The Colonel's Bequest
It was shaping up to be a rather dull weekend. All of Laura's exams were behind her, and there wasn't much new material to study. If she were a boy, she could go out for a beer with friends, or...
But sometimes fate smiles even upon ordinary, diligent students. Enter Lillian, Laura's friend, who invited her on a trip. They were to visit Lillian's grandfather, an old colonel, who for some reason had decided to organize a family reunion just now. Lillian, in need of company, invited Laura along. The prospect of spending the weekend with complete strangers wasn't very appealing, but two days in the dormitory would be even worse.
The journey went smoothly, but it turned out Lillian hadn't told the whole truth. Grandpa's estate wasn't a small cottage somewhere near the city. It was a very large house, situated deep in eerie woods. The only way to reach it was by water – first by boat, then by a smaller boat. Near the house, there was a small backyard cemetery and a chapel. Unfortunately, the weather started to turn bad, signaling a storm. The door was opened by a servant who looked like Frankenstein.
Dinner would have passed in a pleasant atmosphere if not for the fact that not a single word was spoken. Towards the end of the meal, the Colonel delivered a speech that stirred in Laura a vague feeling of being an uninvited guest in this house. After dinner, Laura returned to her room. She collected her thoughts, grabbed her notebook, and... here begins Act One.
In the game "The Colonel's Bequest", the player's resourcefulness and intelligence are crucial. Depending on what ideas we come up with and what conclusions we draw from observed facts, the game ends in various ways. The gameplay is divided into eight acts. Each act requires certain actions – suspecting someone, talking to someone, noticing important details. The basic thing in this game is eavesdropping and spying. However, don't expect others to let you eavesdrop so easily. Often, conversations stop as soon as you enter a room. To find out what they're really talking about, you have to use secret passages. They are hidden behind decorative elements in the hall, such as a clock, mirror, or cabinets. Inside these passages, you'll find peepholes to spy on people currently in the room. It's also important to carefully examine found items. Another important thing is frequent visits to the attic – you can find the key to the elevator in the barrel of the Colonel's model cannon in his room, and the key to the door you'll find at the end of Act Eight. First, some information about the characters, then a list of actions to complete each act. At the end of the game, you'll receive a rating of your detective skills.
CHARACTER INFORMATION:
1. Colonel: Smokes cigars. Spy on him when he's alone, with Fifi, or with Lillian. Notice how he gets up from his wheelchair and adjusts the fire in the fireplace.
2. Lillian: Eavesdrop on her private conversations with her mother and the Colonel. Interrogate her when she's in the kitchen with Celie. See how she looks at the Colonel's gun collection. Notice her strange behavior in the dollhouse. Finally, read her diary.
3. Ethel: Question her at the beginning of the game. Eavesdrop on her conversations with Lillian. See her drinking alone. Watch her staggering around the garden.
4. Gertrude: Eavesdrop on her conversations with Clarence. She knows everything about his affairs with Gloria, his desire to buy land belonging to Ethel, and his troubles at the horse races.
5. Gloria: Eavesdrop on her conversation with Rudy. Discover her affair with Clarence. Suspect her threatening Wilbur and breaking Clarence's heart. Notice her sitting alone and listening to the Victrola.
6. Rudy: Eavesdrop on his conversation with Gloria, then with Clarence. Catch him in the act when he tries to kiss Fifi. See him eating alone and searching Lillian's room. Wonder why Beauregard likes him.
7. Clarence: Smokes cigars. Eavesdrop on his private conversations with Ethel, Rudy, Wilbur, and Gloria. He partners with Wilbur in horse racing, besides having an affair with Gloria and fighting with Rudy. Notice him drinking alone and jotting something down in his notebook. When you find his body, take the matches from his corpse.
8. Wilbur: Watch him reading in the library. Gloria threatens him due to some past medical issues. Eavesdrop on his conversation with Clarence. You'll find a monocle near his body.
9. Jeeves: A loner type. Discover his affair with Fifi.
10. Fifi: Has a handkerchief and uses perfume. Suspect her romantic escapades with the Colonel, Rudy, and Jeeves.
11. Celie: Find her necklace, and she'll immediately like you. Visit her at home several times. Pray with her in the chapel.
12. Blaze (horse): Take a carrot from Celie's house and give it to him.
13. Beauregard (dog): Take a bone from the refrigerator and give it to him. Quickly search his kennel.
14. Polly (parrot): You can find a box of crackers in Jeeves' room. Give them to the parrot during each act.
HOW TO COMPLETE THE GAME, STEP BY STEP:
ACT 1
You must: go to the Colonel's bedroom and see him with Fifi, then see Gertrude and Clarence talking downstairs. In the billiard room, you must see Gloria and Rudy, and later Gertrude sleeping in her room.
ACT 2
See Wilbur and Clarence arguing outside. See Lillian and Celie in the kitchen. See Wilbur reading in the library. Find Gertrude's body in the billiard room.
ACT 3
Discover Lillian sitting in the dollhouse reading to her dolls. See Gloria sitting alone in the billiard room. Spy on Rudy and Clarence arguing in their guest room, then Rudy and Fifi. You can also find Wilbur's body – don't forget to take the monocle!
ACT 4
Catch Lillian observing the Colonel's gun collection. Outside the house, you must see Rudy, Clarence, and Ethel, as well as Gloria's body.
ACT 5
Eavesdrop on Lillian and the Colonel, Rudy in the dining room, and Clarence drinking. Look into the Colonel's room when he's not nearby and find Ethel's body.
ACT 6
See Lillian hiding her diary in her suitcase and Clarence writing something at his desk. You should also see Rudy with Beauregard and discover that Jeeves and Fifi have been murdered. Knock on the door of Celie's house.
ACT 7
See Lillian sitting in the dollhouse behaving very strangely. Go to the chapel and pray with Celie. Read Clarence's diary. See Rudy searching Lillian's room. Find Clarence's body.
ACT 8
Search Lillian's body, find the key. Take the gun and bullet. Load the gun. Go to the attic, opening the door with the found key. Shoot Rudy. Now sit back in your chair and get ready for the grand finale.
