Versailles 1685 walkthrough

Cryo’s 1996 game Versailles 1685: A Game of Intrigue definitely puts the “edu” in edutainment.

The game was primarily developed to recreate the look and feel of the palace during the reign of Louis XIV in the late 1700’s. The level of detail in the palace rooms and grounds is fantastic, although this detail comes at a price – play is restricted to narrow pathways within each location. The gameplay almost feels like a secondary element to Versailles – there is a lot of running back and forth between locations, and the puzzles, although sometimes engaging, are never difficult. The game does have a great classical soundtrack, if you’re into that style of music.

Let’s face it – looking around is supposed to be part of the lure of this game. My wife and I found it fun to recall our visit to the palace almost ten years ago. Take your time, and immerse yourself in the characters, the music and the architectural splendour. Look at the paintings, and read the descriptions of the people and places. And, if all of this sounds tremendously boring, I suggest looking elsewhere for your kicks.

You play the game as Lalande, a valet of the King’s bedchamber. The start of the game finds you meeting with Bontemps, the First Valet de Chambre. He reads to you from an incendiary pamphlet that has been left in the palace. The anonymous author threatens the security of Versailles and the King. Bontemps entrusts the investigation of this matter to you (yes, a rather dubious plot point). You must complete the investigation over the next 8-hour day, or face the possible destruction of Versailles.

The game is structured around the seven periods of the King’s day from morning to night. Act I: Waking the King finds several of the King’s closest family members gathered in his bedchamber to greet him as he wakes.

Gameplay begins in the King’s Chamber. You can read a description of each room by bringing up your inventory (with a right click), and clicking on the button on the far right. You’ll also note that by clicking on the question mark cursor on each character takes you to a description of that person (this is handy since you don’t get to know any of the characters well enough to recognize them by sight). Click on the small blue arrow in the bottom right corner of the screen to return to the game.

Movement is quite simple – the grey upright hand will change to a white pointing hand when you can move in a certain direction. Once you’ve read about the room and the characters here, leave via the only door accessible to you (to the right of the windows).

The next room is the Bassano Antechamber. There is a guard posted beside the door you just came through; click on his head to converse with him (the mouth icon signals that a conversation is possible with that character). The guard will not allow you back into the King’s chamber. Note also the pictures on the wall – a click on each will show a close up of that painting, and a second click will reveal the title and artist.

Click on the painting above the fireplace, and then click on the urns in the close-up view to search them. The second from the right contains a key – a click will place it into your inventory. Click on the down-pointing hand icon to back away from the picture.

Several gentlemen are conversing in one of the corners of the room. Click on either of their heads (the ear-shaped icon indicates you can listen in) to hear their words. Now exit the room via the door located to the left of the windows. This takes you into the First Antechamber. Le Brun, First Painter to the King, is admiring a painting hanging on one of the walls. Once he stops speaking, engage him in conversation.

Le Brun is obviously unhappy and is looking vexed – point that out to him to learn that his sketches for today’s work have been stolen. He suspects his rival Mignard, but has no proof. Agree to look for the sketches as part of your duties for today – and Le Brun leaves to await your success in the Salon of War.

Exit the First Antechamber via the doors in the far corner – you are whisked down a flight of stairs into a darkened room. Click on the curtains to open them and light the room. Now click on the second closet to the left of the window to open the doors, and again on the fifth drawer from the top to reveal a pair of scissors. Take the scissors and close the door again. Now open the second closet door to the left of the stairs, and open the sixth drawer from the top to reveal another pamphlet. This one rather obliquely takes a shot at our friend Le Brun, and mentions a message that will be revealed by combining a sketch with the colour that dominates the King’s Salon.

Place the document into your inventory and return through the First Antechamber to the Bassano Antechamber. Now proceed through the doors to the right of the windows. This transports you up a spiral staircase – at the top, continue down a short corridor to a small room with a writing table and a trunk. Use the scissors from your inventory to unlock the trunk, and grab the paper inside. Click on the table to get a close-up, and holding the paper from the trunk, click on the candle’s flame to reveal the secret message on the parchment ‘The Hawk and the Little Birds’. You can also click on the inkwell – it spills across the paper on the desk – and take the paper into your inventory.

Leave the room and return to the Bassano Antechamber – the doors to the King’s Chamber are now open, allowing you to enter once again. Speak to the usher who has moved to another door in the Chamber – tell him you must report to Bontemps immediately, and he will let you pass. Act II: From Rising to Council now begins, showing the King conferring with his “posse” until it is time for Council. The game returns with you in the King’s Salon.

Confer with the guard again – the King is in Council session and cannot be disturbed. Flip around and listen in on the conversation about the rivalry between the artists Le Brun and Mignard. Remember the anonymous note mentioning the colour of the King’s Salon – the walls in here are beige with a lot of gold trim.

Return to the King’s Chamber, and approach Bontemps, who is standing by the left side of the bed. He has an important errand for you – to inform the Marquise de Maintenon that the King will be working in her rooms in the afternoon. Enter the Bassano Antechamber, and proceed to the First Antechamber. Now proceed through the doors on the right into the Guard Room. There isn’t much going on in here, so exit the doors straight ahead, and approach the guard standing in front of the doors ahead of you.

The Marquise’s guard will not let you deliver the message in person, but he will deliver the message for you. Attempt to leave this room, and the game suggests showing a clue to the guard. Return to the guard and show him Pamphlet A – he gives you another pamphlet that he has found this morning, complete with some sort of number code at the bottom. File this away in your inventory, and return to the King’s Chamber via the Guard Room, First Antechamber and Bassano Antechamber.

Speak to Bontemps again, and show him what you’ve found. He basically tells you to keep looking. Don’t be concerned if your secret messages and pamphlets begin to disappear from your inventory – you will get summary documents later in the game that make the collection of these items unnecessary.

Once you are finished with Bontemps, click on the closet to the left of the bed to open the doors. Grab a candle and place it in your inventory, and snatch the large key from the shelf below. Now return to the Bassano Antechamber. Use the large key to open the two cabinets in this room. The left one is empty, but the right one contains a…gasp… sketch-book. Rifle through the sketches, and close up the cabinets again.

Leave the Bassano Antechamber via the door to the right of the fireplace, and enter the Hall of Mirrors. Apparently this is where the toadies of the King’s court hang out while he’s doing some work. Listen in on the conversation that the Princesse de Conti (pink dress) is having with the stranger. There’s another conversation to eavesdrop on (a cardinal and a woman in a purple and gold dress) as you make your way along the Hall. Enter the Salon of War at the far end of the hall of Mirrors.

Turn to your left to see Le Brun waiting for his sketches. Try and give him the sketches – he has a hissy fit, claiming that they are not his work, and gives them back to you. Huh?

Return to the King’s Salon (you can enter this room directly from the centre of the Hall of Mirrors), where the Monseigneur accosts you about the sketchbook. Let him know that you though the sketches were Le Brun’s, but the artist refused them. Give him the sketches – he quickly determines that the top one is a planted forgery, while the ones underneath are legitimate.

Return to the Salon of War, and give Le Brun the altered sketchbook. He thanks you profusely, and gives you the fake sketch to keep. Now test the directions in the pamphlet by grabbing the sketch from your inventory, and clicking on Le Brun’s palette. Pick up one of the brushes to the left, and dip it in the gold coloured paint (the only other choice available, red, is not present in the King’s Salon). Now click on the sketch above to reveal a new message – “The Ducks and the Spaniel”.

Return to the Hall of Mirrors, and speak with Bontemps, who is standing to the left as you enter. Show him the sketch – he is pleased at your progress, but must attend the King as he leaves Council.

Act III: Form Council to Mass has Louis XIV addressing his extended court, and going to Mass before dinner. You begin the game again in the Salon of Abundance, just outside the door to the Chapel. The guard won’t let you in, so approach the other guarded door and speak to the attendant. The King’s Cabinet of Curiosities lies beyond the door, but you must have a note from Bontemps to gain access

Exit this room and enter the Salon of Venus. There isn’t much going on in here, so exit the room via the door in the wall across from the windows. You arrive at the top of one side of the Ambassador’s Staircase. Descend the staircase to the landing with the water fountain, and continue up to the other side. Now turn to your left, and listen in on the conversation between Marquise de Montespan and the playwright Jean Racine.

Turn around and enter the door at the top of the stairs to enter the Salon of Diana. Is that something on the billiards table? Pick up the billiard cue, and exit the room via the door to the left of the windows. The next room, the Salon of Mars, contains two cabinets along the wall with the windows. Examine each cabinet in turn; each has two drawers that open, however all are presently empty. Note the gentleman standing in one of the two musician’s galleries – this is Lully, the Court Composer.

Exit this room via the door to the left of the windows, and enter the Salon of Apollo, the King’s de-facto throne room. Walk towards the right side of the throne, and examine the wall here to reveal a concealed door that is presently locked. Return to the centre of the room, and exit via the door to the left of the windows. This exit takes you back to the Salon of War, now minus Le Brun. Turn towards the scaffolding, and examine the paper near the floor. Take the blank piece of paper, and the charcoal stick as well.

Now return to the Salon of Apollo and ask the guard about getting access to the concealed door. He indicates that another Swiss guard has the key. Return to the Salon of Diana, and speak to the guard here – same answer. Walk out to the Ambassador’s Staircase, descend the stairs to the bottom, and speak to the guard by the door leading outside. Bingo! Get the key from the guard (don’t be too impertinent), and return to the Salon of Apollo.

Approach the door, and use the key to unlock it. Once though the door, you find yourself in a back hallway. Turn to your left, and proceed down the long corridor. Enter the musician’s gallery through the door ahead. As you walk in, watch the gentleman out in the main room place something in one of the drawers of the right-hand cabinet – we’ll have to stop by there next time through.

Examine the sheet music on the stand in front of you. Keep turning pages until you find a planted one. Place it in your inventory, and move forward towards Lully. He doesn’t want to speak to you, but is intrigued by the coded sheet music you show him. He needs time to decipher the code, so agree to perform some busywork for him. He needs some information from Racine about the words of the song he is composing.

Return to the Salon of Apollo, and enter the Salon of Mars. Examine the right cabinet and retrieve another small key from the bottom drawer. Now to find Racine, whom we last saw by the Ambassador’s Staircase. Enter the Salon of Diana, and return to the Staircase. Approach Racine and ask him about the lyric.

Once you have the proper answer, return to the Salon of Apollo and take the back hallway to the gallery. Approach Lully, and give him the information. Unfortunately he has not finished decoding the music. He has another question for Racine, so return to the Staircase, and ask a peeved Racine about the second question. Once answered, return to the gallery and give it to Lully. He is pleased, and gives you back the decoded music, which displays the message “The Cat and the Rats”.

Return once again to the Ambassador’s Staircase, descend to the bottom, and proceed straight ahead to go outside. Move towards the front gates, and turn to your left – you should see Bontemps standing off in the distance beside an archway. Show him the sheet music, and then hit him up for a note to enter the Cabinet of Curiosities. Before going back in, move beyond the front gates of the palace, and listen in on the conversation between two Ministers in front of the building off to your right.

Go back into the palace, and return to the Salon of Abundance. Show the guard your note, and he will let you pass into the closet. The room contains a table with a front drawer. Click the drawer to open it, revealing a coin collection (ho hum). Place the blank piece of paper on top of the collection, and use the charcoal to create a reproduction of the images on the coins. Take the reproduction, and exit the room.

Travel to the Salon of Diana, and show the reproduction to Monsiuer (who’s been hanging out by the billiards table for a while, probably looking for that cue we stole). He identifies each person on the coins, and points out the odd one out, putting some annotations directly on the drawing for us.

Exit this room and travel to the Salon of Apollo, where the Marquis de Croissy is currently stationed. Show him the coin reproduction, and he notes the presence of a hidden message here. He suggests that we give him the document to take back with him to his office, where he will decode it for us. We must however bring him some lunch.

Proceed back to the Salon of Abundance, and speak to the Swiss Guard stationed in front of the Chapel door. The King is ready for his dinner.

Act IV: Dinner has you relocated to the Guard Room while the King chows down on a number of chickens. Ask the usher just how much the King has scarfed down. Apparently Bontemps isn’t available for 15 minutes, so exit the room via the door opposite the usher, and enter the Queen’s Staircase via the chamber outside the Marquise de Maintenon’s rooms.

Descend the staircase to the landing, and turn around to face the Blue Boy behind you. The boy is holding some sort of pie (umm...tourtiere) – click on the pie to grab some lunch for Croissy, as he requested. Now walk to the bottom of the stairs – you automatically are transported outside of the palace. Croissy’s office is located in the Minster’s building, so walk outside the palace’s gates, turn to your right, and walk towards the building ahead of you (this is where you overheard a conversation between two Ministers earlier).

You are taken to a landing with two doors. Turn to your left and enter the room ahead. You’ll see Croissy standing by his desk – offer him the lunch you’ve brought, and he’ll leave the half-finished decoding on his desk. Click on the desk for a close-up, and click on the quill to place it in inventory. Now grab the quill and click on the paper to the right of the building plans.

We are shown a close-up of some latin-looking words that Croissy has written out. Note that by clicking on various letters above, we can spell out words below. But which letters do we choose? For the answer, look at Pamphlet B again, and note the message at the bottom: The 1-7-5-12-11-13 the 31-25-26-17-20. All you have to do is to count the number of letters from the start of the words on Croissy’s page, and click on that letter to have it shown below. The corresponding message should read: F O X A N D C R A N E.

Leave the map of the fortress for later, and back away from the desk. Examine the bottom-left corner of the wall opposite the door until you find a hot spot. Click to retrieve another inflammatory pamphlet. This one mentions something about money spent on fortresses. Return to the landing, and try the other door across the way – its locked. You’ll have to return to the palace to consult with Bontemps.

Walk back to the palace entrance, up the Queen’s Staircase, and to the Guard’s Room, where Bontemps is standing to the right of the fireplace. Show him the new Pamphlet “D”, and Bontemps makes arrangements for you to gain access to the other Minister’s office. Exit the palace again, and return to the Minister’s building. Click on the door to the right of the window on the landing to enter the other office.

There is a spyglass set up on a tripod by the window – click on the spyglass to place it in your inventory. Spin the globe by the desk for some fun, and the click on the desk itself for a close-up. Open the drawer at the front of the desk, and take the piece of paper in it listing the names of three places (or names, or something else). Now examine the base of the wall opposite the door – you will find a loose panel that swings open to reveal a combination safe.

Since we don’t have a clue as to what combination will open the safe, except for the three names, return to the palace again to consult with Bontemps. When you get back to the Guard Room, listen to the conversation between the two royals – they mention a battle called “Rocroi” that took place in 1643. This may be one of the 4-digit portions of the combination to the safe. Now speak to Bontemps – if you play dumb, he will tell you to find the other two dates by checking the ceiling in the Hall of Mirrors.

Enter the Bassano Antechamber via the door to the left of the usher, and go through to the Hall of Mirrors via the door to the right of the fireplace. Walk to the centre of the Hall, and look up to the ceiling. Find the two hot spots and, using the spyglass, read the two dates supplied. Note that one painting mentions the battle of Aix-la-Chapelle (1668), but the other (dated 1674) doesn’t mention the name “Bescancon” anywhere.

Return to the Guard Room, and leave the palace once more for the Minister’s building. Return to the room with the safe, and enter the three dates in order according to the battle names as listed on the sheet from the desk: 1643 (Rocroi), 1668 (Aix-la-Chapelle), and 1674 (Bescancon). Now grab the handle of the safe and pull it open.

Pick up the two plans from the safe, exit the office, and enter Croissy’s office across the landing. Approach the desk, and look at the plan of the fortress. Place the two other plans from the safe over top of this this one, and a message in red should appear on the plan “The Cock and the Diamond” (if this doesn’t work, try putting the plans on in the reverse order).

Return to the palace, and travel to the Guard Room. On your way past her rooms, the Marquise de Maintenon stops you and asks that you bring another pamphlet to Bontemps. Approach Bontemps and show him the new Pamphlet “E”.

Act V: The King at Work finds the King at work in the Marquise de Maintenon’s apartments (what kind of work is that, pray tell?), while the other court toadies are relaxing on the other side of the palace.

You begin this next stage of the day in the Salon of Mars. The Cardinal standing to the left of the table has “no time for you”, the conversation to the right of the table is a tad tedious, and the “ugly” royal in the centre isn’t saying anything. Click on the painting behind the Cardinal’s head, and note the piece of paper to the right of the painting. Grab it to read – it mentions that secrets will be revealed in the “dwelling place of Jupiter”.

Exit the room via the door to the left of the Cardinal, and enter the Salon of Diana. Listen to the conversation here, and then click on the plans lying on the billiards table. If you compare the plans, you will note that the Salon of War was once named the Salon of Jupiter – Bingo!

Make your way over to the Salon of Abundance, and enter the Chapel balcony via the door to the right of the windows. Have a look around, return to the Salon of Venus, and proceed through the door to the Ambassador’s Staircase. Descend to the bottom of the stairs, turn to your left, and enter the Chapel.

Proceed directly to the Sacristy, which is located to the right of the Chapel’s altar. Once inside, click on the set of 12 small drawers directly in front of you. Search each drawer in turn. In the top row, the 3^rd drawer from the right yields an engraving of Louis XIV. In the bottom row, the 2^nd drawer from the left contains another small key, and the 3^rd drawer from the right is empty. Now look on the floor to the left of the door – you should spot a cord to be placed in your inventory.

Return to the Chapel, and take the staircase to the Salon of Venus (go right at the landing). Speak to Bontemps, who is standing along one of the walls. Ask him about the Salon of Jupiter business (even though we’ve already figured this out!). Now return to the Chapel via the Staircase, and enter the Sacristy again. The creepy-looking Pere de la Chaize is hovering in the back left corner of the room. Show him the religious-themed Pamphlet E, and he is able to fill in the third blank for us – “so-called reformed religion”.

Chaize doesn’t know what the other two blanks are, recommending we speak to the Cardinal about it. Return to the Salon area, and go to the Salon of Mars. Show the Cardinal Pamphlet E – tell him Chaize sent us – and he identifies the second blank as “dragonnades”. In true Versailles fashion, he sends us back to Chaize to get the last blank. Return to the Sacristy, and show the Pamphlet to Chaize once again. He asks for more clues to solve the last blank, so show him the engraving, and he gets it – “king’s evil”.

Confirm the results with Chaize, and proceed back up-stairs to the Salon of Venus to show Bontemps the completed Pamphlet E. The underlined portions of the note now spell out “The dragon and the file”.

Proceed to the Salon of War to learn about our plotter’s secrets. Someone has drawn the large curtain across the main windows, so grab the cord from your inventory, and click on the curtain to tie it up. Now grab the ladder and place it into your inventory. It may be useful to climb the scaffolding on the far wall, so place the ladder on the scaffolding hotspot, and climb to the ceiling. Click on the chandelier for a close-up – there’s a rolled-up document shoved into the chandelier, but we cannot get close enough to snag it.

Descend to the floor again, and return to the Salon of Venus to consult with Bontemps. Ask him about the chandelier, and he gives you a key to the attic – this will allow you to lower the chandelier. Proceed to the Salon of Apollo, and approach the secret door in the back corner. Once through, go straight ahead to the bottom of a spiral staircase. For a quick laugh, enter the doorway straight ahead, and click on the treasure chest-looking item to see how the people of that day dealt with their doo-doo (umm…where’s the sink?).

Exit the closet, and proceed up the stairs to your left. Use Bontemp’s key to open the low door, and step through. Once inside, turn to your left, and go down the corridor ahead. After coming to a stop, enter the opening to your left – you will see a very strange looking box suspended from the ceiling. The box is inaccessible for now, so return to the corridor, travel back to your starting point, and proceed straight ahead to enter the attic above the Salon of war.

The chandelier is attached to a winch that is used to raise and lower the installation. Click on the winch to begin the process…and watch in horror as the whole thing falls to the floor. The diminutive king will not be happy with us. Return to the attic access point, exit via the low door, descend the stairs and exit the back corridor to the Salon of Apollo. Now go into the Salon of War – the rolled document can now be easily placed into your inventory.

The memorandum contains a series of 8 letter codes, and a message at the bottom indicating there are 4 small keys to be found. We’ve retrieved 3 of them, but have not found the one hidden in one of the orange trees. On your way through the Salon of Apollo, try searching the orange trees and their containers – no luck. [There are orange trees in the Hall of Mirrors as well, but we can’t currently access that part of the palace.]

Return to Bontemps in the Salon of Venus, tell him about the damage to the chandelier, and show him the Memorandum. He suggests we check out the Orangie to look for the fourth key while the King takes his stroll. He also gives us a summary sheet of the secret messages we’ve collected so far (plus a few new ones).

Act VI: The Promenade in the Gardens places you in the Orangie surrounded by numerous miniature orange trees. Before you start a long and “fruitless” (heh, heh) search, speak to the head gardener Le Notre. To locate him, turn 90 degrees to your right, walk towards the corner of the building, turn 90 degrees to your left, and move ahead two steps. The gardener is standing to your right. Don’t bother praising his Orangie – he sees right through your flattery. He has not seen any keys here, and suggests you check the trees in the palace. Take his advice and give up your search.

Proceed past the gardener (to the left) to enter the garden’s maze. The maze contains a number of statues depicting scenes from some of Aesop’s fables, the titles of which will sound very similar to the secret messages you’ve been deciphering. Each statue has a verse displayed on a plaque in front of it. You are to use the 8 codes in the memo to select letters that make up a secret message. One problem though – we don’t whether the order of the 8 messages as listed on Bontemps’ summary sheet matches the order on the memorandum.

To determine the correct order, we must first find the maze’s gazebo. From the maze entrance, take the following path:

You should now be standing inside the gazebo. Engage the Duc de Maine in conversation – he babbles on about viewing the maze in the proper order. Once he’s finished, back away from the gazebo one step, and then return again immediately. Speak to the brat again – now his belly is aching, and he needs his medicine from the apothecary (oh, boy). Apparently he’s too proper to just let it rip.

The Apothecary is located on the other side of the Orangie. Exit the maze taking the following path:

Now exit the maze to your right. Cross the Orangie by proceeding straight for two paces. Now look behind you to the right to spot a rake-like tool lying on the ground behind one of the tree pots. Pick it up, pan back to your original direction, and continue out of the Orangie to the Apothecary.

Inside the Apothecary, face the wall to the right of the doorway, and click on the 3^rd vase from the left on the 3^rd shelf from the bottom. This is the Duc’s Rose Syrup. Exit the Apothecary, cross the Orangie, and enter the maze again. Use the directions noted above to return to the Gazebo, and give the bastard-prince his medicine (he really is a bastard – check his bio!). He is eternally grateful, feeling better almost immediately. Once he departs, pick up the paper lying on the bench – a map of the maze (your current position is marked with a blue circle).

In order to sort the 8 fable titles that Bontemps gave us, we must compare his list with the map of the maze. There are 15 statues present in the maze – the roman numerals marked on the map indicate the order in which they should be visited. Rearranging Bontemp’s list we get:

You must now visit each of the eight statues, using the notes on the memorandum to select letters that will make up the extra special secret message from your enemy (wouldn’t it be easier for villains if they didn’t leave us ANY hints? Hmm…).

Use the directions above to get yourself back to the beginning of the maze, and use the following steps to visit each statue. Use the map if you get lost.

Return to the start of the maze, where Bontemps is waiting to the left of the exit. The game cautions you that you may not have competed everything needed to solve the game yet - but trust me, you have. Bontemps himself warns you that you will not be allowed back into the maze again. Reassure him you are finished and ready to move on.

Act VII: From Supper to Bedtime finds the King and his entourage dining in the gardens, and then returning to the palace to dismiss the court, and go to bed. As per the custom, our visiting dignitary, the Marquis de Scaparella, is given the honour of holding the candles for the King. All of a sudden, he tosses the mess into the fireplace, and skips out the window.

The remainder of the game must be completed within a 5 minute time period (the clock in the upper right corner of the screen will count the seconds down for you).

Exit the King’s chamber via the door to the left of the windows and enter the King’s Salon. Turn to your left – you should see a long candle snuffer leaning up against the wall here. Grab the snuffer and proceed to the Hall of Mirrors (the central door in the wall with three doorways). Turn to your left, and move in that direction down the Hall.

Turn to your right, and stop at the first orange tree you see. Grab the garden tool from your inventory and click on the pot that the tree sits in – this yields the last of the four small keys. Exit the hall via the secret door in the mirror (off to your left) and enter the Bassano Antechamber. Take out your candle from inventory and click on the roaring fire to light it. Grab the lit candle from inventory and click on the doors to the right of the windows to gain entry to the back staircase.

At the top of the spiral staircase, open the door here and step through. Turn to your right and proceed down the corridor. Once you come to a stop, turn to your right and enter the low doorway. You are once again viewing that strange box, actually a bomb, hanging from the ceiling. Grab the candle snuffer from inventory, and click on the bomb to bring it closer to you.

The four small keys must be inserted in order into the bomb to allow you to input the secret maze message. The first key goes in the left keyhole, with the other three inserted from left to right. The keys 1 through 4 are marked as such in your inventory. Once the keys are inserted, you get a close-up of the lettering panel. Just click on the letter (or blank space) in each square to change the value. You should end up with something that looks like this:

I	T		I	S		N	O	T
I	N		T	H	E		P	O	W
E	R		O	F		K	I	N	G
S		T	O		A	T	T	A	I
N		P	E	R	F	E	C	T	I
O	N

If you complete this last task in the allotted 5 minutes, the bomb is safely diffused, and the King is ever so grateful. Remember not to call him “shorty”, or ask him if he played Jorge Valdez in Tex Murphy Overseer.

If your time expires without finishing the last tasks, Versailles burns. Very sad.