"We should try to find a place to stay for the night. The horses need a rest." Those were the coachman's last words before he disappeared without a trace. Lost deep in the Black Forest, you soon find out that some things should remain buried forever.

ABOUT THIS GAME

The Curse of Rabenstein is a graphic adventure from Stefan Vogt, the author of the acclaimed Hibernated interactive fiction series, available in English, Spanish and German language. The Curse of Rabenstein is following the paths of the legendary adventures from Level 9, but it tries to meet modern gaming expectations, so that the most sophisticated genre back from the day transforms into a contemporary homage.

SYSTEMS

Rabenstein is available for C64, Plus/4, CPC, ZX Spectrum (48k and 128k with divMMC), ZX Spectrum +3, ZX Spectrum Next,  Amiga, Atari ST, MSX1, MSX2, DOS and modern PC.

TRANSLATIONS

Versions for all systems are available in both English and Spanish language. There also is a point and click edition available in German and English language, which is C64 only. Please scroll down for the translation credits. I'd sincerely like to thank fellow authors and fans of the game that made these translations and ports possible. 

PHYSICAL EDITION

A boxed release with stunning beautiful art, media, feelies and extras may be ordered from Poly.Play. The C64 point and click version may also be ordered physically in both English and German language. You may choose between disk and cartridge formats, whatever lifts your spirits.

C64 40TH ANNIVERSARY (POINT AND CLICK) EDITION

There is a special edition of Rabenstein featuring a point and click interface which you can either play with mouse or joystick. It comes with wonderful moody SID tunes. If you're not into parser-driver games, this might be the right version for you. 

REQUIREMENTS / STARTING YOUR ADVENTURE

C64 - Insert the game disk, then type: LOAD"*",8,1. Once loading is done, type RUN.

Plus/4 - Insert the game disk, then type: LOAD"*",8. Once loading is done, type RUN.

Spectrum 48k/128k (with divMMC device) - Copy the files from the provided archive onto your divMMC SD card. Launch the TAP file like you would load any other game.

Spectrum +3 - Insert disk then use the machine's built-in LOADER function.

Spectrum Next - Just copy all files to a folder on your Spectrum Next SD media and load the game as you would load any other game. Note that the Spectrum Next version makes use of the machine's extended capabilities and thus presents location graphics on-par with the 16-bit versions. It also runs at smooth 14Mhz to make sure the text is fluid on screen and graphics are loaded fast. If you bought the physical edition, you find this version on the supplied SD card(s).

CPC - Rabenstein should run on any machine with an internal or external disc drive. Insert disc side 1, then type: run"disc. The game will ask you to insert disc side 2 at a certain point of progress.

Amiga - Insert the game disk. Rabenstein will auto-execute.

Atari ST - Insert the game disk. Double-click RABENST.PRG to start your adventure.

MSX 1 - Insert the game disk. Rabenstein will auto-boot.

MS2 2 - Insert the game disk. Rabenstein will auto-boot. This version comes with extended graphics based on the Spectrum Next version.

DOS - Copy all contents to a hard disk drive. Execute RABENST.COM to start your adventure.

Modern PC - The game will run on any modern PC with a JavaScript enabled browser. Just open the HTML file to get started. If you bought the physical edition, you find this version on the supplied SD card.

SAVING / LOADING

You can SAVE and LOAD your progress anytime. When asked for the filename to load, be sure to first insert the disc where you saved your game.

GAMEPLAY

Generally you may use the in-game HELP function to get a basic overview how to play the game.

PARSER LOGIC

The game conforms to a two word logic, e.g. EAT APPLE.

INTERACTION

The objects you urgently need to interact with to complete the game are visible under YOU NOTICE.

EXAMINE / SEARCH: A pretty important but anachronistic practice is to EXAMINE objects you can interact with, so you learn more about them or get useful hints. Sometimes you also need to SEARCH to progress further. Please note that EXAMINE and SEARCH is not the same in this adventure and thus may trigger different results. Make sure you try to examine the things mentioned in the room descriptions as there is much to discover and these replies add a lot to the game's atmosphere and the background story. Try to EXAMINE FOREST or EXAMINE SHADOWS at the location where you start to get an idea about it.

DYING

As scary as this game is, you can't die in Rabenstein. There are also no dead ends. The progress is very linear.

HINTS

A map is not urgently necessary for Rabenstein. There is a solution available at CASA. Hints are provided in the popular invisiclues format, which is the recommended way in case you're stuck.

RELEASE INFORMATION

Type VERSION and CREDITS to see which version of the game you're running.

CREDITS FOR THE SPANISH EDITION

Spanish translation: J.A. Rubio

Additional support with code and compilation: Uto

I sincerely like to thank everyone who was involved in making the Spanish translation become reality. Back when I wrote Rabenstein, I never thought it would be such a massively loved game from communities all over the world.

CREDITS FOR C64 40TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION

The  C64 40th Anniversary Point and Click edition was developed using the D42 Adventure System by  Tobias Erbsland und Stephan Lesch.

D42 port and German language translation: Sönke Wolfgramm

SID Music: René aka Peacemaker

Testing: André Eymann

Special thanks to Stephan Lesch for all his support, for fixing bugs and providing us with custom builds of the D42 system.

LEGAL

The Curse of Rabenstein is (C) 2020-2022 Stefan Vogt and Puddle Software. All rights reserved.

WEB

Stefan Vogt on itch.io: 8bitgames.itch.io
Puddle Software: http://puddlesoft.net
Publisher: http://polyplay.xyz

DONATIONS

Please support the hard work that went into this game and donate via itch.io.

You may also buy me a coffee http://ko-fi.com/8bitgames