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As the name implies, LURKING HORROR is a horror story. It is Infocom's
first game of this genre. Although the puzzles have logical solutions, I
can think of one or two which might send a frustrated gamer in search of
a walkthru. There are several possible ways to solve the game and I've
had trouble deciding how to write the walkthru. The order in which the
puzzles are presented and solved are not lock-step. For example, the
first time I played the game I solved the Alchemist puzzle before I
discovered the rats in the muddy tunnel.
On my second play, I solved the rat puzzle before going to the
Department of Alchemy. Most of the puzzles require the use of specific
objects. Naturally, you'll have to find the necessary objects before you
can use them. I'll attempt to lead you to the necessary objects and
offer a possible solution to each puzzle. I'd like to mention that I
played the review version of LURKING HORROR for the Macintosh. I'm
keeping my fingers crossed that no major changes were made in the final
release version of the game and that no major differences exist for
different computers.
You're a student at G.U.E. Tech. It's late on a cold, winter night, but
your 20-page report is due tomorrow. To work on your assignment, you
make your way to the Computer Center through the worst storm of the
winter. The game starts with you standing in the Terminal Room. There is
a PC before you, so have a seat and log on, please. Your user ID is
printed on the Student ID Card included in the game package. Your
password is written in the back of the "G.U.E. at a Glance Guide for
Freshmen" (also included in the package).
Once you've logged on, you'll see a menu on the PC. Use the PC's mouse
by clicking on MENU then YAK. Read the strange document which has
replaced your paper. You'll faint and awaken in "a place." Go down into
the bowl, look at the platform, and take the small stone. Wait a couple
of turns and you'll wake up in the Terminal Room. Look at the PC's
screen. The hacker will attempt to fix the PC, but your paper will be
lost. It was mixed up on the file server with some files from the
Department of Alchemy. The hacker will suggest, "Maybe they could help
you down there."
Look at the hacker and notice the keyring. Ask the hacker about the
keys and he'll show you one you haven't noticed -- a Master Key. Ask him
about it and he'll say, "It'll open three out of five doors at Tech."
Then he'll complain of hunger. That's your cue. Go to the kitchen and
get the Chinese food from the refrigerator. The hacker won't like it
cold so heat it in the microwave oven for about two minutes on "HI." In
case you have problems controlling the microwave, set the timer to 200,
press HI, then press START. Give the food to the hacker in exchange for
his master key.
A NOTE ABOUT GETTING TIRED. When and where you start getting tired will
vary depending upon the number of moves you've made. For that reason, I
could not determine when or where to tell you what to do about it. Thus,
this note: When you get tired, drink from the bottle of Coke which you
will find in the refrigerator in the kitchen.
Go south twice to the elevator. Enter the elevator, open the panel, and
take the flashlight. Go down to the Basement then east to the Temporary
Basement. Take the gloves and crowbar then go up to the Temporary Lab.
Take the flask and return to the Basement then go west twice to the Aero
Basement. Get on the forklift and drive east until you reach Dead
Storage. Use the forklift to move the junk until you've cleared a path
to Ancient Storage. In Ancient Storage, open the manhole with the
crowbar and go down to the Brick Tunnel. Go north and down to the Altar.
Take the knife, open the iron plate, and look in the pit. Now you know
what has been done with the missing students! Return to the Brick Tunnel
and go south. Try to open the trap door (this will be useful later).
Return to the Basement then go west, west, and up to the Aero Lab. Now
go south to the Infinite Corridor. (NOTE: If the maintenance man should
block your path while you are in the Infinite Corridor, simply wait for
him to move on. Waiting will work until you have reached the end of the
Infinite Corridor.) Take the plastic container and go east in the
corridor until you reach the stairs. Go up to the Great Dome, wear the
gloves and climb rope. (It's not really a rope but climb it anyway.) On
the Catwalk, open the small metal door and exit north to the Roof of the
Great Dome. Climb up to the top of the dome, remove the plug and take
the paper -- it's a suicide note. Go back inside the Great Dome. Take
the ladder and put it on the Catwalk. Go down the ladder and return to
the Infinite Corridor.
Go east to the glass fronted cabinet, break glass, and take the axe. Go
west to the wall socket where the waxer cord is plugged in and cut the
cord with the axe. When the maintenance man starts toward you, open the
plastic container and pour the liquid on the floor. Go east to the end
of the corridor then north to Fruits & Nuts. Go down to the Cluttered
Passage and southeast to the Brown Basement. Take the rubber boots and
wear them.
Go up to the Brown Building then up to the Top Floor. Read the sign
over the door then unlock it with the master key. Exit the door (north)
to reach the Skyscraper Roof. Go up to the Semi-Transparent Dome, look
in the tub, and take the hand. I had a little trouble concerning the
hand and the winged creature. It appears the creature always takes the
hand away if you're holding it when he enters the dome. My solution was
to put the hand in the plastic container before the creature entered the
dome. When the winged creature enters the dome, he will block your exit.
Throw the stone at creature, retrieve it and go down. The creature will
be waiting for you at the bottom, so throw the stone at him again. Both
the stone and the creature will go off the south end of the building. Go
east, down, then south to the Courtyard and get the stone. Go north,
down, northwest, and up to Fruits & Nuts. Then go south until you reach
the Department of Alchemy.
The door to the Department of Alchemy is locked and the master key will
not unlock it. Knock on the door and wait. The professor will open the
door and usher you into the room. Read the sign-up sheet, show the
suicide note to the professor, then go south. Oops! You're in a
pentagram. Wait until the professor has entered another pentagram and
has begun his ritual. Cut the line with the knife and exit the
pentagram. Move the lab bench, open the trap door, and go down. If you
time your moves just right, the mist will grab the professor just as you
go through the trap door. Wait a turn below the trap door then re-enter
the lab through it. Put the dead hand in the vat and it comes to life!
Take the hand. You can put the professor's ring on the hand if you wish;
it fits nicely.
Look for an urchin slouching somewhere. I found one in the Computer
Center. Show the living hand to the urchin and take the bolt cutter
which the urchin will drop.
Return to the Basement, go west twice to the Stairway and down to the
Sub-Basement. Now go northwest to the Tomb and read the graffiti. Unlock
the padlock with master key, and take the padlock. Open the hatch and go
down. You hear rats! Go east and open the pressure release valve with
the crowbar. Timing is important here for your objective is to scald the
rats. When you see them, open the valve. Examine the dead rat; it has a
strange symbol branded on its neck.
Close the valve and go east until you reach the brick wall. Move the
loose brick with the crowbar and look in the hole. Use the crowbar to
move the second brick and you will have made a hole in the brick wall
through which you can see a reinforcing rod and a small room containing
some machinery. Think about the levels of the building and try to place
where you are now in relation to what's above you. You must be somewhere
near the elevator.
Go back to the Basement and send the elevator to the first floor. Then
open the elevator doors in the Basement. Wedge the doors open with the
crowbar and go down the elevator shaft to the Concrete Box. Take the
chain and put the chain on the reinforcing rod. Put the padlock on the
chain and go back up. Put the chain on the hook, remove the crowbar and
the elevator will start moving. You'll hear a tearing, rending sound,
then a rumbling crash. Open the elevator doors again, wedge them open
with the crowbar, and go down to the Concrete Box. The brick wall will
have an enormous hole ripped in it. This is the opening you need for
those objects which will not fit through the opening to the Tomb.
You'll need the bolt cutter, the flask, the axe, the stone, the
flashlight, the master key, the boots, the gloves, and the hand for the
puzzles that follow.
From the hole in the brick wall, go north then west until you reach the
Tunnel Entrance then go down to the Muddy Tunnel. From the Muddy Tunnel,
go down to the Large Chamber and look at the slots; a wire goes to each.
Cut the wire with bolt cutter.
Go down to the Wet Tunnel, the hand will start pointing the way so go
as the hand directs but watch out for the curtain of slime. When you
find it, open the flask and pour the liquid on the curtain. A wooden
door will be revealed. Unlock the door with the master key and enter the
Inner Lair. Reach in the pool and take the line. Cut the line with the
axe and take the line again. Open the box, unplug the coaxial cable, and
put the line in the socket.
The huge mass will change shape. Wait until it becomes a winged
creature with its mouth open and the stone has turned red. Throw the
stone at the creature then take the stone again. The hacker will ask,
"Can I have my key back?"
Your score should be 100 out of a possible 100. Graded on the curve,
you are in the class of President of the Institute.
THE END.
first game of this genre. Although the puzzles have logical solutions, I
can think of one or two which might send a frustrated gamer in search of
a walkthru. There are several possible ways to solve the game and I've
had trouble deciding how to write the walkthru. The order in which the
puzzles are presented and solved are not lock-step. For example, the
first time I played the game I solved the Alchemist puzzle before I
discovered the rats in the muddy tunnel.
On my second play, I solved the rat puzzle before going to the
Department of Alchemy. Most of the puzzles require the use of specific
objects. Naturally, you'll have to find the necessary objects before you
can use them. I'll attempt to lead you to the necessary objects and
offer a possible solution to each puzzle. I'd like to mention that I
played the review version of LURKING HORROR for the Macintosh. I'm
keeping my fingers crossed that no major changes were made in the final
release version of the game and that no major differences exist for
different computers.
You're a student at G.U.E. Tech. It's late on a cold, winter night, but
your 20-page report is due tomorrow. To work on your assignment, you
make your way to the Computer Center through the worst storm of the
winter. The game starts with you standing in the Terminal Room. There is
a PC before you, so have a seat and log on, please. Your user ID is
printed on the Student ID Card included in the game package. Your
password is written in the back of the "G.U.E. at a Glance Guide for
Freshmen" (also included in the package).
Once you've logged on, you'll see a menu on the PC. Use the PC's mouse
by clicking on MENU then YAK. Read the strange document which has
replaced your paper. You'll faint and awaken in "a place." Go down into
the bowl, look at the platform, and take the small stone. Wait a couple
of turns and you'll wake up in the Terminal Room. Look at the PC's
screen. The hacker will attempt to fix the PC, but your paper will be
lost. It was mixed up on the file server with some files from the
Department of Alchemy. The hacker will suggest, "Maybe they could help
you down there."
Look at the hacker and notice the keyring. Ask the hacker about the
keys and he'll show you one you haven't noticed -- a Master Key. Ask him
about it and he'll say, "It'll open three out of five doors at Tech."
Then he'll complain of hunger. That's your cue. Go to the kitchen and
get the Chinese food from the refrigerator. The hacker won't like it
cold so heat it in the microwave oven for about two minutes on "HI." In
case you have problems controlling the microwave, set the timer to 200,
press HI, then press START. Give the food to the hacker in exchange for
his master key.
A NOTE ABOUT GETTING TIRED. When and where you start getting tired will
vary depending upon the number of moves you've made. For that reason, I
could not determine when or where to tell you what to do about it. Thus,
this note: When you get tired, drink from the bottle of Coke which you
will find in the refrigerator in the kitchen.
Go south twice to the elevator. Enter the elevator, open the panel, and
take the flashlight. Go down to the Basement then east to the Temporary
Basement. Take the gloves and crowbar then go up to the Temporary Lab.
Take the flask and return to the Basement then go west twice to the Aero
Basement. Get on the forklift and drive east until you reach Dead
Storage. Use the forklift to move the junk until you've cleared a path
to Ancient Storage. In Ancient Storage, open the manhole with the
crowbar and go down to the Brick Tunnel. Go north and down to the Altar.
Take the knife, open the iron plate, and look in the pit. Now you know
what has been done with the missing students! Return to the Brick Tunnel
and go south. Try to open the trap door (this will be useful later).
Return to the Basement then go west, west, and up to the Aero Lab. Now
go south to the Infinite Corridor. (NOTE: If the maintenance man should
block your path while you are in the Infinite Corridor, simply wait for
him to move on. Waiting will work until you have reached the end of the
Infinite Corridor.) Take the plastic container and go east in the
corridor until you reach the stairs. Go up to the Great Dome, wear the
gloves and climb rope. (It's not really a rope but climb it anyway.) On
the Catwalk, open the small metal door and exit north to the Roof of the
Great Dome. Climb up to the top of the dome, remove the plug and take
the paper -- it's a suicide note. Go back inside the Great Dome. Take
the ladder and put it on the Catwalk. Go down the ladder and return to
the Infinite Corridor.
Go east to the glass fronted cabinet, break glass, and take the axe. Go
west to the wall socket where the waxer cord is plugged in and cut the
cord with the axe. When the maintenance man starts toward you, open the
plastic container and pour the liquid on the floor. Go east to the end
of the corridor then north to Fruits & Nuts. Go down to the Cluttered
Passage and southeast to the Brown Basement. Take the rubber boots and
wear them.
Go up to the Brown Building then up to the Top Floor. Read the sign
over the door then unlock it with the master key. Exit the door (north)
to reach the Skyscraper Roof. Go up to the Semi-Transparent Dome, look
in the tub, and take the hand. I had a little trouble concerning the
hand and the winged creature. It appears the creature always takes the
hand away if you're holding it when he enters the dome. My solution was
to put the hand in the plastic container before the creature entered the
dome. When the winged creature enters the dome, he will block your exit.
Throw the stone at creature, retrieve it and go down. The creature will
be waiting for you at the bottom, so throw the stone at him again. Both
the stone and the creature will go off the south end of the building. Go
east, down, then south to the Courtyard and get the stone. Go north,
down, northwest, and up to Fruits & Nuts. Then go south until you reach
the Department of Alchemy.
The door to the Department of Alchemy is locked and the master key will
not unlock it. Knock on the door and wait. The professor will open the
door and usher you into the room. Read the sign-up sheet, show the
suicide note to the professor, then go south. Oops! You're in a
pentagram. Wait until the professor has entered another pentagram and
has begun his ritual. Cut the line with the knife and exit the
pentagram. Move the lab bench, open the trap door, and go down. If you
time your moves just right, the mist will grab the professor just as you
go through the trap door. Wait a turn below the trap door then re-enter
the lab through it. Put the dead hand in the vat and it comes to life!
Take the hand. You can put the professor's ring on the hand if you wish;
it fits nicely.
Look for an urchin slouching somewhere. I found one in the Computer
Center. Show the living hand to the urchin and take the bolt cutter
which the urchin will drop.
Return to the Basement, go west twice to the Stairway and down to the
Sub-Basement. Now go northwest to the Tomb and read the graffiti. Unlock
the padlock with master key, and take the padlock. Open the hatch and go
down. You hear rats! Go east and open the pressure release valve with
the crowbar. Timing is important here for your objective is to scald the
rats. When you see them, open the valve. Examine the dead rat; it has a
strange symbol branded on its neck.
Close the valve and go east until you reach the brick wall. Move the
loose brick with the crowbar and look in the hole. Use the crowbar to
move the second brick and you will have made a hole in the brick wall
through which you can see a reinforcing rod and a small room containing
some machinery. Think about the levels of the building and try to place
where you are now in relation to what's above you. You must be somewhere
near the elevator.
Go back to the Basement and send the elevator to the first floor. Then
open the elevator doors in the Basement. Wedge the doors open with the
crowbar and go down the elevator shaft to the Concrete Box. Take the
chain and put the chain on the reinforcing rod. Put the padlock on the
chain and go back up. Put the chain on the hook, remove the crowbar and
the elevator will start moving. You'll hear a tearing, rending sound,
then a rumbling crash. Open the elevator doors again, wedge them open
with the crowbar, and go down to the Concrete Box. The brick wall will
have an enormous hole ripped in it. This is the opening you need for
those objects which will not fit through the opening to the Tomb.
You'll need the bolt cutter, the flask, the axe, the stone, the
flashlight, the master key, the boots, the gloves, and the hand for the
puzzles that follow.
From the hole in the brick wall, go north then west until you reach the
Tunnel Entrance then go down to the Muddy Tunnel. From the Muddy Tunnel,
go down to the Large Chamber and look at the slots; a wire goes to each.
Cut the wire with bolt cutter.
Go down to the Wet Tunnel, the hand will start pointing the way so go
as the hand directs but watch out for the curtain of slime. When you
find it, open the flask and pour the liquid on the curtain. A wooden
door will be revealed. Unlock the door with the master key and enter the
Inner Lair. Reach in the pool and take the line. Cut the line with the
axe and take the line again. Open the box, unplug the coaxial cable, and
put the line in the socket.
The huge mass will change shape. Wait until it becomes a winged
creature with its mouth open and the stone has turned red. Throw the
stone at the creature then take the stone again. The hacker will ask,
"Can I have my key back?"
Your score should be 100 out of a possible 100. Graded on the curve,
you are in the class of President of the Institute.
THE END.