Avenger

This game is a standalone sequel to The Way of the Tiger by the same game designers and publishing company. The names of these games are taken from the series title and the first volume of a series of “adventure gamebooks” (choose your own adventure books) by Mark Smith and Jamie Thomson. The game Avenger is based on the finale of the book Avenger! (with an exclamation point), and quite a few details makes much more sense in light of this.

Controls

Left − Right	Z − X	Joystick	↔
Up − Down	O − K	Joystick	↕
Attack	0	Joystick	●
Pause	1
Replenish Energy	2
Quit	3 + 4

The attack control only takes effect in combination with a direction. If you are carrying shuriken (and not the sword), one of these is thrown, making it possible to kill enemies at a distance. However, there are fewer available than you would like, so they must be used with care. Otherwise it is used to kick or punch in close combat, or to swing the sword if you are carrying that.

Any contact with enemies drain your energy, which is tracked by two dials to the left of the viewport. The dots surrounding these work similarly to the minute and hour hands of a clock: when all the dots of the upper clock are lost, one dot of the lower disappears and the upper dial is reset. Each dot is composed of four pixels that are lost individually like a coarse second hand to continue the clock analogy. Four pixels times sixteen upper dial dots times sixteen lower dial dots gives 1024 energy levels to lose before you die. Further, you may call on your deity Kwon up to three times per game in order to have your energy fully replenished. The labels below the dials read “E” and “IF” respectively, spelled out as Endurance and Internal Force in The Way of the Tiger.

Map

There are six levels (elevations) making up the game world; two subterranean ones (1–2), the ground level where you start (3), and three floors above that (4–6). Each level consists of one to six 768×384 pixel sections for a total of twenty. Within each section, the 184×112 pixel viewport scrolls around the section in 8 pixel increments, but between them one section fully replaces the previous.

Once you have found a crowbar to pry them open with, grills drop you down a level (or two), otherwise retaining the same coordinates. Confusingly enough, trapdoors in the floor take you up a level in the same way, and are one-way like the grills.

References to the map is in the form of level number + north or south + west, center or east, and denotes only which section an item is located in. You start beside the gatehouse of Quench Heart Keep in 3nc.

The Quest

At the beginning of the game and whenever a milestone is reached, a message hinting at what to do next scrolls across the yellow bar below the viewport.

Seek the container to hold the poison blood of Nil
- 3sc: 2 keys
- 3nc: 8 treasure
- 3nc: 5 keys
- 3sc: 9 treasure
- 3nw: 4 treasure
- 3nw: 8 shuriken
- 3nw: jar
The Amulet of Protection will render you immune
- 3nw: 4 keys
- 3nc: 4 shuriken
- 3nc: amulet
A bit of leverage may be required to open the grills
- 3nc: 10 treasure
- 3se: 3 keys
- 3se: 3 treasure
- 3ne: crowbar
Slay Nil for the poison blood you require
- 3ne: 6 shuriken
- 3ne: 7 treasure
- 3ne: grill
- 2ne: 1 treasure
- 2ne: shuriken
- 2ne: 2 treasure
- 2nc: treasure
- 2sc: keys
- 2sc: treasure
- 2sc: shuriken
- 2sc: keys
- 2se: poison blood
Steal the enchanted rope from the monks quarters
- 3se: rope
Seek the grill above sleeping Honoric
- 5nw: 4 treasure
- 5sc: 9 treasure
- 4sc: Honoric
- 4sc: sword
The magic of the Manse must be removed from the crypt
- 4sc: 13 treasure
- 4sc: 14 treasure
- 4sc: 3 keys
- 4sc: 10 shuriken
- 4nc: 2 keys
- 5sw: Manse
Deep down below lies Yaemons demise
- 5sw: 10 treasure
- 1sw: 10 keys
- 1sw: 8 shuriken
- 1sw: 7 treasure
- 1sw: gauntlet
Seek out the charm in Yaemons tower
- 2sw: 5 treasure
- 6nw: Yaemon
- 6nw: 15 treasure
- 6nw: 15 treasure
- 6nw: charm
Yaemons demise has released the magic from the scrolls
- 1sw: scrolls
To seek the exit must be your final goal
- 3ne: exit