The Pawn
Description official descriptions
The aim of this interactive fiction with graphics is to escape from the land of Kerovnia, where strange occurrences are routine. The Roobikyoub dwarves have been banished from the kingdom, which is not good as they produce high-quality whisky. King Erik is not popular for this decision, as some feel that ale brewers and mineral water bottlers have influenced him. Honest John the trader and Kronos the Magician play a key role in your journey, each offering sub-quests to attempt.
The package includes a novella complete with map and decipherable hints, which are accessed by typing 'hint' followed by the code into the computer. Therefore, those with only a pirated copy would struggle to complete the game.
Your score and the number of locations visited are both displayed in the title bar. The parser allows whole words to be deleted and unaccepted previous entries to be re-edited.
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Screenshots
Credits (Sinclair QL version)
| Program and Documentation |
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| Packaging and Design |
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| Illustration |
Reviews
Critics
Average score: 90% (based on 18 ratings)
Players
Average score: 3.4 out of 5 (based on 56 ratings with 0 reviews)
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Trivia
Release history
The game was initially released for the Sinclair QL (Quantum Leap) as a pure text adventure. Since it was not very successful on that platform, Magnetic Scrolls released it a little later for the other home computers of that time and added graphics (at least for most of the platforms).
Translations
The parser system was originally designed to allow easy translation to other languages. But, according to programmer Anita Sinclair, the German and French grammar proved to be too impossible to implement.
Awards
- Happy Computer
- 1986 - Best Graphics Adventure of the Year (Atari ST version)
- Issue 04/1987 - #10 Best Game in 1986 (Readers' Vote)
- CRASH
- Newsfield Reader's Awards - Best Adventure Game 1987 (readers choice)
Information also contributed by partykiller
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Related Sites +
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The Magnetic Scrolls Memorial
Fanpage with lots of information about different releases, tests, trivia and many more.
Identifiers +
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Contributors to this Entry
Game added by Will D.
Apple II added by Trypticon. Acorn 32-bit added by Rola. Amiga added by necronom. Amstrad PCW, ZX Spectrum, Sinclair QL added by Kabushi. ZX Spectrum Next added by Pseudo_Intellectual. Atari 8-bit added by Terok Nor. Amstrad CPC added by cafeine. Commodore 64, Macintosh, Atari ST added by Belboz.
Additional contributors: Pseudo_Intellectual, Patrick Bregger, Jo ST.
Game added April 13, 2000. Last modified September 12, 2023.