Welcome

Welcome to GemQuest! You are the Warrior, a brave adventurer equipped with a sword, a magic bag of carrying, and a beginner's amount of spell-casting ability. Do you dare climb the stairs into the mouth of the stone-carved demon, to enter the dungeon where unknown terrors await?

As you explore the dungeon, you will encounter foes great and small. If you can defeat them, you can gain treasure and experience. You main quest is to find the five gems, one to be found on each level of the dungeon. Each gem will add to your magic powers, to help you complete your quest.

Starting Your Adventure

When you start GemQuest, you will see the title screen. You can choose [N]ovice, [I]ntermediate, or [E]xpert skill level. Then, your adventure will be prepared. Please be patient, this can take 30 seconds or so. Then you enter the dungeon.

Overview and Movement

You are the Warrior, with your short sword at the ready. When you enter a room in GemQuest, it will look much like this:

Your stats are to the right. You begin the game with 20 Hits (physical health) and 5 Magic points. A blinking star will appear next to your Hits to warn you that you’re dangerously low.

Use the [Arrow Keys] to move horizontally, vertically, or diagonally.

In this particular room, we see there are exits to the left, right, and bottom of the screen. The top of the screen shows a staircase. The Up indicator near the lower-right of the screen tells you the staircase leads up, in this case out of the dungeon.

In this room, there is no opponent – the Empty indicator signifies that. Your room coordinate (3-1-1 in this example) is shown at the extreme lower right, and your score (915 points in this case) is shown just above that. A high score will earn you a place on the Scroll of Heroes.