Lure of the Temptress

Table of Contents

Lure of the Temptress is a computer game designed for the Amiga, Atari ST, and DOS, developed by Revolution Software, and released by Virgin Interactive Entertainment in 1992. It is a point-and-click adventure game. Lure of the Temptress has a great story line, nice graphics, nice sounds, and provides hours of fun thanks to the witty dialogs...

 

 

Story

The story is about a kind-of-typical unexpected hero, a young peasant named Diermot, who wakes up one day to free the maiden and save the kingdom... It is actually a bit more complicated than that an involves a witch, man-eating Skorls, a dragon, and some turncoats on both sides. Diermot is a beater for the King's hunting party. During the hunt, the King and his party goes to the remote village of Turnvale because of a revolt. When the King arrives in Turnvale, he and his men are attacked and killed by Skorls, who are mi-boars mi-humans and who are led by a witch, called Serena. Diermot is thrown unconscious in the dungeon.

Diermot wakes up in a cell and must escape before being killed. While escaping, he delivers Ratpouch who becomes his shadow. Then, he must deliver a young maiden, transform into Selena, annoy a dragon, and, ultimately, defeat Selena. He must also discuss with various characters, including two gargoyles, to collect information and items that help him in his quest.

 

Realisation

Graphic Design

Lure of the Temptress is a third-person perspective adventure game with a clean point-and-click + drop-down menu interface. The action is based on scene (screen) in which various characters are present and interact (and sometime rudely ignore each other!). Going from one scene to another happens when Diermot walks "outside" of the scene, using one of the various paths connecting the scenes. Mostly, the scenes are places in the village of Turnvale and interiors of various buildings in the village. Below are some screenshots, highlighting some typical interactions with the game. They also show the quality of the graphics.

This is the market place. Diermot is the character in white while his fidel Ratpouch is the character in brown.
Most elements of the scene can be LOOK AT by simply clicking on them with the left mouse button.
When LOOKing AT an element, Diermot moves close to the element and describes it "aloud" (through a dialog box).
Diermot can also interact with any LOOKable element of the scene and other characters through an intuitive drop-down menu.
Some actions from the drop-down menu prompt other menus, for example to choose an item to use on an element.
Diermot can also gives elaborate order to Ratpouch or Goewin using series of drop-down menus.

 

Musics and Sounds

Music is poor in Lure of the Temptress because, besides the intro., there is no music at all. The sounds are nice and include dogs barking or hammers hammering...

 

Animations

The animations are nice in Lure of the Temptress, the characters movements are smooth, and various items and pieces of machinery move.

 

Gameplay

Point-and-Click, Drop-down Menus

The user interface of Lure of the Temptress is very intuitive, nice, and easy to learn. All actions, including picking/using items or discussing with other characters, are realised by clicking a part of the screen with the mouse and its left button and then choose various actions from a drop-down list or from a set of pre-built sentences. This interface give more room for the actual scenes, does not clutter the screen, and remove any confusion and, of course, the need for typing german sentences.

 

Quality

The story is quite interesting (for those who like heroic-fantasy of course, others please move along...) and the game creates a nice atmosphere of middle ages and sorcery and magic. The game is just the right length and you can pause it at any moment without loosing the thread of the story. With the solution, I finished the game in a couple of weeks, playing about 1 hour per day. However, without the solution, I suspect that the game kind be quite long, time to figure out all the tricks necessary to defeat Selena!

 

Misc

If you want to save your games, whether using AmigaForever or WHDLoad, better save an image of your session in WinUAE, because the AmigaForever version crashes mid-game and because I could not load saved game in the WHDLoad version.

You will need a map of the village to play most of the game if you don't want to visit the same places over and over again and to take "shortcuts". Here is a complete map of the village, along with screenshots and major features of each place:

You will also need the following recipe and ask Goewin to make it for you so that you can awake and control the dragon, who will give you the orb to defeat Selena:

The meeting with the dragon summarises the whole story:

 

Solution

(The following is a combination of the solutions found on LemonAmiga (typed by Deluxe with Kool Falco's help) and The Spoiler Center. The complete solution in images is available on Let's Play Archive. In caps are people, places, items, or actions in the game.)

In THE CELL you must PULL TORCH and move close to the door, so when the guard goes in, you
leave immeditely. When you leave, CLOSE DOOR and then LOCK DOOR, so that the guard cannot hurt you.

TALK TO PRISONER, who will ask you for water. Go to the GUARD ROOM, GET KNIFE, GET BOTTLE, LOOK AT BARREL, USE TAP ON BOTTLE, USE KNIFE ON SACK, LOOK AT SACK, and then go right to TORTURE ROOM, in which Ratpouch is prisoner.

USE KNIFE ON LEATHER CORD, which is fixed to Ratpouch's feet. Go back to the OUTER CELL and GIVE BOTTLE TO PRISONER, he will tell you a way to escape. TELL RATPOUCH TO PUSH BRICKS and when he leaves the cell, follow him.

You are now in the SEWER OUTLET. Go to the FORGE, GET TINDERBOX (on the floor), TALK TO LUTHERN, leave and go to SEVERED ARMS, TALK TO EILEAIN, leave. Talk to MALLIN (the character in green clothes), he will give you a METAL BAR, which must bring to the VILLAGE SHOP and
GIVE TO EWAN. Ewan will give you some money and GEM. Go to the MAGPIE TAVERN, TALK TO MARKUS, BRIBE MARKUS, TALK TO MARKUS again. Then, find and TALK TO MALLIN, go to the FORGE, TALK TO LUTHERN, go back to MAGPIE COURTYARD, and TALK TO GRUB (who is lying on the ground). Ask Grub about the BLACK GOAT. Now, TALK TO LUTHERN, go to the SEVERED ARMS, and TALK TO EILEAIN. Eileain will give you a DIARY, EXAMIN DIARY. Go back to the MAGPIE TAVERN and GIVE GEM TO NELLIE. Nellie will give you a FLASK. DRINK FLASK.

Find Luthern and GIVE FLASK TO LUTHERN. He will empty it for you. Now, go to the MARKET PLACE, GIVE LOCKPICK TO RATPOUCH. At this point in the game, you should save the game, because you do not know what will happen next: after entering Taidgh's house, a Skorl could come in and kill you! LOOK AT DOOR of Taidgh's house, you will see a lock. TELL RATPOUCH TO USE LOCKPICK ON LOCK and enter the house.

In Taidgh's house, as fast as possible, LOOK AT APARATUS, USE OIL BURNER WITH TINDERBOX, USE FLASK ON TAP, which is on the very right side of the APARATUS. Exit the house as soon as possible to avoid any Skorl coming in.

Go to MIDDLE STREET and DRINK FLASK. You will change into Serena. Enter THE DOOR of the Town Hall and TALK TO SKORLS. You will set Goewin free. Now you can go and talk to anyone you want, there are many funny dialogs, in particular with the Skorls, Luthern, Gwyn, Eilaine, Ultar, Morkus, Gereint, and Grub. As soon as you go to the CASTLE WALL, you revert to your previous form.

Go to APOTHECARY WORKSHOP and TALK TO GOEWIN. Go to BLACKFRIARS ROW and LOOK AT NOTE. Find MALLIN and TALK TO him. He will give you a book. With this book, go to MONKS LODGE and TALK TO TOBY (the tall monk) and GIVE BOOK TO TOBY. To thank you for the book, Toby will tell you how to fight SELENA: remember the INGREDIENTS that he will tell you.

Go to APOTHECARY WORKSHOP and TALK TO GOEWIN to tell her that the potion is for a dragon. Goewin will not have COWBANE so you must find some: either you can go and find COWBANE yourself or you can TELL RATPOUCH TO GO TO THE FORGE, AND THEN ASK CATRIONE FOR COWBANE, AND THEN GO TO SMITHY STREET, AND THEN GET COWBANE, FINISH. Ratpouch will actually be helpful and come back with the cowbane. ASK RATPOUCH FOR COWBANE and GIVE COWBANE TO GOEWIN. Goewin will make the potion and, after a little while, TALK TO GOEWIN so that she will give you the potion. TALK TO GOEWIN again.

Go to the SEVERED ARMS, TALK TO ULTAR, go to the WEREGATE, TALK TO GORGOYLES, go to the APOTHECARY WORKSHOP and TALK TO GOEWIN so that she will meet you at the gate. TALK TO GOEWIN again and follow Goewin inside the cave immediately, before the doors close again!

In the first cave, PULL RIGHT SKULL. Go to the next cave. Go back to first cave and TELL Goewin to GO TO GREEN CAVE. Follow her. TELL GOEWIN TO GO TO ENTRANCE CAVE, AND THEN PULL LEFT SKULL, AND THEN PULL RIGHT SKULL, AND THEN GO TO GREEN CAVE. After Goewin is done, the next door will open. Go through it before it closes again. PULL LEFT SKULL. TELL Goewin to GO TO GREEN CAVE, AND THEN PULL RIGHT SKULL. Save your game now before you meet the beast! Walk in the RED CAVE. You will meet a beast. To deafeat the beast, just keep on hitting it until it dies. Go to the next caves until you arrive in the dragons' lair. USE POTION ON DRAGON and then TALK TO DRAGON, commend him to help you and the dragon will give you an eye. Leave the caves, Goewin may remain in the ENTRANCE CAVE but it does not prevent you to complete your quest. Before leaving, TALK TO GOEWIN.

Go to the FORGE and TALK TO LUTHERN, then TALK TO MELLIN. Mellin will tell you about the SKORL. Go to the MARKET PLACE. When you see a Skorl going into the VILLAGE SHOP, LOOK THROUGH THE WINDOW, and you will hear the conversation. When the Skorl leaves, then TALK TO SKORL, he will tell you about the barrel, go to the VILLAGE SHOP and TALK TO EWAN. You will hide in a barrel and enter the CASTLE.

In the cellar, LOOK AT CASK, the one in the left corner and you will see the BUNG. Now, go
to the KITCHEN, GET TONGS, LOOK AT CARCASS, GET FAT. Save your game now before you talk to Minnow, in case you cannot hide in time or wine runs out! TALK TO MINNOW, tell him that you are here for Selena. TALK TO him again and ask him to tell his master that someone is in the WINE CELLAR. As soon as he leaves, go to the left and USE TONGS ON BUNG and either hide yourself in the very right corner of the room or go to the upper diner room. A Skorl comes in and sees the wine and gets drunk quickly. After the KITCHEN, you reach a room with a junction with two openings. Go through the right one and walk through the DINING ROOM, filled with drunken Skorls. You reach the GATE ROOM. Then, USE FAT ON LEVER, TELL MINNOW TO OPERATE LEVER, while he does it, PULL WINCH. The gate will open. Now, go back to the junction again and go through the left opening. Save your game now before you meet the beast! You will reach a bridge guarded by a beast. After you killed the beast, you will face Selena and defeat her...

"... and so, the town of Turnvale was freed from Selena's evil tyranny. The Skorls remained, but eventually they became part of the everyday routine of the sleepy town. Morkus was driven from the town in disgrace, while his son Minnow was apprenticed to Luthern. And my faire Goewin? She grew plump and content with babies. I sometimes imagine the surprise on the faces of Nellie, Ratty and all my friends were I to visit them at the Magpie Tavern, but that chapter of my life is close now. When Luthern and Goewin were wed, I left Turnvale, perhaps forever."

 

Conclusion

Lure of the Temptree is a great game, a classic click-and-point, thrid-person adventure game. It has a very nice gameplay, with easy to use menus for interactions. It must be praised for its high-quality graphics! It also features a great story with dragon and beautiful maidens, and funny conversations. All-in-all, a great game that will keep you awake for some times!

 

Marks

  • Musics: neutral;
  • Sounds: good;
  • Graphics: great;
  • Playability: excellent;
  • Lastability: some weeks.

 

Summary

  • Name: Lure of the Temptress;
  • Publisher: Virgin Interactive Entertainment;
  • Type: point-and-click fantasy adventure;
  • Date: 1992;
  • Hardware: Amiga OCS/ECS, 512Kb;
  • License: commercial;
  • Final mark: 8/10.

 

Further Reading

 

The last three changes:

Tygre - 2015-06-06 09:55:16 pm  |  Tygre - 2015-05-09 11:37:42 am  |  Tygre - 2014-11-23 01:39:52 pm