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Citadelle (citadelle_vg5000_wt.txt)

CITADELLE
Loriciels, 1984
===============

Solution by Exemptus - April 2024


Overview and general hints:
---------------------------
A BASIC game originally for the Philips VG-5000 and then ported to the Oric by
Loriciels. These two versions are the originals in French. An unofficial
translation exists, but assuming you wish to play the original version, and you
understand French, this walkthrough will guide you through it.

Formerly, a long time ago, before the Great War between the Dwarves and the
Dragons, the Elf magician hid in the depths of the underground passages of
Adriel the legandary Sceptre of Irun. This one has the power to give strength to
the one who will find it. Many are those who tried their luck... you will
therefore guide a warrior through this terrifying kingdom.

To defeat Citadelle is to discover its secrets: as this, your warrior will have
to explore all places. There are 62 locations, 12 of which are hidden: that is
to say, they are accessed by solving puzzles.

This is the typical hybrid adventure / RPG, with attributes for the player and
monster combats, but the emphasis is on the adventure side. Combat can be
managed by arming yourself (you have both a weapon and armour class) and
monsters are generally weak. Combats are pre-programmed when entering certain
locations and after random triggers as well, but the latter are really rare. The
map shows locations where combat is enforced.

I will assume that you can win all fights. As a tip, always attack: fleeing is
pretty much useless and defending ends up being worse for you in the long run.
As long as you are reasonably well armed, combat should not be too much of a
problem. Of course, finding weapons and armour is not evident.

The original VG-5000 game is segmented into three parts, called ORAN, KRANZ, and
IRUN, each one a separate load. The player has a different vocabulary for each
part (oh well). The verbs are:

Part 1: ORAN                 PART 2: KRANZ              PART 3: IRUN
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1  REGARDE    look          1  REGARDE    look          1  REGARDE    look
2  PRENDS     take          2  SCORE      score         2  SCORE      score
3  POSE       drop          3  PRENDS     take          3  PRENDS     take
4  INVENTAIRE inventory     4  POSE       drop          4  POSE       drop
5  SCORE      score         5  NORD       north         5  NORD       north
6  NORD       north         6  SUD        south         6  SUD        south
7  SUD        south         7  EST        east          7  EST        east
8  EST        east          8  OUEST      west          8  OUEST      west
9  OUEST      west          9  INVENTAIRE inventory     9  INVENTAIRE inventory      
10 FOUILLE    search        10 OUVRE      open          10 EXAMINE    examine
11 MONTE      climb         11 ENFILER    put on        11 OUVRE      open
12 SOULEVE    lift          12 FOUILLE    search        12 DESCENDS   go down
13 LIS        read          13 EXAMINE    examine       13 MONTRE     show
14 FORCE      force         14 APPUIE     push          14 PLACE      put
15 ACTIONNE   operate       15 BAISSE     lower         15 DECOUVRE   uncover
16 ENLEVE     remove        16 CAPTURE    capture       16 BLOQUE     block
17 EXAMINE    examine       17 QUESTIONNE question      17 LIS        read
18 DESCENDS   down          18 SOULEVE    lift          18 EVENTE     air
19 TIRE       pull          19 DESCENDS   climb down    19 TOUCHE     touch
20 OUVRE      open          20 FORCE      force         20 ENTRE      enter
21 VIDE       pour/empty    21 ENTRE      enter         21 AVANCE     move
22 PLACE      put           22 TOUCHE     touch         22 FOUILLE    search
23 ALLUME     light         23 DECOUVRE   uncover        
24 ETEINS     extinguish    24 LIS        read           
25 DIS        say           25 REMONTE    go back up     
26 TOUCHE     touch         26 AVANCE     move           
                            27 JOINS      join           
                            28 DIS        say            

However, a caveat: only three letters are parsed, and some of these double as
other verbs due to these three letters being reusable: so DES(CENDS) (climb
down) also can be used as DES(CELLE) (unseal), and TOU(CHE) (touch) can also
mean TOU(RNE) (turn). There are other abuses of this type as well. This can be
baffling unless you are aware of it.

The command SCORE gives tour stats and attributes instead; there is no score but
experience points, which do not seem to have any bearing. Also, REGARDE, FOUILLE
and EXAMINE are all distinct and may give different results.

The walkthrough will do many unnecessary things, just to bring up most of the
game content. It can be considerably shortened, to the expense of logic.


Walkthrough:
------------

PART 1: ORAN

[This part requires finding the Shield of Arantoth and unlocking the passage to
the rest of the Citadel. We begin on a forest just outside.]

FOUILLE ARBRE [Search tree: we find a sword]
PRENDS EPEE [We have a weapon now]
REGARDE ROCHER [Look rock: it hides something shiny below]
SOULEVE ROCHER [We lift it and find armour]
PRENDS ARMURE [We have armour now]
SCORE [Our armour class is now 5 and our weapon class 15]
MONTE ARBRE [We climb the tree and see a cave entrance to the north]
DESCENDS ARBRE [Down again]
NORD

[From now on, we can expect combat in some location. Never shy away from it. I
will just ignore any combat sequences.]

PRENDS SILEX [Just in case]
LIS ECRIT [Read the writing: it says that only death awaits us]
FORCE HERSE [The cave is shut by a portcullis, but we can force it open just so]
FOUILLE SQUELETTE [We search the skeleton and find a chisel]
PRENDS BURIN [A chisel may be useful]
EST [There is a mechanism here]
ACTIONNE MECHANISME [A noise is heard away]

[This action is necessary to unlock a door we'll find later. There is a bar here
which we can ignore. Also, in the hall with the skeleton there is a door to the
west, but we can't open it. It can be bypassed, though.]

OUEST
NORD [There is a lamp and two statues, as well as a locked door to the east]
OUEST [Let's leave the lamp for the time being]
SUD [We find ourselves in the stables]
FOUILLE ECURIES [Search stables: we find some boards]
ENLEVE PLANCHES [Remove boards: we find some gold sequins]
FOUILLE CARCASSES [Search corpses: we find a parchment]
PRENDS PARCHEMIN [We get it]
LIS PARCHEMIN [The statues lead to torture]
POSE PARCHEMIN [We don't need it]
MONTE ECHELLE [We climb the stairs up to the hay loft]
REGARDE SAC [look sack: there's a hammer here]
PRENDS MARTEAU [It will go well with the chisel]
FOUILLE FOIN [Search hay: we find a bracelet, but we are not interested in it]
DESCENDS ECHELLE
NORD

[This room, full of mosaics, we ignored before, but now that we have the chisel
and hammer we can find its secret.]

REGARDE MOSAIQUES [Look mosaics: they represent stars]
EXAMINE ETOILES [Examine stars: one of the tiles is hollow]
DESCELLE ETOILE [Unseal star, using chisel and hammer: there is a handle here]
TOURNE POIGNEE [We turn the handle and a secret passage to the west opens]
OUEST [We are in a well's bottom, full of mud and sand]
FOUILLE VASE [There is a key here]
PRENDS CLE [Keys, of course, open doors]
TOUCHE SABLE

[When we touch the sand, it forms a message: the cube will solve this puzzle. It
means the puzzle of this first part of the game, as each one is framed as a
puzzle to be solved. Also, another clue can be found here, but we need to
examine the stones in the walls, which are not explicitly described.]

EXAMINE PIERRES [Some can be unsealed, for which we need the hammer & chisel]
DESCELLE PIERRES [Behind one of them there is a cavity]
FOUILLE CAVITE [Search cavity: we find an eye]

[We leave the eye here for the time being; it is only needed at the end.]

POSE BURIN
POSE MARTEAU [We don't need the chisel or hammer anymore]
EST
POSE SILEX
EST
PRENDS LANTERNE [Now we can take the lamp]
OUVRE PORTE [With the key]
POSE CLE [We can drop the key now]
EST [A dusty corridor]
FOUILLE POUISSIERE [Search dust: there is a pearl here]
EST [We are in the cellar: there are boxes, barrels and sacks here]

[There seems to be no other exit from here, but at this point we know to expect
hidden passages. Let's examine all the stuff stored here.]

OUVRE CAISSE [Open box: they contain salt]
VIDE CAISSE [Empty box: the word AROG appears at the bottom]

[This is a magic word, which we will use in the right place later.]

OUVRE TONNEAU [Open barrel, which contains wine]
VIDE TONNEAU [A voice is heard: to the North, the most perfect shines]
FOUILLE SAC [Search sack: a cube is here]
PRENDS CUBE [Is this the cube the clue before referred to?]
EXAMINE MUR [Examine wall: another case of noun not showing in descriptions]

[We find a receptacle for the cube.]

PLACE CUBE [Put cube: to the North, a passage appears]
NORD [There's a shield and a shiny object here]
REGARDE OBJET [Look object: it is the metal support for the shield]
REGARDE BOUCLIER [It has the crest of Arantoth]
POSE LANTERNE [No longer needed]
PRENDS BOUCLIER [We have our quarry - now to find passage further onwards]
SUD
OUEST
OUEST
NORD [The only other location we still haven't been to]
DIS AROG [We now say the magic word AROG]

[A skeleton reforms and asks to show it the eye in order to proceed to the next
stage. We go back for the eye we found before.]

SUD
OUEST
OUEST
PRENDS OEIL
EST
EST
NORD
MONTRE OEIL [The passage opens and we are taken to the second part]


PART 2: KRANZ

[We begin in a grotto.]

REGARDE TABLE [An inscription says that magic rules here]
SUD
REGARDE TABLE [It has a drawer]
OUVRE TIROIR [It has a ring and a dead rat; the ring is a trap so we ignore it]
FOUILLE LITS [Search cots: there's a skeleton on one of them]
FOUILLE SQUELETTE [Search skeleton: some gold coins appear]

[Treasures are not important here so we'll pass them by.]

OUVRE ARMOIR [Open wardrobe]
REGARD ARMOIR [Once open, we see written that torture brings confessions]
NORD
EST [Another skeleton is here, and some boards]
ENLEVE PLANCHE [On the reverse is written: seek the well]
OUEST
NORD [There is an axe here]
PRENDS HACHE [We get it, so our weapon class goes up]
EXAMINE STATUE [One of the statues has green eyes]
APPUIE YEUX [Press eyes: the right arm is raised]
BAISSE BRAS [Lower arm: a passage opens west]
OUEST [This is a torture hall and there's a warrior here]

[Despite the enemy's presence, this is not a forced combat situation. Instead,
we have to follow the clue we found before and extract a confession from the
warrior. Edifying, this game is not.]

CAPTURE GUERRIER [We subdue the warrior and hold him prisoner]
QUESTIONNE GUERRIER [He says that the column leads to the column]

[After being cryptic, the warrior vanishes. This is no doubt another clue to be
clarified later. We notice a door to the south.]

OUVRE PORTE [Opened]
SUD [A corridor, the corresponding door to the north is too high to go back]

[Please mind that once we go west from here there's no going back. Not that we
will need to, anyway.]

OUEST [On a dungeon, with straw on the floor and a shield]
PRENDS BOUCLIER [We have better defence now]
FOUILLE PAILLE [Search straw: we find a key]
PRENDS CLE [We take it]

[West of here there is a grille, which we can force our way through. This also
is a one-way path.]

FORCE GRILLE [The way west is now open]

[By the way, you may notice that the description of the room has changed: now it
says "le sol est dalle" (the floor is slabbed). It should have been possible to
SOULEVE DALLE to find a diamond, but a bug in the program prevents this command
from working. This is unnecessary in any case.]

OUEST [Another corridor, with no features apparently]
REGARDE SOL [We look at the floor and discover a circle of blood]
ENTRE CERCLE [Enter circle: we are magically transported elsewhere]

[This works every time, so it is a transport between these two rooms. The
corridor we come from is just to the south of here. We can ignore the chain and
try the west door.]

OUVRE PORTE [With the key]
OUEST [There is an emerald and a seat here]
REGARDE SIEGE [Look seat: it's covered by a canvas and deformed]
DECOUVRE TOILE [Uncover it: we can see a parchment along with a rope and hook]
PRENDS PARCHEMIN
LIS PARCHEMIN [The parchment says: exit the well, put the...]
POSE PARCHEMIN
PRENDS CORDE [We get the rope]
PRENDS GRAPPIN [And the hook]

[We are now equipped to go down the well, so we go back to the corridor]
EST
SUD
OUEST [The well is here]
DESCENDS PUITS [We go down the well; nothing seems to happen, this is normal]
REMONTE PUITS [We go back up]
REGARDE [A helm has now appeared in the room]
POSE CORDE
POSE GRAPPIN
PRENDS HEAUME [We get the helm]

[Now where to go? The door to the west of here is a possibility, but won't open;
however, there is another way to go where it leads, if you remember the quip
about columns confessed by the warrior.]

EST
ENTRE CERCLE
TOUCHE COLONNE [Touch column: we are transported again]
AVANCE GRILLE [The portcullis to the south moves up]

[We are now in a weapons hall with a sculpture.]

REGARDE SCULPTURE [We see two golden hands above and KRANZ written at the base]
DIS KRANZ [We say the magic word: nothing seems to happen]
JOINS MAINS [Kranz's longsword appears]
PRENDS ESPADON [The second part is solved and we are taken to the last part]


PART 3: IRUN

[We start in a transfer room, with a chain mail, a halberd, and two sculptures.]

PRENDS COTE
PRENDS HALBARDE [So we can fight enemies]
REGARDE SCULPTURES [We are told that one of them has a sceptre]
EXAMINE SCULPTURES

[A voice says that the sceptre of Iron (Irun) will become golden when Krohr
comes back from the darkness. This sounds ominous. The "Iron" spelling seems a
typo, as the part is caller Irun. In any case, we cannot interact with the
sceptre right now, so we'd better explore.]

NORD [A corridor with a metal door]
OUVRE PORTE [Which we open]
OUEST [There is a mace here, which is not needed]
OUEST [There are several columns and a door to the west]
OUVRE PORTE [We open the door]
EXAMINE COLONNES [They are 1.20m high and one of them is marked with a hand]
PLACE MAIN [If we put our hand on the mark a passage to the north opens]
OUEST [This is the throne room]
EXAMINE TRONE [It has a lock-hole at one side, but where is the key?]
DECOUVRE SIEGE [Uncover the seat... a key falls to the floor]
PRENDS CLE
OUVRE TRONE [There is an emerald]
REGARD TABLE [There is a beam to block doors on one of them]
BLOQUE PORTE [Block door: A passage opens to the south]

[Personally I don't see a lot of logic in opening a door as a result of blocking
another one, but hey-ho.]

SUD [The Lord's chamber, with bed, wardrobe, table and chair]
FOUILLE LIT [We search the bed to find a parchment]
PRENDS PARCHEMIN [Take it]
LIS PARCHEMIN [Krohr will appear when in the presence of the cross]
POSE PARCHEMIN
OUVRE ARMOIRE [Open wardrobe: a demon's head says "only the circle"]
OUVRE PORTE [We open the door; it says to the west, but it's east]
EST
NORD
NORD
REGARDE SOL [Look floor: there is a pentacle with a skeleton in it]

[We can ENTRE PENTACLE, but three lightning bolts strike us and we lose about
20 hit points, so not good.]

EST
NORD
REGARDE EST [Look east: a bottomless room is there with a target on the wall]

[This is suggestive of shooting, but we don't have anything of the sort. But we
will in a moment.]

OUEST
FOUILLE LIT [Search cot: another skeleton]
FOUILLE SQUELETTE [A wooden cross appears]
PRENDS CROIX [We take it, as we know we'd need one for Krohr to appear]
EST
SUD
SUD
FOUILLE LIT [Search cot: We find a bow and a silver arrow]
PRENDS ARC [Get the bow]
PRENDS FLECHE [And the arrow; now we are ready to take a shoot]
NORD
NORD
NORD
DECOCHER FLECHE [Shoot an arrow: it hits the targets and a bridge is brought up]
REGARDE [We can go east now]
POSE ARC [No longer needed]
EST [The bridge continues south]
SUD [We arrive at a sanctuary with a stone base]
AVANCE SOCLE [A hooded figure appears and asks to be shown the cross]
MONTRE CROIX [The figure disappears leaving a gauntlet in place]
POSE CROIX
PRENDS GANTELET
OUVRE PORTE [To the west]
OUEST [Back in the corridor]

[With the gauntlet in hand we can finally move the sceptre. Let's go back to the
first room.]

SUD
EST
SUD
AVANCE SCEPTRE [It brightens up, falls on the gauntlet and becomes golden]
NORD
DESCELLE DALLE [We dislodge the slab with the sceptre]

[The latter action is a bit improbable, but is what works: this solves the game
and makes us the legitimate owner of the sceptre.]

[End of game.]