This route assumes the game is run in DOSBox at high cycles (or on a fast PC), allowing zipping at Fastest speed. It skips the expected five-minute wait at the beginning of the game and also skips turning Manannan into a cat, instead relying on the fact that after each screen transition it will take 8 seconds for Manannan to appear and zap Gwydion into oblivion. At several points (such as the shop and in Manannan's laboratory) the route cuts this safety margin very thin, and may therefore need to be slightly modified if your typing speed is slower than expected. (There are several safe spaces where Manannan will never appear; these include the screen with the chickens, the screen with the bears, the screen with the bandits' tree, the outdoor area at the stern of the pirate ship, and all of Daventry.)

At some point very early in the run, you should locate the cat, temporarily switch to Fast with F10, GET CAT and GET FUR. Successfully picking up the cat may require several attempts. Because the cat's appearances are entirely random, the route is somewhat opportunistic: if you notice the cat, go for it.

Commands are given in uppercase for clarity, but need not be typed in uppercase.

[Fastest] 617867 GET KNIFE [] GET SPOON 617 GET BOWL 672717171 GET CUP 434848716898927143 (prepare "find on closet") 867 FIND ON CLOSET [] OPEN   F3 (min. 3 spaces) [] FIND F3 29 OPEN DRAWER (go get the fly wings, e.g. 76129689896 [fast] etc.; save at the top of the stairs if playing things safe) 42121816 (if you don't have the cat hair yet, repeat 46 now until the cat shows up in this area) (prepare "unlock door") 142121892367 (save if playing safe) 834 UNLOCK DOOR 676 MOVE BOOK [] PULL LEVER 4 [if you see the cat here, save and repeat 84 until the stairs are empty] 6261268 GET SAFFRON [] GET MUSHROOM 3 TURN PAGE IV [] PUT SAFFRON ESSENCE OHWINGEDSPIRITSSETMEFREE OFEARTHLYBINDINGSJUSTLIKETHEE INTHISESSENCEBEHOLDTHEMIGHT TOGRANTTHEPRECIOUSGIFTOFFLIGHT AIM ROD 7 GET MANDRAKE [] GET SPIT 6148 [save] 948 [save] 76272 DIP FLY ESSENCE 2 FLY BEGONE ME ADD (prepare "GET FEATHER") 73 (repeat 73 every 6 seconds, hoping for the feather to drop. GET FEATHER as soon as it does.) 8362 GET MUD (prepare "GET CACTUS") 8314724 GET CACTUS 683 (F10; navigate around tree) GRAB HOLE [fastest] 9 [F10] 8 (prepare "LOOK IN HOUSE") (save just before screen transition) LOOK IN HOUSE upon screen transition. If someone is moving inside the treehouse, restore and repeat until the figure inside is sleeping. (save and navigate into house) 7 [fastest] GET COIN 3216 (6 again if stopped by bears) 868 OPEN DOOR 4 (dispel messages) 8 BUY SALT [] BUY LARD [] BUY OIL 296172 [F10] (navigate) GET MISTLETOE 2 [fastest] 6 DIP EAGLE FEATHER ESSENCE (save) 6 (wait for at least one second to tick over before dismissing the textbox) (wait 5 seconds for the eagle spell to wear off. If nothing happens in 5 seconds, you mistimed dismissing the textbox and need to restore) 3693938 (wait and hold Enter until the prompt appears) 27293 GET SEA WATER 1929 OPEN DOOR 4 [F10] SAY MAN [] GIVE COIN [fastest] 618172718 DIP EAGLE FEATHER ESSENCE [F10] (save) 7 (to just before the first tree branch; type "EAGLE BEGONE ME ADD" while navigating) 9 [fastest] EAGLE BEGONE ME ADD 4 OPEN GATE 148 (save) OPEN DOOR 6784 [save and repeat 84 if cat is present] 231312683 TURN PAGE XXV PUT MANDRAKE ROOT FLOUR BOWL [] PUT CAT FUR BOWL [] PUT TWO SPOON OIL BOWL MIX DOUGH [] PUT F3 ON DESK [] PAT DOUGH COOKIE MANDRAKEROOTANDHAIROFCAT MIXOILOFFISHANDGIVEAPAT AFELINEFROMTHEONEWHOEATS THISAPPETIZINGMAGICTREAT AIM ROD [save] 2 TURN PAGE VII [] ADD SALT LADLE [] GRIND MISTLETOE MORTAR [] RUB ROCK MORTAR [] HUG ROCK WITHTHISKISSITHEEIMPART POWERMOSTDEARTOMYHEART TAKEMENOWFROMTHISPLACEHITHER TOANOTHERPLACEFARTHITHER AIM ROD [save] 2 TURN PAGE CLXIX [] CUT CACTUS TRY KNIFE [] PRESS CACTUS LADLE [] PUT CACTUS JUICE BOWL PUT LARD BOWL [] PUT FROG SPIT [save] MIX LADLE CACTUSPLANTANDHORNYTOAD INOWSTARTDOWNADANGEROUSROAD COMBINEWITHFIREANDMISTTOMAKE MEDISAPPEARWITHOUTATRACE AIM ROD [] PUT OINTMENT JAR [save] 2 TURN PAGE LXXXIV [] PUT WATER BOWL [] BURN      BURNER (min. 6 spaces) [] HEAT BOWL F3 ADD MUD BOWL [] PUT BIT MUSHROOM FLOUR [save] BLOW BREW ELEMENTSFROMTHEEARTHANDSEA COMBINETOSETTHEHEAVENSFREE WHENISTIRTHISMAGICBREW GREATGODTHORICALLONYOU AIM ROD [] PUT BREW JAR [] LOOK MAP (dispel explanation) 9 F6 842498 [save] 6393939272989 [dispel messages and note time] 926724 GET BOX 84 (wait in position and catch your breath. Prepare the next command, "DROP BOX") 6426 DROP BOX [] JUMP F3 [] F3 [] JUMP LADDER [] F10 8 (save if the captain's cabin is empty. Otherwise, climb back down and up until it is empty, then save) (carefully exit ladder. Restore if you get stunned by a bad exit) 4 [fastest] 9271 (catch your breath again and prepare the next command, "OPEN CHEST") 6272 OPEN CHEST [] GET ALL 79271 (prepare the next command, "LOOK MAP". This will only be needed at the end of a 14-minute wait, starting from the moment you were captured by the pirates...) [wait for "Land ho!" message] LOOK MAP (dispel explanation) 3 F6 (save) RUB ROCK [repeat RUB ROCK until you get a good result. There are two good results - eluding the snowman by teleporting directly to the cliffs, and teleporting to the screen just north of the cliffs (in which case you should F10 and navigate southwest and down to the cliffs). There are also two bad results - getting eaten by the snowman, and teleporting to a particular screen where you will immediately fall and get stunned. Instantly restore if you get a bad result, and save if you get a good one. An alternative approach is to aim exclusively for the cliff screen, which allows spamming F3 faster since the special message on the cliff screen prevents accidental teleports away from there] (if you entered the cliffs from above rather than by teleport, navigate straight down the first cliff, then turn west) 4986 [F10] (wait for Gwydion to re-emerge from the cave. To play safe, save either while he's in the cave or just after he emerges) (navigate to the western edge of the outcrop, then navigate up, west, down, west and down) 6 [fastest] 784 (wait for Gwydion to re-emerge from the cave) (save) F10 (navigate to 3rd cliff, go up) 6 (if your position is perfect, you can make this as a zip from the cliff itself; otherwise, climb down and immediately turn east) [fastest] 86 (wait for Gwydion to re-emerge) 242939269396 [F10] (save) [navigate down the path. Type "rub rock" while navigating, but do not press Enter (it may be safer to type "rub roc" to prevent accidental teleports). At a favorable point on the next screen, turn east, save and select Fastest speed. Look to see where you ended up. If it looks as if Gwydion can reach the edge of the screen by going southwest, press 1. If it looks as if Gwydion can reach the edge of the screen by going south, press 2. If you cannot see Gwydion at all, press F10, move west a bit, press 1 and switch back to Fastest] SAVE RUB ROCK [repeat as many times as needed. There are two good results (either of the screens with clouds on) and one bad result (the screen with the dragon on). It is actually possible to zip to the eastern cloud screen quite easily without rubbing the rock at all, but this is generally slower since it requires you to wait out Gwydion's stunned-by-the-fall animation] PAT ON OINTMENT (once on a cloud screen) (if you teleported to the western cloud screen: 6 MIX BREW TRY FINGER [] BREW STORM CHURN UP (wait for the invisibility spell to wear off) F10 (!!!! - important) (move west) UNTIE GIRL

if you teleported to the eastern cloud screen: 4 MIX BREW TRY FINGER [] BREW STORM CHURN UP 183818171 (wait for invisibility spell to wear off) F10 (move west) UNTIE GIRL

It might seem as if teleporting to the western cloud screen is better; but actually the difference is minimal, since if you teleported to the east you can zip around the dragon while waiting for the invisibility to wear off.) If you land on the lower tunnel screen, it's an option to use 9271717 to move to the eastern cloud screen.

(move north a bit. Save if uncertain about good location) 6 [fastest] [F10] (move west until Rosella starts following you, then immediately turn back east and walk to the stairs) 3 [fastest] 94162 [F10] (save) (navigate southwest and south just enough that you can zip west. Take the northernmost line available) 4 [fastest] 9 (dispel messages) 798 (stop time)

[For extra aggression, the finish can be done entirely with zips: 3941672484149798. In practice this approach does not have a 100% success rate, due to the risk of Rosella interfering with a zip, but it works most of the time and saves time when it does.]