solution
The Sound of One Hand Clapping was written in AdvSys and is © 1993 by Erica Sadun.
This solution is by David Welbourn, and is based on Release 1 of the game.
[Windswept Field]
Your task is ultimately to defeat the Black Dragon. But to do so, you need the cooperation (or at least, the coins) of six other dragons.
Note: Although this walkthrough shows multiple commands on a single line, the AdvSys system can only accept one command per line.
>news. jargon. license.
>x me. i. w.
[Thorny Path]
>w.
[Temple Clearing]
>w.
[Serene Temple]
>x woman. yes.
[Moon Gate]
>x headband. take it. x staff. take it. s.
[The Rainbow Fountain]
Your immediate task is to find the six coins and put them in this fountain. Each coin is associated with a different dragon.
>x fountain. x stone. take stone. meditate.
[The Rainbow Fountain]
>save. w.
[West Nook]
The figures are so heavy that to take one, you must drop everything else. The magic of these figures is that if you carry one into the the Arch, you become what the figure represents in a Goldfish Pond.
There is no way to deduce the correct order of figures except trail and error, and unfortunately, every figure can only be used once.
>x water figure. x cobble figure. x pondlily figure. x goldfish figure.
>x arch. west. (hmm, that didn't do anything)
>drop all.
>take cobble figure. west.
[In Pond [within the Arch of Seeming]] (as a cobble)
>x me. slip.
[West Nook]
>take water figure. west.
[In Pond [within the Arch of Seeming]] (as water)
>x me. flow.
[West Nook]
>take pondlily figure. west.
[In Pond [within the Arch of Seeming]] (as pond-lily)
>x me. sink.
[West Nook]
>take goldfish figure. west.
[In Pond [within the Arch of Seeming]] (as goldfish)
>x me. x coin. x lily. swim.
[West Nook]
>take all. e. s.
[Stone Path]
>x box. take it. s.
[Teak Bridge]
>w.
[Goldfish Pond]
>take coin. e. n. n.
[Rainbow Fountain]
>put coin in fountain.
[The Rainbow Fountain]
>save. e.
[East Nook]
The magic of these spheres is that if you drop it, it sinks into the ground and glows brightly. The drawback is that a sphere can't be picked up again, once dropped. All spheres work the same, regardless of colour.
>x marble box. open it.
>x green sphere. take it.
>x yellow sphere. take it.
>x red sphere. take it.
>w. sw.
[Stone Path]
>w.
[Mouth of Tunnel]
>w.
[Tunnel] (first dark room)
>drop red sphere. n.
[Tunnel] (second dark room)
>drop yellow sphere. w.
[Tunnel] (third dark room)
>drop green sphere. s.
[Tunnel]
Don't stop and examine the Blue Dragon. Get out of the tunnels before they collapse!
>e. e.
[Mouth of Tunnel]
>z. z. look. x blue coin. take it.
>e. ne.
[Rainbow Fountain]
>put coin in fountain.
[The Rainbow Fountain]
>save. nw.
[Stone Path]
>nw.
[Imperial Gardens]
>x tree. x coin. take tree. w.
[Small Alcove]
>w.
[Imperial Gardens Stables]
>x bin. open bin. x bag. take bag. e. n.
[Herb Garden]
>x dragon. smell herbs. show tree.
>x boots. take boots. w.
[South Side of River]
>x white boulder. x black boulder. x river.
>drop all. take white boulder. throw it.
>take black boulder. n.
[On River] (first location)
>throw black boulder. n.
[On River] (second location)
>n.
[North Side of River]
>n.
[Mine]
>x jewel. take it. s. s. s. s.
[South Side of River]
>take all. e.
[Herb Garden]
>show jewel. (Dragon gives coin to you)
>s. e. se. se.
[Rainbow Fountain]
>put coin in fountain.
[The Rainbow Fountain]
>save. ne.
[Stone Path]
>x paper. take it. ne.
[Outside the Crystal Palace]
>e.
[Crystal Palace]
>e. listen.
>close eyes. listen. (follow the directions of the sound; when I played, the directions were:)
>se. nw. nw. sw.
[Bottom of the Hill]
>x mountain. x portal. u.
>wear boots. u.
>open box. take rubberbands. put it on boots. u.
[Atop of Mount Crystal]
>x dragon. trade.
[Outside the Crystal Palace]
>sw. sw.
[Rainbow Fountain]
>remove boots. drop boots. drop box.
>put coin in fountain.
[The Rainbow Fountain]
>save. se.
[Rocky Road]
>se.
[End of the Road]
The iguana will follow you if and only if he is observing you. You cannot pick him up. Before moving, wait until you feel observed, or you get a similar message that the iguana is staying with you. You want the iguana to follow you for several locations.
>x sign. x iguana. z. (until observed) sw.
[Outside of Tea House]
>z. (until observed) s.
[Tea House]
>x dragon. z. (until observed) e.
[Tea House Nook]
>z. (until observed) s.
[Shrine]
>x money. take it. burn it.
>z. (until observed) e.
[Dark Corridor]
>z. (until observed) se.
[Wheel Room]
The iguana transforms into a golden wheel if he enters here.
>x wheel. turn it. u.
[Cupola]
>x drake. x flash. feed drake. rub drake.
>x cage. open cage. d. nw. w. n. w.
[Tea House]
>show cage. x cage. take coin. x it. listen.
>n. n. n. n.
[Rainbow Fountain]
>drop cage. drop bag. put coin in fountain.
[The Rainbow Fountain]
>save. se. se.
[End of the Road]
>go back.
[Other End of the Road]
>nw.
[Forest Road]
>n.
[Forest Clearing near House]
>x pebbles. take it. x house. n. nw. ne.
>throw pebble. g. n.
[Within the White Granite House]
>x dragon. x harp. play harp.
>meditate. play harp. x coin.
>s. s. se. go back. nw. nw.
[Rainbow Fountain]
>put coin in fountain.
[Land of the Mists]
You can't make any progress by wandering about in the mists.
>take all. meditate.
[Black Throne Room]
If you try to leave, you will fail and die.
>x dragon. x sword. x woman.
>kill dragon.