It should be said here that this adventure is not your typical
“quest” game. There are no “timed sequences”, no mazes to get lost in. There
are no “slider” puzzles with which to ponder nor are there “word ciphers” to
rattle one’s brain. No, indeed this is not your average gaming fare. This
“game” is really an “edutainment” piece, a virtual and visual thesis, if you
will. It offers the gamer classic stories from the netherworld and ancient
times long past. It presents experts and witnesses, many of whom tell their
odd tales of dread, and thus make known their opinions of such things.
Interestingly enough, it begs the question:
“Do you believe in Ghosts?”
It also should be said that this adventure is
completely nonlinear, and there really is no right or wrong way to approach
the game. The purpose of this walkthrough is to offer just one of the many
ways one can proceed with the adventure and get the most out of
it.
Think of it as a “walking tour” of Hobbs Manor and I will
be your guide, if you will allow...
Do you trust me?
Mwuhahahaahaaa! Ahemmm… good, then let us proceed:
After
the opening credits are finished, we find ourselves at the front door of Hobbs
Manor. Now before we just go ahead and barge right into this stately home, let
us pause—
Adventurers, you know, have long ago acquired the
distasteful reputation for being infamously nosy thieves…opening every door we
can. We are also famous for taking just about anything and everything that
isn’t nailed down and hiding these objects in our seemingly bottomless
pockets. Just the other day I, myself, while cleaning out the front pockets of
my cargo pants…something I always prefer to wear when playing any
adventure—why? Simple…more pockets!!! Anyway, wouldn’t ‘cha know? I found a
six foot ladder in there … how it got there I’ll never know…but I digress
“Sometimes fact is more frightening than
fiction…”
Therefore, let us take the time to be polite and
knock. If you will kindly take out the magnifying glass that each one of you
have been graciously been provided with by “Media Design Interactive”
for use during this adventure and click on the knocker at the front door, we
can begin our tour –
Excuse me?
What was that?
Yes?
…Yes, I know that the magnifying glasses are quite old.
No, we don’t have any newer ones, I’m afraid...
If we could continue?
Thank you...
Now, as I was saying….
Let us position our magnifying glasses onto the knocker of the ancient oak door –“
Oops! Well, he won’t be winning any beauty pageants,
now will he? Better click outta’ here, before he bites us!
Let us turn the ringer in the center of the door
and open it….
Hobbs Manor
As you read from the enclosed guide
included with the game –
Which undoubtedly you have all brought with
you.
You all can see that Hobbs Manor, located somewhere in
the English countryside, has stood since October 31,1666. Ever since that
fateful day of inhabitance, its living members – owners, children and servants
alike -- have all at one time or another been witness to some very strange
goings on. So strange in fact, that throughout the Manor’s history and legends
very few people have been actually able to stay at Hobbs Manor for any
considerable length of time. The man who greets us here, one Dr. Marcus
Gramalkin –
(Who looks astoundingly like Dracu… uh… I mean rather,
Christopher Lee.)
--tells us that he has made the study of
“the paranormal” his life’s work. It is here at Hobbs Manor that Dr. Grimalkin
advises us that he has gathered together all of the knowledge, artifacts,
books, papers, photographs filled with eye witness testimony, expert’s videos
(and even a few “professional” ghost-hunting gadgets for our perusal on this
occasionally disturbing yet always compelling subject) for the purpose of
assembling evidence which he hopes will -- once and for all -- either prove or
disprove the existence of GHOSTS. The good doctor has set forth a
challenge for us to meet: to discover the evidence awaiting us within the
walls of this ancient Manor-house and to decide for ourselves the answer to
his question: Do Ghosts really exist or are they only the things that go bump
in the night? He invites us to search and look in every nook and cranny of his
stately home for the proof we need.
Are we up for the task at
hand, my fellow adventurers? For those of you who may indeed be weak of heart
and tender of stomach, it is still not too late to leave by the front gate.
The rest who are left will most definitely understand…
Are they
gone?
Good …
I knew they’d leave… tsk!
Probably FPS’ers, I’m sure you all know the kind…
They have the most dreadful habit of writing their names and their top scores on every program they play…
Ahhhennmm!
If I may have everyone’s attention?!!!
Yes, thank
you.
And now, for the rest of you few intrepid explorers I give
you:
The Main Hall
You’ll notice that as the learned
Dr. Grimalkin is speaking to us, the Main Hall seems to contain a lot of
interesting areas. Make note of them. There is a staircase to the left and a
staircase to the right, and upon each of these there are peculiar paintings,
which line the stairs. Straight in front of us, we can see a Deep Sea Diving
Helmet flanked by a closed door on either side of it. Under each side
staircase (which undoubtedly leads to the second floor) we should take note
that there is one hall-table per side. On your left side, the table seems to
have a green manila file folder placed upon it. The right side table sports a
few artifacts (Hmmm, where in our travels and other adventures have we seen
these before? Better make note of these as well, as we might need them
later.) As we back up from the hall table with the two “totems” on it, in
the upper right area we see a single doorway. Turn to the right again and we
have a view of the Hall from where we entered. On the left there seems to be a
Jacobean breakfront; if we look closer, we can see a perfectly ordinary
photograph surrounded by a lovely wooden frame (but don’t click on the photo
just yet.) Notice as well, the painting on the wall just to the right of the
photograph. This is one of the many hauntingly beautiful pieces of artwork,
which Dr. Grimalkin has painstakingly collected over the years. Each one, we
will soon discover, has a story connected with it. Some, like this one we will
be able to study a little closer -- others we will be able to view but only
from a distance -- yet the legends will still be there for us to
uncover.
Now, this particular painting is a beautiful rendition of an
exterior doorway entrance, encased in a lush overgrowth of ivy, perhaps if we
take a closer look…
Oh! Oh, dear… did you see that? The painting
changed! And there’s the good doctor again. What was it he said?
“…Should you see a portrait fall from a
wall, look carefully at the subject of the painting. This unfortunate person
may soon be dead….”
These are words of wisdom to be
sure.
We will find as we examine various items that Dr. Grimalkin
will pop in from time to time commenting on the items we are looking at by
either explaining their purpose or sometimes offering ageless superstitions,
sage advice or “folkloric” wives’ tales as we make our way throughout the
Manor.
Turn to the right again and we can see the other side of
the Main Hall. There seems to be a set of closed double doors here; and to the
left of them what looks like a strange pink marble mask, carefully positioned
atop a brass stand, which closely resembles an obscure double sundial, a large
hall mirror, and some intricate vases. We should take note that they are here,
as well as two more paintings on the wall of the left staircase and will come
back to them in good time, but at the moment we cannot disregard the green
manila folder on the table just under the stairs.
Let’s do have a look, shall we? Go ahead and open the manila folder.
I’ll wait………
What did you find? Yes,
excellent!
Such a savvy group!
There should be videotape and a "photo file" for
Father John Nuttall,
Please, don’t say a word…we shouldn’t poke fun at
other people’s last names.
--also, there is a leaflet entitled “Ghosts
and Spirits in Religion”.
Well, what are you waiting for? This is what you’ve
searched all over Ebay for…to find this game… let’s get started then, we have
much to do.
Let’s take a closer look at Father Nutty… oops! I
meant Father Nuttall’s photo file. He looks like a nice enough man, doesn’t
he? From the file, it basically says that he is the parish
“Ghostbuster”.
So, remember … who ya gonna call? Father
Nutt-
…uh, sorry.
Then read the leaflet to learn about how some
religions view the supernatural.
Interesting, huh? I don’t remember
any of that from Sister Mary McCarthy and Catechism during my high school days
at Sacred Heart Academy.
Next, let’s take a look at the videotape,
just click on the tape box and then when it opens up click on each question on
the left to get a sense of how the Catholic Church views possession,
hauntings and exorcism.
Well, that was an eye-opener.
Back out
twice. Next, turn right and have a closer look at that Diving
Helmet.
Good Evening, Dr,
Grimalkin!
Gee, whilickers! What an unnerving story… I
wonder if he was talking about 20,0000 Leagues Under the Sea? Was there a Mr.
Montague in that story? Hmmm and I thought that it was just a
legend.
You know, many legends do have the basis in
fact.
Back away from the Diving Helmet and turn either to the
right or left and then turn once again so that you are facing the front door.
Let’s take a closer look at that photo on the Jacobean side- board on the
left. Click on the photograph and then click again and watch the portrait
begin to glow with the greenish hue of ghostly ectoplasm as the first of many
of the eyewitnesses recount the Tale of the Forest and the
Trumpeter.
Ooooooohhhhh!
Ahem… excuse me.
Ok, now what do you make
of that story? Haunted, or was his playing just so horrendous that he
frightened the poor little birdies out of the trees? Maybe it was the onset of
a petite-mal seizure…
Epilepsy could strike us at any age, you
know.
And usually it strikes more men than
women.
Just thought you would like to know.
However, let us turn from this most unfortunate
story (no, I really mean back away and turn left to the single closed door).
Open the door and it looks like we have found --
The Lounge
Or the Living Room (for us Yanks….). Let us go in
and see what kind of trouble we can get ourselves into. Turn to the right to
view two more photographs. I bet they talk too. The trick here is that you
have to click at least twice for each picture. Let’s see.
Go ahead …I ‘ll wait –
Back
already?
So those are the stories of “The Little Boy and the Shoppe” and “Septimus Severus and the Three Coins”
Do you have a Ghost Story?
…I do.
… a number of them.
Next, let’s examine the coffee table.
Interesting.
My grandmother had flocked wallpaper in her
front vestibule that was very similar to the design we see here. When one
would look at it as it was on the wall, it appeared quite normal: an “allover”
fleur-de-lis pattern, red on dark red. But, when one would walk through the
hallway and pass by the hall mirror, out of the corner of one’s eye one could
distinctly see faces on the wall in the mirror’s reflection. It was truly
uncanny, and something that my entire family experienced. An experience, which
we still speak of today when we all get together and
reminisce.
It’s time for “Viewpoint” on Telly! Go over
to the Television set and click on it to turn it on. It’s Viewpoint with your
host “Rhea Searcher”.
No, I’m not making this up…
Listen to the story of “The Nanny from
Yorkshire”.
Turn towards the fireplace and examine it
thoroughly.
Oh! It’s Dr. Grimalkin again with yet another wives’
tale.
You know, my grandmother used to make us look
for burnt cinders that were in the shape of coffins….
Personally, I always thought it was to get us
to clean up her hearth.
To get out of the “fireplace loop” click until
you are centered, you should be able to see part of the hearth and the mantle
clock, then pull the cursor to the left and click when you see the arrow
change into the pointing hand. Follow it over to the desk.
Click on the
closed desk. When the desk opens up we see a desk blotter with a number of
things on it. Click on the center photo file of Dr. Susan Blackmore.
With a Doctorate in Parapsychology, Dr. Blackmore is the skeptic
within the Four Musketee-- …er…. I mean our four experts. We still have two
more yet to meet.
Next, read her thoughts on Poltergeists:
Introduction and Case Histories. In this thesis we will learn about
poltergeists in general, The Rosenheim Poltergeist and The Miami
Poltergeist Case.
Have fun…let me know when your done …I’ll be over
here looking for faces in the wallpaper.
…and
coffins.
Finished?
No, you’re not!!! Did you think
I wouldn’t know that you skipped through that thesis?
I’ll wait
…,
Ok, but next time, watch it … the wallpaper has its
eyes on you lot… and so do I.
Next, click on the photographs above the
videotape box to learn about Vickie Taylor and The Case of the
Sleeping Toilet Roll.
Now comes the videotape. Click to open
and we find our third expert Tony Cornell who shares this interview
tape with Dr. Blackmore. On the tape Mr. Cornell relates to us his most
frightening experience as a “Shattenjaeger”. Dr. Blackmore retells
how she was able to dismantle The Case of the Jumping Clock and also
gives us her take on the Rosenheim Poltergeist.
Where will we find
the next case? In the briefcase, where else?
Click on the
briefcase to bring it forward and then click once more to open it up. Ah, yes!
I remember this from Time Magazine! This is The Enfield Poltergeist
Case, which took place in 1977 and ‘78. There are a number of things to
see here. First read the introduction to the case itself.
Now
click on the videotape to see Maurice Grosse, Ghost Hunter
Extraordinaire, and main parapsychological investigator in this case speak
about the beginnings of the Enfield Poltergeist, its psychological effect on
the surrounding neighbors and “the voice” of the poltergeist
itself.
Then click on the notepad. Remember, as you read the
first page of the notepad, click on each line. This will take you to a more
in-depth description of each item. Scroll carefully on the expanded note. If
you see a downward arrow click on it, as it will scroll the text of the note
up for more information. As you finish reading through each expanded piece of
evidence just click on the notepad in the lower left hand corner to return to
the notepad page. There are two main pages in the Notepad.
Next
click on the photos above the videotape box. This particular case is actually
quite disturbing when you think about it.
And what poltergeist
party would be complete without the notorious “audiotape” crammed full with
the sounds of things that go bump in the night? Let’s have a listen. Click on
the audiocassette and we will see a list of thirteen items to absorb. From
hearing objects fly across the room, to tappings, to the interviewer getting
creamed by the nasty ghostie, to hearing pictures being pulled from the wall,
to the ghost of Bill and Bill’s voice…all and all this is really quite
chilling.
Well then, let’s shake off the “whillies” and back
away from the Enfield Poltergeist. Put the cursor on the far right of the
screen (you should see that your magnifying glass will now have a minus sign
inside of it). Turn to the right and then right again, we should be facing the
door. Take one step forward and then turn to the right. Oh yes, here we are….
These are the “Expert Portraits”, more on them in just a minute, but
for now let’s turn again to the left.
We really should have a little more light in here so that we
can see what we’re doing, don’t you think? Would someone be so kind as to
click on the lampshade? Yes, thank you, and now if you would just click once
more to turn it on, then?
Heeheeehee, sorry
… I couldn’t help myself.
...Even tour guides must have their fun…
Turn to the right again and this time let’s click
on Dr. Blackmore’s portrait. Welcome to the “Expert Portrait Panel
Discussion”. As we travel throughout the Hobbs Manor, we will find these
special paintings or EPPD (as they are known to us in the “in”
group) sprinkled in various key locations. Here, we find that the topic
will be:
“Does Anything Ever Frighten You?”
Click on each portrait to find out their answers.
Dr. Blackmore - Parapsychologist
Dr. Robin
Furman - Psychologist & Ghost Hunter
Tony Cornell - Investigator
Exit from the Lounge to the Main Hall.
Main Hall
Enter the Main Hall and travel straight across to other side
where the double doors are, but before we enter, let’s turn to the left and
have a better look at that wacky mask.
Uhh… There he is again… sooo;
those were his colleagues, huh? I see.
Turn back to the right and
go through the double doors to—
The Library
Upon entering The Library turn to
the right and then turn back to the left. This room looks pleasant enough,
doesn’t it? Click on the jade ashtray on the table in front of
you.
Oops! See that??? I have a feeling that we are not alone
here.
Alrighty then! Turn back to the left and go forward to
the bookcase with the skull. It is here that the GHOST STORIES begin.
There are six of them hidden throughout the Manor, each one of them
beautifully told to us by Dr. Grimalkin. The trick is to find them. Here in
the Library we find the first one entitled Bettiscombe Manor and The
Screaming Skull. Just click twice on the obvious, sit back and listen
to a tale of terror and dread.
When we are finished listening to
the ghostly tale, back out and visit the fireplace, then turn right once again
and continue ‘round the room. See the turquoise Coat of Arms in the corner of
the room? Make a note of it, for we will leave it for now and come back to it
later. Continue on across the Library room until you come to “The Flying
Book”. Actually, that really isn’t the title of the book at all; it’s
called “The Book of Hauntings”. We may open the book now if you
are in the mood for another ethereal tale from times gone by. But I suggest
that you only read one or two more stories for now as we still have a lot to
discover. There are over 216 ghost stories and legends from all over the
English countryside contained within the pages of this book, and almost as
many pictures, but more on that later. For now, we must pull ourselves away
from The Book of Hauntings. Turn to the left and then straight on into
another photograph and listen to an eyewitness recount a ghostly experience
about an Abbey in Surrey and a group of hooded monks.
Once
this is done we will leave The Library for the moment.
Main Hall
We now will exit out of the Library
and enter into the Main Hall. Let’s go forward twice into the Main Hall and
then turn left (we should be centered with the Diving Helmet.) Continue
on forward until we come to the door, which is to the right of the Diving
Helmet. Enter and go forward into—
The Kitchen
Click forward until you are inside the kitchen.
Hmmmm seems nice and clean. Let’s first check out the teapot
on the table. Care for a spot of tea?
Yetchth! Well, somehow my
guess about the old adage “Here’s looking at you, Kid” would be an
understatement here… Bletch!!!
Let’s try the overturned wine
glass, which is also on the table.
Oh! Hello there, Dr. Grimalkin. I
was wondering were you had gotten your self to.
Let us turn
from these two gory reminders of the macabre and make our way towards the back
of the kitchen and the stove. Examine all the pots and pans.
… Just
to see all of those useless hot spots. Okokokokok! I’ll
behave…
Turn to the left and examine the gloves next to the
sink… now examine the sink
… Oops! Forgot to warn you to wear the
gloves… Well, no harm done, it’s only a multimedia piece, anyway… It isn’t as
through you could really die in this game…
Mwuhahahaahaaa!
After you’ve finished with the sink turn to
your left and head for the postcards located further down the counter. Click
on the post cards to get a better view (you should see 3 groups). Then
click once more to begin the slide show.
“A Collection of Exquisite Imagery
from
Some of
England’s Most Haunted Sites”
This particular slide show, presents 31 superb photographs
of England’s most eerie settings. Many of them are described on further detail
in the Library. Remember the Book of Hauntings?
If you’ll notice: there are two opposing
directional arrows at the top of the “remote”. These will allow you to scroll
backwards and forwards as besuits your humor. The “Continue” button,
when clicked, will allow for an unencumbered view of the postcard. Just click
again anywhere within the postcard to bring back the “remote” and continue the
slide show. The “Export” button is utilized here to make screenshots if
one so desires. Simply click on the “Export” button and a directory tree
window will appear. In the upper left box, type a title for the image you wish
to export (the images are exported as. BMP(s) or “bitmap” files). Then
click through the directory tree on the right side until you locate the folder
that you wish to export the image to.
I always use the folder “GHOSTS”.
This function will work only if you remember to include a
“)” symbol after the Title and before the .BMP extension. If you forget
it, it will give you an error message saying that the file is
invalid.
When you have completed the slideshow, click on the
“Exit “ button to exit. Back away from these entrancing shadows and let
us turn to the right. Click on the drawer.
Ahhhahha! A
corkscrew…Hmmmm….It might be important. Maybe we should click on
it.
Well, then… it’s the good Doctor once again. What did he
say?
“Remember the words of the Spirit.”
Ok, what does that mean…? Better do as he suggests
and make a note.
Back away from the drawer and go forward,
right, forward to the blue, whitewashed cupboard. Click on it to
open.
Hey, Happy Halloween! Ahhh! I just love pumpkin pie don’t you?
Let’s click on him… Feeling hungry yet?
Whoops! … He is, I
think. We better back out of there quickly before we get into
trouble.
I think it would be good idea to move over to the yellow
sideboard. What a pretty blue bottle! Anyone care for a drink? Maybe we should
have a closer look? Let’s click on it.
All rightly, then! We’ve found
the second ghost story. Sit back and listen to Dr. Grimalkin tell the
ghostly tale of “The Case of Nell Cook and The Cannon of Canterbury
Cathedral”.
Can you imagine being buried alive? Puts a new spin
on the saying, “Do not judge, lest ye be judged”,
huh?
Let us back out from Dr. Grimalkin and the
sideboard. Turn right, forward three times, and then turn left. Exit the
kitchen back into the Main Hall.
The Second Floor
Open the door to the Main Hall and move forward three
times and then turn left, move forward and then turn left and then left again.
We should be facing the right side staircase. Move up the staircase going
forward once. Turn left ….
Whoa! Gee Dr. Grimalkin just seems to be
everywhere, doesn’t he? Pretty sage advice, don’t ‘cha
think?
Turn right and then move forward. We find ourselves up
on the balcony of Hobbs Manor. If we turn to the left, we can see from here
that on the wall there are four “Expert Portraits” waiting for us to
examine. Let them wait for now and turn back to the right and then forward to
the closed door in front of us. Open the door.
The Nanny’s Room
Enter the Nanny’s Room. Seems cozy enough, doesn’t it?
Turn to the left and notice the embroidered chair. There seems to be a book on
it. Let us have a closer look.
Ooohhhh! It’s a photo album
… a Photo Album of Spirits!
How exciting! Let’s open it.
Let’s us listen
and learn from one of our “experts”; The Shattenjaeger, Maurice Grosse, as he
explains each “Spirit Photo” in the Album, we can also click on these
one at a time to enlarge them and have a closer look. Move the cursor to the
far right of the album to turn the “pages”.
Double exposure?
Trick photography? Or could it be the evidence of the Spirit World? What do
you think?
Back out of the album and turn to the right. Shall we
cross the room to the bureau? Let us first have a closer examination at the
foot of the bed.
You never know what might be lurking under a "Nanny's" bed...
Geez Louise!
....Very funny, ok, which one of you lost his head?
Maybe we should just cross over to the bureau dresser and
examine the jewelry box, instead. At least that seems harmless
enough.
Yikes!!!
How’d he do that?
Must be “mirrors” or “subterranean streams” or
something….
Well, there’s another empty hearth… Has anyone
seen any coffin-shaped cinders yet???
… Me neither.
We should back out of the fireplace, turn right
and carry on to the wardrobe.
You know, the British are a
sensible people… no closets. They have “Wardrobes” instead. Why? Oh, that’s so
easy! So they have some place to hide “The Witch…The Lion…” Oh, Gee! …What a
bunch of "grumpyboots", you lot!
I thought it was
funny….
Let us turn from this series of unfortunate
events (oops…pardon me, that’s another game… teehee!) to the right and
examine that strange thing on the far bed pillow.
Oh dearie
me! Is it somebody’s severed arm?
OK, who’s gonna click on
it?
… Well, I’m not going to!
You do
it…
Will some one please click on the severed arm so that
we can continue?
…Finally, a brave soul! Thank you.
Welcome to the third ghost story (and a
particular favorite of mine) known as The Silent Pool. Told to us
deftly by Dr. Grimalkin.
So it was just a silver gauntlet.
Whew! Boy, was I nervous, but let us continue…
Back out and away
from the royal glove and turn to the right.
Hmm…another door, shall we open it up? Very well. …
It's the good Doctor with another clue:
“The answer lies in ‘Easter’.”
Now what do you suppose he means? Where did we see something that would remind us of “Easter”? Think…. think…think. Perhaps he isn’t speaking of the Holiday… Perhaps he means a different kind of Easter … as in Easter Island. Yes! That must be it. Now where did we see something from Easter Island? While we are thinking about it … we should turn to the right again and consult the two “Expert Portraits” in front of us of Dr. Susan Blackmore and Tony Cornell. This time, the question is:
“Have Your Views of Ghosts & Hauntings Changed Over the
Years?”
So, tell me… which side are you leaning
toward? Have you figured out about “Easter”? Good, let’s go
then.
Turn to the right and then exit out of The Nanny’s Room
and onto the second floor balcony. From here go across the balcony, turn left
and start down the stairs. At the bottom of the staircase turn left. See it?
What you need is on the far table.
Let’s have a look, shall we?
Cross the Main Hall to the far table with the two primitive
statues on it. Upon closer examination we find a key! Maybe it’s for that door
in the Nanny’s Room.
Meet you back up there.
I’m
glad to see you made it back here in one piece.
Do you still have the key?
Good.
Let’s see if Dr. Grimalkin will let us in… Just
click on the door… Well he doesn’t seem to be around, but the key seemed to
work because the door is opened. It looks like –
The Nursery
Move forward to enter.
Hmmm, the crib appears
to be empty.
Turn to the left, forward and then turn to the
left again. If we click on that stick located to the left of the dresser, we
will see that it really isn’t a stick at all; it’s a hammer. Examine it
closely and we’ll view the actor, Christopher Lee’s Dramatic Credits…
wow… he’s been a busy bee. Back out of the credits and have a look inside the
top left dresser drawer
… pleasant enough for a baby…not!
Back out of the drawer and let’s have a gander at the photo
on top of the dresser, listen to an eyewitness account of The Haunted
Mirror. After that you can play with the Mandarin Coin Bank.
So,
that’s where all my money goes!
Turn from the dresser and examine
the “jack-in-the-box” and the large wardrobe.
Still haven’t been able to catch the witch or the lion no matter how quick we are, huh?
Turn around and examine the horse slide. It doesn’t
really do anything; I just wanted you to have a look at it. I’ve always been
fascinated by them. My brother had one when we were little…I used to believe
that it was haunted because it used to slide back and forth by itself at
night…Creak…creaakk…creeaakk, it would wake me from my sleep and I would
watch, mesmerized as it would slowly move back and forth in the moonlight
taking it’s its invisible rider to far away enchanted lands… ok I’ll
stop.
Turn to the left.
Hmmm another fireplace… probably nothing in it
either, but go ahead and try it.
What! Something
happened???
A fire? Wait.
Let me see… Hey! How about
that?
Turn again to the left, and then left again …
well, looks as though we’ve just about covered everything in here… Let’s move forward and ……. Wait a moment…
Is it getting cold in here or is it just me?
Yeah… it’s cold, it is freezing in here…
What’s that on the wall to the right of the crib?
See it? Up there…a little to the right…
That smudge in the wallpaper.
Yes … that’s it
AHHhhhhhhhhhhhh!
Sorry, looks like I couldn’t help myself again.
Forgive me?
Turn to the right. Before we leave The Nursery,
maybe we should have just one last look. Turn once again to the
right.
Hmm, did you notice that floorboard over there? You
know, they say that sometimes when you do renovations to an old house it stirs
up more than dust. Let’s be brave and have a lookie see. Oh, come now… you’re
not chicken, are you? Hmmm?
Why, it looks like children’s
drawings, doesn’t it? Let’s click on them.
The Fourth Ghostly
Legend: Bisham Abbey and The Tale of William Hoby
Exit from The
Nursery and then exit through the Nanny’s Room out onto the second floor
balcony. Cross over the balcony and enter the door on the far side, which
is –
The Master Bed Chamber
Enter the Master Bed Chamber. Move forward twice and
then turn to the right. Let’s examine the dresser first. There’s something
in that bottom drawer…care to have a look?
Whoops! Well, we’ll
just close that up straight away and forget about it.
I think
it might be a safer bet to click on the black box on the top of the
dresser.
Yes, that’s it.
First, click on the photo file. Oh yes, it’s our dear
“skeptic” Dr. Blackmore. Next let’s have a “read” with the paper entitled
“Skeptics”. Interesting, no? Hmm … there’s a “Believers” file somewhere
as well. We should make a note to find it. Click on the videotape box and
listen to the Skeptics: Dr. Blackmore and Tony Cornell relate a few more of
their experiences.
Back out and away from the dresser and turn to
the left.
Yup, it’s another wardrobe… probably empty like the rest. Beg
pardon? Ok, go ahead and open it if you must… I’ll wait
here.
Brwhaaahaaaahaa! Got ’cha!
Next, are the fireplace and its mantle. Well, what do we
have here? Here is a photograph, a painting of “Stonehenge” and an open
hearth. Shall we try the hearth first?
What the heck was that?
Did you see a face in there? I did.
How about the photograph?
An eyewitness account retelling an experience of A Haunted
Restaurant.
Last but surely not least, click on the painting of
Stonehenge.
What were you expecting? The Mystery of the
Druids? Shheeeesh!
Back out of the mantle area and let’s move
over to the vanity table. There are three objects to investigate here. First,
click on the music box. (I hate these things! They are so
creepy…)
See! I told you…
Just listen to that
music…
I had a very bad run-in with one of these things once,
many years ago…
Some day, I’ll tell you about it…
When
I’ve finished therapy.
Click on the Mirror.
Ha! I
knew it! He IS Dracula!!!
Um….er….sorry!
Finally, let’s have a look at the Ghost Hunter
Brochure. Make sure you turn all the pages to get the full effect. Sit back
and listen to Dr. Robin Furman speak about his group “Ghostbusters UK”
and learn about Tony Cornell and his S.P.I.D.E.R. project.
Back
away from the vanity and turn to the left and then left again. It’s time for
more of the “Expert Portraits”. The discussion here is:
“What Do Ghosts look Like?”
with Dr. Robin Furman and Dr. Susan Blackmore.
Back
out of the portraits and move to the foot of the bed.
I guess
we really should have waited until the maids came in to make up the room huh?
Ohh… see what happens when you click on the pillows???
They’re heeeerrreee….
Gee, I wonder what has
happened to our dear Dr. Grimalkin?
Interesting clock, don’t you think?
Let’s take a closer look…
Ohhh! There he is.
You
know, I have to tell you that Dr. Grimalkin must be very well acquainted with
my late grandmother, because so far every single superstition or wives’ tale,
which he has imparted to us during our tour here, my grandmother had taught me
long, long ago.
Exit from the Master Bed Chamber back out
onto the Second Floor Balcony. Move to the first staircase, turn right and go
down to the Main Hall. Turn left, move forward and turn left again. Move
forward to the door on the right side of the Diving Helmet.
The Small Attic Bedroom
Go through the door, this time turn left and then
forward and forward again. Move up the narrow stairway until we come to a
closed single door. Open the door and enter.
Dreary, isn’t it?
This is where the servants would sleep, or the poor relations
maybe.
Let’s click on the wooden chest at the foot of the bed
and open it, shall we? I wonder where Dr. Grimalkin has
gone…
Couldn’t you guess? There he is.
Now, sit
back and listen to the retelling of the fifth ghost story and the
chilling legend of The Bride of Marlborough Hall.
Move
around to the far side of the bed and the small mirror and washing stand. But
before you click there, click on the black box, which is sitting on the
bed.
Ahhha! We’ve found the Believers Tape! First click on the
photo file of Social Worker, Jane Hartley. Next, read the paper on the
“Believers”. Finally, click on the videotape and listen to the good
Reverend (don’t make me say his name again) discuss The Catholic
Church’s take on Ghosts and Jane’s recounting of her ghostly episode. Then
hear Tony Cornell offer the scientific viewpoint and Dr. Robin Furman speak of
one of Ghostbusters UK’s investigations.
Notwithstanding
green swirling mists and millions of lights, have you checked your reflection
lately?
Where is it?
How about the
pitcher?
Thirsty? …Yum!
Turn left from the washstand and
then forward to the wardrobe.
No, it’s probably empty anyway. Let’s turn left again and over
to the “Expert Portraits” and listen to Father Nuttall
—
Please! I’m really trying to behave here…
-- and
Dr. Blackmore discuss:
“What Are Ghosts?”
Ohhh, all right…. I guess it won’t hurt to check out the
wardrobe. Go ahead … click on it.
The Secret Room in the
Wardrobe
Uhmmmm! Geez Louise!
It’s a
coffin!
Uhm…. Ok,
... Somebody go
first.
Not me…
I know I’m the tour leader.
That’s exactly my point.
I… uh…have to always stay in the background so that all of you can truly benefit from the tour.
…Yeah … that’s the ticket.
I guess we
should try the face….
Here we find Dr. Grimalkin and the
sixth and final ghostly tale otherwise known as “Wicked
Jimmy”.
Jeepers that was a rather ghastly
legend!
Let us turn from this room of horror and
putrefaction.
Exit from the Wardrobe through the Small Attic
Bedroom, down the stairs and out to the Main Hall once again. This time turn
around and enter the closed door to the left of the Diving Helmet.
The Cellar
Open the door and move down the stairs to the Cellar.
Turn to the left and move forward.
Well, let’s see what we’ve
got here.
Hmmmrmpf! Just empty boxes.
Back out
from here and turn to the right, move forward to the far table with the lamp
on it.
I wonder what this gadget is?
Ahhhhaaa!
It’s the “Terrifying Entity
Dealer”.
I wonder if these people are friends with
Violet Baudelaire?
…Just a thought, here.
After
we’ve finished playing with—I mean researching T.E.D. have a look
at the photographs of Tony Cornell’s S.P.I.D.E.R. contraptio- pardon
me. I meant to say invention. Where did I put that snake oil???? Oh Dr.
Grimalkin… yooooohoooo!
Moving on, let us take a look at that black
box with the colored lights on it to the right of the photos. This is a mood
detector. Rodney Mitchell explains its use.
Next, click on
that large black box on the far right of the table. Dr. Furman explains the
“Wand Sensor” and its use.
… You just can’t make this stuff
up, folks.
Turn to the right and we find the green file
cabinet
… Oh, Lordy! This should be good.
Here
we can search the bottom two cabinet drawers. In the top one we find a bottle
of some kind of green stuff –
…Oh wait a minute I know what that is!
That’s that green swirling mist that Dr. Furman and his Ghostbuster UK cohorts
er …uh... that is esteemed group of scientists must have captured with that
huge T.E.D. paramilitary machine gun thing, right?
The
bottom drawer holds a file on the subject of Ghosts and Technology and
there’s even videotape, cool!
Well, how informative, I must say.
Next we’ll take a look at the center table, here we find a computer, which is
running a very interesting Parapsychological Glossary program on it.
A very familiar box (can you see what it is?) and a slide projector
with two very interesting slide shows. The trick here is to approach
the projector from the rear and then click on the slide carousel on top of the
projector and then click on the screen on the wall to view The Haunted
Realm: England’s Supernatural Sites. The second carousel holds the program
entitled: The Ghosts of Olde England. Either one of these programs can
utilize the “export to bitmap” function by simply clicking on any of the
actual images.
Some of these are truly
breathtaking.
When we’re finished perusing these hauntingly
ethereal images, there is still one more place to discover in every upstanding
English Manor… and that of course is the wine cellar.
Back
out from the slide projector and turn to the left and then left again. Now
move forward.
Now move forward and then turn to the right. Back up one to
get a full view of the wine rack.
Yes… ladies and gentleman… I give you GHOSTS’s
other puzzle. (You see? There were only two.) Let me think a minute…. Remember
what Dr. Grimalkin said upstairs in the kitchen when we opened up the drawer
and saw the corkscrew? He said, “Remember the words of the Spirit.” Try
clicking on one of the bottles, hmmmm we get a letter and a ghostly voice
saying that letter. So let’s see what happens if we click on the topmost
bottle. Well that was “A”, try the next down and to the far left. That
one is “B”. The one in the same line and to the right is “C”
…but notice how they are not staying lit? Continue on until we come to the
letter “G”. The next bottle directly across to the right of it is
“H”. Notice how these two are remaining lit up?
“Remember the words of the Spirit.”
It wants us to spell out a word… figured it out
already?
Of course you did. I can’t fool you, can
I?
Let’s compare notes, then, shall we?
Did you hear the ghostly voice of Bill from the
Enfield Poltergeist Case spell out GHOST? Unnerving isn’t it?
Well,
now it looks as though we’ve discovered a secret underground tunnel. Shall we
see where it might lead us? Hmmm another painting. This one looks like modern
art. Doesn’t it? Let’s have a closer look.
…. Mislead
us? I knew it…. I just knew it. You just can’t trust anybody
nowadays!
Well, let’s exit out of this tunnel and make our way
up to the Main Hall and then up to the -
Second Floor Balcony
Move to the center of the balcony and view the last episode
in the series known as “The Expert Portraits”
This one is
entitled:
“Do You Believe That One Day There Will Be Evidence To
Prove That Ghosts Exist?”
Before we bid goodbye to Hobbs Manor
and Dr. Marcus Grimalkin, let’s meet up for the last time in
The Library
If you haven’t had a chance to finish reading through
The Book of Hauntings you may want to complete it now. You can
save any of the stories or export the images by clicking on FILE at the
top of the game window and then choosing EXPORT. One last thing you may
want to do … in the far corner of the Library is a Coat of Arms or
Shield. Click on it now and enjoy the credits.
And don’t
forget to leave your magnifying glasses outside the front door as you
leave.
Until next we meet
I remain as always:
…Inferno
