NANCY DREW: THE CURSE OF BLACKMOOR MANOR
Essential Hints
Version 2 - June 2005.
By
Honorius Dagobert Gunther
Changes in Version 2:
- A little correction on the fourth point in the Moving Room
and little improvements here and there.
This file is written for the purpose of helping those who
are stuck and desperate when playing "Nancy Drew: The Curse
of Blackmoor" (like I was). I try as much as I can not to
spoil the fun of playing this interesting and instructive
game. So this "essential hints" only gives you the most
necessary solution to the riddles in order to continue the
game to its conclusion, not a complete description of what
you might find there. If you find anything that doesn't work
in this hint, please feel free to send e-mail to
Akhmad_Santoso@yahoo.com.
A bit of ill-legality:
- I swear that all of this hints comes from my own
discovery, and not from any other hints or FAQs.
- It is assumed that the reader has already known who owns
the copyright of any copyrighted material(s) that is
mentioned in this hint because it is assumed that the
reader has played the game.
- I will not ask you to give me credit when you rip off
this hint. I just give where I have taken.
BRIGITTE ROOM: this is the room which is occupied by Nancy
Drew at the start of the game.
THE NOISY STAIR: this is the only spiral stair in the Manor.
JANE'S ROOM: this room can be accessed only after 2:00 PM
(in this game, time can be "accelerated" by setting the
alarm clock in Brigitte Room).
RED-EYED GARGOYLE: The biggest of the the three gargoyles in
the Manor but it's the only one which has red eyes. The
other gargoyles are located near the Sun and Moon column in
the Hall and one is in Edward Room.
MRS. DRAKE ROOM: Mrs. Drake can never be seen inside this
room for the whole game. By the way, don't knock at her door
after 9 PM, since Mrs. Drake will scream like hell and Nancy
will be fired (meaning you'll be expelled from the game, but
it makes quite a scene, you should try it!). If this
unfortunate thing occurs and you are back to the menu, don't
worry. Just click on the "Second Chance" button in the menu
and the game will resume.
EDWARD ROOM: This is the room upstrairs which has a coat-of-
arm set on the door. Since the story tells us that the coat-
of-arms belong to Edward Penvellyn, so I call it "Edward
Room" to make it easier.
GALLERY DOOR 1 & 2: These doors will open to a sort of
narrow gallery that leads to the kitchen door. However for
the whole game, this kitchen door can never be accessed
because it is damaged (according to the letter pasted on
it).
BETTY: Betty is the card game machine in the corner of the
Hall.
Let's start with the riddles:
1. THE ANIMAL BOX - THE MOON PIECE - THE HIDDEN SYMBOLS -
THE ARROWHEAD
a. Opening the Box
This beautiful box is located on top of a chair in Brigitte
Room. The box has some animal designs on its surfaces. There
are five animal symbols on its surface: lion, fish, dragon,
rabbit and tiger. Note that you can only see three animal at
a time. So, when you need to access the other two symbols,
just rotate the box by placing the mouse around the box
until the pointer turns into a blue circling arrow and drag
it around. If you click on the animal symbol on the box's
surface, it will open up and reveal a lens and a sort of
handle. If you click on the lens, it will change its "pupil"
to make sort-of phases of the moon. If you click on the
handle, it will change the color of the lens.
Now the tast is to open this box. First, you need to open
the star map (hung on the wall in Brigitte Room, above the
table with astronomical instruments). This star map actually
a folder containing several maps inside. You can flip
through from one map to another by clicking on the corner of
the map. Find the map which contain the same kind of animal
symbols with the ones in the box (hint: it is the map named
"BRUMA", a Latin word meaning "winter") and note which
animal is in what direction, as follows:
Lion (LEO) = East
Fish (PISCES) = West
Dragon (DRACO) = North
Rabbit (LEPUS) = South
Tiger (LYNX) = middle.
(Strictly speaking, lepus is hare and not rabbit and lynx is
different from tiger)
Now turn to the fireplace. On top of it, you'll see a coat-
of-arm. Each head of Penvellyn family from generation to
generation have his/her own coat-of-arms. The one above the
fireplace belongs to Brigitte's. There are four symbols in
this coat-of-arms, but pay attention to the symbol on the
upper right corner. It is a symbol for showing the four
direction of the compass which is usually found in the map.
But this symbol has something more: it contains red, blue,
green color which correspond to the color of the lens within
the box. Notice that the red is a full circle, the green is
only half circle, and blue and red is waxing like the shape
of the moon on different sides.
You need to match the moon shapes, the color and the wind
direction in Brigitte's coat-of-arms with the lens (by
clicking the button in the upper left corner of the box),
the color and the animal sign in the box. For instance, when
you open the dragon symbol in the box, open the lens fully
(full moon) and click the lever until the color is red. Why
fullmoon shape and why red? Because red and fullmoon shape
is in the North (in the coat of arms) and the Dragon is in
the north in the star map (Draco in BRUMA). So: dragon is
north according to the BRUMA map and north is red and
fullmoon according to the coat-of-arms. Oncec finished with
the dragon, get out of the dragon, access the rabbit symbol
in the box, change the color to green and the lens to half-
closed position and so on. (Of course you don't have to
start from the dragon, you can start from any animal
symbol). Notice that the lens position for lynx is fully
closed, since the middle position in Brigitte's coat-of-arms
is black.
If all of the five animals in the box have been matched with
the symbol in the coat-of-arms, the box will open, and
you'll get an object, which for brevity sake will be called
as "short lens" here.
b. The Moon Piece
In Brigitte Room, there's a niche into which a sort of divan
enough for two persons is fitted, complete with mattress and
pillows. (There must be a special term for this piece of
interior, but I don't know it). Anyway, click on the lower
part of this divan, you'll see a sign of the moon and a sort
of keyhole. Nancy will say that she needs something to fit
in that hole. Apply the short lens into the keyhole (not to
the moon sign) and a panel of zodiac signs will open. Push
the green buttons under each zodiac signs according to the
"right" order. This "right" order (starting from Taurus) can
be found by surfing the Web with your handphone. If the
order is correct, the zodiac panel will move backwards,
exposing a whitish round object. I call it the Moon Piece
since it represents a full moon. Pick it up. It is for
opening the Moon and Sun column in the Hall.
c. The Hidden Symnbols
The short lens which you have taken from the box has one
more use. There's a tripod near a window in Brigitte Room.
Check it out (by clicking once on it). Nancy will say that
she needs a telescope for it. To get this telescope, go to
Jane's Room (only available after 2 PM) and ask Jane about
it. Jane will say that there's indeed a telescope and she
will return it with one condition: you must win a game of
jigsaw puzzle from her. After you win this game, Jane will
promise to return the telescope as soon as she can.
If you go back straight to your room, you will not find the
telescope. You need to do something else or stay clear from
the upper story (maybe by talking to Mrs. Drake in the
conservatory perhaps, or anything that might take your
fancy) then go back to Brigitte Room. If the telescope is
already in the tripod, check on the telescope, put the short
lense in its place and click on it. This telescope (contrary
to my initial expectation) does not point to the stars, but
to the mural in the opposite wall which depicts a young man
riding a chariot (Mythological note: this is the classical
image of Helios, the sun-god). Using this lens, Nancy will
see hidden symbols and numbers in the Helios mural which
cannot be seen with naked eye. The symbols and numbers are:
Wailing mask = 1
Parrot = 2
Harp/lyre = 3
A pair of flute = 4
Smiling mask = 5
d. The Arrowhead
The number 1-5 in Helios' Mural is the sequence to press the
blue buttons in Betty (the machine that deals card in the
corner of the Hall downstairs). However, Betty the Machine
will work fine as long as you haven't found the short lens.
Once you found the short lens, Betty will stop working. To
make it work, first you must ask Jane how to turn it on.
Jane will say that Nancy needs a crank to wind the machine
but the crank is "confiscated" by the cranky Mrs. Drake. So
go to Mrs. Drake in the conservatory. Mrs. Drake is willing
to give the crank, but she will ask you to fit a set of
rectangular pots into a box. This task can be easily achieve
by cramming the biggest pots into one corner first. The
remaining smaller pots can be fitted easily by changing the
position (using right click). After finishing this task, get
out of the conservatory and then return to the place where
Mrs. Drake work. Click on the finished box and Mrs. Drake
will give you the crank.
Insert the crank in the hexagonal slot in underneath the
card table. Rotate it by clicking the crank and Betty the
Machine will work again. Get out of the screen (by clicking
when the mouse turns into downward arrow) and click on Betty
to play. Press the appropriate symbols from Helios' Mural in
appropriate sequence (from 1 to 5), then press the red
button. Betty the Machine will extract an arrowhead from
somewhere inside her and put it in front of her and
challenge you to win the card game before you can obtain the
arrowhead. Play the game by clicking on the blue buttons.
Nancy will write in her notebook that the game reminds her
of "Go Fish". Anyway, even one who is not familiar with the
Go Fish can win easily after second try. (Mythological note:
the names in the blue buttons, except Pegasus, represents
the names of the Nine Muses, Greek Goddesses of Art and
Learning). If you win, the arrowhead will slip down a
trapdoor on the card table and appear on a slot below the
crank slot. Pick it up. It is for opening the "Omnia Vincit
Amor" column in the Hall. (It means "Love Conquers All",
therefore this column represents Venus, Goddess of Love).
---+++---
2. THE NOISY STAIR - THE LUDES PANEL - THE LIGHTNING PIECE
When you climb the Noisy Stair, pay attention to the noise,
which will be displayed in the dialogue box on the game menu
as "bling, whoop, woah, blading, whoop, woah, bang, bang."
The noise will be repeated in inverted order when you walk
down the stair. This "noise" corresponds to the sound
produced by pulling the levers on top of the stair. Pull the
lever according to the sequence. This equals to pulling the
levers in the following order:
B A D C A D E E
The compartment above the levers will open and inside
there's a key. Pick it up.
The key will fit into the key slot located in the right hand
side of Jane's door (the slot with red lid). On your first
try, Nancy will say that the key fits into the slot, but it
won't budge, since it's rusty. She'll need something to
grease it. This grease can be obtained by ordering food from
the local restaurant using the old-fashioned phone in
Brigitte Room (press the red button labeled "Cook"). The
cook will offer you a variety of strange sounding food.
Choose anything, and when the cook offer you "Uncle Fred and
Johnnie Rutter" (which is the Cockney term for "bread and
butter"), take it. You need to stay clear of the upper story
(to allow for the cook to deliver the food without being
seen by anybody). When you go back to your room, the food
should be ready. Eat it up. Nancy will not eat the butter.
Pick up the butter. (Remember: the butter cannot be taken
into your inventory unless you have tried the rusty keyslot
first.)
Go to Jane's room but do not enter. Apply the butter to the
keyslot and insert the key again. A sort of wooden drawer
will slide out from a protuberance on your right, barring
the entrance to Jane's room. Click on the wooden drawer,
you'll see a panel which displays a motto "Ludes ergo es"
("You play therefore you are", a pun on Descartes' "cogito
ergo sum"). That's why I call it the Ludes Panel. In this
panel, there are ten rectangular pieces of stone (well, at
least looks like stone). The object is to arrange this stone
pieces into certain order. The right order can be found by
reading the poem by Charles Penvellyn on the carpet which is
hung inside Jane's room. Certain words and phrases in this
poem (in capital letters below) match the image on the ten
stone pieces, as follows:
As the MOON rises upon thee,
Fear not, but draw upon the STRENGTH of
Absent friends, and TOAST to their memories in
Happiness and wonder.
With the stalwart heart of a KNIGHT, let CHARITY be
Thy guiding ANGEL. Stay firm in the knowledge as a
Dedicated GEOMETER, and fear not the ravages of
FATHER TIME.
For, dear child, as you learn the lessons
Of FOLLY, the secrets of this world
Shall DAWN in thy soul.
The moon, the knight and the angel is obvious. These three
are depicted literally in the stone pieces. Strength is the
piece which depicts a muscular man carrying the world (This
is apparently Atlas, the Titan, who has been tricked by
Hercules into shouldering the world). "Toast" refers to the
piece depicting the three cups (of course!). Charity is the
image of a hand giving a coin to another hand. Geometer
("one who measures the earth") is the image of compass since
compass is an essential isntrument in geometry. Father Time
is Uranus, the old man in hooded cloak. (This information is
contained in the Web in Nancy's cell phone. Actually Uranus
is the Sky God, but then again it depends on which ancient
authority one consults). Folly is the image of jester
throwing balls. Dawn is, of course, the sun. The sequence of
the stone pieces should match the sequence in the poem, as
follows: Moon, Atlas, Three Cup, Knight, Charity, Angel,
Compass, Father Time, Jester, Sun.
Now to determine whether this sequence should be left-to-
right or right-to-left, pay attention to the rainbow color
in the background of the stone pieces on Ludes Panel (which
will appear if you move the stone pieces). In one of the
coat-of-arms of Penvellyn's ancestors in the Hall
downstairs, there's the symbol of moon, sun and rainbow
(near the "Omnia Vincit Amor" column in the hall). So it can
be surmised that the sequence should begin from the left
with the moon in the end of the rainbow and ends with the
sun in the right end of the rainbow, like this:
LUDES ERGO ES
Three Knight Charity Angel Compass Father
Cup Time
Atlas Jester
Moon Sun
If you finish this, the "Ludes ergo es" will open and reveal
a metal piece in the form of lightning (I call it the
Lighting Piece). Pick it up. It is for opening the Jupiter
column in the Hall.
---+++---
3. THE OLD COMPUTER - THE THIRTEEN GHOST
The password for the old computer in the library can be
found by asking Jane. Jane will give the clue (of course
after winning another game with her) that it is written in
the coat-of-arms of the computer owner, that is Alan
Penvellyn, Jane's grandfather. Since he belongs to the
modern age, so he must dress in modern dress. Therefore, his
portrait must be located near the Headless Knight column in
the Hall, the one with the motto "Purgamentum Exit". (The
portrait of modern man without coat-of-arms must be Hugh's,
Jane's father. Maybe the coat-of-arms will be displayed
after he's dead).
Enter the password "purgamentum" into the old computer in
the library. A message will appear telling Nancy about the
game of "Thirteen Ghost" which must be "captured" (by
touching it). Click on the orange button "I am" (otherwise
the ghosts cannot appear), then the countdown will begin. Be
quick! The thirteen ghost are located in the following
places:
- Go out of the library, go straight to the stair. The
first is in the left handle of the big stairs
- Turn back. The second is near the library door.
- Go directly to Gallery Door 2. The third is near the
door. Go inside the Gallery. Walk along the Gallery. The
fourth and fifth are on the wall (along the edge of the
wooden panel). After catching number five, turn back,
you'll see number six.
- Get out of the Gallery using Gallery Door 2, you'll see
number seven at the foot of Moon and Sun column in the
Hall.
- Enter the conservatory, you'll find number eight in the
trophy for Allan Penvellyn in the conservatory (near the
dry well). Walk back to the conservatory door on your way
back from the Allan's trophy, number nine is near the
door of conservatory. Then get out of the conservatory.
- Go upstairs, number ten is in front of Mrs. Drake's room.
Go to Edward's Door, but don't enter and then turn back,
number eleven is on the wall, at your left side.
- Go straight to Brigitte Room, but do not enter. Number
twelve is near the door.
- Go up the Noisy Stair. Number thirteen is on top of the
levers.
- Go quickly into the old computer again (before the
countdown is over), enter the password and you'll get the
reward: a little secret, which tells you to enter Edward
Room and find the slide which will allow you to slide
down from second floor to the first floor. If you do not
capture the thirteen ghost, this secret door cannot be
opened.
---+++---
4. THE SLIDE - THE BULL'S EYE - THE TIME PIECE
If you ask Jane, she will tell you that Edward Room contains
a secret passage. To enter the Edward Room, you must obtain
the key from Jane (after winning another game from her). If
you have captured the Thirteen Ghosts, enter the Edward
Room, move one step ahead and turn left. There you'll see a
shelf with a china on top of it. Click the mouse to the
right beam supporting the shelf and a secret passage will
open (this is NOT the secret passage mentioned by Jane).
Enter the passage, you will slide along a spiral slide. On
the way down, Nancy will notice a bull's eye on the wall.
After landing on the Hall, go to the Gallery, grab the ball
on the cricket trophy for Brigitte Penvellyn in the end of
the Gallery. Enter the slide in Edward Room again, this time
after picking up the ball from your inventory. On your way
down, hit the bull's eye and you'll land in the Hall with a
green round object with clock face on it. Let's just call it
the Time Piece. Pick it up. It is for opening the "Tempus
Fugit" column in the Hall. (It means "Time Flies", so this
column represents Uranus, the Father of Time. Actually,
Greek Myth represents Chronos, Uranus' father as the Father
of Time, but I guess even game writer can have their poetic
licence).
---+++---
5. EDWARD SECRET PASSAGE - THE PARROT PUZZLE
The secret passage Jane has talked about can be opened by
moving the six hands of the green dragon in the corner of
the room. The correct direction for these six hands can be
seen in Edward Penvellyn's coat-of-arm on the door, as
follows:
Right Up
Down Left
Down Right
Move the dragon hands according to this clue and the secret
passage Jane has talked about will be opened. To make it
easier, let's just call it Edward Secret Passage. Nancy
cannot enter this passage yet, because it's dark. The means
for lighting can be obtained by asking Mrs. Drake (who will
react strangely to the word "flashlight") and then to Jane,
who will give you "glowstick" (of course - once again -
after you win another game from her).
Armed with this glowstick, enter the Edward Secret Passage
down the dark stairs, and you will find a door with a big
eye on it. Clicking on the big eye will open a panel with a
picture of a parrot and the word "barber" on it. Nancy calls
it the Parrot Puzzle. Your task here is to find the match
for the word "barber". The parrot picture is a clue that you
must consult Loulou. Go back to the upper stairs and talk to
Loulou the green parrot. But at this time, Loulou would not
answer your question. The green parrot will ask for the
"magic word". Ask about this magic word to Mrs. Drake. Then
go to back to Loulou and get the right word to be supplied
to the Parrot Puzzle. The match for "barber" is "leech".
After you supply the right word to the panel, another word
will come up. You must supply the correct match again. If
you cannot figure it out, you must go back to upper story
and ask Loulou. The pairs of words are as follows:
Barber - leech
Picture - book
Baby - bonnet
Hour - glass
Ant - hill
(if the word is less that the number of space on the Word
Match Panel, insert asterisk (*) at the empty space. One
wonder what a barber has got to do with leech, but in case
the reader doesn't know, it refers to the old custom of
curing illnesses by bleeding, which - of course - requires
one skillful in handling knives (barber) or can be done by
putting leeches on the skin of the patient.).
After the Parrot Puzzle is finished, the door will open. If
during this operation you glowstick burns out, you have to -
well - go to Jane again to win another glowstick from her.
The way behind the Parrot Puzzle will lead to the Triangle
Panel, so-called because it consists of 6 triangles in 2
columns and 3 rows above a gargoyle which is half buried in
the wall. This is only half, meaning that the other 6
triangles are located on the other side and can only be
reached through the Gargoyle Secret Passage.
---+++---
6. THE GARGOYLE SECRET PASSAGE - THE RUNE PANEL
To uncover the Gargoyle Secret Passage, it is necessary that
you must find the Edward Secret Passage first. Telling Linda
about this Edward Secret Passage will prompt her to describe
her experience, which makes Nancy realize that the Edward
Secret Passage does not match the description that Jane
gives her. Find the portrait of a white haired man in the
Great Hall which has no coat-of-arms and has a gargoyle in
the background (this is strange since almost every other
ancestor has his/her own coat-of-arms). Then go to Nigel in
the library and ask for the white haired man's coat of arms.
Before you obtain the sketch of the coat of arms, you must
do what Nigel ask: undergo a typing test (a score above 50
will do). If you succeeded, Nigel will leave the sketch on
his desk. Pick it up, it's the key to open the Gargoyle
Secret Passage. The number of comet (so it looks like)
indicates how many times you should turn the gargoyle and
the position of the comet (left or right) indicates the
direction to which the gargoyle must be turned.
If it does not succeed in the first try, don't worry. Go
back to Nigel. If you can't find him, go back to Brigitte
Room and set the alarm at 8 AM. Then go to the library
again. Nigel will tell you that the left in the coat-of-arms
is right and vice versa. So try again in inverse direction,
as follows:
Left - twice
Right - once
Left - once
Right - twice
Left - once
("left" here means putting the mouse of the left side of the
gargoyle, your right side)
The secret passage will open and inside you will find
another door with a big eye on it. Above the big eye,
there's a panel containing a poem which tells its reader to
"memorialize the name" of a innocent victim. This must mean
Elinor Penvellyn, who were executed as a witch. Click on the
big eye and the so-called Rune Panel will open. Type the
name "Elinor" using the rune character. The information
about rune character can be found in the sheets of paper in
the book shelf in Jane's room, next to the book on
werewolves. Remember: there are two E's in the book about
rune in Jane's room. Choose the one that looks like "M".
After typing the name of Elinor in runes, the door will not
open, because it's a false door. The real door lies in the
left direction of the Rune Panel. Walk through this door,
and after a few turns, the way will be split into two. The
right one will lead to the Knight Statue and the left one
will lead to the other half of the Triangle Panel.
---+++---
7. THE KNIGHT STATUE - MERCURY WAND
The Knight Statue can be reached by taking the right turn
after the Rune Panel. Click on the head and then click on
the circular "mouth" of the face. It will let you peep into
the library, to the Mercury statue in front of Nigel's desk.
Turn away from the statue face and click on the sword. Press
the hexagonal button on the sword and click on one of the
fingers and the Mercury statue will move and Nigel will be
heard to be talking to himself in amazement. After that,
click the tiny levers on the iron knuckle bones, and click
again on the fingers. The "charmed chimes" will be heard,
along with Nigel's frightened scream. Go to the library and
take the wand from Mercury's hand. This wand is for opening
the Mercury column in the Hall (the one with feathered cap).
---+++---
8. THE TRIANGLE PANEL - GREEN STONE
Triangle Panel consist of two parts. The one can be reached
from Edward Secret Passage and to open it, you must find the
way to the other part of the panel through the Gargoyle
Secret Passage. Your task is to make all of the triangle
point upwards. This will be quite difficult since one
triangle will always move when you click on the other. But I
think it can be solved with a bit of perseverance. Go back
to the other side of the Triangle Panel (using Edward Secret
Passage) and make all of the triangle in this side point
upward. Clicking sound will be heard and the Triangle Panel
will be split in two, leading to a door. (For one who tried
to beat this game without a hint, this Triangle Panel is the
most frustrating since the game itself gives no clue at all
about it). Please notice that this door has a handle and a
sort of a rectangular small compartment on it. At first, the
handle cannot be opened. Click on the compartment to open
it. Inside there's a kind of green bright stone that can be
used for illumination. Pick it up. It's a kind of
flashlight, oops torch!
At this point, the way is split into two. The door in front
of you will lead to the Moving Rooms and the way to the left
will lead to the Water Panel.
---+++---
9. THE WATER PANEL - THE DRY WELL - THE FROG TRIAL - THE
KNIGHT'S HEAD
To reach the Water Panel, pass through the Triangle Panel
and turn left to another door with big eye on it and click
on the eye. A panel will open. In this panel, there are
three parts: the left part contains 8 triangle, the middle 5
and right 3. Initially the left part is full (8 blue
triangles) and the middle and right part is empty (no blue
triangles). Your task (like what Nancy says to herself) is
to get four parts of water (= four blue triangle) in the
left or middle part of the panel. Moving the water can be
done by clicking the knob. Here is how it's done:
Move Result of the Move
Left Middle Right
Initially 8 - -
Left to middle 3 5 -
Middle to right 3 2 3
Right to Left 6 2 -
Middle to right 6 - 2
Left to middle 1 5 2
Middle to right 1 4 3
This will open the Water Panel and fill the Dry Well in the
conservatory.
To fill up the well, you must solve the Water Panel in the
Secret Passage (see above). Go back to conservatory and pick
up the water hose in the well. The screen will automatically
move to the tiles above the well which depicts a frog on the
right side and a princes on the left. This scene (like what
Nancy says) matches the children story book found in the
fireplace in Brigitte'a Room. You task is to splash the
water from the hose to the tile in front of the frog one by
one. After you splash a tile, either a lilypod or a
crocodile will appear. If the crocodile appear, the frog
will return to the initial position but if the (yellow)
lilypod appears, the frog will jump onto it and get closer
to the princess. Do this one by one until the frog reaches
the princess.
After the frog reaches the princess, one of the three stone
frogs on the well will turn round and vomit the Knight's
Head. Pick it up, it is for opening the Headless Knight
column in the Hall. (This Headless Knight is Mars, god of
War).
---+++---
10. THE MOVING ROOM AND THE DEVILS
The Moving Rooms is located in the door right after the
Triangle Panel. The moving rooms can be divided into several
parts:
- the entrance room (marked by a sign of triangle in the
Green Stone map. This Greenstone can be acquired only
after one reaches the middle point of Moving Rooms)
- the moving block (let's call it the Mercurius block,
since it bears Mercury's alchemical sign, a "horned"
circle). This block moves around the perimeter of the
eight rotating blocks
- the eight rotating blocks. So-called because it rotates
90 degrees everytime the player open and close ANY door
within the Moving Room area.
- the mid-block. Located in the middle of the 8 rotating
blocks. This block contains the Green Stone which serves
as map.
- two "devil" blocks. These blocks does not rotate nor
moves, but contains deadly trap.
- the "landing" room (marked by symbol of angel in the
Green Stone map), which leads to the Alchemy Panel.
So the map will look like this:
The Angel
(Landing)
3
Rotating Rotating Rotating
Block A Block B Block C
Devil Rotating Mid Rotating Devil
Block1 4 Block D Block Block E 2 Block2
Rotating Rotating Rotating
Block F Block G Block H
1
(initial position of
Mercury block)
The Entrance
1, 2, 3, 4 = the resting points of the Mercury block.
Everytime the rotating block rotates, the Mercury block will
move clockwise to the next resting point. The initial
position of the Mercury block is near the entrance (in 1).
The rotating blocks and the Mercury have two doors each, but
the Devil blocks have only entrance door and no way out.
(Entering devil blocks means doom for Nancy).
The problem is that you don't have the map when first
entering the moving rooms. Fortunately the movement of the
blocks can be predicted.
So let's start:
Open the big eyed door and step inside. You are now inside
The Entrance. Then continue walking and enter the door in
front of you (marked by Mercurius' alchemical sign, the
"horned circle").
You are now in the Mercury block. So far nothing happens:
the rooms do not move yet. But remember: from this point
onward, everytime you open and close any of the doors of
eight rotating block (except the doors to the two lethal
Devil Blocks), the eight blocks will rotate 90 degrees
clockwise and the Mercury block will move clockwise to the
next resting point (that is from 1 to 2, or from 2 to 3, and
so on: see map above).
Your first task is to reach the mid-block, to collect the
Green Stone which bears the map of the Moving Rooms. This
stone, when viewed, can indicate your position (with a red
dot). Here are the steps:
1.
Let's assume that you are already inside the Mercury block.
Open the door in front of you, then enter. You are now
inside rotating block G. After you step inside Rotating
Block G, the door will close behind you, and the block G in
which you are now, will move 90 degrees clockwise, facing to
the right (to the direction of Devil block 2). So if you
continue by walking ahead to the next room, like I did the
first time, you will not be in the mid-point, but will be in
rotating block H instead.
2.
What you need to do now is to move the rotating blocks
(which is triggered by the opening and closing of doors) by
opening the door in front of you, then turn around WITHOUT
exiting Rotating Block G. In this way, you turn your body
180 degrees and face to the direction of Devil block 1. But
more: the door will close behind you and trigger the 90
degrees rotation. So your turning movement plus the movement
of Rotating Block G will result in a 180+90 degrees
rotation: now you are facing to the direction of the Angel.
This means that the door in front of you will lead straight
to the Mid Block. Open the door in front of you and enter.
Now you are in the Mid Block. If your movements have been
correct, you will see a basin in front of you. Inside the
basin, you see the Green Stone. This Green Stone serves as
map (by viewing it) indicating your position inside the
Moving Room (red dot indicates your position). Take the
Green Stone in the basin in the middle of the room. After
taking the stone map, don't move yet, but follow the next
instructions to get out of the Moving Rooms.
3.
Now your task is to reach The Landing. Since now you have
the Green Stone map, check it repeatedly everytime you make
a move, in order to know the position of the Mercury block
and the direction of the rotating block in which you are in.
But you must also remember precisely to which direction you
are facing, otherwise you will end up in the nextdoor
Rotating Block, or even worse, in the Devil block (which
means death for Nancy).
Now you are in the Mid Block. Open the door in front of you
but you cannot step inside yet since the way is blocked by a
wall (This occurs because when you leave Rotating Block G,
all Rotating Blocks move 90 degrees clockwise, including
Rotating Block B in front of you). Do not enter, just turn
back (180 degrees). This will cause the Rotating Blocks to
rotate. Turn your body (I mean Nancy's) 180 degrees again so
you now face the same direction as before and open (again)
the door in front of you. This time, the way is clear and
you can step into the room (into Rotating Block B) and leave
the mid-block.
4.
Now you are inside Rotating Block B (see map above). When
you leave the Mid Block, the Rotating Blocks turn 90
degrees. So, if you step directly into the next room, you
will end up in Rotating Block C and will be nowhere near the
exit. What you need to do to get out is this: Open the door
in front of you, but do not enter. Turn yourself around (180
degrees). The Rotating Block B will rotate too as a result
of the opening and closing of doors. So your total rotation
is 180 + 90 degrees from your initial position, making you
face the direction of The Angel. Then open the door in front
of you. Step inside. Now you're in the Mercury block (check
the stone map to confirm this. Mercury Block will be in
position 3 after your moves so far). Then open the door in
front of you. Step inside. You should be in The Landing by
now.
In front of you, there's a big eyed door. Clicking on the
eye will open the Alchemy Panel.
To go back to the Manor, you do not need to enter any of the
rotating block at all. When you leave the Moving Room, the
Mercury Block is in C (see map). When you get back, the
Mercury Block does not move and still in position C. Enter
the Mercury block. Open the door in front of you, then turn
around. The Mercury block will move to the next resting
point (to D), facing the Devil block. And you are facing
Devil block, too. Because opening and closing the Devil
Block will not trigger the rotation, so you need to turn
around to face the other door and open the door in front of
you without entering (by turning back 180 degrees). After
you do this, Mercury block will slide to the next resting
point (position A, near The Entrance). Then open the door in
front of you and step inside. You are now out of the Moving
Rooms and inside The Entrance. This method can be used to
travel the other way around. To make sure where you are,
check the Green Stone.
---+++---
11. THE ALCHEMY PANEL
To reach the Alchemy Panel, pass through the Triangle Panel
and go straight to the door in front of you. This leads to
the Moving Rooms and after landing safely on the other side,
you'll see another door with another big eye on it. Click on
the big eye and the Alchemy Panel will appear on screen.
When seeing this panel for the first time, Nancy cannot do
anything. Click on the symbol of a snake biting its own tail
(ouroboros, symbol of endless regeneration and immortality)
to trigger the question. Go back to the library to ask Nigel
Mookerjee about the symbol. Then search the Web with your
cell phone. The information on the signs of chemical
substances and compounds and their reactions should be
available in the cell phone by then. Your task is to click
on the symbols on the left to achieve the substance which is
indicated by the symbol on the lower right. Click the symbol
"kettle" when you finish with the substance.
The symbols on the left side of the panel can be translated
into words as follows:
Distillation Sal Ammoniac Letharge
Vinegar Cinnabar Nitre
Fire Air Sulphur
Vitriol Spirit of Salt Quicklime
The first sign that needs to be solved when you first open
the panel (a sort of amalgam of V and F) is aqua fortis. To
make it press: vitriol, nitre, kettle.
The second sign (a sort of amalgam of V and R) is aqua
regia. Press: vitriol, nitre, spirit of salt (three times),
kettle.
The third sign that appears on the lower right is Mercury.
Press: cinnabar, fire, kettle.
The fourth is distilled vinegar ("plus" sign with dots).
Press: vinegar, distillation, kettle.
The fifth and the last is liquor hepatis. Press: sulphur,
lime, distillation, sal ammoniac, kettle.
The door will open, leading the way to the Secret Lab of the
Penvellyns.
---+++---
12. ACTIVATING THE FORGE: AEOLUS AND THE FOUR WINDS -
THE SIX COLUMNS - THE GARGOYLE AND THE WAND
In the secret lab, there is a forge. Your task is to
activate this forge. According to a letter found in the lab,
the forge must receive the four elements (air, water, fire,
earth) before it lights up. To activate the air element, you
must win the game Aeolus Catching the Four Winds in the wall
of the secret lab. The wind that blows to the right and
below can be easily caught, but the remaining two (that
blows to the left and up) is very difficult to get.
IMPORTANT NOTE: do not attempt to capture these two strong
winds, just move Aeolus to the safe positions (so that he
will not be swept by the wind into the thorny brambles) and
move near them (but NEVER jump directly on them) until the
winds make the false move, that is they will move into the
position of Aeolus and got caught by themselves. After
winning this game, Nancy will say that the wind has aired
the forge.
Next, you must activate the water element. First you must
activate the Water Panel (see above). Then open the six
columns in the Hall using by the pieces which has been
mentioned above:
Moon Piece - Sun and Moon column
Lightning Piece - Jupiter column
Time Piece - Tempus Fugit column
Mercury wand - Mercury column
Arrowhead - Omnia Vincit Amor column
Knight's Head - Headless Knight column.
Go to the middle of the Hall, and arrange the pipes inside
the columns in the following way (seen from the mid point of
the hall):
Omnia Vincit Amor Sun and Moon Mercury
000
oooo 0 oooo
0 oooooooooooo 0
0 0
Turn round and face the Jupiter column, then arrange the
remaining pipes in the following way:
Headless Knight Jupiter Tempus Fugit
oooo oooo
0 oooooooooooo 0
0 00 0
00
If the combination is right, Nancy will exclaim something to
that effect.
After activating the water element, next you must activate
the fire element. This is done by placing the Mercury's Wand
in your inventory on top of the Red-Eyed Gargoyle near
Linda's room. After the eyes light up (brighter than usual),
go quickly to the gargoyle in Edward Room, do the same
thing. Then turn around, click on the right beam of the
shelf with china on it, slide down to the Hall, turn left
and ... voila! There you will find Ethel Bossiny giving
Nancy a warning. Don't be discouraged, it's part of the
story. Repeat what you have done to the two gargoyles: after
landing on the Hall, turn left and do the same to the third
gargoyle, then hurry to the "drain" in middle of the room
(into which Jane and Ethel has poured some oil) and click on
it. If you do it quick enough, smoke will rise from the
drain. It's the signal that fire element has been activated.
TO MAKE THIS WORK, THE PIPES IN THE COLUMNS SHOULD BE
ARRANGED PROPERLY FIRST.
The activation of earth element the final step. The "earth"
element here is the Great Key below.
13. THE GREAT KEY
After the elements of fire, water and air have been
activated, the next task is to forge a key in the forge in
the secret lab. So what is meant by "earth" here is the
metal, which is mined from the earth. Go back to the secret
lab. In the lab, there's a sort of board with holes
resembling "plus" sign on it. This board serves as mold to
cast the key. Pick it up and bring it to the Hall. These
holes must be opened or closed in certain order. The clue
can be found in the book MUTUS LIBER in Jane's room. In the
book, you can find a drawing showing a board consisting of
twelve cells (4 x 3), each with a symbol in it. Translated
into words, the drawing is like what follows:
Book Lion Five-pointed Dragon
Star
Water Letter T Pegasus Mouth
Drop
Falling Bridge Wind King
Star (Rainbow) Direction Pointing
All of these signs can be found in the coat-of-arms in the
Hall.
Symbol Can be found in the coat-of-arms having
the Motto:
Book "timendi causa ..."
Water Drop "vinctum invideo ..."
Falling Star "in hoc signo"
Lion "audaces ..."
Letter T "age pro viribus ..."
Bridge/Rainbow "minima maxima sunt"
Five-Pointed Star "ludi sine gaudio ..."
Pegasus "pulchritudo ..."
Wind Direction (cannot be found in the hall, must be
taken from Corbin's coat-of-arms in your
inventory. Corbin is the white haired
man whose coat-of-arms is missing)
Dragon "purgamentum exit"
Mouth "per aures ad animam"
King Pointing "Bis vivat ..."
The required signs can be found at both ends of the banner
in each coat-of-arms. For instance, the upper right corner
of the illustration in MUTUS LIBER is occupied by a coiling
dragon. This dragon can be found in one of the coat-of-arms
in the Hall (the one with "Purgamentum Exit" on its banner).
Check both ends of the banner in "Purgamentum Exit", you
will find the sign "|". Therefore, for the upper right
corner of the board, you should depress the middle bar
(making it open) and let the other two shorter horizontal
bars (making it remain closed).
The resulting combination of the board is:
+ |- + |
| -| | -|
+ |- -- -|
After pressing the mould board in the right combination,
it's time to go back to the secret lab. If you have
activated the air, water and fire element, the forge should
be burning by now. Click on the container above the fire,
and the piece of metal on the container (representing the
"liquid earth element" which is mentioned in one of the
letters in the secret lab) will melt. Click it once again
and the liquid metal will pour into the board, resulting in
a kind of flat plate with protrusions on its surface. This
is the Great Key. If the combination is right, Nancy will
say something about it. If not, she will be silent. Put the
key into the big keyhole (hexagonal shape) in the secret lab
and see what happens.
---+++---
14. RESCUING JANE
To rescue Jane, go to the Aeolus game, click on the blue
button, and move Aelous to the leftmost position on the
board. The big statue will move and lift up the trap,
rescuing Jane, and avoiding bad ending.
---+++---
15. THE SECOND CARNIVOROUS PLANT IN THE CONSERVATORY
In the place where Mrs. Drake works, there's another smaller
carnivorous plant (the first is the big one which can
swallow Nancy). Below it, there's a letter that cannot be
read because everytime you try to read it, the plant will
bite Nancy. You can only access this plant at night, when
Mrs. Drake is asleep. Order "Pinky and Perky" from the
telephone in Brigitte Room. Stay clear from the upper story
for a moment (to let the food be delivered by the mysterius
Cockney cook). Go back to the room, eat the food. If you
have tried to touch the carnivorous plant before, Nancy will
keep a piece of turkey in the inventory. Wait until night,
go to the conservatory then feed the carnivorous plant with
meat at night, and it will be tame and you can safely read
the letter.
---+++---
Questions that might intrigue you :
1. What's the relation between the pictures in MUTUS LIBER
with the puzzles in Blackmoor Manor? (except of course,
the penultimate page which provide a clue for the Great
Key).
2. Can you find the blinking monster?
