Across the top of the screen is the status line. You'll see three items: ransom, outlaws and score.
Ransom will show you the total amount of ransom you've managed to raise toward saving King Richard as the game progresses. Your actions and how you use your wits has a large effect on the amount you can raise.
Outlaws shows how many of your men survive throughout the game. Your skill, cunning and choice of strategies will make a big difference in how many outlaws live or die, which reflects upon your ability as a leader.
Score is your continuing gain or loss of points as you play through the game as compared to the total number of points that can be earned.
The menu bar
When you move the mouse to the top of the game screen, the menu bar will appear.
Walk icon: Click on the first icon or right-click the mouse for the mouse pointer to change into a walk icon. Then click on a location on the screen to walk there.
Eye icon: Click on the second icon or right-click the mouse for the mouse pointer to change into an eye icon. Then click on a location on the screen to observe objects, people and so on.
Hand icon: Click on the third icon or right-click the mouse for the mouse pointer to change into a hand icon. Then click on any object or person on the screen to touch, activate or pick up items. Items which are picked up are placed in the inventory.
Talk icon: Click on the fourth icon or right-click the mouse for the mouse pointer to change into a talk icon. Then click on a person on the screen to talk to him or her and get a response.
Bow icon: Click on the bow icon or right-click the mouse for the mouse pointer to change into a bow. You may click it onto the object or person you wish to shoot with the bow. Just because you're Robin doesn't mean you should shoot everything in sight. There could be serious consequences in threatening the wrong person with the bow. the bow icon is also often not available. Robin leaves his bow at the outlaw camp when he uses several of his disguises. A beggar or abbey monk with a bow would be rather suspicious otherwise.
Map icon: You may walk through the forest at great length, but if you're in a hurry, simply click the map icon in the menu bar. The main map of Nottinghamshire will appear. Click the walk icon on a travel point of this shire map to travel there. This includes Watling Street, certain places in the forest, the town of Nottingham and the Monastery in the Fens. The map icon will not work when inside a building and in other certain special locations and situations. clicking on the town of Nottingham from the shire map will bring you to a map view of the town. Clicking the walk icon on any of the available locations of the town will take you to that specific location. Selecting the map icon while on the streets of Nottingham will bring you back to the Nottingham map, and selecting the map icon again (or the forest in the Nottingham map) will bring you back to the shire map.
Current item icon: in the small window, right of the taste icon, is the inventory item which is currently selected. click it or right-click the mouse for the cursor to change into the inventory item and click it anywhere on the screen to use it on a person or item. When no inventory item is selected, this window will not be visible.
Inventory icon: click on the inventory icon to open the inventory screen.
In this window, you can look at, activate or select inventory items. To select an inventory item, click the select icon (the arrow icon), then click on the desired inventory item and then click "OK" to return to the game screen. The selected inventory item will be displayed in the menu bar.
Settings icon: click on the icon with the computer to display the game control panel.
In the control panel, you can save, restore, restart or quit the game. You can also change various settings, such as the detail (though that make no difference when playing in DOSBox), game speed and music volume. The arcade slider bar indicates the difficulty level of the arcade sequences in the game. When entirely at the bottom, most arcade sequences will simply be bypassed, but no score rewarded for them either. By clicking on the HalfDome icon, you see information on tech support and game credits.