Solution for Angus Appleby's Ptarmigan.
This is an adventure for the 16K ZX Spectrum, which appears to be written in
Basic with a few machine code hacks. Don't expect descriptive texts, intricate
puzzles, or any other amenities. All input has to be in lower case; verbs need
to be entered in full (except n,s,e,w and i, which can't be), but nouns can
be abbreviated to their first three letters. There are instant-death rooms,
too many red herrings, and not enough useful clues. All in all, Ptarmigan is a
typical child of its time: the gameworks, as a mere puzzle, but a well (or at
all) thought-out world it is not.
-- Richard Bos, October 2014
n, w, w, n, n, get magnet, s, s, get coin, e, e, n.
use (tsk!) magnet, s, e, drop magnet, s, e, insert coin.
s, (you can't take the magnet into this room), w, get key.
e, n, w, n, get magnet, open keyhole, e, take stick.
drop magnet (any other object would have worked as well, but (as you were
warned in the introduction) it must be dropped after you take the stick), w.
w, n, n, n, get cassette, s, s, e, e, insert cassette.
n, n, insert stick, n, w, w, take golden ring (and you must refer to it using
its adjective; "ring" isn't understood; and similarly for other objects).
e, e, s, s, e, type snowdrop (yes, there is a hint to that password somewhere
in the game, and in fact you've already seen it - but clear it is not).
You are now instructed to choose a pedestal; pick number 3. I haven't been able
to find any clue to why you should choose that pedestal, but that's the one
which wins the game.
