Syberia

A Few Notes on Game Play

Syberia allows Kate to wander around freely on the screen so she may be facing at any direction at any moment. Since this could cause confusion when I give directions, I will be giving them relative to you, the player; not Kate. So, if I say for you to go left, I mean have Kate go to the left side of your screen, not Kate’s left.

Usually your cursor will highlight whenever it is over a path which will take you to another screen. If I say for you to go to the next screen, I mean to move your cursor to the edge of the screen until it highlights, then click. In this case I will usually just tell you where to click. However, a few screens will scroll one way or the other as Kate approaches the edge of the screen so if I tell you to go in some direction and you can’t find a path there, just have Kate keep going in that direction until you find the highlight.

To use an item in Syberia you must first select it from your inventory (by right-clicking anywhere to bring up your inventory then clicking on the item you want to use). The active item will appear in the bottom left corner of the screen. To put the item away again (so you won’t try to use it on everything you click on) right-click to bring up your inventory then immediately right-click again to dismiss it.

Your inventory also holds your cell phone (click on it to use it) and a file of all documents you receive. You can switch to a view of your documents by clicking on the document icon. There, you can either read the documents (by first clicking on the eye icon) or use the documents as if they were inventory items (by first clicking on the hand icon).

Sometimes when you examine an item or read something you will wind up in a closeup. You will have to click the exit button in the bottom right of your screen to exit the closeup before you can do much of anything else.

When you talk with anyone you will get a list of topics you can ask about. It is a good idea to ask about everything on the list every time you talk with someone even though most of the time they will repeat themselves on most topics. Sometimes they have new information to reveal and the game sometimes will not let you progress until you have talked to a particular character about a particular topic.

The Story So Far…

The Universal Toy Company is in the process of acquiring the Voralberg Automaton factory located in the town of Valadeline, France. The owner of the factory, Anna Voralberg, has agreed to the acquisition and the only thing left is for the paperwork to be signed. Young, New York attorney Kate Walker (that’s you) has been sent by her firm to the town of Valadeline to acquire the final signatures for the deal. (I guess fax machines and Fed Ex never made it to Valadeline…)

Walkthrough
Valadeline, France

The first sight to greet Kate (and you) upon arrival in Valadeline is a funeral procession made up of automaton figures. Well, isn’t that cheery? When the procession is over Kate will automatically walk through the town to the inn where she will be staying. An automaton will greet her from the roof as she arrives.

Get used to the automatons… You’re going to be seeing a lot of them.

Just inside the door you will gain control. On the wall near the door is a rack of literature and, if you click on it, you will pick up a brochure which tells you about the Voralberg automatons. (The brochure isn’t necessary for the game but gives some background if you are interested in the story.)

Have Kate walk down and to the left to the next screen. The view will switch to show the room from the opposite angle and you will see that Kate isn’t alone; a boy is sitting at a table in the corner. This is Momo. You can have Kate talk to Momo for a while but you won’t find out much; Momo seems to be somewhat simple-minded and isn’t exactly friendly. When you are done, click on the bottom edge of the screen to have Kate walk back to the other side of the room.

Click on the counter to have Kate approach it for a closeup of the first puzzle in the game (and possibly one of the most obvious puzzles in the history of adventure gaming). Pick up the key lying on the counter then select it from your inventory and click on the automaton to wind it up. Click on the button to ring the bell.

The innkeeper will appear. Talk to him and tell him who you are to check in. Exit the conversation and have Kate go to pick up her suitcase. She will complain about how heavy it is and say she needs someone to help her with it. (Sigh. Kate…) Talk to the innkeeper again and ask for help. He will agree to carry the suitcase and will lead you upstairs to your room.

While this is happening, the innkeeper will recognize you as the person who has come to buy the factory. He seems to think this is a good idea but Momo disagrees. Momo becomes angry and runs from the room. The innkeeper will also tell you that Anna Voralberg is dead. In fact, that was her funeral you saw when you first arrived. Uh-oh.

Once in your room the innkeeper will talk a bit more, repeat that he thinks the buyout of the factory is a good idea, mention that a message came for you, then leave. Click on the bedside table to switch the view to there then click on the envelope to pick it up and read the message.

Guess we need to let the office know the bad news. Bring up your inventory then click on the cell phone. Scroll down through the memory to “Office” and hit “Send”. (Great. Even the game puts us on hold.) Eventually you will get to talk to Mr. Marson, your boss, and fill him in on the latest development. Fortunately he has planned for this contingency and has a backup plan. He will fax you a letter of introduction to the local notary. If you take the letter to the notary, you can get him to sign the agreement.

Click along the bottom of this screen to switch to the other view of the room. (You can’t go through the door next to you. In fact, the game is full of doors that your cursor will highlight on but you can’t go through. Annoying, really.) Click on the door to the left to go back to the hall. Click beyond the stairs to switch to the other end of the hall then click on the stairs to descend.

Talk to the innkeeper again and ask about your mission to get him to bring you the fax. You know, I don’t think this place is going to be winning any service awards anytime soon. Oh well. Talk to the innkeeper about all of the topics in your notebook then exit the conversation.

Click along the bottom of the screen to switch to the other side of the lobby and have Kate walk to the table where Momo was sitting earlier. Click on the table for a closeup. There are two gears on the table. Pick them up and note the drawing on the table. You can copy it if you wish but it really isn’t necessary.

Back out of the closeup. There are two more gears lying on the floor. They may be a bit hard to see (especially if Kate is standing on them) but search around with your cursor until you find both of them. You should wind up with a total of four gears; one each of large, medium, small and tiny.

Click on the bottom of the screen to switch to the other end of the room then click on the door to go outside.

Once outside, walk towards the screen and down to get to the main road. Go left to the next screen. You are now looking along the main road of Valadeline. The entrance to the Voralberg Automaton Factory is on the right but we can’t get in yet, so just remember this location (we’ll be coming back here several times) then go down to the next screen.

The person you see standing beside the road is a baker. You can talk to him but he doesn’t have anything important to say (other than the fact that the mayor has declared a day of mourning because of Anna Voralberg’s death and thus all the stores are closed). Go left (this is a scrolling screen) until you get to the next screen.

The large house belongs to the notary you are looking for. (There is a newspaper lying on the bench to the left that you can pick up and read if you want to get a bit more of the story. It really isn’t that relevant though.) Click on the porch to go to the door and get a closeup of the automaton.

Pull the lever in the middle of the automaton to lower its head. Remove the letter of introduction from your inventory (it’s in your personal file and is called “Fax 2”) and place it in the automaton’s hands. Pull the lever on the right of the automaton. The paper will be lifted in front of the automaton’s eyes and you will see the notary reading it from inside via a periscope-like device. The door will open and you will automatically enter.

Kate is now in the waiting room. Go to the right and down to get to the next screen. There are some things on the desk but ignore them for now. Click on the door to the left to enter the notary’s office. After the introductions are complete sit down then talk about your mission to start a long conversation. Hmmm… So, Hans Voralberg is alive and apparently living in Siberia. (Yes, that isn’t how the name of the game is spelled. Yes, there is a reason). Well, that complicates matters, doesn’t it? (Of course, it would be a pretty short game otherwise.)

The notary suggests that you look in the factory for clues as to where to find Hans and tells you where to find a key. The notary really doesn’t have anything else of importance to say so leave through the door you entered.

In the next room, go down to the left to switch to the view of the door. Pick up the object hanging from the coat rack then exit. (The notary asked you to close the door when you left but there doesn’t seem to be any way to do so.)

Once back on the street we need to return to the factory entrance. (Two screens to the right.) Along the way you will get a call from your fiancee, Dan. (Yeah, he’s a jerk.) The conversation is automatic so just wait until it’s finished. There will be several phone calls during the game that mainly help to establish character and background for Kate but they sometimes include bits of useful information so pay attention to them.

You are back on the main street with the factory to the right. Click on the gate to the factory to approach it. When the screen changes, click on the gate for a closeup. Select the telescopic key from your inventory and click on the upper automaton on the gate to insert it. Wind up the lower automaton then pull the lever near the center of the gate. The gate will open and you will automatically go inside.

Go forward to a five-way intersection at a fountain. (Remember this spot; you’ll be seeing it a lot.) Take the first path to the right. Your view will switch to show Kate approaching a large house. Go forward to the house then go around the house to the right. (Don’t bother with the front door; it’s locked.) Go right again on the next screen to reach the back of the house.

The door back here is locked too so examine the ladder device instead. If you try to operate it Kate will complain that she needs a key. Exit this screen to get back to the back of the house then exit this screen to the right.

Uh-oh! A maze! Calm down. Though I am sure the temptation was great the designers didn’t put one in here. Go forward into the maze entrance.

Talk to the woman to your right. She doesn’t have much to say but note that she calls the automatons “robots” even though the innkeeper was offended by the term. (She also has an interesting pronunciation of “Valadeline”.) When she is finished talking, take the path to the left. (You can go examine the fountain and statue in the background if you wish but it’s just a dead-end with nothing of interest except a view of a broken statue and unmaintained fountain.)

Go forward along the path to the next screen. Ignore the gate on the left; it’s locked. Instead, go into the narrow opening next to where Kate is standing. You will see a short path leading to another, smaller fountain. Click on the fountain for a closeup and take the key lying there. Back out of the closeup.

Leave by the bottom of the screen to the next scene. Go right to the next screen then exit from the bottom again. Exit from the bottom of this screen also then do the same from the next. You should be back in the back of the house. Click on the ladder device. Select the key you just found from your inventory and click on the ladder device with it to extend the ladder. Then, click on the ladder. Kate climbs the ladder and enters an attic window.

In the attic, exit the screen to the right. Continue in the direction you are facing to the next screen. There is a light bulb in the upper right of the screen. Click on it to turn it on. You will automatically return to the attic entrance screen where Momo is now standing. (Did he follow Kate up the ladder or was he in the attic all along? Who knows.) At any rate, Momo asks Kate to draw a picture of a mammoth for him.

Talk to Momo and he will give you a pencil and piece of paper. Kate insists that she can’t draw but Momo won’t tell you anything until you draw one for him. Exit the conversation then go back to the screen where you switched on the light. Look at the wooden beam on the right wall. There seems to be some markings on it. If you examine the markings you will get a closeup of a carving of a mammoth, apparently done by Hans. Select the pencil and paper from your inventory and use them on the carving. Kate will make a rubbing of the mammoth.

Exit this screen to the left and the next through the bottom. This takes you back to where Momo is waiting. Select the mammoth tracing from your inventory (it’s in your personal file, not your main inventory) and give it to him. He will thank you, offer to show you a secret and run off. Watch where he goes.

Momo will wait for you when he gets too far ahead so let’s finish exploring the attic before we follow him. Go left to the next screen and click on the desk. Pick up the bottle of ink and the diary. Read the diary; it gives a lot of background on Anna, Hans and the Voralberg automatons and explains why everyone thinks Hans is dead and the odd preoccupation with mammoths.

Now let’s go after Momo. Exit the closeup, go right to the next screen then click on the window to climb back down the ladder. Go all the way back to that fountain at the five-way intersection we saw when we first entered the factory grounds. Momo is waiting for us here and will exit off the bottom of the screen. Follow him. From the factory gate, exit to the main street.

Momo is again waiting for you and will exit off the bottom left. Go down and left twice to reach the notary’s house, then left again. Go left on this screen (it scrolls) until you see Momo again, now standing in front of a gate. Click on him and he will open the gate and go through it. Follow him through the gate.

On the next screen, go left across the bridge and up the steps. Go to the steps near the back of the next screen and up then on to the next. Keep going right along the forest path until you get to another screen. Go forward across the bridge here and continue along the path to another screen.

Observe the boat here. You can’t do anything with it (yet) so just remember where it is for now and just continue on to the right to reach the next screen. Here you will find Momo waiting for you. Talk to him about everything in your notebook. Hmmm… apparently the cave from the diary is nearby. (And Dan won’t like the way Kate looks because she walked a few hundred feet through the woods? Loser.)

Take the path to the upper left, which leads to a stream. You can see the path continue on the far side of the stream but Kate refuses to cross it. (Sigh. Kate…) Go back the way you came then take the path to the upper right. Go up the steps on the next screen. Click on the crank. Kate will try to turn it but fail, saying she needs help.

Go back to Momo, talk to him and ask for help. You will both automatically go to the dam. Momo will attempt to turn the crank but the handle will break off in his hand. He will shrug, drop the handle and leave. Pick up the handle. (How does Kate store that handle under her jacket anyway?)

Remember the boat we saw a few screens back? Go back to it. One of the boat’s oars is visible to the left of the boat. Click on it and Kate will complain that she can’t reach it. Select the broken handle from your inventory and click on the oar with it. Kate will drag the oar closer to shore then complain that it is wet and dirty. (Sigh. Kate…)

Go back to Momo and ask for help again. He will follow Kate to the boat, pick up the oar and leave. Go back to where he was standing. Ask for help again and he will agree to open the dam. You will both automatically go to the dam. Momo will use the oar to replace the broken handle and open the dam. He leaves.

Exit the screen to the bottom-left then go down the stairs. Hmmm… looks like Momo left. Take the top-left path. The water level has dropped so Kate can now safely cross the streambed. Click on the path across the stream to go to the next screen.

You should now be outside a cave. Click on it to enter then go forward and deeper into the cave. Well what do you know? There are cave paintings of mammoths here. Walk around the central stalagmite then click on the object lying in the beam of sunlight. Yes, it’s the mammoth doll Hans was trying to reach when he fell. Take the doll, back out of the closeup then exit the cave.

Now, go all the way back to Valadeline. Along the way (probably just after you cross the dry streambed) you will get a call from your friend and co-worker Olivia. (Glad to see you have your priorities, Olivia.) When the call is over, finish going back to town and continue on to the main street in front of the Voralberg Factory. Don’t go in. Instead, keep heading up the street to the next screen.

You are now back in front of the hotel. Go to the right and the next screen. You are in front of a bridge. There is a local sitting on a bench to the right of the road (he may be behind Kate and hard to see). You can talk to him if you wish but he doesn’t have much to say and Kate complains about not having time to talk anyway. Go forward and over the bridge to the next screen.

You are now looking at the bridge from the other side. (This is a bit confusing since the camera angle reversed and it isn’t immediately obvious which direction you are facing.) Exit the screen from the bottom. Climb the hill on the next screen towards the church you see in the distance. On the next, go towards the church gate and then through it.

You are now standing in front of the church. You should get a call from your boss at this point and he isn’t happy about the latest set of news. (Though, to be fair, Kate doesn’t exactly handle her end of the conversation well either; she sounds very confused and uncertain.)

The main entrance to the church is locked so take the path to the right. On the next screen, ignore the door or booth to your left. (It’s an elevator but we need to get something else first.) Instead, continue along the path to the back of the church. Once there, go though the door in back.

This is the priest’s quarters. Ignore the other door in here (it’s locked). Instead, exit off the bottom of the screen to walk around the table. On the next screen, click on the crucifix on the wall behind the altar. (Yes, that’s an automaton on the crucifix; I’m not even going to speculate on the religious implications of that one.) Note the scuff marks on the wall? Click on the crucifix and retrieve the key from behind it then exit from the closeup.

Now, click on the chest on the far left. When you get the closeup, select the key you just found from your inventory and use it in the keyhole on the top-right of the chest. Open the top drawer of the chest and take the punch card you find inside then close the drawer. Do the same with the second, fourth and fifth drawers. (Skip the middle drawer for now.) You should wind up with four punch cards.

Now, open the middle drawer. It will only open partway. Turn the crank on the right side of the chest to open the drawer the rest of the way. Take the Voralberg key you see inside then exit from the closeup.

Walk down and around the table to reach the next screen then exit through the door you entered. Take the path back towards the front of the church.

When you reach the screen with the elevator booth, click on the box you see on the wall to the right of the elevator. You will get a closeup. Note the two gears and four empty spindles. Select the gears from your inventory one at a time and place them on the correct spindles. (You got the gears from the hotel. The table there had a drawing showing the correct placement of the gears but since each gear will only go on its correct spindle there really isn’t any need for it.) When all four gears are in place, pull the lever to the right of the box. The elevator doors will open and Kate will automatically enter and and travel to the top of the steeple.

On arrival, exit the screen through the bottom. On the next, move Kate to one side so that you can see an automaton sitting in front of a crank. Click on the automaton to get a closeup of a slot on its back.

The punch cards you have will cause the automaton to play various melodies on the church bells. You can listen to all of them if you like but the one you want is the purple punch card. Place it in the slot and the automaton will play a funeral march. You will get a cinematic of the churchyard and a tomb where an automaton will remove its hat, revealing a key slot.

When the cinematic ends Kate will automatically discard the other cards so if you want to hear their tunes you will need to listen to them first. (One is the wedding march, one is a Christmas song and the third simply rings the bells.) Return to the elevator and enter it to ride back to the ground. Once there, exit to the bottom-left to return to the church entrance.

Back at the entrance, take the upper-left path. On the next screen you will see the tomb in the background so walk towards it. When you arrive, click on the automaton’s hat for a closeup then select the Voralberg key from your inventory and use it on the hat. The tomb door will open. Go inside.

At the bottom of the steps go forward through the door. Inside the tomb, click on the bottom of the screen to switch to an opposite angle of the room. Kate is standing directly in front of two coffins. The upper one is Anna Voralberg’s, the lower one is Hans’. (And it seems to be partially open. Hmmm…) Click on Hans’ coffin for a closeup, a second time to pull it out then a third time to open it.

Hmmm… There isn’t a body in here after all. The piece of paper is Hans’ obituary. You can pick it up and read it (though it doesn’t tell us much that we didn’t already know). Pick up the cylinder from the coffin as well; we’ll learn the use for it later.

We’re done here. Back out of any closeup, exit the tomb and go all the way back into town and to the Voralberg factory entrance. Enter the factory grounds and go to the fountain with the five-way intersection we visited a while back.

Take the path to the upper-left then go towards the covered platform in front of you. Once there, pull the lever on the pole near the center of the screen. A clamp will arrive on a track and will take the large object from the platform into the building. That’s it for here. Return to the fountain.

Now, take the leftmost path which leads to the factory. Keep going towards the factory (through several screens) until you reach the entrance. Go through the doors to go inside.

OK, we have several things to do here in the factory. Note this screen. Call it the Factory Main Entrance; I’ll be telling you to return here several times. For now, go to the right to the next screen then take the path to the upper-right, between the rows of equipment and the wall. When you get to the door, go through it.

Exit through the bottom of the screen to switch the camera angle to the other side of the room. Pull the chain you see hanging on the right part of the screen. A mechanical hamster will be released and it will run in its wheel for a bit, lowering the water wheel outside. When it is done, pull the lever on the left.

Now the factory has power. Return to the Factory Main Entrance and go through the bottom-left to the next screen (but not up the stairs; take the lower path to the left). From there just continue to the left. When you arrive at the next screen Kate will get another call, this one from her mother! Pay attention to the name of her mother’s new boyfriend; it may become important later. Kate will rush her mother off the phone. Think she finds these calls as annoying as we do?

When the call is over click on the object near the center-left that looks something like a forklift or hand truck. When you get the closeup click on the object again. Kate will wind it up and the automaton forklift will pick up the object you sent inside earlier and carry it into the factory.

When you regain control exit through the right side of the screen. On the next screen, click on the door in the background to go through it.

Hmmm… who’s that hanging from the ceiling? Walk around the table to the right to reach the next screen. Click on the crank near the middle to lower the hanging figure to the ground. When you regain control, walk back around the table to the left.

Talk to the figure to meet your companion for the rest of the game; automaton XZ2000, aka “Oscar”. Talk to Oscar about everything in your dialog notebook. You will learn that Oscar is almost complete but that he needs his feet. Well, maybe we can do something about that.

Terminate the conversation and return to the Factory Main Entrance. Now go up the stairs. At the top, go through the door that should be just to the left of where Kate is standing. This takes you to Anna Voralberg’s office. Exit through the right to the next screen.

Click on the desk in the back of the office for a closeup. Click on the papers on the spike to learn that the Voralberg Factory is in financial trouble and on the blueprints on the right to see an advanced clockwork train. Finally, click on the letter in the middle of the desk to see Anna Voralberg’s last, unfinished communication with Hans.

Exit the closeup then click on the bookshelf to the right of the room for another closeup. Here, examine the books on the top shelf and click on the one you can interact with. The central shelf will spin around, revealing an automaton music box. Music will play for a bit then you will get a cylinder like the one you found in Hans’ coffin.

Well, we know what the cylinders are used for now. Select the “Valadeline Voice Cylinder” from your inventory and click on the “music box”. Watch the cinematic to see Hans’ injury in the cave, though it doesn’t reveal anything we didn’t already know. When the cinematic ends the top will pop off the cylinder player. Click on the top to add it to your inventory, back out of the closeup then exit the office.

Now, go to the left end of the catwalk and up the stairs there. You are now standing in front of a control console. Click on it for a closeup. This is the automated control center for the entire factory! Put the card Oscar gave you into the slot in the center. Flip all six of the switches in the right part of the console. (Ignore the warning light.) Push the button to the left of the card slot three times. Finally, push the button to the right of the card slot. You should get a cinematic of the factory operating and producing a set of feet.

Back out of the closeup and return to the Factory Main Entrance. Go right to the next screen then right again to reach the end of the conveyor belt. Examine the feet then pick them up. Back out of the closeup and return to the Factory Main Entrance. From there, go left twice then through the door to return to Oscar.

Select the feet from your inventory then click on Oscar. He will put the feet on, thank you and leave to find his train. Just a hunch, but maybe we should do the same.

(If Oscar rejects the feet it is probably because you used the wrong kind of wood. The type of wood used is selected by the button to the left of the card slot; the one I told you to push three times. What you want is a yellowish-white wood; if you had previously pushed the button then you may have wound up with something else. In this case, just keep trying different woods until you find the right one. You can make as many sets of feet as you need to get it correct.)

Return to the Factory Main Entrance then exit the factory. Return to the fountain with the five-way intersection and take the one path we haven’t explored yet, the one to the upper-right. Well, that looks like a train station to me. Click on the door to go up to it then click on the door on the next screen to go inside.

Exit off the bottom edge of the screen to go into the station. At the bottom-right of the screen you should see some steps leading onto the train car. Click on this to climb onto the platform on the passenger car. Click on the door to go inside.

Oscar should be waiting for you inside the car. Talk to him about your mission and Kate will announce that she is planning on riding the train. Oscar will tell her that she needs a ticket in order to do so. He will go outside so we should follow.

Back on the platform, exit to the left to get back to the station. You should see Oscar standing inside the ticket booth. Click on it and talk to Oscar. Man, is this thing programmed to be annoying? Talk about your mission again. You should wind up with a train ticket and a form authorizing you to use the train. The form needs to be notarized so it’s time to visit the notary again.

Go back to the fountain then exit to the main road. Go left two screens to the notary’s office. Enter through the open door. (Guess it’s a good thing we didn’t close it, huh?)

Go to the right and down to walk around the desk. Now, click on the desk for a closeup. You should see another automaton; this one a notary stamper. Click on the top of the automaton to open its cap. Select the bottle of ink from your inventory, use it on the automaton to refill it, then close the cap.

Now, select the train release permit from the personal file area of your inventory (you may have to switch from “examine” to “take”) and place the form on the blotter under the stamp. Finally, push the button to stamp the form. Take your stamped forms and go all the way back to the train station. Board the train and enter the passenger car to find Oscar again.

Give Oscar the train release permit and your ticket. (Select them from your personal file then click on him.) He will take the release permit but tell you that he cannot accept the ticket because all departure conditions have not been satisfied. He says there are spaces in the luggage compartment that specific items have to be placed on. (Yeah, he’s programmed to be annoying.)

Exit off the bottom-left of the screen to switch to the opposite view of the hallway. Click on the door in back to go through it. You are now in what looks like a trophy room of some kind. Take the “music box” top and place it on the pedestal in the middle of the room. (In your inventory it is called the “Hans-Anna Mechanical Toy”. You can use it to play the voice cylinders here, if and when you find more of them.) Place the mammoth doll on the table on the right (on the small pedestal). Click on the cabinet in the back-left of the room to get a closeup and place the two cylinders you have on the platforms you see there. Back out of the closeup.

The exit to the right leads to a sleeping compartment (which we don’t have to worry about right now). Instead, return to the passenger car and try giving your ticket to Oscar again. Unfortunately, you still can’t leave because the clockwork mechanism on the train isn’t wound up! (And Oscar doesn’t know how… Yep, definitely programmed to be annoying.)

Exit the train car to the passenger car platform then exit the platform to the right. Exit the next screen off the bottom. You should see a large machine in the foreground. Walk to the machine then click on the crank to extend the winding mechanism. Pull the lever next to the machine. A panel on the train engine will open and the machine will wind the train. When it is complete, turn the crank again to retract the winding mechanism then return to the train. (You can wander around the rest of the station if you like but there really isn’t anything else of interest here. There is a guy pushing a broom on another screen but you can’t even talk to him.)

When you step aboard the passenger car platform you will get another call from Dan. He’s still a bit of a jerk but Kate isn’t exactly being a font of information or understanding either. Basically he’s upset that Kate isn’t coming back home. (And, who are the Goldbergs and why is it so necessary that Kate be there?)

When you are done, return to the hallway and give your ticket to Oscar again. Finally he is satisfied and tells Kate to take her seat. He leaves and you are treated to a long cinematic of the train pulling out of Valadeline and traveling through the countryside. The trip lasts overnight and Kate falls asleep but she awakens when the train arrives at another station. (And you get to switch to the second CD.)

Barrockstadt University

Welcome to the university town of Barrockstadt. Kate is standing next to the seat in which she spent the night. (Why she slept in the chair when there is a perfectly good bed in the next compartment is anyone’s guess.) Exit off the bottom of the screen to switch to the opposite angle then talk to Oscar. Basically the train has run down and it needs to be wound up again in order to continue with your journey. (And, as usual, Oscar is going to be of no help.) It’s up to you and Kate to save the day again.

Talk to Oscar about everything in your dialog list then exit to the passenger car platform. Exit to the left to get to the station. The Barrockstadt station is also an aviary and has its own canal. Versatile place…

The station has a number of interesting locations but we’ll try to cover it in a reasonable order. Exit the screen to the right. This takes you to the front of the train. Notice the bird that flies away? Those birds will become important in a bit. Exit this screen to the lower right. Go down the steps to the right on the next screen.

Now you are outside and have a good view of the station. Hey, are those mammoths back there? They seem to be turning up everywhere, don’t they? Anyway, exit this screen off the bottom.

On the next screen, notice the ruins in the background. (They don’t seem to be important, except to show that the university here is well past its heyday.) Keep going left (this is a scrolling screen) until you can exit to the next screen.

When you arrive, Kate will spot a device that she recognizes as a winding machine for the train. Now you just have to figure out a way to get the train to the machine. Notice the large wall in the distance. You can approach it if you like but there isn’t any reason to do so yet. So, for now, just go all the way back to the screen where you got off the train. When you arrive, Oscar will step onto the passenger car platform and say that he needs to talk to you.

Go back into the train. Oscar will say that the Rectors of the University want to talk to whoever is in charge of the train. Apparently that’s you. All Oscar can tell you is that whatever they want to talk about is important. Oh well, we’ll look around for them when we reach the university.

When you finish talking to Oscar, exit through the door to the passenger car platform then exit to the left to get back to the station again. This time, exit to the left. Kate will climb some steps to stand in the middle of a bridge. Go down the steps to the lower-left. On the next screen, keep going left (another scrolling screen) until you get to the next screen.

Here there is a small beach leading down to a canal. Talk to the man you see standing beside the canal; this is the stationmaster. Talk to him about everything in your dialog list. Note his description of the Amerzone Cuckoo and the fact that they apparently have an automaton here. Hmmm… interesting.

When you are finished, pick up the hook you can see lying in the sand then go all the way back to the bridge. Once there, take the stairs leading up to the right. From there, descend the stairs to the right back down to the floor. (This is the main entrance to the station; remember where it is.) Exit this screen to the right then do the same for the next screen.

Kate will find herself outside again. Go down the steps to the left. Once there you will see a barge sitting on the canal. Approach the barge and talk to the two people you see on its deck. The husband and wife you are talking to are the owners and operators of the barge. The husband doesn’t speak English (he actually speaks a mish-mash of several languages) but the wife will translate for you. Talk to them about everything in your dialog list. (Kate gets really defensive when they start asking her about her salary. Heh.) In the end they will agree to tow the train to the winding machine for $100. Now, we just need to find a way to get the money for Kate. (The poor, broke lawyer.) Note that the two also mentioned a problem with the lock on the canal; we should probably look into that too.

Go back up the stairs in the back. On the next screen, exit to the right (don’t go back into the station). This takes you out to the front of the station. Take the stairs you can see towards the right. You will get a very brief cut-scene of Kate climbing the main steps to the University of Barrockstadt. Note the large mammoths overlooking the steps. Hmmm…

You are now in the courtyard for the University. Walk around the gazebo-like structure in the middle of the screen and to the steps in the back. (Remember where the gazebo structure is; it will be important later but we can’t do anything with it right now.) Ignore the man standing beside the steps (he just wants to hit on Kate). Instead, go through the door at the top of the steps.

Once inside, exit to the right. This is the main entryway for the University. (Remember where this is too.) Hmmm… more mammoths. Exit to the left. Cross the next screen and exit to the left again. Go through the doors directly in front of you then go up the stairs to the right. Approach the three men you see sitting behind the desk ahead of you and talk to them.

These are the Rectors of the University. Talk to them about everything in your dialog list. Yeah, they’re annoying, aren’t they? It seems that they are unhappy with you because the train has stopped in their station and they want you to move it. Well, that’s kind of your goal too.

Anyway, when you talk to them about money they will decide that they will pay you the money you need to hire the barge if you repair their automaton bandstand for them. Well, what do you know; Hans Voralberg was here. At least we know we’re on the right track. (The bandstand is the gazebo-looking thing you saw earlier back in the courtyard.)

When you are done with the rectors, exit off the bottom of the screen then go through the door to the left. Exit off the bottom of the next screen. Now, go through the door you should see behind Kate. This takes you into the University library.

The library is a fairly large room but there is surprisingly little you can do in here. Go down the steps directly in front of you. Once on the library floor, look at the lower table on the right. You should be able to see a blue book sitting on the left end of the table. Pick up the book to read about the Amerzone Cuckoo and the Forest Sauvignon grape. When you are done, take the stairs up and to the left.

Back on the balcony again, exit off the bottom of the screen. Click on the ladder to climb it. Look at the shelves in front of you. Notice the one book that is upside down? Click on it to pick it up and read about the Yangala-Cola fungus. When you are done, back out of this closeup. Click in the “back” of the screen to have Kate walk to the far end of the balcony. Once there, click on the doors to exit the library. (Don’t bother trying to talk to anyone in the library, none of them have time to talk to you. You can’t look at any of the other books in the library either.)

Once outside the library exit to the right to get back to the main entryway. Exit to the right. Talk to the professor you see examining the mammoth.

This is Professor Cornelius Pons. Talk to him about everything in your dialog list. He has several interesting things to tell you. First, he knew Hans Voralberg but says that Hans left around fifty years ago. Well, that’s a bit of a cold trail. He says that Hans was only interested in mammoths and that Hans told him of the stuffed mammoth toy. Pons apparently didn’t believe Han’s story as he says that the description of the toy matches that of the Youkol tribe and that the Youkols are apparently from a place known as Syberia (ah-ha!). He can’t imagine how such a toy could have found its way to the French Alps. Hmmm… I wonder what Professor Pons here would think if we showed him the toy?

Finish talking to Professor Pons and he will suggest that you come to one of his lectures on the Youkols. As a final observation, notice how defensive he gets when you mention Sauvignon grapes. I wonder if he’s hiding something. Oh well, nothing we can do about it right now.

(You may have noticed that the book you picked up about the Yangala-Cola fungus was written by Professor Pons. If you go back to that location in the library there will be a student from one of Pon’s classes standing on the ladder and looking for the book. He doesn’t have time to talk to you and you don’t seem to be able to give the book to him though.)

When you have finished talking with Professor Pons it is time to head back to the train. Click in the “back” of the screen to have Kate return to the main entrance. Exit off the bottom of the screen then exit the next screen to the left.

You will find yourself back outside and Kate will get a call from her boss. Marson is getting increasingly frustrated and Kate still doesn’t have much to tell him. When the call ends, exit off the bottom of the screen to get to the courtyard. Exit to the lower-left and watch Kate walk down the steps between the mammoth statues. (You get to watch Kate go up and down these stairs quite a few times… it gets old.) On the next screen, have Kate go in the main entrance to the station (which should be directly in front of her). Go to the top of the bridge then exit to the left.

Take the stairs down to the upper-right. You are now outside the train again. Enter the passenger car and go to the trophy room (or luggage compartment or whatever). Pick up the mammoth doll then exit the car again. (Oscar is hanging around in the passenger car but he doesn’t have anything new to say.)

Exit the passenger car platform to the left (as usual) to get back to the station then head back to where you spoke to the station master. (Basically just keep going left.) Talk to the station master about the Sauvignon. He will evade the question a bit then say he has to get back to work. He leaves. (Think these people are hiding something?)

Go back to the bridge and take the stairs up to the right. You will find the station master standing on the top of the bridge. Talk to him about the Sauvignon again. He will evade a bit more before telling you to go talk to the “paleontologist”. Hmmm… Sounds like Professor Pons. Exit the conversation and go all the way back to where you met Pons.

When you find Pons, talk to him about the Sauvignon. He will evade a bit more then tell you to talk to the Rectors. (Sigh. More runaround.) Talk to Pons about your mission. He will mention Hans’ mammoth doll again and say how much he wishes he could hold it.

Well, maybe we can help there. Exit the conversation, select the mammoth doll from your inventory then use it on the Professor. He will be very excited, ask if he can borrow the doll for a while then tell you that he is planning on giving an impromptu lecture on the Youkols that afternoon. He invites you to the lecture and says that he will give the doll back as soon as the lecture is over. He leaves to go to his lab. (The screen somewhat confusingly changes camera angles at this point, even though you haven’t moved. The room you are looking at is Pons laboratory. Also, you have no choice but to let Pons take the doll.)

You can follow Pons at this point but instead let’s follow up on the Sauvignon with the Rectors. Exit off the lower-left side of the screen to switch the camera angle back to where we talked to Pons. From here, go all the way back to the room where you spoke with the Rectors. Once there, talk to them about the Sauvignon. A long, rambling conversation will ensue in which they almost, but not quite, admit to growing Forest Sauvignon and making wine. Apparently the station master and Professor Pons are in on the scheme as well, which explains their odd behavior. Well, maybe they’ll open up a bit more now that we are in on the secret.

Exit the conversation and return to where we previously met Professor Pons. He isn’t here anymore, so exit off the lower-right side of the screen to switch the camera angle to show the entrance to his lab. Use the door to enter the lab.

When you arrive, examine the cabinet to the left of where Kate is standing for a closeup. Look on one of the lower shelves, just above what looks like a small mammoth’s skull. Hey, that looks like one of those voice cylinders like we found back in Valadeline! Pick it up then back out of the closeup. Now exit off the bottom of the screen.

Professor Pons is here but, before we talk to him, examine the lab table at the lower-right. Pick up the test tube holder (it looks like a pair of tongs) and the bottle of Yangala-Cola powder. Exit from the closeup and talk to the professor about the Sauvignon. Heh. He’s using the students to make the wine for him. Oh well, the joys of higher education.

Exit the conversation and go all the way back to the station, to the top of the bridge where we last saw the station master. When you arrive, talk to the station master about the Sauvignon. He still tries to deny that anything is going on until Kate explains that she has gotten the full details from the Rectors. Kate still has to make a few vague threats about going to the authorities before he gives in and agrees to give us access to the garden. When the conversation ends the station master will exit to the left. Do the same.

On the next screen take the steps up and to the left; the ones we haven’t taken yet. Then take the path into the garden to the left. Just keep following this path until you meet the station master again in a room with a large, open door in the back. The station master will give a vague apology that Kate accepts then he will leave. When he is gone, exit through the large door in the back of the room.

We’re back outside the station again. Exit this screen to the left. Do the same on the next. Move your cursor over the bushes in front of Kate to find some grapes. Click on one of them to pick them up. (There are several clusters on the bush but you can’t take more than one.) Exit this screen at the bottom then exit the next the same way. Click on the door to re-enter the station.

Once back inside, follow the path through the greenery to the right. Exit the next screen via the bottom and the one after through the lower-right. This brings us back to the base of the stairs. Don’t go back up them quite yet. Instead, go up and to the right to explore some more of the station. Exit off the bottom of the next screen.

You should now see a ladder with several of those birds around its base. You can click on either the ladder or the birds to approach them but, when you do, they caw and flap their wings and Kate doesn’t seem to want to get too close. (Sigh. Kate…)

Select the Sauvignon grapes from your inventory and use them on the birds. Kate will drop them on the ground some short distance from the ladder and the birds will wander over to investigate. When you get control again, click on the ladder to have Kate climb it. When she stops halfway up, click on the next ladder to have her climb the rest of the way.

Well, it looks like we’ve found the mechanical eagle. Too bad it isn’t working. In fact, it seems as if some birds have added insult to injury by building a nest in its back. Click on the nest for a closeup. Notice that one egg is different from the rest? Kate can’t quite reach it so select the test tube holder from your inventory and use it to get the egg. Exit the closeup.

Now, go back down both ladders. Exit through the back of the screen. Click on the stairs to return to their base then take the stairs up and to the right. Take the stairs up and to the right on the next screen as well.

The station master is here waiting for you and he will initiate a conversation with Kate. He gives her a bottle of the Sauvignon wine as an apology for the runaround he gave earlier. When he is done, take the stairs down to the right then exit through the main doors. Take the steps to the right to return to the courtyard.

This time, click on the automaton bandstand in the center of the courtyard. Click to the right of the bandstand to walk around to the far side. Examine the door in the side of the bandstand.

There is something on the door that looks like a balance scale with an egg on one side. An egg? Select the cuckoo’s egg from your inventory and use it on the opposite side of the balance. The balance evens out. Click on the circular handle to open the door then click on the open door to go inside.

Once inside the bandstand you should see a ladder on the left side of the screen. Click on it to descend to a machinery room. Once there, pull the lever on the right. The machinery will start up and you will get a short cinematic of the automaton bandstand playing. (Given that “fixing” the bandstand pretty much involved simply turning it on, I think it is safe to say that Barrockstadt University doesn’t have an Engineering department.)

When the cinematic ends you will automatically find yourself back outside of the bandstand. Click to the right of the bandstand to walk back around it then click on the small bridge to return to the courtyard. Now, return to the room with the Rectors.

Talk to the Rectors about money. They are happy to have their bandstand working again and, after conferring among themselves, will agree to pay you the money you need. When you are finished, leave and go back to the main entrance of the station. From there, go to where you talked to the couple on the barge.

Use the money you just got from the Rectors on the couple on the barge and they will agree to help you move the train though they will again mention that there is a problem with the lock on the canal. Ask about the lock and one of them will throw a key. (Watch where it lands.) Exit the conversation, pick up the key then return to the station entrance.

When you arrive, Kate’s phone will ring. It is her mother again, still talking about her new boyfriend “Franck”. Kate manages to stop her before she goes into TMI mode and manages to get her off the phone.

When the call is over, go left. On the next screen, click on the console you see in the background to approach it. There are several parts of the console that you can examine; a covered panel, a telephone and a sign.

When you look at the telephone (right part of the console) you will learn that it is broken. Click on the sign above the telephone. Kate will helpfully translate the message there as giving the number for the support line. Well, the phone is broken but Kate has her cell phone. Select the cell phone from your inventory then dial the support number (2766-6742).

Oh great. It really is a telephone support line! Well, we are at the Barrockstadt lock, so press “4” at the first prompt. If you look, you can see that the water in the lock is high. We need to lower it so the barge can enter the lock. Press “2” for the second prompt then press “*” to confirm the action. The help line will then inform you that no technician is available for 48 hours and suggest using the manual controls. Heh. (At least we weren’t put on hold.)

Now examine the covered panel. Use the key on the key slot to open the panel. Now, remember the sequence we just used on the cell phone? Enter “4 2 *” on the keypad and watch the water level drop and the lock doors swing open.

Now we need to tell the people on the barge that the lock is ready. Go all the way back to the barge. Talk to the couple about the lock to tell them that you have figured out how to use it. The barge will set off and you will get a brief cut-scene of it sailing through the station. When you regain control, go back to the control panel.

The barge should be here waiting for you. Examine the panel again and enter “4 1 *”. You will see the barge rise in the lock then sail forward to the front of the train. Now we need to get to the front of the train ourselves.

Back out of the closeups and return to the station entrance. Climb the stairs then exit to the left. Go down the stairs to the right to get to the train then go right twice. You should see both the barge and the train in the background and the couple should be waiting for you on the barge deck. Talk to them about “help” and the husband will throw a chain to the station. Select the hook from your inventory and use it on the chain. (The chain is a bit hard to see but it is lying on the mossy ground near where Kate should be standing.) Kate will automatically attach the chain to the front of the train and the barge will automatically pull it to the winding machine.

When the cutscene ends Kate will be standing in the now-empty station. Exit to the right then go down the stairs. Go left past the ruined buildings to the next screen.

As soon as you arrive, Kate’s cell phone will ring again. This time it is Professor Pons, telling Kate that his lecture is about to start. Oh yeah… Forgot about that. Well, we can’t keep the professor waiting. Go all the way back to the entryway for the university. Once there, click on the mammoth skeleton near the back of the entryway to switch the view back to there. Click on the stairway near the middle of the screen to climb partway up then click on the stairs to climb the rest of the way. Exit off the bottom of the screen to get to the top of the lecture hall. (Doesn’t look like Professor Pons’ lectures are that well attended, are they?)

When Pons sees Kate he will tell her to take a seat. Kate will find one automatically and the lecture will then start. This is a long cutscene in which Pons talks at length about the Youkols. In short, the Youkols were a primitive tribe in Siberia who may have been the only group of humans to ever domesticate the mammoth. The mammoth was an integral part of their culture and, after the mammoths died out, their culture survived for centuries by excavating the mammoths frozen in the ice of Siberia. Unfortunately, the Youkols themselves were wiped out when the then-Soviet Union expanded into Siberia. However, rumors persist that some Youkols and even some of their mammoths still survive on the far-northern island of Syberia.

When the lecture ends Pons will tell Kate she can pick up the mammoth doll in his lab. Pons leaves, as do a few bored students. When you finally get control again, leave the lecture hall to the left, go back down the stairs then return to the entryway through the lower-left. Return to Professor Pons’ laboratory.

Once there, talk to Professor Pons a final time about your mission. Kate says that she found his lecture fascinating (though I suspect she is just being polite). Pick up the mammoth doll from the left end of Pons’ desk then pick up the stack of papers from the right end. The papers contain some more information on the Youkols and also tell of an “ice ark” which seems to go to a land where the mammoths still live. Interesting.

And we’re done for here! Leave the lab and go all the way back to where you left the train. Click on the passenger car to get on the passenger car platform. Don’t go inside yet. Instead, exit off the right side of the platform.

You should see the winding machine. This one works exactly the same as the one back in Valadeline. Click on the crank to extend the winding key then pull the lever to wind up the train. The winding key retracts automatically when it is done.

At this point Kate gets another phone call. It’s Dan again and, yes, he’s still a jerk. At least Kate stands up to him a bit more this time. (Go Kate!) Still, it’s one of those phone calls that leaves no one in a good mood after they hang up.

Click on the passenger car to return to the platform then go inside. Ignore Oscar for a moment. Click on the bottom of the screen to switch to the opposite view of the car then enter the trophy room. Select the mammoth doll from your inventory and put it back on its pedestal. Then, select the Barrockstadt voice cylinder and use it on the central column; the one with the mechanical toy sitting on top. (The cylinder goes in a hole in the column itself.) There is a brief cinematic of a message from Anna to Hans, apparently recorded shortly after their father died sometime during the second World War. It doesn’t really contain any new information though. When the cinematic is over, Kate will automatically take the cylinder and place it in the cabinet in back.

Return to the passenger compartment and click on Oscar. To Kate’s surprise, everything is ready to go. Oscar leaves and the train sets off again.

And travels about twenty feet.

The Wall

Well, the train has stopped and Oscar hasn’t appeared so maybe we better see what has happened. Exit the passenger car then exit the platform to the right. Click on the small building near the center of the screen to approach it and start a conversation with Oscar. OK, now Oscar says you need an exit visa before you can leave. He doesn’t have one to give you but suggests that there should be someone around who can. You can talk to Oscar about whatever you want (Kate proves she’s a lawyer by threatening to sue him at one point) but he won’t budge. Sigh. I guess we had better find an exit visa.

Exit the conversation to leave the closeup. Take the path to the left that goes around the back of the small building. On the next screen, you should see a door leading into the wall on the left side of the screen. Click on the door to enter the wall. (Ignore the door into the small building; you can’t get in.) Once inside the wall, click on the stairs to climb them.

When you emerge onto the top of the wall Kate’s cell phone will ring. It’s Olivia again, this time asking Kate about the fight she had with Dan. Kate downplays the argument and doesn’t seem too concerned that her best friend seems a bit too interested in the emotional state of her fiancee. Olivia also complains about how boring it is back home. Kate just talks about how impressive the wall is, somehow missing all the flashing, red warning signs in this conversation. Or, maybe she thinks denial is just a river in Egypt. Whatever.

When the call ends, exit the screen to the lower left. Cross the bridge then enter the door into the watchtower.

Once inside, take a moment to look around. There is a person in the room that I missed seeing the first time I came here; he is standing behind the telescope. Click on him to start a conversation. This is Captain Malatesta, who is in charge of the Wall. He is indeed the person who can give you an exit visa, but he won’t. Apparently there is a Cossack horseman watching and waiting for someone to leave the Wall so they can attack. He even suggests that you look for yourself.

Talk to Malatesta about everything in your dialog list. He doesn’t have much to pass on except to confirm that the mechanism in the wall was built by Hans Voralberg. When you are done, exit the conversation.

Click on the telescope to look through it. Hmmm… Yeah, that does kind of look like a horseman but something isn’t quite right. Click on the red buttons above the view to change the focus on the telescope to see that you are really looking at an old log. Apparently the dangers outside the wall have been somewhat exaggerated.

Exit from the telescope view. Malatesta probably won’t take Kate’s word for what is going on so we’re going to have to find a way to convince him. Look at the desk in the lower right part of the screen and click on it for a closeup. Click on the eyeglasses on the desk to confirm that Malatesta does indeed have bad eyesight.

Remember what we read about the Yangala-Cola fungus back in the library? Maybe we can help Malatesta’s eyesight. Look at the desk again and notice the two wine glasses. (Does Malatesta do much entertaining up here?) Select the Yangala-Cola powder from your inventory and use it on the wine glasses. Then select the Sauvignon wine from your inventory and use it on the wine glasses as well. Exit the closeup and a conversation will automatically start in which Kate will offer Malatesta some wine. He drinks, then Kate suggests he check the horseman again. He does and now sees it for what it really is. Malatesta is embarrassed and gives Kate an exit visa. Kate agrees to keep his secret.

Leave and go all the way back down to the front of the small building. Don’t click on it to start a conversation; for some reason you never have an opportunity there to give Oscar the exit visa. Instead, remain on the screen with the small building. Select the exit visa from your inventory (it’s in your personal file area) and use it on the building. This starts a conversation with Oscar where you give him the exit visa and he gives you another train ticket.

When the conversation ends go back to the passenger compartment of the train to find Oscar waiting for you. Select the ticket from your inventory and give it to him. He tells Kate to take her seat and the train will get underway.

A long cinematic starts in which the gate in the wall opens and the train passes through. The train then travels for some time through an increasingly desolate countryside, finally approaching a valley shrouded in smoke and smog. The train coasts to a stop at a station beneath a towering automaton figure.

Komkolzgrad

Welcome to Komkolzgrad, once the pride of the former Soviet Union. Oddly, Oscar doesn’t show up so have Kate leave the passenger car and exit the platform to the right. There’s nothing right here in the station so exit the screen to the left.

On the next screen Oscar will call to Kate from the engine. Apparently the engine has run down again and, as usual, Oscar can’t do anything to help. This time his excuse is that the pollutants in the air will damage his mechanism. Yeah, well Oscar, they probably aren’t doing Kate’s lungs much good either but you don’t hear her complaining, do you? Anyway, Kate agrees to look for a winding machine since there really isn’t much else she can do.

Exit the screen to the left. On the next screen there is a large building. There is an entryway into the building in front of you but it’s locked so just ignore it for now. Exit the screen to the right. On the next screen, click on the ladder to have Kate climb it.

You are now inside the giant automaton figure you saw earlier. Click on the shelf above the bed in front of you for a closeup. Hey, another voice cylinder! Pick it up. Then pick up the paper the cylinder was sitting on to find a drawing of the automaton in which you are standing. Notice that a spot on the leg is marked. Put the drawing away then pick up the T-shaped handle that was hidden underneath the drawing. Back out of the closeup.

Now examine the control console to Kate’s right for another closeup. Select the handle you just picked up and use it on the slot in the middle of the console. Now click on the console above the handle. There will be a cutscene of the automaton slowly moving towards the train. When it stops, click above the handle a second time to have it travel the rest of the way to the train. Then click on the red button on the console. A winding mechanism will extend from the leg of the automaton and wind the train.

Well, that was easy! (But remember what they say; anything that seems too easy, probably was.) Click below the handle twice to have the automaton return to its original location. (Waiting for the cutscene of the automaton moving to finish after each click gets old fairly quick.) Once it is back, exit the closeup then click on the bottom of the screen to climb back to the ground.

When you get back down there will be a short cutscene of someone leaping from the train and running into a building. Kate will call out to them but get no answer. Uh-oh, this doesn’t look good.

Click in the “back” of the screen to get back to the building you passed earlier. The figure ran into this building but if you check you will find that the door is still locked. Guess we better find out what he was doing on the train. Exit to the left to get back to the engine then exit to the right to return to the outside of the passenger car. Climb onto the car and go inside.

Hmmm… Still no sign of Oscar. Exit off the bottom to switch to the opposite angle, click on the door to enter the trophy room then click on the door to the right to enter the sleeping compartment.

Here’s Oscar; he wasn’t waiting for us because he was tied up. Literally. Click on Oscar to untie him. Oscar is quite distraught; he has been attacked and his hands have been stolen. Now who would want to steal the hands from an automaton? Talk to Oscar about everything in your dialog list. Unfortunately, he doesn’t have much useful to tell us. Oscar can’t run the train without his hands so Kate will have to find the person who stole them and get them back.

(Oscar says he was in Kate’s bedroom because he was “polishing his metalwork”… No, I’m not going there…)

Exit the conversation then look around the room and pick up the metal shears from the floor. (The game calls them metal “sheers”.) Click on the door to return to the trophy room.

While we’re here, we may as well use that voice cylinder we just picked up. Select the voice cylinder from your inventory and use it on the player. This is another message from Anna to Hans, who was apparently working for the Soviets at the time. This concerns Anna somewhat but she is glad that Hans’ talents have been recognized. So, apparently this entire town is an industrial center being run by Hans’ automatons. Not bad.

When the message ends Kate will automatically put the cylinder in the cabinet. Now, leave the train and go all the way back to the control room of the giant automaton. Examine the console then click above the lever once to move the automaton forward one stop. Exit the closeup then exit the control room.

Kate is now standing near an upper balcony. Click on the balcony to hop from the automaton to the balcony. Click on the covered window to have Kate peek through a hole in it into the room beyond. Looks like some sort of storage room. Select the metal shears from your inventory and use them on the window. There will be a short cut-scene as Kate cuts her way into the room.

When the cut-scene ends, click on the opening to have Kate enter the room. It looks like there should be a lot to do here but there surprisingly isn’t. Exit off the bottom of the screen. Examine the shelves on the left for a closeup then pick up the spark plug from the shelf. Exit the closeup. That’s it. You can look through the two windows if you want but there’s really nothing to see and the door in the back of the room is locked. Go back to the control room of the giant automaton and return it to its original position. Then, exit the automaton and return to the outside of the passenger car. Don’t go in. Instead, exit the screen to the lower-right.

Notice the crates in the foreground. The symbol on the side of the crate is the symbol for “explosives”. You can’t do anything with them right now but remember where they are. Instead, look for a lever just to the left of a column near the center of the screen. Pull the lever to call the elevator. When it arrives, click on the elevator and Kate will get in and ride it down.

When the elevator arrives Kate’s cell phone will ring. It’s Dan again and it sounds like he wants to talk about the argument he and Kate had on their last call. Unfortunately, cell reception isn’t very good at the bottom of the mine shaft and Kate can barely hear him. Dan doesn’t seem happy, especially when Kate tells him she’s in a mine. Kate promises to call back later and hangs up.

It’s dark in the mine and a bit hard to see but examine the device on the left side of the tunnel for a closeup. Select the spark plug from your inventory and use it on the top of the device. Then slide the lever below the spark plug to the right. This turns the power on and lets you see. Exit the closeup then exit off the bottom of the screen. Click in the “back” of the screen to go deeper into the mine then exit off the bottom of the next screen. Click inside the elevator to have Kate enter it and ride it to the surface.

Kate is now in a different part of the complex. Exit to the right. Hmmm… That looks like a huge pipe organ of some kind (and it should look familiar; you saw it when you played the latest voice cylinder). Click on the organ to approach it. On the next screen, click on the organ itself for a closeup.

An automaton organist? Why are we not surprised. Those hands on the organist look suspiciously new, don’t they? Unfortunately, Kate can’t just grab the hands and run. Oh well. Pick up the screwdriver that is sitting on one side of the organ console then exit the closeup. Leave the organ to the left then exit off the bottom of the next screen to get back to the elevator.

Now look at the path leading down. There is a door about halfway down the path but it is locked. However, just above the bottom of the screen there is a console. Use it and the door will open. This door leads back out to the station platform; it is the door that was locked that you couldn’t get through earlier. The same door that the mysterious figure ran through after stealing Oscar’s hands.

We have no need to go back outside yet though, so exit off the bottom of the screen. There is nothing of importance on the next screen so just exit to the left. On the next screen, examine the sign on the column just to the right of where Kate is standing. Use the screwdriver on each of the four screws holding the sign in place. This removes the sign, which was blocking a ladder. Click on the ladder to have Kate climb to the upper level.

On the upper level there is a door towards the back that we can’t get through yet. Instead, click on the door that is a bit to the left of the center of the screen. This leads to the control room for the complex. Once inside, click on the figure seated in front of the consoles to start a conversation. This is Serguei Borodine, the director of the Komkolzgrad industrial complex. He’s also quite insane. (And how did he get up here anyway? Wasn’t the ladder blocked by that sign?)

Borodine doesn’t even really try to evade the question and readily admits that he “borrowed” Oscar’s hands. It seems that Borodine is obsessed with the Russian singer Helena Romanski. As in stalker level obsessed. He has converted this entire factory into an organ and concert hall and fully expects Romanski to come and perform there, for him. As soon as she does, he will return Oscar’s hands.

Of course, Borodine hasn’t actually asked Romanski to come perform, mainly because he doesn’t know where she is. (And possibly because she doesn’t want him to know where she is.) At any rate, Borodine basically tells Kate that if she wants Oscar’s hands back then she will have to find a way to get Romanski to come to Komkolzgrad. Kate agrees to this surprisingly readily (though, to be fair, she really doesn’t have too much of a choice).

Borodine doesn’t know where to find Romanski but he has collected all the information he can about her. He suggests that Kate may find a clue as to her whereabouts there. Borodine does something with his console and his “shrine” to Romanski is lowered to the ground.

Finish talking to Borodine about everything in your dialog list then exit the control room. Go back down the ladder. Borodine’s shrine should now be visible in the back of the room so click on the door to enter.

You know, this place is… creepy. Yeah, Borodine is definitely at the psycho stalker level. Oh well. Exit off the bottom of the screen to switch camera angles then click in the “back” of the screen to go deeper into the shrine. Once there, look at the table visible in the lower-left part of the screen. Click on the open drawer to pick up a scrapbook that Borodine has assembled. Read through it to find out some information about Romanski. One of the final clippings mentions that she has performed with another singer by the name of Franck Malkovitch.

Hmmm… That name sounds familiar. Oh yeah, the man Kate’s mother is dating! (What a coincidence!) Close the scrapbook and go ahead and look through the rest of the drawer. You will find a series of letters from Borodine to Romanski, all returned. Oh well. Exit the closeups.

Now, pull out the cell phone and have Kate call her mother. (Notice the slight hesitation when Kate asks if she woke her up? Also notice that her mother says that she won’t talk to Dan for her. Apparently Dan let everyone know about the “fight”.) Anyway, Kate’s mother quickly confirms that it is indeed Franck Malkovitch that she is dating. In fact, he’s there with her now. (That explains that hesitation…) Kate relays her question about Helena Romanski and quickly learns that she is now convalescing at a spa in a place called Aralbad.

Kate thanks her mother and Franck and hangs up. Leave the shrine and head back to the control room. Just after she climbs the ladder, Kate’s cell phone will ring again. It’s Dan again. He basically apologizes but does try to put some blame on Kate, saying that she is “changing”. Kate apologizes too and the two somewhat make up. When the call is over, go back into the control room.

Once inside, talk to Borodine again. Talk to him about Aralbad to tell him that you have located Romanski. Then, talk to him about your mission. He will say that you can probably find a vehicle that will take you to Aralbad at the cosmodrome up on the plateau. There is a monorail that will take you there. Exit the conversation then exit the control room. The monorail is the door in the back of the screen that you couldn’t use earlier. Click on it to have Kate enter and you will get a short cutscene as you are taken to the cosmodrome.

Komkolzgrad Cosmodrome

The Komkolzgrad Cosmodrome, once an integral part of the Soviet space program, now lies in ruins. Well, hopefully there’s a vehicle up here somewhere. Exit the screen to the right. Kate promptly gets another phone call, this one from Olivia. Kate wants to tell Olivia about how she is going to meet the famous Russian singer Helena Romanski but Olivia is more interested in how much Kate has changed. She says that Dan thinks so too. Apparently they have been having drinks together. And going to movies. And Dan has invited her to the party at the Goldbergs. Kate is strangely non-committal about this; apparently she is still too busy thinking about a river in Egypt.

Anyway, when the call ends exit through the “back” of the screen then climb the steps to the back-left on the next. On the next screen take the exit to the right.

To save some time later, exit the next screen to the bottom right. When you arrive on the next screen, turn the valve near where Kate is standing; this will save us a trip later. Return to the left. Click on the raised platform to the right of the walkway to have Kate climb the steps.

Now, enter the cylindrical building on the platform. Exit off the bottom of the screen to switch the camera angle. The person at the desk is Boris Charov, a quite drunk test pilot. Talk to him about everything on your dialog list but don’t expect many useful answers. When you are done, pick up the bottle laying near the back of the room. Boris will immediately wonder where his other bottle went and wander outside. Kate will automatically follow. Once outside, Boris will attempt to balance on a rail but fall over backwards into a bucket of some kind. Let him sleep it off for a while and go back inside the building.

Back inside, click on the bottom of the screen to switch the camera angle again. Click on the shelves next to where Boris was sitting for a closeup. Pick up the key and the sheet of paper from the shelves. Hmmm… Looks like Hans worked for the Soviet space program for a while but his project got canceled. Back out of the closeup and return to the outside.

Click on the console near the center of the screen (near where Boris fell) to have Kate approach it and get a closeup. Select the key you just got from your inventory and use it in the keyhole on the console.

There are three levers on the console. Click to the left of the rightmost lever (the horizontal one) to move the bucket Boris is lying in to the left. Click above the leftmost lever (the first vertical one) to move the bucket up. Then, click above the second vertical lever to dump water on Boris. (The valve we turned earlier turns on the water for this.) The water wakes up Boris and sobers him up. Exit the platform and walk around to the screen where we turned the valve earlier. Talk to Boris to start a conversation.

Several interesting things come out of the conversation. First, Boris will confirm that Hans spent some time here. He even built a clockwork flying wing that Boris was supposed to be the test pilot for. But, Hans learned that the Soviets planned to put a nuclear warhead on the wing and apparently left. The project was abandoned and Boris never realized his dreams of flying the wing. You will also learn that there is a airship here that is programmed to automatically go to Aralbad and that nesting birds are a problem at the cosmodrome. Fortunately, there is an eagle named Soyuz that can scare the other birds away. Finally, Boris tells you several times that Borodine is insane and can’t be trusted. (Yeah, we noticed.)

End the conversation and exit to the right to see Han’s clockwork flying wing. Walk around the launch unit to the right to see the airship with a number of birds flying around it. This causes your dialog notebook to be updated. Go back to where you left Boris and talk to him again. Ask about the airship. He will give you the key. Go right to the launch unit then go right again. Click on the stairs to climb to the airship. Select the key from your inventory and use it on the door to enter the airship.

Inside, there is an automaton at the controls. You can pull the lever to the right of the automaton but nothing happens when you do. Click on the door to exit. Exit to the right to return to the ground then exit off the bottom of the screen to get to the front of the launch unit. Now, walk around the launch unit to the left.

Boris will be waiting for you when you arrive and he has a deal for you. If you will help him realize his dream of flying the wing, he will tell you how to use the airship. Not having much of a choice, Kate agrees.

Climb the steps in the background to reach the launch control room. Click on the console to the right for a closeup. Pick up the Voralberg key sitting on the console then use it in the slot to wind it up. Click the power switch (to the right of the display) to turn the unit on.

Hmmm… Nothing happened. Time to try some repairs. Click on the metal plate below the power switch to remove it. Click on each of the two loose wires below the plate to reattach them. The console will now power up.

Look to the right of the console and you will see a device with a hole in it. This is a blood sample device. Click on it to pick it up then back out of the closeup. Exit the control room to return to the ground. Boris will approach you and complain a bit about how long this is taking but Kate will explain that she needs a blood sample. She will eventually convince Boris to give one. Select the blood testing apparatus from your inventory and use it on Boris. Once he gives the sample, return to the control room and examine the console for a closeup again.

Put the blood sample device back into the console. Then, click the first switch on the console. Outside the window, you will see a crane pick up the crew module. Now click the second switch. There will be a puff of smoke from the blood sample device and the display will light up and indicate that the sample was rejected because its blood alcohol content was too high.

Well, we can’t let Boris’ dream fail, can we? Click on the blood sample device and Kate will stick her own finger into it. Now try the second switch again. This time the blood sample is accepted. (Why Kate couldn’t have done that in the first place is beyond me.) Click the third switch. This will cause the crew module to spin on a centrifuge for a while.

There is a bit of a pause as Boris gets into position then he tells Kate that he is ready. Kate reminds him that he was going to tell her how to use the airship and he responds that she just has to wind it up! Push the fourth switch and watch the countdown. (Boris gives you a quick thumbs-up from one of the monitors.) There is a brief cinematic as the flying wing launches into space. (And Godspeed, Comrade Charov!)

When the cinematic ends, back out of the closeup and exit the control room. Exit to the left to get back to the front of the launch unit. There is an object lying on the ground to the lower-left that wasn’t here before (you should have seen Boris throw it to the ground just before he entered the flying wing, but it’s just to the right of some boxes). Pick it up to find a crank handle. Exit off the bottom of the screen.

Exit off the left of the next screen. Then go to the left of the cylindrical column or tower in the background. When the screen changes, go the rest of the way around the column to the left. Kate will climb some stairs in the background to get to the next level.

On the next level you will see the cage holding Soyuz in the background. Have Kate walk to the back of the screen to switch the camera back to there. Notice the device near Kate that looks like a box with a horn sticking from it? This is an emergency siren. Select the crank handle from your inventory and use it on the siren. Kate will turn the crank and the siren will blare a warning. This is the cue for Soyuz to go into action. There is a brief cinematic as Soyuz takes to the sky and chases away the birds in the area. (So, the birds are a danger to the large, slow-moving airship but not to the small, fast-moving spaceship? Huh?)

When the cinematic ends have Kate go all the way back to the cabin of the airship. Once there, pull the lever to the right of the automaton pilot. There will be a long cinematic as the airship takes off, breaks through the clouds above Komkolzgrad and flies to the former resort of Aralbad. (Notice that even though Boris told us that we needed to wind up the airship, what we really had to do was sound the siren and free Soyuz. Yeah, that confused me too.)

Aralbad

The resort and spa of Aralbad has seen better days, as is obvious when the airship arrives. The ocean level has retreated, leaving ships stranded on dry land and the resort some distance from the shore. Well, let’s hope Romanski is still here.

When the cinematic is over exit the airship. Go down the stairs then exit off the lower left. You will arrive in the front of the resort and Kate’s cell phone will ring. It’s her boss again and he is even more angry at how long it is taking Kate to find Hans Voralberg. Kate says that she is doing the best she can and points out that things are often very different “on the ground” than they are back in the office. (Go Kate!) Marson apparently doesn’t like to have an employee who actually stands up to him and becomes still more angry, telling Kate to find Voralberg and soon. He hangs up.

Take a moment to look around. The exit in the background leads to the train station but we don’t need to go there. Do take note of the fountain, however. When you are done, enter the resort on the left. Inside, approach the desk and talk to Felix Smetana, the manager. You can talk to him about everything in your dialog list but he isn’t very helpful or cooperative. Looks like we’ll have to find a way around him.

End the conversation then exit off the lower left to get back to the lobby. Exit off the bottom left of the screen to switch the camera angle to the other side of the lobby. The gated doorway is locked, so we can’t go through there. Instead, click on the closed door to the left. This is a maintenance closet. Click on the bottle of detergent sitting on the shelf to pick it up then back out of the closeup.

Exit off the bottom of the screen to switch the camera angle again then click on the door to exit the lobby. Once back outside, select the detergent from your inventory and use it on the fountain. The fountain will almost immediately fill up with foam. Go back into the resort.

Back in the lobby, click on the curtains to the left of the door to open them. Then approach the desk again. Smetana is watching television and won’t respond to you directly, so click on the bell near the corner of the desk. Smetana starts to berate Kate then notices that someone has vandalized his fountain. There is a short cutscene as he gets a mop and heads outside.

When he is gone, click behind the desk to walk around it then click on the register for a closeup. There are a couple of things of interest here. First, look through the register to see that Helena Romanski is indeed staying here. You might also notice that Hans Voralberg spent some time here as well. Hmmm… Note that the register indicates that permanent guests have a resident code of some sort while day visitors have an access card. (You might also notice that the Aralbad resort and spa doesn’t have much business anymore.)

Close the register. Above and to the right of the register there is a brochure for the Edenor Hotels chain. (Note that the Aralbad resort is apparently better known as the Kronsky Hotel.) Pick it up to see that they have hotels around the world. Hopefully they are doing better than the one here. You may notice that a number is written in for the Paris hotel; you may want to make a note of this number. Just a suggestion.

Put the brochure away and look below the register. Push the red button. This opens the locked gate you couldn’t get through earlier. Exit the closeup then click beyond the desk to have Kate walk around it again. Exit to the lower left to get back to the lobby then exit to the lower left again to switch the camera angle. Click on the gate to go through it.

Ah, this is apparently the spa. Time to do some exploring. Exit to the right. There is nothing important on the next screen so just exit to the left.

On the next screen, look around to find a raised spa on the left. Click on it to approach it. When the camera angle changes, look for a valve to the left of the spa. Click on the valve to have Kate turn it. This apparently controls the temperature in the spa as, after a few moments, steam will start rising from it. We’ll just let this water heat up for a while, so exit to the right. (Remember where this is though; we’ll be coming back here later.) When you get back to the previous screen, exit to the lower left. (Note as you do that there is a chessboard sitting beside the pool. Don’t worry, there isn’t a chess puzzle coming up.)

On the next screen notice the locked gate in the background. We can’t get through there yet either so exit to the left. Click on the hallway in the background. The camera angle will switch to show the view from down the hallway with a serving cart in the foreground. Click on the cart to have Kate approach the cart and pick up a wineglass. Click in the background to return to the spa area. Exit to the left.

Well, we found the restaurant. There is another locked gate here with a console of some kind next to it. Click on the console for a closeup. To open the gate, you enter an access code and pull the lever to the right. (The button at the bottom of the console clears the display.) Unfortunately, we don’t have an access code; it looks like we’ll have to find one. (When you looked at the register you may have noted that Helena Romanski’s code is 1270 but when you try that you will find that it doesn’t work. (You’ll find out later that she is already outside.) Hans Voralberg’s was 1478 but his doesn’t work either. (Probably since he isn’t here anymore.))

Exit the closeup then click in the “back” of the screen. Hey, is that an automaton? Click on the automaton to meet James. (The camera angle changes on its own as the conversation starts.) James, you will quickly learn, is another of Hans Voralberg’s creations and the “nurse” for Helena Romanski. Talk to him about everything in your dialog list. You will find out that Romanski is outside and will be happy to talk to you but that you probably shouldn’t talk to her about Hans; apparently that is a bad topic.

Exit the conversation then exit the screen to the right. Exit the next two screens off the lower left. This takes you back to the spa area. Exit to the right. Notice that the gate which was locked earlier is now standing open. (You must have attempted to enter a code into the door console in the restaurant before it will open.) Click on the gate to enter the dressing room. Pick up the access card from the floor. Hopefully whoever this belongs to won’t need it anytime soon. Leave the dressing room and return to the console in the dining room. Enter the code from the access card (0968) and pull the lever to open the door.

Click on the door to exit. Now, remember what James said about the Salt Wind? Click on the gas mask hanging from the hook to Kate’s right to have her put it on. Now, click on the door to go outside. (And remind me to never vacation at a resort where I have to wear a gas mask just to go outside!)

Exit off the lower right side of the screen to walk out onto the pier then exit off the lower right of the next as well. Click on the gazebo at the end of the pier to approach it. There is someone sitting inside the gazebo, so click on it to approach them then click on the person to start a conversation.

We’ve found Helena Romanski. Kate will introduce herself as an acquaintance of Franck Malkovitch and will start to explain her mission but Romanski will cut her off and say that she doesn’t want to talk right now. She asks Kate to call James for her.

Exit off the bottom of the screen. Before Kate can do anything, Felix Smetana will arrive and berate Kate while apologizing to Romanski. But, before Kate can say anything to defend herself, Romanski will turn the tables on Smetana by saying that Kate is her guest and should be treated as such. Smetana will start to argue but Romanski doesn’t want to hear it. Beaten, Smetana leaves. (Heh.)

When you get control again, exit off the bottom of the screen. Now, examine the object on the side of the pier. (Next to the light pole on the corner.) This is the bell that Romanski uses to summon James. You can pull the chain to ring the bell but unfortunately James won’t be able to hear it over the wind. Click on the bell itself to take it then exit the closeup.

Exit the screen to the left. Exit off the bottom-left of the next screen then click on the resort in the background to exit the next.

When you arrive on the next screen, look along the edge of the pier (between Kate and a lamp post). You should see another mount like the one you took the bell from. Click on it for a closeup. Select the bell from your inventory then use it on the hanger. Pull the chain to ring the bell then exit the closeup. Click on the door to return to the inside of the resort.

Once back inside, click on the place where the gas mask was hanging to have Kate remove hers and hang it back up. Exit off the bottom of the screen then go talk to James. Kate will ask if he heard the bell and James will say that he did, but that he is afraid the Salt Wind will damage him. (Yeah, he’s definitely got Oscar’s programming.) Kate will suggest that he use her mask and James will think this is a good idea. He leaves to get Romanski. (Wait a minute… Automatons breathe? How else would just a gas mask do any good? And how did Romanski get out to the end of the pier unless James took her in the first place?)

Right after James leaves, Kate’s phone will ring. It is her mother asking if she has found Romanski yet. Kate will fill her in on the details. Her mother will suggest that Kate tell Marson that she couldn’t find Hans Voralberg but Kate says she can’t do that. No matter what Marson wants, she has to find Hans to satisfy her own curiosity now.

The call ends and James returns with Romanski. Talk to her again about everything in your dialog list. Romanski actually seems intrigued by the idea of performing for Borodine but insists that she can no longer sing. Then, she mentions a time she was performing in Paris and a bartender there gave her a drink that restored her voice. If only she could find out what that drink was.

Well, it just so happens that we have the phone number for the hotel in Paris. Take out Kate’s cell phone and call the number from the hotel brochure (4643-3643). After briefly being put on hold (heh) Kate manages to talk to the bartender. The bartender who mixed the drink for Romanski is no longer there but this bartender seems to know most of his drinks. He starts listing them and Kate tells him that the “Blue Helena” is the one she wants. (She also tells him that it is a matter of life or death. Whatever.) The bartender tells her that a Blue Helena consists of Vodka, Blue Curacao, Honey, Lemon and Ice. (Shaken, not stirred.) Kate thanks him and hangs up.

Time to play bartender. The first thing we need to do is find all the ingredients. Examine the cabinet under the bar for a closeup and take the lemons and the crystallized honey you find there. Back out of the closeup.

Unfortunately the crystallized honey isn’t going to do us much good. We need to find a way to liquefy it again. Leave the bar and go back to the raised spa, the one we turned the water temperature up in. When you get there, select the crystallized honey from your inventory and use it on the spa. Kate will hold the bottle in the hot water which will cause the honey to melt and become liquid again. When she is done, go back to the bar. (Note along the way that there are now two people in the pool playing chess. You can talk to them if you like but neither of them pay any attention to Kate.)

Back at the bar, examine the large device in the back. This is an automated drink mixer. We first need to make sure it has everything we need. Select the now liquid honey from your inventory and put it in the rightmost empty slot. Select the vodka you took from Boris and put it in the other empty slot on the right. Select the lemons and put them in the empty slot on the left (above the juicer).

If you look at the machinery, you should see a piece of paper sticking out from among the tubes and hoses. Click on it to pick it up. This shows which key on the bottom of the machine dispenses which drink. The things to note here are that there are fourteen drinks that can be dispensed but only seven keys. The switch to the right of the keys (which is labeled with musical cleft symbols) determines which set of seven drinks are being dispensed. You should also note that as the list is read from top to bottom it corresponds to the keys going from right to left.

Now we’re ready to begin. Push the on-off button on the far left of the device. (The one that shows the 1/0 symbol.) We need to add vodka first, so set the switch to the right of the keys to the left (actually it looks to be straight up and down) then press the second key from the left. Flip the switch to the right and press the third key from the left to dispense the Blue Curacao.

Push the middle button on the right (the one that looks like a honeycomb) to add the honey. Then push the button with the lemon on it (the first button on the right) to add the lemon juice. Next, push the middle button on the left (the one with the snowflake on it) to add the ice and finally push the rightmost button (the one with the small image of an automaton on it) to shake the mixture up.

A small automaton will deliver the Blue Helena and Romanski will drink it. She tests her voice then says that the drink didn’t work, even though both Kate and James disagree. It looks like we need to find some way to help her restore her confidence.

Select the wine glass from your inventory (the game calls it a “crystal dish”) and place it on the end of the bar then talk to Romanski. Romanski will try her voice again and shatter the glass. This convinces her that her voice is restored. She will rush James off so that she can get ready to perform for her last fan. When she is gone, have Kate go all the way back to the cabin of the airship. (When you get out from behind the bar, exit through the “back” of the screen. This takes you to the front of the spa and saves you the walk around the pool.)

When you enter the airship, Kate’s phone will ring again. This time it’s Olivia and the conversation seems to get off to an odd start, but that’s just because there really isn’t a good way to tell your best friend that you just slept with her fiancee. (OK, anyone surprised by that plot development? Yeah, me neither.) Kate barely reacts to this, prompting Olivia to accuse her of being some kind of automaton. (Heh. Actually Olivia, I suspect she’s just trying to think of how she’s going to dispose of yours and Dan’s bodies once she gets back home…) Kate says that she needs time to absorb this bit of information and hangs up. She doesn’t get much time to do so though, as James arrives with Romanski moments later.

This starts a long cinematic which shows the airship leaving Aralbad and returning to Komkolzgrad. The automaton organist begins to play and Helena Romanski begins her final concert. Her singing is magnificent and even the automatons of the factory gather around to hear her. Kate smiles while, behind her, Borodine rubs his hands in fiendish glee. Then, as Romanski finishes her song, a cage drops into place around her, trapping her on the stage. (Yeah, saw that one coming too.)

Komkolzgrad (Again)

When you regain control, climb the stairs in the background to approach the cage in which Romanski is trapped. Romanski will ask Kate what is happening and Kate will say she will get her out. Examine the door to the cage to get a closeup. Select the metal shears from your inventory and use them on the padlock of the cage. Exit the closeup and Kate will tell Romanski to run for it while she gets Oscar’s hands. Romanski leaves, though not very fast. (To be fair, she has been confined to an automaton wheelchair for a while…)

Click on the organ to approach it. (The hotspot is pretty much behind Kate, so it looks like you are clicking on her.) When you get the closeup, select the screwdriver from your inventory and use it on the organist’s hands to retrieve them. (Why couldn’t you have done that when you first got the screwdriver, Kate? Would have saved a lot of trouble. Oh well…) Exit the closeup then exit to the left. Exit off the bottom of the next screen.

Kate will catch up with Romanski, who is now standing beside the door to the outside (the one you opened with the console the last time you were here). Kate automatically uses the console to open the door again and Romanski exits, but before Kate can follow Borodine appears on a monitor and a gate closes over the door. Kate gives Oscar’s hands to Romanski and tells her to have Oscar get ready to leave. Romanski leaves for the train. Now, we just have to find a way for Kate to follow.

Click on the elevator at the upper-left. Kate will get in and ride back down to the mine. Go down the mine tunnel until you reach the elevator at the other end. Once there, click on the lever to the right of the elevator shaft.

When the elevator arrives, don’t get in. Instead, notice that there is something sitting on the floor inside of it. Yep, it’s a bomb. Fortunately Kate sees it too and runs for cover. Unfortunately, both elevators are now destroyed.

When you regain control, head back down the mine tunnel again. On the next screen, notice that the cover has been blown off the air vent. Click on the air vent to have Kate enter it and climb to the surface.

Once on the surface, look around and find the crate marked with the explosives symbol that you saw earlier. Examine it for a closeup and pick up the bomb from inside. (Where do you order a crate of time bombs from anyway? eBay?) Back out of the closeup and exit the screen to the right. On the next screen, don’t enter the train. Instead, exit to the left.

Oscar is standing on the side of the engine. Talk to him and go through everything in your dialog notebook. (Oscar starts to complain about having an extra passenger this time around and Kate tells him what he can do with his regulations. Heh.) When you are done, exit the conversation and return to the passenger compartment. When you do, there will be a brief cut-scene of rods extending from the legs of the giant automaton as it moves towards the train.

When you enter the passenger compartment, Kate’s phone will ring. It’s Dan, showing some remarkable timing. He tries to act as if nothing has happened, until Kate mentions that she has already talked to Olivia. Dan immediately starts apologizing but Kate cuts him off. She softens the blow a bit by saying that she may have driven him away from her but then says that they don’t love each other and breaks everything off. She is surprisingly unemotional about this but she admittedly does have more pressing issues on her mind. Like, why isn’t the train moving?

Leave the passenger compartment and return to the engine. Talk to Oscar to find out that the giant automaton is now blocking the train. Well, Kate really isn’t in the mood for this right now; she’s ready to blow something up!

Exit the conversation then exit the screen to the left. Exit the next to the right. The giant automaton has moved, so Kate can’t climb the ladder to get to the control room anymore. So, instead, select the bomb from your inventory and use it on the leg of the automaton. Kate will automatically run back to the passenger car, yelling for Oscar to get them out of there as she does. This triggers a cinematic in which the giant automaton explodes and the train races out of the station as a series of further explosions destroys the entire Komkolzgrad complex. (Way to create an international incident there, Kate.)

Aralbad (Again)

The cinematic continues as the train makes its way to the Aralbad station. There, James arrives and takes Romanski back to her rooms.

When you regain control, exit the train. Exit through the “back” of the screen to get to the other end of the station platform. Here, to Kate’s surprise, you will find Oscar standing outside the train. Talk to him about everything in your dialog notebook. Oscar and Kate both seem more relaxed than usual, though admittedly there is no immediate crisis facing them for once. There also seems to be a bit of uncertainty as to where they should go from here.

Well, we may as well start by winding up the train again. The winding machine is behind where Kate and Oscar are standing so click on the crank to extend the winding mechanism then pull the lever to wind up the train. Click on the crank again to retract the mechanism.

Before you can do anything else, Felix Smetana will arrive and tell Kate that there is a package for her at the desk. Oddly, he doesn’t know where it came from; someone left it there while he was watching the television. Strange… Who knows Kate is here?

Exit the screen to the right. Go though the gate on the next screen to get to the front of the resort again. Enter the resort through the door to the left.

When you enter the resort Kate’s phone will ring again. This time it’s Marson, who is now quite angry that Kate still hasn’t found Hans. Kate points out that she is doing everything she can but Marson doesn’t want to hear it. He hangs up.

When the call ends, click on the hotel desk to approach it. Smetana is watching television again so just click on the box on the far left end of the desk for a closeup. You will find that the box contains a mechanical toy mammoth. Click on it to pick it up. Hmmm… Who do we know of that can make complex mechanical devices and is into mammoths? Hey… You don’t suppose…

While Kate thinks about this, the hotel phone will ring. Smetana will answer it then tell Kate that Romanski wants to see her. She is waiting in the restaurant.

Go to the restaurant bar area. (When you go through the gate into the spa, exit the next screen to the left. This takes you directly to the restaurant and saves you the walk around the pool.) Click on Romanski and James to talk to them. The conversation this time is automatic. Romanski talks about Hans Voralberg some and basically tells Kate not to waste her life. There is some sadness through the entire conversation and, after mentioning that there is a supply plane at the end of the pier, Romanski and James leave.

When they are gone, go out onto the pier. (The salt wind is gone so you don’t need to use the gas mask.) Outside, you should see an elderly man sitting on a bench. Click on him to start a conversation.

The man is, of course, Hans Voralberg. From this point on, everything is automatic. Hans asks where Anna is and Kate tells him of her death; something he seems to have already known. Kate gives him the paperwork and Hans signs it without reading it. Kate questions this and Hans admits that he can’t read. Concerned, Kate offers to read it to him but Hans dismisses her concerns. With a touch of sadness, he says that the time of the factory is over. After a pause, Kate agrees.

Kate’s phone rings. It’s Marson again, even more angry than before. He tells Kate that he is sending someone to replace her before Kate cuts him off and says that she has the signed paperwork. Marson’s mood immediately reverses and he starts congratulating her, even saying he may give her a promotion for this. He says that he wants Kate to be the one who gives the paperwork to the client, says that he wants the papers on his desk the next morning and hangs up. (Check the dosages on those mood swing meds, will you?)

Hans stands up to leave and asks Kate if she is coming with him. Kate seems surprised by this and stammers that she has to get back to New York. Hans looks at her and says that maybe she just doesn’t like adventures. (Heh.) He tells her that the supply plane can probably take her to where she needs to go and, saying goodbye, leaves.

Kate slowly makes her way down the pier, seeming to argue with herself as she does. As she reaches the plane its engines start, but then she hears the whistle of the train. Reaching a sudden decision, she turns and races back down the pier and through the resort. The train is pulling out of the station as she arrives and Hans watches without surprise as she runs along beside it. At the last moment, she grabs the side of the train and pulls herself onto the passenger car platform. She looks back as the train disappears into the swirling snow, heading for the sequel.

But, until it gets there, you’ve won. For now, roll the credits. We hope you enjoyed the tour.