POLEARN Shoel Soft Spectrum 128 This is one of the longest, but best games I have played. It is well researched, well written, tightly constructed, all in all, a wonderful game to enjoy but a difficult game to play. Not only do you need to know what to do, you need to know when to do it. In certain locations it requires a precise sequence of steps within a limited time window in order to gain access to another location. Extraneous movements can be your downfall. There are also randomly occuring event. Be prepared – you may spend days upon days to get the correct sequence and not waste any moves. You can ask Harris for information about the inhabitants of the village. It is very, very difficult to finish this game. But enjoy it all the time. In essence, you have two major issues to solve. First, the more personal history of the old man and his daughter. Second, the larger issue of the smuggling. You need to examine and visit many locations to determine how to solve the second problem. My commendations to the author of this game. Adverbs and prepositions such as "carefully", "under", "in" , "with" are needed. You need to eat breakfast and dinner regularly. Also, sleep in the cottage. Red herrings: the rubber, the pitchfork, the cane, the coffee, the tea. Don't waste your light source – EXXTINGUISH LAMP when you can. You can't carry the wooden ladder and the flexilock simultaneously. Talk/give/show to people in " .. " (quotation marks). SAY TO <person> " <something> ". The suggested order to do things: Examine the sign. Follow the woman so you know where she lives. Check out the fisherman's shack. Give letter to Harris. Check out the pulpit. Check out the bicycle. Check out the cabinet – empty it. Make sure Mrs. Harris sees it. She can get you the means to open it. Check out the lounge. Eat supper. Visit the inn in the evening – SIT WITH MAN. Ask him about people. Check out the shrub. Crawl under the fence – there are four things you need in this area, but you will have to make more than one visit. Wait under the elm until you hear muffled voices. You need to learn something about the car, i.e. its registration. Don't carry heavy objects when you are swimming. Unlock the heavy door. Once you locate the bureau, and do what needs to be done, what object do you have that would help you proceed further? Eat breakfast. Follow up on the old man's invitation, making sure you have something to give him. How can you get up the outbuilding? A combustible material needs to be damp, not soggy. You need to distract the fisherman somehow, so you can get the rope – remember what the old man told you. Something very strong can pull the grille out. First you need to distract something that wants to rip you apart. You need to find three things in the dark house, two on one visit, the third on the second visit. There is an exit you need to create in the lounge. Deal with the gap – the ladder won't help here. You can't get the ladder past the bend – have you read a description where you can hear water below? You'll need another object to help you get the ladder to where you need it. Explore the mine. Use what you find to help you with an object you had see before. Eat supper. Check out the walls in the engine room Visit the old man before 10:00. You will need to give him two objects. Wait at the rocky shore until the appointed time. When you see a ladder drop down, make sure you are not seen. You can surmise how those figures got to the rocky shore. Make sure that no one can enter or leave that way again. When you see new arrivals "bend down" check it out. When you hear "metal scraping" eliminate another possible exit. Visit the bicycle owner with your evidence. If these hints do not help enough (and they may not), the solution can be found elsewhere. The bus drops you off. INVENTORY (you are wearing a watch, a jacket and trousers), EXAMINE JACKET. Somewhere around here you see a tall man walking a Doberman. LOOK IN POCKET, TAKE LETTER, READ LETTER (it says that the key for the cottage is available from the grocer), SW, EXAMINE HEDGES (you see a gap but don't go there yet), SW, EXAMINE SIGN (it points down), READ SIGN, EXAMINE SIGN CAREFULLY (it is bolted by nuts). Somewhere around here you may see a young woman. You can follow her to see she goes into a house to the south but be sure you can get into the shop before it closes. Go W, EXAMINE SHOP (green door), OPEN DOOR, N, GIVE LETTER TO HARRIS (you are given a key and told that dinner is at 6:30), OPEN DOOR, S, SE, S (you see a fisherman with a rope ), TAKE ROPE (you can't), N, E, OPEN DOOR, N, TAKE PAPER, READ PAPER (there is a change in plans and need to meet in the lane at 11:00 for new instructions), DROP PAPER, S, W, NW, W, W, W, OPEN GATE ( a Doberman comes out and prevents you). Go E, E, NW, NW, W, ENTER PULPIT, TAKE PENCIL (ignore the rubber), LEAVE PULPIT, E, N (you see the policeman's bicycle, EXAMINE BICYCLE (you see a saddlebag), OPEN SADDLEBAG, LOOK IN SADDLEBAG, TAKE FLEXILOCK, CLOSE SADDLEBAG, EXAMINE FLEXILOCK, S, SE, NE, N, UNLOCK FRONT DOOR, N, EXAMINE CABINET, OPEN CABINET, LOOK IN CABINET, EMPTY CABINET, MOVE CABINET (you see a heavy cellar door), OPEN HEAVY DOOR (it's locked), EXAMINE WATCH, WAIT (until Mrs. Harris arrives – she sees the door and goes pale), SAY TO MRS HARRIS "TELL ME ABOUT HEAVY DOOR", NW, SAY TO MRS HARRIS "GIVE ME THE KEY", SAY TO MRS HARRIS "GIVE ME THE KEY" (she will bring it next time), UNLOCK BACK DOOR, N, EXAMINE ROSES, N, TAKE SECATEURS (ignore the cane), S, S, CLOSE BACK DOOR, DROP KEY. Go SE, E, EXAMINE FIREPLACE, TAKE MATCHBOOK, EXAMINE CLOCK, W, NW (you see a salad), TAKE SALAD, EAT SALAD, SE, S, S, SW, SE, E, S (you are in the inn and see an old man), SIT WITH MAN (he buys you a drink and asks you to visit him tomorrow), SAY TO MAN "TELL ME ABOUT DAUGHTER" (she is his daughter and he can't afford to send her to drama school), SAY TO MAN "TELL ME ABOUT FISHERMAN" (he tells you not to smoke when he is around), GET UP, N, W, W, SW, S, S, S, EXAMINE SHRUB, LOOK UNDER SHRUB (you see a grille), EXAMINE GRILLE (strong bars), NW (you see a boarded up house), NE, N, SE, EXAMINE HUT, NW, N, W, W (you see an entrance to an abandoned mine with a padlocked grating), READ NOTICE, NW, SE, E, E, NE, W, OPEN GATE (you hear the Doberman), E, E, NW, NW, SW, CRAWL UNDER FENCE (you see a mare), EXAMINE TROUGH, LOOK UNDER TROUGH, TAKE BALL, PUT BALL IN POCKET, NE (it's dark), SW, EXAMINE BUILDING, OPEN GATE (you see the Doberman), CRAWL UNDER FENCE, NE, SE, NE, N, N, NW. EXAMINE SINK, LOOK UNDER SINK, PUSH PEDAL 3 times (water gushes out), TAKE SUGAR, PUT SUGAR IN POCKET, SE, EXAMINE WATCH, DROP FLEXILOCK, DROP MATCHES, S, S, SW, SE, E, E, NE, SE, SW, WAIT (until you hear muffled voices), UP, WAIT (a car stops), EXAMINE REGISTRATION (RGX 220), WAIT. Something is taken from the car. You hear that it's set for tomorrow night. They will meet at 2:45 at the usual place. The people decide to look at the tree. You hear something clatter on the ground. Go DOWN, S, JUMP W, SWIM, SWIM, SWIM (you reach the rocks), N, N, NW (you follow the tall man), W, W, W (he enters the farmhouse), E, E, NW, NE, N, N, W (you fall asleep and have a nightmare. You are in a cornfield and a light aircraft crashes down; the pilot rushes toward you and you awake and hear sobbing), GET UP, E (the sobbing is louder coming from the heavy door then it stops), EXAMINE WATCH, TAKE MATCHES, TAKE FLEXILOCK, WAIT (until Mrs. Harris arrives). SAY TO MRS HARRIS "GIVE ME THE KEY", REDESCRIBE, TAKE RUSTY KEY, UNLOCK HEAVY DOOR, DROP RUSTY KEY, EXAMINE SWITCH (press up or down), PRESS SWITCH DOWN, DOWN, EXAMINE JUNK, TAKE LAMP, EXAMINE BUREAU (you see a closed drawer), EXAMINE CARVING (head of a lion), EXAMINE LION (you see a hole), EXAMINE HOLE, INSERT PENCIL IN HOLE, TURN PENCIL, TURN PENCIL (you hear a mechanical noise), OPEN DRAWER, LOOK IN DRAWER (nothing), EXAMINE DRAWER CAREFULLY (you see a lever), PULL LEVER (the lion's head rotates and you see a secret compartment), LOOK IN COMPARTMENT, TAKE TURQUOISE LETTER, TAKE WHITE LETTER, UP, CLOSE HEAVY DOOR, NW, TAKE KIPPERS, EAT KIPPERS, READ WHITE LETTER. The letter tells of Richard's expedition with his cousin Cedric to the Amazon and his meeting with Cynthia Robinson. There is a second letter attached which you read. It tells of Richard's adventures in Brazil. READ TURQUOISE LETTER (it tells of Richard's reading Anne's letter, the party's attack by Indians, Cedric's fever, Richard's father's wish to have him out of the country, and the arrival back to England. They were pursued by a thin man and his cronies and Richard was told that he had stolen his girl. Richard stabbed him and ran. He returned to Penzance, slept in a barn, and learned that he had stabbed a magistrate's son. He returned home, confronted his father and suspected that his father knew about him and Anne. Richard made provisions for Anne and his unborn child. He referred to the symbol of their lost love and Anne's favourite place. Go SE, S, S, SW, SE, KNOCK ON DOOR, S (you are introduced to Julie), SHOW WHITE LETTER TO MAN, SHOW TURQUOISE LETTER TO MAN (Richard was his late wife, Emma's father), EXAMINE PHOTO, DROP WHITE LETTER, OPEN DOOR, N, E, OPEN GREEN DOOR, N, SAY TO HARRIS "TELL ME ABOUT OLD MAN" (Harris tells you he worked for Elijah Forrester and that he's never been forgiven for the loss of five men in a mine accident), SAY TO HARRIS "TELL ME ABOUT FISHERMAN", OPEN DOOR, S, E, NE, TAKE PLIERS, SW, UNDO NUTS WITH PLIERS, DROP PLIERS, TAKE SIGN, W, W, DROP SIGN, DROP SECATEURS, DROP LAMP, DROP FLEXILOCK, NW, NW, SW, CRAWL UNDER FENCE, NE, CLIMB LADDER, TAKE STRAW, DOWN, TAKE LADDER, SW, CRAWL UNDER FENCE, NE, SE, SE, W, W, LEAN LADDER ON OUTBUILDING, CLIMB LADDER (you are on the roof). EXAMINE FELT, RIP FELT (you create a hole), SQUEEZE THROUGH HOLE (ignore the pitchfork), EXAMINE TRACTOR, CLIMB IN CAB, LOOK UNDER SEAT, TAKE CAN, EXAMINE CAN, OPEN CAN, LOOK IN CAN (paraffin), DOWN, UP, DOWN, TAKE LADDER, E, E, FILL LAMP WITH PARAFFIN, DROP CAN, DROP LADDER, NW, NE, N, N, NW, PRESS PEDAL, PRESS PEDAL, PRESS PEDAL, SPRINKLE STRAW WITH WATER, SE, S, S, SW, SE, E, SE, WAIT (until the fisherman arrives and sits down at the jetty), E, OPEN DOOR, N, DROP STRAW, LIGHT MATCH, LIGHT STRAW, S, W, S, TAKE ROPE, W, W (you see the fisherman wave his fists at you), W, UP, W, NW, N, NE, E, NW, NW, SW, CRAWL UNDER FENCE, TAKE SUGAR FROM POCKET, GIVE SUGAR TO MARE, TIE ROPE TO MARE, OPEN GATE (the Doberman comes), TAKE BALL FROM POCKET, SHOW BALL TO DOG, THROW BALL OVER GATE (the Doberman runs after it), OPEN GATE, E, OPEN IRON GATE, E, CLOSE IRON GATE. Go E, E, TAKE SIGN, TAKE LAMP, TAKE FLEXILOCK, TAKE SECATEURS, W, SW, S, S, S, TIE ROPE TO GRILLE, HIT HORSE (she goes off and drags the grille with her), DOWN, LIGHT MATCH, LIGHT LAMP, W, NW, E (you see a fire in the hearth, three figures and an empty chair; the figures have no eyes; you flee), UP, E, TAKE STRING, MOVE BOXES (you see a painting – it reminds you of the photograph), EXAMINE PAINTING (painted by Richard), W, NE, EXAMINE MIRROR, EXAMINE MIRROR CAREFULLY (there is a screw), SW, W (you see something), S, N, E, DOWN, W, EXAMINE WINDOW, EXAMINE CORD, PULL CORD (you hear a click), EXAMINE SEAT, OPEN SEAT, PULL CORD (you see steps down), DOWN, N, N, NW, N (you see a gap), PUT SIGN ACROSS GAP, N, NW, DOWN, W (you see an opening ten feet up). DROP SECATEURS, DROP FLEXILOCK, E, UP, SE, S, S, E, S, S, UP, E, E, UP, EXTINGUISH LAMP, N, N, N, NE, E, TAKE LADDER, W, SW, W, W,TIE STRING TO LADDER, LOWER LADDER, E, E, S, S, S, DOWN, LIGHT MATCH, LIGHT LAMP, W, W, DOWN, N, N, NW, N, N, NW, DOWN (you see the ladder), TAKE LADDER, W, LEAN LADDER ON CLIFF, CLIMB LADDER (you see a nylon ladder), EXAMINE LADDER (two hooks on the end), N, OPEN TRUNK (you can't but you notice two loops on the end), N, NE, E, E, E (you see a padlocked gate at the mine entrance), W, N, TAKE PENKNIFE, S, W, W, SW, S, S, DOWN, E, UP, SE, S, S, E, S, S, UP, E, UP, NE. UNDO SCREW WITH PENKNIFE (you see a recess), EXAMINE RECESS, TAKE CREAM LETTER, SW, DOWN, E, UP, EXTINGUISH LAMP, N, N, N, NE, E, NW, NE, N, N, NW, TAKE LASAGNE, EAT LASAGNE, READ CREAM LETTER (it is a letter from Anne to Richard. Her father flew into a rage when learning about her pregnancy. She did not reveal Richard's name. You see a drawing of a man's and woman's hands clasped), SE, S, S, SW, SE, W, SW, W, W, NW, EXAMINE WALLS CAREFULLY, EXAMINE STONE, REMOVE STONE, EXAMINE HOLE, TAKE POUCH, LOOK IN POUCH (coins), SE, E, E, NE, E, KNOCK ON DOOR, S, GIVE CREAM LETTER TO OLD MAN, GIVE POUCH TO OLD MAN (he says that this is the money that Richard intended for his unborn child and he will give it to his daughter for drama school; Julie is thrilled and you leave). Go W, SW, S, S, S, DOWN, LIGHT MATCH, LIGHT LAMP, W, W, DOWN, N, N, NW, N, N, NW, DOWN, EXTINGUISH LAMP, W, TAKE SECATEURS, TAKE FLEXILOCK, UNTIE STRING, TAKE STRING, W, DROP FLEXILOCK, DROP STRING, E, TAKE LADDER, WAIT (until you see a ladder drop down – quite a long time), W, WAIT, E, WAIT (you see figures move the boat, enter it, and head out to sea), LEAN LADDER ON CLIFF, W, TAKE FLEXILOCK, E, CLIMB LADDER, LIGHT MATCH, LIGHT LAMP, N, N, NE, E, E, E, LOCK FLEXILOCK AROUND GATE, W, W, W, SW, S, S, DOWN, EXTINGUISH LAMP, TAKE LADDER, WAIT (until you heat a motor), W, W, WAIT (until you see the men bend down), E, OPEN BRIEFCASE, TAKE SACHET, CLOSE BRIEFCASE, W, EXAMINE SACHET (white powder – you hear metal scraping), E, LEAN LADDER ON CLIFF, LIGHT MATCH, LIGHT LAMP, UP, CUT LADDER, TAKE LADDER, DOWN, DROP LADDER, TAKE LADDER. Go E, DROP LADDER, DROP SECATEURS, UP, SE, S, TAKE SIGN, S, E, S, S, UP, E, E, UP, EXTINGUISH LAMP, N, N, N, NE, E, NW, NW, N, KNOCK ON DOOR, KNOCK ON DOOR, GIVE SACHET TO POLICEMAN. You tell him everything you know. He calls for help and men are sent out. You later receive a letter. They catch the fisherman and the tall man. The registration led them to a bank manager who was charged with fraud. Within days you learn of a major drug bust. You received a commendation and a reward. Richard's letter was accepted as proof of Julie's claim to the Forrester estate. Julie becomes and actress and you marry her. You are finished. Terri Sheehan 2005-08-29 ***************************************************** Displayed on the Classic Adventures Solution Archive: http://solutionarchive.com