In this game filled with learn-by-dying and read-author's-mind puzzles, you play as a scientist from 1997 who finally gets his translocation machine to work. You arrive inside a garbage bin in 2065 where you witness a murder in the alley outside. This begins a time-travel epic waged between you and a woman with psychotic blue eyes for control over humanity's destiny and the stability of time itself.
This solution is by David Welbourn, and is based on Release 7 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.
Map 10: Destiny corridors; Schloss Winholm, Austria, 1940
Map 11: Ship, 2008
Map 12: Atlantis, 2008 and 8
Map 13: School and Clock Tower
Walkthrough
Prologue: Breakthrough
>> SPACE
Laboratory
> verbose.
> x machine.(has platform, panel, and red button)
> x panel. open panel.(no: screwed shut)
> x papers. search papers.(+1: got notebook)
> read notebook.("consult notebook about [topic]")
> consult it about machine.(time machine)
> consult it about gate.
> consult it about void.
> consult it about panel.(re power source: need to store a large charge quickly)
> consult it about DigiCorp.
> consult it about project.(note it's 1997)
> n.
Storeroom
Normally, I'd assume the Gustav Ernst III quote is a major inspiration and its inclusion explains why so many time-related things in this game are triangular. ! However, Googling "Gustav Ernst III" only brings up this game and another Phillips game called "Heist". Also, it seems "Gustav Ernst" is a major character in a third game of his called "Inside Woman".
> x frame.("Time is but a series of ever increasing triangles.")
> take screwdriver. take cable. x it.
> s.
Laboratory
> unscrew panel with screwdriver.
> x power.(has opening for a connection)
> take power.(+1)
> u.
Roof
Be careful not to electrocute yourself! Don't touch the wire directly, and don't hold the power source when you make the final connection!
> attach cable to power.
> drop power.
> attach cable to wire.(+1. Lightning charges up the power source and destroys the cable.)
> take power.
> d.
Laboratory
> put power in panel.
> push button.(A hole grows in the platform. That's the void you want. It's working.)
> stand on platform.(+1. You see a white dot grow into a triangle, but the pain makes you pass out.)
>> SPACE
Chapter 1: The Xeron Project
Garbage Bin
NOTE: Anything you were carrying (notebook, screwdriver) is now lost in time.
CAUTION: Don't take anything while the voices are talking; taking things here makes too much noise.
> search rubbish.(There's a newspaper.)
> x hole.(You see a fearful man in the alley.)
> read newspaper.("July 20th, 2065")
> x hole.(You see the killer lean over the dead Carpenter. Then something is tossed into the bin and you hear the killer leave in a vehicle.)
> look. x gun. take gun.(You make noise when you do so.)
> out.
Alley
> x body. x jacket.(has triangular "TI" badge)
> search jacket.
Carpenter has some final words for you. He wants you to stop the Xeron project. He also mentions keystones and that the apartment key is hidden down in the ... something.
Time to go.
> s.
Corner of Street
> x signs. e.
Boarded Up Building
> x gutter.(+1; got steel button)
> x tracks.
> x building. read writing.
> x sign.("BAK...S...ET")
It's safe to assume this is the Baker Street tube entrance in London.
> e.
End of Street
> x car. x man. x door.("Berto's Hovertaxis")
You don't know where to go and you don't have a way to pay the driver for a trip. Come back later when you do.
> w. d.
Disused Station
> x girl.(20-years-old, not a pushover)
> x machine.(girl is in the way)
> e. n.
Lavatory
The girl is now blocking your exit and holding a glowing knife. You have four turns to deal with her before she attacks.
> x knife.(might cut through anything)
> point gun at girl.(+2; she freezes)
> girl, drop knife.(Done. She flees. The knife stops glowing.)
> drop gun.(You don't want to be caught carrying this thing later.)
> take knife.(+1)
> x knife.(dull)
> turn handle.(now sharp and glowing)
> turn handle.(off and dull again.)
> read graffiti. g. g. g. g.
> x toilet. open it.(You extract a bag and drop it.)
> x bag. take it. open it.
> x ID.(K.D. Carpenter lives at Gerants Heath Estate and works at Trion Institute.)
> x disc.("KDC")
You need to take the piece of paper to read it.
> take piece of paper. read it. drop it.
> take disc.(+1)
This is hardly motivated but you must do it anyway:
> x pipe. pull pipe.(+1; you now have a pipe)
> s. w.
Disused Station
> x machine. push it. g. look. take gum.(+1)
> x gum.
> u. e.
End of Street
🎒 Inventory check!
This taxi ride is one-way. You must have the button, knife, pipe, gum, and disc. You don't need the newspaper, gun, identity card, paper, or bag.
But bring the card anyway.
> drop bag. take card.
> knock on door.(The driver wakes and unlocks the door.)
> open door. enter taxi.(+1)
Hovertaxi
> close door.
You can optionally ask the driver about corper or London. The driver also recognizes all of the following as possible destinations, but for each, he has a reason why he cannot drive there: Buckingham Palace, museum, park, parliament, square, Tower of London, Trion Institute.
> say Gerants Heath Estate
The game tells you the correct syntax to use.
> driver, drive to estate
"That will be twenty three creds corper."
> give disc to driver.(+1; you get out)
Housing Estate
The taxi leaves, of course.
> n.
Front of House
> x window.(You see a dim red glow inside.)
> put ID in slot.(fail: the card reader is disabled)
> x door.(slightly ajar)
> open door.(can't: something's behind it)
CAUTION! Don't push or open the door a second time! There's a bomb on the other side!
> s. ne.
Side of house
If you still have the gun, newspaper, paper, or bag, drop it here and now.
> drop ID and disc.(You don't need them any more, and you will need the inventory slots.)
> x fence.
> turn handle.(knife now sharp)
> cut rope with knife.(hole made)
> cut rope with knife.(took some rope)
Leave the knife on; you need its light when you get inside. There's an upcoming light-management puzzle where if you turn on any light when inside, it triggers unwanted consequences unless the windows are blocked. Carrying the lit knife inside with you avoids that trigger.
> w.
Backyard
> x platform. x rope.
You must bend the pipe before tying the rope to it.
> bend pipe. x it.
> tie rope to pipe.
> throw pipe at platform.
> u.(+1)
Metal Platform
A dangling rope is suspicious. Get rid of it.
> untie rope.(+2; pipe and rope are gone)
> chew gum.
> open window. s.
Carpenter's Apartment
Entering this location triggers a searchlight sequence for anything suspicious, like a dangling rope.
An open window is also suspicious, so close it.
> close dirty window.(This cuts off the outside as a light-source.)
> touch wallpaper. cut it with knife.
> get piece.(of wallpaper)
> put gum on piece.
> put piece on small window.(+2)
With both windows blocked, it's safe to turn the globe in the ceiling on. Relax a little.
> x globe.("Verbaglow" is your hint that it's voice-activated.)
> globe, on.(+1)
> drop knife.(It stops glowing. You no longer need it, and it's dangerous to be caught carrying it later.)
The device is a bomb.
> x device.(two buttons: green and red)
> x red.("arm")
> x green.("tim")
> push red.(to disarm the thing)
With the globe on, search the items and find a pendant.
> x items. search items.(+1; got pendant)
> x pendant.(It has a spherical groove, and it's not from this time period.)
> wear it.(strange buzz)
It can't be helped. You must blow open the compartment with the bomb.
> x compartment.(fairly solid)
> take bomb. put it on compartment.
> push red.(to arm it)
> push green.(to start the timer)
> z.(boom: the compartment is open)
Act quickly; the police are now on their way.
> take all from compartment.(+1)
> wear watch.
> open briefcase.(sorry, you can't)
> x briefcase.
> x watch.(three buttons and a display)
Five turns after the explosion, police shoot you with tranq darts and you wake up in a cell.
CAUTION: If the police catch you carrying the gun or knife, they shoot to kill instead.
Police Cell
🎒 Inventory check!
The briefcase is gone, but you still have the button, pedant, and watch.
> i.
You're far too groggy to do much yet, but you must ditch the pendant now. Why? Because if the interrogator you're about to meet finds it on you, she kills you.
> remove pendant. drop it.
Might as well examine your watch buttons now, but don't push any:
> x top button.(The sun symbol means light. Pushing this button makes the watch emit light.)
> x center button.(The dark dot means "off". Pushing this button turns the watch off.)
> x bottom button.(The hollow circle with two interior lines means... I dunno. Pushing this button shows the current year on the watch's display.)
> z.
Men escort you to...
Interview Room
When sitting in this chair, your ability to move is limited to what your interrogator allows you to move.
> z. z.
> x woman.(She's Carpenter's killer!)
> z.(A glass of liquid is placed in front of you and you can now move one of your arms.)
> take glass.
CAUTION: Don't drink the liquid! It's some sort of irresistable truth serum.
> throw glass at figure.
You're thrown out of the chair, and now she has your throat in her hand.
> z.
"Where do you live?"
> say Chelsea
"Profession?" (You need a believable lie.)
> say thief
"Find anything worth taking?"
> say yes
"What?"
> say briefcase (+3)
She calls you a loose end and is about to choke you to death, but two officers call her away. They address her as Special Investigator Quinn, and you get a glimpse of her pale blue eyes.
You next wake back at...
Police Cell
> wear pendant.
If you feel like playing with the watch's buttons, now's the time. Only one button can be depressed at a time. All buttons are pushable only; they are never pulled or turned.
> push bottom button. x display.("2065")
> look under bed.(find screwed-down legs)
> unscrew legs with steel button. g.
> drop steel button.
> move bed.(grate revealed)
> hit grate.(You made a suspicious noise!)
> move bed.(A guard peeks in, but sees nothing wrong.)
> move bed. open grate.
> push top button.(for light)
> d.(+1. You fall to...)
Ventilation Shaft
You can't climb back up, of course.
> w.
Dead End
> x rubble. x grate.(You see a hangar area with a helicopter and a police officer.)
> x helicopter. x officer.
> e. e.
End of Ventilation Shaft
> x grate.(You see a locker room.)
> open grate. e.
Locker Room
> push centre.(to turn the watch off)
> x locker.(has keyhole)
> x mop. take it.
> se.
Showers Area
> x door.(handles are lined up)
> put mop in handle.(+1)
> take key.
> nw.
Locker Room
> unlock locker with key. drop key. open locker.
> read door.
Note not only the codes on the locker door, but also how they're formed, either by taking the first four letters from one word, or by taking the first two letters from two words.
BENI = Holiday Resort. BENI is short for BENIDORM. (I had to ask an AI about that one. Benidorm's in Spain.)
PYRA = Strange Egyptian Structure. PYRA is short for PYRAMID.
LOAN = City of Angels. LOAN is short for LOS ANGELOS.
> look in locker.
> x uniform. search it.(+1: got lighter)
> x lighter.("Happiness in a cigar")
> wear uniform.(+1)
> x towel. take it.
> sw. w.
Landing Pad
CAUTION: While wearing the uniform allows you to get this far, if you try to enter the copter while the officer is here, you are arrested and die.
You need a distraction.
> x copter. x officer.
> e. n.
Fuel Stores
> x drum. put towel in drum.
> burn towel with lighter.
> s. w.
Landing Pad
+1. You hear the nearby explosion.
> z.(The officer here leaves his post.)
> in.
Police Jetcopter
CAUTION: Wear the helmet immediately, not for protection, but to hide your face. When the guard returns, if he sees you inside the copter without the helmet, he sounds the alarm and you're arrested. With the helmet on, he assumes you're the pilot you trapped in the shower stall and have the right to be there.
> wear helmet.(The officers get the fire under control.)
> look under chair.(+1: got flight manual. Also, guard is back.)
> read manual. drop it.
> x panel.(Because you read the manual, you now recognize the engines, autopilot, and eject buttons.)
> push engines.(+2. Lift off!)
Figuring out which navcode to type next is tricky. Of the three you saw in the locker, PYRA and LOAN are no longer used. If you type one of those, the autopilot won't work.
BENI is still valid, but it's also outdated. You crash into a skyscraper on the way if you use that one. And if you eject before that happens, you land on a railway track and a train slices you in half. Ouch.
Hovering above the police station indefinitely is not an option. After seven turns, they shoot you down.
Ejecting when hovering over the police station means you and your chair land back on the landing pad, and you're arrested and die.
So what's left? You must guess a navcode based on the what you've seen earlier and how navcodes appear to be abbreviations of location names.
Did you remember that Carpenter's ID card mentioned a Trion Institute? No? Well, the likely navcodes for that destination would be TRIO or INST or TRIN. Any of those three navcodes will do the trick.
> type TRIO
> push autopilot.(You're now at the edge of London.)
> z.("Missile Alert")
CAUTION: If you do nothing, "Atomblaster" rockets incinerate you.
> push eject.(+1. You and your seat land in...)
Field
Sooner or later, guards will be coming to see if anyone survived the copter's destruction. You need to hide this pilot seat.
Avoid entering the barn at first. Opening the container in there is the trigger for the guards' arrival.
> se.
Tool Shed
> x shears. take them.
> nw. n.
Shrubland
> cut plants with shears.(You now have branches.)
> s.
Field
> put branches on seat.(+1; to hide it)
> ne.
Garage
> x car. open boot. look in it.
> x rag. take it.(+1)
> smell rag.
> look under car. x detector.
> sw. s.
Barn
> x container. open it.
You find a human body in water. Also, you hear approaching footsteps.
> x body.(nude female; strangle marks; "Tamara" neck tag)
> wash rag in water.
> u.
Hay Loft
> wear rag.(to prevent yourself from sneezing)
You hear someone pacing below.
> z.
One guard suggests calling this off for now.
> z.(+1)
The other guard agrees. They leave. You toss the rag away.
The entrance to the Trion Institute will punish you severely if you try to bring foreign items (the shears, helmet, and uniform) inside. You can safely ditch those items here. Keep the pendant, watch, and lighter.
> drop shears.
> remove helmet. drop it.
> remove uniform. drop it.
> d.
Barn
> x body. x mouth.(clenched teeth?)
> open mouth.(+1: got tiny silver sphere)
> x sphere. put it in pendant.
> push it.(+1)
You see a visual recording of the woman. She tells you that someone else plans to impersonate her, infiltrate the institute, and use the Xeron Machine to get the keystones. You must stop her. Unfortunately, Tamara has no time to explain further.
Next, for reasons I don't fully understand, you must "hide" Tamara's body by putting it into the boot of the rusty car. This is not optional; you must move her.
> take body. drag body n.
Field
> drag body ne.
Garage
Interestingly, the game won't let you put the uniform or helmet into the boot. Why this is a good hiding spot for her but not for anything else makes no sense to me.
> take body. put body in boot. close boot.
> i.
🎒 Inventory check!
The trip into the Trion Institute is one-way.
Make sure you're wearing both the watch and the pendant. The silver sphere must stay in the pendant. Carry the lighter and nothing else.
Do not bring the shears, uniform, or helmet with you.
You should also have ditched the button, key, and manual long before reaching the farm, but if not, get rid of them too.
> touch detector.
> push sphere.(+1. "Identity confirmed.")
You descend via a platform to an underground chamber.
Institute Entrance
Last chance to get rid of unauthorised items.
> x logo.("Scanners In Operation. No Unauthorised Items.")
> e.
Conveyor Belt
You're now on a one-way conveyor belt. If you fail any of the tests, lasers reduce you to ash.
> z. z.(You're scanned for unauthorised items.)
> z.(An optical viewing device is ahead.)
> push sphere.(The device looks at the hologram of Tamara and lets you pass.)
> z.(The exit of the belt approaches. You can die at this step if you left traces behind, such as not hiding Tamara's body.)
> z.(+1. You're now at...)
Outside Elevator
> s.
Inside Elevator
> x panel.("I", "II", "III")
> push i.(Nothing; you're already at that level.)
> push ii. n.
Corridor Near Elevator
> e. e.
Offices
The northeast office is for "Tamara Krieg".
> x door.(You see nothing special.)
> open door.(huh, not locked)
> x door.(You now see a vertical beam.)
> x beam.(Don't break it!)
> w. w. w.
Canteen
> x tray.(reflective)
> x bottle.(empty)
> take bottle. take tray.
> e. e. e.
Offices
> put tray in beam.(+1)
> ne.
Tamara's office
Because of our current inventory limit, it's awkward to take everything we want. In fact, leave the bottle here for now.
> drop bottle.
> x photograph.(high quality of Tamara)
> x briefcase —or— x papers.
> x base. search base.
> x sphere.(brass)
> x rod.(has pressable cap)take rod.
The rod can stun people. To use it, first point the rod at your target, then push the cap. Your first victim will be a sleeping man west of the canteen.
> put tray in beam.
> sw. w. w. w. w.
Sleeping Area
> x man.(would be woken by tiniest noise)
> x rucksack.("R.Collins")
> point rod at man. push cap.(He stops snoring.)
> take rucksack.(+1)
> e. e. e. e.
Offices
> put tray in beam. ne.
Tamara's office
> open rucksack. x device.
> take photo. take bottle.
> take silver sphere. take brass.(+1)
> put brass in pendant. push brass.
This recording is from Carpenter. He warns someone plans to use the Xeron machine to locate the keystones, one of which is in this institute. Also, the city of the ancients has the great secret of time.
> take brass.
> x safe.(needs numeric code typed)
> put device on safe. x lights.
> type 10000 (no: must be from 1 to 9999)
> type 5000 (note the right light's color)
The number that unlocks the safe is randomized. This is a "Hi-Lo puzzle" which is best solved using a "divide and conquer" strategy called a binary search. See Interactive Binary Search Game if you're unfamiliar with this idea. Have you ever seen the Clock Game on The Price Is Right? It's like that but without a ticking clock.
The device has two lights to guide you, but you can ignore the left light which is just red when your guess is wrong, and green when your guess is correct.
The right light is yellow when your guess is too low, orange when your guess is too high, and off when your guess is correct. Furthermore, the right light dims as you get closer to the target number.
For example, after you typed 5000, was the light yellow? Then the correct number is from 5001 to 9999, and your next guess should be 7500. Otherwise, if the light was orange, the correct number is from 1 to 4999, and you next guess should be 2500.
Keep picking a number halfway between the remaining range of possible valid numbers until you type the right one.
> type NUMBER(repeat using different numbers, narrowing in on the correct one until the safe opens.)
CAUTION: If you broke the beam earlier, the moment the safe opens is when your enemy arrives and kills you and takes the safe's contents for herself.
> look in safe.
> x ruby. take it.(+1)
> take pyramid. x it.
> take folder. read folder.(+1)
The Xeron machine is Trion Institute's name for their time-travel machine. Note that the pyramid is the "access key" (like a garage door opener) and that there's a closet in the west wall of the machine.
> close safe.(It auto-locks.)
Abandon the device on the safe; you don't need it any more.
> take tray.(in case it was in your sack)
> put tray in beam. sw.
Offices
> put tray in sack. take rod.
> w. w. s.
Inside Elevator
> push iii. n.
Central Torus
> x door.(has glass scanner and circular pad)
> u.
Control Annexe
On entry, you fall to the floor, numb, unable to move.
> x figure.(It's "Tamara".)
> x figure.(Her head is unprotected, and she has Quinn's blue psychotic eyes.)
> z.(You still can't move, her hand is on your throat, and she starts to check your stuff.)
> z.(She takes the ruby.)
> z. z.(You can move a little.)
> z.(You can move fully now.)
> point rod at head. push cap.(+2; she falls)
> search woman.
CAUTION: Don't take the mask! She'll wake up and dominate your mind again.
CAUTION: Don't attack the stunned woman! Her armour's self-defence systems will fry you to death.
CAUTION: Don't wear the glove! Anti-theft poison needles kill you.
> take glove. x glove. take ruby.
> d.
Central Torus
> put glove on door.
> put photo on door.(The door opens.)
> w.(+1)
Xeron Lab
> x machine. x gate.
> push white button.(of the pyramid; the gate opens)
> in.(denied)
You can't carry dangerous items from this time period into the machine; the gate closes. You're also not allowed to take the folder through.
So drop the glove, the rod, the folder, and the safe-cracking device if you tried to keep it.
You may also drop Tamara's photo, but you still need everything else.
> drop glove. drop rod. drop folder.
> push white button. in.(+1)
Xeron Prototype
The gate closes.
> x panel.(has triangular hole, a globe, and a readout: "2065")
> x globe.(east coast of England indicated)
> x hatch. open it.(no: only in emergencies)
> push west wall.(A hidden passage is revealed.)
> w.(+1)
Closet
> x suit. take it. wear it.
> x red crystal. take it.
> look. take bronze sphere.(+1)
> put bronze in pendant. push it.
> take bronze.
> e.
Xeron Prototype
> put ruby in hole.(+2. You travel to somewhen else.)
>> SPACE
Chapter 2: The Sands of Time
Xeron Prototype
> x globe.(desert southeast of Cairo)
> x panel.(1924)
> take ruby.
> push white button. out.
Rocky Outcrop
The access gate closes. If you're wearing the envirosuit, it protects you from the desert heat. It also projects a holographic illusion of a contemporary outfit, which you can see if you examine the tray.
> x tray.
> d.
Campsite
> x charcoal. take it.
> s.
Main Tent
> x chest.(locked)
> x bed. x pillow. look under it.(A book falls out.)
> take book.(+1)
> x it. read it. g.
Remember that the leather book can translate ancient script, but you must be holding the book directly.
> x tent. go under tent.(+1)
Behind Main Tent
> x bones. dig sand.(found tiny brass key)
> take key.(+1)
> w.
Main Tent
IMPORTANT: DO NOT discard the key; you need it again 600 turns from now.
> unlock chest with key. open chest.
> x disc. read it.(ancient script)
> translate disc.("Divider of that which provides us with our very existence.")
> take disc.
> take diary. x it. read it.(has odd chemical list)
> n. e.
Supply Tent
> x lantern. open it. x oil. close lamp. take it.
> w. n. n. e.
Outside Monument
A door opens for you to the southeast.
> x door. translate door.("Within here be the resting place of the yellow keystone of time.")
> se.
Darkness / Inside Monument
> push top.(top button of watch)
> take gold.(+1)
> put gold in pendant. push it. take it.
This message is from a strange man who begs you to find the four keystones, "seek out the centre", and destroy a weapon that threatens all of time.
You'll meet this man later. He's an ancient Atlantean and the keeper of time. It's never explained why it's your job to save all of time and not his.
> clean case. x case. x topaz.
> take leather book. translate plaque.("In the presence of power, and the symbol and word of authority, the eye shalt be given to the champion of time.")
> push center. nw. nw. w.
Oasis
CAUTION: Don't drink any water from here. It's been poisoned. You still need to take some, though.
> x pool. fill bottle.
> e. n.
Darkness / Round Chamber
> push top.
> x column.
> nw.
Ancient Storeroom
> x ball. look in it. take ball.
> se. ne.
Sun Chamber
> x slab.(radiant lines around a center)
> translate plinth.("The god that doth fall upon the great table shalt be used to vanquish the great enemy.")
> sw. se.
Night Chamber
> x statue.(empty eye socket)
> translate statue.("When the great enemy rises to do battle against the evil within, and the eye of RANDOM-SOMETHING is held in the path of the enemy, the ancient tomb shalt be opened for all to see.")
The eye's description is randomized:
The "eye of pure gold" is a yellow eye.
The "eye of crimson fire" is a red eye.
The "eye of the seeds of nature" is a green eye.
The "eye of the seafaring one" is a blue eye.
It should be clear that you need to insert an appropriately-colored sphere into this statue's eye socket.
> nw. sw.
Ancient Shrine
> x statue.(has empty bowl with script)
> translate bowl.("When the opposing elements reside within me in unison, the need for war shalt no longer be necessary.")
> x sword.
> translate sword.("Power be given to those who be chosen.")
> take sword.(can't: a force holds it where it is)
The "opposing elements" needed are water and oil.
> take bottle. pour water in bowl.
> take lantern. open it. pour oil in bowl.
> take lighter. light oil.
The statue's eyes glow green, the sword shimmers, the bowl's contents vanish.
> take sword.(+1)
> ne. ne.
Sun Chamber
This is a read-author's-mind moment. You not only need to recognize the radiant lines on the slab as an incomplete sun symbol, as seen on the top button of the watch, but you also have to recognize charcoal as a drawing tool, and further, deduce that drawing a circle on the slab with the charcoal might actually be helpful.
Like, it's not like we can see an optical scanner looking at the slab.
> take charcoal. draw circle on slab.(+2. The slab glows, the roof opens, and sunlight falls onto the stone plinth.)
> take disc. put disc in plinth.(+1. The white shaft of sunlight is split into four colored beams: red, yellow, green, and blue.)
CAUTION: If you put the crystal ball into the shaft of sunlight, the ball turns white and opaque. Likewise, it turns red, yellow, green, or blue in the other beams. This color absorption cannot be undone.
Any colored version of the crystal ball can be inserted into the evil statue's eye socket, but once inserted, it's stuck there and can no longer be removed.
If you translated the evil statue with the leather-bound book, you know which color ball you want.
> take crystal ball. put ball in CORRECT-COLOR beam.(The ball is now that color.)
> sw. se.
Night Chamber
> put ball in socket.(click)
Hm. A bit more is needed.
> nw. ne.
Sun Chamber
> take disc.(can't: too wedged in)
I felt horrible destroying an ancient artifact like the glass disc. But it's the only way to proceed.
> break disc. take tray. put tray in plinth.(Sunlight is now reflected southwest.)
> sw.
Round Chamber
> turn column.(The stone column is replaced with a metal column.)
> look.(The sunlight is now reflected southeast.)
> se.
Night Chamber
The sunlight is falling onto the crystal ball. It glows fiercely. The statue shimmers and disappears. To the north, you hear machinery.
> nw. n.(+1)
Ancient Tomb
> x sarcophagus.
> take leather book.
> translate lid.("The end of one lifetime is but a transition to the next.")
> open lid. x bones. x sceptre.
> translate sceptre.("All praise the beholder, Karimal.")
> take sceptre.
> s. ne.
Sun Chamber
> take tray.
> sw. s. se. se.
Inside Monument
Make sure you have both sword and sceptre directly.
> say Karimal.(+1)
The sword, sceptre, and topaz all glow. They trade places! You have the topaz, and the sword and sceptre are now inside the case. The plaque's script changed.
> translate plaque.("The keystones must not fall into the hands of the demonic ones from which they be protected since the coming together of time.")
> out.
Outside Monument
> push center.
> w. s. s. u.
Rocky Outcrop
The prototype access gate makes no objection to the broken lantern or the two books.
> push white button. w.
Xeron Prototype
> put topaz in hole.(fail: a fuel rod must be recharged)
> take topaz. open hatch.
> look in hatch. x fuel rod. take it.
> push white button.
> e. d. n. n. n.
Rock Face
Guess I turned off the watch too soon.
> push top. n. n.
Ancient Tomb
> enter coffin. x lever. push lever.(+1)
The sarcophagus slides north to...
Communications Room
The beacon and equipment aren't important.
> out. e.
Power Room
> x generator.
> take red crystal. put it in funnel.
> put rod in slot.(+1; it's recharged)
> x rod.
> w. enter coffin. push lever. out. s. s.
Rock Face
> push center. s. s. s. u.
Rocky Outcrop
> push white button. w.
Xeron Prototype
> put rod in hatch. close hatch.("Ready")
> i.
🎒 Inventory check!
You will not be returning to this time and place, so make sure you're ready to go. I warn you: the ruby won't bring you back here a second time.
Continue to wear the envirosuit, the watch, and the pendant.
You should have four tiny spheres: silver, brass, bronze, and gold. You still need them all.
You should have two keystones: the ruby and the topaz.
You still need the rucksack, the pyramid, the bottle, the lighter, the diary, and (perversely) the brass key.
Strictly speaking, you don't need the shiny metal tray any more, except for checking what the suit looks like to others. Keep the tray.
The following items can now be considered junk: the leather-bound book (no more translations) and the broken lantern. While you carry the rucksack, it doesn't hurt to keep extra stuff, but feel free to just drop them in the closet with the photo of Tamara.
Are you ready?
> save
> put topaz in hole.
Chapter 3: Forty Year Reich
Xeron Prototype
> take topaz.
> x panel.("1985")
> x globe.(town in Northern England)
> push white button. e.(+1)
Park
The game will get cranky if you don't check out the tent before anything else.
> n.
Outside Pavilion
> take leaflet. read it.
> x man.("Jake")
> x trinkets. x badge.("NBK")
> ask Jake about badge.
> n. nw.
Drinks Stall
> x whisky. x man.
> e.
Historical Monument
> x statue. x medallion. read writing.
> x helmet.(unimportant)
> x rifle.(loose)
> x grenade.(unimportant)
> x uniform.(unimportant)
> take medallion.(no: out of reach)
> take rifle. g.(+1)
> touch statue.(It's vibrating? That's very odd.)
> n.("You can't walk through a solid stone statue!")
Do you remember the bronze sphere's message saying "the craft holographic generator will not be installed until it has been fully tested"? So your Xeron prototype doesn't have a way to camoflauge itself, but what if a later Xeron craft has it?
> push white button.(of your pyramid: The front of the statue and the medallion fade away.)
> n.(+1)
Inside Statue
> take medallion. take rod. x rod.
It's very difficult to figure out what this rod does, even though it's easy to use: just point it at something and turn its handle. (Since "handle" is a synonym for the rod, "turn rod" works too.)
For a few select things in the game, this rod can make its target shake or jiggle. But,... the rod doesn't jiggle everything that it could, just the things you need to jiggle in the game. That makes it very difficult to experiment with. You're forced to blindly use it on everyone and everything until something unusual happens.
Fortunately, you're using a walkthrough, and I can tell you what the rod is good for and where. The first thing that needs to be jiggled is a keypad mounted on an office door, and if I hadn't told you that, you'd likely have forgotten the rod when you get to that point in the game.
> push west wall.(closet opens)
> w.
Closet
> read label.("Invishield Mk IV", "C2H5OH")
C2H5OH is the chemical formula for ethanol.
> take cutters.(+1)
> e. s. e.
Historical Exhibit
IMPORTANT: Don't skip seeing all five scenes in this exhibit. It's a secret trigger for an event elsewhere.
> x device.(It shows Churchill signing his surrender.)
> touch it.(The scene changes.)
> g. g. g.(You see the diamond keystone used in a top secret project in Austria.)
> sw. s.
Outside Pavilion
> give medallion. take badge.(+1)
> wear badge.
> s. e.
Path Through Park
You interrupt an arguing couple when you first visit here.
> x trees. x body. search body. take wallet.(+1)
> x wallet. open it. x card.
> read papers.("Herr Klein, British Citizens Inspector"; has his photo)
> ne.
Side of Lake
After seeing the diamond in the historical exhibit, when you next visit here, a man gives you a note and leaves. An iron sphere falls out of the note.
> take iron.(+1)
> read note.
> put iron in pendant. push it.(Remember the "Earthan" experiment.)
> take iron.
> x hut. open door.(locked)
> knock on door.(no answer)
> shoot door.(no ammo)
> sw. w.
Park
The brown paper is blown away and lost forever. I hope you read it earlier!
> n. n. nw.
Drinks Stall
> show papers to man.(+1. He flees.)
> take bottle. fill bottle.
> se. s. s. e. ne.
Side Of Lake
I know you have no motivation to drop the identity papers here, but it's in your best interest to not have the papers for a while, and this is the most convenient place to regain them later.
> drop papers.
> sw. w. s.
Town Street
You see a veiled woman pass by in a car.
> e. s.
Cafeteria
CAUTION: Never bring the identity papers in here.
> x counter. x cake. x table. x chair.
> x ashtray. x sachet.(pepper)
> x people. x girl.
> ask girl about cafe.(not into chatting)
> take card.
> buy cake.(with card; both on the floor now)
> take card and cake.(+1)
> sit on chair.
A bearded man enters the cafe; he was the one arguing with a woman on the path in the park.
If the man doesn't enter when you sit down here, it's because you're not wearing the badge. Try wearing the badge before sitting.
> x man.
> take sachet.
> z. z.
The man whispers that they've been waiting for you and to come to the usual place. He calls you "Python".
> z. z.(+1; the bearded man leaves)
> look under table.(A newspaper is there. It wasn't there when you sat down.)
> x newspaper. take it. read it.(found note)
> take note. read note.("Meeting in usual place. Make sure not followed. Usual Identification Rules. Extreme care needed because of recent actions and increases in security. The word is about. Take necessary precautions. There may be a leak.")
> put note in ashtray. take lighter. burn note.(+1)
> stand. n.
Bricked Up Wall
Two sinister men stop you and search both your inventory and the cafe. Because they didn't find either the note or the identity papers, they release you, but otherwise, you're arrested and killed.
Go fetch the papers; your meeting is in the hut by the lake.
> w. n. e. ne.
Side Of Lake
> take papers.
> knock on door.("Give the Password")
The note literally said "The word is about."
> say about
> e.(+1)
Inside Wooden Hut
You're not really "Python", but he doesn't need to know that.
> give papers.(+1; they're updated with new photo)
> x papers.
> x man.(the resistance leader)
> z.
Side Of Lake
> sw. w. s. w.
Town Square
> i.
🎒 Inventory check!
It's very important that you avoid entering the town hall until you're ready. Entering and leaving without passing by the sentry is suspicious and it will cost you your life later on.
Make sure you have everything you need from this time period before continuing:
a soldier's rifle,
a set of identity papers (altered with your photo),
a paper sachet (closed),
a stale cake,
a golden lapel badge (worn),
some bottled whisky in the glass bottle,
some wire cutters,
a long plastic rod,
a small leaflet,
a tiny iron sphere.
If you're missing something, go get it.
Ready?
> s.
Town Hall
CAUTION: Showing the original identity papers to the sentry is fatal. Offering the credit card to the sentry is fatal. Identity theft and bribery is severely punished.
> show papers to sentry.(You're welcome to enter.)
> s.(+1)
CAUTION: If you were in and out from Town Hall beforehand, this made the sentry suspicious, and you're arrested instead of given a salute.
Stairwell
> remove pin. unlock door with pin.
> wear pin. open door.
> w.(+1)
File Room
> x cabinet. open it. x files.
> look up Earthan in files.(The Earthan device was developed at Schlss Winholm, Austria, to work on brainwave patterns.)
Note and remember the randomized number scribbled in red. I'll refer to it later as the EARTHAN-NUMBER.
> close cabinet. e.
Stairwell
> close door. u.
Dimly Lit Corridor
CAUTION: Typing any number on this keypad causes a fatal explosion, so don't even try it.
> s.(no)
> x door.("Frau Direktor Monika Schmeist")
> x keypad.
> take rod. point rod at keypad.
> turn rod.(The keypad is now loose.)
> pull keypad.(A red wire is exposed.)
> take cutters. cut wire with cutters.(door opens; keypad falls)
> take keypad.(Yes, you will need it later.)
> e.(+1)
Large Office
The desk and equipment are unimportant.
> x rug. move rug.(no: fixed down)
> x head.(one eye glows)
> take head.(Not attached to the wall?)
You must deduce that the Invishield you read about in the enemy machine's closet is the eye in the moose head and that it's keeping something invisible from you.
> pour whisky on head.(+1. The eye dies and a cabinet appears.)
> x cabinet. open it.
> x thingy. take it. x box. take it.
The black box is a portable time-void generator that can send anyone else you're near to another time and place. However, the box only has enough power to be used once, so you can't experiment and be able to win later.
If you don't mind losing the game, you may find it amusing to use the box on the sentry, the cafe girl, or Jake. Alas, your enemy is immune to the box's effect.
IMPORTANT: Before leaving the room, make sure you have the pepper sachet directly in your hand and open.
> take sachet. open it.
> w.(The veiled woman enters instead.)
> z. z. z.(She lifts her veil!)
> throw pepper at woman.(She's down but not out.)
Run all the way back to the prototype!
> w. n. n. n. e. n.
Park
> push white button. w.
Xeron Prototype
For your next trip, instead of a keystone, you'll be using a thingy programmed with the space-time code for that schloss in Austria where the Earthan device was invented.
> x keypad.(It has a space for a connection.)
> attach thingy to keypad.(bleep!)
> type EARTHAN-NUMBER(more bleeping)
> save
> put thingy in hole.(+1)
Chapter 4: All in the Mind
Featureless Corridor
> x crowd.
> ask crowd about time.(They ignore you.)
> touch crowd.(That doesn't work.)
> w.(impossible to go that way)
> e.
Branch In Corridor
> se.
Infinite Corridor
> x old man.(You know him from somewhere.)
> ask man about time.(He doesn't hear you and walks through the north wall.)
Another old man, in a loincloth and wearing a gold clock, reaches through you...
...and then you're back in the prototype.
Xeron Prototype
> x thingy.(gone)
> x panel.("1940")
> x globe.(in Austria near Germany)
🎒 Inventory check!
The next part is quite dangerous, and you want to get your inventory pre-arranged so you're not fumbling fatally later.
Make sure your watch is off; push its center button. This time, darkness is your friend, and light is your enemy.
Make sure you're carrying the cake, rifle, and key directly. Yes, the brass key you found in the desert ages ago. That key.
You must also be carrying the following items as well, but they can be in the rucksack: the pyramid, the sinister black box, the long plastic rod, the leaflet, and the tiny iron sphere.
The following items are now junk and can be dropped in the closet: the keypad, the wire cutters, the identity papers, the crumpled newspaper, the credit card, the glass bottle, the wallet, and the badge.
> push center button.
> take cake, rifle, key.
> save
> push white button. e.
Clearing
> throw cake at dog.(+2; it's now ill and leaves)
> ne.
Darkness (Dark Forest)
Don't turn your watch's light on. Go UP the tree in the Dark Forest in total darkness and wait until the patrol completes its search.
> u.
Darkness (Top of Tree)
> z.(repeat waiting until the patrol is done: +1.)
> d. n.
Driveway
CAUTION: Asking the chauffeur about anything causes a fatal error in WinFrotz.
> point rifle at chauffeur.
> show key to chauffeur.(He shows you where the iron key for the car is hidden.)
> hit chauffeur.(Violence is the answer!)
> look under car. touch pipes.(+1: got cylinder)
> x cylinder.(This is a bomb.)
> take iron key.(+1)
> unlock door with iron key.
> open door. in. close door.
> x pen. take it.
> turn on lamps.(+1)
> w.(+1. You drive via Guard Post to ...)
Courtyard
> turn off lamps.(Is that a dagger I see before me?)
> open door.
If you didn't remove the plastic cylinder, it would explode now. But instead, you see two men in lab coats with black uniformed officer walk into the west building.
> out.
> x dagger. take it.(+1)
> ne.(+1)
Abandoned Tower
> x green bottle. take it.
> sw. w.
Chapel
NOTE: The silver candle holder is can't be referred to as "candle" or "holder". "Silver" and "artifact" work, though.
> x altar.
> z.(repeat until a shadow makes you see a stone head on the wall.)
> x head. touch head. push head.(hm)
> look under head. x hole.
> put dagger in hole.(click)
> x silver. pull it.(no: You hear a hollow voice inside you?!?)
> turn it.(That works. A way down opens.)
> d.(+1)
Damp Corridor
> w.
Surgery
Note that opening the fridge is necessary; otherwise, the capsule never rolls under the fridge.
> x fridge. open it.
> look under it. x capsule. take it.
> e. e. e.
Dungeon
It's difficult to tell that there's a prison cell to the north, and nearly impossible to guess you should put something in the window and guess what the best something ought to be.
> x window. x glow.
> listen to window.(whimpering)
> ask window about prisoner.(no reply)
> put wine in window.(A rusty key is pushed out.)
> take rusty key.(+1)
> s.
Torture Chamber
> x fire. x iron bar. x prisoner. x chain.
This is one hell of a leap in logic, but do you remember the man you met by the lake who gave you a brown paper note and the iron sphere? This is that man. You need to give him the note and the iron sphere now so he can give them to you again in the future.
> put all in sack.
> take leaflet, pen. write note on leaflet.(+2)
> take iron sphere, black box, rusty key.
> unlock chain with rusty key.
Act quickly before he makes a run for it.
> give leaflet to man.
> give iron sphere to man.
> push red button.(+2. It makes a void, and he escapes via it.)
> n. w.
Cramped Room
> read sign.("Fuhrer" and "appropriate respect")
> salute.(The door opens.)
> s.(+1)
War Room
CAUTION: Walking west from here while you hear voices inside is fatal.
> look under table.(nothing)
> x map. x castle. turn castle.(click)
> look under table.(metal control box found)
> x control box. open it.(locked)
> unlock box with rusty key.(that works?)
> open it.(black button and grey button)
> x black button.(has square symbol, loose)
> x grey button.
> push black button.(The iron door closes.)
> push black button.(The iron door opens.)
You want the door open for this next bit. If the door is closed, you'll be found when someone looks under the table to push the black button.
> push grey button.(Alarm starts!)
> hide under table.(Everyone from the west rushes out and the door closes behind them.)
> take rod. point it at black button.
> turn rod.(+1; the black button shorts out. The door no longer opens for anyone.)
You now need to pre-open the secret exit without using it. Was there a clue that the fireplace hid an exit? Um, no?
> x fireplace. x swastika.
> pull swastika. turn it. push it.(This unlocks the secret exit.)
> open fireplace —or— pull fireplace.(+1; the secret exit is open)
> w.
Research Laboratory
> x chair.(only has one arm)
> x arm.(has thin groove down the centre)
> open arm.(gold button found)
> push gold button.(machinery hums, then stops)
> x helmet.
> sit on chair.
> eat capsule.(This will protect your mind from being broken by the machine.)
> push gold button.(+1; your mind travels to...)
Command Bunker
> x me.(not the same)
> x map.(soldiers watch the woman work)
Time is slowing down.
> x woman.(same as 'x map')
A soldier addresses you as Herr Fuhrer and holds out a piece of paper. You're Hitler?!
> take paper.(The messenger leaves; time speeds up.)
> read paper.(Nazi forces have surrounded the enemy.)
A French port is now threatened. You have very little agency in this scenario, but you can do one thing to halt the advancing German forces. After reading the paper, destroy it and drop it.
> rip paper. drop paper.(+2. The markers stop advancing, and you wake.)
Research Laboratory
This chair must be the Earthan device. From the historical exhibit, you know it's powered by the diamond keystone, and you also know this chair must be destroyed to restore history.
> stand. look under chair.(You find the diamond between a pair of metal contacts.)
> take diamond. g.(+1)
> take bomb. put bomb in contacts.
Move quickly! This is why you need your exit pre-opened!
> e. s.(+2. Explosion! The secret doorway closes behind you.)
Driveway
> s. sw.
Clearing
> push white button. w.
Xeron Prototype
> i.
🎒 Inventory check!
CAUTION: The next time you use the prototype will be its last! Make sure that you're carrying everything you want to keep! The diamond will be spared destruction, but everything else is at risk.
Continue to wear the envirosuit, watch, and pendant.
You need all four tiny spheres, the ruby and topaz, the long plastic rod, the rusty key, and the diary. Optionally keep the metal tray.
The following items are now junk: the pyramid, the rifle, the black box, the brass key, the iron key, and the pen.
> save
> put diamond in hole.
The prototype disintegrates and you next are in...
Study
I'm completely at a loss as to why this sequence set in a headmaster's study is in this game. It doesn't seem to have anything to do with anything else in this game.
> think. x man. x glasses.(The headmaster asked you to come to his study.)
> x me.(The headmaster gives you an important piece of paper.)
>> SPACE(+1)
Chapter 5: Hidden Depths
Cargo Bay
> i.(The diamond is on the floor.)
> take diamond.
> push bottom button. read display.("2008")
> push center button.
> x container. read label.("NavCorp 2000")
> take label.(+1)
> w.
Radio Room
> x radio. x dial.
> turn radio.(microchip found)
> x microchip. take it.(+1)
> e. u.
Main Deck
CAUTION: Your enemy is on the bridge. Avoid the bridge for now.
> x forklift. enter it.(no point)
> go under it.(+1: got a power cell)
> x cell.
> e.
Main Corridor
> x strip. listen. x pipe. x water.
> put label on pipe.(You stop a leak.)
> listen.(You now hear a droning sound from a grille in the north wall.)
> x grille. open grille.(can't)
Worry about that grille later.
> e.
Cabin
> x mirror. x desk.
> x statue.(has slot mouth and single eye)
> smell.(find a cigarette butt)
> x butt. take it.(+1)
> feel butt.(lumpy?)
> open butt.(+1; got microfilm)
> x film.("AtlanCo")
CAUTION: Make sure your watch is off before entering the closet; its light can endanger you.
> open door. s.
Closet
> close door.
> z.(+1. The footsteps go away.)
> open door. n.
Cabin
A bronze bracelet is rolling on the floor.
> x bracelet.(has star and square on its outside edge)
> x star. x square. take bracelet.
> wear it.(no: too small)
> push star.(click)
> push carved square.(brief glow from statue's eye?)
> put film in slot.
> push carved square.(+2: see pattern of blue and white on the mirror.)
> break mirror. x tiny disc. take it.(+1)
In case it wasn't clear, the AtlanCo data on the microfilm has been copied onto this CD.
> s.
Closet
> push star.(A dead body falls on you?)
> look. x body.(has wire around his neck)
> take wire.(+1)
> search body. take business card.
> search body. take jewel.(+1)
> read business card.("Hans Jokraut, Building Contractor". That seems irrelevant.)
> x jewel.(something's wrong with its colour?)
> i.(The jewel is an emerald.)
> feel jewel.(plastic?)
> point rod at jewel. turn rod.(+1)
> x platinum sphere.
> put it in pendant. push it. take it.
This message features a tower in a majestic city and refers to the key of time itself. As usual, the message is far too vague to be of much use.
> n. w.
Main Corridor
I bet you forgot about the purple light here. It must be a UV light and there must be UV-fluorescent ink on the business card. Yes, that's a real thing. With some inks, the ink remains readable even after the UV exposure has ended.
> put business card in purple light.(+2; the writing changes)
> read it.("Aquarius")
How anybody is supposed to figure this next puzzle out is beyond me. You found this microchip on the back of a radio. How is anyone supposed to know it would adhere to some random part of the ship? How is anyone supposed to guess it would act this way when jiggled? Such an unfair puzzle.
> take chip. put chip on grille.(It's now firmly attached.)
> point rod at chip. turn rod.
The chip glows red hot, and the grille shakes violently off the wall. The chip vaporizes itself.
> n.(+1)
Armoury
> x crate. read it.("OptiOffences Ltd.")
> open it.(You hesitate. You sense danger.)
CAUTION! If you persist on opening the crate, you briefly see a shiny square object and a large disc, but an explosion kills you.
> tap crate.(You find a panel.)
> x panel. open panel.(You find a pole.)
> x pole.(nothing special)
> pull pole.(no: too stiff)
> push pole.(no: not quite)
> turn pole.(nope)
> hit pole.(It's now looser.)
> pull pole.(groaning sound)
> open crate. x metal disc.(looks like a mine with a glass aperture and a black switch)
> take metal disc.(+1)
> s. w. d.
Cargo Bay
> climb container.
Container Roof
Note the moonlight.
> drop heavy disc. push black switch.(+1; the floor gives way)
Inside Container
> x canister. take it. tap it.(something in there)
> feel north wall.(You find an iron bar which opens the container.)
> n. u. u.
Bridge
> x door.(has red sensor)
> say aquarius.(The door opens)
> e.(+1)
Submarine
> x column. put canister in column.
The first column descends into the floor and a second one rises up.
> x column.(has seven coloured pads)
> x red pad.(lightning symbol)
> x orange pad.(concentric circles)
> x yellow pad.(grid of squares)
> x green pad.(wavy lines)
> x blue pad.(circle with arrow leading from it)
> x indigo pad.(dot with radiant lines)
> x violet pad.(downward arrow)
Gimme a sec to explain the pads' functions. Touch or push a pad to activate it.
The red pad is for power, the on/off control.
The orange pad briefly shows you a hologram of what's outside the sub.
The yellow pad ejects the disk drive. You want to insert a compact disc with a navigation program on it.
The green pad makes some horrible noise outside the sub.
The blue pad is broken. My best guess is it was supposed to fire a harpoon.
The indigo pad launches something for defense, but it can only be done once.
The violet pad teleports whatever's outside the sub inside.
> save
> touch red pad.(+2. The door closes and the sub launches.)
CAUTION: While you're trying to figure this all out, the sub continues to sink. If the sub hits the ocean floor, you die.
> touch yellow pad.(A disk drive slides out.)
> take disc. put disc in drive.
> close drive.(+1; the nav system activates)
> touch orange.(You see the image of a fish or a useless chunk of rusted metal.)
Something metallic hits the sub.
> touch orange.(You see a green metal box.)
> touch violet.(The green metal box is teleported inside.)
The sub turns slightly starboard.
> take green box.(+1)
> x green box.("US ARMY, TOP SECRET")
> open it.(locked)
You feel something nasty is about to happen.
> push indigo.(+1; you did something right.)
You hear your unseen enemy clamp onto the hull. If you don't do something about her, she'll drill through the hull and you'll die.
> push green button.(noise)
> g.(noise, scream; +2)
After a nap, the trip ends, and the door opens.
> w.(+1)
Underwater Cavern
> x rock. take it.
> n. ne.
Universe Chamber
> x orb. x first ring.
> sw. nw.
Viewing Room
In this room, you must determine which of your three keystones is the "past" keystone, which is the "present" keystone, and which is the "future" keystone. Which is which is randomized.
Put a keystone (diamond, ruby, or topaz) into the beam of white light repeatedly. A scene representing the past, present, or future is projected onto the screen.
The past keystone will show things like dinosaurs, an Aztec sacrifice ritual, soldiers sieging a castle, or soldiers killsed with machine guns.
The present keystone will show things like skyscrapers, the president of the United States making a speech, a Catholic priest blessing a prisoner, or shoppers running from a bomb.
The future keystone will show things like robots, a spaceship, a tall glass dome on legs in a blue forest, or people without hope trodding through a black world.
> take diamond. put it in beam. g. g. g.
> take ruby. put it in beam. g. g. g.
> take topaz. put it in beam. g. g. g.
Remember which keystone is which.
> se. s. sw.
Ruined House
> x machine.(has access panel, plastic container, and square metal platform)
> x panel. x container. x platform.
> look in panel.(missing power and a cable)
> take cord. attach cord to terminals.
> take power cell. put it in panel.
> close panel.
You need to put a keystone in the container and something else on the platform then HIT the machine to activate it. The machine reads which keystone you're using and transforms the item on the platform accordingly.
If you want the youngest version of something, use the past keystone.
If you want the oldest version of something, use the future keystone.
If you want the present day version of something, use the present keystone.
De-age the rusty key first.
> put PAST-KEYSTONE in container.
> take rusty key. put it on platform.
> hit machine.(+5. The rust comes off; it's now a copper key.)
Use the copper key. Why a rusty key that unlocks a chain and a control box in 1940 Austria would, when de-aged, be able to unlock a box from the US Army in 2008 is anybody's guess.
> take copper key. x it.
> unlock green box with copper key. open it.
> x aged.(too faded to read)
Now de-age the aged parchment so you can read it.
> take aged. put aged on platform.
> hit machine.(The parchment is less faint now.)
> read aged.("The hour of witching will release the angels or demons within the keymaster." and "The triangles went in two by two.")
> take aged.
> take PAST-KEYSTONE.
> x stone. take it.(+1. four times the size of the other tetrahedrons)
Add age to the rock you found when you left the sub.
> put FUTURE-KEYSTONE in container.
> take rock. put rock on platform.
> hit machine.(Rock becomes a stone ball.)
> take ball.(+1)
> take FUTURE-KEYSTONE.
> ne.
Underwater Cavern
This is truly unbelivable. From symmetry alone, and nothing else, you are expected to guess there must be a secret room southeast from here and use the jiggle-rod to open it up. Talk about read-author's-mind!
> point rod at southeast. turn rod.(New passage!)
> se.(+1)
Hidden Chamber
> x table.(four holes and a glass tetrahedron)
> take glass tetrahedron. x it.
> nw. sw.
Ruined House
Uh, the glass tetrahedron is like a proto-keystone. The machine's effect works differently for a proto-keystone. The glass has the potential to become a sapphire imbued with past, present, or future keystone, depending on which keystone you put into the container.
Let's make the sapphire a second present-keystone.
> take PRESENT-KEYSTONE.
> put it in container.
> put glass on platform.
> hit machine.(The glass tetrahedron becomes a sapphire!)
> x sapphire. take it.(+1)
> take PRESENT-KEYSTONE.
By the way, you can verify that the sapphire is another present-keystone by putting it into the beam in the viewing room.
> ne. se.
Hidden Chamber
Now that you're done with the machine in the ruined house, you must imbue the stone tetrahedron with all three temporal energies.
Put the past-keystone in the bottom left hole, the present-keystone in the top hole, the future-keystone in the bottom right hole. And put the stone tetrahedron on the large central hole.
> take PAST-KEYSTONE.
> put it in bottom left hole.
> take PRESENT-KEYSTONE.
> put it in top hole.
> take FUTURE-KEYSTONE.
> put it in bottom right hole.
> take stone tetrahedron.
> put it in center hole.(+2. The table puts on a show. At the end, all the holes and the three gem tetrahedra are gone, leaving just the stone one.)
> x stone tetrahedron. take it.
> nw. n. ne.
Universe Chamber
Make sure you're directly holding the stone tetrahedron and the sapphire. Push the bottom button of the watch so it's displaying the year.
> take sapphire.
> push bottom button. x display.("2008")
Complete this orrery by following the list in the diary.
> take gold sphere. put it on first ring.
> take silver sphere. put it on second ring.
> take stone ball. put it on third ring.
> take bronze sphere. put it on fourth ring.
> take platinum sphere. put it on fifth ring.
> take brass sphere. put it on sixth ring.(+1)
The sphere and rings morph into the solar system, and a man with a clock necklace welcomes you to Atlantis.
Chapter 6: The End of Time
Triangular Chamber
> x display.(year "8")
The old man says he's the keeper of time itself and asks you to prove yourself. "Do what is necessary."
The stone tetrahedron must be imbued with the energies of three keystones, or this won't work:
> put stone tetrahedron on platform.(+3. The thing rapidly does a transformation dance until it's a tetrahedral clock with a digital readout.)
> x tetrahedral clock.
There's four cogs and a readout that says "12:05". The cogs are named first cog to fourth cog.
You have no time to experiment, but the only way to figure this out is by try-die-restore. From the aged parchment, you know you want the readout to be "12:00", the witching hour in 12-hour timekeeping instead of a more sensible 24-hour clocktime.
Each cog advances the time shown by a different amount:
Turn the 1st cog to add 1 hour 55 minutes.
Turn the 2nd cog to add 3 hours 20 minutes.
Turn the 3rd cog to subtract 50 minutes.
Turn the 4th cog to add 2 hours 5 minutes.
CAUTION: If you stop to examine the cogs or do anything else, the man may express disappointment and the woman enters and kills you.
This is likely the quickest way to solve this modularity puzzle:
> turn first cog.("2:00")
> turn second cog.("5:20")
> g.("8:40")
> g.("12:00"; +3)
A tetrahedral casket appears. Act quickly.
> put sapphire in casket.(+2)
A necklace appears on the platform, but the woman incapacitates the man and grabs the necklace while pointing a rod at you.
> z. z.
The woman decides to leave you to rot here, then spins the frame of the necklace to leave.
The man begs you to stop her, to go back you your own time, to seek out information, and to use the stasis field. Then he dies or passes out.
Quickly, find, take, then use the man's clock to go to 1997, the year you originally were in. And although he wore the clock, you can't.
> search man. take clock.
> x it. feel it.(tiny button found)
This clock is eternity's worst rotary phone. To dial 1997, you need to set the clock each individual digit then push the tiny button to register that digit. Register four digits to activate the clock.
Luckily, the clock is already at 1, and the two 9's are consecutive, because the one thing you don't have at the center of time is time.
By the way, to register a '0', set the clock to 10, then push the tiny button.
> push tiny button.(beep)
> set clock to 9.
> push tiny button. g.(beep beep)
> set clock to 7.
> push tiny button.(+1. BEEP!)
Display Case
In case it's not clear, you traveled to 1997 the hard way by being in stasis for centuries. When you were found, you appeared to be a lifelike statue, and so you were put on display in a museum.
By the way, if you set the clock to another year, the stasis wears off in that year instead, and if it's too far from 1997, you suffer one of three terrible fates.
CAUTION: You can't waste too much time in here or you'll be killed by poison gas. Ignore the tourists and tour guide; they cannot help you.
> i.(You have nothing.)
> out.(You get off the pedestal.)
> read plaque.("Preserved Statue, Discovered Mediterrean Sea 1990. Possible Relic From Pre-Cataclysm Atlantis.")
> touch case.(like liquid)
> touch plaque. open it.(red wire found)
> pull wire.(+1)
Closing the plaque isn't optional. And by jumping up through the permeable case, you avoid stepping on electrified floor that surrounds the case.
> close plaque. get on pedestal.
> jump.(+1)
You go through the roof of the case and keep going into...
Mists Of Time
No, I don't know where the time mist around the display case came from. Maybe your future self generated it for you just before your jump.
Remind me, what did the man say before he died? "You must stop her. You have very little time. Your past, the answer is in your past, deep in the centre of your mind. You must travel back to your time, to seek out the information. The stasis field. Use the...stasis....field."
CAUTION: Just because time has stopped doesn't mean you can do nothing indefinitely. If you don't THINK in the next four turns, you'll be skewered.
> think.(+1. You remember something from years ago...)
Classroom
Your physics teacher, Hodder, is droning on. He has a speech impediment; most of his R's become L's.
> i.(You have a cheap digital wristwatch on.)
> x watch.(Note it has a tiny button on one side.)
Through the window, you see your enemy enter the building! You need to end this lesson somehow. And, of course, you have to do it in the most convoluted way possible.
> x Hodder.
Keighrey shoots an elastic band at you.
> look under stool.(+1: got elastic band)
Yes, it's tempting to shoot Keighrey right away, but you need to start the beeping subplot first.
> push button.(beep)
> shoot Keighrey.(+4. He keeps the band.)
Everyone else beeps their watches and yours is beeping too. Hodder bellows "Whose watch is that?"
> x desk.(Note the books on Hodder's desk.)
The others point at you. Hodder calls you up to his desk and takes your watch. Keighrey shoots the elastic band again which hits Hodder. Hodder is distracted.
> look under books.(+1: got micrometer screw gauge)
Hodder ends the lesson.
Physics Labs
Y'know, if you tried searching those books, you'd have found nothing?
> x gauge.(It measures small distances.)
> turn knob.(+2; the gauge breaks)
> knock on door.
Physics Office
Hodder is livid that you broke the gauge and throws it; it falls behind a shelf. Now he's opening a satchel so he can give you a demerit. This gives you enough time in the office to get a magnet and cog.
> x desk. take magnet.(+1)
> ask Hodder for watch.(+1: got a cog)
Hodder orders you out of his office.
Physics Labs
> x cog.(has engraved arrow facing a point)
> x window. read sign.
> d.(Hodder runs past you. You hear a door slam below.)
Chemistry Labs
You cannot open this office door.
> e.
Outside Science Building
At some point while you're here, Hodder, carrying a black umbrella, goes east.
> x window.(has brass latch)
> put magnet on window.
> move magnet.(The latch is open.)
> drop magnet.
> open window. enter window.(+1)
Chemistry Office
> x ornament.(triangle with three metal balls hanging from it)
> x desk.(something heavy was on it recently)
> x sandwich.
> x spanner. take it.
> stand on desk.(+1: you take a ball)
> x ball.(a lead ball with a tiny hook)
> enter window. e.
Front Of School
> x van.("Schmeist Travel Co.")
> look in van.(+2. See giant cog from school clock and the necklace on the cog.)
> go under van.(+1)
Underneath Van
> x panel. open it.(can't: bolt)
> unscrew bolt with spanner.(necklace falls out)
> take necklace.(+1)
> x it. wear it.(+1)
Mists Of Time
> e.
Clock Tower
> x door.(has coin symbol)
> x clock.(midnight soon)
Do you remember what the woman did with the necklace after she stole it?
> remove necklace. spin frame.(The door opens.)
> in.(+1)
Cogs Room
You note a giant cog and a ladder leading up to it.
> wear necklace.
> u.
Central Cog
The woman, in armour and helmet, steps out from behind the axle. She knocks you down, takes the necklace, then slowly squeezes your neck.
Honestly, how is she getting around? What would this game look like from her viewpoint?
> take helmet.(Her face and eyes are exposed, emphasis on the eyes.)
> hit eyes.(She staggers back and falls off the cog, but her gauntlet grabs the rim.)
CAUTION: Kicking the gauntlet won't work, and you waste precious time if you try.
> stand on gauntlet. jump.(+10)
The chain of the necklace catches onto a cog tooth. The woman is garrotted by the necklace and dies. Then the necklace snaps and her corpse falls.
> take chain.
You're running out of time. Again. To stop... uh, the entire destruction of time.
It turns out you need to open the case of the clock, give it a makeshift pendulum, close the case, and then find and destroy the frame part of the necklace. And you need to do all that before the final midnight chime.
> x clock.(has a triangular pivot)
> put cog on pivot.
> x case.(has markings of a triangle made up of three squares)
By the way, the clock face has the usual numbers 1 to 12, which you can verify by trying to turn the cog to 99.
I don't know what a diagram of the Pythagorus theorem has do with anything, except that it shows the relationship between triangles and squares. The aged parchment said "The triangles went in two by two" which is suppose is a cryptic hint about using square numbers? Two by two, power of two? Yes, no, maybe? I do know what square numbers are, though, and the only square numbers on a clock face are 1, 4, and 9.
> turn cog to 1.
Boom: The final chimes for midnight are about to begin.
> turn cog to 4.
First BONG!
> turn cog to 9.(+2: case opens revealing a wooden peg)
Second BONG!
> put chain on peg.
Third BONG!
> put ball on chain.(pendulum!)
Fourth BONG!
> push ball.(+4; you close the case, but there's still a problem. Somewhere.)
Fifth BONG!
> d.
Cogs Room
Sixth BONG!
> look under body.(+1: frame found)
Seventh BONG!
> break frame.(+3)
>> SPACE
Epilogue: Full Triangle
Interlude
You've won. All you can do in this location is wait.
> z.(You briefly see the keeper of time once more. Guess he came here and did this before he meets you in Atlantis and dies. His task is now yours, of course.)
> z.(+2. You acquire a golden triangle clock.)
> z.
*** You have won ***
> full
Extras
Characters
Recurring characters:
You are a scientist who invents a time machine in 1997.
Your enemy is a woman with psychotic blue eyes. You first see her as Carpenter's killer. In the police station, her name is Special Investigator Quinn, but in 1985, her name is Monika Schmeist which I think is her true name. In 2065, there's a reference to Schmeist ElectronCorp, and in your schooldays, to Schmeist Travel Co. She enjoys cruelty and is motivated by a "master race" obsession.
The keeper of time is an Atlantean man, sometimes referred to as an old man or bearded man. He tends to wear either a toga or a loincloth, and a golden clock on a neck chain. He expects you to save all of time and tells you almost nothing about time or how to save it. The message left on the gold sphere is his most informative.
A man you meet in an English park in 1985 gives you a note and an iron sphere, saying he's been waiting 45 years to do that. Later in the game, you meet him as a prisoner in 1940 Austria and give the note and sphere to him. It's highly likely he's also the first old man you see in the infinite corridor who reaches into his pocket and walks north through the wall there. This character is given no distinguishing characteristics.
Supporting characters:
K.D. Carpenter was a scientist employed at the Trion Institute until your enemy kills him in an alley.
A girl in her early twenties is trying to bash open a vending machine's cashbox, then threatens you with a glowing knife.
A driver for Berto's Hovertaxis is willing to drive you to Carpenter's estate for a fee.
A pilot is showering in a shower stall.
A sentry is guarding the jetcopter.
Two guards search the farm, half-heartedly looking for an intruder like yourself.
R. Collins is the snoring man in the sleeping area. Careful, he's a light-sleeper.
Jake is the fat man trading trinkets in a stall outside the "Exhibition of Triumph" pavilion.
The whisky seller at the drinks stall is a tall, thin, man, with a fearful expression on his face.
A girl behind the cafeteria counter specializes in customer dissatisfaction. Buy a stale cake from her or clear off.
A bearded man in the cafeteria calls you "Python" and tells you to come to the usual place, later. He was with Clara in the park, earlier.
The resistance leader in the wooden hut tells you everything is in place for the attack on a train. You have no idea what he's talking about.
A sentry guards the foot of the staircase in the town hall. He's proud, experienced, and observant.
A ferocious black guard dog barks loudly at you when you first enter the clearing near the Schloss, and it won't let you leave.
A chauffeur, uniformed, stands next to his idling car in the Schloss's driveway.
An unseen prisoner is on the other side of a barred window in the Schloss's dungeon.
A soldier in the command bunker holds out a piece of paper for you to take. Chillingly, he calls you "Herr Fuhrer".
Hodder is your ill-tempered, lisping, and bald physics professor.
Keighrey is a fellow student and an idiot who shoots an elastic band at you in Hodder's classroom.
Background and cameo characters:
Police officers arrest or kill you in Carpenter's apartment. Two men escort you to and from the interview room. One guard looks in on you if you make noise in your cell. Other officers respond to the fuel explosion. And, of course, they'll arrest you a second time if they catch you escaping.
More people are sleeping in the sleeping area besides R. Collins.
Clara and another man (who you see later in the cafe) walk past you, arguing, on a path in the park. They likely murdered Herr Klein with a knife. This couple is part of the resistance movement.
The customers in the Silverstone Cafe appear weary and defeated.
Two sinister men stop you when you leave the cafeteria after you meet the bearded man. They suspect you of being with the resistance movement, but release you if they find no evidence of that.
A crowd of people from all time periods move slowly eastward in destiny's corridor.
Several soldiers patrol the grounds outside the Schloss. More guards are posted outside the gate and other soldiers patrol the walls above.
Several soldiers, gathered around the giant map in the bunker, are watching the woman move markers on it.
Several soldiers and scientists are talking in the research laboratory.
A group of tourists, outside your display case in a museum, stare at you while their tour guide continues talking obliviously.
Other students in Hodder's classroom just want to leave.
Found dead:
Tamara was an highly-placed employee working at the Trion Institute with Carpenter. You find her nude corpse in a water-filled container in a barn. Your enemy wears a mask of Tamara's face and pretends to be Tamara inside the Institute.
The bones found behind the main tent are most likely those of Professor Johnstone or an associate of his.
More bones are half-buried around the oasis, but the game doesn't say if they're human or animal bones.
The skeleton of Karimal, the beholder, is in the ancient stone sarcophagus. He's obviously very important, but you never really learn why.
Herr Klein is found behind some trees and bushes in the park. His papers name him as a British Citizens Inspector. He was likely killed by Clara and her male companion.
The captain's dead body falls on top of you in the ship's closet. He was choked to death with a metal cord which was left around his neck.
Mentioned:
A corporate moron also known as a company director fired you from DigiCorp Technologies after you provided them with years of failed experiments.
Gustav Ernst III is represented by a photograph in a triangular frame hung in the DigiCorp storeroom. He has an electronic eye. This is likely a reference to the Gustav Ernst in Inside Woman.
Adam Jones is a nutcase, according to the lavatory's graffiti.
An official-looking man left a brief message about the Xeron device on the tiny bronze sphere.
Professor H. Johnstone was an Egyptologist who wrote both the leather-bound book (containing ancient script translations) and his diary.
Python is the code name of someone in the resistance movement. Presumably that gold badge was his.
Hans Jokraut is named as a building contractor on business card that you find searching the captain's body.
Credits
To read the game's credits, type HELP, then open the Credits menu-item.
Credits
Thanks to the following for reporting bugs and making suggestions:
David L. Gilbert, Joini Alkio, Lucian P. Smith, George Caswell, Paul Shrimpton, Michael Fessler, Torbjorn Andersson, Mike Phillips, Lawrence Lau.
Endings
You failed to even get started
if you kill yourself by accidental electrocution in the prologue.
Time has caught up with you
if you die or lose in any way after the prologue. There are many ways to die or lose in this game.
You have lost time
if you die after the woman steals the necklace.
You have won
if you become the new timekeeper.
Here is a very rough, highly simplified, and likely-incomplete summary of how you might die or lose in this game:
You're electrocuted on the DigiCorp roof.
Your enemy kills you in the alley.
The girl kills you in the lavatory.
The taxi driver kills you in his hovertaxi.
You fall to your death from the metal platform.
The bomb in Carpenter's apartment kills you.
The authorities kill you in Carpenter's apartment.
Your enemy kills you in the interview room.
You're caught trying to escape the police building.
The explosion in the fuel stores kills you.
The jetcopter crashes into a skyscraper.
The jetcopter is blown out of the sky.
You eject out of the jetcopter and land on a train track, then the express train cuts you in half.
Guards at the farm find you.
You fail to pass all the checks while on the Trion Institute conveyor belt.
You're caught by the sleeping man in the sleeping area.
You're caught breaking into Tamara's safe.
You're killed in the control annexe by your enemy, her armour, or her glove.
You die from the desert heat.
You die by drinking poisoned water from the oasis.
The crystal ball explodes and the cave roof falls on you.
You're caught by sinister men when leaving the cafeteria.
You fail to deal with town hall sentry correctly.
The office door explodes.
Your enemy kills you in her office.
Your enemy catches you after you leave her office.
You misuse the thingy in the Xeron prototype.
You're caught trying to approach or enter the schloss.
The car explodes when you open its door to get out.
The people in the research lab find you.
The Earthan device/chair destroys your mind.
You fail to stop the advance of Nazi forces.
You're too close to the Earthan device/chair when it explodes.
Your enemy kills you on the ship's bridge, cabin, or closet.
The crate in the ship's armoury explodes.
The submarine crashes into the ocean floor.
You teleport your enemy into the sub.
Your enemy's attacks on the sub succeed.
You fail to do anything in the triangular chamber correctly, and your enemy kills you.
You misuse the keeper's golden clock.
You fail to escape the display case and die (gas or electrocution).
Your enemy kills you in the mists of time.
You climb the drainpipe outside the Science Building and get caught.
Your enemy catches you under her van.
Your enemy kills you in the tower.
You fail to do what needs to be done in the tower as its clock tolls midnight.
Honestly, a proper summary of the endings needs to be its own page.
Inventory
Inventory management is savage.
Until you obtain the rucksack, you can only carry a maximum of six items at a time. Yes, the plastic bag helps a little, but less than you'd think.
Sometimes you need to be like Marie Kondo and get rid of stuff that no longer sparks joy. Why? Because juggling your inventory during timed sequences is a luxury you don't have, and some items are dangerous to be carrying under certain circumstances.
And yet, sometimes you need to be a klepto hoarder miser because you never know when some random object is going to be necessary hundreds of turns later; e.g.: brass key, leaflet.
NOTE: When you enter the void generated by your original time machine, all of your inventory is lost in time.
your laboratory notebook. Acquire it by searching the papers in the laboratory.
Consult the notebook about various topics. Known topics include: DigiCorp, gate, time machine, power source, project, and void.
In particular, consult the notebook about the project to learn the current year is 1997.
a small screwdriver. It's on the shelf in the storeroom.
Unscrew the machine's panel with the screwdriver.
a short length of cable. It's on the shelf in the storeroom.
On the roof, attach the cable to the power source, drop the power source, then attach the cable to the wire. The power source is charged from lightning, and this cable is destroyed.
a power source. Find it in the laboratory by unscrewing the machine's panel with the screwdriver.
See cable re recharging the power source. Put the recharged source back into the machine's panel, then push the button to open the void.
Baker Street items
a crumpled newspaper. Find it by searching the rubbish in the garbage bin.
CAUTION: Don't take the newspaper while there's a killer in the alley; taking anything when in the bin is noisy.
Read the newspaper to learn the year is 2065. You don't need to take the newspaper at all.
Don't confuse this newspaper with the crumpled newspaper you find under a cafeteria table in 1985.
a strange-looking gun. It's tossed into the garbage bin just after Carpenter is killed with it.
In the lavatory, point the gun at the girl, then order her to drop the knife. She does so and flees. Take the knife.
After the girl is gone, drop the gun. You don't need it any more, your inventory is limited, and if later, the police see you carrying it, you're dead.
a steel button. Acquire it by examining the gutter that's in front of the boarded up building.
In the police cell, after surviving your visit to the interview room, look under the bed to find it has screwed-down legs. Unscrew the legs with the steel button. Do it again to finish the job. Now drop the button; you no longer need it.
a knife ([either] currently dull [or] glowing fiercely). The girl in the lavatory threatens you with it. See gun on getting the knife.
Turn the handle of the knife to turn it on and off. When on, the knife is sharp and glows. When off, the knife is dull and not glowing.
At the side of Carpenter's house, turn on the knife, then cut the rope fence to make a hole, then cut the fence to get some rope. Leave the knife turned on because you'll need its light when you get inside.
In Carpenter's apartment, after feeling the wallpaper, cut the wallpaper (with the knife) to reveal a hidden compartment.
After blocking both windows and ordering the globe to turn itself on, drop the knife. If the police find you carrying the knife, you're dead.
a plastic bag. Find it by opening the toilet in the lavatory.
In the hovertaxi, after the driver drives you to the Gerants Heath Estate, give the disc to the driver to pay for the ride. Afterwards, discard the disc.
Read it and discard it. There's no important info on it.
a piece of rusty pipe. Acquire it by pulling a pipe in the lavatory.
In Carpenter's backyard, bend the pipe, tie the rope to it, then throw the pipe at the platform. Climb the rope to reach the platform. Untie the rope (so it's not obvious you climbed up here) and abandon the pipe and rope.
a wad of chewing gum. At the disused station, push the vending machine twice; the wad falls out.
In Carpenter's apartment, chew the gum. Put the chewed gum on the piece of wallpaper, then put the piece on the small window to block it; you don't want any light to show through.
In case you were wondering, the game will not let you stick the gum to the piece of paper that you found in the lavatory, declaring that such an action is pointless.
Carpenter's apartment items
a sturdy coil of rope. Acquire it by cutting the rope fence a second time with the glowing knife.
In the backyard, after bending the pipe, tie the rope to the pipe, then throw the pipe at the metal platform. Climb the rope to get up there. Untie the rope and abandon both the rope and pipe.
a piece of wallpaper. In Carpenter's apartment, feel the wallpaper then cut the wallpaper with the knife. This reveals a compartment, but you need to also take the piece of wallpaper you cut off the wall.
Put chewed gum on the piece, then put the piece on the small window to block the light.
a shiny hemispherical device. It's in Carpenter's apartment.
First, examine the device and its two buttons. The device is a bomb. The red button ("arm") toggles whether the bomb is armed or not. The green button ("tim") starts the timer.
Push the red button to disarm the bomb, then take it.
Push the bomb on the compartment, then push the red button to re-arm the bomb.
Push the green and wait a turn for the bomb to explode and open the compartment. Unfortunately, you now have only five turns before you're arrested by the police, so do what you need to do quickly.
a dull copper pendant. Acquire it by searching the discarded items in Carpenter's apartment.
Wear it. I don't know what that tingling sensation represents.
When you first arrive in the police cell, remove the pendant and drop it. You'll be killed if you have it with you when you've taken to the interview room a few turns later. When you're back in the cell, take and wear the pendant again.
Whenever you find a tiny metal sphere, put the sphere into the pendant then push the sphere to see and hear its holographic recording. (See silver, brass, bronze, gold, iron, and platinum spheres.) The pendant can only hold one sphere at a time.
The pendant is lost when you leave Atlantis and find yourself in a display case.
a hi-tech digital wristwatch. It's in the compartment in Carpenter's apartment.
Wear the watch and examine it and its three buttons.
Push the top button to use the watch as a light-source. You need to use this is several dark locations, but not when you need to hide in darkness (up in a tree in Austria and in a ship cabin's closet).
Push the bottom button and examine the watch's display to see the current year.
Push the center button to turn the watch off (no light, no year).
The watch is lost when you leave Atlantis and find yourself in a display case.
a strong briefcase. It's in the compartment in Carpenter's apartment.
You cannot open it, but hold onto it until you're arrested. It will be gone when you arrive at the police cell.
In the interview room, when asked if you found anything worth keeping, SAY BRIEFCASE.
In Tamara's office, the opened briefcase is on her desk. Don't bother to take it, but pull the base of the briefcase to reveal two hidden items: a tiny brass sphere and a long thin rod.
Police station items
a glass of clear liquid. It's put near you during your time in the interview room.
CAUTION: If you drink the liquid, you're compelled to talk far too much, and the woman kills you when she's heard enough.
Throw the glass at the woman. Of course, she is not happy about that, but it is the safer option.
an electronic mop. It's in the locker room.
In the showers area, put the mop in the door handle to bar the man inside from stopping you from stealing the steel key.
a steel key. It's on a hook in the showers area.
In the locker room, unlock the locker with the steel key. Discard the key; you don't want to be burdened with it.
a flight uniform. It's in the locker in the locker room; unlock the locker with the steel key.
Wear the uniform. Now you can enter the hangar without being immediately arrested as an intruder.
In the hay loft, remove and discard the uniform. If you take the uniform into the Trion Institute, you will die sooner or later during the entry process.
a small white towel. It's in the locker in the locker room; unlock the locker with the steel key.
In the fuel stores, put the towel in the open drum, then light the towel with the lighter. Quickly, go to the landing pad and wait for the guard to leave his post. Get into the jetcopter before he returns.
an austrian cigarette lighter. Acquire it by searching the flight uniform.
You burn three things with the lighter in this game; see towel, oil, and typed note.
a flight manual. Acquire it by looking under the pilot's seat in the police jetcopter.
Read the manual to be able to recognize a few of the buttons on the panel. Drop the manual before taking off; you don't want to be burdened with it.
Farm items
some garden shears. They're in the tool shed.
In the shrubland, cut the plants with the shears to acquire some tree branches. Discard the shears in the shed or hay loft; you cannot take them into the Trion Institute.
several tree branches. Acquire them in the shrubland by cutting plants with the shears.
In the field, cover the seat with the branches. You need to hide all evidence of your arrival.
a cloth rag. It's in the boot of the rusty car in the garage.
In the barn, open the container. When you do, you hear guards approaching. Quickly, wash the rag in the water to make it less smelly. Go up into the hay loft and wear the rag to prevent yourself from sneezing; the loft is dusty. Wait until you hear the guards leave. You automatically discard the rag when they're gone.
a tiny silver sphere. Acquire it by opening the mouth of the naked female corpse.
Put the sphere into your pendant then push the sphere to see a holographic recording of Tamara.
In the garage, look under the car to find a detector. Touch the detector, then push the silver sphere in the pendant to confirm your identity. You descend to the institute entrance.
At one point when on the conveyor belt, you see an optical viewing device ahead. Push the sphere once more to get past that checkpoint.
In Atlantis's universe chamber, put the silver sphere in the second ring; this is clued by the diary.
a naked female corpse. It's in the container in the barn. Her name is Tamara.
Take the body, drag it to the garage, and put it into the car's boot to hide it.
Trion Institute items
a glass bottle. It's on the metal tray in the canteen.
Fill the bottle with liquids when necessary; see water and whisky.
a metal tray. It's in the canteen.
In the offices, after opening the door to Tamara's office, re-examine the door to notice the infrared beam bisecting the doorway. Each and every time you enter or leave her office, put the tray into the beam and then go in (or out).
In the Sun Chamber (1924), after you shattered the glass disc, put the tray into the plinth's groove to reflect the shaft of sunlight southwest.
Examine the tray in different time periods to see what your envirosuit looks like.
a tiny brass sphere. In Tamara's office, pull the base of the briefcase to find this sphere.
Put the brass sphere into your pendant and push the sphere to see a holographic recording from Carpenter.
In Atlantis's universe chamber, put the brass sphere in the sixth ring; this is clued by the diary.
a high quality photograph. It's in Tamara's office.
In the central torus, put the glove on the door, then put the photo on the door to open it. Once inside the Xeron lab, you no longer need the photo.
a long thin rod. In Tamara's office, pull or search the base of the briefcase to find this sphere.
This is basically a stun gun. To stun someone: point the rod at your victim, then push its cap. Your victim takes an enforced nap.
In the sleeping area, stun the sleeping man; now you can take his rucksack.
In the control annexe, as soon as you can move again, point the rod at the woman's head, then push the cap. If you don't target her head specifically, the woman's body armour blocks your attempt to stun her.
In the Xeron Lab, discard the rod. The access gate's AI won't let you take the rod to another time period.
a large rucksack. It's in the sleeping area, guarded by a sleeping man who wakes up very easily. Stun him first; see long thin rod.
Even better, this is your player's carry-all. It can carry almost all of your inventory except an open sachet of pepper (it spills). The days of transient inventory are over. Now embrace the opposite extreme: be a klepto and grab everything not nailed down.
Unhappily, when you leave Atlantis and find yourself in a display case, you lose all your inventory, including this sack.
This special tool helps you unlock the safe in Tamara's office. Put the device on the safe to begin.
The left light is red when the safe is set to the wrong number and green when the safe is set to the correct number. What a useless light.
The right light is yellow when you type a number that's too low, orange when the number is too high, and off when correct. Good guesses are dimmer than bad guesses.
So... this is just a standard and tedious hi-low puzzle. The safe's correct number is randomized, and can be anywhere from 1 to 9999. Good luck.
a tetrahedral ruby. This red keystone is inside the safe in Tamara's office; see odd device on unlocking the safe.
In the control annexe, the woman takes the ruby from you while you're paralyzed. After stunning her head (see long thin rod), search her and take the ruby back.
a beige folder. It's inside the safe in Tamara's office; see odd device on unlocking the safe.
Read the folder to learn that the prototype has a concealed closet in its west wall.
In the Xeron Lab, discard the folder. The access gate's AI won't let you take the folder to another time period.
a metal pyramid. It's inside the safe in Tamara's office; see odd device on unlocking the safe.
When directly outside or inside the Xeron prototype, push the pyramid's white button to open the access gate; the gate auto-closes a turn later.
At the historical monument (1985), push the white button to open the statue, which is another time machine. The statue remains open and only auto-closes when you walk away from it.
When the prototype vaporizes, the pyramid is no longer useful.
a metallic glove. In the control annexe, after stunning the woman's head (see long thin rod), search the woman to find this glove.
CAUTION: Wearing the glove is fatal.
In the central torus, put the glove on the door, then put the photo of Tamara on the door to open the door.
In the Xeron Lab, discard the glove. The access gate's AI won't let you take the glove to another time period.
an envirosuit. It's in the prototype's closet.
Wear it and leave it on. It keeps you cool and hydrated while in the desert.
When not in 2065, the suit also makes itself look period-appropriate. Examine the tray to see how the suit appears to others.
In 1924: It looks like a uniform similar to those used on archeological expeditions.
In 1985: It looks like a pair of jeans and a T-shirt, bearing a "cool dude" style logo.
In 1940: It looks like an old creased shirt and dark unfashionable pants.
In 2008: It looks like a set of dirty worker's overalls.
The suit vanishes with the rest of your inventory when you leave Atlantis.
a tiny bronze sphere. It's in the prototype's closet.
Put this sphere into the pendant and push the sphere to play its holographic recording. It's a short official message about the prototype and the envirosuit.
In Atlantis's universe chamber, put the bronze sphere into the fourth ring; this is clued by the diary.
a red crystal. This energy crystal is in the prototype's closet.
In the power room (1924), put the red crystal into the generator's funnel, then put the fuel rod into the generator's slot to recharge the fuel rod.
Desert items
a stick of charcoal. It's at the campsite.
In the Sun Chamber, draw a circle (with the charcoal) on the slab to complete the symbol of a radiant sun. This somehow causes the chamber's roof to open and admit a shaft of sunlight.
a leather bound book. Find it in the main tent by looking under the pillow.
Read it to learn that you can TRANSLATE ancient writing when you hold this book directly.
Translate the glass disc, the monument's door, the plaque in the monument, the plinth in the Sun Chamber, the statue in the Night Chamber, the bowl and sword in the Ancient Shrine, the sarcophagus in the Ancient Tomb, and the sceptre.
Note that when you obtain the topaz, the writing on the plaque changes. Translate the plaque again.
After you leave the desert region, you won't need the leather book again.
a tiny brass key. Find it behind the main tent by digging the sand.
In the main tent, unlock the chest with the brass key. Keep the key! DO NOT DISCARD IT.
On the driveway (1940), after pointing your rifle at the chauffeur, show the brass key to him to learn where the iron key is.
After you've seen the iron key, you don't need the brass key afterwards.
a glass disc. It's in the main tent's chest; unlock the chest with the brass key.
Translate the disc's writing with the leather book.
In the Sun Chamber, put the disc into the plinth's groove. The sunbeam from the roof (see charcoal) is split into four coloured beams. Put the crystal ball into the correct beam to change the ball's colour likewise. CAUTION: The correct colour is randomized; in the Night Chamber, translate the statue with the leather book to learn which eye colour you need.
After you're done with the crystal ball, smash the glass disc so you can put the tray into the plinth's groove. Smashing the glass disc goes against every IF instinct I possess, but you gotta do it because the disc gets stuck and there's no other way to remove it.
Professor Johnstone's diary. It's in the main tent's chest; unlock the chest with the brass key.
Read it. The list is your clue on which sphere goes in which ring in Atlantis's universe chamber. (In case you don't recognize them, the cryptic abbreviations are chemical symbols from the Periodic Table of Elements.)
Cu+Zn = Copper + Zinc = Brass. Put the brass sphere in the sixth ring.
a broken lantern containing a small quantity of oil. It's in the supply tent.
In the Ancient Shrine, translate the bowl with the leather book. That's your clue to pour both water and oil into the bowl, then light the oil with the lighter. This frees the sword.
After you've used the oil, discard the lantern.
some bottled water. At the oasis, fill the glass bottle to obtain some water.
The crystal ball needs to become a suitable eye for the statue in the Night Chamber.
First, translate the statue in the Night Chamber (using the leather book) to find out which eye colour the statue needs to have. "Pure gold" means yellow, "nature" means green, "crimson fire" means red, and "seafaring" means blue.
See the entries on charcoal and glass disc on how to get beams of coloured light in the Sun Chamber.
Put the crystal ball into the correct light beam to turn the ball that colour. CAUTION: Once the ball is opaque, its colour is fixed and cannot be changed.
In the Night Chamber, put the coloured crystal ball into the statue's socket. Once inserted, the ball can not be removed.
a silver sword. It's in the ancient shrine, but a force prevents you from taking it.
The clue to freeing the sword is found by translating the bowl in the shrine (using the leather book). Pour both water and oil into the bowl then light the oil with the lighter to free the sword.
The sword is a symbol of power. Translate the sword with the leather book.
The sword and sceptre are used to get the topaz (which see).
a gold sceptre. It's inside the sarcophagus in the ancient tomb.
The sceptre is a symbol of authority.
Translate the sceptre to learn the name "Karimal".
The sword and sceptre are used to get the topaz (which see).
a tetrahedral topaz. This yellow keystone is in the case inside the monument; clean the dust off the case to see it.
Inside the monument, to obtain the topaz, SAY KARIMAL while holding both the sword and sceptre directly. You're now holding the topaz, but the sword and sceptre are now inside the case. You know to do all this by translating the sword, sceptre, and case's plaque with the leather bound book.
In the Xeron prototype, put the topaz into the hole to try to go the next time period, but the power is insufficient. Take the topaz back. After restoring power (see fuel rod), put the topaz into the hole again. The prototype travels to a northern English town in 1985.
In Atlantis's viewing room, put the topaz in the beam repeatedly to find out if it's the past, present, or future keystone.
In Atlantis's hidden chamber, put the past keystone into the bottom left hole, the present keystone into the top hole, the future keystone into the bottom right hole, and the stone tetrahedron into the center hole.
an orange fuel rod. When the prototype complains about insufficient power (see topaz), the emergency hatch is unlocked. Open the hatch to find the fuel rod.
In the power room, put the red crystal into the generator's funnel, then put the fuel rod into the generator's slot to recharge the fuel rod.
Back in the prototype, put the fuel rod into the hatch then close the hatch. Power is restored.
English town items
a small leaflet. The wind blows it to you when you first arrive at "Outside Pavilion".
Take it and read it and KEEP it. DO NOT DISCARD.
In the torture chamber (1940), do you remember the brown paper? Write the note (with the pen) on the leaflet. Unlock the man's chain with the rusty key, then quickly give both the leaflet and the iron sphere to the man. Then push the red button of the black box to create a void; the man enters the void, closing an awkward circle in time.
a black leather wallet. Find it by searching the body behind the bushes by the path through the park.
At the drinks stall, show the papers to the man to scare him away. Now you have access to his bowl of whisky.
CAUTION: Don't take these papers into the cafeteria; if you're caught with them as is, you die. It's best to drop them outside the wooden hut until after you've met the bearded man in the cafeteria.
Take the papers, knock on the hut door, and SAY ABOUT (as per the typed note). Inside the hut, give the papers to the resistance leader to get the papers altered with a new photo.
In the town hall, show the altered ID papers to the sentry. He lets you go south past him.
In the cafeteria, while holding the credit card directly, buy the stale cake. The girl takes the card and throws both it and the cake onto the floor. Take the cake. Feel free to abandon the card.
some bottled whisky. At the drinks stall, the bowl of whisky is an endless supply of whisky.
Optional nonsense: Pour the whisky on the stale cake. The cake absorbs it all, but is unchanged. Refill the bottle with more whisky from the bowl.
In the large office, pour the whisky onto the moose head. This shorts out its invishield and a cabinet suddenly appears in the room below the moose head.
a soldier's rifle. At the historical monument, the rifle is a loose part of the statue. Pull it from the statue, then pick it up.
NOTE: The rifle is unloaded, and there's no ammo anywhere, so you won't be shooting anyone with this.
At the driveway (1940), point the rifle at the chauffeur, show the brass key to him (to learn where the iron key is), then hit him. You no longer need the rifle.
a silver medallion. At the historical monument, the medallion is worn by the statue and is out of reach.
The statue is another time machine in disguise. Push the white button (of the pyramid) to make the front of the statue disappear. The medallion teleports inside the statue where you can easily take it.
Outside the pavillion, give the medallion to Jake. He throws the badge at you in exchange. Take the badge.
a long plastic rod. It's at "Inside Statue", the enemy's time machine.
I'm calling this thing a "jiggle rod". To use it, point the rod at something and turn its handle. If the item is able to jiggle and shake, it does so. I know that doesn't sound like much, but you need to use this rod to solve five different puzzles.
In the Dimly Lit Corridor, point the rod at the keypad and turn the handle to make the keypad shake loose. Pull the keypad to expose a red wire; see cutters.
In the War Room of the Schloss (1940), after you pushed the grey alarm button to get everyone out of the room to the west, point the rod at the black button and turn the handle to shake the black button and short it out. Now the door is unopenable by anyone.
In the Main Corridor of the ship (2008), after putting the microchip onto the grille, point the rod at the chip and turn the handle to shake the chip. The chip glows red hot, bursting open the grille, before it itself turns into vapor.
Point the rod at the tiny emerald and turn the handle. The fake emerald shakes off its plastic coating, revealing the tiny platinum sphere that was underneath.
In Atlantis's Underwater Cavern, point the rod at the southeast wall (!!!) and the turn the handle. The wall shakes and falls apart, revealing a passageway into a hidden chamber.
some wire cutters. They're in the closet in the enemy's time machine.
In the Dimly Lit Corridor, after pulling the keypad (see rod) and exposing a red wire, cut the wire with the cutters. The door opens and the keypad falls onto the floor. You may now discard the cutters.
a golden lapel badge. It's one of the trinkets available for trade from Jake at "Outside Pavilion".
Give the medallion to Jake. He throws the badge at you in exchange. Take it. Wear it.
In the cafeteria, you must have the badge on when you sit on the chair in order for the bearded man to arrive. See newspaper, typed note.
In the stairwell up from Town Hall, unlock the door to the file room with the badge's pin. Feel free to wear or discard the pin afterwards.
a brown piece of paper. After seeing all five scenes at the historical exhibit, go to the side of the lake. A man who claims to have been waiting for you gives you this paper. A tiny iron sphere falls out of the paper at the same time.
Read it immediately. It's a cryptic note from yourself to yourself, and frankly, it's not helpful.
When you return to the park entrance, the wind blows the brown paper away. No big loss.
In the torture chamber (1940), write (what you remember from) the note onto the leaflet, using the pen. After unlocking the man's chain with the rusty key, give the leaflet and the iron sphere to him, then push the red button on the black box to summon a void that whisks the man to a time before he gives them to you by the lake.
a tiny iron sphere. It falls out of the brown paper when you get it from a man by the lake.
Put the iron sphere into the pendant and push the sphere to see and hear a holographic recording from yourself that you never made and never will. It mentions the Earthan experiment; remember to look up Earthan in the file room's files later.
In the torture chamber (1940), give the altered leaflet and the iron sphere to the man; see leaflet for more details.
NOTE: The iron sphere is a bootstrap paradox. It has no origin. A message from you is recorded on the sphere, but you never made any such recording.
a stale cake. In the cafeteria, while holding the credit card directly, buy the cake. The girl throws both the card and the cake onto the floor.
In the clearing (1940), throw the cake at the dog. It foolishly eats the horrible thing, then slinks off, looking queasy.
a paper sachet. It's on the table in the cafeteria.
CAUTION: Don't open the sachet too soon. The pepper can easily spill out in your rucksack.
When you attempt to leave the large office, make sure you're carrying the sachet first and open it. You are stopped by the arrival of the veiled woman. You won't have the opportunity to take the sachet from your sack. During her monologue, when she lifts her veil, throw the pepper at her then run directly back to and into the prototype.
a crumpled newspaper. In the cafeteria, while wearing the badge, sit on the chair. Wait until the bearded man leaves; the crumpled newspaper is now underneath your table.
Take the note then read it. "The word is about" means that the password at the hut is literally the word "ABOUT".
Put the note in the ashtray then burn the note with the lighter. This is a "necessary precaution".
an electronic keypad. It's attached to the heavy metal door in the dimly lit corridor.
CAUTION: Typing any number on this keypad while it's attached to the door triggers a deadly explosion.
Instead, point the long plastic rod at the keypad then turn the rod to shake the keypad loose. Pull the keypad to expose a red wire, then cut the wire with the cutters. The keypad falls to the floor and the door opens. Take the keypad.
In the Xeron prototype, attach the thingy to the keypad, then type the number written on the Earthan file when you looked up Earthan in the file room cabinet's files. (You know about an Earthan experiment from the iron sphere.) Now put the thingy into the panel's hole to travel to Schloss Winholm in 1940. (CAUTION: Typing the wrong number makes the thingy deadly when used for time travel.)
a weird adaptor thingy. It's in the cabinet in the large office; to find the cabinet, see whisky.
Use it in the Xeron prototype with the electronic keypad (which see). The thingy is destroyed when you successfully travel to 1940 Austria.
a sinister black box. It's in the cabinet in the large office; to find the cabinet, see whisky.
Pushing the red button summons a void similar to the one your original time machine made. CAUTION: It only has enough charge to be used once, and it won't work on the woman because she's protected against it.
In the torture chamber (1940), after freeing the man (see rusty key) and giving him the altered leaflet and the iron sphere, push the red button to send the man to another time and place. You no longer need the black box afterwards.
Schloss Winholm items
an iron key. It's at the driveway, but the chauffeur hid it.
To find the iron key, first point the rifle at the chauffeur, then show the brass key to him. He points our where the iron key is. Hit him to knock him out, then take the key.
Unlock the car with the iron key. Presumably you also use it when you drive the car to the courtyard.
a clear plastic cylinder. At the driveway, acquire it by looking under the car then feeling the pipes.
The cylinder is another bomb. In the research laboratory, after finishing the Command Bunker scenario, stand and look under the chair. Take the diamond and put the bomb in the contacts in its place. You now have two turns to get out of the Schloss before the bomb explodes, so I hope you have your exit open beforehand.
a black pen. It's in the car.
In the torture room, write a note on the leaflet with the pen, duplicating what you read on the brown paper.
a plain dagger. It's in the courtyard, but you must turn off the car's headlamps to see it.
In the chapel, wait several turns to notice a stone head on the wall. Look under it to find a small hole. Put the dagger into the hole, then turn the silver candle holder to open a secret way down. Refer to the candle holder as "silver" or "artifact".
a dusty wine bottle. It's in the abandoned tower.
In the dungeon, put the wine bottle into the window. Whoever is imprisoned on the other side passes a rusty key out to you in exchange.
a red capsule. In the surgery, open the fridge then look under the fridge to find the capsule.
In the research laboratory, open the chair's arm to find a gold button. Sit on the chair, eat the capsule, then push the gold button to send your mind into Hitler's, who's in a command bunker overseeing troop deployments on a huge map. The capsule protects your mind from being corrupted by the experience.
a rusty key. In the dungeon, put the wine bottle into the window; whoever's on the other side passes the rusty key out.
In the torture chamber, unlock the chain with the rusty key.
In the war room, examine the map on the table. Turn the castle on the map then look under the table. You now see a metal control box. Unlock the control box with the rusty key.
In Atlantis's ruined house, use the machine to de-age the rusty key into a copper key. How? First, fix the machine (see wire cord and power cell), put the past keystone (could be the ruby, topaz, or diamond) into the plastic container, put the rusty key onto the platform, then hit the machine.
a white piece of paper. A couple turns after you arrive in the command bunker scenario, a messenger holds up a paper for you to take. Take it.
Read the paper than tear it. You now have rather a lot of paper confetti. Drop the paper. This stops the advancing troops and ends the scenario. You're back in the research laboratory.
a tetrahedral diamond. This white keystone can be found by looking under the chair in the research laboratory.
In the Xeron prototype, first make sure you have everything you think you might need, then put the diamond into the hole. The changes in time are now so extreme, the prototype dissolves around you, and you end up in a study, or your memory of a study. Four turns later, the world re-stablizes and you find yourself in a ship's cargo bay. The diamond is on the floor near you.
In Atlantis's viewing room, put the diamond in the beam repeatedly to find out if it's the past, present, or future keystone.
In Atlantis's hidden chamber, put the past keystone into the bottom left hole, the present keystone into the top hole, the future keystone into the bottom right hole, and the stone tetrahedron into the center hole.
Ship items
a yellow label. It's on the container in the cargo bay. Yes, you can take it.
In the main corridor, listen to notice the pipes are noisy. Just as important, a pipe is leaking, so put the label on the pipe, and the pipe is less noisy. Of course, we didn't mention the leak to make the puzzle more difficult. Now listen there to find a grille on the north wall.
a small microchip. In the radio room, turn the radio to find the chip on its back.
You have no idea what function this chip is for.
In the main corridor, put the chip onto the grille. It bonds there. Point the "jiggle" rod at the chip, then turn the rod handle. The chip glows red hot and forces the grille open before turning into vapor.
You still have no idea what function that chip was for.
a power cell. On the main deck, acquire it by crawling under the forklift.
In Atlantis's ruined house, put the cell into the machine's open panel.
a small cigarette butt. Find it in the cabin by smelling there.
a tiny roll of microfilm. Find it by opening the cigarette butt.
In the cabin, put the film into the statue's mouth. Push the star carving on the bracelet. This signals the statue to ingest the film and project a light show onto the mirror on the wall. This (presumably) encodes navigation data onto the compact disc that's behind the mirror.
a simple bronze bracelet. After successfully hiding from your enemy in the cabin's closet, emerge from the closet. The bracelet is now on the floor there.
You cannot wear the bracelet: too small.
Examine the bracelet: it has a star carving and a square carving. These are pushable buttons.
In the cabin, after putting the microfilm into the statue's mouth, push the star carving. The statue ingests the film and projects a light show onto the mirror (or less happily, the blank wall where the mirror was if you broke the mirror too soon). I assume that if the mirror is still there, the light show is adding navigation data to the compact disc hidden behind the mirror.
In the cabin's closet, push the square carving to make the dead body of the captain fall on top of you. How nice.
a wire cord. It's wrapped around the neck of the dead captain (see bracelet).
In Atlantis's ruined house, attach the cord to the terminals, as seen in the machine's open panel.
a business card. Find it by searching the body of the dead captain (see bracelet).
Examine it: the name on it is unknown to you and doesn't seem to refer to the captain either.
In the main corridor, put the business card into the purple light; the card's text changes. Read the card again. It says, "Aquarius". This is the passcode for the submarine.
a tiny emerald. Find it by searching the body of the dead captain a second time (see bracelet).
Examine it: its colour seems wrong.
Touch it: it feels like plastic.
Point the "jiggle" rod at it and turn the rod handle: the plastic flies off, leaving a tiny platinum sphere.
a heavy metal disc. It's in the crate in the armoury.
To open the crate safely, tap the crate to find a panel. Open the panel to find a pole. Hit then pull the pole. The crate's hidden explosion is now disabled. Open the crate and take the disc.
In the cargo bay, climb the container. On the container roof, drop the disc. The disc is in the moonlight it needs to operate. Push its black switch. The roof gives way and you fall inside the container.
a tiny compact disc. Find it by breaking the mirror in the cabin. But don't do that until after using the microfilm.
In the submarine, when the second column appears, first touch the red pad to close the door and provide power to the other pad. Touch the yellow pad to open a disk drive. Put the CD into the drive, then close the drive. The sub stops sink and starts moving towards the CD's programmed destination.
a tiny platinum sphere. Find it by pointing the "jiggle" rod at the tiny emerald and turning the rod handle. The emerald shakes off its plastic outer coating.
Put the sphere into your pendant then push the sphere to see a holographic recording, giving you a glimpse of Atlantis and the clock tower, although neither are named.
In Atlantis's universe chamber, put the platinum sphere in the fifth ring; this is clued by the diary.
an aluminium canister. It's inside the container in the cargo bay. See heavy metal disc on getting in, and feel the north wall to get out.
In the submarine, put the canister into the column's octagonal trough. Presumably this gives fuel to the sub, but it also enables a second column with coloured pad controls to appear.
Atlantis items
a green metal box. During your submarine trip, you hear a clang. Push the orange pad to see that the box is outside the sub.
Push the violet pad to teleport the box into the sub. Take the box.
the PAST KEYSTONE, the PRESENT KEYSTONE, and the FUTURE KEYSTONE. These are my aliases for the ruby, topaz, and diamond after you have determined which gem plays which role.
In Atlantis's viewing room, put the gems in the beam repeatedly to find out if it's the past, present, or future keystone. A scene plays out on the screen. For example, dinosaurs are associated with the past, skyscrapers with the present, and spaceships with the future.
In Atlantis's ruined house, use the keystones with the repaired machine (see wire cord and power cell) to transmute various objects. Put a keystone into the plastic container and the item to transmute onto the platform. Finally, hit the machine to make it operate.
Using the PAST keystone, transmute the rusty key into the copper key, what the rusty key used to be.
Using the PAST keystone, transmute the aged parchment. It's still an aged parchment, but some of the writing is now readable.
In Atlantis's hidden chamber, after all other transmutations are done, put the past keystone into the bottom left hole, the present keystone into the top hole, the future keystone into the bottom right hole, and the stone tetrahedron into the center hole. The stone tetrahedron absorbs the essences of the three keystones.
In the ruined house, using the repaired machine with the PAST keystone, transmute the aged parchment into a younger version of itself. Read the parchment to get a few cryptic clues for upcoming puzzles.
In Atlantis's hidden chamber, after all other transmutations are done, put the past keystone into the bottom left hole, the present keystone into the top hole, the future keystone into the bottom right hole, and the stone tetrahedron into the center hole. The stone tetrahedron absorbs the essences of the three keystones.
In the triangular chamber, put the enhanced stone tetrahedron onto the circular platform. The thing rapidly transforms several times before becoming a tetrahedral clock.
In the triangular chamber, put the sapphire into the tetrahedral casket when it appears.
a golden clock. The bearded man in the triangular chamber is wearing it. After the woman steals the necklace, search the man and take the clock.
Feel the clock to find a tiny button.
To set the clock to the year you originally started in, 1997, which you know from the first newspaper, you need to first set the clock to 1, push the tiny button, set the clock to 9, push the tiny button twice, set the clock to 7, and finally push the tiny button. This puts you into stasis for centuries. You wake up inside a museum's display case without any of your inventory.
School items
a cheap digital wristwatch. You're wearing it when you first arrive in the classroom.
Examine it to note it has a single button.
The turn after you obtain the elastic band, push the button, then shoot Keighrey (with the band). Hodder orders you to the front of the room and takes your watch.
When in the physics office, ask Hodder about your watch to get just a cog back.
an elastic band. In the classroom, Keighrey shoots the band at you. Look under your stool to find and acquire the band.
Push your watch's button, then immediately shoot Keighrey with the band so he gets it back.
When Hodder orders you do the front of the room, Keighrey hits Hodder with the band, distracting him long enough for you to look under the books on Hodder's desk and swipe a gauge.
a micrometer screw gauge. In the classroom, when Hodder calls you up to the front because of your beeping wristwatch while simultaneously, Hodder is distracted by Keighrey's elastic band hitting him, acquire the gauge by looking under the books on Hodder's desk.
Note: You don't need a tool that measures small distances; the verb MEASURE isn't supported. Nor did you know in advance what, if anything, was under Hodder's books.
Turn the gauge's knob to break it.
In the physics labs, knock on the office door. Hodder grabs the broken gauge and takes several turns to write you up. This gives you your only chance to both steal his bar magnet and to ask for your watch back.
a bar magnet. It's on the desk in the physics office. See gauge on how to get in there.
Outside the Science Building, put the magnet on the window, then move the magnet to move the window's latch and unlock it.
a triangular cog. In the physics office (see gauge on getting in there), ask Hodder for your watch. He smashed it and hands you some cogs, but you only keep this one.
On the central cog, put your cog on the grandfather clock's pivot. Then turn the cog to 1, 4, then 9. A wooden peg is revealed.
a useful looking spanner. It's in the chemistry office; see magnet about getting in there.
In front of the school, look in the van to see a necklace. Crawl under the van. Try to open the panel to learn there's a bolt holding it shut. Unscrew the bolt with the spanner; the necklace falls out. Take it and wear it.
a metal ball. It's part of the ornament hanging from the ceiling of the chemistry office (see magnet about getting in there). Stand on the desk to get the metal ball.
On the central cog, after putting the chain onto the wooden peg, put the metal ball onto the chain to make a crude pendulum. Push the ball to start it swinging.
a precious necklace. You first see it in the triangular chamber after putting the sapphire into the tetrahedral casket. Unfortunately, the woman steals it.
Note that she spins the necklace's frame to use it.
You next see the necklace at the front of the school by looking in the van.
Crawl under the van, try to open the panel, then unscrew the bolt with the spanner. The necklace falls out.
Wear the necklace. You teleport to the mists of time.
When at the clock tower door, remove the necklace and spin the frame to open the door. Wear the necklace afterwards. (Don't worry, you won't re-teleport.)
On the central cog, the woman re-steals the necklace. Later, when she falls off the cog, she's garroted by the necklace. The necklace breaks: it's now a golden chain and a tetrahedral frame.
Clock tower items
a golden chain. It's on the central cog after the woman falls to her death.
When the wooden peg is revealed, put the chain on the peg, then put the metal ball on the chain. It's a pendulum. Push the ball.
a tetrahedral frame. In the cogs room, look under the woman's corpse to find the frame.
Break the frame before the clock tower strikes 12 to win the game.
Score
This is the response to SCORE:
You have so far scored N out of a possible 200, in T turns, making you your-current-ranking.
Points are awarded as follows:
1 point for frightening the whisky seller.
1 point for charging the power source.
2 points for threatening the girl.
2 points for covering your tracks.
2 points for covering up the small window.
1 point for blowing up the compartment door.
1 point for lighting the globe.
3 points for surviving the interview.
1 point for unscrewing the metal legs.
1 point for jamming the shower door.
1 point for creating a diversion.
2 points for taking off in the jetcopter.
1 point for concealing the pilot's chair.
1 point for evading a guard patrol.
1 point for viewing the contents of a holosphere.
1 point for reflecting an infra red beam.
1 point for reading the Xeron project document.
2 points for putting your enemy to sleep.
2 points for activating the Xeron prototype.
2 points for exposing the sun.
1 point for dividing the sun into colours.
1 point for recharging the fuel rod.
1 point for contacting a member of the resistance.
1 point for destroying an incriminating note.
1 point for altering a set of identity papers.
1 point for sabotaging the invisibility machine.
2 points for getting rid of the guard dog.
1 point for hiding from a German patrol.
1 point for turning on the car headlights.
2 points for writing the note.
1 point for transporting the prisoner to an alternate dimension.
1 point for enabling your past experience to occur in the future.
1 point for short circuiting the door mechanism.
1 point for opening up the fireplace.
2 points for correcting the course of history.
2 points for destroying the mind machine.
1 point for hiding from your enemy.
2 points for storing valuable data.
2 points for revealing the invisible ink.
2 points for activating the submarine.
1 point for setting the navigation correctly.
1 point for evading the missile.
2 points for removing the enemy threat.
2 points for powering up the complex machine.
3 points for successfully using the complex machine.
2 points for preparing the stone tetrahedron.
3 points for revealing the electronic clock.
3 points for setting the electronic clock to the correct time.
2 points for opening the wooden casket.
1 point for deactivating the display case alarm.
2 points for setting off an annoying watch.
2 points for returning the elastic band to Keighrey.
2 points for breaking the micrometer screw gauge.
2 points for discovering the purpose of the woman's visit.
10 points for finally disposing of your enemy.
2 points for opening the glass case.
4 points for setting time in motion.
3 points for destroying the secret of time.
2 points for inheriting the timekeeper's powers.
55 points for finding sundry items (1 point for each scored item).
40 points for visiting various places (1 point for each scored location).
The possible rankings are:
a crazy scientist with no brain whatsoever.(0 to 4 points)
a dumb scientist with the brain the size of an atomic particle.(5 to 9 points)
a stupid scientist with a pea sized brain.(10 to 19 points)
an average scientist with no understanding of time.(20 to 29 points)
a vaguely intelligent scientist with very little understanding of time.(30 to 39 points)
a reasonably clever scientist with a basic understanding of time.(40 to 49 points)
a meddler in time.(50 to 74 points)
an investigator of time.(75 to 99 points)
a researcher of time.(100 to 124 points)
an explorer of time.(125 to 149 points)
a protector of time.(150 to 174 points)
the guardian of time.(175 to 199 points)
the timekeeper.(200 points)
For my own amusement
For my own amusement, I took the liberty of giving my own names to the the rods, devices, machines, etc. in the game that didn't really get a name.
Having real names for things makes it easier to remember them and refer to them later, y'know?
The lancer is my name for the type of energy gun used to kill Carpenter.
The stun rod is my name for the "long thin rod" you find in the briefcase in Tamara's office.
The jiggle-rod is my name for the "long plastic rod" you find inside the statue.
The doorstomper bomb is my name for the shiny hemispherical device found on the inside of Carpenter's apartment door.
The holosphere player is my name for the copper pendant.
The holospheres are the tiny metal spheres, of course. SCORE uses the word "holosphere".
The safecracker's chromakey assistant box (SCAB for short) is my name for the device you put onto Tamara's safe.
The Volkscreen is my name for the viewing device at the historical exhibit.
The car bomb is my name for the plastic cylinder you find under the chauffeur's car.
The film-to-disc transcriber is my name for the "Eye of Providence" shaped statue in the ship's cabin.
The Opti-Ablator is my name for the heavy metal disc you use to remove the top of the steel container.
The fuel canister is my name for the octagonal canister you insert into the submarine's first column. I don't know if it actually contains fuel; that's just my best guess.
The ager-dager is my name for the machine that ages and de-ages things.
