[illustration - looking up at dark figure silhouetted in doorway at top of
stairs; dusty, cobwebby desk and stuff in bottom foreground...  
caption - "Alone at the bottom of a narrow stairway, in a deserted mansion
at the edge of town, you come upon an ancient mystery - and the beginning
of a strange new adventure...]

The Agon Mansion

   More than a hundred years ago, the eccentric scientist and inventor Dr. 
Josef Vincent Agon lived here -- a recluse who shut himself up behind the
locked iron gates and the tall shuttered windows of the great Victorian
mansion.  In his studies of the powers of the human mind, Agon
distinguished himself as one of the world's greatest scientists.  But the
nature of the experiments conducted in this mansion remains a mysterious
secret.  Was he exploring the powers of the mind... or the powerful and
dangerous forces of the occult?  Was he a genius... or a madman? 

   No one ever knew. Agon disappeared without a trace.  His relatives
closed the mansion, and it has remained locked and deserted.

   Until now.

   For tonight, walking nearby, you discover to your surprise that the
iron gate stands ajar.  Curious, you push the gate open and cross the
front path. As you touch the brass knob, the door yawns open with the
groan of rusty hinges.

   At the end of the front hallway you discover a secret passageway.  A
mysterious glow emanates from below -- a pale, haunting light that draws
you, almost against your will.  Step by step you descend the long, narrow
stairs, where no one has ventured in over a hundred years...

   Dr. Agon's laboratory!

   Among the dusty equipment stands a mirror, aglow with pale light.  A
fantastic machine faces the mirror, a device that looks as if it may have
been designed for travel -- but what kind of travel?  THe ornate timepiece
in the center of its control panel is frozen in time, both hands at twelve
o'clock. 

   On a small writing desk nearby, you discover an old leatherbound diary.
Perhaps this will explain the mysterious device.  Breathless with
curiosity, you begin to read the yellowed pages....

April 21, 1850

   My hands still tremble with excitement as I write these words.  For
today I have tested "The Eidolon" -- the device that represents the sum of
a lifetime's research into the mystical powers of mind.  Whether I have
failed or triumphed I cannot say.  I can only describe the strange
mysteries I have seen.

   Seated in the Eidolon, with the power reserve at its peak, I pressed
the trigger at the side of the main operating lever.  Across the room I
had set up a mirror to view whatever changes might occur during the
experiment.  To my surprise, the mirror itself began to glow.  The light
grew brighter and more inviting until it seemed to envelop the room.  I
found myself within the light, transported by it, until suddenly I seemed
to enter a mysterious landscape -- a series of cavens that opened in many
directions.

   Strange glowing spheres of energy -- some red, some blue, some green or
gold -- rushed past.  I hardly knew whether to dodge or chase them!  Then
the strangest vision occurred: a statue of a troll-like creature appeared,
then came to life and began to walk towards me.  No sooner had this
curious apparition appeared than I found myself back in the laboratory,
the power reserve of the Eidolon abruptly depleted.

   Have I discovered some alternate mystical world that coexists with our
own?  Or have I inadvertently _created_ some new and frightening world
by unleashing the powers of nightmare and fantasy?

   Tonight I am exhausted.  But tomorrow, with the Eidolon's power
reserves replenished, I shall attempt to find out.



April 22, 1850

   I have no explanations for the mysteries I have encountered.  The
Eidolon was designed to tap the limitless energies of the mind.  Instead,
I find myself transported into a world of vast strangeness inhabited by
creatures of the most extraordinary kind.  Are they simply the shadows of
the mind made substantial?  Or are they denizens of a world as real as our
own, but made up of energies and forces of a very different nature?

   For now, I can only describe these strange inhabitants.  I have
attempted a few rough sketches of those I have encountered.
[illustration: short, squatty humanoid troll/devil w/horns on head, pot
belly, three fingers/toes on each limb, and a general look of power and
mischief]

   Most frequently I have seen these troll-like inhabitants, who seem
quite content to let me pass.  But I must be careful not to touch them,
lest they drain the Eidolon's power reserve.

   [illustration: short, squatty "baby dragon"-looking critter]

   The Biter Bird is quite different.  These creatures attack without
provocation -- although once or twice I have managed to scare them away.

   [illustration: top, front, and side "technical drawings" of The Eidolon
(NO callouts of components etc. -- just pretty pictures]

   [illustration: six-legged, four-body-segmented insectoid with
helicopter blades (!) ]

   This creature, the Rotofly, is less dangerous than annoying.  I have
found that they scare easily -- all I have to do is approach one and it
gets out of the way.  But no sooner do I turn around than I find it behind
me, still whirring and hovering.

   These various inhabitants appear to be attracted to the power of the
Eidolon.  Indeed, they seem almost to feed off the Eidolon's energy.
Thus, if one touches the device, the power is depleted and I am
transported back to my laboratory.


May 1, 1850

   I have begun to investigate the strange physical nature of the spheres
of energy.  Their colors appear to indicate something of the type andlevel
of their energy:

RED: The red fireballs are the most destructive.  When a red fireball
   strikes the Eidolon, its destructive energy drains the device's power
   qreserves.  When I launch a red fireball at one of the underground
   inhabitants, the creature is thrown backwards by the impact, its powers
   weakened.  The effect is only temporary, however, for the creature soon
   recovers and attacks with renewed vigor.

GOLD: Gold fireballs, rather than endangering the Eidolon, actually
   recharge its power reserve.  I have encountered them at irregular
   intervals throughout the caves - fireballs the same color as the
   Eidolon, suspended in the air.  To tap their energy, I must simply
   approach and collect them.

BLUE: These fireballs have the astounding power to alter the flow of time.
   When I have managed to catch one, the Eidolon's clock suddenly lights
   up with blue energy, and I gain time to explore the caves.  The Eidolon
   itself can also generate blue fireballs, which have an even more
   amazing effect.  Creatures struck by a blue fireball immediately freeze
   in their tracks.  The effect lasts only a short time -- although long
   enough, perhaps, to deal with troublesome creatures.

GREEN: Green fireballs have the most extraordinary power to transform one
   creature into another.  When an inhabitant of the caverns is struck
   by a green fireball, it instantly changes into a creature of a
   different shape!  There is no way to know whether the new creature
   will be more or less dangerous than the one before.

   Although the Eidolon is capable of generating fireballs exactly like
those that course through the caverns, the process quickly drains the
device's power reserves.  But I have learned that I can target and capture
the energy of the fireballs -- with the exception of the destructive red
fireballs, to be sure -- and thereby recahrge the Eidolon's power reserve.

[illustration: screen-shot from the game; Eidolon control-panel, with
callouts:  
     A: (upper-left "C...H" meter) : Proximity Meter -- Shows how close
         you are to the dragon.
     B: (upper-right "-...+" meter) : Energy Meter -- Shows your energy
         reserve.
     C: (central clock : Time Clock -- Shows remaining time in fractions
         of a minute.
     D: (leftmost of two lower-right cirles-with-numbers-in-them) : Time
         Counter -- Shows whole minutes left.
     E: (rightmost of two lower-right circles-with-numbers-in-them) :
         Level Counter -- Shows which level you are on.
     F: (small circles to upper AND lower, left AND right, of central
          clock) : Fireball Indicators -- Shows which colors are
          available; flashing indicator shows which color is selected.
     G: (lower-left bank of three diamond shapes) : PowerJewels --
          Indicators glow when jewels have been collected.
     H: (outer rim (?) of central clock) : Direction Indicator -- Shows
          which direction you are facing.
]

May 14, 1850

   Today, I encountered a creature I have never seen before.  When I
directed a red fireball at this guardian of the caverns, the creature
disappeared -- and in its place, a mysterious glowing jewel of energy
appeared.  I collected the jewel and stored it in the Eidolon.  Exactly
what it is or how it functions I don't yet know.

[illustration: The Dragon ... well, it's a dragon...!]


May 21, 1850

   There are mysteries within mysteries in the world I have discovered.
Having reached the end of the cavern, I came upon a stone statue of a
dragon.  The statue was protected by a mystical barrier of energy,
shimmering red.  All my attempts to breach the barrier so far have
failed...


May 25, 1850

   I have discovered a way to capture red fireballs!  Launching a red
fireball at another causes their energies to combine to form a gold
fireball which is then safe to capture.  In general, fireballs of equal
energy will combine, but higher energies always absorb lower energies.

   One by one I have gathered up the mysterious glowing jewels of energy,
until I now possess three of them -- red, green, and blue.  Today, as I
approached the statue of the dragon at the end of the cavern, I tried
ramming the barrier.  Suddenly it glowed red, my red jewel vanished, and
the barrier of mystical energy dissolved!  The dragon was awakened.  In a
moment its furious attack depleted the reserves of the Eidolon, and I
found myself back in the laboratory.

   Tomorrow I shall confront the dragon again...


May 27, 1850

   Again I faced the dragon.  With all the energy I had left, I attempted
to subdue the writhing creature with fireballs.  I tried every combination
of red, green, blue, and gold.  Suddenly the energy from one of the
spheres I fired overwhelmed the creature.

   In that instant I experienced a great surge of energy, not unlike the
flash of light that occurs each time I enter the mystical realm, and I was
transported into another level.  Before me stretched caverns even more
twisted and maze-like than before, with fireballs even more numerous than
before, and strange new creatures.  I shall attempt to describe them.

   [illustration: globular creature with suction-cup/hose-like snout, and
side and tail fins/wings]  These odd inhabitants, which I call Puffer
Birds, have the ability to catch the glowing spheres of energy and blow
them back.

   [illustration: two-toed/fingered humanoid insectoid]  This is a Grep.
The Grep is extraordinarily curioius and alert.  It is best to remain
perfectly still when one approaches, for they frighten quite easily, and
they can be very unpredictable.  

   [illustration: one-eyed, four-fingered, no-toed, pot-bellied humanoid
(head is the single eye, on a long neck)]  This odd apparition, which I
call the Bottleneck, is one of the more dangerous guardians of the
underground caverns.   There are ways to maneuver the Eidolon around a
Bottleneck, but it isn't always easy.


June 2, 1850

   It has been more than five weeks since I first tested the Eidolon.

   The mystical world is composed of many levels, each a maze of caverns.
The caverns become more twisted and complicated the deeper I go.  The
entrance to each level is defended by a fierce dragon.  No two dragons are
alike.  Each has its own vulnerabilities, which I must discover in order
to pass.

   Each level has its own guardians as well, strange creatures that hoard
the glowing jewels of energy.  Only with the power of these brilliant
jewels have I been able to breach the mystical barriers that protect the
dragons.

  So far I have counted five levels.  If my suspicions are correct, there
will be seven levels -- seven the mystical number.  Past the seventh
level, who knows what awaits!


June 13, 1850

   Last night, I had a strange vision -- half dream, half fantasy.  I
imagined I had made it through the seventh level, past the final
guardians.  Suddenly, against an immense and limitless sky, I beheld a
many-headed dragon more fearful than anything I have encountered.

   With the light of morning, the vision lingers, too vivid and haunting
ot be dismissed.

   As I face the unkonwn at each level, I find myself less afraid.  It is
as if, in confronting these fierce guardians, I am confronting my own
fears.  Today I intend to set out to discover once and for all the great
secret so fiercely guarded by the dragons.   My excitement combines with a
strange sense of dread, for each time I venture into the mystical realm, I
find it harder to return to the real world.  Something irresistable and
compelling awaits me.  I have no choice but to follow, wherever it may
lead....


QUICK START

  Loading Instructions

    Set up your computer as shown in owner's manual.  Turn on drive and
TV.  Plug joystick into first port.  (Commodore 128: set system to
Commodore 64 Mode.)  Insert game diskette with the label for your computer
facing up and turn on your computer.   Atari: the program will autoload.
Commodore 64/128: type LOAD "*",8,1 and press RETURN.

  Commodore 64/128 with Epyx Fast Load (TM) Cartridge.  Turn computer off.
Insert Fast Load Cartridge into the cartridge slot and turn computer on.
Hold down Commodore (C=) key and press RUN/STOP key to load game.


1. Begin Game.  Press the red button on the joystick or Atari: press
   START.  Commodore 64/128: press FL.

2. Move Through The Caverns.  Push joystick in desired direction: forward,
   backward, left or right.

3. Shoot Fireballs.  First choose the color of fireball b pressing 1 Red,
   2 Gold, 3 Green, or 4 Blue.  To fire, press the red button on the
   joystick.

4. Capture Fireballs.  Approach fireballs, centering them in the
   diamond-shaped cursor, and press the SPACE BAR.

5. Collect Jewels. Approach jewels, centering them in the diamond-shaped
   cursor, and press the SPACE BAR.

6. Release Jewels.  Approach the dragon barrier.  If you have the correct
   jewel, the barrier will dissolve; if not, the barrier will glow the 
   color of the jewel you need.

7. Pause and Restart Game.  Pause - Press P.  Restart - Atari: While
   paused, press RETURN.  Commodore 64/128: Press RESTORE.

8. Reboot Game.  Atari: Press SYSTEM RESET.


Hints

   Red fireballs are deadly!  To avoid them, try to move out of their way
or shoot a fireball at them to discharge their energy.

   When you have defeated the guardians and collected as many of the
jewels as you can before your time runs out, approach the energy barrier
in front of the dragon.  When you have defeated the dragon, the gate
behind him will open and you may proceed to the next level.

   To replenish the Eidolon's energy reserves, capture as many gold
fireballs as you can.
------
Manual Transcribed by: Chris Chiesa
lvt-cfc@servtech.com

