In this treasure hunt game, you play as Ian McKenzie, a rebellious 13-year-old student at Winchester High, Dunedin, New Zealand. The school was once the Winchester mansion, donated by Frederick H Winchester III to the city in 1932. Rumors say there's a hidden fortune somewhere in the mansion. You plan to find it and give it to the principal so the school doesn't close from lack of funding.
This solution is by David Welbourn, and is based on Release 1 of the game.
SPOILERS AHEAD. Reading a walkthrough prematurely can sometimes diminish one's enjoyment of an interactive fiction game. Please make an honest effort to play the game before reading this walkthrough.
> ask teacher about school. ask teacher about mystery.
> throw bottle at teacher.
> x teacher. x blouse. talk to teacher.
> open door. s.(She locks the door.)
Hallway (east)
> x panels. x bubbler. x pool.
> take bobby pin. x it.
> push button.(The water tastes rusty.)
> s.
Boys' Locker Room
> x bench. x lockers.
> x locker 67. unlock it.
> enter 849 in locker 67. open it. x trunks.
> take trunks. remove uniform. wear trunks.
Don't bother storing things in your locker. No one will take your stuff, and for some reason, TAKE ALL FROM LOCKER 67 doesn't work properly.
> drop all. w.
Deck of Swimming Pool
> x attendant.(George)
> read large sign.("No swimming without proper attire")
> read small sign.("don't pee in our pool")
> w.(Attendant stops you.)
> ask him about himself. ask him about school.
> ask him about pool. ask him about mystery.
> x pool.(glint)
Note: You must be wearing trunks and not carrying anything when entering the pool.
> s. d.
Bottom of Swimming Pool
> take florin. x it. x tiles.
> u. n.
Deck of Swimming Pool
> x mop. search mop. take mop. spin mop.
> drop mop. take screwdriver. x it.
> e.
Boys' Locker Room
> take uniform and pin.
> remove trunks. wear uniform. drop trunks.
> e.
Boys' Bathroom
> x toilet. flush it.(blocked; should tell janitor)
> x garbage. search it.
> take torch. x it.(has broken switch)
> w. n. e.
Janitor's Workshop
> x junk. x janitor.
> x bench. x hammer. x plunger.
> give torch to janitor.(He fixes it.)
> give florin to janitor.(You get two batteries.)
> x batteries. put them in torch. close torch.
> tell janitor about toilet.(He grabs the plunger and leaves.)
> x drawers. open drawers. x tools. search tools.
> take hammer.
> w. w.
Outside Secretary's Office
> x door. read sign.("Gone to stationery store")
> open door.(locked)
> w.
Hallway (west)
> x door.("3rd Form")
> n.(can't barge in)
> w.(nothing of interest that way)
> s.(Even though you're "rebellious", you won't enter the girls' locker room.)
> e.
Outside Secretary's Office
> pick lock.(fail: pin is too small)
> break glass with hammer.
> unlock door. open door. n.
Secretary's Office
> x sign. x pencil. take it.
> x desk. open drawer.(locked)
Note: You must examine the bobby pin prior to trying to use it as a lockpick here.
> pick lock. open drawer.
> x sandwich. x notepad. take all from drawer.
You can't RUB or USE the pencil on the notepad? I don't mean to be shadey, but it's difficult to guess the verb here.
> shade notepad(with pencil).
> read notepad.("#50, 314")
> drop notepad and pencil.
> x stool. take it.
> s. e. s.
Boys' Locker Room
> enter 314 in locker 50.
> open locker 50. x towel. take towel.
Something's odd about the back of the locker.
> drop towel. enter locker 50.
Inside Locker 50
> unscrew panel.(with the screwdriver)
> s.
Darkness / Secret Passageway
> turn on torch. s.
End of Passageway
> x elevator. open door. s.
Old Elevator
> x panel.(on/off switch; turn handle left for down and right for up)
> x opening.(high up)
> close door.
> drop stool. stand on stool. u.
Above Elevator
> x power cable.(dangerous to touch when power is on)
> x socket. x metal cable.(rusty)
> take power cable. put it in socket.
> d. d.
Old Elevator
> turn on power switch.
> turn handle left.(The elevator descends.)
> turn off power switch.
> open door. n. e.
Secret Basement
> x rats. give sandwich to rats.(They leave with it.)
> n.
Old Library
> x bookshelf. x books.
> move bookshelf.(It spins you to...)
Old Bedroom
> x furniture. x bed. x painting.
> read plaque.("Frederick H Wincester III, 30 April 1849 -")
Looks like Fred died on his 82nd birthday.
> pull painting.(You reveal a safe.)
> x dial.
The combo is Fred's birthdate. What else could it be?
> turn dial left to 30.
> turn dial right to 4.
> turn dial left to 49.
> open safe. x carpet bag. take it. open it.
> x money. x stocks. x note. read note.
> move shelf. s. w. s.
Old Elevator
> close door. turn on power. turn handle right.
> turn off power. open door.
> n. n. n. n. n.
Hallway
You can ask the principal about the school, the mystery, Winchester, your teacher, the janitor, and George.
> x principal. give bag to principal.
*** You have won ***
Extras
Characters
Your teacher ("Miss Grumpy") is talking about the history of Dunedin.
Other students are in the classroom and some of them are sleeping.
The pool attendant ("George") is on the deck of the swimming pool. He looks too chubby for his job.
The janitor ("Joe") is in his workshop. He's quite friendly, but he hates the school's plumbing.
A swarm of rats blocks your way in the secret basement.
The principal ("Miss Bossy Boots") is in the hallway when you return from the old bedroom.
Mentioned:
Frederick H Winchester III (1849–1932) was a rich man who lived in Dunedin. He donated to children's charities, supported the education of Maori children, and willed his mansion to the city so it could be turned into a high school.
Winchester's wife was Scottish and died of consumption before they could have children.
Winchester's grandfather became very wealthy as an importer/exporter. His business was passed on to Winchester's father, then to Winchester himself.
The secretary is out shopping for stationery.
The 3rd Form class are in their classroom.
Credits
This is the response to CREDITS:
Concept by Andre Persidsky.
Game design and coding by Garry Francis.
Play testing by Christopher Merriner, Gianluca Girelli, Jade J Aincioa, John Ziegler, Larry Horsfield, Max Fog, Reiko Yukawa, Stephen Norris and Tabitha O'Connell.
Endings
You have won
if you give the bag of money to the principal.
There seems to be no way to lose this game. Some of the things I tried and discoveed:
If you kiss your teacher, she slaps you. (You won't kiss anyone else.)
Throwing the ink bottle at the students acts like throwing it at your teacher.
You can't drown; you always come up for air in the pool when you need it.
You won't eat the sandwich. It's yucky.
You can't take the broken glass and cut yourself.
Wandering in the dark is safe. You just can't see anything.
If you pick up the power cable when it's live, you get a nasty shock and drop it.
You can't operate the elevator with its door open.
If you hit the rats, they bite you and you retreat. (You won't hit anyone else.)
You won't take the money, stocks, or note from the bag. They stay together as a group, so you can't just give some of it to the principal.
Since you can't leave the school, there's no action you can take that signals keeping the bag for yourself.
Inventory
You have an inventory limit of ten items. If you discard items you don't need anymore, the inventory limit isn't much of an issue.
Items are listed in the order you acquire them in this walkthrough.
your school uniform. You're wearing it.
Look in the uniform's pocket to find your ID card.
In the boys' locker room, you may remove your uniform so you can wear your swimming trunks. You are not allowed to be naked elsewhere, and you can't wear both at the same time.
a student ID card. It's in the breast pocket of your uniform.
Take the card out of your pocket then read it. It states your locker and combo numbers. Put the card back in the pocket to get it out of the way.
an exercise book and a fountain pen. It's on your desk.
You have no use for the book or pen except to get them out of the way so you can open the desk and get the ink bottle.
an ink bottle. It's inside your desk. Note you must take everything off your desk before you can open it.
Throw the bottle at your teacher. She now demands you leave her classroom.
a bobby pin. It's in the bubbler's shallow pool of water. The bubbler's in the east end of the hallway
First, examine the pin to learn you can pick a lock with it.
In the secretary's office, pick the lock of the desk drawer with the pin.
your swimming trunks. They're in your locker (locker 67 in the boys' locker room). Enter 849 in locker 67 to unlock the locker; this info is on your ID card.
To prepare for swimming in the pool, go to the boys' locker room, remove your uniform, then wear your trunks. You are not allowed to be naked elsewhere, and you can't wear both the uniform and trunks at the same time. Leave your stuff in the locker room; no one's gonna steal it.
After your swim, return to the locker room, remove the trunks, wear your uniform, and pick up all your stuff. You may not enter the school hallway while just wearing your trunks.
a florin. This coin is at the bottom of the swimming pool. You must wear your swimming trunks before entering the pool.
After the janitor fixes the torch for you, give the florin to him, and he sells you two batteries.
a mop. It's on the deck of the swimming pool.
Take the mop and spin it to find the screwdriver that was ensnared within it.
a small screwdriver. It's hidden in the mop. Take the mop then spin it; the screwdriver falls out.
Inside locker 50, unscrew the back panel with the screwdriver.
a torch. Find it by searching the garbage in the boys' bathroom.
Give the torch to the janitor. He fixes its broken switch for you.
Put the batteries in the torch then close the torch. The torch won't work if it's open.
In the dark locations, turn on the torch so you can see what's around you.
two batteries. In the janitor's workshop, after the janitor fixes the torch for you, give the florin to him, and he sells the batteries to you.
Put the batteries in the torch, then close the torch.
a sign. It's in the secretary's office.
You don't need the sign for anything.
a pencil. It's on the secretary's desk.
Shade the notepad with it so you can read the impressions left on it.
a notepad. It's in the secretary's desk drawer; pick its lock with the bobby pin.
Shade the notepad with the pencil, then read the notepad. It states two numbers, which refer to locker 50 and its combo: 314.
a cheese sandwich. It's in the secretary's desk drawer.
In the secret basement, give the sandwich to the rats. They'll drag it off and the rats are gone.
a stool. It's in the secretary's office.
In the old elevator, drop the stool, then stand on the stool. Now you can go up through the opening to get above the elevator.
a towel. It's in locker 50.
When you take the towel, you see something odd about the back of the locker, and you're prompted to enter locker 50.
You don't use the towel for anything.
a back panel and four screws. They're inside locker 50.
Unscrew the panel with the screwdriver. Leave the panel and screws in the locker; you don't need to take them.
a carpet bag contining some money, some stocks and bonds, and a note. It's in the safe behind the painting in the old bedroom.
The combo to the safe is Frederick's birthdate, as mentioned on the painting's plaque: TURN DIAL LEFT to 30. TURN DIAL RIGHT TO 4. TURN DIAL LEFT TO 49.
Read the note. By the way, you're unwilling to take anything out of the bag.
In the hallway (east), give the bag to the principal. This saves the school, and you get a reward as well.
