Curse: The Eye of Isis
for PC and Xbox
Spoiler-free FAQ/Walkthrough v.0.2
by Michael Kelehan
mkfaqs2 at hotmail dot com
January 21, 2004

_________________
Table of Contents
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯

I.    Introduction
II.   Walkthrough
       a. Museum as Darien
       b. Museum as Victoria
       c. Museum as Darien again
       d. Ship as Darien
       e. Ship as Victoria
       f. Pyramid as Darien
       g. Pyramid as Victoria
       h. Final Battle
III.  Weapons
IV.   Enemies
V.    Items
VI.   FAQ
VII.  Update History
VIII. Closing

_______________
I. Introduction
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
Hello and welcome to the internet's first Curse FAQ. This guide covers both the
PC and Xbox versions.  The PS2 version is basically the same, I assume, but if
there's anything different, let me know.  I can't play that, since it wasn't
ever released in the US.

This FAQ is also as spoiler-free as possible.  I want to be as specific as
possible with instructions on how to proceed with the game, but I won't reveal
anything that I don't have to, so you can freely seek help and still enjoy the
story.  There's really only one revelation the whole time, and not only is it
right before the end, but it doesn't make a lick of sense.

_______________
II. Walkthrough
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯

<a. Museum as Darien>

First, you'll want to take the OIL LAMP.  It's on the right side of the room,
lighting up the wall.  Notice that the Darien's head turns towards it.  Always
watch your character's head; when it turns to something, you want to check it
out.  If you check your map, you can see that all doors are red except one,
meaning you've only got one way out.  Take it.

Continue on through the hall and down the stairs, until you reach the basement
and talk to Abdul.  Wow, that's some great lip synching... I wish it lasted the
whole game.

Use Abdul to save and manage your inventory.  He's got MENTHOL and SMELLING
SALTS; take them.  Take the LETTER from the desk.  Leave the room the way you
didn't come in (south door).  Through the hall and outside, search the body for
the TRUNCHEON, your most trusty weapon for the next seven hours of your gaming
life.  Equip it and move on.  Beat the undead, search his corpse, and get the
PADLOCK KEY.  Go all the way back to the entry room.  On the way, you'll see
an Undead snacking on a guy.  The snacker has SMELLING SALTS, but the snackee
has nothing, so get the salts and move on.

Use your PADLOCK KEY on the door in the southeast corner of the entry room.
The most talkative Undead in the game is in here; kill him for the key to the
Atrium.  Grab the MENTHOL and the document on the table, and go to the Atrium.
It's the only door in the entry hall you haven't used.  Once you go through,
you'll never have to go back through it... so don't.

Grab the document stuck to the wall; it's the coolest one in the game.  Go up
the stairs, and grab the CROSSBOW BOLTS on the walkway where Le Chat was taking
potshots at you.  There are 5 doors on the top floor.  2 are locked, 2 are
covered in curse gas... so take the other.  Remember, you never have to go
through curse gas, so don't.  Into the Natural History Museum with you.

RIFLE on the floor!  Grab!  BULLETS on the corpse!  Acquire!  In the door!

Oh no, a Goon!  Kill it.  I know you want to use your new Rifle, but it's much
easier to zigzag towards him (so he can't get a clean shot off), then lock on
to him with the Ready Weapon button and bludgeon him to death.  Try to circle
him while whacking so you can have him constantly trying to face you.  Then
he can't hurt you, but you can hurt him... and how.  He's got the TORTURE ROOM
KEY.  Go back to the Atrium and use that key on the bottom floor to get into
the Torture Room, oddly enough.

You'll run into our friend Abdul, who will let you save your game.  Always take
advantage of this particular generosity.  Also, drop off your CROSSBOW BOLTS;
you won't be getting the bow for some time.

Release the bolt on the left side of the stocks to try to help the guillotine
guy.  You can guess how that ends up.  Offing him curses up the Iron Maiden,
which gives you... another Undead!  That's how many now?  Anyway, kill him and
get the RUSTY CRANK from his corpse.  Use that crank in the E. A. Poe pendulum
in the back of the room.  Then move the frig out of the way, and a new path
shall open.  Take it.

BULLETS on the ground, SMELLING SALTS on the corpse, get both.  Move on.

Room o' goons.  Killing them is optional, but will yield SMELLING SALTS and two
packs of BULLETS.  Go in the one available door.  Ingore the Undead and head
into the Library.

DESK DRAWER KEY on a half-table on the left wall, please make it yours.  Use it
on the desk that asks for it in the same room to get Vicky's Notes, and summon
our buddy Abdul.  Head to the far section of the library and up the stairs. You
won't believe this, but the doorway with the bookshelf in it contains a secret
passage!  Click on it and say "yes" to open her up.  Run all the way through
the top section of the library.  At the end is a button you should push, and a
door you should enter after that.  Down the stairs with you.  There are some
pages by the safe you can take if you wan, but what you really want is the WEST
WING CORRIDOR KEY on the short bookshelf.  Exit, and check out the clock behind
Abdul.  The TORN SCRAP OF PAPER that drops out may be of some safe-related use
later, judging by the contents, wouldn't you say?

Head back out of the library into the room of Goons.  Use the key you just got
on the eastern door.  Through the hall, into the Room of Stairs.  In the middle
of this room is a shortcut to the Atrium; remember it.  One of the enemies in
the middle part here has MENTHOL, and a corpse on the eastern top floor has
BULLETS.  The Undead on the eastern bottom floor has SMELLING SALTS, so kill
him and grab them before entering that door to the Hall of Remembrance.

Head north to get some BULLETS on the floor and MENTHOL on the corpse, before
being headed off by curse gas.  Go all the way south, and note that the door to
the Heat and Combustion exhibit is here.  Press the button to call the elevator
and hop in.

Couple of mummies here.  Rifle one and Truncheon the other, in that order, or
just ignore the both of them.  Ascend the north stairs, and keep heading north.
Kill the mummies, and take the AMULET from the ground and the PISTOL from the
cop, before heading back to the area you just saw clear of curse gas, where
Abdul now waits for you.  Save with him and open the door behind him to see the
Osiris Collection.

Mummies are swinging at a door; show them who's boss, then grab the AMULET
that's dropped.  Through the door they were swiping with you.  It says Staff
Only, but if you went through, I'm sure no one would care.

Mummy with an AMULET, corpse with BULLETS.  Go through this room to find a room
packed with Mummies, who all must die at your hand.  Don't forget the AMULET
dropped.  Kemble is behind a door, and he won't talk to you until you get his
GLASSES.  Look at the map and note where he is, because you'll need to return
as soon as you get said GLASSES.  You can take the southern door if you want
MENTHOL, BULLETS, and SMELLING SALTS (recommended), but to progress with the
game, go back to the Osiris Collection.  You can go in the Southeast door for
two sets of BULLETS and Abdul, but no matter what you want to go upstairs and
to the main Osiris Collection.

The curse invades the spiky slammy door thing, which can only mean bad things.
I suggest you take KEMBLE'S SPECTACLES from the desk and return them to Kemble
post haste.  He's down the stairs, west, and through the hall.

Use the SPECTACLES on the door.  Darien will set them on the ground, and use
his magical telekenetic powers to make them magically float to Kemble.  After
a conversation, he uses the same powers to suck the HEAT AND COMBUSTION
EXHIBITION KEY towards him.  Grab it and head back to the elevator (directly
north on your map).  Once the elevator lowers you, turn right and use the key
to enter the Heat and Combustion Exhibition.

For my money, any curse that uses its mystical (mystikal?) powers to play a
gramophone is a very lame curse indeed.  Someone's there, but doesn't want to
move unless you turn on the lights, so do so with the big lever.  Take out the
Goons, watching out for the spinny thing in the middle.  It'll hurt.  One of
the goons has BULLETS.  The body by the purple death rays has the long-titled
KEY TO THE STAFF ROOM FOR THE HEAT AND COMBUSTION EXHIBITION.  Run to the other
side of the death rays, being careful to not get hurt by them.  The best way to
do this is to start running as soon as the one closest to you stops zapping.
Once on the other side, grab the Flamethrower and use the key to enter the
room.

Body on the ground has SMELLING SALTS, but the real interest here is the STAFF
BOOK on the desk.  There's also an EMPTY FUEL CANISTER, which can be filled
with paraffin at any paraffin cooler.  Paraffin is your ammo for the
Flamethrower, so it's good to keep a full one of these whenever carrying the
Flamethrower.

Exit the room and watch some postmortem revenge.  Getting past the purple death
rays will be a little harder this time, but if you start running as soon as the
ray closest to you stops, you'll make it.  Just don't run into the spinner of
doom in the center of the room.  Go back to Kemble.

Once in Kemble's room, move the bookshelf by going to the left of it, pressing
against it, and then holding the action button.  Inside is the EGYPTIAN ROOM
KEY, which you use in the main Osiris Collection, so go there, up the stairs to
the east.

Oh, no, didn't see that coming.  Off the Mummies, and push the pillar on the
left of the spiky squishy slammer to the right to deactivate it.  Use the
EGYPTIAN ROOM KEY on the door and enter.

Bodies with BULLETS and MENTHOL, score!  First Mummy in the next room has
nothing, but the next has an AMULET.  You'll then run into a friendly bobby who
doesn't want to let you into the Isis Collection, but that all changes.  I'm
not saying he dies or anything... but search his corpse for the NEW COLLECTION
KEY, and use it on the door beyond.

Flame up the Mummies for a pair of AMULETS.  There's a paraffin cooler on the
western edge of the room, but where we want to go is the Isis Room in the
center.

Raid the corpse for BULLETS, then go to the next room and grab the document
that may give you an idea of what's going on here.  Abdul gives you the 
DECORATIVE WOODEN HANDLE and asks you to go to the Natural History Exhibition,
and that's exactly what you're going to do, if I have anything to say about it.
To get there, go back to the Room of Stairs by heading east three rooms, then
go to the Atrium in the center door.  The door immediately east of you as you
enter the Atrium takes you to Natrual History.

Once in Natural History, there are some goons with BULLETS and MENTHOL, on the
ground, so take them.  Enter the big door by them to find some goons with
BULLETS and SMELLING SALTS, as well as a paraffin cooler.  Fill 'er up, and
move on.

Now we're in the Bears Room, or Room of Bears.  Shouldn't there be a bear in
the middle display case?  No matter; you can move cases without bears in them.
So, grab onto the left side and slide it to the right.  Oh no!  Boss time!

When a bear runs at you, you dodge it.  Shoot at it often.  When it stands to
attack, be sure to get a clean shot at its belly; that's where you do the big
damage.  Don't be afraid to heal.  As you'll discover, boss battles in this
game can take time... and you have to do this one twice, because there's two
bears.  Good luck.  Maybe it's just me, but it seems like the second bear
exposes his weak spot more often, so that's nice, right?

Once you've downed both bears, use the DECORATIVE WOODEN HANDLE on the wall you
revealed before being rudely interrupted by bear 1.  That'll take you to a
hidden passageway with BULLETS and MENTHOL.  Go back into the Bear Room and go
towards the northernmost case, where bear 2 attacked.  Our Man Abdul will greet
you, give you no new information, but let you save.  Push the case to the right
and use the HANDLE to enter the better part of the passage.

Well, nice to meet you, finally.  What the hell you're doing back here, I'll
never know.  She gives you a DECORATIVE CLOCK PIECE, and asks you to take it to
the Library, so do so.  You can access her inventory, but don't worry about
giving her anything.  Go down the stairs in front of you.  It looks like you'll
pass through curse gas, but you won't, and you'll get an AMULET on the way.
Press the lever on the right wall to open the hidden passage to the Library.

Go to the clock on the lower floor of the Library, batting Goons along the way.
All you'll get for beating them is BULLETS.  Use the DECORATIVE CLOCK PIECE on
the clock to get the second part of the combination, and take that to the safe
in the northeastern part of the Library.  Combine the two torn scraps in your
inventory (they're Documents, not Items), and use them on the safe.

<b. Museum as Victoria>

Get yourself some weapons and healing items from Abdul.  Head down the stairs
to the Library to investigate what just happened.

Go to the left as soon as you enter, and down the stairs to the safe.  If you
hug the safe, you'll avoid the curse gas.  Inside are an ARTEFACT POT, medical
notes, and the DISEASE AND MEDICAL EXHIBITION KEY.  Hug the bookshelves to go
around the outside of the curse and to the right, where you'll find ol' Darien,
looking heroic as always.  You can open his inventory just like Abdul's, so
feel free to steal some ammo or healers.  Exit back to the secret passage, then
head up the stairs and north, to the Disease and Medicine Exhibition.

Go north, and grab the SMELLING SALTS and, most importantly, the BUCKET OF
WATER.  Use your key on the eastern door.  There's some MENTHOL on the right.
What you're really here for, though, is the PESTLE & MORTAR all the way at the
end of the room.  Run back and you'll trigger a cutscene.

Combine the three ingredients for the cure (ARTEFACT POT, PESTLE & MORTAR, and
BUCKET OF WATER), and use them on Darien.  Where should we go?  The Room of
Stairs, you say?  Let's do it!

To be continued...

____________
III. Weapons
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯

CROSSBOW
Found: Info forthcoming.
Description: Quick with so-so power, unless you equip it with Explosive
Crossbow Bolts, in which case it's awesome.

FLAMETHROWER
Found: Heat and Combustion exhibit
Description: Had basically unlimited ammo, since its fuel canisters can be
refilled at any paraffin cooler, but it's not too powerful.  It does gradual
damage, meaning you could light someone ablaze and then have them die a few
seconds later.  Not too bad when fighting a pack of the undead.

MORTAR GUN
Found: Info forthcoming.
Description: Really powerful, really slow.  Holds 3 rounds that take a while to
reload, and you can't move while you do it.  It causes an explosion on impact
that hurts you too, so keep your distance.  Does some excellent damage.

PISTOL
Found: Policeman in the Museum after beating the two Mummies that clear
curse gas and summon Abdul
Description: Holds six rounds before reloading, pretty quick, but a little less
powerful than the Rifle.

RIFLE
Found: Natural History Museum entrance
Description: Holds 4 bullets, decent power and great range.

SHOTGUN
Found: Info forthcoming.
Description: Made for close range combat.  Only holds two rounds before you
need to reload, but does some great damage if you're close to your enemy.

TRUNCHEON
Found: The first body you encounter has one, and Victoria starts with one
Description: Uses no ammo, has no range, and is actually quite effective.  You
will probably use it more than any other weapon in the game.  When fighting one
enemy at a time, hold the Ready Weapon button and rapidly press the Action
button to pummel them senseless.  If you can move yourself around them, so they
have to keep turning to try and face you, you can usually kill them without
taking any damage or spending any ammo.  When an enemy's down, you can keep
whacking at them if you get real close and aim downwards.  It's the only time
you'll actually use the aiming feature.

___________
IV. Enemies
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯

GOONS
They can shoot you with their rifles, so playing the distance game doesn't work
as well as with other enemies.  Try to circle them as you bludgeon them to
death with your Truncheon.  They often hold ammo.

MUMMIES
Sometimes hold Amulets, so kill one if it's got one.  These guys are bad
because they can curse you, which means that if you haven't any Menthol or
Amulets on you, you're screwed.  Keep your distance.

UNDEAD GUYS
Like to shoot tentacles out of their chests and vomit on you.  They telegraph
their moves far in advance, so you'll be fine.

UNDEAD GUYS, BUT BIGGER
The larger undead can grab you as well, and they won't warn you before they do
it.  Still, if you keep to the sides of them and don't let them face you while
you whack at them, you'll be all right.

________
V. Items
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯

AMULET
Found: By killing Mummies.  You can see the Amulets sticking out of their guts
when you fight them, so if they have one, it's worth killing them for it.
Use: Heals both life and curse.

ARTEFACT POT
Found: Library safe
Use: Part of the cure when you're Victoria.

ATRIUM KEY
Found: In the Staff Room aside the entry room
Use: To get in the Atrium.

BUCKET OF WATER 
Found: Disease and Medicine Exhibition
Use: Part of the cure when you're Victoria.

BULLETS
Found: Everywhere
Use: Ammo for the Rifle and the Pistol.

DECORATIVE CLOCK PIECE
Found: Your first meeting with Victoria
Use: On the clock in the Library.

DECORATIVE WOODEN HANDLE
Found: Abdul gives it to you in the Isis Collection
Use: To get in and out of hidden doors in the Natural History Exhibition

DESK DRAWER KEY
Found: Half-table in the Library
Use: In a Desk Drawer in the same room.

DISEASE AND MEDICAL EXHIBITION KEY
Found: Library safe
Use: To get to some sort of exhibition

EGYPTIAN ROOM KEY
Found: Safe in Kemble's room
Use: In the main Osiris Collection with the squishy spiky door.

EXPLOSIVE CROSSBOW BOLTS
Found: A few places
Use: Great ammo for the Crossbow.  I'd save it for the last battle.

THE EYE OF ISIS
Found: You'll find it when you need it.
Use: Needed for progression in the game.  The use is always very apparent.

FUEL CANISTER
Found: Info forthcoming
Use: Fill with paraffin in paraffin coolers.  Once you spend the paraffin in
your Flamethrower, reload it with this.

HEAT AND COMBUSTION EXHIBITION KEY
Found: Kemble gives it to you in exchange for his glasses
Use: To get in the room of the same name

KEMBLE'S SPECTACLES
Found: Main Osiris Collection
Use: Give to Kemble to get his help.

KEY TO THE STAFF ROOM FOR THE HEAD AND COMBUSTION EXHIBITION
Found: Heat and Combustion Exhibition
Use: Behind purple death rays in the room you find it.

MENTHOL FLANNEL
Found: A bunch of places
Use: Heals some curse.  If you have any curse, you'll keep losing life until
you get rid of all your curse, so keep some Menthol handy.

MORTAR SHELLS
Found: On bodies in the Pyramid
Use: Ammo for the Mortar Gun.

NEW COLLECTION KEY
Found: Corpse of policeman in Egyptian Exhibit
Use: Immediately after getting it.

OIL LAMP
Found: Very first room, on the right wall
Use: Gives you some light.

PADLOCK KEY
Found: The corpse of the first enemy you kill
Use: In the entry room.

PESTLE & MORTAR
Found: Disease and Medicine Exhibition
Use: Part of the cure when you're Victoria.

RUSTY CRANK
Found: Corpse of iron maiden Undead in Torture Room
Use: In the same room.

SHOTGUN SHELLS
Found: Bodies of goons in the Ship and the Pyramid
Use: Ammo for the Shotgun.

SMELLING SALTS
Found: All over the place
Use: Heals some life.

STAFF BOOK
Found: Staff room of Heat and Combustion Exhibition
Use: Give to Kemble to have him open the safe in his room.

STANDARD CROSSBOW BOLTS
Found: Various places
Basic ammo for the Crossbow.

TORN SCRAP OF PAPER
Found: Falls out of the Library clock
Use: With the other to open the safe.

TORTURE ROOM KEY
Found: Goon in Museum of Natural History
Use: To get in the Torture Room in the bottom floor of the Atrium.

WEST WING CORRIDOR KEY
Found: In the Library on the short bookshelf after you explore the top section
Use: The eastern door outside the Library.

________
VI. FAQ
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯

Q: Should I pick Normal or Difficult?
A: Normal.  The combat isn't the game's strong point, and so Difficult will
serve only to heighten the frustration, not the fun.  

Q: The Ram boss just won't die!
A: You're right.  You need to weaken it, then hook it when it's down.  It's all
explained in section II-e.

Q: I think I know where I need to go, but it's blocked by curse gas.
A: First, look carefully; you may be able to get past the curse gas by hugging
a wall or something.  If not, then what you want is somewhere else.  You should
try to complete the game without ever touching the gas.

Q: Is this game worth the asking price?
A: Since it's a budget title, if you're a big fan of adventures and don't mind
the odd enemy here and there, go for it.

Q: Is this the best adventure game I can buy for my system?
A: Every system that this is on has both Syberia and Broken Sword 3, and those
are far and away better.  If you beat them both, then and only then should you
play this.

Q: Is it the best survival horror game ever?
A: No.  It's not scary in the least, although it tries so hard.  Seek ye the
Silent Hill and Resident Evil series, and I can't recommend Fatal Frame
(Project Zero in Japan and Europe) strongly enough.

Q: How long is this game?
A: Took me 7 hours the first time through.  Par for the course for survival
horror.

Q: How's the replay value?
A: If I weren't writing this FAQ, I'd never boot it up again.  It's fine, but
there's just too much out there that's better.

Q: What's your favourite of the 3 areas?
A: Don't you mean "favorite?"  Anyway, it's the Pyramid.  The Museum is
annoyingly complex, and the Ship had one part that made me hate the game, but
everything in the Pyramid went well.

Q: I'm playing the Xbox version, and my buttons don't always work.
A: That's because they're analog.  You have to press them in all the way,
annoyingly enough.  I recommend using R as your action button instead of A.

Q: I'm playing the PC version, and lost my CD-key.
A: Dreamcatchergames.com actually has one on its website just for you.  It is:
5586TY-684BS7-JEJPEE-7EHVZC
If they're just going to put it on the website for all to see, one must wonder
why they have CD-keys at all.

Q: Any bugs in the game?
A: Yes, but you can avoid them.  Don't get the BUCKET OF WATER as Darien, and
get the EGYPTIAN ROOM KEY as soon as you see it.  These are only in the PC
version.

Q: Why can't I buy the PS2 version in the US?
A: Same reason Syberia and Broken Sword never came here.  SCEA has a blanket
no-adventures policy that's a slap in the face to every gamer out there.

Q: You have found (something).  Will you take it?
A: Yes.

Q: It seems to be a lever of some kind.  Will you pull it?
A: Yes.

___________________
VII. Update History
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯

1/20/04 v.0.2: Some more walkthrough done.  I wanted to get more done, but I've
               also been making a FAQ for Dance Dance Revolution Ultramix for
               Xbox.  That's basically done now, so it's all Curse all the
               time.

1/19/04 v.0.1: First version, walkthrough woefully incomplete.

_____________
VIII. Closing
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯

That's it for the Curse FAQ.  If you want to see anything in a future version,
let me know.  Enjoy the game.

This guide is copyright 2004 Michael Kelehan.  Curse: The Eye of Isis is a
trademark of Dreamcatcher Games/Wanadoo Edition.  Distribution of this guide is
permitted (in fact, it's encouraged), as long as it is kept in its full and
complete form.  Don't sell it.

GameBoomers Walkthroughs and Solutions