The Black Cauldron

This is a document I found and corrected as well as I could. Excuse any grammatical anomalies, they’re NOT MY FAULT. Things that happen as a result of pressing F keys are bracketed [like this]. This solution may not be entirely accurate, as I'm adding my own notes from memory, and can't check either these or the original author's (whoever it was) notes due to my disks having been corrupted for the past 6 years or so. If anyone has a copy of the game they'd be prepared to sell me, or knows where I can download it, please mail me at hecate@lineone.net.
The game is based on the surprisingly decent Disney animated film based upon the series of books by Lloyd Alexander, and was made for children (don't let that put you off - it's a good game, and quite complex in places). Waching the film will give you more of an idea of what to expect than reading the books (I've done both several times).
Good Luck.
- Kat

Beginning
go to the door and press F6 [open door], enter and go to the cupboard. Press F6 [take knapsack], press F6 [take apple], press F6 [take bread], F6 [take water bottle]. Now go to the fire, F6 [take gruel]. Leave the room and go east, go to the shed and F6 [open shed], F6 [get corn], go to the gate and F6 [open gate], press tab key and go to the gruel, F4 [feed the pig Hen Wen with the gruel]. Now walk west back to the house, go to the door and F6 [open the door] and enter. Go to the bowl and wait, now get a rope, leave the room with the pig.

Getting Hen Wen To Safety - Or Not
Outside the house go west. Go to the tree and F6 [get lute]. Go west, n, n, n, F6 [get dagger], e, press tab key, go to waterflask, F4 [fill flask with water], s. There is a house in the bushes, search for the underground house, F6 [open door] and enter. Go to the cupboard and F6 [get cookies].
A big bird may show up at any time and pick you both up. Should this happen Hen Wen will have been captured. This is the more likely of two situations. The other possibility is that you and Hen Wen make it to the hidden house. If you are captured you must return to this point when freed (2 x south).
The best way to avoid capture is to go as fast as possible to the hidden house, temporaily ignoring any objects along the way. Whenever the bird shows up on the screen you are on, move quickly to a different screen.

THE REST OF THIS SOLUTION ASSUMES THE PIG HAS BEEN CAPTURED. To be brutally honest about it I haven’t got the foggiest idea what you’re supposed to do if the bloody creature doesn’t get captured - I suppose you follow the same solution with the added bonus of not having to find the pig, or possibly you just have to go and get the cauldron.

Getting To The Horned King's Castle (method 1)
Leave house, s, w, (Morva Marsh), n, n, n, (Eagle Mountain).
Start at the right of the screen to walk through the rocks. When through the rocks go n, get the rope and press key 7 and then F2. Now climb the rope, climb rocks. After you have climbed the rock wall and gone down the other side of the mountain, you will see some crocodiles.
You must swim to the other side (watch for crocodiles!!!). When on the other side go to the wall and F6 [climb wall]. You will see a window. F4, use the dagger, enter window, e, e, e. Wait until creeper sits down by the throne, F6 [jump down and go to the pig], F6 and walk with pig west, w, up, w, w, F6, the pig is free.

Getting To The Horned King's Castle (method 2)
In the mountain range west of the dark woods, you can climb over and take a land bridge across to the Horned King's castle. I don't know if this is what the author is reffering to or not (like I said, I can't check the thing), so I'm just mentioning it in case.

When Captured
Having freed Hen Wen, wait for the henchman to capture you. He puts you in prison. In the cell there is a tin cup, F6 [get cup], go to the door. F4, use tin cup, wait, down, go north, w, w, go to the wall, press F6 x4, n, F6 [get sword], (you can use the sword to stop the henchman), s, s, e, F6 [get keys], press tab and F4, use keys on door, enter door (the cell of Flire Flam the bard), F4 use sword to free Flire Flam, leave cell, w, up, e, F6 [open door], F6 [get all], s, s, F4, use sword to open bridge, leave castle.

When Captured (alternative solution)
In your cell you might notice a trap door. Princess Eionwey (sic.?) should come through this to save your sorry hide and take you to the catacombs. Again, I don't remember too much of this, but it's worth mentioning.

Getting to the Black Cauldron and (hopefully) Saving the Worldbr> E, s, now go back the way through the mountains, down the rope and walk trough rocks, s, e (walk through the tree), e, swim, e, swim, e, bridge, go to the right side of bridge and F6, F6 and you get a food wallet, s, wait here for Gurgy and give Gurgy the apple, s, you'll be at the water fall, w, go to the pig foot-prints and jump from rock to rock to reach the big one, F6, down, F6 and F4, offer the lute to king Eiddileg.
You will get a mirror and the flying dust. F4, use flying dust to go up, (in the water) leave water and go w, w, (swamp) F4 use the flying dust, fly to the left from the screen to the yellow ground (hidden area of Morva), stop flying and F4, go to the door and F6 [open door], go to the chest and F6 [open chest], wait for the witches, F6, press tab and get sword, F4, use, outside, F6, don’t go to the Black Cauldron, wait for Gwythaint, he must steal the Black Cauldron, then use flying dust, fly e, fly n, stop flying and F4, n, n, w, (base of Eagle Mountain) now go back to the castle, go to the bridge and enter the castle. Inside castle go n (wine cellar), n, w, down, e, go to the grate, F8, F6, F6, now wait and look what happened. Do nothing. The game is over for you, let the computer play the game for you now. Don’t get the book and the gold at the end, wait until the game is over. You can press the help key to see the commands.

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