Beyond Castle Wolfenstein

Beyond Castle Wolfenstein leaves you in a bunker with a pistol, ten bullets, money and some documents that might persuade the next guard. The resistance has hidden a briefcase with a bomb inside the building. Your mission is to find it, carry it to the room where Hitler meets and get back to the entry point before the explosion.

Muse Software continues the infiltration of Castle Wolfenstein with top-down rooms, doors, storerooms and elevators. Each room fills one screen and forces you to read the route before crossing it. Guards patrol the building and may ask you for a pass. Showing the right document avoids a confrontation, while money offers another way to get past an inspection.

Entering the bunker

The IBM PC edition shows its title over a scene of the building, with the cyan and magenta colors of CGA and a 1985 copyright. Press Enter to open the options. There you can create another bunker while keeping your level, create a new one and go back to level one, or keep the same building. To learn the route from the beginning, select B and confirm with Enter.

The character moves with a group of letters on the keyboard. W takes him up, A to the left, D to the right and X down. S stops his movement. There are also diagonal directions in the QWE, ASD and ZXC block. It is best to start with short presses and get used to stopping the infiltrator before reaching a door or a guard.

The starting room lets you try out those commands. Look at where the character stands in relation to the walls and the exit passage. The gallery preserves a new game with movements to the right, to the left and upward. The inventory, which you check with Enter, shows the ammunition and the marks available.

Documents, money and a pistol

The numbers one to five are used to present passes when a guard demands them. If the document does not convince him, you can try another one or attempt a bribe with M. The manual explains that there are also seated guards who offer information in exchange for money. Their messages help you understand the building and decide which room deserves a visit.

L fires in the PC version. I aims the weapon before firing. Each shot uses up ammunition, and the noise can attract attention. You start with a maximum of ten bullets, so it is worth checking your reserves before using the weapon again. Guards who have been downed or have surrendered may carry resources that are added to your supplies when you search them.

The manual lets you hide bodies and use a dagger when you find one. It also describes lockers closed with three-digit combinations. Each hit produces a signal and a mistake forces you to start over. Recognizing the sound of the lock helps you move forward without wasting random tries.

Finding the briefcase and getting out

The bomb is hidden in a locker on the first level. After that you will have to locate the meeting room on the lower floors and work out the way back. The elevators connect the areas of the bunker, while the doors link rooms on the same floor. Remembering where you came in can save you a detour when the timer is already running.

The B and R commands in the manual correspond to handling the briefcase and setting its timer. Before leaving the bomb at its destination, check the way out and review the guarded passages. An inspection that seemed like a small nuisance during the search can delay your escape.

The PC copy in the browser

This game page uses the original PC files. The GAME.DAT floppy disk image runs through the small BCW.COM launcher that comes with that copy. The browser runs it with DOSBox, CGA video and a speed set so that the menus and movement can be followed.

The download keeps the original ZIP. The gallery and the background come from real game screens, including its title screen. The program's initial options let you set up a new bunker every time you want to start over. The Commodore 64 and Atari instructions belong to their respective versions and use some different keys.