magnetic-scrolls/info/msfact.txt

*******************************************************************************
    Magnetic Scrolls Fact Sheet
*******************************************************************************

Version:    16-10-2015
written by  Stefan Meier (stefan dot msm at gmx dot de)
            Please let me know if you find any mistakes or misses!

Contents:

  1 About the company

  2 The incomplete works of Magnetic Scrolls
  2.1   The Pawn
  2.2   The Guild of Thieves
  2.3   Jinxter
  2.4   Corruption
  2.5   Fish!
  2.6   Myth
  2.7   Wonderland
  2.8   Magnetic Scrolls Collection Vol. 1
  2.9   Magnetic Scrolls Collection Vol. 2
  2.10  The Legacy
  2.11  Overview of known release versions
  2.12  How to "detect" an Inter-Mediates release
  2.13  Game manuals

  3 The technical background

  4 How to play the games today
  4.1 The Magnetic Interpreter
  4.2 Emulation

  5 Resources

  6 Credits

  7 Change log



1 About the company
*******************************************************************************

  Magnetic Scrolls was founded in 1983 by Ken Gordon and Anita Sinclair. They
  started with an office in Eltham/South London and later moved to

  1 Chapel Court
  London SE1 1HH
  England

  From 1985-1989 their games were published by Rainbird, a label of British
  Telecomsoft.
  When Telecomsoft was bought by Microprose (UK) in early 1989, Magnetic Scrolls
  did not participate in the merger and took the distribution of the classic
  games in their own hands. They bought the remaining stock and distributed the
  games themselves through Inter-Mediates Ltd. until the stock was sold. During that
  time they found Virgin Games as the distributor for the upcoming Wonderland.
  When the company got defunct in 1992, Microprose bought up all the rights, but
  except for releasing the game "The Legacy" under the Magnetic Scrolls label,
  they never made any use of it. The rights on the games are held by Magnetic
  Scrolls Ltd. They reverted back to Anita Sinclair and Ken Gordon after some
  time without the games being published.

  Several years ago Ken Gordon has registered the domain
  http://www.magneticscrolls.com
  but still today it does not carry anything except for the Magnetic Scrolls
  logo.

  A special member of the Magnetic Scrolls team was Murdoch, Anita Sinclair's
  bull terrier and in fact the corporate mascot.

  In 1988 Infocom had actually planned to release the sequel to Douglas Adams'
  The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. When it became clear, that the inhouse
  development might fail due to the lack of ressources, one option discussed
  among the heads of Infocom was to hand over the development to Magnetic
  Scrolls. Eventually Infocom agreed on an internal solution, but because of the
  closure in early 1989 the game was never finished.


2 The incomplete works of Magnetic Scrolls
*******************************************************************************

  From 1985 to 1991 Magnetic Scrolls released seven games. Thrilling stories,
  a trailblazing parser and wonderful graphics made them a true competitor
  to Infocom and most probably the best and most successful European
  adventure game company. Like almost all text oriented game developers
  Magnetic Scrolls did not survive the start into the multimedia age.

  The following list mainly describes the original Rainbird releases of the
  games. The later Inter-Mediates releases were shipped in the well-known
  Rainbird boxes, but normally they had a small label on them showing Inter-
  Mediates as the distributor. The included disks did not carry the Rainbird
  logo anymore and were just made as a white label with the Magnetic Scrolls
  logo, a copyright notice and the name of the game. Some (all?) Inter-Mediate
  packages also contained a short note rendering clear, that Rainbird was no
  longer the distributor and thus defective disks had to be sent back to
  Inter-Mediates. Since Magnetic Scrolls had only limited supplies and game
  props left, these packages sometimes contained reproduced materials (like
  game manuals with a black cover instead of the well-known blue ones).

  The Apple2 and Macintosh versions were only released in North America and
  thus only available as imports throughout Europe.


2.1  The Pawn
*******************************************************************************

  The first game released by Magnetic Scrolls was QL-Pawn, the original
  version 1.0 of the later so popular The Pawn. QL-Pawn came on two
  micro drives that were enclosed within a micro drive wallet that was badged
  by Sinclair Research (size: 9.6 cm x 12 cm - 3.3/4" x 5.11/16"). A sleeve was
  also produced for the wallet along with an instruction booklet containing a
  short narrative to introduce the adventure.
  The game was text only, but it already had the powerful parser which was one
  of the basics for the success of Magnetic Scrolls.
  QL-Pawn also was the only Magnetic Scrolls game that was produced for
  the ill fated QL.

  All the ports of QL-Pawn, then called "The Pawn" had version numbers
  2.0 or higher.

  Released:           1985
  Distributed by:     Firebird / Rainbird
  Story:              Rob Steggles
  Graphics:           Geoff Quilley
  Programming:        ?
  Packaging:          There are two different packages known, which can
                      roughly be separated into "small banner" and "large
                      banner" cover. The small banner version seem to be the
                      early releases and are rarer than the large banner
                      packages.
                      Size: 15.2 cm x 21.4 cm - 6" x 8.5"
  Goodies authoring:  A Tale of Kerovnia by Georgina Sinclair
  Package contents:   A tale of Kerovnia (there exist at least two versions
                      of this novella. The second issue states "Version II"
                      on the front page),
                      The Pawn Guide (platform dependent),
                      The Pawn Game play,
                      The Pawn poster,
                      Addendum,
                      Disc,
                      At least the early Atari ST versions contained
                      a "STOP PRESS" indicating a minor bug in the
                      online hint system (all ciphered answers must be
                      terminated with CO)
  Platforms:          Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Amstrad PCW, Apple2, Archimedes,
                      Atari ST, Atari XL/XE, Commodore 128/ 64, IBM-PC,
                      Macintosh, Sinclair QL, Spectrum 128K, Spectrum +3
  Known versions:     1.0 (QL-Pawn)
                      2.0 (Atari ST)
                      2.2 (Amiga)
                      2.3 (Amstrad CPC, Amstrad PCW,Archimedes, Atari XL, C64,
                           Macintosh, IBM PC, Spectrum 128k)
                      2.4 (Spectrum +3)
                      Unknown versions: none 

  Addendum:           The beautiful graphics were created with "Neochrome"
                      on Atari ST.



2.2  The Guild of Thieves
*******************************************************************************

  Released:           1987
  Distributed by:     Firebird / Rainbird
  Story:              Rob Steggles
  Graphics:           Geoff Quilley, Tristan Humphries
  Title picture:      Duncan McLean
  Programming:        ?
  Packaging:          One known package (standard blue Rainbird box)
                      Size: 15.2 cm x 21.4 cm - 6" x 8.5"
  Goodies authoring:  What Burglar by Michael Bywater
  Package contents:   Bank of Kerovnia account card,
                      Die,
                      Magazine "What Burglar" (you could order another issue
                      of What Burglar from Magnetic Scrolls),
                      Kerovnia Guild of Thieves Discrete Entry And Removal
                      Operatives contract,
                      Adventure Guide,
                      Disc(s)/Tape(s)
  Platforms:          Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Amstrad PCW, Apple 2, Archimedes,
                      Atari ST, Atari XL/XE, Commodore 64/128, IBM PC,
                      Macintosh, Spectrum +3
  Known versions:     1.0 (Atari XL, C64, Amstrad CPC, Amstrad PCW, Apple 2)
                      1. 0 (Amiga, Atari ST, Macintosh)
                      1.1 (IBM PC)
                      1.3 (Archimedes, Spectrum +3 and Collection Vol. 1)
                      Unknown version: none

2.3  Jinxter
*******************************************************************************

  Released:           1987
  Distributor:        Firebird / Rainbird
  Story:              Georgina Sinclair, Michael Bywater
  Graphics:           ?
  Programming:        ?
  Package:            One known package (standard blue Rainbird box)
                      Size: 15.2 cm x 21.4 cm - 6" x 8.5"
                      designed by Michael Bywater
  Goodies authoring:  Michael Bywater
  Package contents:   Magazine "The Independent Guardian",
                      Staff Memo,
                      Adventure Guide,
                      Beer mat "Old Moose Bolter",
                      Disk(s)/Tape(s)
  Platforms:          Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Amstrad PCW, Apple 2, Archimedes,
                      Atari ST, Atari XL/XE, Commodore 64/128, IBM PC,
                      Macintosh, Spectrum +3
  Known versions:     1.01 (Amiga)
                      1.05 (Amiga, Apple 2, Atari ST, C64, IBM PC, Spectrum +3,
                            Amstrad PCW)
                      1.1 (IBM PC)
                      1.2 (Amiga)
                      1.22 (Atari XL, Macintosh, Amstrad CPC)
                      1.3 (Archimedes)
                      Unknown version: none

  Addendum:           There exist at least three variants of the "Old Moose
                      Bolter".
					  During development, the game was named "Green Magic".

2.4  Corruption
*******************************************************************************

  Released:           1988
  Distributor:        Firebird / Rainbird
  Story:              Rob Steggles, Hugh Steers
  Music:              John Molloy
  Graphics:           Alan Hunnisett, Richard Selby
  Title picture:      Duncan McLean
  Programming:        Hugh Steers
  Packaging:          At least two different packages are known: A standard
                      blue Rainbird box whose extents were smaller than the
                      blue boxes before and a larger white box which was
                      distributed on the US market.
                      Sizes:
                      European Box: 15.2 cm x 18.3 cm - 6" x 7.25"
                      U.S. Box:     17.8 cm x 23.9 cm - 7" x 9"
  Goodies:            Michael Bywater, Martin Atkinson, Damon Jones,
                      Richard Cubison
  Package contents:   Tape "Derek Rogers, March 25th",
                      Casino chip 500,
                      Adventure Guide,
                      Gameplay guide,
                      Hint section,
                      Guide to casino games,
                      Personal organizer pages,
                      Disc(s)/Tape(s)
  Platforms:          Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Amstrad PCW, Apple 2, Archimedes,
                      Atari ST, Commodore 64, Macintosh, IBM PC, Spectrum +3
  Known versions:     1.09. (Atari ST)
                      1.11. (Amiga, Apple 2, C64, Macintosh, MS DOS,
                             Amstrad CPC, Spectrum +3)
                      1.12. (Archimedes and Collection Vol. 1)
                      Unknown version: Amstrad PCW

  Addendum:           Normally the game releases came with two different guides:
                      One for the technical aspects like game loading and one
                      gameplay guide. The Archimedes release only had one guide
                      covering both topics.
                      During development, the game was named "Upon Westminster
                      Bridge".


2.5  Fish!
*******************************************************************************

  Released:           1988
  Distributor:        Firebird / Rainbird
  Story:              John Molloy, Pete Kemp, Phil South, Rob Steggles
  Graphics:           Geoff Quilley, Alan Hunnisett, Chris Kent,
                      Richard Selby, Tristan Humphries
  Title picture:      Duncan McLean
  Music:              John Molloy
  Programming:        Richard Huddy, Bob Coles
  Packaging:          At least two different packages are known: A blue
                      Rainbird box which was sized like the Corruption box,
                      but it was printed "landscape" and also a larger box
                      which was distributed on the US market (printed in
                      portrait format). The US package calls the game just
                      "Fish" (without the exclamation mark)
                      European Box: 17.9 cm x 15.1 cm - 7.1/16" x 5.15/16"
                      U.S. Box:     17.8 cm x 23.9 cm - 7" x 9"
  Goodies:            John Molloy
  Package contents:   One week travel card - Hydropolis Underground Omnibus
                      Company,
                      Fish identification chart,
                      "How to take care for your fish",
                      "The 7 Deadly Fins - Project" files including hints and
                      Gameplay guide,
                      Adventure guide (platform dependent),
                      Disc(s)/Tape(s)
  Platforms:          Amiga, Amstrad PCW, Apple 2, Archimedes, Atari ST,
                      Commodore 64/128, Macintosh, IBM PC, Spectrum +3
  Known versions:     1.00 (Atari ST)
                      1.02 (IBM PC)
                      1.03 (Amiga, Spectrum +3)
                      1.07 (C-64)
                      1.08 (Archimedes)
                      1.10 (Collection Vol. 1)
                      Unknown version: Amstrad PCW, Apple 2, Macintosh

2.6  Myth
*******************************************************************************

  This game was only available as a welcome present in the UK adventure club
  Official Secrets and never released to the public. It is rather rare and
  often goes for several hundred dollars on auctions. The game itself is much
  shorter than the other Magnetic Scrolls' games and contains only four
  graphics while the other games have about 30. Official Secrets was founded
  by Tony Rainbird (also founder of the British Telecommunications' label
  Rainbird).

  Released:           1989
  Distributor:        Firebird / Rainbird
  Story:              Paul Findley
  Graphics:           Geoff Quilley, Tristan Humpries, Chris Kent
  Programming:        ?
  Packaging:          The game was shipped in a rather simple card folder,
                      printed in b/w.
                      Size: 14.4 cm x 14.4 cm - 5.5/8" x 5.5/8"
  Platforms:          Amiga, Amstrad PCW, Atari ST, Commodore 64/128,
                      IBM PC, Spectrum+3
  Package contents:   Installation and Adventure guide,
                      Disc/Tape
  Known versions:     1.0. (Amiga, Atari ST, C64, IBM PC)
                      Unknown version: Amstrad PCW, Spectrum+3


2.7  Wonderland
*******************************************************************************

  This game introduced the "Magnetic Windows" system, featuring an graphical
  user interface and a slightly enhanced interpreter.

  Released:           1990
  Distributor:        Virgin Mastertronic
  Story:              David Bishop
  Graphics:           Alan Hunnisett, Chris Kent, Geoff Quilley,
                      and Anna Williams
  Music:              Michael Powell
  Programming:        Bob Coles, Paul Findley, Ken Gordon, Richard Huddy,
                      Steve Lacey, Doug Rabson, Anita Sinclair, Hugh Steers,
                      and Mark Taylor
  Packaging:          They published at least two different packages, again
                      one for the European and one for the US market. Both
                      packages were similiar in design, however the color
                      scheme and the fonts were different. The US box came
                      in two flavours of identical size: A slipcase box and
                      and a two-piece-box
                      European Box: 18.3 cm x 23 cm - 7.25" x 9"
                      U.S. Box:     17.8 cm x 23 cm - 7" x 9"
  Platforms:          Amiga, Archimedes, Atari ST, IBM PC
  Package contents:   66-page user guide,
                      Wonderland poster,
                      Map,
                      Quick reference guide,
                      Voucher for single-sided disk set (Atari ST),
                      Discs
  Known versions:     1.21 (IBM PC)
                      1.27 (Amiga, Archimedes, Atari ST)

  Addendum:           Wonderland was later also released on CD-Rom for IBM PC.
                      The game version is identical to the disk version.

2.8  Magnetic Scrolls Collection Vol. 1
*******************************************************************************

  This release contains renewed and partly enhanced versions of "The Guild of
  Thieves", "Corruption" and "Fish!" running in the new Magnetic Windows
  system.

  Released:           1991
  Distributor:        Virgin Mastertronic
  Story, Graphics,
  and Programming:    refer to Fish!, Corruption, The Guild of Thieves
                      (2.2),(2.4),(2.5)
  Packaging:          Two known boxes of the same size as the Wonderland box,
                      one for the European market, one for the U.S. market.
                      The colouring ist very similar, however the box extents
                      are slightly different.
                      European Box: 18 cm x 23 cm - 7.1/16" x 9"
                      U.S. Box:     20.4 cm x 23 cm - 8" x 9"
  Platforms:          Amiga, Archimedes, Atari ST, IBM PC
  Package contents:   "Getting started",
                      92-page manual,
                      Quick reference guide,
                      Poster map (The Guild of Thieves),
                      Fish identification chart (Fish!),
                      Page from personal organizer and tape "Derek Rogers,
                      March 25th" (Corruption),
                      Discs

  Addendum:           The Collection was later also released on CD-Rom for IBM PC.
                      The game version is identical to the disk version.

2.9  Magnetic Scrolls Collection Vol. 2
*******************************************************************************

  A second "Collection" with the other three classics (The Pawn, Jinxter, Myth)
  running under the new Magnetic Windows system was in the making. The imple-
  mentation was mainly done by Paul Findley while the management was done by
  Ken Gordon. Since the development of The Legacy had already started and Ken
  worked at Microprose in Tetbury while Paul was working in London, the 
  management was not all that easy. So the second collection never got completely
  finished although it was well underway.


2.10 The Legacy
*******************************************************************************

  This horror RPG game was the last game of Magnetic Scrolls released by
  Microprose in 1993. Several ex-Magnetic Scrolls employees worked on it with
  Ken Gordon being the lead programmer. The box contained a manual, a Player's
  Guide and seven 3.5"-disks. It was released in slightly different boxes
  for the European and the the US market. The game interface was based upon
  the Magnetic Windows system.

  Released:           1993
  Distributed by:     Microprose
  Packaging:          Two known boxes of the same size, one for the European
                      market, one for the U.S. market. The colouring is
                      slightly different and the fonts differ
  Package contents:   Manual,
                      Hard disc installation guide,
                      Discs
  Platforms:          IBM PC
  Known versions:     1.154 (IBM PC)
  
  Addendum:           An Amiga version was in the making, but never released.
                      In the U.S. the game was also available as a special
                      collector's edition from Radioshack. There is a small
                      speaker inside the box that makes a creaking noise
                      when the box is opened.

  
2.11 Overview of known release versions
*******************************************************************************

  +-------------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+
  | Platform    | Pawn | GoT  | Jinx | Corr | Fish | Myth | Wond | Coll |
  +=============|======|======|======|======|======|======|======|======+
  | Amiga       | 2.2  | 1. 0 | 1.01 | 1.11.| 1.03 | 1.0  | 1.27 |   *  |
  |             |      |      | 1.05 |      |      |      |      |      |
  |             |      |      | 1.2  |      |      |      |      |      |
  +-------------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+
  | Amstrad CPC | 2.3  | 1.0  | 1.22 | 1.11.| ---- | ---- | ---- | ---- |
  +-------------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+
  | Amstrad PCW | 2.3  | 1.0  | 1.05 |  ??  |  ??  |  ??  | ---- | ---- |
  +-------------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+
  | Apple 2     | 2.3  | 1.0  | 1.05 | 1.11.|  ??  | ---- | ---- | ---- |
  +-------------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+
  | Archimedes  | 2.3  | 1.3  | 1.3  | 1.12.| 1.08 | ---- | 1.27 |   *  |
  +-------------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+
  | Atari ST    | 2.0  | 1. 0 | 1.05 | 1.09.| 1.0  | 1.0  | 1.27 |   *  |
  +-------------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+
  | Atari XL    | 2.3  | 1.0  | 1.22 | ---- | ---- | ---- | ---- | ---- |
  +-------------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+
  | C-64        | 2.3  | 1.0  | 1.05 | 1.11.| 1.07 | 1.0  | ---- | ---- |
  +-------------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+
  | IBM PC      | 2.3  | 1.1  | 1.05 | 1.11.| 1.02 | 1.0  | 1.21 |   *  |
  |             |      |      | 1.1  |      |      |      |      |      |
  +-------------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+
  | Macintosh   | 2.3  | 1. 0 | 1.22 | 1.11.|  ??  | ---- | ---- | ---- |
  +-------------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+
  | Sinclair QL | 1.0  | ---- | ---- | ---- | ---- | ---- | ---- | ---- |
  +-------------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+
  | Spectrum ZX | 2.3  | ---- | ---- | ---- | ---- | ---- | ---- | ---- |
  +-------------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+
  | Spectrum +3 | 2.4  | 1.3  | 1.05 | 1.11.| 1.03 |  ??  | ---- | ---- |
  +-------------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+

  * The Magnetic Scrolls Collection contains the following versions of the
    three classic games:
    Guild of Thieves: 1.3
    Corruption:       1.12.
    Fish!:            1.10

2.12 How to "detect" an Inter-Mediates release
*******************************************************************************

  The Inter-Mediates boxes that Magnetic Scrolls sold after the Telecomsoft
  buyout differ in several aspects from the original Rainbird releases. Since
  the Inter-Mediates boxes do not necessarily show all these characteristics,
  they can not be more than indicators:

  * The box has a sticker on the backside reading
    Magnetic Scrolls
    c/o Inter-Mediates Ltd
    2 South Block
    The Maltings
    Sawbridgeworth
    Herts. CM21 9PG

  * The game disk has a white label carrying the Magnetic Scrolls logo, the
    name of the game, the target platform and a copyright notice which is
    (normally?) dated to 1989, also for the earlier released games.

  * The game boxes are often relabeled. The orginal sticker with the target
    platform is pasted over with a new white sticker.

  * A note explaining the change in distribution and a demand not to return
    defective disks to Rainbird, but Inter-Mediates instead.

  * The game manuals are sometimes reproductions. These reprinted manuals have
    a black coloured cover instead of the original blue.

  * Game feelies, especially the hard-to-reproduce ones, might be missing, e.g.
    the die of The Guild of Thieves or the beer mat of Jinxter.

2.12 Game manuals
*******************************************************************************

  Magnetic Scrolls/Rainbird shipped the games with a manual called "Adventure
  Guide" that contained the platform-specific instructions to run and play the
  games. These guides were independed from the actual game and shipped unchanged
  or only slightly changed with all the classic games. The one exception is The
  Pawn which partially seems to have had its own batch of manuals. In contrast
  to the later manuals these were not called "Adventure Guide" but just 
  "The Pawn ... guide".
  
  Somewhere noted on these manuals is a small id number. These numbers correspond
  to the follwing manuals (list is incomplete):

  The Pawn technical guides:
  --------------------------
  No ID     Atari ST
  E1012     Amiga
  E1013     Macintosh
  E1014     Commodore 64
  E1015     Amstrad CPC
  E1016     Atari XL/XE
  E1017     Amstrad PCW
  
  Adventure guides:
  -----------------
  K612      Spectrum 128k
  K630      Atari ST
  K6309     Atari ST (German version)
  K630      Amiga
  K6319     Amiga (German version)
  K632      Macintosh
  K633      Commodore 64
  K633F     Commodore 64 (French version)
  K633G     Commodore 64 (German version)
  K634      Amstrad 6128
  K634G     Amstrad 6128 (German version)
  K635      Atari 800XL/Atari 130XE
  K635G     Atari 800XL/Atari 130XE (German version)
  K636      Amstrad PCW
  K637      IBM PC
  K639      Apple 2
  K640      Spectrum 128k/+3
  K10720    Archimedes (Corruption "Key guide")
  K10311    Amiga
  K11120    Archimedes
    
3  The Technical Background
*******************************************************************************

  * Major parts of the games were implemented with a tool called FRED. Mainly
    Fred was a data entry tool which was used to store the descriptions of
    objects, rooms and NPCs and describe the properties of each object (e.g.
    weight, movable, burnable, container,...). Each object had a 14 byte
    descriptor block. For The Pawn Fred 23 was used, the later games were
    done with Fred 23junior, which were both developed by Hugh Steers. In
    several games magazines (e.g. the german Happy Computer) FRED was
    incorrectly denoted as a "language".

  * Eventually this game code was compiled into an intermediate code called
    ELTHAM (Extra Low Tech Highly Ambiguous Methodology or alternativly
    Extra Low Tech Highly Ambiguous Metacode).

  * The ELTHAM code implemented a subset of the 68000 machine code. It was
    executed "natively" on ST, Amiga, QL, Macintosh and emulated on the
    other systems. The virtual machine used up to 64k. On 8 bit machines
    they used virtual memory mechanisms. On the C64 non-active pages were
    held on the floppy disc. Only "read-only" pages were swapped.

  * In contrast to the Infocom games the stack is part of the 64k.

  * Except for The Pawn, the game text is stored externally. It is encoded
    with Huffmann algorithm.

  * The pictures of the 16bit ports are RLE encoded.

  * Except for The Pawn the game dictionary is stored externally. With The
    Pawn it is stored plainly within the 64k segment.

  * Due to the emulation the game itself is not aware of the environment it
    is using. The communication between emulation and real system is done
    through LINE_A commands.

  * The I/O model is quite simple. It just supports streams for input and
    output and routines for drawing the images. The output is much more
    limited than for example the Infocom output. However the simple I/O
    model has huge adventages when porting the games to new operating
    systems.

  * With Wonderland and the Collection the communication between emulation
    and real system was heavily enhanced. The 64K limit disappeared. This
    was used to add new features to the games, e.g. the FIND (object)
    command in Fish!

  * The disc protection for the Atari ST (which could only be copied with
    ACopy 1.2p) was realized through a BBC Micro. The ST and the BBC used
    different floppy controllers. The copy protection relied on some special
    features of the BBC controller to write sector numbers > 0xF0. Those
    sectors could be read with the ST floppy controller, but normally it was
    impossible to write the format, because these sector numbers were
    treated as "magic". Though a BBC Micro should not have any problems with
    making copies of the discs.



4  How to play the games today
*******************************************************************************

  The games are long out of print and not available through "standard"
  channels anymore.

  One alternative are the numerous online auctions like ebay or yahoo.
  Magnetic Scrolls' games come up there occasionally. However, sometimes
  the prices that are payed there are beyond rational, so you might prefer
  to check "Classic game specialists" first. There is a well-known
  seller (see 5.[3]) with reasonable pricing.

4.1  The Magnetic Interpreter
*******************************************************************************

  In 1997 Niclas Karlsson has published the first release of his Magnetic
  interpreter. This original release supported all the "classic" games
  including support for the wonderful graphics from the Atari ST. Later
  this version was extended with support for the title screens and the
  title music. In December 2000 the second major release Magnetic 2.0 was
  made available to the public (written by Niclas Karlsson, David Kinder,
  Stefan Meier, and Paul David Doherty), now with support for the Magnetic
  Windows games including the animated graphics. In March 2003 Magnetic 2.2
  was released which came with support for the online hints of the Magnetic
  Windows games. The latest version of Magnetic is 2.3, which was released
  in September 2008. It adds support for the ingame music scores of Wonderland
  that were originally included with the Amiga, Atari ST, and PC versions.

  Magnetic has been ported to a variety of platforms. You can find the Magnetic
  ports at the Magnetic Scrolls Memorial (5.[1]), the development project page
  at Sourceforge (5.[5]) and the IF Archive (5.[6]). The interpreter requires
  the game data and the image data in a proprietary format. Magnetic comes with
  several tools helping you in extracting the data from your original discs.
  Alternatively, you can download pre built files from the Memorial pages
  (Please keep in mind that downloading any of the game files is technically
  speaking illegal if you do not own the appropriate originals of the games).

  The following table provides you with a short overview of the features supported
  by the various ports. All versions support the classic games. If a field is
  marked "-" the feature is not supported. If support is introduced in a
  specific version, that version number is indicated. Generally, it is
  recommended to use the latest available version for your desired platform.
  If a particular option is set in braces, it might be functional according
  to the documentation of the port, but it is unconfirmed.

  +-----------+----------+------------+-------+------------+------------+-------+
  | Platform  | MW Games | Title Pics | Music | Wonder Msc.| Animations | Hints |
  +===========|==========|============|=======|============+============|=======+
  | Acorn     |   2.2    |   2.2      |   -   |     -      |    2.2     |  2.2  |
  +-----------+----------+------------+-------+------------+------------+-------+
  | Amiga     |   2.0    |   2.0      |  2.0  |     -      |    2.2     |  2.2  |
  +-----------+----------+------------+-------+------------+------------+-------+
  | BeOS      |    -     |    -       |   -   |     -      |     -      |   -   |
  +-----------+----------+------------+-------+------------+------------+-------+
  | DOS       |   2.0    |  1.0r2+    |  2.0  |     -      |     -      |  2.2  |
  +-----------+----------+------------+-------+------------+------------+-------+
  | DOS/32    |   2.0    |   2.0      |   -   |     -      |     -      |  2.2  |
  +-----------+----------+------------+-------+------------+------------+-------+
  | Epoc      |   2.0    |   2.0      |   -   |     -      |     -      |   -   |
  +-----------+----------+------------+-------+------------+------------+-------+
  | GEM       |   0.8    |  (0.8)     |   -   |     -      |   (0.8)    | (0.8) |
  +-----------+----------+------------+-------+------------+------------+-------+
  | HTML+JS(#)|   1.0    |  1.0       | 1.0   |    1.0     |    1.0     |  1.0  |
  +-----------+----------+------------+-------+------------+------------+-------+
  | Java      |   2.0    |  1.10+     | 1.2+  |    2.3     |    2.0     |  2.0  |
  +-----------+----------+------------+-------+------------+------------+-------+
  | Linux/glk |   2.1+   |   2.1+     |   -   |     -      |     -      |  2.1+ |
  +-----------+----------+------------+-------+------------+------------+-------+
  | Linux/GTK |   2.1+   |   2.1+     | 2.1+  |     -      |    2.1+    |  2.1+ |
  +-----------+----------+------------+-------+------------+------------+-------+
  | MacOS X   |    2.2   |   2.2      |  2.2  |    2.3     |     2.2    |  2.2  |
  +-----------+----------+------------+-------+------------+------------+-------+
  | PalmOS (*)|    2.2   |   2.2      |   -   |     -      |     2.2    |  2.2  |
  +-----------+----------+------------+-------+------------+------------+-------+
  | Windows32 |  2.0r5+  |  1.0r3+    | 1.0r4+|   2.3r14   |    2.0r5+  | 2.1r6+|
  +-----------+----------+------------+-------+------------+------------+-------+
  | XWindows  |    -     |    -       |   -   |     -      |     -      |   -   |
  +-----------+----------+------------+-------+------------+------------+-------+
  (*) Magnetic interpreter is part of Kronos package.
  (#) Interpreter features are partially implemented using web standards and thus
      are not using the normal interpreter data files, e.g. for graphics.
	  
4.2  Emulation
*******************************************************************************

  If you have an option to transfer your original floppy disc to a newer
  machine like a PC, you can probably run the game under one of the
  many emulators. The games are more or less supported on many of them.
  Some ports of the Magnetic Scrolls games used advanced programming
  techniques on the various platforms, e.g. the title screens on the Atari ST
  were displayed in a non-standard graphics mode (requiring an emulator which
  supports these modes like Pacifist) or the extensive use of the floppy
  disc processor on the C64 (requiring an advanced floppy emulation, e.g. in
  Frodo).

  Enumerating the various emulators is beyond the scope of this document,
  but a good emulation starting point is at 5.[4]. Besides there are some
  guides available for running Magnetic Scrolls games on selected emulator
  at 5.[1].


5  Resources
*******************************************************************************


  There are some Magnetic Scrolls related web sites:

  The Magnetic Scrolls Memorial [1]
  * http://msmemorial.if-legends.org/

  Magnetic Scrolls Chronicles [2]
  * http://www.mschronicles.com

  Buying classic adventure games

  Ye Olde Infocomme Shoppe, maintained by C.E. Foreman [3]
  * http://yois.if-legends.org/


  Emulation

  Zophar [4]
  * http://www.zophar.net


  Magnetic Development

  Magnetic Project Page [5]
  * http://sourceforge.net/projects/magnetic/
  (this site is outdated, refer to [1] or [6] for Magnetic sources)

  Interactive Fiction Archive [6]
  * http://www.ifarchive.org


6  Credits
*******************************************************************************

  Many people from all over the place provided me with information about
  Magnetic Scrolls. A big *Thank you* to all of them. Some special thanks
  for exhaustive help and sharing their memories go to (in random order):
  Paul David Doherty, Stefan Jokisch, Niclas Karlson, Rob Steggles,
  John Molloy, David Kinder, Michael Bywater, Anita Sinclair, Roddy Pratt,
  Richard Hewison, Peter Verdi, Matthias B�cher, Ken Gordon


7  Change log
*******************************************************************************
  2015-10-16  Added Amiga Jinxter 1.2 to versions table
              Fixed some formatting errors
  2015-10-08  Added several adventure guides and technical guides
              Removed wrong entry about Kerovnia map
  2015-08-15  PCW game version of Pawn, GoT, Jinxter
              Added Magnetic Scripts
              Minor additions and corrections
  2014-01-20  Game manual id for Atari XL (engl.)
              Added Jinxter 1.2 Amiga version
  2013-10-22  Minor updates to Magnetic section
              Game manual IDs
  2010-11-13  Minor addtitions to The Legacy and Corruption
  2010-04-15  Minor corrections (Thanks Maddes!)
  2010-03-27  Minor corrections
  2009-05-07  Expanded Legacy chapter
              Note about legal rights
  2009-02-02  Fixed founding year and Collection v2 info
              The Legacy part rewritten
  2008-11-01  Fixed a lot of spelling and formatting errors 
              (Thanks to Matthias B�cher!)
  2008-10-26  Added two-piece-box of Wonderland
  2008-10-13  Added Spectrum+3 version of Myth
              Minor corrections
  2008-09-08  Updated Magnetic part to release 2.3
              Minor corrections
  2008-07-19  Added Amstrad PCW releases
              Minor corrections
  2008-07-11  Details about Inter-Mediates boxes
  2008-04-28  Inter-Mediates Kerovnia map
              Minor corrections
  2008-04-22  Version of Wonderland for Archimedes added
  2008-04-21  Fixed YOIS link
              "Restaurant" story
              MS Chronicles Website
              Removed MS Gallery link
              CDRom-Versions
              Fixed paragraph numbering
              Release overview
              Renamed MS-DOS to IBM PC
              Jinxter 1.01 version
              Collection US box
              Box sizes
  2008-04-05  Renamed "Legacy" to "The Legacy"
              Added note on variants of "Old Moose Bolter"
              Fish note
  2008-04-03  Inter-Mediates notes
              Release note for Apple2 and Mac versions
              Renamed Schneider CPC to Amstrad CPC
              Update JMagnetic notes
              Archimedes Corruption note
              Minor corrections
  2007-07-15  Minor corrections
  2007-06-16  Updated Magnetic section
              Specific game versions added
              Minor corrections
              New contact address
  2003-12-30  Updated Magnetic section, links
  2003-08-22  Added some notes about FRED (provided by Rob Steggles)
              Removed link to Software and More (only selling on ebay now)
  2003-03-27  Magnetic 2.2 update, fixed some typos
  2002-07-11  First release