From TES issue 26 (March 2004)
Series 1
Quest: To survive the Dungeon.
Dungeoneer: Simon Nicholls.
Advisors: Steven, Jonathan and Simon.

Home town: Heckmondwyke.
Team score: 5 out of 10.

Simon's quest was the first ever to reach level two, one of only three to do so in series 1.
Level One: In the first chamber, Simon has to walk on three parts of a golden key to unlock a door. A meeting with the Giant follows, and Simon has to make a hasty escape when the large creature feels a sneeze coming on. The level one clue room is next, where Olgarth is on guard. With three out of three riddles answered correctly, the team gain maximum information from the wall monster and pick up a silk scarf and a talisman. Next, a bomb room leads to Lillith's lair. The scarf turns out to be her favour, so she thinks that Simon is her champion. Lillith summons her causeway and accepts her favour from Simon. She gifts the team two spells - FREEZER and FLARE - and gives them the specific task of neutralising a catacombite for her, which is waiting in the next chamber. Once Treguard has explained how to spellcast, the team are able to neutralise the skeletal monster with the FREEZER spell - the first time ever a spell is cast by the game team on Knightmare - and make their escape into the [Great Corridor of the Catacomb]. Here Simon uses the talisman to unlock the right-hand door, which leads to the wellway room. It is pitch dark, but the FLARE spell sorts that out. Simon climbs into the well, and becomes the first dungeoneer ever to reach level two.
Level Two: Cedric is waiting at the bottom of the well, and Simon is forced to challenge him to combat by riddles. The team score only one out of three, and Simon's life force is put under threat as Cedric denies him the food that is sitting on the table. Fortunately enough, the level two clue room follows, where Simon is able to restore his life force with an apple. In this room, the team meet Casper, the talking key. After a few introductions, Simon takes Casper and a bottle of pills from the table. There follows the moving keyhole room, where Casper makes short work of directing Simon into unlocking one of the doors. Simon then becomes the first dungeoneer to encounter Merlin, when he completes the puzzle cube to spell M and summons the wizard to his study. Simon gives Merlin the headache pills, which he had apparently lost. Merlin then asks three riddles, and the team manage to answer two correctly. Merlin rewards them with two spells - LANTERN and ANVIL - and warns them to look out for Mogdred on the path ahead. The Hall of Spears follows, and then the wellway room. Again this is in darkness, but the LANTERN spell sheds some light on the subject. Simon is then threatened by the wellway guard, Gibbet, and is supposed to knock him out with the ANVIL spell, but the silly advisors dispel LANTERN instead! Dear me, what good did they think that would do? It's almost worthy of Neil, really, isn't it?

Summary: They weren't bad at all and certainly took part in some famous firsts, but in the end they were too cautious with magic.

[Previous team: Team 2 of Series 1
Next team: Team 4 of Series 1]

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