King's Quest IV: The Perils of Rosella
First posted on 01 July 2010. Last updated on 01 July 2010.
You play Princess Rosella, daughter of King Graham and Queen Valanice of the Kingdom of Daventry. In this game, you travel to the land of Tamir to retrieve a magic fruit that will save your father who has fallen ill.
- Spoiler alert! The following cheat contains spoilers in the form of hints, walkthroughs, guides, or solutions to the game. Viewer discretion is advised.
General tips
It is very easy to die in the game. Save frequently to avoid losing progress. Save the game by pressing F5. Restore the game from the last save by pressing F7.
Most interactions in the game are done by entering keywords as commands into the text parser. The parser pops up automatically as a dialog box whenever a command is typed in. Keep the commands simple. In this walkthrough, capitalized keywords denote commands to be entered into the text parser.
Open the inventory by pressing Tab or Ctrl-I. Inventory appears as a list of objects.
By convention, up, down, right, and left correspond to north, south, east, and west respectively. Navigate by using either the arrow keys or the mouse to click to where to go.
Speed up or slow down the character's movement by pressing Ctrl-S.
Certain events in the game occur at random times. Exit and return to the scene to trigger or retrigger these events.
Bring up the last command by pressing Space Bar. This is quicker than retyping a command that needs to be repeated (such as JUMP).
The game has a total score of 230 points. There are 72 tasks to complete in the game. The score is displayed at the status bar at the top of the screen.
Prologue
You are at the castle in Daventry. Your father, King Graham, has had a heart attack and is now in poor health. The good fairy Genesta appears in a magic mirror and tells you that there is a cure in the land of Tamir which can save him. She transports you through the magic mirror to a beach in Tamir, where she tells you that the evil fairy Lolotte has stolen her magic talisman. She also says that she (along with her magical power) is getting weaker and that she has only 24 hours to live. You must, therefore, seek out the magic fruit that will cure King Graham as well as the talisman that will restore Genesta. Otherwise, Lolotte will rule over Tamir, and both Genesta and King Graham will die.
Tamir
Golden ball
You are alone on the beach on the west coast of Tamir (Figure 1). Go east twice. Go north once. You are at a bridge. You see a golden glint from under the bridge (Figure 2). Go to the glint. You can safely walk across the water. LOOK UNDER BRIDGE. You bend down to pick up a small golden ball.
Frog prince
Go north once. You are at a lily pond. LOOK AT POND. There is a green frog sitting on a lily pad wearing a golden crown. Go to the northeast bank of the pond (Figure 3). If you go too near to the frog, he will get scared and jump into the water. (The frog will return if you go back later.) THROW GOLD BALL. You drop the ball into the pond, and the frog returns it to you. Go closer to the frog on the water's edge. GET FROG. KISS FROG. Suddenly, the frog changes into a handsome prince (Figure 4). He gives you his little golden crown and leaves.
Cupid's pool
Go north twice. You are at Cupid's pool. At random times, Cupid will appear to take a bath. He takes off his bow and arrows and then dives into the water. Go to the bow and arrows. Cupid gets startled and flies off. Go to the bow and arrows again. GET BOW AND ARROWS.
Dwarf's house
Go south thrice. Go east once. You are at the dwarf's house. Go to the door. OPEN DOOR. Go inside the house. LOOK AROUND. You find the house to be in a terrible mess. CLEAN HOUSE.
As you finish cleaning up, the 7 dwarfs come into the house. Each dwarf takes a bowl of soup and eats it at the table. After the dwarfs finished eating, they all head back to the diamond mine. LOOK TABLE. You find that a blue pouch has been left behind on the table by the dwarfs (Figure 5). GET BLUE POUCH. LOOK IN POUCH. There are some diamonds in the pouch. Go south once. You leave the house.
Diamond mine
Go south once. There is a mine entrance to the right. Go east once. You are inside the mine. Go down the ramp. Go east once. You find the head dwarf from the house (Figure 6). GIVE POUCH TO DWARF. The dwarf lets you keep the diamonds as a reward. He also gives you a lantern. The lantern is unlit, however. Go west once. Go up the ramp. Go west once. You leave the mine.
The bird and the worm
Go east once. At random times, a bird will appear trying to get a worm. Go to the bird. The startled bird flies off and leaves the worm behind. GET WORM. If you are not quick, the worm will disappear underground. (The worm will return if you go back later.)
Haunted mansion
Go north twice. You are in front of an old haunted mansion. Go to the door. OPEN DOOR. Go west once. You are in the parlor room. Go to the right side of the bookcase. GET BOOK. The book is titled The Compleat Works of William Shakespeare. Go to the portrait. LOOK AT PORTRAIT. The girl's eyes on the portrait appear to be staring at the left wall of the parlor. Go to the west wall of the parlor. LOOK WALL. There is a small latch on the wall. PULL LATCH. A secret door is revealed. Go west once. You go through the secret door. There is a shovel leaning on the wall. GET SHOVEL. Go outside the mansion.
Minstrel's lute
Go west thrice. At random times, a minstrel will be sitting on a tree stump playing a lute. Go to the minstrel. GIVE BOOK TO MINSTREL. The minstrel gives you his lute.
Pan's flute
Go north once. At random times, Pan will be playing his flute (Figure 7) in an open meadow. (Pan can also be found north or east to the meadow.) Go to Pan. PLAY LUTE. Pan becomes mesmerized by the music. GIVE LUTE TO PAN. Pan gives you his silver flute.
Troll's cave
Go east 4 times. Go south twice. You are in front of a waterfall. Go into the water. If you try to swim behind the waterfall, you find that the current is too strong. PUT ON GOLD CROWN. You turn into a green frog, swim behind the waterfall, and rematerialize as yourself again on the other side. (Hint: Save your game here.)
There is a board on the ground at the cave entrance. GET BOARD. Go into the cave. You hear a loud growl from a troll. Go back out the cave immediately. If you do not retreat immediately, the troll will kill you. Go back into the cave. It is very dark inside. LOOK AROUND. There is a pile of bones nearby. GET BONES. LIGHT LANTERN. (Hint: Save your game here.)
At random times, the troll will appear and kill you. There is no way to escape from the troll's attack. Go east halfway across the cave. Go south once. Go east twice. A blue light shines from far ahead near the cave exit. (Hint: Save your game here.) There is a crevice (Figure 8) nearby. PUT BOARD ON GROUND. Go across the crevice. You will automatically pick up the board after you cross the crevice. Go north to the blue light. Go east once. You leave the cave. (Hint: Save your game here.)
Snake Island
A muddy swamp lies to the east. You need to safely negotiate across the grass tufts until you reach an island that is guarded by a snake. The magic fruit which Genesta speaks of that will save King Graham is on the island. Go to the edge of the swamp. JUMP. You jump onto the first grassy tuft. Continue jumping until the last grassy tuft just before reaching the island. (Hint: Save your game here.)
The final jump is too wide. PUT BOARD ON GROUND. The board is long enough to make a bridge to the island. If you go onto the island now, the snake will kill you. PLAY FLUTE. The snake falls into a hypnotic trance. Go to the tree. GET FRUIT. Go back to the last grassy tuft. PICK UP BOARD. Use the board again to go across the crevice. (Hint: Save your game here.) Go back to the cave exit.
Back on dry land
Go back to the cave entrance. TURN OFF LANTERN. Go back to the waterfall. Walk into the water. You will swim out safely, since you are now swimming with the current.
Lolotte's castle
Go south once. You are now at the base of a mountain path leading to Lolotte's castle. (Hint: Change your speed to slow here). Go to the start of the path. (Hint: Save your game here.) Go east once. Go up the mountain path towards the castle. You must move carefully because you can easily fall off the treacherous winding path. Soon, 2 goons appear and fly off with you to see Lolotte. Lolotte accuses you of being Genesta's spy and throws you into a prison cell.
Wait in the cell. The goons take you back to see Lolotte again. She orders you to capture the unicorn and bring it back to her. The goons take you back to the base of the mountain beneath Lolotte's castle. (Hint: Change your speed back to normal here).
Fisherman's pier
Go west 4 times. Go south twice. Go west once. You are at the fisherman's house. Go west once. There is a fisherman at the pier. Wait for the fisherman to stop fishing. Follow the fisherman back to his house. KNOCK ON DOOR. OPEN DOOR. Go to the fisherman sitting at the table. TALK TO MAN. GIVE DIAMOND POUCH TO MAN. The fisherman gives you his fishing rod. Go back outside the house. Go west once. You are at the pier. PUT WORM ON HOOK. GO FISHING. Continue fishing until a fish is caught.
Genesta's island
Ivory palace
You need to swim to Genesta's island. (Hint: Save your game here.) Jump off the end of the pier. Go west twice. (Hint: Restore the game here if you are swallowed by a whale, since you cannot escape from it yet.) You are on a tiny island. Go west halfway. There is a break in the flower bed. Go south once. Follow the path around the ivory palace. There is an entrance guarded by 2 fairies. OPEN DOOR. Go into the ivory palace. Go west once. Climb up the stairs to the top. You are at Genesta's bedroom. TALK TO GENESTA. You try to talk to her, but she is gravely ill and cannot be disturbed. Go back out the castle.
Search for the peacock feather
Go south once. You are on a beach. Walk around the beach. There are many peacocks wandering around. At random times, a peacock will drop a feather onto the sand. Follow a peacock until a peacock feather is found. GET FEATHER. (Hint: Save your game here.)
Ocean adventures
Find the whale
Go back to the beach. At random times, a whale will appear in the ocean between the fisherman's pier and east of the island. Swim east once or twice. You need to swim around to look for the whale. At random times, either a whale or a shark will appear. It may take considerable time for a whale to appear. If a shark appears, you will be eaten and die. If you swim for too long, you will get tired, drown, and die.
Stop swimming when a whale appears. The whale will swallow you up. There is floating bottle inside the whale. GET BOTTLE. LOOK BOTTLE. OPEN BOTTLE. READ NOTE. If you stay too long inside the whale, you can die from the noxious fumes. (Hint: Save your game here.)
Escape from the whale
Climb up the tongue from either side (Figure 9). If you climb up too fast, you will slip off. (Hint: Change your speed to slow here.) Keep climbing until the uvula (the black bag hanging down from above its teeth) is directly above (Figure 10). You are now strafing the tongue in a diagonal direction. Do not go too far north near the teeth. USE FEATHER. TICKLE UVULA. The whale expels you out to the open ocean with an almighty sneeze. (Hint: Change your speed back to normal here).
Deserted island
Go north once. There is a pelican on a wrecked boat. Go to the shade under the palm tree. THROW FISH TO PELICAN. The greedy pelican catches the fish with its beak and flies away. LOOK AT GROUND. You now see a shining whistle that the pelican has dropped from its beak onto the ground. Go to the whistle. GET WHISTLE. Go to the boat. LOOK IN BOAT. You find a golden bridle inside the boat (Figure 11).
Dolphin ride
Go to the edge of the water on the east side of the island. BLOW WHISTL. A friendly dolphin appears just offshore from the north. RIDE DOLPHIN. The dolphin takes you on a ride back to the west coast of Tamir.
Tamir
Capture the unicorn
You need to capture the unicorn for Lolotte to gain her trust.
Go east once. Go north twice. You are at a green meadow with some trees. At random times, the unicorn will appear. (The unicorn can also be found in the meadow nearby.) If you get too near to the unicorn, it will shy off and run away. SHOOT UNICORN WITH ARROW. Go to the unicorn (Figure 12). PUT BRIDLE ON UNICORN. RIDE UNICORN.
Lolotte's castle
A cinematic cut scene is played. You ride the unicorn to Lolotte's castle. Lolotte takes the unicorn, but she is not yet convinced that you are not Genesta's spy. She sends you on another errand to steal a hen that lays golden eggs. The hen belongs to a cruel ogre. The goons take you back to the base of the mountain beneath Lolotte's castle.
Ogre's house
Go west twice. Go south once. You are at the ogre's house. At random times, the ogre will appear. If the ogre appears, he will chase you and kill you. (Hint: Save your game here.) Go to the front door. OPEN DOOR. Immediately, an unfriendly bulldog rushes at you (Figure 13). GIVE BONE TO DOG.
Go up the stairs. There is an axe on the east wall of the bedroom. GET AXE. Go down the stairs. Do not go into the kitchen to the east. Go to the closet at the base of the stairs. OPEN CLOSET. LOOK IN KEYHOLE. You see an empty seat at the table (Figure 14). Wait until the ogre returns. LOOK IN KEYHOLE. You now see the ogre is sitting at the table (Figure 15).
Wait until the ogre falls asleep. OPEN DOOR. (Hint: Change your speed to fast here.) Go to the table. GET HEN. Go west once. OPEN DOOR. Go outside the house. Go north once. You are in front of the diamond mine. (Hint: Change your speed back to normal here). Go east twice. You are back at the base of the mountain beneath Lolotte's castle.
Lolotte's castle
Go back to Lolotte's castle. Lolotte takes the hen, but she still has some tiny doubts that you are a spy. She sends you on a last errand to retrieve the Pandora's Box. The goons take you back to the base of the mountain beneath Lolotte's castle.
Evil forest
Go west once. Go south once. You are at the entrance to the evil forest. (Hint: Save your game here.) WAVE AXE. You have now frightened the trees, so they will not harm you any more (Figure 16). Go east once. You are in front of a skull cave.
Witch's cave
There are 3 witches inside the cave. You need to steal a scarab from the witches to ward off the dead.
Go inside the cave. A witch starts chasing you. Go between the cauldron and the other witches but away from that witch. Go to the back wall (Figure 17). The witches are holding a glass eye which they use to see. Wait until the witches pass around the eye. GET EYE. The witches can no longer see you without the eye. Go outside the cave. The witches are now scared without the eye. Go inside the cave again. The witches implore you to return the eye. They throw a scarab onto the ground. They tell you that they are willing to trade the scarab for the eye. Go to the scarab. GET SCARAB. THROW EYE. Do not accept any other gift from the witches. Go outside the cave.
Haunted mansion
Go west once. Go south twice. You are back at the haunted mansion. In Tamir, night falls precisely at 9:00 PM. If night has not already fallen, it soon will. Wait until nightfall. You can always check the time by the clock inside the mansion.
The mansion is haunted by 5 ghosts, whose graves are in the graveyard to the east and west of the mansion. The graveyard is guarded by zombies. The zombies will attack you, but they cannot harm you as you are now protected by the scarab from the witches.
There are many graves in the graveyard. You need to dig up the 5 graves belonging to these ghosts to recover the artefacts buried in their graves. You are only allowed to dig 5 times. The shovel will break if you try to dig more. Any false dig will lead to a restart at the first grave.
Go back inside the mansion. You hear the sound of a baby crying from upstairs. Go up the stairs. Go into the bedroom to the left. You are in the master bedroom. Go west once. You are in the child's nursery. LOOK IN CRIB. The crib is empty. Go down the stairs. Go back outside the mansion. (Hint: Save your game here.)
Graveyard – west end
Go left once. You are at the west end of the graveyard. Go to each tombstone. READ EPITAPH. Find the tombstone with the name Hiram Bennett, a baby. DIG GRAVE. You find a silver baby rattle in the grave (Figure 18).
Haunted mansion
Go back inside the mansion. Go back to the child's nursery. GIVE RATTLE TO BABY. The baby ghost stops crying, and the crib stops rocking. Immediately, you hear a loud rattling of chains from downstairs. The ghost will be either at the foyer or in the dining room to the east. The ghost walks around in chains. Go back outside the mansion.
Graveyard – west end
Go back to the west end of the graveyard. Go to each tombstone. READ EPITAPH. Find the tombstone with the name Newberry Will. DIG GRAVE. You find a bag of gold coins in the grave.
Haunted mansion
Go back inside the mansion. Find the ghost. GIVE COINS TO GHOST. Immediately, a sound of weeping pervades the mansion. Go up the stairs. Go into the old bedroom to the right. You see the ghost of a sad young woman sitting in a chair. LOOK GHOST. Go back outside the mansion.
Graveyard – east end
Go east once. You are at the east end of the graveyard. Go to each tombstone. READ EPITAPH. Find the tombstone with the name Betty Cowden. DIG GRAVE. You find a locket in the grave.
Haunted mansion
Go back inside the mansion. Go back to the old bedroom. GIVE LOCKET TO GHOST. Immediately, you hear a loud wailing sound from downstairs. The ghost will be either in the foyer or in the kitchen. The ghost is the distinguished Lord of the Manor. Go back outside the mansion.
Graveyard – west end
Go back to the west end of the graveyard. Go to each tombstone. READ EPITAPH. Find the tombstone with the name Lord Coningsby. DIG GRAVE. You find a medal, the Medal of Honor, in the grave.
Haunted mansion
Go back inside the mansion. Find the ghost. GIVE MEDAL TO GHOST. Immediately, the ghost of a cute, little boy appears. He giggles and runs away. Follow the boy to upstairs. Go into the bedroom to the right. The boy climbs up the ladder to the attic. Go to the ladder. CLIMB LADDER. The boy is sitting on a chest. He wants a toy to play with. CLIMB DOWN LADDER. Go back outside the mansion.
Graveyard – east end
Go back to the east end of the graveyard. Go to each tombstone. READ EPITAPH. Find the tombstone with the name Willy. DIG GRAVE. You find a toy horse in the grave.
Haunted mansion
Go back inside the mansion. Go back to the attic. GIVE HORSE TO GHOST. The boy vanishes. OPEN CHEST. LOOK IN CHEST. You find a set of sheet music in the chest.
Go back to the parlor. There is a secret door to the west. Go through the secret door. (Hint: Save your game here.) Go up the stairs. Go to the organ. SIT DOWN. PLAY SHEET MUSIC. A secret drawer opens in the organ. LOOK IN DRAWER. GET SKELETON KEY. STAND. Go down the stairs. Go back outside the mansion.
Crypt
Go back to the east end of the graveyard. Go to the crypt on the far side of the graveyard. UNLOCK DOOR. OPEN DOOR. LOOK. There is a rope on the platform where you are standing. The Pandora's Box is on the floor to the far side of the crypt. GET ROPE. You find that the rope is actually a rope ladder. CLIMB DOWN LADDER. Go to Pandora's Box. GET BOX. Go back to the ladder. CLIMB UP LADDER. Go outside the crypt. CLOSE DOOR. LOCK DOOR.
Lolotte's castle
Go north twice. Go west once. Go north once. Go east once. You are back at the base of the mountain beneath Lolotte's castle. Go back to Lolotte's castle. (Hint: Save your game here.) You will lose all of your possessions.
Edgar's bedroom
You are in Edgar's bedroom. Wait until Edgar sneaks up to the bedroom door and slips a rose under it. Go to the door. You pick up the rose. There is a gold key hidden inside the rose with a note attached. GET KEY. Go to the bedroom door. UNLOCK DOOR. OPEN DOOR.
Spiral stairway
Go down the stairs. Sneak past the sleeping goon by staying as far away from him as possible.
Dining room
Go east once. You are in the dining room. There are 2 doorways on the east side of the dining room. Go to the doorway nearest to the goon. Sneak past the sleeping goon by hugging the wall all the way around and staying as far away from him as possible.
Kitchen
Go east once. You are in the kitchen. Go to the cupboard on the east side of the kitchen. OPEN CUPBOARD. All of your possessions are stored in the cupboard. GET POSSESSIONS.
Throne room
Go back to the dining room. Go to the other doorway. You are in the throne room. Go east once. Go to the doorway on the east side of the throne room. Sneak past the sleeping goon by hugging the wall all the way around and staying as far away from him as possible.
Stairway to Lolotte's bedroom
Go east once. You are at the base of a stairway leading to Lolotte's bedroom. Sneak past the sleeping goon by staying as far away from him as possible. Climb up the stairs to Lolotte's bedroom. Go to the door at the top of the stairs. UNLOCK DOOR WITH GOLD KEY. OPEN DOOR.
Lolotte's bedroom
Go into Lolotte's bedroom. Go to the foot of the bed (Figure 19). SHOOT LOLOTTE WITH ARROW. Lolotte is killed. Go to the left side of the bed. TAKE TALISMAN. Go out the bedroom.
Hallway
Climb down the stairs halfway. Go through the open doorway. You are in the east side of the hallway. Go north halfway across the hallway. There is a closed door. OPEN DOOR. You are in a storage room. Go to the hen that lays golden eggs. GET HEN. Go to Pandora's Box. GET PANDORA'S BOX. Go back to the hallway. Go back to the throne room. Go south. You are outside the castle.
Release the unicorn
There is a stable to the west of the castle. Go inside the stable. Go to the center column (Figure 20). OPEN GATE. You release the unicorn. It flies off. (Hint: Save your game here.) Go south once. Go back to the base of the mountain beneath Lolotte's castle.
Crypt
Go back to the crypt. Go back to where Pandora's Box is found before. RETURN BOX. Go back to the ladder. CLIMB LADDER. Go outside the crypt. CLOSE DOOR. LOCK DOOR.
Genesta's Island
Go back to the fisherman's house. Go back to the end of the pier. Jump in the water. Swim west twice. You are back at Genesta's Island.
Genesta's castle
Go back to the castle. OPEN DOOR. Go inside the castle. Go back to Genesta's bedroom. GIVE TALISMAN TO GENESTA. Genesta regains her magic (Figure 21). You have saved King Graham.
Points
Task | Point |
---|---|
Get golden ball | 2 |
Kiss frog | 3 |
Get golden crown | 2 |
Get Cupid's bow | 2 |
Clean house | 5 |
Get blue pouch | 2 |
Get lantern | 3 |
Get worm | 2 |
Get Shakespeare book | 2 |
Pull latch | 4 |
Get shovel | 2 |
Get lute | 3 |
Get flute | 3 |
Swim under waterfall | 5 |
Get board | 2 |
Get bone | 2 |
Board on chasm | 2 |
Board on snake island | 2 |
Play flute | 4 |
Get magic fruit | 10 |
Board on chasm | 2 |
Give fisherman diamonds | 3 |
Put worm on hook | 1 |
Catch fish | 3 |
Get peacock feather | 2 |
Tickle uvula | 5 |
Give pelican fish | 4 |
Get whistle | 2 |
Get gold bridle | 3 |
Blow whistle | 2 |
Ride dolphin | 2 |
Shoot unicorn | 4 |
Put bridle on unicorn | 3 |
Ride unicorn | 7 |
Give bone to dog | 4 |
Get axe | 2 |
Get hen | 4 |
Give hen to Lolotte | 7 |
Wave axe at trees | 4 |
Get witch's eye | 3 |
Get scarab | 2 |
Throw eye to witch | 3 |
Get baby rattle | 3 |
Give rattle to baby | 2 |
Get gold coins | 3 |
Give coins to ghost | 2 |
Get locket | 3 |
Give locket to ghost | 2 |
Get medal | 3 |
Give medal to ghost | 2 |
Get toy horse | 3 |
Give toy horse to ghost | 2 |
Get sheet music | 2 |
Play sheet music | 4 |
Get skeleton key | 2 |
Unlock crypt | 3 |
Lower ladder | 2 |
Get Pandora's Box | 4 |
Give box to Lolotte | 7 |
Get key from rose | 2 |
Unlock bedroom door | 2 |
Get possessions | 4 |
Unlock Lolotte's door | 2 |
Shoot Lolotte with arrow | 8 |
Get talisman | 5 |
Get hen | 2 |
Get Pandora's Box | 2 |
Release unicorn | 4 |
Return Pandora's Box to crypt | 2 |
Lock up crypt | 2 |
Give talisman to Genesta | 10 |
Give hen to Genesta | 2 |
Total | 230 |