MIGHT AND MAGIC 9

                  Help from Richard Batey

The following are some ways you can improve your chances in the
game by taking advantage of some `features' (alright then.bugs!)
within the game:

Isle of Ashes

Once you have cleared the island of skeletons and have got the key
from Yrsa, proceed to the locked door and open it.  Just behind
the door is a chest, which tends to have some useful stuff in it
including spells and skills.  At this stage DO NOT READ THE BOOK
as this will instigate the cut-scene and finish that level.
Instead make your way to the ruins on the hill and enter them but
don't even think about exploring too far as the monsters wondering
about the place will make mincemeat of your party.  Head for the
opening on your right and you will see a chest that will contain
some particularly nice loot (if not just restore and try
again..you did save before going in didn't you?).  Now leave the
ruins pronto.

Now onto the best bit!  Once you leave the ruins all the chests on
the island reset including the one behind the locked door, but not
the one in the ruins itself I'm afraid.  All you have to do is go
back to the chest and open it to find some nice trinkets, re-enter
the ruins, exit immediately and go back to the chest, empty chest
then re-enter the ruins etc. etc. etc. until you get bored or
consider yourself tooled sufficiently.  This should give your
party a nice start.

Drangheim

Within Drangheim you will find a house belonging to Count Kluso
that you need to rob as part of the Assassins promotion quest
(though you can take advantage of this bug even if you decide not
to take this quest).  The house is heavily defended by some really
tough guards and even the Count himself is one mean fighter who

can do tremendous damage per hit.  He will more than likely polish
off your party by himself in no time at all.

If you enter the house during daylight hours all the guards will
descend upon you and you will not survive long.  Take the time to
scout around the house and you will find a ladder leading up to
the second floor where there are a number of windows.  If your
party has sufficient skills in perception you will notice that you
can enter through one of these windows instead of going in through
the front door.  Even better, if you enter after midnight all the
guards will be asleep at their posts!  Pick them off one at a time
while their comrades sleep blissfully just a few feet away
oblivious to the sounds of battle.  Once you have done for the
guards it is time for Kluso himself.

As I said, if you enter his room he will surely do for your party.
Instead if you stay on the second floor you will see a balcony
overlooking the room where you will find the Count.  If you jump
from this balcony you can land on top of a bookcase where you will
be able to shoot the Count but he will be unable to hit you back!
He takes a lot to kill, he has well over 7,000 hit points but when
he dies he leaves some nice loot, over 500 gold and is worth over
one thousand experience points, which is nice.  Now onto the good
bit..leave the house and re-enter through the upstairs window
again.  All the guards will still be dead but miraculously you
will find the Count alive and you will be able to jump on the
bookcase and kill him all over again for yet more experience
points.  Pick up the loot, exit house, re- enter, kill the Count,
pick up loot, exit the house, re-enter the house, kill the Count
and repeat, repeat, repeat until you have enough money and
experience points to really level up.

Thjorgard

You will not be able to take advantage of this feature until later
in the game as the monsters you will have to face are quite tough
so you have been warned.  As part of the Dragon quest you will be
asked to enter and survive the Training Hall just outside of the
town.  It is very easy to enter but believe me when I tell you
that it will not be so easy to leave!

Once you have finished off the two Ghouls in the first room, take
the door to the west and you will come to a room with two
Lizard-Orcs.  Now these are tough with a capital T.  If you
survive this fight you will find in the room a couple of attribute
enhancing barrels and, if you chop up the right crate, a black
chest containing an artefact (a magical piece of armour or
weapon).  The good news is that if you now exit the training hall
and re-enter, kill the Ghouls and Orcs, the chest re- spawns with
a new artefact.  You can repeat this until you collect virtually
every artefact in the game (excepting those that are in specific
locations for you to find).  You can keep the good artefacts and
sell the rest for oodles of money.  The bad news is that you have
to leave the hall first.

The only two ways to leave is either by magic (Town Portal or
Lloyd's Beacon) or through the exit that is guarded by no less
than nine Lizard-Orcs.  Now that will be one tough fight, good
luck!
                              - o -