From TES issue 46 (July 2007)
Series 2
Quest: The Shield.
Dungeoneer: Anthony Haig.
Advisors: Alan, Mark and Darren.

Home town: Ash, Hampshire.
Team score: 1½ out of 10.

This team followed hot on the heels of Julian’s winning band… and completely messed up their quest before the end of the same episode in which Julian won!

Level One: After pulling the lever at the Wheel of Fate, Anthony is dumped into the usual four-door starting chamber, where a depressed Folly is sitting on the floor, looking very sorry for himself. Treguard gets the jester to explain what is wrong – his laughter has run away and he can’t find it! Once he has persuaded Anthony to help him find his laughter, Folly cheers up a bit. The jester advises the team to listen at doors for traces of his laughter. They do this successfully (though rather slowly) and guide Anthony out of the room.
A bomb room follows, which the advisors manage to make seem dull and boring with their dreary guidance. Anthony makes it to the clue room, where Igneous is on guard. With only one riddle out of three answered correctly, Igneous refuses to part with any useful information. This is particularly unfortunate as the team cannot read properly, it seems, and reject a vital bottle of POTION, mistaking it for POISON! They pick up a jar of humbugs and a bar of gold from the table, thus sealing their fate. Anthony has to leave the clue room through the left-hand door, as this is where Folly’s laughter is coming from. (Interestingly enough, this is the only time the left-hand door in the Igneous/Brangwen clue room is ever used.)
Combat Chess follows, which the team complete with few problems, although they manage to make it seem about as interesting as a wet weekend in Skegness! A meeting with Olaf by the pit of maggots follows, which involves a fairly standard bribe with a bar of gold. Olaf happily agrees to let Anthony through in exchange for the gold, but the next chamber is his last. It is Lillith’s cavern, and Folly’s folderol (containing his laughter) is keeping the sorceress company. Lillith soon spots Anthony and demands to know what he wants. The team have enough acumen to realise that they need the laugh from Lillith, but she is far from inclined to acquiesce to Anthony’s request:
”Beware, young intruder – the laugh may be on you!” – Lillith.

Lillith demands a toll as usual, and she is very unimpressed with the humbug jar! She explains that a potion would have earned the team’s passage through the Serpent's Mouth, before throwing Anthony out rather spectacularly. Anthony becomes the third and last dungeoneer to plummet into Lillith’s pit, but he’s the only one who actually looks like he’s falling after the ledge disappears!
Summary: Dull, dreary, slow, stupid, pointless… if you’re thinking about re-watching this quest, why don’t you switch off your TV set and do something less boring instead!

[Previous team: Team 10 of Series 2
Next team: Team 12 of Series 2]

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