COMPANIONS OF XANTH WALKTHRU 
Written by Deep Note

Sitting at my computer, I grab the yellow post-it and read the phone
numbers on it. I also take and open the pink envelope, reading the letter
inside. Depressed, I head to the kitchen to the west, stopping in the
hallway long enough to flip the light switch by the door. There's just
enough time to grab a sandwich from the 'fridge when the phone rings.
Telling Edsel everything's ok, he offers a bet. After asking about the bet,
I can't imagine why Edsel would think I want to get involved in a computer
game. Further inquiry makes me suspect this even more....is there a catch
here I'm not seeing? The deal seems clear-cut and I end up accepting.

I go back to the hallway and open the door, waiting for the mailman. I
open the package and the game inside, walk back to the computer, put the
disk in the drive (closing the drive) and flip the power switch on. A
close look at the screen shows a small figure there. He starts talking
directly to me when clicked on. After learning about the Com-pendium and
the choices for companion, I select Nada (Note: Nada is the only one that
will let you survive the first puzzle).

We appear in a room with four doors; after a few seconds Nada chooses the
right door and we exit the first puzzle. After meeting Kim and her
companion, Nada and I continue on to a Path Crossing. Having played some
computer games before, I know to grab everything I can, so I get a cherry
bomb from the tree and a buttercup from below it. I try to free up the log
jam, but can't. Continuing on to the east, we go through a dark forest
where we find a bush that Nada says is a cough drop bush. To the southwest
we come across Isthmus Village and a local woodwright. When I agree to
help, he hands me a key as well as mentioning a pail and someone called
Fairy Nuff. Noticing a rock on the ground, I add it to the inventory and we
continue on.

THE PAIL

A lone, flat boulder sits between two cliffs along the path. Past it we
come to a pail that flies away when I try to get it. After one or two
attempts at throwing the rock at it to load it down, I have to agree with
Nada that the rock needs to be thrown from a distance. But, a screen is
hardly set up for that. Still, the Greeks had a weapon for just such a
problem....but I'll need a piece of wood, like the log I saw earlier. As
this is a dead end for now, I head back to the village.

The key unlocks the gate and gives access to the boat and the docks.
Curious, I step aboard the ship, but the smoke from the two censors
quickly drives me back. On the dock, I pick up a piece of white sailcloth
from the censor-ship and notice a rope tightly wrapped around a dock plank.
Consulting with Nada, she goes underneath and retrieves the rope and
attached anchor. The anchor makes a handy prybar on the large log in the
log jam back at the Path Crossing and the woodwright quickly makes it into
a flat wooden plank.

Back at the flat boulder, the plank is laid down and the rock put on top
of it. A polite request gets Nada to hit the plank with her tail and the
pail is easily scooped up.

THE SCREEN DOOR EYE

Further on, we come to a screen door with an eye. Going for broke, I
threaten it with a pointed remark - asking about the Ice Queen and then
Fairy Nuff allows me to tell the eye that only Fairy Nuff might hold the
solution to our quest. Deeming us worthy, the door lets us through.

Before opening the door, I open the mailbox and take the letter inside
addressed to Fairy Nuff.

I pick up a small red tee and an egg, from the ground, on our way to the
pavilions ahead. In them, I find Fairy Nuff.

FAIRY NUFF

Giving the letter doesn't help, so I try a little conversation. Explaining
our quest, Fairy Nuff gives us a recipe to combat the ship. The pail makes
a handy mixing bowl and the first ingredient is found at the Screen Door.
The butter from the buttercup goes in next. Three dunks in the waterfall
back at the Path Crossing are followed by two cough drops that Nada grabs
from the bush in the Dark Forest when I ask her nicely. The empty buttercup
makes a sticky, but tempting trap for the firefly, the egg next and the
sail fragment from the ship is the last item. We head back to Fairy Nuff
and then off again in search of two containers. In the village, noticing
the lamps, we return and hand Nuff the covers from atop the poles. Back at
the boat, I pour one of the solutions into each censer.

Following the woodwright's advice, we go back to Fairy Nuff and relay the
woodwright's comments about a path. The Void sounds like a dangerous place,
but what other exit is there? We head northwest.

THE VOID

After wandering around for awhile, I start seeing a doorway illusion. I
comment on it to Nada. It seems so real.....it _is_ real, I'm sure of it. I
try to convince Nada. As the Com-pendium mentions, concentration and belief
is the key. It takes several attempts, but finally the door stays and
solidifies. We walk through.

REGION OF EARTH

The barrow door refuses to open so we head Southeast and come across the
demoness Metria. Having read the Com-pendium's entry on water springs and
remembering Grundy's description of the lady, I'm more than a little
suspicious; instead of taking her up on her offer I ask her about the
barrow. When Metria encourages me to drink, Nada confirms my suspicions.
Asking her about Metria, I learn the penalty to succumbing. Repeated
attempts to walk away angers Metria, who leaves in anger - but not before
unlocking the barrow door.

THE BARROW MAZE

 After several steps inside the barrow, an odd darkness envelops me. When
it leaves, everything seems normal but then Nada encourages me to drink
from the spring. She claims to have changed her mind, but after several
attempts to leave the area my suspicions are concerned when 'Nada' turns
back into Metria. Her only answer to where Nada has been taken is to give
me a small box, claiming it will indicate her position. Yea, like I'm going
to believe that! Still, I turn it on and head back into the barrow.

Most of the rooms are empty, but I find a few interesting things....a
pestle, a mirror with a view, a stone plaque with lettering so faded I
wish I had a pencil to go with the brown paper, as I'd seen done on so many
TV detective shows. Stepping on a dark pad in one room teleports me to
another, separate part of the barrow. There I find a mortar for the pestle
and a door ajar. Realizing a pun, since the if the door is ajar, then it
could be used as a container, I take the door and a jar shows up. The tree
defeats all my efforts, so I go back to the main maze and continue my
efforts. A room with a switch...as I flip each one another appears until
there are sixteen. Nothing happens. I flip each one again and press the
button that appears before heading down. Nada, at last! Seeing how
distraught she is, I respect her wishes not to look at her - I'm careful
to make no reference to her looks as we talk. I also notice the 'detector'
is pointing to 0 - figures.

The blue agony moss, put in the glass jar, is no help with the manacles.
Asking Nada for help, she mentions that Metria talked to something in the
room as Nada was chained. Voices near Nada's arms obviously belong to
whatever Metria talked to, but there is nothing there but the manacles.
Shrugging at the absurdity, I tell the manacles to let Nada go... and they
do!

IRONWOOD TREE

Nada suggests we attempt passing the ironwood tree at the doorway. After
reading about the moss in the Com-pendium, we pass through the tree's
remains with ease.

REGION OF FIRE

As we start to cross by a molten lake, a large lava dog appears and blocks
our passage. Talking to Nada, I have her put her hair up into a bun and
then take the pun-altered hot dog bun from her. One more thing to add... I
tell Nada I'd like a break from the game, get up from the computer and go
into the kitchen. Squirting mustard onto the bun back in the game is just
the sight to terrify any 'hot' dog.

The fireman is chatty; he certainly doesn't mind the heat. Moving on, the
lump of charcoal I find will work as a pencil substitute and I head back to
the plaque.

THE PLAQUE

Now that I have the charcoal, I place the flattened brown paper over the
plaque and rub it with the charcoal. The recipe doesn't seem useful now,
but maybe later.

THE WALL OF FIRE

I'm kinda stuck at the wall of fire where I found the charcoal - it appears
to be the only way forward but I have nothing to use on it. The only
interesting thing he remembers is a predecessor of mine and he mentions how
Mack got through the wall. Ah, an explosive device.... like a fire cracker.
...and Mack wrote the recipe. As we talk, the fireman hands me a wineskin
of firewater, which I pour into the mortar. Throwing in the flower and
grinding it into flour with the pestle, the resulting blob of dough bakes
easily in the small opening by the lake.

Once it turns a golden brown color, the cracker is ready. When the hand
threatens me, I try finding out why, but when it sees the cracker it too
flees. A few seconds in the firewall and the path is cleared.

REGION OF WATER

Using the anchor and rope as a grappling hook, we exit the Region of Fire.
At the bridge, after asking about the toll and being reluctant to be eaten,
I offer to do something for the troll. Down below, the lab off to the side
holds the most promise. In fact, a quick glance down the well confirms the
key's location. If the well is too steep to climb, then I need to get down
another way. Exiting the abode and crossing the bridge, I remove a hose
there. This makes a great channel for moving water from the sink into the
well. However, to keep the room from flooding I also press the upper drain
button on the wall. When the water rises, I can get the key.

After solving any one of the three puzzles the troll provides, we leave and
continue on to the signpost, taking the short cut.

COM-PUTER

Obviously Com-puter doesn't know I have the Com-pendium for reference.
With that, and his pun-referenced hints (really often the answer with the
letters jumbled and the needed letter removed), the answers are easy.
First, the hint of "REAPS" is the key to Asparagus SPEARS and so I open the
metal door and put in a 'S' block. The fruit with the hint word "SEAT" is
obviously Blind DATES and I put in 'D'. The shells with the hint "CANES"
is, of course, actually the plant type Papershell PECANS and I add a 'P'.
The Com-pendium tells me that a beast with bad advice, that fits with the
hintword "REST" would be a Bum STEER and I put in the missing 'E'. I put an
'A' for the hint "MAIL", as the creature is a LAMIA. So ends Round 1

The duck-annoyed creature is a chocolate moose, which is "SOME" mixed up
and the second 'O' missing, so in it goes. "OCRA" is the hint for the
COBRA vine - the 'B' is put inside. Golden FLEAS were pursued by Ja-son and
the 'F' is pursued into the cylinder. I blush as I put in the missing 'E'
from "PAINTS", the hint for multicolored PANTIES. I start to follow that
with the missing 'T' for TANGLE trees in the hint "GLEANS", but realize
Com-puter has not provided me with a 'T'. Smiling, I drop into the cylinder
the red tee that I've been carrying.

Again, Com-puter tries to cheat by forcing me to resign. Grundy steps in
to help, despite his virus. When done talking to him, I find I now have his
(computer) virus and promptly drop it into the cylinder. We head northeast.

REGION OF AIR

Talking to Ma Anthe inside the cottage, you learn that to reverse her
condition she needs to see a sign from the mountain. Here is a quest, one
that will net you the potion she mentioned. You grab the red wind sock
before exiting, then the brown windbag northeast of the shack.

Further north we come to the mountain and a sailboat. Yet, without a sail,
it's useless. Recalling the sign on the cart at the cottage, I go and try
to use the crowbar on the wheel without success. Someone stronger is
needed. Exploring more I come across a female ogre wishing to be uglier,
one who knows about the gap. I also come across a young ogre, who is so
happy to get the ball once you put the windsock on the vent (not the spray)
that he follows you back to the cottage and puts the wheel back on the
cart. After pushing the cart off the sail and taking it back to the
sailboat, I release the windbag and sail across the water.

THE GUARDIAN OF THE MOUNTAIN

The answers to the guardian's 10 riddles are ERROR, AIREDALE, WINDOW, AIR
CONDITIONING, AN ERRAND, A WINDBAG, AN AIRPLANE, AN AIRBAG, THE WINDMILL,
and finally A BREEZE. And those questions were, too! I head into the
doorway and up the stairs until I find a sign (from the mount-ain). Giving
it to Ma Anthe, I receive the ugly potion which I then give to the female
ogre. We head southeast into the Gap.

THE GAP

After heading northeast and being warned and then bored, we meet up with
Kim and her companions Jenny and Sammy. After exchanging companions, we
head down into the gap and encounter the Gap dragon. Noting the cloud above
the dragon and remembering an entry in the Com-pendium, I converse with the
cloud, constantly insulting it and abusing its rain-making capabilities...
all the while trying to ignore the dragon closing in. The resulting
snowstorm comes just in the nick of time, as does Che Centaur.

HUMPHREY'S CASTLE

Sammy the cat easily indicates that the best path is straight through the
locked gate. Wait, maybe Sammy's even more accurate - a loose brick above
where Sammy dug is the 'key' to opening the gate....and raising the
drawbridge. But, since it's a drawbridge, I just draw the bridge back the
way it was and cross it.

Knocking on the wee door gets a curt answer. Repeated attempts at
conversation as to how we get in gets us a cryptic clue "For one to get
final entrance to this castle, he must only listen to me". Huh? Makes on
sense, but the eye is no more help. I back up and circle the moat, spotting
a grate to the northeast and a sea monster to the northwest. A black
cricket, keeping the monster awake, finds its way under my glass jar.

Crossing over to the grate, I pick up a lok pick and use the crowbar to
open the grating. Below, I'm bemused by the five switches. Although, at
first, I thought the blinking eyes had something to do with it, a Legend-
ary voice told me that isn't true. Then I recalled what the eye in the door
said and tried flipping down, from the left, switches four, one, and then
two. Humphrey, at last!

THE GOURD

Once I look into my gourd, I'm transported to another place. In this place,
zombies are the residents and I have no interest in harming them. So, I
head to the northwest side of the house and use the lok pick to open the
cellar door. Holding our noses, we go down. Trapped! In the darkness, I
can feel around and find a skeleton on the right, holding a key. After a
bit of searching in the dark, I get the key. Above there, I feel and take
some twine. Unlocking and opening the door at the top of the stairs lets
some light in and we quickly exit the room.

The books on the fireplace appear to belong to some programmer. The window
seems intact, so the only exit it the stairs. Lassoing the bannister lever
with the twine prevents any 'fun house' antics. I can't reach the trapdoor
in the ceiling, but the sign seems obvious so I push it. Well, maybe a bit
too obvious - apparently that last person to press it never got out.

The bottle by the chair turns out to be "Pain-B-Gone" pills. The third book
on the left side of the fireplace mantle puts me in my place and the pills
easily remove a pane of glass so I can get the cane outside the window.
Running up the stairs, I snag the ceiling hook with the cane and we rush up
the stairs. Nothing is more important that keeping Kim from touching that
trophy; the appearing jewel on the sword catches my eye. I grab the sword
and throw it at the Prize.

Back in reality, I turn off the computer and get up. The phone rings....

This walkthru is Copyright (C) 1994 by Deep Note for Game Bytes Magazine.
All rights reserved.