Mirror, mirror, on the wall....... by Bev Truter While browsing through some old issues of SynTax recently, I discovered an article in the Features section (THE article in the Features section in those days) by Neil Shipman in issue #8. Titled "Mind the Doors!", it was fascinating reading - seeing how many ways doors can be dealt with in adventure games. Since mirrors frequently appear in both text and graphics-based adventures, I felt inspired to dash off something in a similar vein on mirrors. A mirror in an adventure game can be just a piece of furniture - a bit of scenery which adds a touch of interest to the location description, and nothing more. But mirrors are seldom this simple, and usually a mirror is in a location for a particular reason. Mirrors come in an assortment of shapes and sizes. They can be large, small, or wall-sized; you might find mirrored doors, mirrored cabinets, walls which are mirrors, or mazes constructed from mirrors. Mirrors can be movable or immovable, plain or ornate, gilt-edged, framed, clean or dirty, round or square, oval or rectangular, cracked, broken or antique. Something that has a shiny, polished or reflective surface can be used as a mirror - eg, a silver tray, a shiny shield, a square of polished metal or a gleaming suit of armour. The first thing to do on finding a mirror is EXAMINE it to get further information about it. Is it attached to the wall? Can you GET it or MOVE it in some way? Does the surface look strange or is there something odd about it? Is there something behind it? Is it breakable? You can also LOOK AT ME, EXAMINE MYSELF, LOOK IN MIRROR, and even PEER IN MIRROR to get a description of yourself, or sometimes LOOK IN MIRROR will reveal something in the room behind you that you wouldn't otherwise see. LOOK AT ROOM IN MIRROR, or EXAMINE ROOM IN MIRROR might do the same. GET mirror will establish if you can move it or take it; if the mirror is large, and hanging on a wall, it's a fairly safe assumption you won't be able to add it to your inventory, but try, anyway. If a mirror is immovable, there are still many options available. The mirror might have an odd appearance, or something strange about its surface; in this case try PUSHing or TOUCHing it. ENTER MIRROR or GO MIRROR might work if the mirror appears to be part of a machine, or a type of gateway - to another dimension perhaps? A mirror might simply conceal an ordinary doorway or passage, and if MOVE, LIFT, SLIDE and PULL the mirror won't budge it, then try vandalism as a last resort; BREAK, SMASH, or HIT it, preferably with something heavy, eg. a rock, sword, or even typewriter - A mirror might have something hidden behind the reflective surface, so breaking it could reveal a small object, eg, a key or a small jewel. Bathroom cabinets often have mirrors instead of doors, so if you can't unlock this type of cabinet, then try BREAK etc. mirror, it might just work. A maze constructed from mirrors might confuse the directions - which exits are real, and which are reflected? A room with mirrored walls might create some surprising effects; eg, a reflection of yourself which has to be killed. If a creature like a Basilisk or Dragon follows you, an immovable mirror in another location might be used to dispose of it by reflecting the Basilisk's gaze, or bouncing back the dragon's fiery breath. If a mirror appears dirty, dusty or covered in grime you might want to try a spot of light housework and tidy it up. Try CLEAN, WASH, POLISH, DUST or RUB mirror; and for this to be effective you'll probably need WATER, CLOTH, RAG, or better still, SOAPY WATER. If a dirty mirror is cleanable, you'll probably be able to use it in some way later on in the game. If you are carrying a magical item such as a wand, rod, amulet or staff, a mirror may be activated by WAVE WAND, POINT ROD AT MIRROR, RUB AMULET, TOUCH MIRROR WITH STAFF. This could reveal an exit through the mirror to another time, place, or room, or instantaneously transport you somewhere else. If you've found a magic word, try saying it in front of the mirror - with a bit of luck it might dissolve, melt or shatter the glass. Remember glass is also vulnerable to high-pitched noises, so try WHISTLE, and PLAY any musical instruments you can find, or do something to create a shrill sound. (Scream? Nag? Whine?) As I mentioned before, a mirror hanging from the wall of a room may enable you to see something in a different way, either something in the room reflected in the mirror, or something you are carrying may appear different when examined in the mirror. If you are carrying an unreadable note/paper/message etc., then try READ NOTE IN MIRROR, READ WRITING IN MIRROR; or trickier still, OBSERVE MESSAGE IN MIRROR. Examine the room to see what the location with the mirror contains, and if there is something which is reflected in the mirror, try (eg) EXAMINE PAINTING IN MIRROR, or LOOK AT SAFE IN MIRROR. Movable mirrors, or objects with mirror-like surfaces, can be more versatile. If there is some light source, like moonlight or a sunbeam, you can SIGNAL XXX WITH TRAY, (if TRAY is a highly-polished silver one), or REFLECT LIGHT WITH MIRROR, or WAVE MIRROR IN SUNBEAM to signal someone, or flash a message, or attract someone's attention. An object may be concealed in a hand mirror, between the mirror surface and the backing on the mirror. Try PRY or PRISE mirror if you have a nailfile, nail, dagger, or something similar. If you suspect there might be something hidden behind the mirror, try BREAKing it as a last resort. This definitely renders the mirror useless for anything else, and may result in you bleeding to death from the glass shards. A mirror or shiny object which you are carrying could protect you from lethal rays or beams, possibly even a bolt of lightning - DEFLECT BEAM WITH SHIELD, REFLECT RAY WITH MIRROR are two examples which spring to mind. A mirror might be used for protection against the gaze or stare of Medusa or a Basilisk - Medusa should obligingly turn to stone if you WAVE MIRROR, HOLD SHIELD, REFLECT GAZE, etc. A basilisk might destroy the mirror as well as itself if you use this method, so make sure you have done everything else you need to do with the mirror beforehand. I personally doubt if a mirror would be effective against a Dragon (I'm sure Nogwidget would agree with me on this!), but at least one famous old game had the Dragon seeing his reflection in a wall of ice, and melting it with a spurt of flame. If you come across a dressing-table with a mirror, or a cheval mirror, or any type of free-standing mirror; then try TURN, PUSH, PULL and SWING MIRROR - I know of at least one game where the mirror swings aside to reveal a secret tunnel. I know there are probably quite a few "things to do with mirrors" that I haven't covered, but I've tried to dredge up all the various ways of dealing with mirrors from my own and a few friends' personal playing experience. If you've discovered other uses for mirrors, then drop a line to Sue. - o -