HARVEST

Computer Adventure Game by Michael B. Clark
WALKTHROUGH BY TALLY HO

Your dog, Allibaster, disappeared while you were out walking him. He went into the bushes and just vanished. Go forward twice, turn left and examine the bottom of the pine tree. Aha! Allibaster must have fallen down that hole. Have a look. Whoops - after a brief look at some game credits, you are also at the bottom. Turn around and turn on the lights, then go the length of the tunnel and enter the door.

Turn around, try the door, only to discover it's locked. Search the wall above and to the right of the door, to discover a CLUE. Something about 2 down, 10 down, 4 up and 9 down. Take note. Turn around again and step into the corridor. High up, on the left wall, is another clue. "Tina and Bob married Jan. 5, 1989 (Now dead)" Take note. Look at the lock on the barred door. The keypad won't accept any wrong inputs, so it's a short matter to discover that the date you just saw provides the numbers you need: 1, 5, 8, 9. You hear the door swing open. Back away from the lock and enter the Blue Room.

As you step into the room, look to the left to see a strange device. Push the button and see four images: a thistle, a triangle, a flower, and a cross. One of them is green, the others black. Turn the images until the green one is revealed. Leave it that way. Make a note that you saw the green cross in the Blue Room. Straight ahead from the entrance is a picture of a cat. Look at it. Behind the picture is apparently a safe, guarded by a lock with six switches. You do not have the clue yet.

Turn right and go to the bookcase. Take special note of the sketch in the "Bunker" book. The arrow shows where you will enter a maze, and tells that N = North. Remember this information. Also notice in the "Water" book that the temperature of the distillery must be at least 1250° F. (If you like, read the short story by Michael Clark.) Look at the picture at the upper right, and turn it over to read "Reversal is the key, one way or the other, opposite is the way."

Look at the very top of the bookcase, at the far right. There is a small projection there. push it to reveal a SECRET ROOM. Look in there. Try the light switch on the right. The flickering suggests difficulty with the wiring.

From the bookcase, turn right and go to the desk. Listen to the message on the phone. Open the drawer and read the note from Mark, Vance's friend. Pick up the blue picture-puzzle device. Notice that some squares are in color, and some are black-and-white. They toggle back and forth when you click on them. For now, change them all to color. Exit the room via the blue door next to the cat.

Turn right, forward, and left to step into the Kitchen. On the right end of the counter is another device with the four symbols. The green one (flower) needs to be revealed. If it already shows that way, you can leave it alone. Remember that the flower was seen in the Yellow room. Above the device you can open the cupboard. Take the empty bowl. Some dog-treats might also come in handy, but are not necessary. Look in the sink. It seems the water is not working. Look in the large vase on the left counter. Take the KEY. Observe the clue on the counter, the panel with six squares. It looks like the switches behind the cat. Squares 2, 4, and 5 are the answer.

Turn left, open the freezer and take the ICE. Open the circuit-breaker box and reset the breaker for the secret room. Turn right again and look at the microwave. Open it. The X-cursor suggests an inventory item is to be used there. Look in your inventory, and put the ice into the bowl. Now you have a bowl of ice. Open the Dinger (at our house we call the microwave a Dinger because it says "Ding" when it's done. Of course, we also call the vacuum cleaner a Sucker-Broom. Who says you can't have a little fun?) and place the bowl of ice in it. Close the door and set it on defrost. Now you have a bowl of water.

Let's see if we can open the safe behind the cat. Press 2, 4, and 5, then the bar below. The safe opens, revealing three items. Take the CD, read the letter, and look carefully at the clue.

The three images appear to be taken from the blue puzzle device in the desk. Have a look. Sure enough, when you press those three squares to change them to black and white, the number 1 switch illuminates. Push it, and receive the BLUE TRIANGLE. Once you get the Blue Triangle, change those three squares back to color. We will find three more clues somewhere.

Leave the Blue room and turn left, entering the Green Room, the master bedroom. Turn right upon entering, and find another device that needs the green symbol to be revealed. This one is the thistle shape. Remember that it was in the Green room. Turn around and go to the green curtain. Part the curtain to find another safe. This is a sequence-switch, and is to be solved without any clues. If you can't discover a sequence (there are many) here is one: number them in your mind, starting at the one-o'clock position, and ending with ten at the top. Press them in this way: 8, 9, 1, 2, 6, 7, 4, 5, 10. If the center illuminates, you've done it. Look at the Journal. Take careful note of the pattern seen on the cover. Read the whole journal, and close the safe. John Webb's spirit greets you. Talk with him. He needs three things from you: Why Vance is hostile, how he died, and his wife's locket. He also warns you that Vance may have some evil plans.

Turn right and look at the TRINKET-BOX. The squares toggle from black to white. You muse duplicate the pattern from the journal cover. Here's the solution: Look in the box. Observe the wedding photos, and take the KEY CARD. (You won't need to use it for a long time.) Exit the bedroom and return to the Secret Room.

Turn on the lights, and go to the blue panel-box. Touch it, and you hear the door close. Turn left, and converse with Vance via a small monitor. (My sound files didn't function for this part, I had to read his lips.) At the end, you will see some lumber on the floor under the lights. Go forward, then look down to see the boards. Move the board, and step into the duct. Forward twice, and take the PICKAXE. Continue forward to the end, and smash the grate to enter Vance's bedroom, the Red Room. As before, there is a symbol-device. Turn it to reveal the green triangle and leave it that way, and make a note that it was in the Red Room. Turn left, and find the box atop the dresser. Oh no, a dreaded Slider!

Inside the box are two items - the RED KEY and a clue with four squares in color. This will be Clue 4. Go around the far side of the bed and look in the nightstand. The top drawer contains the LOCKET and Vance's journal. Read the whole thing, and when you come to September 5, 1995, take the page out. The second drawer contains the RED KNOB. The third drawer is empty. (You can examine the Locket in your inventory to see the baby picture.) Exit the room by unlocking the door. Turn left, and go all the way forward through the foyer into the hallway. Turn left and see the Mail Chute. Look down, and find a nasty letter from the Water Works. Enter the home again, turn left to see another of Michael's cats. This one looks like he has a mind of his own, but what cat doesn't? Enter the room, and turn left and go toward the room with the brown door. On the left is a small table with a blue lamp. Look down next to the lamp and take the SLEEPING PILLS. Then go into the room with the brown door. This is the office.

Use the CD on the computer tower under the desk. Then look in the computer to read more of Vance's troubles. Now he thinks he also killed his father. Exit the office and go back into the Foyer. This time, there is a letter stuck in the top of the chute. Click on it to knock it down. Read the letter. Return to the living room and go to the fireplace.

On the mantel is his prize for being valedictorian (examine the bottom of it.) Look at the fire. Extinguish the fire with the bowl of water. Use the Red Key to unlock the panel, and find the final two more clues to the picture-puzzle. It's time to finish that puzzle. Go to the desk in the Blue Room.

Solve the remaining clues according to the following instructions:
Number the squares across the top from left to right, columns 1 through 8.
Number the squares from top to bottom, rows A through H.

Clue 2: F1, D7, C8 b/w, all else color Clue 3: G6, C3, C7, A2 b/w, all others color Clue 4: H8, D4, C7, A6 color, all else b/w.

Take each triangle when you get it.

Go to the Green bedroom. John Webb's ghost visits you and asks if you have found the items he requested. Give him the page from Vance's journal, the letter from the coroner, and the locket. He gives you the PURPLE KEY in exchange. Go to the secret room. Turn on the lights, and open the panel. Insert all the triangles. You have activated the keypad that controls the locks on all the doors in the MAZE leading to the Basement. Remember the sketch in the Bunker Book? It suggested starting at the bottom, second square from the left. Click there, and see an arrow appear. Click on the arrow to rotate it until it points North. Now you have unlocked the first door to the maze. Have a look in the maze and see how the next door has been unlocked. Each room in the maze has two, or three, or four doors depending on whether it's a corner, side, or interior.

If you enjoy mazes, grab a pencil, make a copy of the panel, and start mapping away. As it happens, this author is not fond of mazes (that's an understatement without equal!) and will provide the solution two ways.

First, by direction: North, West, North, East, East, South, East, North, North, North. If that's not good enough, look here to see how to orient the arrows:

As you pass through the final door of the maze, turn all the way around to find the elevator control. Take it down to the Basement level. Go F3 L F2 and unlock the Purple Door with the Purple Key. Find Allibaster inside. He is so glad to see you he jumps right into your inventory. Then, a conversation with Vance ensues, where you learn just how deranged he has become. When he leaves, look down and find a Crack in the wall. Use the Pickaxe several times to enlarge the crack and step through. Straight ahead is a dead-end. Just when you enter the chasm from the cell, turn left and find the stairs that look like a coiled snake. Climb up until the steps collapse. Go up the ladder.

Cornfield Maze: Good lord, not another maze! Reaching the top of the ladder. look to the right. It is a cornfield. Follow the steps: F2, L, F, R, F, R, F, L, F3, R, F, L. You see a ghastly mask on the wall. Turn completely around, and pull the lever hidden in the corn. The door to the cemetery is now open. Inspect the graves. Vance speaks to you over the P.A. Examine the headstones. You can pick up some pebbles from the ground. Look to the right. Lasers are preventing your escape. Go toward the lasers, and examine the walls to the left and right of the lasers, discovering the symbols. You can touch all symbols, but only the correct combination of four symbols will give you freedom. Touch the cross, thistle, flower and triangles and the lasers will turn off. Before you step into the tube, there are more pebbles you can take. At the bottom, if you turn left, are even more pebbles, including one "infinite" pile that seems endless. Don't take too many, you can always return for more.

Go forward to the control panel on the ground. Turn left, and hunt for the small hotspot down low. Examine it to see the pattern. Turn back to the panel, and press the squares represented by the pattern, three in the upper left, one in the lower right. Then, using your pebbles, toss them (by dragging from inventory) at the far panel to activate it as a mirror-image: One in the upper left, and three in the lower right. If you activate an incorrect square, you can toggle it off with another pebble. When both green lights are on, press the switch between them to extend the bridge. Forward and left, go to the entrance and peek in the keyhole. Vance appears, reads something, and departs. Now you can enter the office. Put a sleeping pill in his coffee and go outside again. Peek through the keyhole to observe Vance take a nap.

Go in the office, and take the KEYS from Vance's belt. Look left, and close-up at the diagram of the Harvest machine. It shows where the rocks go in, the fuse panel, temperature gauge, and where the fuel cells are.

Here's how to set the switch to get into the Harvest Machine Room. Remember, it won't work unless you have all four symbols set to their green state back in the house.

Press the switch at the bottom to unlock the door to the Harvest Machine. Go in and have a look around. If you look at the third part of the machine it complains of the temperature being wrong. Look at the center device, and find the temperature gauge. Put the Red Button on the machine to adjust it. Ooops, now you broke it. What's wrong? Back away and look at the first part, the rock-crusher. Open the fuse panel. There seems to be one bad fuse. Remove it. Now to replace it. Go into the office, and look in the box on the wall above Vance. (You have to go close up to the brown door to get there.) Take a fuse and place it in the machine, restoring the power.

Now set the temperature to 1250°. It's a little touchy - I found three counter-clockwise twists did it, or five clockwise, but expect it to be a little unpredictable. Here's the setting:

If the red lasers have turned white, they're happy, and you can get on with the next puzzle, which will cost you at least six handfuls of hair. To get it working, you must light the control-lights along the top. To do that, you must select three of like color, one from the left, one from the bottom, and one from the right. They flash briefly, always in the same position, so you could diligently make a chart, then follow it. Or, if you like you could cheat and follow these instructions. The left and right sides are numbered from top to bottom, and the bottom row is numbered from left to right. The sets of numbers here are Left, Right, Bottom.

I'm not going to use a picture here; too darned big. Instead, use this sequence:

When you are finished, close the panel and stand up. Vance knocks you out. When you revive, you hear him talking with the ghost of his father. John asks you to retrieve a letter from the cabinet in the living room. Exit through the white door, and go to the house. (Through the basement, past the purple door, up the elevator, through the dratted maze and into the house.) Open the top of the cabinet and watch the TV to see Vance start a fire. Close the top, and unlock the bottom door. Get the letter. Go back to the blue door. Uh-oh, it explodes. Leave the house through the foyer. Unlock the elevator and activate it with the key-card. Take it UP (you are underground, remember) and watch the closing sequence. Too bad, not a happy ending. That's what he gets for building a maze.

Copyright 2003 by Tally Ho