                    Electric Sheep Entertainment Software
                                  presents
                        -----------------------------
                         The Multi-Dimensional Thief
                        -----------------------------
                           ***SHAREWARE VERSION***

SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS: The Multi-Dimensional Thief is a text-based adventure
game, requiring at least 300k of RAM, approximately 1.8M of free disk space
and DOS version 3.0 or greater. Thief supports SuperVGA (on a 386 or higher)
and VGA graphics, and can also be played in text mode on any 100% IBM
compatible PC. 

GETTING STARTED: Type "THIEF" to start. Thief will automatically try to detect
your computer's graphics capabilities. If you have a SuperVGA or VGA adaptor,
the game will begin in graphics mode. For EGA, CGA and monochrome adaptors,
Thief will begin in text mode.

TROUBLESHOOTING: If Thief does not correctly detect your computer's graphics 
adaptor, try the following steps:

(i) If you have a SuperVGA adaptor, check to see if your computer has a VESA
driver installed. Then, type "THIEF VESA" to start the game. (A VESA driver is 
a piece of software that would normally be supplied with your video adaptor.)
See your computer dealer if you have problems locating a VESA driver.

(ii) Type "THIEF VGA". This runs Thief in VGA mode, even on a SuperVGA card.
Use this option only if you cannot make Thief run properly in SuperVGA mode.

(iii) Type "THIEF EGA". This runs Thief in text mode, as if on an EGA adaptor.

(iv) Type "THIEF CGA". This runs Thief in text mode, as if on a CGA adaptor.

(v) Type "THIEF MONO". This runs Thief in text mode, as if in monochrome.

(vi) Obviously Thief has taken a dislike to your machine. Drop us a line
telling us what the problem is, along with the type of computer and video
adaptor you have.

MORE TROUBLESHOOTING: If Thief does not detect your machine's mouse:

i) Check that your mouse is plugged in correctly, and that you have a mouse-
driver installed. A mouse-driver would normally be supplied on a disk when 
you purchased your mouse. See your computer dealer if you have problems 
locating a driver.

ii) If running Thief under Windows, you still need to have a mouse-driver
installed. Windows itself does not require a separate mouse-driver to be 
loaded, which is why your mouse may work under Windows but not with Thief.

iii) Ensure that you have your most recent mouse-driver installed, as some
incompatibilities exist with older drivers. 

PLAYING THE GAME 

COMMANDS:  The Multi-Dimensional Thief understands a wide variety of commands,
which can be entered using the keyboard, a mouse, or a combination of both.

KEYBOARD INPUT: Type commands with the keyboard. A selection of the more
common commands are assigned to the function keys.
             
             F1  - get                   F6 - inventory
             F2  - drop                  F7 - help   
             F3  - examine               F8 - save
             F4  - read                  F9 - load
             F5  - look                  F10 - quit 
 
Pressing Control and an arrow key in the numeric keypad you will move in that
direction, eg. Ctrl+UpArrow = north, Ctrl+DownArrow = south, Ctrl+Ins = up, 
Ctrl+Del = down. Pressing Escape will clear the current command. Thief holds 
your last twenty commands in a buffer. The UpArrow and DownArrow keys allow 
you to select from these (just like DOSKey). In addition, PgUp selects the 
oldest available command, PgDn the most recent. 

MOUSE INPUT: In graphics modes, commands can be entered by clicking the left
mouse button on one of the icon buttons in the bottom right corner of the 
screen. All the obvious exits are highlighted by the direction buttons, and
clicking on one will move you in that direction. For example, clicking on the 
"N" button has the same effect as typing "go north". In both text and graphics
modes, you can click on any word on the screen and it will appear in your 
command. Double-clicking on any word in your command will erase it. The right
mouse button is the same as Enter.

GIVING COMMANDS

1) Moving around: Type the direction you want to go: NORTH (n), SOUTH (s),
EAST (e), WEST (w), UP (u) or DOWN (d). In-between directions (ne, nw, se, sw)
are not used in Thief. 

2) Thief understands a number of common actions. Note that many synonyms 
exist, for example, TAKE is the same as GET, and PUT ON is the same as WEAR. 
A short list is given below, with any abbreviations shown in brackets.
LOOK (l), EXAMINE (x), WAIT (z), READ, TAKE, DROP, PUSH, PULL, PUT, TURN, CUT,
LISTEN, SMELL, EAT, DRINK, KILL, SWIM, THROW, OPEN, CLOSE, HELP, PLAY WITH... 
This is not an exhaustive list, however, and you may try anything you like.

   When entering commands, you can leave out words like "the" and "a". Neither
capital letters nor end of sentence punctuation marks are needed. Otherwise,
game commands can be much like normal english sentences. 

OTHER EXAMPLES OF COMMANDS

> sleep
> get ring
> wear it   ("it" refers to the object in the previous command)
> read sign
> jump five times
> take everything from the shelves
> look under the bed
> take all except chair and book
> smash the chair against the boulder
> push the seat, get the pail, and then go north
> put the statue, sapphire, and box on the shelf 

SPECIAL COMMANDS (abbreviations in brackets):

AGAIN (g): repeats the last command.
HELP: may (or may not) give you a hint.
INVENTORY (i): lists the items you are carrying and wearing.
SCORE: gives your current score (out of 60).
RANK: gives your current ranking.
BRIEF: will cause location descriptions to be short.
VERBOSE: full location descriptions; Thief starts in verbose mode.
LOOK (l): will give you a full description of your current location.
QUIT (q): quits the current game session.
VERSION (v): gives the version and credits of the game
RESTART: restarts the game from the beginning.
SAVE: A save window will appear on the screen. It has space for ten saved
  games. Select any slot, either with the arrow keys or by clicking with the
  mouse, type a description for the saved game and press Enter (or click the
  right mouse button). A message will appear confirming that the save was
  successful. If you save a game without giving it a description, it will
  automatically be called described as "-untitled-".
LOAD:  The load window will appear, containing the names of any saved games.
  Select an entry with the arrow keys or mouse, press Enter and the game will
  load.  
MOUSE: This toggles the mouse on or off.  You can also type MOUSE ON or MOUSE
  OFF. In graphics modes, the mouse will display as the standard arrow shape. 
  In text modes, the mouse pointer shows as a differently coloured box. 
NOTIFY: toggles score notification on or off (you can also type NOTIFY ON or
  NOTIFY OFF). If score notification is enabled, a message will notify you 
  each time your score changes. 
TV: toggles the TV picture display on or off. You can also type TV ON or TV
  OFF. If the TV is enabled, pictures of many objects and scenes will be
  displayed at appropriate times. If the TV is disabled, you will see only 
  the title displayed. The TV command has no effect in text modes.
TEXT: For machines supporting VGA or SuperVGA graphics, the game begins in
  graphics mode, but it can also be played in text-only mode. By typing 
  TEXT 25, TEXT 43 or TEXT 50 the screen will change to text mode (with 
  either 25, 43 or 50 lines of text on the screen). For machines without 
  VGA or SuperVGA, the game starts in 25 line TEXT mode.
DEFINE: Typing this allows you to (re)define the function keys, F1 to F10. 
  The on-screen instructions will tell you how to change the key definitions.

  If the game understands all of the words in your command, but still seems
confused by the command, try to say the same thing using fewer words and a
simpler sentence. When in doubt, simplify your commands as much as possible. 
This also saves typing effort. 

REGISTRATION:

(i) Why register? What's in it for you? When you purchase a registered 
version of Thief you will receive:

* The most recent version of Thief, with no nagging Shareware messages
* More SuperVGA and VGA pictures
* A hint booklet, containing instructions, hints, and a complete map
* Notification of updates to Thief
* Special offers on future Electric Sheep products

(ii) How to register? An order form should be included with this package,
in the file called ORDER, which can be printed out for convenience. 

* UK: 
Send a cheque or money order for œ10 (œ8 + œ2 shipping and handling), made 
payable to Sue Medley, to:

                   Electric Sheep Entertainment Software UK
                               c/o Sue Medley
                               9 Warwick Road
                                Sidcup, Kent
                                  DA14 6LJ

* USA: 
Send a cheque or money order for US$20 ($15 + $5 shipping and handling) to:

                  Electric Sheep Entertainment Software USA
                               1515 DeKalb Pike
                                   Suite 100
                              Blue Bell, PA 19422

(Pennsylvania residents please add 6% sales tax.)

* Australia: 
Send a cheque or money order for A$23 ($18 + $5 shipping and handling) to:

                    Electric Sheep Entertainment Software
                               P.O. Box 731 
                               Toowong, 4066
                               QLD Australia

* Other countries, we're sorry we missed you this time. Please send your
registrations to the Australian address, preferably in Australian dollars. 

CREDITS

Designed and Created by: Joel Finch
Artwork: Joel Finch, Stephen Atkinson
Photography: Stephen Atkinson
Additional artwork: Michelle Atkinson
Programmed with: TGC, the Text Game Compiler, created by Joel Finch
Lead Testing: Stephen Atkinson, Darren Baker, Paul Long 
Additional Testing: Paul Finch, David Gunsberg, Melinda Hungerford,
  Sarah Parmenter, Jamie Townsend, Brooke Lollback, Peter Petroff
Thanks to: Sue Medley, Robert Esposito, David Urquhart, Jean Childs


LEGAL BIT

  The Multi-Dimensional Thief and its accompanying documentation are 
copyright 1994 Electric Sheep Entertainment Software. The shareware version 
may be freely copied and distributed, however the specified fee must be paid 
to Electric Sheep Entertainment Software or its representatives in order to
receive and use a registered copy of The Multi-Dimensional Thief. Any
unauthorised duplication of any portion of the registered version by any 
means will be considered a breach of copyright.
  No warranty for this software and documentation is provided, either
expressed or implied. In no event will Electric Sheep Entertainment Software 
or its representatives be liable for any damages resulting from possession, 
use, or malfunction of this product, in either or both of its shareware and 
registered versions.

In plain terms: It's ours. If you want it, pay for it. Don't steal it. 
Unfortunately, software being what it is, if it breaks, you own both bits.

