Solstice

Solstice FAQ by Joshua Harring (harring@student.umass.edu)

Table of Contents
I. Intro
II. Techniques and Potions
III. Walkthrough


I. Intro

Hello! Welcome to my FAQ for this great NES game. It is one of the most
challenging, but enchanting ones that I have played. In this FAQ, there is a
walkthrough for getting through the entire game, and also an explanation of
the various techniques that you must use in order to solve the puzzles.
Enjoy!


II. Techniques and Potions

Kind of a strange heading for this section, but that's what's in here.
Solstice is a game filled with puzzles, and just figuring out the solution is
not enough. You have to actually execute the solution. That can be the
difficult part. Many of the puzzles involve using blocks, and there are
various techniques that you can use with these blocks to help you achieve
success.

1. Jump (press A) - Pretty simple. Shadax jumps. He can jump one "block"
high. You'll notice that each block and platform in this game has a certain
height. I am using the height of blocks as the unit measurement. When Shadax
gets the Magic Boots, he can jump two blocks high. Many puzzles become
difficult/impossible without these boots.

2. Repeated Jump (hold A) - A nice technique is being able to jump repeatedly
by holding down A. This is VERY useful. It allows Shadax to jump quickly
across disappearing platforms, stay in the same place on a conveyor belt,
bound up stairs, and dozens of other uses.

3. Pick Up Block (press B) - When Shadax is standing on a block, he can pick
it up. The block is then in his possession. Shadax can only carry one at a
time, and he cannot take them from room to room. Shadax can pick up a block
anytime he is standing on one, even in mid-air.

4. Drop Block (press B) - If Shadax has a block in his possession, he will
drop it by pressing B. He drops it directly underneath him, so he ends up
standing on it. This is true even in mid-air, and the air Drop Block
technique is often useful for jumping large gaps. Shadax can also drop a
block onto pyramid spikes. The block will not disappear, and Shadax can stand
on it. You'll find this technique to be useful as well. You can even drop a
block onto a monster's head! (Note: You can't drop blocks onto the needle
spikes that line the floor. They will disappear.)

5. Jump and Grab (press A and B) - It's even possible to jump off a block and
pick it up at the same time. Press A and B while standing on a block. Shadax
will jump off it like normal, but he will also take it with him. This is an
important technique that you MUST learn. Practice.

6. Drop and Jump (press B, then A) - In mid-air, you press B to drop the
block, and then immediately press A to jump off of it. Often times you will
combine the Jump and Grab with the Drop and Jump to reach really high places
or jump really long gaps. Remember that Shadax drops a block directly
underneath him, and so gains a little height. Many times that little height
will be just enough. Practice this too.


Shadax also has four Potions at his disposal. He begins the game with two
doses of each, and when he finds a potion lying around, he gains two more
doses of the particular color he picks up. Here is a description of each of
them:

Invincibility (blue) - Just like the name says, it makes Shadax invincible.
Not TOTALLY invincible, however. He will still be killed by spikes. But he
can use this potion to touch monsters without harm, even jumping on their
heads. Sometimes this is necessary to complete a puzzle. Like all potions,
it only lasts for the room you use it in.

Destruction (purple) - This potion will destroy all monsters (and blocks!) in
a room. If you're faced with a particularly difficult set of enemies, then
this is the way to go. However, sometimes the monsters or the blocks in a
room are a necessary solution, so be wise in your use of this potion. Also,
if you use it, leave, and come back, the monsters and blocks will have
returned.

Time freeze (yellow) - This will freeze all of the monsters and moving blocks
in a room. Shadax will still be killed if he touches a monster, however.
This is useful only when you are faced with very fast enemies that you have
difficulty with.

See hidden (green) - This potion will allow you to see any hidden
blocks/platfroms in the room. Sometimes, if you think you are faced with an
impossible jump, use of this potion will clue you in on how to jump. Note
that a hidden platform will appear if you touch it, but there is no way of
knowing where it is unless through experience, trial-and-error, or this
potion.


Many of the enemies in the game have distinct patterns, but some home in
directly on Shadax. It is important to know how your enemies move in order to
find the best way around them. Most enemies can be avoided without using a
potion; the only time you should use one is when consistently dying from them.

The castle is non-linear, but there is a sequence of events that will allow
you to get through the game as quickly as possible. Sometimes you can't go
somewhere without finding a key. There are four different keys to find, and
they each have a specific purpose (e.g. making blocks appear in a room, or
creating an exit somewhere). You don't have to `use' a key; it does its thing
automatically.

You will find credits and hats scattered throughout. Hats are extra lives.
Credits are continues. If you die and continue, you start where you picked up
your most recent credit, with the items you had at that particular time. So
for example, if you had 2 keys, picked up a credit, went on to get another
key, and died and continued without picking up another credit, you'd start
back where you picked up the credit with only 2 keys.

The map you see by pressing Select is invaluable. It will show you all exits
in a room, even if you can't see them. If you see an exit on the map, but not
on the screen, chances are you need a key. Also, if a room is outlined in
white on the map, there is another room above and/or below the room you're in
now. Even with this map, you still should draw your own. The rooms are made
up of `squares', so simple graph paper is useful. You should mark down
important things when you find them, like where keys and items are, what rooms
have the white outline, and so forth. Sometimes, your map won't line up
EXACTLY right. That's okay...I bet it was bad cartography on the part of the
programmers. As long as your map is reasonably accurate, you'll be fine.

The main goal is to find and collect the six Staff Pieces so that you can save
Princess Eleanor. Generally, a Staff Piece is difficult to get to, and will
often involve some pretty high physical dexterity to complete the puzzle and
get it. Practice.

A big problem in this game is depth perception. Because of the isometric 3D
view, and the fact that no objects have shadows, it can be difficult to tell
exactly where something is. Sometimes it's easier to tell the path of a
moving object by watching its entire flight. I will try to explain the rooms
as best as possible, because this game is hard enough already.

Also because of the isometric view, everything is at a diagonal, including the
controls. I will refer to north-east as north, south-east as east, south-west
as south, and north-west as west, in order to remain consistent with the
directional pad.

And now,

THE WALKTHROUGH

1. You'll see Princess Eleanor spirited away by the evil wizard Morbius, and
then you drop into his castle. Take the west exit.

2. This is pretty simple - just walk onto the green moving platform as it
approaches. Ride across to the other side and jump off. Take the west exit.

3. Jump onto the raised platform in the center to avoid the two trolls
wandering the perimeter. Take the south exit.

4. There's nothing in this room except these two blocks. If you want to
practice your techniques, you can do so here. Take the south exit here, and
in the next room as well.

5. Your first key! Repeated Jump up the sinking blocks to reach it. Collect
it, then backtrack to the entrance room again. Take the south exit when you
get back there.

6. Two blocks fall into this room. This is a result of the key you just got.
Stack the two blocks on top of each other so you can reach the east exit.

7. And here's your first credit! You'll also notice that you can't walk in
certain places. The reason for this is that there is a hidden platform in
your way. Simply jump on top of it to make it appear. Take the east exit,
then the north exit in the next room.

8. Now here's your first puzzle. Pick up the block, then jump up the stairs
to the top. Drop the block, and when the troll walks by, push it onto his
head. If you mess up, the block will fall onto the needle spikes and
disappear. No problem. Just exit and reenter the room again. Once it's on
his head, wait for him to come by again, then jump on top of the block on top
of his head. He'll walk you over to the conveyor belt, which you jump on and
then quickly jump off onto the platform with the Magic Boots. Hooray! You
won't lose these boots, even if you die. You can jump back to the ground from
here, and then leave the room. Return to the entrance room yet again. Take
the north exit this time, then the west exit in the next room.

9. Quickly enter the north exit to avoid the trolls walking around. In the
next room, avoid the blob by jumping on the platform with the east exit. Take
that exit.

10. Here you have to run underneath a spikeball. This can be deceptively
difficult. You have to run underneath it when it's at its high point. If
you're off by a little bit, you'll probably die. If you're really having a
hard time with this, use a blue or purple potion. Take the east exit.

11. See that glass ball? When you push it, it goes straight in one direction
until it hits something, then stops. Pick up the block (while avoiding the
troll), then push the ball so it goes north. It will hit the raised platform.
Jump on top of the ball, then onto the platform. Now, drop the block, and
then jump east onto the higher platform so you can reach the east exit. Take
that exit.

12. There's a bunch of creatures running around in this room. Quickly run to
the northwest corner and jump to the platform. You're safe here. You then
have to run for the south exit while avoiding the creatures. If you don't
trust your ability to do so, use a potion. But try not to. Take the south
exit.

13. There are three spikeballs here. One is in the northwest corner, and one
is in the southwest. You don't have to worry about them. The one you have to
worry about is the purple one in the middle of the west wall. This room is
difficult to do without a potion, so you might as well use a purple and
destroy them. If you don't want to, you have to time it so that you fall into
the little pit under the spikeball and jump out before it moves down. Chances
are, you'll fail. Take the south exit, and also in the next room.

14. Aha! A Staff Piece. And you're probably guessing that you'll need to use
the block and troll's head to get to it. Well, you're right. But the
technique is slightly different. What will happen is this: if you push the
block onto the troll's head from the highest platform, when he comes around
again, the block will run into that platform and fall, and you won't be able
to ride it over to the other side. So you have to do this: Stand on the
highest platform. As the troll comes by, fall off it and immediately press B
to drop the block. You have to time this correctly; too early or too late and
you'll miss him and fall onto the spikes (ouch). Anyway, once you get the
block on his head and are riding it over, jump onto the easternmost platform
on the south wall when you reach it. Then jump across the conveyors to reach
the Staff Piece. Okay, but now I said the block will hit the platform and
fall, so now the troll has no block on his head. Right. So how do you get
back? You have to use a blue potion to make yourself invincible. Then you
fall onto the troll's head as he comes by again and ride him back over to the
original side. Welcome to the wonderful world of Solstice puzzles. Leave the
room once you're successful, and head all the way back to the room with the
blob in it (you might have to use some more potions to get past the obstacles
again).

15. Now go south, east, and south. You're back in the entrance room. Go south
and west. The three blobs can't get you as long as you're on a platform, and
the easiest way to get over to the western exit is to jump straight towards
it, making sure no blobs are in your way. Take that exit.

16. We now get to use some of the techniques that you'll need to be adept at
in this game. We have two blocks, and a southern exit that appears to be too
high. (Actually, it looks like one block and one bowl or something, but let's
just uniformly call them blocks.) Here's how to get up to that exit. Take
one of the blocks and put it down next to the platform in front of the
northern exit. Get the other block and jump back on top of that platform,
using the block you put down as a stepping stone. Now, jump south off of the
platform, and in mid-air, use the Drop and Jump technique. Try not to rush
it, there's no penalty if you mess it up, except that you just need to try
again. By jumping off of the block in mid-air, you'll have enough leap to get
atop that high platform. Take the southern exit.

17. Right next to you is a Green Potion. Pick it up. Stand on the square in
front of the door, and jump south to land on the ledge below. Take the
southern exit.

18. Now what? Guess what, this room has hidden platforms in it. You can use
a Green Potion to see them, which is not a bad idea for your first time in the
room. If you're going to be brave (stupid?) and not use the Potion, here's
how to get over to the east exit. From the block you're on, jump south two
squares, i.e. pretending to jump over a one-square gap. You'll land on a
hidden platform, which will appear. Now jump east two squares, landing on
another hidden platform, and then finally to the platform in front of the
eastern exit. Take that exit.

19. Goody. Another hidden platform room. First, jump north two squares, in
other words, towards the northwest corner. Then jump east two squares, and
east two squares again. From here, it's easy to jump to the platform in front
of the east exit. Take that exit.

20. Jump on the hovering block, but jump off to the opposite ledge quickly
before the block sinks too far. Take the east exit.

21. That green block moving up and down is just east of the last block on the
path, and it takes you up into the next room above you. Hop on it. When you
get up to the next room, you'll be standing on a platform, and you'll notice
two blocks fall and disappear. Jump up the "stairs" to the western side of
the room, and on the highest platform, jump up. You'll land on a disappearing
platform and then fall back to this platform. No problem. Jump up again, but
this time Repeated Jump to the east so that you can land on the ledge in the
above room. Now, jump into the space where the second disappearing platform
was. You'll land in the room below, on top of the block that falls onto the
conveyor belt. Quickly grab it and jump to a solid platform. Stand on the
second highest step, put the block down, then perform a Jump and Grab to the
north, followed by a Drop and Jump. If you don't think you can do it at
first, try the techniques in place a few times before attempting to jump the
long gap. If you screw it up, you'll fall down to the first room, but make
sure you land on the ledge instead of the spikes. Once you finally make it
across the gap, take the north exit. Congratulations! Here's your second
Staff Piece. Notice how you can't see the northwest corner of the room (it's
obscured by the tall platform the Staff Piece is on). There is a gap there
which leads to rooms below. Fall down that gap. On the second screen down,
you'll land on a hat, which lands on a platform. Get it and then continue to
fall.

22. You'll land in the castle basement. It consists mostly of many small
rooms, which are easy to get lost in if you aren't mapping. Follow my
directions carefully. From the room you land in, walk west three rooms, south
one, west two, south two, east one, south one, and west two. Here's a Blue
Potion.

23. Now walk east one, south one, east one, and south two. A hat! Yay!

24. Go north two, east two, and north two. This is a teleporter. Stand in it
and press B to be transported to a different teleporter. From where you end
up, walk east two, south one, west two and south one. Get the Purple Potion.

25. Now go north one, east two, north three, and east one. All right, another
credit!

26. Then travel south four, west one, south two, west one, and south one.
Whoa! A Staff Piece! Yes, this is the easiest one to get.

27. Now go north one, east one, north two, east one, north one, east one,
south one, east one, and north one. The two trolls here are slow and easily
avoided. If you need another Blue Potion (remember the maximum is 4 doses),
jump down into the room below at the exact center. You'll land on a platform
with it, amongst a pit of spikes. From there, jump to the perimeter of the
room, and take the Lift Block back up. Take the east exit.

28. You will immediately start being pulled by conveyor belts so Repeated Jump
to counteract the effect. Jump carefully across them over to the north exit.
Be careful, because one of them disappears when you touch it. Take the north
exit.

29. You'll see three spikeballs moving up and down over three holes. You
can't jump down these holes without using a Purple Potion to destroy the
spikeballs first, however. Do that, and jump down a hole (doesn't matter
which).

30. You'll land in a room with a funny-looking object in the northwest corner.
Jump up the platforms over to it. When you jump on it, your weight will press
down on it, causing an explosion. Fortunately, that explosion takes place in
another room. :) Yes, this is a detonator, which blew up a bomb somewhere.
Take the west exit.

31. Jump up the stairs before the skeleton finds you. When you reach the top
step, jump up and west to make it up to the room above you. Three blocks will
fall into this room. Put one of them next to the bed of pyramid spikes for
leverage. Then, grab another, jump on top of the block you put down, then
jump out over the spikes, and drop the block and land on it. It doesn't have
to be a Drop and Jump, because remember that a block doesn't disappear from
pyramid spikes. From the block, jump to the north and land safely. Take the
north exit.

32. See this north exit? It's only there because we blew up the bomb in step
30. If we hadn't blown up the bomb, we would be STUCK. The one block isn't
enough to jump up to the ledge, and we can't get back across the bed of spikes
in the previous room. Luckily, we did blow up the bomb, so all is good. :)
Take the north exit.

33. Jump up the stairs, then carefully over each spikeball (when it reaches
its lowest point). When you make it over to the other side, jump up. You'll
appear on the ledge in the room above you. And here's two free hats! Jump
onto the Lift Block to be taken up to the next room, where there's two MORE
free hats, and a Yellow Potion! Take the south exit. Fall down to the room
below, but be careful of the worms down there. Take the west exit (jump over
the worms if necessary).

34. Walk across the ledge over to the west exit. Take it. Jump these
spikeballs carefully. Don't worry, even though the platforms look like the
disappearing ones, these do not disappear. Reach the west exit and take it.

35. This is simple timing. Jump up the stairs when the enemy moves by. Take
the west exit.

36. We're now back in the room that you fell in when you first got into the
castle basement. Walk west three rooms, south one, west two, south two, and
west one. Here's your second key. Take the west exit.

37. Again, simple timing past the monsters. In the next room, there's a
hidden platform in the center of the room to jump to. From there, jump to the
opposite conveyor belts and into the west exit. In the next room, jump to the
next block when it is lower than you. Then jump into the west exit. Bound up
the stairs and jump up to reach a new area.

38. I like to call this area the Forest because there's lots of trees and
such. Take the west exit, and again in the next room.

39. Run IMMEDIATELY north without stopping so the skeletons dropping in the
room will pass under you. Take the north exit.

40. We want to get up to the north exit in this room. The moving platform is
not high enough, though. Jump to the platform immediately to your west and
grab the block on it. Jump to the next platform to your west and land on top
of the block there. Then, put the block you're carrying down, and then
perform a Jump and Grab followed by a Drop and Jump to be able to get up to
the ledge in front of the west exit. Once you're up there, jump over to the
ledge in front of the north exit and take it.

41. Repeated Jump on the conveyors and maneuver your way over to the west
exit. Again, be careful because some of the conveyors and platforms disappear
when touched.

42. Don't worry about the hat falling down. Jump up the stairs on the south
side, walk on the moving platform, and jump into the west exit.

43. Do a Jump and Grab with a Drop and Jump with the one block here to get up
to the high ledge. Take the north exit.

44. Fall down to the ground and take the west exit. In the next room, avoid
the monsters, but step on the top step of the pyramid to make it disappear.
Fall into the space and press B to get a hidden hat. Jump out and take the
south exit.

45. Use a Purple potion to destroy that spikeball hovering over the gap. Then
jump over to the west exit. In the next room, run over to the west exit when
you have an opening. The spikeball is actually in the center of the room and
won't bother you.

46. Jump on the lift block when it comes down to your level. Ride it up to
the ledge above you. From here jump south and land on the stack of
disappearing platforms, letting them all disappear. Jump to the next platform
west and land on top of the block there. Do a Jump and Grab followed QUICKLY
by dropping the block on the pyramid spikes. Then jump west again and land on
the block there. Pick it up, then do a Drop and Jump to get over to the high
ledge. Take the west exit.

47. The two moving platforms are both moving along the south wall; one is just
higher than the other. Jump on the lower one when it comes near, then as
you're riding on that one, jump straight up onto the higher one as it passes.
Ride that platform over to the west wall, then jump onto the ledge with the
key. Take the north exit.

48. This is a bit tricky; try to jump the next moving platform when it's not
exactly in sync with you. It's easier that way. Make it over to the north
exit.

49. You'll notice an impassable wall here, but there's a credit on your side.
Pick it up. Then go back to the room with the key. Jump from the key ledge
back to the ledge on the east wall, and take the east exit.

50. Jump south onto the corner ledge with the block on it. Stand on the
block, then perform a Jump and Grab followed by dropping the block on the
spikes. Stand on top of the block on the next platform, then jump onto the
stack of disappearing platforms, again letting them all disappear. Then jump
north onto the next platform, and take the east exit.

51. Run to the south exit when you have an opening, making sure that you're
taking the same path as the monsters do. Take the east exit in the next room
(ignoring everything else).

52. Getting down the stairs is easy. Just stand next to one of the walls and
drop down to the next stair when the worm is on the other side. Take the
south exit.

53. The blobs will all converge against this high platform you're on, so you
have nothing to worry about when you jump to the east exit.

54. This part is slightly tricky but not really. Quickly jump up onto the
second stair, then as the troll gets near, jump east and turn north in mid-air
to land on the ledge. You'll have jumped behind him. Take the east exit.

55. This room should look familiar; simply jump over to the ledge north and
take the north exit. In the next room, Repeated Jump on the conveyors again,
but this time take the north exit.

56. Here, run to the west exit when you have an opening. The only reason that
exit is there is because you picked up the third key. It leads to a small
room with a teleporter. Use that.

57. You're now on the side of a wall that's only accessible through this
teleporter. Take the south exit. Ta-daah! A Staff Piece! Now take the east
exit and grab the Purple Potion before going back to the teleporter again.

58. Back in the room with the monsters, run over to the east exit this time.
In the next room, wait for the troll to make the hat on his head run into the
platform, then jump down and grab it, and then take the east exit. Note: the
only reason that exit is there is because you picked up the second key.

59. Jump off the stairs and run to the east exit. You're now back in the
castle again. Yay. Grab the credit here and take the east exit.

60. In here, jump onto the disappearing platforms and quickly enter the north
exit. In the next room, fall to the ground and take the north exit, and again
in the following room.

61. You can use that lift block to get up to the rooms above and get a Blue
Potion, but since you have a full supply of Blue Potion (right?), you don't
need to. Take the east exit.

62. This room's a bit difficult; it's best just to use a Purple potion (which
you should also have a full supply of) and take the east exit.

63. You're now back in the room with the first blob you encountered. Get over
to the north exit, spending as little time on the floor as possible.

64. In this room, wait for the skeletons to reach the ledge you're on, then
jump over them and run to the opposite ledge, and take the north exit.

65. First thing to do in this room is take the east exit and use the
detonator. It blows up an important bomb (aren't they all). Then come back.
Grab the block sitting on the ledge, then walk over to the small set of
stairs. Stand next to them so that you're lined up with the west exit. Put
the block down, then perform a Jump and Grab, then a Drop and Jump so that you
can reach the west exit.

66. In this room, quickly jump south onto the ledge so the monsters can't
reach you. Then jump over their heads and run to the ledge in the northwest
corner. Fall into the space and grab the partially obscured block. Jump out
and stand on the ledge, next to the north wall. Put the block down, then do a
Jump and Grab with a Drop and Jump to get up to the high ledge. Take the
north exit.

67. Pick up the block on the ledge you're on, then jump out over the pyramid
spikes and drop the block on them. Jump over to the opposite ledge and pick
up the block there. Jump, then do a Drop and Jump to get up to the high
ledge, and take the west exit, then take the north exit in the next room,
followed by the north exit again.

68. The lift block is on the northwest side of the pit...try not to fall down
that pit if you can help it. Ride the block all the way up to the room with
the hat. You have to make a tricky jump from the block to the conveyor then
to the ledge. If you mess up, make sure you fall on the perimeter of the room
so that you don't fall down that pit on the ground floor. You actually have
to jump to the lower platform next to the hat. Pick up the hat and take the
south exit. You'll fall, but steer towards the northwest corner so you can
land on a hat falling with you, then maneuver yourself back to the middle of
the north wall so you land on a platform. Take the east exit when you land.

69. Take the north exit to get back to the pit room and then take the east
exit there. Pick up the block here, then jump out over the pyramid spikes and
drop the block on them. Then jump to the ledge on the eastern wall and take
the east exit.

70. There's a credit here. Take the south exit. In the next room, hop on the
moving platform and get off at the ledge with the east exit. Take that exit.
If you want the yellow potion, you can use the block to get up to it, but
yellow potions aren't all that necessary.

71. Quickly run through the two monsters and over to the east exit. Take it.
In the next room, walk on the orange moving platform. Step onto the pink one
when they meet, and from there jump to the ledge. Take the north exit.

72. Jump straight up onto the moving platform when it comes to your side.
Don't fall down the pit yet. Ride the platform to the opposite side and take
the north exit.

73. The best way to dash through this room is to run all the way to the east
wall, then straight north to the corner and finally entering the north exit.
The monsters should not get you that way. Take the west exit in the room
beyond this.

74. Jump onto the purple moving platform, then carefully leap onto the pink
one when you near it. Then jump onto the platform and take the south exit.

75. The block here is falling down disappearing platforms so you must quickly
jump on it and over to the opposite ledge. Take the south exit.

76. The platform in the center of this room will disappear as soon as you
touch it. Be careful. Take the west exit.

77. You'll see a block fall onto spikes. Go over to the west exit, take it,
then re-enter this room. The block will be back. You must carefully time
your jump so that you jump on it and then off it onto the ledge. If you're
too early, you'll run into the block instead of jumping on it and fall onto
the spikes. If you're too late, you won't have enough height to get up to the
ledge and will fall onto the spikes. Once you finally get up there, take the
north exit.

78. Stand on top of the block, then Jump and Grab out over the spikes,
dropping the block on them after you jump. Jump over to the opposite side and
take the north exit.

79. You'll see a block fall onto a disappearing platform and then onto spikes.
You'll also see a Staff Piece be pulled by a conveyor underneath a platform.
What you have to do is jump onto the block as it falls, then grab it out of
mid-air and land on a solid platform. Once you've done that, jump onto the
ledge with the conveyors if you're not already there. Put the block down,
then Jump and Grab and get up to the higher conveyors. Make sure you don't
get pulled by them onto the lower ledge. Put the block down while you're
standing on the high conveyors. It will be pulled by them onto the lower
conveyors, where it will then be pulled so that it pushes the Staff Piece out
where you can get it. Make sure you STAY on the high conveyors until it does
that. Then fall and get the Staff Piece, and then go back to the south exit
and take it.

80. Do the same technique to get past this room again and take the south exit.
Jump from this ledge back to the main one and take the west exit. This is the
room that had the credit in it. Now you need to get back to the room with the
pit I told you not to fall down (go south, east, east, and north). Make sure
you've got 5 staff pieces and 3 keys. Fall down the pit now.

81. You will land in a new part of the castle. Take the south exit. In this
room, we have a giant pit of spikes and one glass ball. First, push the glass
ball WEST. It will hit the slightly raised ledge and stop. Then push it
south, but also hop on it before it goes too far. You'll travel to the
isolated raised platform. Take the south exit.

82. Run through the trolls the FIRST time they separate, then run to the east
exit. If you messed up, go out and come in again. The reason why you have to
run through them so quickly is because the third troll will get you if you
take any longer.

83. Walk down this pathway and take the east exit. Walk down the pathway in
this room, but be wary of the floor in the center of the room. It will
disappear if you touch it. Jump over it and take the south exit.

84. Quickly run to the west exit before the monsters get you. In the next
room, go south and west and into the south exit before the monster roaming
gets you.

85. Jump onto the block on top of the blob. When it moves over to the raised
platform, jump up there and take the east exit. Grab the credit and take the
east exit.

86. Jump from this raised platform south onto the other one. Be careful not
to fall down. Then quickly jump to the south exit when the monster looks the
other way. Jump up the stairs in this room and then jump up to reach the next
room above. Take the south exit in that room.

87. Wait for the spider to go away, then run to the south exit. Now you have
to make a difficult series of jumps over a long stretch of pyramid spikes.
Here's how to do it. Get the block and put it down next to the spikes. Then
Jump and Grab out over the spikes, and drop the block and land on it.
However, the jump is still too far, so you have to Jump and Grab AGAIN, then
land on the block again. After this jump, you should be able to reach the
floor on the east side and take the east exit.

88. Follow the way the trolls are going and get to the east exit and take it.
In the next room, hop onto the purple platform, then when you approach the
southern ledge, jump off onto that. Take the south exit. In the next room,
quickly run and jump over the pursuing blobs and take the south exit.

89. Whatever you do, don't fall down or it'll take you about 15 minutes to get
back up here. Stand on the southern edge of the block you're on. From here,
jump directly east to land on the northern edge of the eastern ledge. Take
the east exit.

90. You have to use these trolls to get up to the high ledge, so use an
invincibility potion. Then stand on the platform and jump on top of their
heads. You can't jump on their heads from the floor, though. You can
actually jump up to the north exit from the second troll's head, so don't
bother with the third one.

91. In this room, there is a block falling down disappearing platforms in the
northwest corner. Yes, you have to jump on that one. Jump from the moving
platform to the conveyor to the ledge. Don't jump immediately to the block
though...there's a certain timing to it. You have to jump to it the instant
it touches the last disappearing platform. Any earlier, and you'll run into
it; any later and it will have touched the spikes and disappeared. So
Repeated Jump to the block at the right time and then onto the ledge to the
east. It may take a few tries. Then jump onto the conveyor and onto the
yellow moving platform so you can enter the east exit.

92. Use these blocks to get up to the south exit. Note: These blocks are
ONLY here because you have all 5 Staff Pieces. If you don't have them all,
these blocks DO NOT appear. I found this out the hard way. *sigh* Anyway,
take the south exit.

93. Run and jump over the worms to get to the east exit. In this room, it
might look like you need to use the ball to get the key, but you don't. Just
jump into the moving platform from the side to screw up its flight and make
the key fall. Don't jump into it from directly below, though, or you'll push
it up with your head out of reach. Get the key and take the east exit. Then
take the south exit in the next room (this is a result of the key).

94. Hitch a ride on the purple moving platform and get over to the west exit.
Don't worry about the yellow potion.

95. More trickiness. You have to grab the block falling out of mid-air before
it lands on the spikes. Use the ball as leverage so you have more time to
grab the block and land on a safe ledge. Even so, you have to do it
immediately. Land on something solid (if it's the moving platform, even
better). Get on the moving platform if you're not there already and put the
block down while you're riding it. You don't need to jump to the teleporter.
Instead you should jump to the ledge on the eastern wall so you can go down
the stairs to the teleporter. When the moving platform approaches that ledge,
do a Jump and Grab followed quickly by a Drop and Jump and land on the ledge.
Then simply go down the stairs and enter the teleporter. Take the north exit
when you re-materialize.

96. The first thing you're going to say when you enter this room is "you've
got to be kidding me". Nope. They aren't kidding you. And guess what else.
There are no hidden platforms either. Although this looks very impossible,
it's not. Jump to the ledge east of you and pick up the block. Stand on the
northeast corner of this ledge and put the block down. Then, surprise, you
must perform a Jump and Grab followed by a Drop and Jump. Try to hold off on
the Drop and Jump part as long as possible because you need the distance. If
you do it too soon you won't have enough to make it over to the northeast
corner. When you make it over that gap, you have to do the SAME thing to jump
from the northeast corner to the northwest corner (the Princess better
appreciate this...). Once you make it through this ordeal, take the west
exit.

97. Grab the credit (yay!). Don't mess around with these spikeballs; just use
a Purple Potion and be on your way through the west exit.

98. Time for more fun. You can't use the blue platform to get across to the
other side; it's not high enough. This is the way I did it - use a Blue
Potion to make yourself invincible. Then jump on top of the spikeball (it's
right next to you). From there, jump to the yellow moving platform. It's
quite a tricky jump, so try hard to make it. If you miss and die, you're out
one dose of a Blue Potion and you only have so many. Concentrate. Once you
land on the yellow platform, ride it over to the west exit.

99. In this room, you can't just jump across all three blocks to the north
exit - they disappear too quickly. You have to jump to the first block, Jump
and Grab off of it, land on the second block, quickly jump north off of that,
then Drop and Jump and get over to the ledge. The things they make us heroes
do. Take the north exit once you get over.

100. The good news: this is the LAST puzzle!!! The bad news: it's also the
hardest. It has multiple parts, and if you mess up one part you have to start
over again. I was about ready to throw my Solstice cart out the window (I
live on the 22nd floor of my dorm) before I finally did this right.
Fortunately, you probably won't die if you happen to mess it up. Probably.

Anyway, here's what you have to do. Jump on the lift block and ride it up to
the next room. In this room, notice the disappearing platforms on the other
side. Continue riding up into the 3rd room. The block will reach a peak next
to this ledge and then start going down again. When the block is at its
highest point, jump east off of it, aiming to land on the disappearing
platform in the southeast corner of the 2nd room. Repeated Jump north off of
it and land on the stairs. Stand on the west edge of the top stair and jump
up and north to land on the ledge in the 3rd room.

Now you're guessing that you will have to use the ball to get over to the lift
block. And you're right. But you have to push the ball at a certain time.
Why? Because you have to make it so that the lift block also pushes the ball
up with you! If you're not also standing on the ball when riding the lift
block, you won't have enough height to get up to the 4th room. So, watch the
lift block. When it reaches its highest point and starts coming down, push
the ball west and hop on. If you did it right, the block will be underneath
you when you reach it and it will push you up. When it stops pushing you,
jump up and east off of the ball to reach the 4th room.

Now comes a real bitch. There is a block falling in this room in the
northwest corner of the pit in this room, two squares east of the ball. You
have to grab it by jumping on it as it falls, picking it up, and landing on
solid ground. If you mess up and don't grab it (easy to do), you will have to
fall back down again. Hesitate a FRACTION of a second, then jump south on top
of the block, grab it, then land on a ledge. It's ridiculously hard and will
take you quite a few tries. When you mess up (notice I said when and not if),
if you didn't fall, go to the northeast corner and fall there so that you can
land on the ledge with the ball back in the 3rd room. Then use it to get back
up here. If you did fall, try to angle towards the east wall so you can try
to land on a platform instead of falling all the way back to the ground again.
Keep trying and you'll eventually grab the block.

Got it? Good. The rest is simple. Push the ball east so it goes over to the
east wall. Then go over there and push it south while hopping on to go to the
corner. Then jump west over to the ledge and go up the stairs. Put the block
down, then Jump and Grab off it to get up to the high ledge. Put it down,
then jump up and north off it to get up to the 5th room. Just jump up the
stairs in that room and get the 6th Staff Piece! HOORAY!!!! It makes you
permanently invincible. All you have to do now is fall back down to the
ground floor and enter the exit which will have appeared. You then defeat the
evil wizard, save the Princess, yadda yadda yadda, and they lived happily ever
after.




Note that you don't have to explore every room to save the Princess; in fact,
my completion percentage at the end of the game was 70.11% (189 rooms). I
don't know if there is a special ending or some other bonus for getting 100%.
If anyone out there does, feel free to email me.


This FAQ was written me, Joshua Harring (harring@student.umass.edu). It may
not be used for promotional or money-making purposes. If you wish to post it
on a website or homepage, please print it in its entirety, including this
disclaimer. Thanks to CJayC of www.gamefaqs.com for posting this.