NORMAN'S LAMENT Jack Lockerby Zenobi Software This is a game short on plot, but long on puzzles of the language and mathematical variety. Many of them are very difficult even if you have played similar games before. Mapping the game is a challenge in itself. The narrative part of the game comes at the end. You need to have acquired the suction cup, string, staff, and spade in order to get what you need (gown, copy of Hansard, copy of a member's bill, and a wig), in order to get a pass to get out. Some of these objects are given to you when you solve the puzzles, some you will have to get in other ways. Most of the time you are given a disc (there are nine in total). It does not matter in which order you solve the puzzles, with the exception of the Circle Puzzle which you need all nine disks to complete. Puzzle rooms are noted by the direction ENTER. Where applicable and possible, hints are given to help you solve the puzzles before reading the solution. You begin near an exit. EXAMINE SERGEANT (he will reward you when you solve a puzzle), E, ENTER, READ NOTICE: TRIANGULAR ROOM: You need to visit each room once, in a circuitous route so that you will spell out a 15-letter word. You may enter the corridors as often as you wish. The letters are R, M, S, S, S, O, L A, E, I, I, N, O, F, P. It is not easy to find all the letters, let alone anagram them correctly. The word is PROFESSIONALISM. Go SE, W, W, W, W, W, N (P), NW, NE, NE, NE, NE, SE (R), NE, SE, SE, SE, SE, SW, (O), S, W, W, N, (F), NW, (E), NW (S), NW, SW, SW, SW, E, E, E, E, E, E, NW, NW, SW (S), NE, SE, SE, W, W, N, (I), S, W, W, N (O), NW (N), NW, NE, NE, SE (A), SE (L), SE (I), NE (S), NW (M). You are given disc 1. TAKE 1, NE, SE, SE, SE, LEAVE. GO S, ENTER, READ NOTICE, EXAMINE BLACKBOARD: SYNONYM ROOM: You need to find a synonym of the keyword by taking one letter in turn from each of the synonyms. The answers are ALARM, DEBAR, DREGS, AVERT. You are given disc 5. TAKE 5, LEAVE. Go N, W, S, ENTER, READ NOTICE, EXAMINE BLACKBOARD: SMALL ROOM: You need to create fish names. The answers are SOLE, PERCH, FLOUNDER, BASS, PIKE, CARP, EEL. You are given disc 4. TAKE 4, LEAVE. Go W, S, ENTER, READ NOTICE, EXAMINE BLACKBOARD: ROUND ROOM: You need to find words within each word which are synonyms. The answers are URGE, LIES, RIM, CUT, PRATE, PRAM, JOY, RULES, SPOTS, MATES, CAN. You are given disc 9. TAKE 9, LEAVE. Go N, ENTER, READ NOTICE: CIPHER BUILDING: You need to visit all nine rooms. You must decipher the coded quotation using the legends in each room. You need to choose from the two or three letters corresponding to each number, which best fits the coded word. Go N, N, W, S, S, W, N, N (you now have all the clues), E, E, S, S. The answer is THE, ONLY, ONE, WHO, GOT, EVERYTHING, DONE, BY, FRIDAY, WAS, ROBINSON, CRUSOE. You get disc 3. TAKE 3, LEAVE. Go N, ENTER, DROP ALL, ENTER, READ NOTICE: STAR ROOM: There are 16 rooms here. You need to distribute the numbers 1 through 16 around the room so that each of the eight lines of the star add up to the same total. HELP (the number is between 25 and 35). Hint: the rows need to add up to 34. It is suggested that you map the room first. TAKE BOX, The answer is (going counterclockwise) NE, DROP 15, E, DROP 11, N, DROP 10, NE, DROP 7, NW, DROP 9, N, DROP 4, W, DROP 6, NW, DROP 12, SW, DROP 8, W, DROP 16, S, DROP 1, SW, DROP 13, SE, DROP 14, S, DROP 3, E, DROP 5, SE, DROP 2. You get disc 8. TAKE 8, DROP BOX, LEAVE, TAKE ALL. Go W, ENTER, READ NOTICE. COMPASS ROOM: This is one of 25 rooms in a 5 x 5 grid. There is a button in each room except the one you are in. When you push it, it gives a particular set of directions. You can visit each room only once, using the alternate route. The trick in this puzzle is knowing where to start. You actually need to push one button only. The answer is, S, S, S, PUSH BUTTON. Then follow the directions as they are given, typing in the directions given in each room. There is a spade waiting for you outside. LEAVE, TAKE SPADE. Go S, S, ENTER, READ NOTICE, EXAMINE BLACKBOARD: LONG ROOM: There is a word missing from the middle of each two-word pair. You must find the word that when tacked on to the end of the first word, makes a new word, and when tacked on the beginning of the second word, also makes a new word. A dictionary is useful here. The answer is BELL, GAIN, HAUL, HERE, LESS, ACT, DOCK, ANT, HER, LACE, FORM, TON, BOARD, SON, POWER, MEN. You get disc 7. TAKE 7, LEAVE. Go S, ENTER, EXAMINE CEILING: BLUE ROOM: Here you must find the missing 2-letter combinations. I do not understand the basis of this puzzle, but the answer is VS and JR. You are give a bow saw. LEAVE. Go E, ENTER, READ NOTICE, EXAMINE BLACKBOARD: ROOM (OF QUOTATIONS): There are 8 rooms here each with a quotation in code. You must arrange the three-letter combinations in the right order to decipher the quotations. I found the Matthew Arnold quotation the hardest since it is not in current grammar. A door will open once you solve a puzzle; proceed in that direction. Hint for Matthew Arnold puzzle: the 10 and 5 letter words are FACILITIES FOUND. Hint for Samuel Johnson puzzle: first word is MARRIAGE. Hint fir Francis Bacon puzzle: first word is CHILDREN; eleven- letter word is MISFORTUNES. Remember British spelling is used here. Hint for W.C. Fields puzzle: first word is ANYBODY. Hint for Zsa Zsa Gabor puzzle: the five-letter word is ENOUGH and the eight-letter word is DIAMOND. Hint for Tallulah Bankhead puzzle: first word is I'M. Hint for Groucho Marx puzzle: the six-letter word is FORGET and the nine-letter word is EXCEPTION. Hint for Martin Luther King Puzzle: eight-letter word is ALMIGHTY. EXAMINE BLACKBOARD in each room to get the coded quotation. The respective answers are: Matthew Arnold: WEA, REN, OTH, ERE, TOH, AVE, FAC, ILI, TIE, SFO, UND, USF, ORD, OIN, GTH, EWO, RKW, ELI, KEB, UTT, OMA, KET, HEM. (We are not here to have facilities found us for doing the work we like but to make them). Samuel Johnson: MAR, RIA, GEH, ASM, ANY, PAI, NSB, UTC, ELI, BAC, YHA, SNO, PLE, ASU, RES. (Marriage has many pains but celibacy has no pleasures). Francis Bacon: CHI, LDR, ENS, WEE, TEN, LAB, OUR, SBU, TTH, EYM, AKE, MIS, FOR, TUN, ESM, ORE, BIT, TER. (Children sweeten labour but they make misfortunes more bitter). W. C. Fields: ANY, BOD, YWH, OHA, TES, CHI, LDR, ENA, NDD, OGS, CAN, TBE, ALL BAD. (Anybody who hates children and dogs can't be all bad). You are given disc 2. TAKE 2. Zsa Zsa Gabor: INE, VER, HAT, EDA, MAN, ENO, UGH, TOG, IVE, HIM, DIA, MON, DSB, ACK . (I never hated a man enough to give him (sp? his) diamond back). Tallulah Bankhead: IMA, SPU, REA, STH, EDR, IVE, NSL, USH. (I'm as pure as the driven slush). Groucho Marx: INE, VER, FOR, GET, AFA, CEB, UTI, LLM, AKE, ANE, XCE, PTI, ONI, NYO, URC, ASE. (I never forget a face, but I'll make an exception in your case). You are given a copy of Hansard. TAKE HANSARD. Martin Luther King: FRE, EAT, LAS, TFR, EEA, TLA, STT, HAN, KGO, DAL, MIG, HTY, WEA, REF, REE, ATL, AST. (Free at last, free at last, thank god almighty, we are free at last). Go W, LEAVE. Go E, ENTER, READ NOTICE, EXAMINE BLACKBOARD: SQUARE ROOM: The notice explains how numbers are divisible by 11. There are 16 numbers and the object is to place them in a 4 x 4 grid so that all the horizontal and vertical lines are divisible by 11 when read forwards and backwards. Type the numbers across. The answer is 4268, 9427, 8613, 3454. You see a wig. TAKE WIG, LEAVE. Go E, ENTER, READ NOTICE, EXAMINE BLACKBOARD: ALPHABET ROOM: There are nine words with blanks. Use all 26 letters only once. Type only the blanks and do so in order. The answer is GLP, MAE, JY, BUND, FIZ, VW, QOT, HXS, RCK (gallop, maple, jays, bound, fizz, avow, quote, hexes, rock). You are given disc 6. TAKE 6, LEAVE. Go N, DIG, TAKE CUP, EXAMINE CUP, DROP SPADE, N, W, W, S, W, N, INVENTORY (you should have, in addition to 9 discs, a suction cup, a Hansard, a wig, and a saw), ENTER, READ NOTICE: CIRCLE ROOM: You are in the centre. You are to place the discs, one in each room, such that the numbers of the discs that are all directly connected to it equal the value of the disc in that circle. This is not easy to do since the room does not easily map into a circle. The answer is DROP 8, W, DROP 4, NE, DROP 3, SW, SW, DROP 2, SE, DROP 7, NE, DROP 6, SE, DROP 1, W, DROP 5, NE, DROP 9. You get a private member's bill. EXAMINE BILL, SW, E, N, LEAVE. Go N, ENTER (you are in the Compass room again), W, EXAMINE WALL (you see a loose brick), FIX CUP TO BRICK, PULL CUP (the brick falls to the floor), EXAMINE HOLE, FEEL HOLE, PULL STRING, EXAMINE STAFF (it belongs to the Black Rod), E, LEAVE, E, E, E, S, S, DROP ALL, EXAMINE TREE (there is a gown on it),TAKE SAW, UP (you need both hands free), TAKE STAFF, UNTIE STRING, TIE STRING TO SAW, SLING SAW, DROP STAFF, UP, EXAMINE BRANCH, REMOVE SAW, SAW BRANCH (it falls to the ground), SLING SAW, DOWN, REMOVE SAW, TAKE ALL. Go S, W, N, GIVE STAFF (the door opens), ENTER, EXAMINE CLERK (he mislaid his Hansard), EXAMINE WHIP (he wants a bill), EXAMINE SPEAKER (he needs a wig and gown), GIVE WIG, GIVE GOWN, GIVE BILL, GIVE HANSARD, LEAVE (you get a pass), EXAMINE PASS (it allows you to pass the Sergeant at Arms), E, N, N, W, GIVE PASS. You are finished. Terri Sheehan 2003-08-02 ***************************************************** Displayed on the Classic Adventures Solution Archive: http://hjem.get2net.dk/gunn/