| The NES manual reads "Manufactured by Tengen" and thanks the player for choosing Tengen's Gauntlet; its copyright line is "® and © 1985, Atari Games Corp.", and Tengen gives the warranty. | PDF p. 1, back coverPDF p. 2PDF p. 2PDF p. 31, Tengen 90-Day Limited Warranty | Manual |
| In the NES manual, Marak (Morak in its story) the Evil One has stolen the Sacred Orb, without which the people of Rendar are helpless against his magic. Four warriors reach his Gauntlet, but its portal lets only two through: the player chooses among Thor the warrior, Thyra the valkyrie, Merlin the wizard, and Questor the elf, alone or with a friend, and explores its mazes for the exit of each room, fighting enemies and collecting food, treasure, and other items. | PDF p. 2, Object of the GamePDF p. 2, Object of the Gameprinted p. 1 (PDF p. 4), The Story of the Sacred Orbprinted p. 1 (PDF p. 4), The Story of the Sacred Orbprinted p. 2 (PDF p. 5), The Story of the Sacred Orbprinted p. 2 (PDF p. 5), The Story of the Sacred Orb | Manual |
| The four characters have different strengths and weaknesses. The NES manual suggests the warrior or the valkyrie to a beginner, for their power, firepower, and armor. Thor is big and slow, with an axe that does a lot of damage; Thyra is well balanced; Merlin has the best magic but no armor; and Questor has great speed but weak shots and armor. | printed p. 8 (PDF p. 11), The Charactersprinted p. 8 (PDF p. 11), The CharactersPDF p. 12, Thor, the WarriorPDF p. 12, Thor, the WarriorPDF p. 13, Thyra, the ValkyriePDF p. 14, Merlin, the WizardPDF p. 15, Questor, the Elf | Manual |
| In the NES game you start with an amount of power that enemies drain by touching or shooting you, and the game ends when the power is gone; food restores it. In a treasure room there are no enemies, and finding the exit before the timer runs out refills power to the maximum. | PDF p. 18, PowerPDF p. 18, PowerPDF p. 18, PowerPDF p. 18, PowerPDF p. 18, Power | Manual |
| Two players can play the NES game as a team or in competition. In team play enemies go for the nearer player, so one can draw them while the other shoots them from a distance, and the two share food and treasure. In competition each grabs treasure and food for himself, can block passages with his body, and in some rooms can stun or hurt the other with shots. | printed p. 6 (PDF p. 9), How to Playprinted p. 6 (PDF p. 9), How to Playprinted p. 6 (PDF p. 9), How to Playprinted p. 6 (PDF p. 9), How to Playprinted p. 6 (PDF p. 9), How to Playprinted p. 6 (PDF p. 9), How to Playprinted p. 6 (PDF p. 9), How to Play | Manual |
| The NES game's mazes make up five worlds, the Castle, the Dark Forest, the Lost Caverns, the Unseen, and Volcana, Lair of the Guardian, each mapped in the manual. Computer Entertainer counted over 90 mazes; Nintendo Power wrote of more than 100 rooms. | PDF p. 19, Map of World OnePDF p. 20, Map of World TwoPDF p. 21, Map of World ThreePDF p. 22, Map of World FourPDF p. 23, Map of World Five | Manual |
| The NES game gives a password on the pause screen. Entered at the start, it resumes after the last treasure room completed, with the same character, treasure, maximum power, keys, bombs, and extra abilities; the highest room a password can start from is 79. The manual warns that a password stops working once a player has collected more than 2000 treasures. | PDF p. 8, Password EntryPDF p. 8, Password EntryPDF p. 8, Password EntryPDF p. 25PDF p. 8, Password Entry | Manual |
| The last rooms of Volcana in the NES game are locked behind a combination of eight letters or digits. Each part is revealed by touching the ? in one of eight clue rooms and leaving before its timer reaches 0, when Morak appears with the clue. The combination is unique to each player, and its clues must be collected with the same character and the same series of passwords. | PDF p. 24, The Final CombinationPDF p. 24, The Final CombinationPDF p. 24, The Final CombinationPDF p. 24, The Final CombinationPDF p. 24, The Final CombinationPDF p. 24, The Final CombinationPDF p. 24, The Final CombinationPDF p. 24, The Final Combination | Manual |