Walkthrough
This walk-through is the end result of decoding the data contained in the game file.
In hindsight, I doubt that I would ever have finished this game had I not looked at the game data. Finding the axe is one puzzle, very early on, that is almost impossible for most players to solve. Looking at the forest is a concept that doesn't really fit with text adventures. Yes, look at individual things within the location description, such as a furnace or stove, but the "forest" is a whole area that the player is in and a player would think that by simply using "look" they'd get all the information they need. There are some other puzzles a bit like this later on that require exact wording, which makes it a bit difficult.
Welcome to The Sword of Hrakel. You have arrived home to find the village depopulated by the spells of an Evil Mage.
What now?
s (to village pond)
get duck
n (to quiet village street)
n (to quiet village street)
n (to high green hill)
n (to sick oak tree)
e (gloomy forest)
e (gloomy forest with small door)
look forest (finds axe)
get axe
w (gloomy forest)
w (sick oak tree)
n (clearing)
go hut
look stove (to find bronze key)
get key
s (to clearing)
s (to sick oak tree)
s (to high green hill)
s (to village street)
e (to village square)
unlock door
drop key
open door
go door (to town chamber)
cut chains
kill duck
feed man (man disappears and hole appears in wall)
go hole (to dusty storeroom)
get lamp
get shovel
n (to town chamber)
e (to village square)
w (to village street)
s (to village street)
w (to village store)
get matches
get bottle
e (to village street)
e (to smith's place)
look furnace
get hammer
w (to village street)
n (to village street)
n (to high green hill)
n (to sick oak tree)
go path (to meandering path where wolf is)
kill wolf
s (to meandering path where plants are)
kill plants
drop bottle
drop axe
w (to meandering path where dead horse is)
s (to the crossroads)
go hut
get shelf
get scroll
w (to the crossroads)
smash lock
drop hammer
n (to meadering path where dead horse is)
e (meandering path)
n (to meadering path where dead wolf is)
n (to sick oak tree)
climb tree
look nest (to find ring)
get ring
d (to sick oak tree)
s (to high green hill)
dig (to find silver chest)
open chest
look chest (to find gem)
light lamp
drop matches
get gem
n (to sick oak tree)
e (gloomy forest)
e (gloomy forest where small door is)
n (gloomy forest)
w (gloomy forest where guru is)
give scroll (guru vanishes and drops small silver key)
get key
s (to gloomy forest)
e (to gloomy forest where small door is)
unlock door
drop key
open door
go door (to ground floor of tower)
u (to roof of tower)
rub gem (to kill gargoyles)
get bar
d (to ground floor of tower)
get rug (to find trapdoor)
open trapdoor
go trapdoor (to long staircase)
smash door
go door (to stuffy room with pit)
drop bar
drop rug
d (ring floats you gently to bottom of deep pit)
e (to majestic chamber)
get sword
w (to bottom of pit)
look pit (to see handholds)
climb up (to stuffy room)
put shelf (to span pit)
cross shelf (to large dismal cave)
get compass
n (to stuffy room)
u (to long staircase)
u (to ground floor of tower)
n (to gloomy forest where small door is)
w (to gloomy forest)
w (to sick oak tree)
go path (to meandering path where dead wolf is)
s (to meandering path)
w (to meandering path where dead horse is)
s (to the crossroads)
drop lamp
drop ring
drop shovel
open door
go shed
get raft
e (to crossroads)
s (to meandering path)
s (to golden beach at edge of lake)
sail raft (to lake)
look compass (to far side of lake)
s (to magic circle where evil mage is)
kill mage
You've killed the mage and ended his spell
Well Done!