In a world called Boran, the evil sorcerer Kronos decides he has to put an end to King Aaron's rule. Aaron however is protected by the white mage Gandalf, who fights a terrible battle of magic against Kronos. At the end of the battle, both sorcerers are killed and Gandalf's staff is broken in two parts. Now Kronos' evil helper Hellowoon saw his chance at bringing the land under his control. He set up a reign of terror, but there was one more thing he needed: Zarrak, who is Aaron's son.

The player assumes Zarrak's role, and the game begins with Zarrak waking up in a prison cell, bound by a chain to the wall. Hellowoon is a text-adventure, so all actions are controlled by words entered into the parser. Each room does however have its own graphical representation at the top of the screen. During the course of the game, the player may learn a total of three magical spells that can be used to defend themselves against foes.