Castle Danger
| Castle Danger | |
|---|---|
| ◄Eamon adventure #281► | |
 | |
| Author | Pat Hartman |
| Created | c. 1982 |
| Released | May 2026 |
| Revised | 2 July 1983 |
| Native format | Apple DOS 3.3 |
| File | Eamon 281 - Castle Danger.dsk |
Castle Danger is an Eamon adventure written by Pat Hartman, distinctive for its colorful pictures of several game locations. It was officially added to the Eamon catalog in May 2026.
Background
Castle Danger was likely written in 1982 when Hartman was working as a computer specialist for the County of San Diego in California. One remark in the adventure's code gives the date as 26 April 1982; another indicates that the latest revision to the code was made on 2 July 1983. The remark notes that Jeff Stumpf, who like Hartman was a member of the Apple Corps of San Diego (ACSD), provided assistance.
The adventure was probably added to the software library of the ACSD, but it seemingly didn't enter wide circulation and never reached the National Eamon User's Club, which formed in 1984. The adventure number shown on Hartman's disk — #93 — was actually assigned by the club in May 1985 to Flying Circus by Rick Krebs.
In May 2026 eBay user ianoid auctioned a set of 13 assorted Apple II floppy disks, one of which was a copy of Castle Danger. (The set also included the uncataloged adventures The Jester's Court and The Trapster's Maze by Raymond Feist.) Huw Williams acquired the set of disks for $20, extracted the adventures to DSK files using Applesauce, and made them available through the Eamon Wiki.
Premise
The adventure begins without an introduction, starting the adventurer at a set of gates along a lane that leads to a distant stone castle. The implied goal is to explore the castle, find all the treasures within, and return safely to the Main Hall.
Walkthrough
Castle Danger has 30 rooms in a straightforward layout with no locked or hidden passages so fully exploring it is an easy process. The steps below will take you through every room so you can encounter all the monsters and find every treasure. Along the way the game will show you images made by Hartman of four different locations.
Note that some locations have descriptions that mention artifacts which may or may not be present. For example, the jewel room mentions a chest and a red jewel, regardless of whether those artifacts are in the room.
- Beginning at the main gates of the castle grounds (image #1), follow the road north and enter the castle.
- Go north through the foyer to the first four-way intersection.
- Take the west passage to a vault where you'll encounter a hunchback. Return to the intersection.
- Take the east passage through a torchlit hall (image #2) to a round room. Grab the pot of gold and gold pieces, then descend the stairs.
- From the winding passage, go north, then west to where the hall bends.
- Go up into the upper east hall. Fight Dracula and take the crystal wand and platinum mirror.
- Go west and you'll be in the treasure room, guarded by Frankenstein, Rodan, and the Phantom of the Opera. Dispatch them, then collect the treasures and the emerald sword.
- Go south twice to a four-way intersection.
- Take the west exit and descend into a cavern where you can battle a mist monster. Return to the intersection.
- Take the east exit and fight the three bats hanging in the bat hall. Return to the intersection.
- Go south twice to another four-way intersection, this one guarded by a green dragon.
- Take the west passage which leads to the jewel room (image #3) where you can collect a bludgeon, a carved chest, and a gem on a cushion, guarded by a "wobbly Snoopwiggie". From here the passage continues west, but terminates at an iron grill, so return to the intersection.
- For completeness, you can optionally take the east passage to a set of stairs (image #4) and follow them to the top of the tallest tower. From here you can step east into the air ("you are falling") and then down ("you hit ground and die"), but the adventure treats these as regular rooms with no special effects, so you can simply go back up and west to return to the tower.
- From the intersection, go south all the way to the castle entrance, south to the main gate, and then south to return to the Main Hall.
The amount of treasure in the adventure is generous, with Sam Slicker easily paying 15,000 gold pieces or more depending on your charisma and what you're able to carry.
Trivia
- "Snoopwiggy" (the name of a monster in the jewel room) is a character from the Raggedy Ann children's book of the early 20th century. The character has green skin and six limbs.
Gallery
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Room 1: Main gates and path outside castle -
Room 8: Castle corridor with flaming torches -
Room 17: Room with chest, pillow, and gem -
Room 20: Steep stairway
External links