Crown of Arthain is a 1 or 2-player fantasy themed RPG for the Apple II.
The Kingdom of Arthain is a young kingdom, conquered by the Prince Arthain just 50 years prior. While the Prince was exploring the mountains of his newly conquered lands, his men came across a large cavern full of monsters. Deciding this monster home would be the ideal place to build his new capital, his men cleared the beasts from the caves, and called this their new home. Arthain hired elves and dwarves to deck the underground caverns in great splendor. Within 5 years, Arthain had married his betrothed Melora, and had two sons Berthain and Merthain.
Berthain and Merthain were forever jealous of the other, always seeking what the other possessed. Their jealously eventually led to the deaths of the other’s girlfriend. Outraged, Arthain banished each child to a fort on opposite ends of the far outskirts of his kingdom, never to step foot in the capital again. Arthain’s had further sons, but they were to lose their lives in the various skirmishes the kingdom partook in. Finally, on his deathbed, in need of an heir, Athain wrote a letter to his two wayward sons. His crown lies within the halls of the mountain kingdom, and the son who can first retrieve it shall become king of the mountain kingdom.
The game allows for 2-player competitive play, or a single-player campaign. All input is via text commands. Played primarily on an overhead hexagonal grid, the two princes are separated by an impassable mountain range. The goal is to explore the countryside, gain power, and discover the clues to enter the underground halls of the abandoned capital. The player encounters enemies including: trolls, wights, ogres, goblins, and more. Combat occurs from a sideview, where player and monster take turns striking each other, while the health bar of each combatant drops. Health regenerates automatically while exploring the countryside. Players can choose from 20 difficulty levels, which effect the power of monsters they encounter.
Each hexagon has a hidden treasure, which can be discovered by searching the area. The hexagon will contain either gold, magic armor or sword which will increase the player’s attack or defense, cloaks which decrease enemy encounters, or copper amulets which increase health regeneration rate. There are 2 special encounters, a dwarf who teaches the player the location of the city entrance for 5000 gold, and an elf who gives the password to enter.
Upon entering the capital, the player must search the halls for the crown, which is guarded by a fire breathing dragon. The visual display changes, and the player can only move in the 4 cardinal directions. Each turn, the player must select the direction and distance they must travel. After slaying the dragon, the player is victorious.
