In Conquests of Camelot you take the role of King Arthur in search of the Holy Grail. This adventure game was released by Sierra Online in 1989 and is still available on GOG. You begin the game in Camelot. A curse has been cast over the land which is bringing famine and a drought.

The other knights have set off in search of the Holy Grail but haven’t returned. It’s up to you, King Arthur, to rescue the missing knights and bring back the Holy Grail so the curse can be lifted.

The Conquests of Camelot is the first in the series. The second, and only other game in the series, is Conquests of the Longbow which follows the adventures of Robin Hood of Sherwood Forest.

Conquests of Camelot Walkthrough

Camelot

You begin in the castle of Camelot. You can click around the castle to enter different rooms. Enter your room and walk behind the screen to the bottom left corner of the room. Take your clothes. Arthur will automatically get changed, as well as grabbing his armor, shield and sword. Walk to the table and take the purse and then leave the room.

Walk to the garden and enter. Your Queen is here. Talk to the Queen and ask her about the Rose and Launcelot. Walk to the bush and take the rose. If you want you can ‘kiss queen’ before leaving.

Enter the treasury and talk to the man. Ask the man about the bundles and Gewain. Give purse to the man and take gold, take silver and take copper. For a bit of fun type in ‘ham and jam and spam a lot’, for an easter egg from Monty Pythons. Leave and enter the wizard’s tower.

Talk to Merlin and ask about the map. Look at the map hanging on the wall. You can click on the towns to get more information about each of them. Look at the scroll on the table to the right and then read the scroll. Walk to the chest, open it and take the lodestone.

Leave the tower and walk to the chapel. Kneel at one of the altars and give 1 gold coin. Stand and kneel at the other altar. Give 1 gold coin. Stand and leave.

Walk to the front courtyard and mount the horse. Ride through the gate to the west. Once you leave Camelot you’ll be taken to the map where you can choose your destination. Your first stop is Glastonbury Tor.

Glastonbury Tor

When you first enter the forest you’ll be confronted by a little Forest Sprite who will demand copper or tin. Walk up to it and give him 1 copper.  Walk to the west.

Talk to the hunter and give him 1 copper. Ask him about the Mad Monk, the Black Knight, the spear and Gawain. When he’s finished give him 1 gold for the spear then take the spear. Leave to the west.

Ask you walk across to the west you’ll be attacked by 3 boars. You’ll need to time your attacks so that you start your strike with the spear about half a second before the boars reach you.

Continue west and crow will automatically begin talking to you. When it asks if you want to challenge the Black Knight tell it ‘yes’. Look at the skeleton by the rock and take the sleeve. Ride to the east to face the Black Knight.

The Black Knight will ask if you want to save Launcelot and risk your own life. Tell him ‘yes’ and the jousting competition will begin. You can move your shield and your joust. You need to hit the Black Knight on the body, rather than his shield. The easiest way to do this is to start with your jousting stick to the right and move it progressively to the left as the Black Knight gets closer. You should be able to hit his body just to the left of his shield. Once you knock him off three times the Black Knight will be defeated.

Walk to the east and you’ll see Launcelot chained to the tree. Dismount from your horse and walk up to Launcelot. Free Launcelot with your sword and talk to him. Ask him about the Grail and then put Launcelot on your horse which will carry him back to Camelot.

Walk to the east once more and you’ll see a stone circle with a Hag in the center. She wants something from you. Give her the sleeve and she’ll turn into a beautiful woman called Lady Elayne. Look at the runes on the altar where she was standing and then read the runes. It will give you a clue to the next puzzle.

Walk up to the north. You’ll see the mule behind a barrier of five standing stones. Talk to each of the standing stones for a riddle. Once you’ve answered all five riddles correctly you can walk through the barrier.

Here are the answers to all of the riddles. I’ve included just the first few words of each riddle.

Water: Three lives have I
Iceberg: Lighter than what I am made of
Glove: When I am filled I can point the way
Snail: If a man carried my burden
Candle: My life can be measured in hour
Riddle: To unravel me you need a simple key
Ship: Weight in my belly, trees on my back
Heart: If you break me I do not stop working
Key: I turn around once, what is out will not get in
Net: I am only useful when I am full
Mirror: You can see nothing else when you look
Gold: I drive men mad for love of me
Icicles: Glittering points
Arrow: When set loose I fly away
Wine: When young, I am sweet in the sun
Fire: I am always hungry
Shadow: Each morning I appear
Waterfall: Bright as diamonds, loud as thunder
Echo: You heard me before
Pearl: Lovely and round
Time: Until I am measured I am not known
Air: All about, but cannot be seen
Blue: I am seen in the water if seen in the sky
Wheel: I go around in circles
Music: At the sound of me men may dream
Turtle: I sleep within a sturdy dome

Once you’ve answered the five stones correctly step through the barrier to be teleported to the middle of the ruins. Walk to the north, past the altar and north again. You’ll see a monk by a closed well. If you walk towards the monk he’ll run away. Follow him to the north. Try to talk to the monk and ask him about the Grail. He’ll call you a thief and run off to the west.

Follow the monk to the west. If he’s not here keep wandering around until you find him. This time he has two illusions with him. Draw your sword and use the Space Bar to attack with it.  Once you hit the real monk the illusions will disappear and the Old Ones will appear and tell you that you must take his place.

Walk back to the altar and place 5 Silver Coins on it. The Old Ones will accept this as an offering and place a key on the altar. Take the Key and walk north to the well. Use the Key to unlock the well and then open it. Reach into the well to find the Mad Monk’s treasure, a Crystal Heart. Walk to the south, back to the mule, and south again to see the map. Travel to Ot Moor.

Ot Moor

When you arrive at Ot Moor walk to the east and then north to the ice lake. To reach the palace in the center you can either use the rose by saying “love is my shield” or the heart which will turn gold when you’re on the right path and purple when you stray off the path. If you say “love is my shield” the rose will turn into a cloud of petals that will lead the way over the ice.

Once you reach the palace enter through the doors to meet the Ice Maiden. She has Launcelot in a prison of ice. Talk to the Ice Maiden and give her the heart. She agrees to release you and tells you where to find the Grail. Tell her to free Launcelot and she’ll lead you away for a test.

Tell the Ice Maiden that you’re ready for the test and then look at the bush. You will need to answer 3 riddles by selecting the right flower. Here are the answers.

Almond Blossom: When light is dim and courage fails
Anemone: If a dream is abandoned, or a purpose dies
Buttercup: Surrounded by giants, your worries were few
Chrysanthemum: Wise are they who seek it
Cornflower: Known to the priest and nun
Daffodil: It alleviates all pain and sorrows
Forget-me-not: For its sweet sake, you suffer in silence
Lily: It can be sweet on the tongue, or vile as a curse
Poppy: In time of grief, it gives relief
Sunflower: Oh, it is splendid, it has no peer

Once you answer the riddles correctly Launcelot will be teleported back to Camelot and you to the edge of the ice lake. Walk back to the map and then head over to Southhampton.

Southhampton

Talk to the man by the boat and ask about passage, Galahad and prices. Buy passage to Gaza. It will cost you 3 gold coins. You may not have exactly 3 gold coins so you can use 2 gold coins, 4 silver coins and 5 copper coins which seems to work as well.

Gaza

When you arrive in Gaza you’ll be approached by a boy and a man called Jabir. Both of them want you to follow them. Follow the boy to meet Al-Sirat, one of the Guardians. Ask him about Galahad, the Grail, Guardians and Goddesses. He’ll show you the symbols of each of the 6 Goddesses so make sure you write them down.

Stand up and leave Al-Sirats. You’ll make your way out of the town and run into Jabir from earlier. Just ignore him and walk south into the desert. Walk east, south and then east. You’ll see Jabir again and he’ll encourage you to drink from the stream. It’s poisoned, as you can see from the reaction of your mule. Draw your sword and Jabir will run off.

Walk east and then north. Walk up the stairs and down the stairs to the interior where there’s fresh water in the Pool of Siloam. Drink the water and then walk back up the stairs.

Walk north and draw your sword when you see Jabir. Strike him when he rushes towards you to finish him off once and for all. Walk north to the Zion Gate. Give the thug leader 4 copper and he’ll let you walk past to the west. Keep walking around the outside until you come to another gate. Draw your sword to scare off the hoodlum and enter.

Bazaar

When you enter you’ll be robbed but don’t worry about chasing the thief. Talk to Muhammed and sell your mule to him. He’ll give you his purse filled with coins. The Bazaar is filled with merchants of all kinds on both sides of the street. You’ll first need to visit the Seeress, the woman selling apples, and then sort out all of the troubles of the other merchants.

Talk to the Seeress and purchase an apple. Buy the most expensive apple by giving her 1 dinar (gold coin). Now when you speak to the others in the market they’ll tell you their real problems.

Buy a felafal and give it to the little boy. She wants lamb but the meat merchant won’t speak with you until you get rid of the fish smell from the fish merchant. Find the pottery merchant and buy a mirror from him. Talk to the textile merchant. He lost a veil to the woman across the street where you sold your mule. Walk across the street and call for Mari. She will appear from one of the windows. Ask her about the veil. Give her the mirror and then throw her the mirror. She’ll drop down the veil.

Give the veil to the textile merchant so he can clear things up with his wife. Speak to the lamp merchant and buy some herbs buy charcoal while you’re here as well. Give the herbs to the fish merchant to stop the smell. Speak to the meat merchant and buy a cut of lamb. Give the lamb to the felafal seller and she’ll take the little boy as her own son. Go to the grain merchant and buy a bag of grain. You can only talk to him once you’ve given herbs to the fish merchant.

Give the charcoal to the leper and then buy a relic from the relic’s merchant. When he asks for a name tell him ‘Peter’. Give the relic to the lamp merchant and he’ll hand you a broom. Knock on the door of the inn and when the innkeeper opens the door give him the broom. He’ll feed you and let you stay the night.

The next day return to the entrance to the Bazaar, where you sold your mule, and you’ll see a lady crying. Drop the grain on the ground so the pigeons can be caught again. Return to the Seeress and talk to her. Now that you’ve completed all of the mini-quests she will give you a strength apple and tell you to go to the house with the crescent and moon.

Knock on the door and enter. You’ll be tempted by a seductive lady. Resist the temptations and say ‘no’ to all of them. Now you can talk to her. Ask her about Galahad, the Grail, the hierophant, the catacombs and the test. Enter through the door to the right to take the test.

The test appears to be different each time. Click on one of the empty slots for information about one of the Goddesses. You’ll need to place the correct symbol in each slot. You need to remember the symbols of the Goddesses that Al Sirat give you in Gaza as well as the information from page 9 and 10 of the manual. The manual can be found here. Press F6 to finish the test.

Leave the house and speak with the Hierophant, the leper that you gave the charcoal to earlier. Tell him you want to enter the catacombs and he’ll open up a secret passage. Walk inside and Save your game.

Catacombs

Walk north and east (with north being the top of the screen). You’ll see a mummy with a medallion. If you get too close you’ll be bitten by a rat. Instead ‘use sword to take medallion‘. Walk north and north again. Walk closer to the sarcophagus until it opens. Walk up to it and look inside. Take the golden apple.

Walk north, east and east and you’ll see Galahad lying on a brier but when you walk in the room you’ll be bitten by a rat. There’s nothing you can do about it but from now on you’ll need to move quickly. Walk up to the brier and give the elixir to Galahad.

Walk west, north, north, east and south to the statue of Aphrodite. Give the golden apple to Aphrodite and she’ll agree to help you escape if you can answer her questions. The questions will be on the mythology of Aphrodite. You can find the answers by reading the manual here.

Once you get all the answers correct Aphrodite will give you a dove and directions for escaping the catacomb. The directions are west, east, south, east, south, north. You’ll need to take the directions based off of true north which can be found by using the lodestone. The lodestone always points to north. After following the instructions a secret passage will open up leading out of the catacombs and a skeleton will fall down the stairs. Walk up the stairs to Aphrodites temple.

Aphrodites Temple

Do a lap around the temple and once you’ve been to each side you’ll meet Saracen who wants to fight you. He’ll throw a helmet onto the ground. Eat the apple and then wear the helmet. To fight Saracen you’ll need to use the number pad. See the manual for full instructions. If you strike too fast you’ll need to take a break before you can strike again. If you see Arthur’s strikes getting slower use your shield to defend for about 10 seconds before striking again.

Once Saracen has been defeated go to the spiral on the ground and use the dove. Aphrodite will appear and give you a clue to finding the grail. You can ‘ask about grail’ and Merlin will give you more information. Starting from the spiral on the ground follow the pillars anti-clockwise until you come to the sixth pillar. Push the pillar to find the grail.

Unfortunately a thief will run out and steal the grail. Chase after him until you have him caught in a dead-end ally. You now have the choice of killing the thief or taking the grail and letting him live.

Enjoy the final cut-scene. Congratulations on completing Conquests of Camelot: The Search for the Holy Grail.