Have you been to the witches' house yet? Well, if you haven't, you should have found a note say something along the lines of "It is always wise to think backwards". Now, when you find the gnome on the island-- which you should have immediately recognised as Rumpelstiltskin-- depending on which edition of the game you're playing (the original 1984 edition or the remade 1990 edition), you will have to do one of the following:

The original 1984 edition: For this edition you will have to 'think backwards', just as the note suggested. But it's not as simple as typing his name in as 'Nikstlitslepmur'... You must first reverse the whole alphabet:

A B C D E F G H I J K L MN O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Z Y X W V U T S R Q P O N M L K J I H G F E D C B A

Now you must spell Rumpelstiltskin on the reverse alphabet (ex. R=I, U=F etc.). When you are done, you should have Ifnkovhgroghprm-- and that's your answer.

The remade 1990 edition: For this edition you will have to 'think backwards' also, just as the note suggested... but this time it is just as simple as typing his name in as Nikstlitslepmur. Sierra found that the previous puzzle was too difficult, and angered too many gamers, so they made it simple in the remake. So again, your answer is Nikstlitslepmur-- Rumpelstiltskin backwards.

I hope I've been of assistance, and that this will help you have as much fun as I did when I first played "King's Quest I: Quest for the Crown". Thanks for your time.

~ Leisure Suit Larrry

The Sega Master System version spells it Rumplestiltskin, so the answer is Ifnkovhgroghprm