your pocket and say, "Yeah, well. I'll come with you tomorrow. Then I'll see for myself how you live down there. It's going to be very interesting for sure." She says "Fine then, see you tomorrow. I have to swim home now." and jumps into the water, swims out a bit and waves at you. But the moment you raise your hand, you see two strong pairs of green arms grab Sara's shoulders and drag her under.

You immediately reach into your pocket, take out the package, open it and stick a strip between your teeth. You take your short sword in your hand and briefly consider whether you should also take your shield. But you will do without it because it would only hinder you in the water. Instead, you get rid of the rest of your clothes to your pants. Then you walk across the sandy beach into the water and dive under. You look around and notice how the outlines of Sara and her two kidnappers disappear behind a coral reef. Only now do you realize that you can actually breathe underwater. You also notice the strange, soothing taste of the strip.

• Folge Nr. 8: Insel der Wunder
• You wake up on an empty beach. Water washes around your legs and a mild wind blows through your hair. The sea probably washed you onto the shore. However, you can no longer remember anything, only individual images appear like flashes in your mind's eye. There was a man standing on a rock with a staff in his hand. Lightning hissed in the darkness around him. He was wrapped in a monk's robe and he hid his face under the hood of his robe. He stood there, wildly waving his staff in the air, shouting your name out loud. Suddenly there was a particularly bright flash and for a moment you could catch a glimpse of his face. This face seemed somehow familiar to you, but you couldn't remember where it came from. Still a bit dazed, you sit up and look around. There is a forest above the beach. You set out to explore the area.

An oppressive stillness surrounds you as you traverse the forest, reinforcing your belief that something is wrong here. After some time you come to a small village. In the market square you see a surprising number of statues. You enter a temple in search of a human being. An old man stands in front of an altar. He is wrapped in a red, silk robe. When he notices you, his face lights up briefly and he says, "I knew you would come! The Gods told me that a young warrior would come and save our people."

Astonished, you go to him and ask: "Where am I and what should I do?" His gaze becomes serious, then he says: "You are on Karada, the Island of Peace. Ledana, our tutelary goddess, protects us from the dark forces of the world, but her power is fading." He points to a mighty statue standing behind the altar. It is a woman in wide robes. A green glowing stone sits in her forehead. "A dark, unknown power that seems stronger than Ledana threatens our people. This power turns all people to stone. Every day the stone in their forehead glows dimmer. I don't have much time left either." He slowly lifts his robe and points resignedly to his petrified legs.

"Only you can save us, since you are not from Karada and therefore not bound by the power of the tutelary goddess. The power emanates from one of the islands that lie on the dark side of the sea. Follow the trail of evil and destroy the center. This is the only way to bring all the people of Karada back to life. Go down to the harbor and take the boat to the open sea. After a day and a night you will have reached the dark side."

You set off and soon reach the small harbor where the boat is. Driven by favorable winds, you sail a day and night and at dawn you reach a small island on the horizon. As you get closer, you realize that the whole island is made of volcanic rock. When you have almost reached the shore, a raging current grabs you and drives your boat towards the rocks. You can just about jump onto land, but your boat crashes into a cliff a little further. You set out to explore the island. After a few kilometers you come to the shores of a lake. The water is pitch black and completely motionless. The lake is surrounded by slippery, steep rock faces. Only on your side, a narrow corridor in the rock allows access to the lake. On the other side you notice the entrance to a cave about a meter above the water surface.

Like the previous games the character can be saved and guided through several adventures until their death, while gaining valuable experience. The correspondingly created character sets are back. It is again possible to choose from six different fonts. This time the rooms in Folge 7 are not presented graphically. Folge 8 now has pixelated portraits instead of abstract room layouts. And most encounters are actually graphically illustrated as well.