S H E R L O C K H O L M E S
(The Riddle Of The Crown Jewels)
(Infocom)
(As played on Atari St with PC Ditto Utility)
You start outside Holmes' house in response to a call from Mrs Hudson. You
are wearing a coat, hat, and have a whistle and black bag. The pocket of
your coat contains a #1 note.
The bag contains two bottles; a blue one (digitalis leaf for Tachycardia
and other accelerated arrhythmias) and a brown one (belladonna for
Brachycardia and other decelerated arrhythmias).
Remove hat and examine it to see a stethoscope inside. Get it (+1)
Knock on the door. Mrs Hudson answers it and says Mr Holmes hasn't eaten or
slept for 3 days. A visitor has called on important government business and
is waiting in the parlour. She won't let you enter the parlour till you've
seen Holmes.
Go to Holmes' room. he is sitting on the sofa holding a phial of colourless
liquid and has his hand on a hypo in a morocco case.
[Note that if you shoot the phial, Holmes licks the drops of liquid from
his fingers. If you do this several times, you shoot him! He won't let you
take the phial or hypo]
Get tobacco from slipper (+1), get pipe (+1), get newspaper (+1).
"Read newspaper to Holmes"; he glances at it and his eye falls on the
article about the Tower of London being closed. (+5). He calls for a tray
of food and sits and looks at you.
Mrs Hudson shows the visitor in. He has come from the Tower (as Holmes
guesses). The Crown Jewels have been stolen Thursday night. All that was
left was a verse. The visitor gives Holmes a piece of paper to look at.
Holmes glances at it and gives it to you. "Read paper".
Mortality, behold a fear!
What a change of flesh is here.
Think how many royal bones
Sleep within this heap of stones.
Here they lie, had realms and lands,
who now want strength to stir their hands.
For two score years, I reigned alone,
A Virgin Queen on England's throne.
My navy caused Armarda's shame
And with me died the Tudor name.
The apple sorely tempted Eve,
And Tell another tried to cleave
But when one fell, it showed to me
The mighty pull of gravity.
My father, it was said, would die
Beneath the Holy City's sky.
Jerusalem his body claimed
And it's after him I'm named.
Oh Stately holmes of England
In Baker Street abide.
For even you must surely fail
To save your country's pride.
"Ask Holmes about paper"; he says the references are very obvious.
The visitor says the calamity can only be hidden till 9am on Monday. If the
regalia aren't back at Buckingham Palace by then, all is lost. Holmes gets
his hat and coat from the bedroom and says he'll wait outside.
Go into the bedroom. The ampoule is of etherium which is highly volatile
and must not be opened in the presence of fire. Get lamp (+3), get
magnifying glass (+1).
Go to parlour and get matchbook (+1). Outside, Holmes says we must follow
the trail but there will probably be traps. So if you lead the way, he will
be thrown off the scent. After a few moves, he tells you to keep the
ampoule well hidden.
"Light lantern" so you can see where you're going once outside. Go to
Westminster Abbey and wait till it opens.
Go inside and get the pacquet (+1) and crayon (+1). Inside the pacquet are
sheets of coloured paper (brown, green, blue, yellow, orange, white).
Having read the verse at the start, you know you must make 3 brass
rubbings. These are of Newton, Queen Elizabeth 1 and Henry V. Go to each of
these three tombs and at each, get a piece of paper from the pacquet (any
colour), "put paper on tomb, rub paper with crayon, get paper". If you
"touch inscription" on each of these tombs, it feels sticky. The others
feel normal.
Go to the British Museum and into the manuscript room. The librarian keeps
talking and distracts you from whatever you try to do. "Ask librarian to be
quiet"; he apologises and leaves the room. "Get old book, examine it";
äSecret Writing and Invisible Inks. "Open old book"; it falls open at the
introduction," read it"; Invisible writing has a long and honourable
history. It is used primarily when it is felt that a code or cypher may be
too easily broken. Most invisible inks are somewhat sticky to the touch and
virtually all of them become visible when exposed to moderate heat.
Go back to the abbey to the Evangelist chapel. As you enter you are told
that you wonder what makes this room seem different from the others.
"Examine room"; you see lots of candles and realise the room is warm. "Warm
(colour) paper with candles"; in each case, something appears on the back
of it. "Read back of (colour) paper" to read each one.
The one from Newton's tomb reads:
London Bridge is falling down.
All that's under it will drown.
With it falls Victoria's reign,
Britannia ne'er to rule again.
When a number you require,
And you're banking all thereon,
Subtract the conquest from the fire,
Half a league, half a league, half a league on.
The one from Elizabeth's tomb reads:
Hickory Dickory Dock,
Your enemy is the clock,
When it strikes nine,
The victory is mine,
Hickory, dickory dock.
Here comes a candle to light you to bed,
Here comes a chopper to chop off your head.
The one from Henry's tomb reads:
Twinkle, twinkle,
Son of Mars,
Fought at sea, midst masts and spars.
Now above the world so high
Looking down with watchful eye.
Twinkle, twinkle, Son of Mars,
England's hero, Prince of Mars.
Pussy cat, pussy cat, where have you been?
I've been to the tower to look at the queen.
Pussy cat, pussy cat, what did you there?
I left something for you, go back if you dare.
Holmes says Moriarty is responsible. We must solve the clues to see what he
has in mind for us.
Go to Covent Garden; a girl has collapsed. "Wear stethoscope, use it on
girl"; he heartbeat is very fast. "Open blue bottle", you see an orange
pill and some cotton balls. "Give orange pill to girl"; she recovers and
puts a carnation in your buttonhole before she leaves (+5)
Go to Bird Cage Walk. When you are offered a telescope to buy, "haggle with
vendor". He says you can have it for 19/6. "Haggle with vendor"; he says
19/-. "Buy telescope, He gives you a shilling change (+1)
Go to Trafalgar Square and "examine Nelson through telescope"; you see a
ruby in his blind eye. Go to the pet shop and "ask Sherman for pigeon"
(+1). "Ask Sherman about pigeon"; he says it's very clever. Just show it
what you want, tell him to get it and it will. But it only seems to like
red things.
Go to Trafalgar Square. "Show ruby to pigeon"; it looks interested.
"Pigeon, get ruby"; it quivers with excitement. "Drop pigeon"; it flies up,
gets the ruby and circles. Go back to the shop. "Ask Sherman for pigeon";
he says it's too young to fly again today but it came back with a ruby and
gives it to you (+5). "Examine ruby"; it has a scratch on it. "Examine
scratch"; it looks like tiny writing. "Examine scratch through glass"; it
says wear a carnation.
(Note: if you don't show the pigeon the ruby, it circles, flies back to the
shop and Sherman gives you a piece of red glass it picked up but he won't
let you take it again)
Holmes says it isn't part of the crown Jewels but was stolen from the Agra
Treasure in India many years ago. We are in great danger. He gives you a
signet ring and says if anything happens to him, take it to Mycroft at the
Diogenes Club. He'll tell you what to do (+1) This happens when you collect
the first gem.
Go to Clock Tower. You can see a sapphire on the clapper of the bell. "Put
balls in ears". When the clapper swings towards you, "get sapphire", it
swings away again so do it again. You get the sapphire (+5). Examine
sapphire"; there's a scratch on it. "Examine scratch"; it looks like
writing. "Examine scratch through glass"; you see 2.00am.
Go to Scotland Yard. If you "search (Bligh's) boat" in the Black Museum,
you find an oar (+1). Go to the boat at Embankment. It only has one oar. To
use it, you must "get into boat, lift anchor, launch boat". If you row with
one oar, you go in circles. If you "wait", you drift downstream but can
land at Traitors' Gate. But the portcullis is lowered and you can't get in.
You can also go under London Bridge though you can't land, just "drop
anchor".
If you "examine bridge", you see a clump of moss lodged among the supports.
"Examine moss"; it's a different colour from the other lichens around. If
you try to get it, it's too high and if you hit it with the oar, it falls
into the water, an opal drops out and vanishes from view.
Wait till high tide (about 8.38pm on saturday) and "get moss"; it crumbles
and you are left holding an opal. "Examine opal"; has a scratch on it.
"Examine scratch with magnifying glass"; you see the words password:
swordfish. "Raise anchor, row west" twice till you're back at embankment.
When you arrive, the man whose boat it is turns up grumbling and takes the
boat somewhere safe!!
Note, this password isn't the one for the Tower.
Go to Madame Tussauds. If you try to enter with "n", the guard says you may
enter but you may not take a light in with you so you must drop the lamp
and matchbook. But you need a light inside.
To do it, "put tobacco in pipe, open matchbook, get match, light it, light
tobacco with match, drop match". You can now use the light of the pipe for
a limited time inside. Drop lamp, north (+1)
Inside, Holmes notices some ash. "Ask Holmes about ash"; he says to note
the texture, it's the ash of a trichinopoly cigar made from the dark
tobacco that only grows in the Madras area of India. Our mastermind has an
Indian accomplice who does his dirty work for him.
There are several statues. "Examine statues" to see King John, Sir Francis
Drake, Sir Walter Raleigh and William the Conqueror. Examine John; he is
signing the Magna Carta at Runnymede in June 1215. Examine Drake; finishing
his game of bowls. Examine William: kneeling on the sands at Pevensey Beach
when he landed before the battle of Hastings in 1066. Examine Walter; he's
putting his cloak over a puddle for Elizabeth to cross. Search and look
behind each statue. You find nothing.
The sign says Chamber of Horrors and you can only go in if you have a
light.
Inside are some more statues. "Examine statues"; they are of Guy Fawkes,
Charles 1 and Thomas a Becket. "Examine Guy"; he's carrying a torch as he
is waiting for the signal to light the gunpowder. "Get torch". "Examine
Charles", ignore the axe you see. "Examine Thomas", the knights are
entering with swords drawn.
The tobacco isn't hot enough to light the torch and the guard takes the
torch and axe from you if you try to leave. So "light clue paper with
tobacco, light torch with clue paper".
Back at the statue of Charles, if you try to "remove head", it wobbles
slightly. Holmes says his head wasn't screwed on right even when he was
alive. "Unscrew head from statue"; you take it. "Melt head with torch"; it
melts into a puddle of wax on the floor. You see a gem in it. It's an
emerald. Get it. "Examine emerald"; has a scratch on it, "examine scratch
with magnifying glass"; you see 20/6/87.
Go to the Bank. The guard is jangling some keys in his pocket while he
watches some urchins play. One looks familiar. "Examine urchin"; it's
Wiggins. if you ask him to do something, he says it's a shilling. He won't
move from that location. "Give shilling to Wiggins"; he says what do you
want him to do. "Wiggins, get keys."
He distracts the guard and gives you something. he says he hopes it's ok
but it's all he could get (+1). It's a key. "Examine key"; it says master
on it.
If you try to go north, the guard stops you and says not to think about
trying to bribe him. "Give ruby to guard"; he takes it and says another
would be nice. "Give sapphire to guard"; he says it isn't worth the risk
for just two gems. "Give emerald to guard"; he says, one more and you're
in. "Give opal to guard"; he says you can go in.
Inside, you see a vault door which is locked. "Examine door", there's a
dial on it. "Wear stethoscope, listen to dial" then "turn dial right" twice
till you hear a click, "turn dial left" till it clicks, "turn dial right"
twice, it clicks and opens.
Go into the vault. It is full of safety deposit boxes. "Find box 600";
(from the verse, 1666 minus 1066 or from the Charge of the light Brigade
poem) it's right in front of you.
"Unlock box with key"; you see a topaz inside. "Get topaz, examine it,
examine scratch with magnifying glass"; it says Bar of Gold.
As you leave, Holmes is kidnapped. Wiggins comes up to you and says he will
do anything to help get him back and follows you from now on.
Go to the Diogenes Club. Inside, the butler asks if he can help. "Ask for
Mycroft Holmes"; he leaves, returns and says Mycroft Holmes asked for the
token you have to prove you are who you claim to be. Give it to him and he
will take it to him. "Give ring to butler"; he leaves and Mycroft Holmes
turns up. He says to solve the mystery, go to the Tower and use the
password, Parr.
Go to Tower of London: A sign outside says it is closed. The yeoman won't
let you pass unless you tell him the password. "Yeoman, Parr"; he lets you
in (+3). Go to the Jewel Room, "examine weapon"; a mace. Get it (+1).
Go to Bowyer Tower and "examine keg"; brimming over with malmsey and
leaking through the bung. You can't get the bung as it's too tight. "Hit
bung with mace"; it flies across the room, the malmsey leaks out on the
floor. "Examine keg"; there's a garnet at the bottom. You can't get it as
your shoulders are too broad and your arms too short. "Wiggins, get
garnet"; he does so and gives it to you (+5).
"Examine garnet", has a scratch on it. "Examine scratch with magnifying
glass"; it says give me to Akbar.
The Yeoman won't let you leave the way you came in so you must leave
through Traitors Gate. If you "look through gate"; you see the rowing boat
the other side. But if you try to pull the chain, it doesn't budge as you
aren't heavy enough to raise it. Go to the armour and "wear armour", go
back and "pull chain"; the gate raises and stays up (1). "Get paddle" (+1)
The oars have gone from the boat so "paddle west" several times to get back
to embankment. The man takes his boat again and vanishes down the river as
he has no means of propelling it!
Go to the Bar of Gold. Outside, "remove hat, put ampoule in hat, wear hat";
this is because everything will be taken from you inside but you want to
retain the ampoule and your hat won't be touched.
Wiggins won't enter the Bar of Gold. He waits outside.
Wait till 2am Monday. In the Bar of Gold, "proprietor, swordfish"; he goes
into a back room and returns with an Indian in a turban. He glances at your
head, says his name is Akbar and asks how he may help. "Give garnet to
Akbar"; he takes and examines it and asks you to give everything you have
to him. Then he blindfolds you, leads you down some corridors to Moriarty's
Lair. He locks the door, puts the key on Moriarty's desk and puts most of
what you were carrying on the floor (+5)
Holmes is there, tied to a chair. The Crown Jewels are on the desk. He says
that Moriarty and he were talking about why he led us on this chase and if
you ask him, he will be pleased to fill you in as well. "Ask Moriarty about
the jewels"; he says he stole them at the request of a foreign government
to wish to bring down the british Empire.
"Remove hat"; Akbar averts his gaze at this sacrilegious act, you see the
ampoule inside. "Hold breath"; Holmes sees you do this and does the same,
this is so you don't get overcome too. "Get ampoule"; Moriarty shouts at
Akbar that he should have taken that from you. Akbar comes towards you.
"Break ampoule"; everyone but Holmes collapses. "Untie holmes, tie Moriarty
and Akbar"; then you breathe and collapse. Note you only have 2 moves and
if you don't tie up both of them, you will fail in your task.
When you come round, it is 8.30am. Akbar and Moriarty and awake and
struggling to get free. "Get key, get whistle, get jewels" (+10). "Unlock
door, open door, N" you are now on London Bridge.
"Blow whistle" twice so the hansom cab comes and not the growler cab (who
never takes you to the right place). "Enter cab"; the cabbie says äwhere
to? Ç "Buckingham Palace"; he takes you there quickly. Outside, you see a
Palace Guard. "Show jewels to guard"; he takes them, you are shown in by
the Prime Minister to be congratulated by the Queen (+1)!
(Note:- I found at one stage that even though I didn't have the topaz any
more, I still had its scratch. When I entered the lair, the scratch was
dropped on the floor and then any redescription of the scene eg on
restoring caused the game to crash. Without the scratch, this didn't happen
so I concluded the scratch was causing the problem.)
Scoring.
Get stethoscope +1
Get tobacco +1
Get pipe +1
Get newspaper +1
Read newspaper to Holmes +5.............9/100
Get lamp +3
Get magnifying glass +1
Get matchbook +1...............................14/100
Get pacquet +1
Get crayon +1
Read first bit of invisible writing +5.........21/100
Help girl in Covent Garden +5..................26/100
Buy telescope for 19/- +1
Ask Sherman for pigeon +1
Get ruby +5....................................33/100
Get ring from Holmes +1........................34/100
Get sapphire in clock tower +5.................39/100
Find oar in Bligh's boat +1
Get opal +5....................................45/100
Enter Madame Tussauds with pipe lit +1
Light torch from clue paper +4
Get emerald +5.................................55/100
Wiggins gives master key to you +1
Give last gem to guard +3
Open vault door +3
Get topaz +5...................................67/100
Get password from Mycroft +1...................68/100
Enter Tower using password +3
Get mace +1
Get garnet +5
Pull chain wearing armour +1
Get paddle +1..................................79/100
Give garnet to Akbar +5
Get jewels +10
Blow whistle twice +5
Show jewels to guard and finish +1.............100/100!
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