THE QUEST FOR THE TIME-BIRD


I - INTRODUCTION
Based on the graphic novel of the same name, this computer game THE
QUEST FOR THE TIME-BIRD is a marvellous saga whose principal
ingredients are action, danger, suspense, fantasy and magic.

In an unknown world, at a time when wizards and witches cast their
magic spells, you play a series of roles:

ROXANNA: Daughter of Mara the Witch(and perhaps of Bragon the Knight).
Her mother has given her the task of completing the quest. Her weapon
is a scorching whip, woven from the hide of s Borak slain by Bragon.

BRAGON THE KNIGHT: This most valorous and experienced of all knights
has been living quitly on his eastate for many years. Only the arrival
of Roxanna and an interest in the Quest can persuade him to return to a
life of danger and mortal combat. With him goes his trusty war-axe, the
Reaper.

Roxanna and Bragon will become acquainted with Bulrog and the Unknown
knight. They may very well accompany you if you wish it.

In the farm-house, Mara explains your task to you. Listen well, For
each detail has its importance.

9 days remain for you to complete the Quest.

II - THE GAME SYSTEM
The Quest For Time-Bird is played (using the mouse) by clicking on
pictures, texts and icons.

Conventions:
- The cursor is a small symbol on the screen. You move it round the
screen by moving your mouse.
- Clicking means placing the cursor on the picture, text or icon of
your choice and pressing the left button of your mouse.
Pressing the right button you get some information.

In THE QUEST FOR THE TIME-BIRD, the cursor can have different aspects:
- most of the time, the cursor ir represented by Roxanna's FURRY
(little animal with long tail);
- sometimes the cursor transforms itself into 4 arrows. This means
that by clicking on this spot you accede to another picture;
- finally, in order to confirm certain actions (that you get with the
icons), the cursor will take the shape of the corresponding icon.

III - THE MAP OF THE WORLD OF AKBAR
Use this map to choose the area (the Land or Kingdom) where you wish
to send the group of characters. Each time you leave a Land, you will
be invited to choose a new destination.

Place the cursor so that the Narrator's stick points to the desired
Land.

Click once (left mouse button), and the group sets off. Every territory
crossed is announced in the window on top of the map. Then proceed the
same way again to arrive to the city symbolized by a white circle. To
enter the city move your group and the stick ontp the white circle then
press the left mouse button.
You can only accede to territories whose name figure on the map (In
the program the names are in English).

NO MAN'S LAND
When the group moves from one place to another, it crosses territories
(no man's land) where it may meet other living beings you can
comunicate with.
To act, click with the left mouse button on the hero of your choice.
The hero goes towards the character. Then the action icons (see
explanation below) will be at your disposal. Choose an action, then
click on the character. Whilst meeting a character you're not able to
return to the Narrator mode.

IV - THE LANDS

1. Screen Description
Each Land is a territory that may be explored by the group during the
Quest.
On the screen, you will see a large background picture. Smaller
pictures, icons and texts will be superimposed on this background. If
only the background picture appears, your group is symbolized by a
circle. Click on the left mouse button on the place, where you want
your heroes to go.

The Background Picture
In this picture, you will sometimes see people or animals that you can
communicate with or act upon in other ways. You can search through the
picture to discover a certain number of objects. To do this, position
the cursor on the spot you want to search through and press the left
mouse button. If an object appears, it will join the other objects that
you possess already.

Illustrations
These vignettes are superimposed on the background whenever an event
takes place. These illustrations can represent one or several people
and animals that you can talk to or otherwise act upon. You can seach
the illustration for objects.

Texts
You will often see a text window, Its function is to tell you what's
happening and ask you what you'd like to do next (background colour
blue). To answer, you must choose one of the sentences which will turn
white when the cursor is positioned on them.
From time to time, a character from the story will speak. His or her
head will appear in the text window (background colour orange).

The Group
To make the "group" window appear, press the right mouse button. Use
this window to select one of the characters present. When the group is
complete, you'llsee the four characters in this window.
If one of the characters doesn't appear in the window, that means he
or she has gone, or is dead.

The Icons
They symbolize the different actions you may choose.

"THE LIPS".........................speak
"THE FIST".........................attack
"THE DISK".........................load/save the current game
"THE HEART"........................charm
"THE DINNER".......................food

Information Window
To get information about individualsin the group, this is what you do:
- move the cursor onto the character in the group window
- then click the right mouse button.
An information window will be displayed, telling you about the
character.
If the group has collected a number of objects during its travels,
those objects will also appear in the information window. Their names
will appear when you place the cursor on them.

2.ACTIONS
Movements Of The Group In A Territory
When you have arrived in a territory, you can indicate to the group
where to go to (in the background picture). Just move the FURRY cursor
and click on the destination spot.

SPEAK - CHARM - ATTACK
Here is the way to use these three actions:
- click on the character who is to act (in the Group window or in a
illustration)
- click on the action icon of your choice
- click on the character you wish to act upon, in the background
picture or in an illustration.

FOOD
- click on the character who is going to act (in Group window or in an
illustration)
- click on the FEED icon.
- The Information window will display; click on the desired food.

Give An Object
- place the cursor on a character (in the Group window or in an
illustration)
- click the left mouse button
- click on the object in the Information window
- click on the character who is to receive the object, in the
background picture or in an illustration.

3.SAVING YOUR GAME AND LOADING AN OLD GAME
You don't have to start at the beginning of the adventure every time
you want to play THE QUEST FOR THE TIME-BIRD. You can save a game
you've started and load that same game next time you play, so you can
pick up from where you left off.

Saving the current game:
- make sure you've got a clean formatted disk, which we'll call the
"save disk"
- click on the "disk" icon
- follow screen instructions.

Loading a saved game:
- have your "save disk" handy
- click on the "disk" icon
- follow screen instructions.

HOW TO SUCCEED IN THE QUEST
It is not an uncommon sight to find adventuregame players sat in front
of their screen hopelessly stuck! But why? Several factors contribute
tothis unhappy state of affairs. Sometimes the situation requires a
weird if not downright illogical solution, others must be played by
typing in orders, and most of them feature a bewildering array of
icons. The end result is that many players give up and grab their
joysticks for a quick "Blast'em out" action game, just to work off some
of the frustration!

INFOGRAMES has designed this Quest for all those people who want to
PLAY. Whether you are new to adventure-gaming or a hardened veteran,
this game was made specially for you. You'll find it adapts perfectly
to your style of play. If you like a "friendly" level of difficulty, no
problem. Looking for a tough challenge? You got it! You choose and
ENJOY.

THE BEGINNER:
You can wander from one module to another, admiring he beatiful
scenery, soaking up the atmosphere and getting to know the characters.
Take time to try out the various options. You'll soon notice the
differences between the Marches (lands) of the world of AKBAR.
Gradually, as time passes (and we wish you many hours of enchantment in
the Quest), you'll gather the elements MARA needs for her incantation.
Our advice to beginners is to avoid going direcly to the GAPING LANDS
or the SAND LIPS. The THOUSAND GREENS is a good place to start.

THE EXPERIENCED PLAYER:
Anywhere is a good place to begin. You will soon discover that while
the game's heroes can do the same things, it's advisable to choose the
most appropriate character for a given situation.

For Example: THE UNKNOWN KNIGHT isn't the best choice when it comes to
battling mighty enemies annd fearsome monsters! BRAGON shouldn't be
expected to take care of every danger; losing him recklessly could
complicate matters considerably! ROXANNA should be kept clear of
utterly desperate situations, otherwise her mother MARA will react
strongly. Having mastered the most judicious use of your heroes, you
will begin to gather the various elements required by MARA. However
there is one more obstacle facing you: TIME. Remember, 9 days is all
you have to succeed in your Quest.

THE EXPERT:
Don't forget that time is limited. How fast can you finish the Quest?
Why not try playing with just three heroes, then two? Can one hero
manage the Quest alone?
Each player will discover that many solutions are possible. Remember
that playing a second time with exactly the same set of actions won't
necessarily lead to success! AKBAR is a living world where the same
actions don't always have the same results. You'll find out!

