Note: Even reading the questions to these hints may reveal some spoilers. Don't say you weren't warned. Answers to questions are printed in white-on-white; select them to reveal their content. Where there is more than one level of hint, the first line of the answer will suggest a solution, and then later lines will get more explicit.
In many cases there are alternate solutions that are not mentioned here. These are left as an exercise to the player.
I can't seem to do anything useful.
Have you read the information that comes with the game? Type HELP or INFO, then read the instructions for first-time players.
You appear to have the ability to LINK similar things together. Go on, try it: LINK TEAPOT TO SNUFFBOX, say. Then see what happens.
Could you give me some general pointers about how this magic works? After all, my PC obviously knows all...
Okay. Objects are more likely to link if they are: the same general shape (linear, flat, cubical, cylindrical, etc); the same size; the same color.
Other tip-offs are if they share some sort of design or marking.
Containers can be linked to each other; opening one opens the other, etc.
Mirrors can be linked to each other; when they are, you may see into one place through the other mirror.
I can't get into the shed.
Those roses certainly are annoying, but you won't be able to get rid of them until you've seen quite a lot of the game.
If you haven't explored the wine cellar, skip this and come back later.
Have you checked out the delicate contraption and all its settings?
For instance, the "rose" shape on the shape dial?
Do you have any recipes for the contraption that might make a good base for a rose shape?
How about the chocolate recipe?
If you don't have everything you need, go back and thoroughly search the basement area.
Collect the cocoa beans (tin in the closet in the wine cellar), vanilla bean (among the barrels in the root cellar), sugar (red jar in the subcellar room), and chocolate recipe (center room of the wine cellar).
Put the recipe on the spindle of the contraption; put the ingredients and a plate inside the contraption. Set the dial to ROSE and turn on the contraption. Take the chocolate rose and link it to the roses, then eat it. If you accidentally set the dial to the wrong thing and have a wrong-shaped chocolate, you can fix it by putting the chocolate back in, resetting the dial, and turning the machine on again.
I can't reach the andouillettes.
There are a whole bunch of ways to get them.
You could try standing on something to make yourself taller, for instance.
But the table alone isn't enough. You might have to stack something on top of it.
The stone in the kitchen corridor would work nicely.
PUT STONE ON TABLE. STAND ON STONE. GET SAUSAGES.
I can't reach the tea recipe.
This isn't accessible until you've been several places in the game.
If you haven't yet been to the wine cellars, skip this and come back later.
You cannot reach the recipe with any long object you have, nor can you flush it out down the drain.
However, you might be able to make it float, under the right circumstances. Have you seen anything else small, cylindrical, and able to float?
How about the cork of a wine bottle?
You may need to figure out how to open a wine bottle first. (If so, figure that out and come back.)
So you've got a cork. How do you transfer its floaty properties to the tea recipe?
Have you REMEMBERed the dining room wallpaper?
REVERSE LINK CORK TO TEA RECIPE
Now it's light enough to float if you fill the drain with water.
But you can't do that unless the other end is plugged.
Go out to the garden and put a small round object (the sponge, for instance) in the drain hole.
Now get some water in a container and pour it into the sink. The tea recipe should float right up.
I can't get what's behind the brick in the servants' dormitory.
Have you seen anything similar to that brick?
A hard, rectangular sort of object that is reddish-brown?
How about that loaf of bread in the kitchen?
If you LINK the bread to the brick, then destroy the bread, the brick will be destroyed as well.
Of course, it may not be trivial to destroy the bread, hard as it is.
There are a couple of approaches to this.
One is to make the bread soggy and thus more crumbly.
Take the bread out to the kitchen garden. DIP BREAD IN WELL. BREAK BREAD. Go back to the dormitory and claim your prize.
I can't get into the main part of the mansion.
There are those double doors in the way.
Do they remind you of anything you possess?
They are white with a crest on them. Where else have you seen that?
The dishes in the cupboard have the same crest.
The teapot is even able to open.
LINK TEAPOT TO DOORS, then OPEN TEAPOT.
Is there anything to do in here besides looking at and remembering stuff?
Only if you want the Last Lousy Point.
How do I get the painting of the Count's father?
You don't.
This model universe is turned off.
It needs to be turned on.
You can do this via its connection with another object.
You've noticed it's linked to something to the south -- what is there in the entrance hall that might be connected?
You can turn on the model universe by starting the clock.
Alas, the clock has run down. How do you restart a clock that's wound down?
There's a hint about this in the books, actually.
PULL WEIGHT will start the pendulum of the clock and get th model universe running once more.
What's the lens in Jupiter for?
It looks like it does something with light coming from the center of the model.
So you need to put something in the holder in the center, then.
What am I supposed to put in the model universe's holder?
It looks like that's where the sun goes.
Have you been upstairs yet?
Have you got the celestial bauble?
Is it shining?
LINK BAUBLE TO SUN then PUT BAUBLE IN HOLDER.
This clock doesn't work.
Alas, the clock has run down. How do you restart a clock that's wound down?
There's a hint about this in the books, actually.
PULL WEIGHT will start the pendulum of the clock.
Those hangings are suspicious-seeming.
Have you looked behind them?
Seems like the hangings are in the way.
Unfortunately, cutting up the hangings or moving them directly doesn't seem to work.
Have you got another item made of cloth that might be linked to the hangings?
How about the white handkerchief from the servants' dormitory?
Too bad it's the wrong color.
Have you seen any hints about how to dye things?
If only you could boil the onion skin and make a yellow dye.
Maybe the contraption knows how to make boiling water under some circumstances.
For tea, for instance.
If you haven't got the tea recipe, come back later.
Got it? Good. Now put the onion skin and some water and a cup in the contraption, put the tea recipe on the spindle, and turn the whole thing on.
Now dip the hanky in the cup, link it to the hangings, and use the butcher knife to tear it apart. (You may achieve the same effect with TIE HANKY, if you prefer.)
Now I have another problem.
The door is locked from the other side, yes.
Have you had a look at the key?
It's not going to work to push it out or slide anything under the door. But if you could get it to turn in place...
Does the description remind you of any other object?
Not another key -- those are protected from such links.
Something else that is long, straight, and ornately decorated.
Such as your sword.
LINK SWORD TO ORNATE KEY. PUT SWORD IN SHEATH. TURN SWORD.
Argh, there are a lot of doors here.
Yup. Note the colors.
Doors of the same color are linked together.
Toggling a door's state (open/closed) will toggle the state of its linked door(s).
How do I open a wine bottle?
There's a really easy way later.
If you don't want to wait, though, you can link the cork to your sword (while sword is sheathed), then remove the sword from the sheath. Voila! Flying champagne-cork effect.
How do I open the grey-blue trapdoor?
It corresponds to the grey-blue door to your north (in that room). Close that door and the trapdoor will open.
How do I open the russet door(s)?
One of the russet doors is unlocked by a key. You need to find the key and use it on the correct door in order to control these.
The key is somewhere in the wine cellar.
In fact, it's behind the yellow door.
How do I open the blue door?
You have to open its counterpart.
Unfortunately, that counterpart has changed color.
Have you had a good look at the white door?
You need to make the white door look blue again.
Painting, scraping, etc., will not work.
You can, however, project blue light onto it.
You'll need the celestial bauble in order to do this trick. If you haven't got it, return to this puzzle later.
You'll also need the blue jar. If you haven't got that, come back later.
All set? And the bauble is acting as a light source?
If not, link it to the sun upstairs.
Ready? Grand. Stick the bauble in the blue jar, which you have emptied of its salt. Make sure you have no other functioning light sources on your person, as the white light from them will interfere. Now the white door should appear blue when you are near it. Open it (or if it was open, close it). Now the blue door should be open.
How do I open the yellow door?
It corresponds to the brass-paneled door into the wine cellar. Close that and you'll be able to open the yellow one.
How do I open the vault door?
You have to open its counterpart.
The red door to the east is linked to the vault door.
You'll need a key to open it. The key is somewhere in the cellar.
You'll find it in the cheese corner. Try that.
I weep. Just talk me through this whole area, eh?
Aww. Well, okay.
First, close the door with the brass panels. This will open the yellow closet door. Now go northwest, then southwest to the dessert wines room. Take the mead. Go southeast and collect the key (which opens a russet door) and the tin (full of cocoa beans).
Now go northeast, northwest, southwest to return to the beginning of the cellar.
Go south. Close the grey-blue door. The trapdoor in the floor will open. Descend and collect the two jars. UP.
Use your new key to unlock the door to your east. Go east. Go north. Pick up the chocolate recipe in the center room. Go north again. This time, the door east will be open (due to the magic of linking). Go east. Open the barrel and investigate the contents.
Now the fiendish trick. The door to your south is white, but it used to be blue, linked to the door that leads into the cheese room at the southeastern corner of the cellar. To make it blue again, you need to empty the blue jar (store the salt elsewhere) and put the bauble inside it. (If you don't have the bauble, go get it.) Now the blue jar will be giving off blue light. Turn off any other light sources you may have with you, since they will only interfere. Now, look. The door to the south should appear blue. Open it.
Go west, south, south. The blue door to your east should be standing open. Go in. Collect the green jar, the cheeses from the box, and the key with the red string.
Go east, east, and north. You should be back at the entrance of the wine cellar with the vault door to your north and a locked red door to your east. Unlock the red door with the key you got from the cheese cellar. The vault door will open at the same time.
Enter the vault and collect the contents.
How do I open the gilt door?
You need a key from fairly late in the game.
If you haven't yet investigated behind the hangings and found that area, skip this until later.
The key is in the rat-hole in the chapel. You'll have to deal with the rat.
I can't remember any good piano tunes.
It doesn't matter -- just PLAY PIANO is fine. However, you may try the names of various tunes and music types if you wish.
I want that bauble.
It would help if you were taller, or else had a longer reach.
Maybe if you hit the bauble with something, it will roll off the shelf. (Be careful, it's fragile.)
Smashes, does it? How about protecting it against that problem?
Have you read the description of the bauble carefully?
Have you REMEMBERed the dining room wallpaper?
If you reverse-link the bauble to something less fragile, it won't be damaged in the fall.
Either the onion or the sponge will work.
Now hit it with your swordstick or throw something at it in order to make it fall off the shelf. (Don't throw anything up there that you're going to need back soon, though. The hat's pretty expendable, if you don't mind the blow to your self-image.)
I found an encrypted letter.
So you did. It can, in fact, be decrypted the hard way -- the encryption is breakable -- but it's a pain, because it's a transposition cipher. If you're still feeling ambitious, by all means go ahead and solve that.
No? Okay. You can also decrypt it by machine in-game.
Note the sketch on the letter. Remind you of anything?
You can link the letter to the dancers.
When they dance, the letter will unscramble.
How do I get the dancers?
You'll need to break the case. But breaking the case is a problem, because of the bee.
Solve your bee problem first.
How do I turn the dancers on?
First you'll have to be able to move them. If you don't have them yet, skip this puzzle.
Dancers need music.
Take them into the conservatory, then play the piano.
How do I deactivate the clockwork bee?
You could catch it in something.
Have you been to the wine cellar yet? If not, skip down to where it says Bee Method Two.
Have you seen anything honey-related?
How about that bottle of mead, which is honey wine?
You need some of that in a container you can close.
Pour some mead into a jar or the wooden box. Open the container and leave it on the floor in the study. Smash the glass case. The bee will fly into the container to hover over the mead, at which point you may close the container, trapping it.
Bee Method Two
The bee flies randomly in and out of any containers you leave in the room with it.
So you could link a container to something you have in your possession, leave the container in the room with the bee, walk out, and close the linked container to trap the bee.
But it would be hard to see when the bee was safely contained, so you'll want to do this with a container you can see into.
Mirrors can be linked to each other. True fact.
Link the mirror in Marie's room to the mirror inset in the wooden box; then link the wooden box to the snuffbox. Go into the room, drop the wooden box, open it, and smash the glass case. Walk back to Marie's room and keep an eye on the mirror. Close the snuffbox when the bee has flown into the wooden box. Double-check the mirror to be sure he's well-caught -- you'll be able to see if he's in there -- and then go back and fetch the wooden box. Do not open it again unless you are ready for the lethal bee of death to come out.
I need to remove the rat.
There are actually quite a few ways to solve this one, of which I've selected the three simplest to explain. Pick from the below and go to the corresponding marker:
One: I am an animal-loving vegetarian and desire to do no harm.
Two: I haven't captured the bee yet, and would love to use these
two fiends against each other.
Three: I want to vent my wrath! Forget these complex set-ups! Kill, kill!
Method One.
Maybe you could block the rat out of his hole.
He's really really quick, though.
Somehow you'll have to lure him out and then apply the blockage in such a way that he can't get home in time.
You need one or more cheeses and a small round object such as the sponge or the onion.
Drop a cheese on the floor.
While he's out, throw the round object at the hole. It will be too fast for the rat to outrun, and he will retire, defeated but of whole body.
Method Two.
You need to have the bee trapped and get the rat to come out and be near the bee when you're not in the room.
Perhaps if you somehow combined things that lure both of them...?
Get the bee into a container with a cheese in it. (There are a couple of ways to do this -- see above under bee-trapping.)
Now you're all set to trap the rat.
Drop the bee-container, closed, in the room with the rat. Link it to something openable in your possession. Walk out of the room and open the linked container. Wait until you hear the rat and bee meeting their joint demise. Return and clean up the battlefield.
Three.
Do KILL RAT WITH SWORD at least thirty times. Eventually you will skewer it. Warning: may damage your dignity as a duellist.
I seem to be dying of hunger.
You're not, actually. You're just a big whiner. Yes, your life will be unpleasant until you find something fit to eat, but you will never actually die. So relax.
It's going to take a while to assemble everything you need in order to eat. Have a good look around the basement area before even trying it.
You've got two options: vegetarian or non-vegetarian. If you want to go vegetarian but haven't found that option yet, try looking under the bed in the servants' dormitory.
Lentil soup ingredients are water (from the well); lentils (search the boxes in the root cellar until you find them); clove of garlic (in the contraption at the start of the game); onion (in the sack in the scullery); olive oil (from the green jar in the cheese corner); salt (from the blue jar in the sub-basement); and a spring of bay (go outside and pick it from the kitchen garden). You will also need the cup (to put it in), the recipe itself, and a spoon to eat it with (in the box in the vault of the wine cellar).
Andouillettes ingredients are andouillettes (from above the kitchen table); onion (in the sack in the scullery); olive oil (from the green jar in the cheese corner); salt (from the blue jar in the sub-basement); Sauvignon Blanc (from the wine cellar, opened with the corkscrew in the vault or else by magic). You will also need the plate (to put it on), the recipe itself, and a fork to eat it with (in the box in the vault of the wine cellar).
Put your ingredients and the plate or cup into the contraption. Put the recipe on the spindle. Turn the contraption on. When it's done, open it up and take the plate or cup. Go into the dining room and put the plate or cup on the table. Take your spoon or fork so you are holding it (not just having it in the sack). *Now* you are ready and may dive in.
I need a light source.
There are two possible options, both requiring you to have explored the upstairs part of the mansion.
The celestial bauble is the best one.
Not shining? Try linking it to the sun.
Er... can I have a diagnostic about whether I'm ready for this?
You should have been through the gilt door, decrypted the encrypted letter, and discovered the piece that was torn from the book about the Lavori D'Aracne. If you haven't done all those things, go back to the above. There should be no remaining locked doors you haven't opened or treasures you've seen but not taken. Your score may be 99 or 100 at this stage.
I don't follow the story-to-date.
Have you read the letter from the Count that was encrypted?
Have you read Marie's unfinished letter to him?
Have you REMEMBERed the painting of the Count's father?
From the letter in the room above the chapel, it would appear that Marie is in trouble due to the Count's old enemy, the Baron D'Envers. The Baron D'Envers is also the holder of your debts (possibly a connection here?) and generally not a nice man. He's been pressing Marie to marry him. It seems that the Count was worried Marie might get into trouble, so he left some handy things behind -- but the Count himself has been out of town for quite a while. Apparently something bad happened to Marie, and the house was ransacked, while the Count was gone. In other news, Marie once fell into the well, and was rescued by your father. While she was down there, the Count, being nervous, reverse-linked her to you in order to keep her alive. This is the reason for your magic abilities. When your father saved Marie, the Count offered him a reward; your father asked the Count to raise you, since your family already had too many children to feed easily. The Count was happy to assist, especially since, in this way, he could keep an eye on the child reverse-linked to Marie. He has treated you as his own son since that day.
Where am I trying to go?
The Count mentions that there are some tools that might be useful, and the clue to their location 'woven up' where the proper light will show it.
Notice anything odd about the pattern of the rug?
What color(s) are in the rug?
Have you tried shining those colors on it?
What about taking it somewhere where both lights will shine on it?
The stained glass windows in the chapel are blue and green.
Drop the rug in the chapel, then examine it.
There's a bunch of water in the well.
Maybe if you emptied something the well was linked to...?
You should by now have found another cylindrical stone container.
Fill the vase with water, link it to the well, and empty the vase.
Where do I attach the rope ladder?
Try tying it to the bar.
I have too much stuff to carry!
You're going to have to drop a lot of it.
But you can bring along anything you can wear or fit into a container you can wear.
The bag on a string is handy for that.
Put the bauble in it and you can take it down with you.
You can also take the pin, the hat, the cloak, and the bracelet.
This mirror is a dud.
You need a password to activate it.
Have you noticed the markings on the mirror?
Do they remind you of anything you've seen about magic mirrors?
The wadded paper, Lavori book, and letter together hint that the mirror might have been made by M. Couligne in the Rue des Arbres. Try saying his name.
Now it's ready to make a connection.
If you touch it, it will show you Marie.
Yikes, she doesn't look happy in there.
What items are keeping her trapped? Maybe you can defeat them.
There are the handcuffs, for instance.
Also the window with the bar across it.
Either of those relate to anything you carried (or could carry) down into the well?
Such as, say, the bracelet?
Or the pin?
Link the bracelet to the handcuffs, then open the bracelet. Link the pin to the window, and open the pin.
This just goes from bad to worse.
It looks like Marie's going to hit D'Envers with that round pillow.
Of course, round pillows aren't much of a weapon most of the time.
Maybe you could toughen it up, though.
Got anything round and hard you could reverse-link it to?
Reverse-link the pillow to the round stone and wait for Marie to hit D'Envers with it. (What, did you think you were going to get to do all the violence? The lady's no wimp, you know.)
Here's the full score list:
2 for forging your first link
1 for making the dancers dance
5 for eradicating a rat
2 for redecorating the foyer
3 for having an interesting dream
5 for forging your first reverse-link
4 for turning on the universe
5 for catching the clockwork bee
4 for success in a culinary venture
3 for finally getting over your hunger
5 for floating the tea recipe
3 for getting rid of a tangle of roses
2 for snooping in Marie's papers
2 for snooping in the Count's papers
2 for snooping in the King's papers
3 for activating the magic mirror
3 for operating at a distance
8 for rescuing Marie from a sticky situation
1 as the Last Lousy Point
63 total
30 for Scored locations:
Dining Room
Narrow Corridor (to the chapel)
Closet (in the wine cellar)
Wine Cellar Vault
Count's Study
Deep Room
32 for Scored items (which you must have actually held in your hand):
bottle of Chateauneuf
diamond pin
gold coins
silver coins
dancers
pearl necklace
celestial bauble
pair of diamond-heeled shoes