

                    ***   MICK   ***
               --------------------------


                    Copyright (c) 1993, 1994 DOKA Company






     * A tale of a brave and clever boy named Mick, *
     *     his friend, sweet little girl Masha,     *
     *         and the heartless sorceress,         *
     *     queen of the dreadful cursed castle.     *





      In  a land far, far away, amidst tall mountains and
   gloomy  woods  lies  a  wondrous valley. There lives a
   heartless  sorceress,  queen  of a cursed castle. Dark
   and  cold are the halls and labyrinths of her dreadful
   underground  palace.  No  daylight  ever  reaches  its
   catacombs.  Above  the cursed castle grows a beautiful
   forest. Cold crystal-clear springs, lush trees bearing
   colorful   fruit,   and  lovely  exotic  flowers  lure
   travelers  into  the thicket. But woe betide those who
   enter, beguiled by this beauty! The sorceress does not
   take  kindly  to  those who dare disturb her peace and
   quiet.  Whoever  enters  the  enchanted  woods will be
   trapped  in  her  cursed  castle filled with grotesque
   monsters  and hidden pitfalls. Many a brave knight met
   his  end  in  these  murky  dungeons. Even the animals
   steer clear of this place. Any creature that sets foot
   in   the   forest   the   sorceress   turns   into  an
   inconceivable  abomination. She adores her underground
   zoo.  Using  magic potions, the witch transforms these
   poor beasts, swapping their body parts around...
   
   Meanwhile,  the  world above the cursed castle goes on
   as the years pass...

   But the old tale still lingers among the dwellers of a
   small  hamlet by the enchanted forest. It is forbidden
   to  approach  these woods or let animals go near them.
   Those who venture there never come back...

   Once  upon a time a boy named Mick came to the village
   to stay with his grandparents for summer break. Day in
   and  day  out  he  would play with a sweet little girl
   Masha  who  lived  next  door,  also visiting with her
   auntie  and  uncle.  Oh,  what  fun  it  was to frolic
   together  under the sun, picking flowers, chatting and
   laughing! Or better yet, tell each other scary stories
   heard  from  adults  about  the  cursed castle and the
   enchanted   forest,  giggling  all  the  while.  Their
   favorite game was tossing a brightly colored ball back
   and forth on the meadow by the enchanted forest, where
   the scenery was so wonderful...

   That  day began the same as usual. Mick and Masha were
   playing  catch with their ball, when, at one point, it
   rolled  almost  to  the  edge  of the woods. Masha ran
   after  it...  That's  when  she  noticed a strange and
   magnificent  flower  shimmering  with  magical  light.
   Girls,  am  I  right?  Yes,  she  could not resist-she
   plucked the flower right away!

   All of a sudden everything around them changed. Bright
   sunlight  gave way to darkness, lightning tore through
   the  sky,  and  then  she appeared-queen of the cursed
   castle!   Kids,  you  should  always  listen  to  your
   parents.  The  sorceress  turned  Masha  into a little
   blooming   tree.  And  Mick,  caught  unawares,  found
   himself  underground, all alone deep within the cursed
   castle, transformed into a ladybug. How is he going to
   get out? And how can he save Masha?                   

   Help him do it! While wandering around the castle, try
   to  find as many magic potion bottles as you can. Each
   of  them  turns  a  certain  body part of an afflicted
   animal  into  a different one. They will help you lift
   the spell off the caged critters. When you restore the
   animal to its original form, it will reward you with a
   magical  talisman.  This  colored  gem  will  let  you
   transform  into the animal you just saved. This allows
   you  to  crawl  through  narrow passages as the mouse,
   dive into water as the frog, jump as the squirrel, fly
   as  the  bird  and  fight  your way through enemies or
   scare  them  off  as the tiger. But remember that only
   Mick  can  climb  ladders. Your mission is to find and
   defeat  the  sorceress. The fate of our hero-or rather
   the fate of both Mick and Masha-rests with you!

         Do not fear and do not falter! Good luck!




                      Game controls
               --------------------------

    Left arrow key           = Mick walks left

    Right arrow key          = Mick walks right

    Up arrow key             = Mick jumps and
                               climbs ladders

    C key                    = faster movement on

    X key                    = faster movement off


    Space         = Access the bottle pocket:
   --------------------------
         Left/Right arrow keys  = select bottle
         Enter                  = use potion


    Enter         = Access the talisman pocket:
   --------------------------
         Left/Right arrow keys  = select talisman
         Enter                  = use talisman


    Esc           = Access the main menu:
   --------------------------

            Load  = load saved game
            Save  = save current game
            Quit  = close the game
            Sound = toggle sound On/Off



                    Info and credits
               --------------------------

    Programmer and Artist   A. Silaev
    Development Manager   A. Shevchuk



      JSC "DOKA"
      Building 360, Moscow, Zelenograd, 
          103482, Russian Federation.
      phone: (095)535-6295, (095)536-4020
      fax: (095) 536-5887
      e-mail (Relcom): root@dokadata.zgrad.su

                English translation

    Story translation   Rigel (youtube.com/@potrachenny)

