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Version 1.0 -- July 14th, 2001 -- Guide 4/1/t -- (c) 2001 Matt McGrath
*==*==*==*==*==*==*==*==*==*==*==*==*==*==*==*==*==*==*==*==*==*==*==*
the complete guide to
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|_ _| |__ ___ / ___|___ | | ___ _ __ ___| ( )___
| | | '_ \ / _ \ | | / _ \| |/ _ \| '_ \ / _ \ |// __|
| | | | | | __/ | |__| (_) | | (_) | | | | __/ | \__ \
|_| |_| |_|\___| \____\___/|_|\___/|_| |_|\___|_| |___/
____ _
| __ ) ___ __ _ _ _ ___ ___| |_
| _ \ / _ \/ _` | | | |/ _ \/ __| __|
| |_) | __/ (_| | |_| | __/\__ \ |_
|____/ \___|\__, |\__,_|\___||___/\__|
|_|
by Matt McGrath [
[email protected]]
======================================================================
TABLE OF CONTENTS
======================================================================
PART I I N T R O D U C T I O N
Guide Information.........................................66
A Note From The Author....................................79
Copyright Statement......................................120
Contact Information......................................142
PART II P R E L I M I N A R Y I N F O R M A T I O N
The Story................................................178
Characters...............................................196
A Note On The Scoring System.............................305
Ways To Die..............................................325
Item List................................................370
Maps.....................................................491
PART III M A I N W A L K T H R O U G H
Act I [ 7:00pm to 8:00pm]...........................587
Act II [ 8:00pm to 9:00pm]...........................714
Act III [ 9:00pm to 10:00pm]...........................810
Act IV [10:00pm to 11:00pm]...........................913
Act V [11:00pm to 12:00am]...........................988
Act VI [12:00am to 1:00am]..........................1042
Act VII [ 1:00am to 2:00am]..........................1085
Act VIII [ 2:00am to 2:15am]..........................1151
PART IV M I S C E L L A N E O U S N O T E S
Documents In The Game...................................1200
Review Of The Colonel's Bequest.........................1432
Thanks..................................................1506
======================================================================
PART I: I N T R O D U C T I O N
======================================================================
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Guide Information
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Version 1.0
July 14th, 2001
Publication 4/1/t
Since this is the first version, nothing is new.
Guide created in the Aurora Editor
Logo created in Figlet [
http://st-www.cs.uiuc.edu/~chai/figlet.html]
----------------------------------------------------------------------
A Note From The Author
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Hey...this is Matt McGrath again, aka DrFred (who is now dead), aka
krs_one, aka GunstarHeroBlue, aka etc. First off, I've been playing
TCB since early in 1991, which as of today is about 10 years ago.
I've always hung on to my boxed copy of the game, although I've come
close to selling at least 20 times in the past few years. I don't
know why, but for some odd reason I just can't let go...maybe I am
co-dependent or something.
Anyway, although there are some glaring problems with TCB (check out
my review in Part IV), I think it is a very good graphic adventure
game. Sierra is generally way overrated (like Slick Rick says), but
this is actually one of their best 1980's graphic adventures. It was
one of the last parser-based games released, as King's Quest V in
1990 introduced their new icon-based system. Its also one of their
last non-VGA titles, so you are in for some spectacular dithering
effects. Call me crazy (or maybe a more creative name), but I liked
Sierra's EGA artwork a lot more than their early 1990's VGA stuff
(such as Space Quest IV, where some of the character artwork was
downright UGGGGLY.) Sierra shot for realism in the 1990's, but they
failed miserably with realistic storylines AND artwork. The only
notable exception to this rule would be the Gabriel Knight series.
TCB is my 4th guide so far, the other 3 being Zelda, Metroid, and
Milon's Secret Castle (all for the NES.) You can find my guides on
GameFAQs [
http://www.gamefaqs.com] or you can always just send me an
email listing the ones you want.
My first guide (Milon's Secret Castle) was written wayyyy back in
September of 1997, and the next two following shortly afterwards.
Its been 3 and a half years since my last FAQ (Zelda.) With TCB I
hope to start anew - to write 4 more complete guides before the end
of this year, and to rise in the ranks of writers at GameFAQs.
Is there anything missing from this guide? Well...I hate to admit
it, but yes. As of this version I do not have a map of the outside of
the mansion. Read the Maps section of this guide for the reason why.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Copyright Statement
----------------------------------------------------------------------
This guide (c) 2001 Matt McGrath.
The Colonel's Bequest, character names, and all other game elements
(c) 1989 Sierra and Roberta Williams.
You may, without question, print out this document for your own use;
however if you want to distribute this document in ANY FORM, you must
first email the author for permission. Distribution includes, but is
not limited to, the following:
- Placing the guide on websites
- Emailing the guide to other people
- Printing out hard copies for other people
- Uploading the guide to FTP sites
- Publishing it in a magazine
As of this writing, the only people authorized to distribute this
guide are Matt McGrath and GameFAQs (
http://www.gamefaqs.com)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Contact Information
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Contact me for the following reasons:
- You wish to report illegal distribution of this guide
- You have any comments (praise or criticism)
- You want my other guides
- You want other projects I have worked on (email me for a list.)
Do NOT contact me for the following reasons:
- You have a question that has been answered already by this
guide. Please, read the guide thoroughly before sending an
email.
- You want to know how to disable the copy protection. Yes,
you can disable it, through a very simple process. I won't
you how though, so don't bother asking, alright? If you're
really desperate, buy the Roberta Williams Anthology.
- You think my guide "sucks", but you cannot provide any
CONSTRUCTIVE criticism.
My email address is:
[email protected]
======================================================================
PART II: P R E L I M I N A R Y I N F O R M A T I O N
======================================================================
----------------------------------------------------------------------
The Story
----------------------------------------------------------------------
The back-story of TCB is quite brief: Laura Bow, an amateur detective,
is invited by her friend Lillian to a family reunion / dinner hosted
by Lillian's Uncle Henri. Uncle Henri is actually Colonel Henri
Dijon, who has a large sum of money...and a very greedy family. He
discusses his plans over dinner, then retires to his room. After he
leaves the entire Dijon family starts to say horrible things like
"god, isn't he dead YET??? he must be like a zillion years old or
something." You, as Laura Bow, decide to leave these leeches and
take a tour of the mansion. Things seem ok...until the dead bodies
start piling up, that is. It seems one person (surprise, surprise)
wants the money all to themselves and willing to kill off the entire
family in the process. Its up to you, Laura Bow, to figure out the
mystery of The Colonel's Bequest and escape the island alive!
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Characters
----------------------------------------------------------------------
The following descriptions come straight from the game, so Roberta
Williams gets blame / credit for the terrible writing. Oh, and some
actually came from "The Sierra Archives", which is now run by Ken
Williams. To restate: I DID NOT write any of these descriptions.
....Laura Bow........................................................
Laura Bow is the +/- 20 years old main character. She studies at
Tulane University, in her hometown New Orleans. Her mother died at a
very young age, so Laura was raised by her father, John Bow only.
Lillian Prune is a friend of Laura's, a school colleague. It's Lillian
who invites Laura to Misty Acres where the exciting
"Colonel's Bequest" mystery finds place.
....Colonel Henri Dijon..............................................
Colonel Henri Dijon is a frail, ill-tempered curmudgeon in his late
sixties. You understand that the Colonel never married and lives an
eccentric life of seclusion here on his bayou island. From observing
the estate, it appears that though he is supposedly wealthy, he spends
little money to maintain it.
....Ethel Prune......................................................
Ethel is a stylishly-dressed, overly made-up older woman. Many years
of hard drinking have taken their toll on her as her face is puffy and
red, and her skin has wrinkled prematurely. She always seems to have
a drink in her hand. You have never met her before, but Ethel is your
friend Lillian's mother.
....Fifi.............................................................
Fifi is the Colonel's pretty French maid. You surmise that she is
probably very apt in her duties... whatever they may be. Fifi is
young, blonde and sexy. She seems to have a vivacious personality,
but you can sense a certain cunning underneath it all.
....Lillian Prune....................................................
Your friend Lillian Prune, is a rebellious flapper. Like you, she is
twenty years old, but unlike you, she has been known to hang out in
speakeasies, smoke, and run around with several young men. She is
assertive and out-going, to the point of obnoxiousness, but underneath
it all you believe her to be a lonely, insecure girl.
....Gloria Swansong..................................................
A beautiful platinum-blonde, is the Colonel's other niece and Gertie's
daughter. She seems so glamorous with her long feathered boa, stunning
jewels, and lovely gown. You've been told that she's a successful
actress in Hollywood, although you've never heard of her.
....Rudy Dijon.......................................................
It seems that Rudy Dijon is Gloria Swansong's brother, and Gertie's
son. (You surmise that "Swansong" must be Gloria's stage name.) Rudy
is a handsome man and any woman would be attracted to him. But, you
sense an undercurrent of hostility in Rudy; a sense that he should not
be crossed.
....Gertrude Dijon...................................................
Gertrude Dijon is the Colonel's widowed sister-in-law. She obviously
is behind the times, as she looks like she has just stepped out of the
gay '90's! A bit of a snob, she walks around with her nose up in the
air and has an annoying habit of constantly playing with her many
strands of pearls.
....Clarence Sparrow.................................................
Clarence Sparrow is a dapper-looking man in his late forties. From
what you have gleaned, he has been the Colonel's attorney for some
time and seems to know the rest of the group as well. His manner is a
bit on the curt side and you can sense a bit of sneakiness here.
....Dr. Wilbur C. Feels..............................................
Dr. Wilbur C. Feels is a pudgy man in his mid-fifties. He seems to be
a nervous type and sweats profusely. You wonder about his medical
practices and if he ever samples his own wares. You gather that he has
been the Colonel's personal physician for many years.
....John Bow.........................................................
Laura's father doesn't have a large role in this game, and not much is
revealed about his personality. However, Laura often thinks of her
father, recalling how her father advised her about certain subjects.
....Celie............................................................
Celie is the Colonel's cook. She is an overweight black lady who, on
the surface seems to be distant and unfriendly. However, you sense
that she is probably a very nice person just "mindin' her own
bizness." You have heard that Celie practices voodoo and you wonder
about this.
....Jeeves...........................................................
Jeeves is the Colonel's imposing butler. Though you find him somewhat
good-looking, he nevertheless gives off a disconcerting feeling of
secretiveness. You have noticed that Jeeves generally keeps to himself
and seems to talk in little more than monosyllables. You wonder about
him.
....Blaze............................................................
Blaze must once have been a beautiful stallion, but now, with many
passing years, he has been reduced to an old broken-down nag. You
guess that he must be the Colonel's horse.
....Beauregard.......................................................
Beauregard appears to be very old (and lazy) bloodhound. His loose
skin hangs in folds and his long ears almost drag the ground. You
sense that Beauregard must be the Colonel's beloved dog.
....Polly............................................................
Polly is the parrot of the Colonel. And since she's a talking parrot,
she might prove useful sometimes...
----------------------------------------------------------------------
A Note On The Scoring System
----------------------------------------------------------------------
In most Sierra adventure games you were given a certain number of
points for completing puzzles or general tasks. In TCB, however,
there is no such score. Instead, the game keeps track of the goals
you have completed as you play, and presents you with that list at
the very end. TCB will tell you if you missed certain goals, but it
will NOT tell you exactly what you missed. You are just given some
general hints on how to achieve the highest rank. Speaking of rank,
something smells in here...Ummm......speaking of rank, you are graded
on how much you completed (they use a cheesy thermometer, kind of like
the Shermometer), with the highest level being "Super-Sleuth." If you
follow this guide down to the minutest detail, you can be a "Super-
Sleuth" just like me...although you will be entering a somewhat
pointless group. It would have been neat if Sierra gave out a
certificate, similar to those Activision high score patches during
their Atari days...but eh, whatever.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Ways To Die
----------------------------------------------------------------------
There are many ways to die in TCB, which shouldn't be a surprise to
those who have played old Sierra adventure games. I prefer LucasArt's
policy, and if you do too, make sure you DON'T do the following
(remember, "Don't Do What Donny Don't Does.")
1. In Your Room, or the Dining Room, you can open the laundry
chute and then enter it.
2. In the Bathroom, take a shower. I think you need to do this
early in the game, or at least before Clarence dies.
3. In the Upstairs Hall, open the closet. Most of the time Laura
says "It's just an empty closet", but sometimes a person will
reach out and kill you.
4. Again, in the Upstairs Hall, walk into the broken railing
located next to the closet.
5. In the Downstairs Hall, walk near the center of the rug, right
below the chandelier.
6. In the Downstairs Hall, oil the arm of the Knight.
7. In the Attic, walk towards the back, where the trunk is
located. To your left you'll see an alcove. Walk back in here,
then back out, and (usually) someone will pop out and kill you.
8. In the Bell Area, ring the Bell while standing right underneath
of it.
9. In the Barn, open the gate without feeding Blaze the Carrot.
10. In the Yard, you can:
(a) Walk into the swamp.
(b) Cross the broken bridge.
(c) Get too close to the alligator.
11. Go to any elevator shaft that does not currently have the
elevator in it and type "OPEN GATE" Now just walk into the
shaft for a not-so-surprising result.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Item List
----------------------------------------------------------------------
1. NAME: Oilcan
FOUND AT: Carriage House, on bench
TIME FOUND: 7:45pm
USE: Lubricate Bell.
Lubricate Knight's Mask (but not the arm!)
2. NAME: Crowbar
FOUND AT: Carriage House, in the carriage
TIME FOUND: 7:45pm
USE: Pry Floorboards in Chapel.
Pry open Vaults in Crypt.
3. NAME: Soup Bone
FOUND AT: Kitchen, in icebox
TIME FOUND: 7:45pm
USE: Give it to Beauregard when he is in his doghouse.
4. NAME: Valve
FOUND AT: Downstairs in Main Entrance Way, in Knight's Mask
TIME FOUND: 7:45pm
USE: Put in Fountain to open secret passage to the
Basement.
5. NAME: Handkerchief
FOUND AT: Upstairs, outside of Gertie's room
TIME FOUND: 8:00pm
USE: To be examined with the Monocle.
6. NAME: Necklace
FOUND AT: Beauregard's doghouse
TIME FOUND: 8:15pm
USE: Give to Celie to become her friend.
7. NAME: Crackers
FOUND AT: Jeeve's Room
TIME FOUND: 8:45pm
USE: Give to the Parrot, and it will repeat overheard
conversations to you. In order to attain the rank of
"Super-Sleuth", you have to give the Crackers to the
Parrot at least twice.
8. NAME: Elevator Key
FOUND AT: Colonel's Room, in Cannon
TIME FOUND: 8:45pm
USE: To unlock the Elevator's control panel.
9. NAME: Poker
FOUND AT: Library
TIME FOUND: 9:00pm
USE: To be examined with the Monocle.
10. NAME: Cane
FOUND AT: One of the 4 Secret Passages.
TIME FOUND: 9:00pm
USE: Pull the ring on the Bell.
11. NAME: Carrot
FOUND AT: Celie's Shack
TIME FOUND: 9:15pm
USE: Feed to Blaze so that he won't trample you.
12. NAME: Monocle
FOUND AT: Wilbur's body
TIME FOUND: 9:15pm
USE: You can examine objects more closely with it.
13. NAME: Lantern
FOUND AT: Stable
TIME FOUND: 9:15pm
USE: To search the secret passage to the Basement.
14. NAME: Crank
FOUND AT: Bell
TIME FOUND: 9:30
USE: Opens the secret passage to the Crypt.
15. NAME: Cigar
FOUND AT: One of the 4 Secret Passages
TIME FOUND: 10:00pm
USE: Examine with the Monocle.
16. NAME: Rolling Pin.
FOUND AT: Far southwestern area of the yard.
TIME FOUND: 11:00pm
USE: Just examine it.
17. NAME: Bottle of pills
FOUND AT: Bathroom, in garbage can.
TIME FOUND: 12:00am
USE: Examine it with the Monocle.
18. NAME: Matches
FOUND AT: Clarence's body
TIME FOUND: 1:00am
USE: To light the Lantern.
19. NAME: Jewels
FOUND AT: Crypt, in vault marked "Ruby"
TIME FOUND: 1:00am
USE: You can't really use them; however you will receive a
slightly different ending if you take them.
20. NAME: Derringer
FOUND AT: Hedge garden
TIME FOUND: 2:15am
USE: To shoot Rudy (or Henri, if you choose to.)
21. NAME: Bullet
FOUND AT: Hedge garden
TIME FOUND: 2:15am
USE: Load into Derringer.
22. NAME: Skeleton Key
FOUND AT: Lillian's body
TIME FOUND: 2:15am
USE: Open door to Attic.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Maps
----------------------------------------------------------------------
First of all, I've only included maps for the first top three floors
of the Mansion. The Basement does not need mapping since my
walkthrough is descriptive enough and the room has an extremely simple
layout.
As for the outside...well, that's an entirely different story. As
you will soon find out, TCB has a problem with logic, and the layout
of the grounds is no exception. In most games, and outside "room"
(maybe screen is a better term) will normally have four exits: north,
south, east, and west. However in TCB some outdoor areas have to
north exits, two south exits, and so on. Compounding this problem is
the fact that there are gaps in the yard - areas which logically
should be there but are somehow missing.
I suggest that you familiarize yourself with the outside areas before
reading this guide. This should only take about 5 minutes, and will
help you immensely. If anyone can provide a good, logical map of the
outside grounds, please email me it. I will put the map in the next
version of the guide and you of course will receive credit for it.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
MANSION: Attic
___________
|{E} Top |
| of |
| Attic |
|_ _ _ _ _ _|
| Bottom |
| of |
| Attic |
|___________|
_|__ ___________
| | | |
| |__| Fifi's |
| |--| Room |
|____| |___________|
|
[To Upstairs Hallway]
----------------------------------------------------------------------
MANSION: Upstairs Hallway
_________
| |
|Bathroom |
| |
|_________|
__________ __________ ____|____ __________ __________
| | | {E}| | | | | | |
| Wilbur's |--| Colonel's|--| |--| Laura's |--| Ethel's |
| Room |--| Room |--| |--| Room |--| Room |
|__________| |__________| | | |__________| |__________|
__________ | | __________
| SP#1 |--|_ _ _ _ _|--| SP#2 | **** NOTE *****
|__________|--| |--|__________| * Next to the *
__________ | | __________ * door to *
| | | | | Rudy and | * R&C's room *
| Gertie's |--| |--|Clarence's| * is a door *
| Room |--| |--| Room | * to the *
|__________| |_________| |__________| * Attic and *
| * Fifi's room *
[To Downstairs] ***************
----------------------------------------------------------------------
MANSION: Downstairs
[To Back Porch]
__________ __________ ____|____ __________ __________
| | | {E}| | | | | | |
| Study |--| Library |--| |--| Dining |--| Kitchen |
| |--| |--| |--| Room |--| |
|__________| |__________| | | |__________| |__________|
__________ | | __________
| SP#3 |--|_ _ _ _ _|--| SP#4 |
|__________|--| |--|__________|
__________ | | __________
| | | | | |
|Billiards |--| |--| Parlor |
| Room |--| |--| |
|__________| |_________| |__________|
|
[To Front Porch]
----------------------------------------------------------------------
======================================================================
PART III: M A I N W A L K T H R O U G H
======================================================================
----------------------------------------------------------------------
ACT I [07:00pm to 08:00pm]
----------------------------------------------------------------------
[07:00pm]
1. Go into Ethel's room.
2. Ask Ethel about Rudy and she'll tell you of his gambling debts.
This may seem pointless now, but in order to get the rank of
"Super-Sleuth", Laura must know about Rudy's secret. You can ask
other characters about Rudy later on and they'll tell you the
same thing; however it's best to just get this silly question out
of the way now.
3. Walk out into the Hallway and head up into the Bathroom.
4. While Lillian is applying the perfume, you'll want to have Laura
look at her (just type "LOOK LILLIAN") Actually, you'll have to
look at her twice; the first time you look at her you'll just get
a generic character description (with a picture.) Later on, in
one of the secret passages, you'll smell the perfume she is
applying. Logically you would type "SMELL LILLIAN" or "SMELL
PERFUME", but all Laura will say is "Sniff, sniff", which is
completely ridiculous.
When Lillian leaves you can also use the toilet, but its only
just so Laura can pitch the awful Leisure Suit Larry series to
you.
5. Go back out into the hallway and pull the left-hand Armoire.
From now on, we will refer to this passage as Secret Passage #1
(SP#1 for short.)
6. Face Laura so that her back is to you and so that she is looking
through the topmost painting. Type "LOOK HOLES" and you will
begin to spy on an interaction between Fifi and Henri. For
future reference, when I say you should spy on someone in a room,
I mean for you to face that room and look through the painting
(by typing "LOOK HOLES")
[07:15pm]
7. Now go back out into the hallway and enter into the Colonel's
room. He'll be sitting there, as if nothing happened between him
and Fifi 5 seconds ago. Anyway, look at his cigar. You'll find
it in one of the Secret Passages later on in the game.
8. Head to the left and enter into Wilbur's room. Have Laura look
at his bag, because pretty soon it will disappear.
9. Go back out into the hallway and pull the right-hand Armoire.
This Secret Passage will now be called "SP#2." Look through the
topmost painting and spy on Ethel and Lillian having a wonderful
family moment. Also, just for the heck of it, look at the way
Ethel drinks out of her bottle. It appears that the top of the
bottle bends as she drinks out of it...I guess it is like those
flexi-straws you get at restaurants or something.
10. Head downstairs and walk up to where the clock is. Pull the
clock to enter the 3rd Secret Passage. Look through the painting
at the bottom to spy on Rudy and Gloria, who are in the Billiards
Room.
[07:30pm]
11. Go back out into the hallway and pull the mirror. This reveals
the fourth and final Secret Passage in the house. Look through
the bottom-most painting to spy on Clarence and Gertie, who are
in the Parlor.
[7:45pm]
12. Ahh...time to get out of the mansion for a while. Go to the
Carriage House, which looks similar to a barn with two doors.
Ignore the silly message that suggests you to go back inside.
With all the weird stuff going on INSIDE the mansion, you'd think
Laura would be glad to get out, but logic doesn't seem to be a
prevalent theme in TCB.
13. When you enter the Carriage House you'll see the Oilcan on the
workbench, which you should pick up.
14. Walk over to the Carriage and look inside to find the Crowbar.
Pick this up as well.
15. Head over to the Chapel and go inside. Look at the floor and
Laura will tell you that some of the floorboards appear to be
loose.
16. To pry open the floor boards, just type "PRY BOARDS WITH CROWBAR"
17. Look in the hole and you'll find a Bible.
18. Take the Bible and Laura will read it automatically. You'll
find out some preliminary information about an unnecessary (but
neat) side story about the Croutons (the family, not the stuff
that goes on salads.)
19. Head back into the mansion, where Laura will say that it feels
better to be back inside. Heh heh...just wait till 8:00pm.
20. Go to the Study, which is actually a weapons repository. Have
Laura look at the Derringer.
21. Open the leftmost Cabinet and Laura will describe the weapons
that are inside. Later on in the story one of these weapons will
disappear (and magically re-appear in someone's body.)
22. Now head on over to the Parlor, which is really just the place
where everyone drinks alcohol. Everyone except Ethel that is...
she drinks there and everywhere else. Look at the Decanter; it
will end up in Fifi's room later on.
23. Head back out into the hallway and down to the Knight. Have
Laura lubricate (no snickering, please) the Knight's Mask by
typing "OIL MASK"
24. Now open up the mask and Laura will take a Valve and a Note.
This Note continues the Crouton story that you read about in the
family Bible in the Chapel.
25. Well, I think I mentioned before that TCB is running on empty in
the logic department. Here is more proof...go upstairs and enter
into Gertie's room, where you'll find her sleeping. This is such
an important event that ACT II begins.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
ACT II [08:00pm to 09:00pm]
----------------------------------------------------------------------
[08:00pm]
1. Leave Gertie's room and you'll find a Handkerchief on the floor.
Pick this up, but you'll won't be able to examine it until you
get the Monocle later in the game.
2. Now here is where the game gets even more illogical. When you
head back into Gertie's room, you'll find that she is gone.
Well, you could hypothesize that she really did jump out the
window and no one else was involved. However, later on in the
story you find out that she was definitely murdered. So how did
anyone get in if you were guarding the door? I guess that isn't
really important though. Just look at the room and the open
window and so can leave. While you are in here, you'll also
smell cigar smoke.
3. Now head back downstairs and go into the Study. On you way down
the steps your father John will pop up and give you some hints.
I think Laura is hallucinating at this point, or maybe she has a
Obi-wan/Luke thing going on.
4. Exit the Study and you'll find Wilbur and Clarence having a
discussion. This will advance the time to 8:15pm.
[08:15pm]
5. Since they think Laura is snooping on them (which she is, of
course) they will go back inside to the Study. Follow them in
and they'll head into the Library. Chase them out of there and
they'll go to the Dining Room. Now is your chance to spy on
them. Go to SP#4 and look into the Dining Room.
6. After spying on Clarence/Wilbur, head into the Kitchen.
[08:30pm]
7. Go to the Icebox (which is an old term for "refrigerator") and
open it up. Laura will find a Soup Bone, which she'll take it.
8. Head out to the Beauregard's dog house, which is located outside
of the Kitchen.
9. When you get near Beauregard's dog house, Jeeves will come by and
drop off some food for him. After Beau has finished eating he
will return to his doghouse, but that is where we need to be. To
coax him out, type "GIVE BONE TO DOG" and Laura with throw the
bone out about 5 feet. While Beau is working on the bone, stand
near his dog house and look into it, and Laura should take the
Necklace.
10. Head back into the Kitchen and stand next to Celie and type "GIVE
NECKLACE TO CELIE" She will thank you, and now you have become
her friend. Becoming friends with her is vitally important, as
she won't let you into her shack otherwise.
11. Go out into the hall and into SP#3 (inside of the clock.) Look
down into the Billiards Room to spy on Clarence and Gloria. This
will advance time to 8:45pm.
[08:45pm]
11. Now head into the Billiards Room and out through the doors to go
outside. Gertie will be lying there, dead. Search her body; you
won't find anything on her body, but you need to search each body
to become a "Super-Sleuth." Actually, I'm not %100 about having
to search every body, but do it just to be safe.
You can tell Gloria about Gertie, by the way, and she'll walk out
of the billiards room to go check...but of course she will find
nothing.
12. After finding Gertie, go back inside and on up to Rudy's room.
It seems that he has the hots for Fifi, but she definitely
doesn't have anything for him.
13. Head over to Henri's Room and you'll find him missing. If he
happens to be there, which happens sometimes, go downstairs and
then back up again. I'm not sure why this is sometimes
necessary, but I'm definitely sure that neither does Roberta.
Now that he is gone, go over to the fireplace and look into the
cannon to find the Elevator Key. You have to type "TAKE KEY" in
order for Laura to pick it up.
14. Head outside and stand outside of the entrance to the Basement.
The entrance is right outside of the Kitchen, next to
Beauregard's doghouse. Stand next to the entrance and type
"OPEN DOOR"
15. Go back downstairs and into the Library; you'll find Wilbur
reading a magazine...bringing us to Act III.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
ACT III [09:00pm to 10:00pm]
----------------------------------------------------------------------
[09:00pm]
1. Similar to the scene with Gertie's death, you need
to exit the Library and come back in to find him dead.
2. Have Laura look at the floor, then pick up the Poker.
3. Read Wilbur's magazine (which, by the way, IS about horses; but
rest assured it ISN'T Modern Equestrian.)
4. Now head on back upstairs and into SP#1. Look up into Henri's
room to spy on him doing something very strange by himself. No,
its not what you're thinking, silly. However, this scene is
pretty neat, so if you've been skipping the other cut scenes,
this one is actually worth watching. It seems the wheelchair is
only for respect.
5. If you saw something on the floor in SP#1, it is the Cane that
you'll need to pick up. If, however, the Cane wasn't there,
search the remaining three Secret Passages to find it.
6. After picking up the Cane go way upstairs to Fifi's room. You'll
see a Decanter on her desk; have Laura look at it.
7. Head down to SP#2 and spy into Rudy and Clarence's room, which
should advance time to 9:15.
[09:15pm]
8. Head on over to Wilbur's room and you'll find his bag missing.
This may seem irrelevant now, but you need to notice his bag
changing locations in order to become a "Super-Sleuth."
9. Go to Celie's shack and knock on her door. Now that you are her
friend she'll let you in to talk. You can sit down at the table
(just type "SIT") and talk to her, but it isn't necessary.
10. Leave her shack and come back in; now Celie will be cooking some
gumbo on the stove. Walk behind her chair at the table and pick
up the Carrot.
11. Go on over to the Chapel and you should find Wilbur dead in the
corner. If he isn't there, check the Stable. Some bodies can
turn up in alternate locations, but there only seems to be two
possible places where some bodies can end up. Search his body
and you automatically receive the Monocle, which we'll use as a
makeshift magnifying glass.
12. Now that we have the Monocle, use it to examine both the
Handkerchief and the Poker (type "EXAMINE object WITH MONOCLE")
13. Go to the Stable and feed Blaze the Carrot. Open up the gate and
walk back to take the Lantern.
14. Go to the Bell, which is next to the Chapel area. Walk up the
ladder and oil the bell with the Oil. Now walk to the right of
the bell (NOT directly under it!) and pull the ring with the
Cane. When the bell crashes down, look at it and then take the
Crank that is inside.
15. Now head down to the Doll House for an interesting surprise.
The door doesn't open automatically, by the way, so you have to
type "OPEN DOOR" This will bring us to 9:30.
Oh, and if you want, try sitting on the swing.
How "embarrasswing." ...*puuuke*...*retch*...*blecccch*...
[09:30pm]
16. This time is short...just go on up to Fifi's room and we'll be at
9:45pm.
[09:45pm]
17. Go the Library and enter into the Elevator. If, for some odd
reason, the Elevator isn't there, go up to Henri's room. If it
isn't there either, maybe you should give up and quit the game.
Just kidding...head back downstairs (cursing Roberta Williams
along the way) and to the Library again.
18. When in the Elevator, use the key to unlock the control panel.
Type "UNLOCK PANEL WITH KEY" Now type "PUSH UP" until you are in
the Attic.
19. You should now be in the Attic, which is one of the neatest rooms
in TCB.
Anyway...look at the Newspapers on the floor to find out some
information about Henri's stint in the war.
20. Head down one screen to the back part of the Attic. Look into
the Trunk and peek into Henri's clothes, which end up on someone
else later in the story.
21. Go back into the elevator and type "PUSH DOWN", "PUSH DOWN" to go
back to the Library.
22. Now enter the Billiards Room to start Act IV.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
ACT IV [10:00pm to 11:00pm]
----------------------------------------------------------------------
[10:00pm]
1. Go back out to the hall, and then re-enter the Billiards Room.
2. In the split second that you were gone, someone snuck in and
killed Gloria. You'd think Laura would have heard the struggle,
but this won't be the last time a murder takes place right next
door to her that she somehow misses.
3. You need to examine the mud with your Monocle. Pick up the
record and examine it with the Monocle as well. Have Laura look
at the feathers, and then you can leave. By the way, if you wait
too long before examining the crime scene, Jeeves will come in
and clean up the mess. This can happen in the Library too, when
Wilbur is killed.
4. Search all 4 of the Secret Passages to find Henri's Cigar.
5. Now head to the Study and find Lillian looking at the weapons
cabinet, which will advance time to 10:15pm.
[10:15pm]
6. Go outside of the Study and you'll see Rudy wandering around.
[10:30pm to 10:45pm]
This is the most frustrating section of TCB, partly due to poor
scripting by the programmers, and partly due to poor story
writing by Roberta.
7. When you see Rudy outside of the study and the clock turns to
10:30, it is probably a good idea to head back through the study
and into the kitchen, exiting back outside through the kitchen
door.
8. Your goal now is to head to the Gazebo to find Gloria's body, and
you may see Clarence along the way. If so, this is fine, because
time will be advanced to 10:45, and you can still get back to the
Center Square to see Clarence and Rudy fight. If, however, you
stumble upon both Clarence AND Ethel, you'll enter into Act V and
miss two important events - the aforementioned fight and an
interaction between Fifi and Jeeves. Your best bet is to stay
clear of the Rose Garden so as to avoid Ethel.
9. Ok, you made it to the Gazebo before 11:00pm, right? Search
Gertie's body, even though you won't find anything.
10. Now get back to the Center Square and watch a fight between
Clarence and Rudy.
[10:45pm]
11. Go into house through the front door and head to the Dining Room.
You'll see a ridiculous scene between Fifi and Jeeves...and its
especially creepy when Jeeves looks towards the screen. (If you
think this is strange, check out Roberta's game Phantasmagoria
that was released in '96. Actually, DON'T check that game out...
its horrible. I think it was released on about 8 cds. Talk about
overkill.)
Oh, and for you really perverted people out there, you can watch
this scene over and over and over again if you keep walking back
in.
12. Now go back into the hallway and exit through the top set of
doors.
13. Go up to the Rose Garden and find Ethel stumbling around, and
this should change the time over to 11:00pm, beginning Act V.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
ACT V [11:00pm to 12:00am]
----------------------------------------------------------------------
[11:00pm]
1. Again, this may seem very illogical, but exit the rose garden and
re-enter it.
2. Ethel should be found dead here, but if not, check the Carriage
House.
3. Search her body.
4. Now go to the farthest left-hand side of the yard, and then head
as far down the yard as you can go. You should be at the edge of
a swamp, and you should see an owl on this screen.
5. While on this screen, have Laura examine the Footprint with the
Monocle, and pick up the Rolling Pin. Examine the Rolling Pin
with the Monocle as well.
6. Now go back into the mansion and up to Fifi's room. Laura
certainly shows up at the most awkward moments, eh? Anyway, have
Laura look at Fifi when she is done changing.
7. Head downstairs to the Parlor to advance time to 11:15pm.
[11:15pm]
8. Look at Clarence's Cigar. I'm not sure why this is necessary,
but I'm pretty sure this needs to be done in order to become a
"Super-Sleuth"
9. Go to Dining Room and you'll find Rudy eating at the table, and
for some reason this will advance time to 11:30pm.
[11:30pm]
10. Now go into SP#1 and spy on Lillian and Henri in Henri's room.
This will advance time to 11:45pm.
[11:45pm]
11. Leave SP#1, re-enter, and Laura should smell perfume. You may
need to check the other Secret Passages if she doesn't smell the
perfume when you enter into SP#1.
12. Head down to Jeeve's room to see him getting ready for a hot date
with Beauregard. Ummm...anyway, just have Laura look at the
flowers on his bed.
13. Go back to the Colonel's room to begin Act VI.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
ACT VI [12:00am to 01:00am]
----------------------------------------------------------------------
[12:00am]
1. Hmmm...there sits Henri's wheelchair, but no Henri. Have Laura
look at the wheelchair.
2. Head up to the Bathroom and look in the garbage can.
3. Examine the Bottle with the Monocle.
4. Now head up into Fifi's room to find her and Jeeves dead.
5. Examine the Decanter with the Monocle.
6. Search both Jeeves and Fifi's bodies.
7. Now head down into SP#2 and look into Your Room to spy on
Lillian. This will advance time to 12:15am.
[12:15am]
8. Turn around and spy into Clarence's Room, advancing time to
12:30am.
[12:30am]
9. Go into the Parlor and examine the Glass with the Monocle.
10. Now go into the Study and look in the Cabinet. Laura will notice
an important weapon missing, but she'll find it pretty soon in
someone's back.
11. Go outside of the Study and you she Rudy outside on the stoop
with Beauregard, advancing time to 12:45am.
[12:45am]
12. Head outside and to Celie's Shack. Knock on her door to begin
Act VII.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
ACT VII [01:00am to 02:00am]
----------------------------------------------------------------------
[01:00am]
1. Head back to the Study and look at the Glass Case. Now the
Derringer is missing too.
2. Go on up to the Bathroom to find Clarence dead in the bathtub.
Sometimes his body ends up in Wilbur's Room on Wilbur's bed.
Search his body and you'll get the Matches.
3. Make sure you look at the Dagger, which is now in Clarence.
4. Go to Your Room and open up Lillian's Suitcase. Take the Diary.
5. Examine the Diary with the Monocle, which is a necessary step in
becoming a "Super-Sleuth."
6. After examining the Diary, read it.
7. Now go to the Hedge Garden for the neatest part of TCB.
8. Once there, out the Valve in the Shaft (which is in the base of
the Statue.) Turn the Valve, and then push the Statue. A set of
steps should appear.
9. Before you head down these steps, it's EXTREMELY important that
you use the Matches to light the Lantern. Else you'll be in for
a bad surprise.
10. Head down the steps and walk left into an opening.
11. Now...from here on, what you should do will be obvious. I don't
want to ruin the two surprises you'll find down here...but if you
really want me to then just read on. If you'd like to figure
this out for yourself and be surprised, then skip to step 12.
--------------------------------------------------------------
a. Walk down and find the dead bodies.
b. Walk left and put the Crank in the Plate.
c. Turn the Crank.
d. Go left until you enter the crypt.
e. Once in the crypt, you can pry open all 4 vaults with the
crowbar, but you only need to open the one labeled Ruby.
f. Pry open the Ruby vault and take the pouch.
g. Leave back the way you came in.
--------------------------------------------------------------
12. Ok, once out of the Basement Secret Passage, go to the Chapel to
find Celie and change time to 1:15am.
[01:15am]
13. Go to the Doll House to find Lillian and advance time to 1:30am.
[01:30am]
14. Go to Your Room to find Rudy snooping around.
[01:45am]
15. Go up to Clarence's room and read his Notebook, which will begin
the final Act...Act VIII.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
ACT VIII [02:00am to 02:15am]
----------------------------------------------------------------------
[02:00am]
1. Go to the Front Door, and you'll see a Note. Read it and watch
it fly away. Oh, and if you try to pick the Note up, the game
will tell you "Why don't you read it first?" No, how about I
pick it up first!?!? Oh well.
2. Go back to the Hedge Garden to find Lillian dead.
[02:15am]
3. Search Lillian's body, then take the Derringer. When you search
Lillian, Laura should automatically take the Skeleton Key. Pick
up the Bullet, as well.
4. This is a good time to save your game, just in case anything goes
wrong. Nothing should, but you never know.
5. Go back into the house and up to Henri's room. Along the way the
game will tell you that you can hear someone struggling upstairs.
Naturally you'd want to go straight up to there, but you need to
stop by Henri's room first. Once inside, look at Wilbur's bag,
which is now open in the middle of Henri's floor. Now you can
head upstairs; but instead of using the elevator, go up the
stairs that take you to Fifi's room. The door to the left of her
room will take you to the Attic, and you need to unlock it with
the Skeleton Key.
6. Before you enter the Attic door, you'll want to load the Bullet
into the Derringer.
7. Ok...once you enter, you'll have the option to shoot either Henri
or Rudy. To get the "real" ending, you need to shoot Rudy. To
get the alternate ending, either shoot Henri or just wait until
Rudy kills him.
8. Now get ready for a somewhat predictable ending, but an ending
none the less.
======================================================================
PART IV: M I S C E L L A N E O U S N O T E S
======================================================================
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Documents In The Game
----------------------------------------------------------------------
....Family Bible Note, Inside Page...................................
Francois Pierre Crouton Born - 1787 Passed away - 1832
Married Claudette Marie Tourte - 1815
Claudette Marie Crouton Born 1796 Passed away 1856
Thomas Simon Crouton Born - 1816
Claude Francois Crouton Born - 1819
Thomas Wed Mary Frances O'Neil - 1848
Mary Frances Crouton Born - 1827
William Thomas Crouton Born - 1851 Passed away = 1851
Sarah Marie Crouton Born - 1854
....Family Bible Note, Back Page.....................................
Sarah,
Our end is near. The bell will ring
solemnly on our final night, and then will
sound no more. Sir Lancelot will forever
salute us. Do not weep for us, my child.
We will watch over you. We love you. Do
not ever forget.
Mama
....Note Inside Of Knight's Mask.....................................
Our dearest daughter, Sarah,
We knew you would know to look
in the armor. This war is terrible!
We fear our end is near. In case
you're not the only one to find this
note, we won't give too much away.
Use this valve handle with your
favorite water nymph. Don't ever
forget...we love you very much!
Love forever,
Papa and Mama
....The Times Democrat: October 18th, 1898 edition...................
New Orleans, Louisiana
Colonel Henri Dijon came home today after spending
several months in the hospital following injuries in the
recent Spanish-American War.
Colonel Dijon to several bullets to his pelvic and
shoulder areas as he attempted to carry a seriously
injured fellow soldier to safety.
Incredibly, though injured himself, he managed to
make it safely behind American lines. Colonel Dijon was
duly decorated and discharged with honor by the U. S.
Army. New Orleans welcomes home a true American
war hero!
....Lillian's Diary Entry............................................
May 27th (that's today!)
Dear Diary,
I'm so terribly upset! I can't believe
Uncle Henri would do this to me! I
thought I was like a daughter to him
and now I find out I'm no more
important than any of those other
creeps! They can't get away with it,
you know...they just can't! Between
you and me, Diary, you know they
have to go...
...because of what they all did to
me. I KNOW they were all in it
together to have me put away in the
nuthouse. I was never crazy, they
just wanted me out of the picture!
Now they have to...
....Clarence's Journal Entry.........................................
May 27th, 1925
...I'm terribly apprehensive about
what's going on here. I can't say
why...just call it a bad
sensation...but as the evening wears
on I'm feeling more and more alone.
Where's Wilbur? Where's Gertie?
Where's Gloria? Could they have
left without me? Is there a way to
leave the island that I'm not aware
of? Still, the spine-tingling feeling
won't leave, and frankly, I'm
scared.
....Note On The Front Door...........................................
Meet me in the hedge garden.
....Your Notebook at the end of the game.............................
Person befriended:
Celie
Took food item from:
Kitchen
Celie's cabin
Jeeves' Room
Took useful item from body of:
Lillian
Clarence Sparrow
Dr. Wilbur C. Feels
People found murdered:
Lillian
Ethel Prune
Gertie Dijon
Gloria Swansong
Clarence Sparrow
Dr. Wilbur C. Feels
Jeeves
Fifi
Found secret entrance/exit in:
Dining room
Downstairs hallway
Upstairs hallway
Billiard room
Hedge garden
Basement
Library
Parlor
Clarence and Rudy's room
Gertie and Gloria's room
My room
The colonel's room
Objects used more than once:
Crackers
Crowbar
Diary
Oilcan
Monocle
Took object from suitcase of:
Lillian
Valuable object taken:
Pouch of jewels
Religious article discovered:
Bible
Items requiring close scrutiny:
Bootprint in mud
Sleeping powder bottle
Handkerchief
Rolling pin
Fireplace poker
Broken record
Glass
Cognac decanter
Diary
Cigar butt
People with gambling habits:
Rudy Dijon
Clarence Sparrow
Dr. Wilbur C. Feels
People guilty of embezzlement:
Clarence Sparrow
Dr. Wilbur C. Feels
People with a telltale scent:
Colonel Dijon
Lillian
Clarence Sparrow
Fifi
Person refusing to sell something:
Ethel Prune
People romantically involved:
Colonel Dijon
Gloria Swansong
Clarence Sparrow
Jeeves
Fifi
Person wishing to end an affair:
Gloria Swansong
Has an embarrassing medical history:
Gloria Swansong
Objects that changed location:
Derringer
Dagger
Cognac decanter
Doctor's bag
Ultimate location of most bodies:
Basement
People who struggled physically:
Colonel Dijon
Rudy Dijon
Clarence
Fifi
Person with surprising secret:
Colonel Dijon
People who used secret passages:
Colonel Dijon
Lillian
Person who murdered most people:
Lillian
Time of first visit to attic:
9:45
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Review Of The Colonel's Bequest
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Roberta Williams is NOT the most creative, prolific, or intelligent
game designer of the 80's/90's, contrary to popular belief. I have
no idea how or why this notion originated, but we must talk about
Roberta as a game designer before I begin an in-depth review of TCB.
ROBERTA WILLIAMS, GAME DESIGNER
Williams is the queen of one-dimensional cardboard characters. Don't
get me wrong, graphic adventure game writers will probably never win
much praise with a college Lit. professor, but normally most GA's take
place in fantasy settings and are intended to be humorous. Humor
above character and plot coherence is the essence of most comedy
movies, so most people can get past that shortcoming when playing
GA's.
THE COLONEL'S BEQUEST, IN-DEPTH REVIEW
A problem arises, though, when you put action above character in a
story that is supposed to rely on its characters. Roberta probably
had a good idea for a mystery set in a New Orleans mansion, but then
just faltered when it came to creating unique characters and
situations. None of the characters undergo any change throughout the
story, and true to her form, Roberta made them stereotypical and one-
dimensional. I'm not here to give you a lecture on racial/gender
stereotyping and why it is evil, although I could if you really wanted
me to. I will tell you that it makes a story very dull and
predictable when a writer uses stereotyping. In TCB we have the "Sexy
French Maid", "The Conniving Lawyer", "The Greedy Nephew", "The
Mysterious Voodoo Woman", and so on. All Roberta left out was "The
Whore With A Heart Of Gold", although that character was probably axed
due to time constraints.
Plot logic is another stumbling block for Roberta and TCB. Laura and
Lillian are supposed to be close friends, right? So why doesn't Laura
react AT ALL to Lillian's obvious mental illness when Laura observes
her in the Doll House? Laura is more shocked to find Lillian's mother
Ethel dead, even though that woman was loutish and unlikable. Another
problem with the plot is that Lillian is the only character (other
than the pets and Celie) that you can feel pity for. Everyone else
has sinister motives (including Henri.) Yet Roberta made Lillian the
villain, even though one could feasibly argue that the other members
of the household deserved to die because of their evil intentions. I
am sure that Roberta made Lillian the killer because she was the least
likely suspect (other than the pets, of course.) In the world of
murder mysteries, Roberta pulled the cheapest of all cheap shots.
In TCB, Lillian is not the most likely suspect. Yes, she does have a
history of mental illness, and she is exhibiting some awfully strange
behavior in the Doll House. Yet her history of mental illness was not
fully defined, and we cannot simply assume that she had a mental
illness that caused her to be violent. For instance, lets assume she
was clinically depressed...more likely than not she would hurt
herself, not others. The point I'm trying to make is that we the game
players are not given enough information about Lillian to make such
judgments. Either Roberta has a very poor understanding of mental
health, or she is just plain ignorant (in both senses of the word.)
A good paraphrase to end this mess of a review is from none other than
Johnny Rotten: "Did you every get the feeling that you've been
cheated?"
TCB had so much promise, but in the end you have to wonder why Roberta
did not put even the slightest amount of effort into the story and the
characters. Thankfully though, Henri's mansion is very fun to
explore, and if you can suspend you anger at a lazily written story
you might just think that TCB is one of Sierra's best adventure games.
At least better than the poorly written AND boring Space Quest, Police
Quest, and Leisure Suit Larry games...but that's a whole other 5
million-word review.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Thanks
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Extra Special Thanks:
Sean Madison [Chess_Master1911]
My cousin, and probably the greatest gamer I know. He introduced
me to many wonderful games (such as the StarControl series, one of
my faves) and helped me through a lot of the games I had of my
own. For TCB he showed me the locations of the Secret Passages,
the passage below the water fountain, the way into the Attic, and
so on. I had bought the game early in 1991, but did not get far
until he visited during that summer (and pretty much played it
straight through.) This was also the day he put StarControl 1 on
my hardrive and taught me how to Melee like a pro (as I said, he
is a great game player.)
Thanks Sean...without you I doubt this guide would exist.
GameFAQs [
http://www.gamefaqs.com]
GF is the best place on the net for strategy guides and is run by
an extremely devoted webmaster.
Thanks to these other strategy guide authors for inspiration:
Adam Lamontagne [
http://www.gamefaqs.com]
Dingo Jellybean [
http://www.dingojellybean.com]
Efrem Orizzonte [
http://www.gamefaqs.com]
SquidGirl (Becky) [
http://www.chronosquid.com]
Zach Meston [various non-internet publications]
Thanks to the following non-net people:
Jason Beattie [31337_Beat]
John Kyle [Senor_DingDong]
McGarry Luginski [Shorty_Mac]
Paul McGinty [Red5]
Brian Sczypinski [Spud7]
*==*==*==*==*==*==*==*==*==*==*==*==*==*==*==*==*==*==*==*==*==*==*==*
"Life's most urgent question is: what are you doing for others?" - MLK
See you next guide......Matt
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