Solution to Elvira - Mistress of the Dark Combat tips In this game, healing spells is very rare. So if possible try to win all combats without injuring yourself. This may sounds difficult but it is possible. I did! The best weapon is the crusader's sword, followed by the longsword. So, when you started playing, get the longsword as soon as possible, it is in the armoury. The armoury has lots of weapons and armours but don't take the armor unless you are carrying very little items, get the shield instead, choose the one which give the best protection. Weapons skill improve through practice, so stick to the longsword at the beginning. Don't waste your spells on the guards, save them for the gremlins that are inside the garden maze. Fight at the in until you reach the monster's lair. Cast two spells into the cave to finish the monsters inside. Once the monsters in the lair is destroyed, none will appear anymore. Get Elvira's ring and then use it to get the crusader's sword. Make a save before any fight. When in combat, try to guess which direction the enemy is attacking, prepare to block when they did. If you are injured, carry on the fight but load in the saved game and try again until you have defeated the enemy without any injury. At first it might be difficult, but once you have a weapon skill of 60 and above, combat is easy. So in the mean time, endure! Remember one thing though, monsters get lesser and lesser as you finish them off. So after a time, you don't have to worry about combat anymore. To block an enemy attack correctly, all you need is to block/parry at the correct timing, after a few fights, you should be able to judge when to block/parry. As for attacking, you can try any manner of attacking, but once in a while change your combat style a bit to confuse the enemy. Spell Ingredients Ingredients are very limited. So try to collect them when you came across them. Click on anything you see in the screen. Click on trees to get herb, click on plants to get flowers, leaves, etc. Click on hole to look inside them. Click on skull to get the bottle inside. So, you can see that almost anything that is visible is worth clicking. Try not to avoid those area you have been to, they might contains some useful items. Six gold keys must be found to open the chest. 1. Look for bolts in the drawers or cupboard upstairs. Find a silver crucifix. Go to the blacksmith place. Get the crucible in the box and place it in the fire. Place the silver cross inside the crucible to melt it. Then put a bolt in the crucible to make a silver tipped crossbolt. Go to stable. Look at man, when he transform into a wolf, use the silver bolt to kill it. Now go inside and check out the stable closely. One of the iron ring can be removed, behind it is a gold key. 2. Go to kitchen. Mix the light spell. Turn left and click on the dumb waiter. When Elvira opens it, drag the glowing pride to the tunnel to light it up. Elvira will then enter it and give you a gold key. 3. You will need to practice your crossbow skill with the wooden target some where in the garden, just opposite the locked door. Practice a few time until you have master it. Now go to the falconer, when he release the falcon, use the crossbow to kill the falcon. There is a gold key on the dead falcom. 4. Fight you way in the jail until you reach the torturer chamber. You should see a fireplace with a pair of tongs. Click on the iron ring on the floor and drag it to your inventory, This will reveal a skeleton and a gold key. Bring the skeleton to the catacomb to one of the empty coffin and let it rest in peace. 5. Kill the captain in the guardroom. Get the notice. There is a gold key behind it. 6. Go to the knight which cannot be killed in close fight. When he is approaching, use the crossbow. He will fall down the castle. You will need to find his body in order to get the gold key. His body lies beyond the gate under the well. You will need a iron key to open it. The key is guarded by the weretiger at the catacombs. You will need the crusader's sword to kill it. Before you get the sword, you will need to find Elvira's ring. The ring is in the monster's lair in the garden maze. Fight you way in until you reach the cave. Cast a few spell into the cave to kill all the monsters that are hiding inside. Go in and get the ring. Go to the church. Go infront and click at the cross. Now drag the ring to the hollow in the cross. A passage will be revealed. Go inside and get the crown, go forward to see the painting. Use your prayer scroll to open up the painting. Place the crown on the king head and get the crusader's sword. Now go and look for the weretiger. TIming is criticle, only hacking at the right moment will you destroy it (one good hit will kill it). Go to the chamber it is guarding and you will find a iron key in the coffin. Go under the well, unlock the gate and look for the knight's body. It is laying in the middle area, i.e. between the wall and the vegetation. Remember, when you see the message saying that you don't have enough air, surface immediately. The chest Get the pair of tongs in the torturer chamber. Remember, it can only be place in a container or the torturer will get you. Go to the kitchen. Move tongs out of the container, click on burning coal and drag it to the inventory. The tongs will automatically grabs the coal. If you enter water later on, the coal will when off, and you can ignite it by coming back to the kitchen and dropping it into the oven. Now go and find the cannon. Use the tongs with the lit coal to light the cannon. This will blow part of the tower off. The chest is in the blown off area. Go find it. Remember, you will need 6 gold keys to open the locks. Take only the scroll, leave the dagger alone first. Now drag the dagger outside the chest, so that it is not on the screen but in the room. Now click on the red 'R' to exit from the close up view. Now drop your backpack, click on the room icon and drag the dagger into the backpack. Then drag the backpack into your inventory. You might get killed if you try other ways. So be really careful. Emelda She is hidding inside the catacombs. At exactly the middle of the catacombs is a small little hole in the floor. Click on it to see a close up view. Drag the rune stone to the hole, this will make the hole bigger. Make sure you have the following before proceeding: ceremonial dagger, scroll of spiritual mastery, and the crusader's sword. Go down the hole and you will find Emelda draining your life force, so better act fast. First you must drag the crusader's sword to the pentagram to weaken Emelda. Then use the scroll of spiritual mastery to weaken her further. Then use the ceremonial dagger to go for the kill. With this you have completed the game. Congratulation ! Solution by : VOLUME benghai@iss.nus.sg Date : 4/6/91 Time : 2355 Thanks to TANGPENG, eet.holden