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SNOWDROP
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Written by Andrew Broadhurst and Philip Broadhurst
ZX Spectrum (Quilled) c.1987?
Solution by Gareth Pitchford - March 2022
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Background
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Very little is currently known about this rather odd game by brothers Andrew and Philip Broadhurst.
It was probably written with the Quill around about 1986/7, as it makes reference to their 1986
"port" of Mexico Adventure.
It seems to have largely been written for friends to play. However, despite the occasionally
juvenile humour and often frustrating gameplay elements it is quite a clever and potentially fun
adventure that is more complex than it first appears.
It is also interesting in the way it explores the "meta" of text adventure games. It
starts off by playing with the audience; relying on the fact that they will get frustrated and quit
the initial section.
The main "fantasy" game is actually really interesting with several clever puzzles.
It's marred by the fact that the majority of the map consists of collections of mazes.
There are also some nasty (but funny and sneaky softlocks). Kissing the frog leaves you unable to
wake the princess. The handbag hides another object, and it's easy to give it away too soon.
This fantasy game *does* seem very familiar. It's possible ideas came from elsewhere, or
perhaps this is another port like Mexico Adventure?
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SOLUTION
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This isn't an optimal solution - it's designed to enable a player to see most of the
game's content and see puzzles before solving them.
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(You start off as a baby. There is no way to "complete" this section.)
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EXAM DOOR (locked)
GET KEY
EXAM KEY (from a clockwork train)
UNLOCK DOOR (can't quite reach)
GET BOXES
EXAM BOXES (assorted colours)
CLIMB BOXES (the tower collapses)
EXAM COT (find rattle and dummy)
GET RATTLE
GET DUMMY
SUCK DUMMY
GET NAPPY
EXAM NAPPY (yuck!)
GET BOTTLE
DRINK BOTTLE (you shrink and see a tiny mousehole)
GO HOLE (but it is dark)
SHAKE RATTLE (a snake appears)
GET SNAKE (slimy!)
GIVE RATTLE (snake thanks you)
YES ("You must be joking" - snake slithers off)
HELP
QUIT (Genie transports you to a new land!)
****
(You're now in a location straight from the duo's take on MEXICAN ADVENTURE... You're
in a cell; there's a bed chained to the wall, a steel door, and a skylight)
****
HELP ("Haven't we been here before"... indeed)
I (all your objects have gone!)
GO DOOR (locked)
EXAM DOOR (guard is on his coffee break)
EXAM SKYLIGHT (boarded up... a bar is missing)
EXAM BED (find a muddy blanket)
EXAM BLANKET (find a key)
GET KEY
UNLOCK DOOR (You're transported through time and space once again!)
****
(You now find yourself in a forest, in what will reveal itself to be a fantasy-themed adventure)
****
N, E, (to a red squirrel)
EXAM SQUIRREL (looks vicious)
EXAM HOLE (the squirrel throws a bar of soap at you!)
GET SOAP
EXAM SOAP (engraved with a mystical baby rune!)
N, E, (to a notice)
READ NOTICE ("If you think carefully you will have this part of the game all sewn up")
S, E, (to the east is a dangerous looking swamp)
E, (into the swamp; a pseudo-maze... remember the notice on the tree)
S, E, W, N, (now outside a large castle)
EXAM GATE (closed)
OPEN GATE (bolted)
KNOCK (you're mistaken for a knight and taken to the king... rescue his beautiful daughter and
win her hand in marriage!)
****
(You're now at the back of the castle, off to rescue the princess. The locations from here
onwards are mostly grouped together in a collection of mazes.)
****
S (the butler won't let you back into the castle without the princess)
W (to the pond)
EXAM POND (too cold for you at the moment)
N, N, (wild flowers - just scenery)
E, W, (hollow)
S, N, (brown pile)
EXAM PILE (manure!)
W, S, S, (to the plain)
EXAM STONE (sword in the stone!)
GET SWORD,
S, S, S, W, (ring of daisies, a fairy is here)
EXAM FAIRY (small and fat with a wand)
GIVE SOAP (she sings the fairy liquid song and leaves something)
GET BOOTS (wellington boots)
E, E, N, E, (by a cave - with a dragon)
EXAM DRAGON (he looks rather cute)
KICK DRAGON
KILL DRAGON (an RSPCA man stops you... but gets eaten himself)
W, W, N, N, (back to plain)
N, N, W, N, W, (back to the pond)
WEAR BOOTS
EXAM POND (you find a frog and a full bucket of water)
GET FROG
EXAM FROG (covered in warts... whatever you do... don't KISS it)
W, N, E, W, S, N
ROLL MANURE
W, S, S, S, S, E, E, (back to the cave)
IN, (too disgusting for the dragon to eat now!)
W, W, N, N, N, N, W, N, N, E, (to lake) *check
WASH (in the lake - if you don't do this, you'll be too smelly later on to get in the
castle)
W, N, W, (back to the pond... note the bucket might be empty... there is a hole, so we need to be
quick)
GET BUCKET
FILL BUCKET
N, N, E, W, S, S, S, E, S, E
IN (in cave, broken lamp on the ceiling)
EXAM LAMP (find unlit bulb)
GET BULB (while you are holding it, it lights up)
NE, E, S, UP, N, (to David Bellamy)
EMPTY WATER (black orchid grows, David gives you net)
EXAM ORCHID (very rare)
GET ORCHID (David won't let you)
S, D, SHAKE STALAGTITE (magic scissors fall down)
GET SCISSORS
U, N, CUT BEARD (poor David!)
DROP BUCKET
DROP SCISSORS
DROP BOOTS
GET BEARD
E, E, S, SE, (to a tree)
EXAMINE TREE (find a key)
GET KEY (you can't quite reach)
USE NET (you scoop the key into the net)
DROP NET
NW, N, W, W, N, N, NE, SE, (to witches hovel)
UNLOCK DOOR, IN
THROW FROG (the frog gets his revenge!)
EXAM BOOKS
EXAM CAULDRON (find a pea shooter)
GET PEA
N, W, S, S, E, S, SE, E, E, (to deep valley)
READ BANNER ("Joing Greenpeace and help save the world" - a clue)
E (another cave - a giant guards this one)
SHOOT GIANT (with pea shooter)
IN (to maze of tunnels - which are dark if you don't have the bulb)
S, S, (to the hole, which would've killed you in the dark)
EXAM HOLE (you find a handbag)
DROP KEY
GET HANDBAG
EXAM HANDBAG (synthetic)
OPEN HANDBAG (sneaky! coin inside)
GET COIN
N, E (outside maze)
E, SW, GET TWIG, E, E, E (castle moat - crocodiles!)
EXAM CROCODILES (large and green... would kill you)
GIVE HANDBAG (crocodile thanks you and drops toothpaste)
GET TOOTHPASTE
SWIM (to the other side where there's a black knight)
EXAM SIGN
EXAM KNIGHT (he smiles at you)
E (the knight wants something first)
GIVE COIN (You enter the castle - you can only do this once!)
E, N, (To the centre of the castle grounds)
EXAM FOUNTAIN (elastic band)
GET BAND
MAKE CATAPULT
E, N (to the base of the tower)
EXAM VINE (dangerous - don't climb it)
EXAM RUBBLE (stones and also a silver cross)
EXAM CROSS
EXAM LEDGE
SHOOT POT (it smashes and a clove of garlic falls on you)
DROP CATAPULT
GET GARLIC
GET CROSS
EAT GARLIC
U, U, U, U (vampire smells the garlic and flies away)
U, U, U, (to landing)
E (to bedroom)
EXAM BED (there's the princess)
EXAM PRINCESS
KISS PRINCESS ("not yet garlic breath")
CLEAN TEETH (with toothpaste)
KISS PRINCESS (she wakes up)
GIVE BEARD (the princess puts it on)
GET PRINCESS
W, D, D, D, D, D, D, D, (to base of tower)
S, S, W, W, W (to black knight - doesn't recognise Snowdrop)
W, W, NW, W, IN, W, N, (out of cave)
W, W, W, NW, N, W, W, S, D, (into the cavern)
N, W, SW, OUT (out of that cave)
W, W, N, N, (a Jehovah's witness blocks your path)
EXAM JEHOVAH (he looks persuasive)
GIVE CROSS (shows you're a true believer already)
N, N, W, N (back to the castle)
S (the butler doesn't recognise the princess!)
REMOVE BEARD
S
*** As you walk through the door the king sees the princess and runs towards you. He tells you the
marriage arrangements and then in his excitement he collapses and dies.
Well Done. You have solved the quest, married the princess and are new ruler of the realm.
You have scored 100% ***
