King's Quest IV ~ The Perils of RosellaAfter a very pretty introduction, you'll find yourself on the beach of Tamir with not much time to find the magic fruit that will save your father's life. Set the speed a little higher if you like, then go down and down again. Walk across the pier and try to talk to the fisherman. He'll ignore you, but in a minute will get up and walk back along the pier. Follow him right to the door and when he's gone in, knock and go inside yourself. Talk to the two people and glean as much info as you can, until they start ignoring you. Note the fishing pole against the back wall and leave the house. Go left along the pier and fall into the sea. Watch for the sharks and swim out to the island.
This is Genesta's island. From the screen you're on, go down and left and you'll reach the castle doors. Go inside and have a look around. It's all very nice, but there's nothing you can do in here right now, so leave the castle and explore the island. On one of the screens around the island you'll find a peacock feather. Take it and make your way back to the screen you arrived on the island from. Being very careful again, swim back to Tamir.
From the beach, go right and right again and you'll come across a pretty little pool. If you're lucky, someone will come and swim in it -- Cupid. Walk anywhere near him and you'll startle him and he'll fly away, but he'll leave his bow and arrows behind. Take them and go down three times. You should be at a bridge across a little river. Stand in the water near the bridge and look under the bridge. You'll find a golden ball which you'll pick up and take with you. Go up and 'accidentally' drop the ball in the pond near the frog (but don't step in the water or you'll scare him off). He'll retrieve it for you. This is straight out of 'The Frog Prince' -- pick up the frog and give him a kiss. He'll turn into a rather arrogant prince who'll give you his gold crown and bid you farewell. Good riddance. Pick up the ball again and go down, right across the bridge, knock on the door of the little cottage and go inside anyway.
What a mess! The seven little men who live here would be most grateful if you would tidy up their messy cottage. Do this and they'll come back from the mine, take a bowl of soup and sit at the table. The last dwarf will get two: one for him, one for you. Sit down at the table and eat the soup. Engage them in conversation until it's time for them to go back to the mine. Clean up again and you'll discover that there's a pouch on the table. Take it, open it and you'll find it's full of diamonds! Leave the house, go down once, up the little hill and enter the diamond mine.
When you're in the mine, go right onto the next screen and stand in front of the dwarf that's standing by the bucket of diamonds and the lantern. Give him the pouch and he'll be so impressed by your honesty that he'll let you keep the pouch and gives you the lantern, as they don't need it anymore. Exit the mine and go right, up the mountain.
Actually, you'll need to go right twice to reach the mountain ... then climb up the path. You'll see Lolotte's castle in the background, and her goons will come out and capture you and take you to see Lolotte. You'll be thrown in a horrible cell, but don't worry, because you won't be in there long. A guard will come back and motion you to follow him back to the throne room, where Lolotte informs you that her son, Edgar, has taken a liking to you and believes your story about not being a spy of Genesta's. He'll blush whenever you look at him. Lolotte will set you free and give you a small task to perform: capture the unicorn that wanders around the land. Capture it and she'll really set you free, and reward you as well. At least ... that's what she says. Anyway, you'll need a few things before you can capture the unicorn, so when you're deposited back in the forest, start off by going left one screen.
The first thing you'll need is a worm ... yes, a WORM. If there's no bird struggling with one on this screen, keep leaving and coming back until there is. Walk closer and the bird will fly off. Pick up the worm and continue left until you reach the sea. Go down and down again, and go into the fisherman's house. Give him the pouch of diamonds and he'll give you his fishing pole in exchange ... pretty lousy trade if you ask me, but the pole will really come in handy. Leave the house and walk all the way along the pier. Bait the hook with the worm and fish until you catch ... a fish. Jump into the sea and swim around (avoiding the shark) until you're swallowed by a whale. :S
Inside the whale, take the floating bottle (and read the note if you like -- it's quite amusing) and climb up the whale's tongue. You'll need to start on the left and keep moving around until you find a safe way up. Don't take too long, though, or you'll be overcome with the stench. Once you've made your way up, tickle the whale's uvula with the peacock feather. He'll sneeze and you'll find yourself swimming in the ocean again. Go up one screen.
On this little island, give the fish you just caught to the pelican. He'll fly off, but something will fall out of his beak. Pick up the object and you'll find it's a whistle. Don't blow it yet. Move over to the ship and look in it. You'll find a golden bridle! You'll automatically pick it up and take it with you. NOW you can blow the whistle and a friendly dolphin will appear off the shore. Walk into the water and ride the dolphin back to Tamir. Go right and right again.
This will bring you back to the pool. If Cupid didn't appear while you were here before, keep leaving the screen and re-entering until he DOES appear. You need that bow before you can capture the unicorn. That done, head left back to the beach. Now ... the unicorn usually appears in the meadows one screen right of the beach, so go right again and keep walking up and up and up until you come across the unicorn. Shoot him with Cupid's bow and he'll become your friend. Put the golden bridle on him and mount him. You will automatically ride back to Lolotte.
Unfortunately, when you reach Lolotte, she has decided not to grant you your freedom so easily. Now she also wants the hen that lays golden eggs, which is currently kept by the ogre and his wife. *sigh* When you're once again taken back to the forest by Lolotte's goons, go up. Stand near the waterfall and put on the golden crown.
You'll find yourself on the other side of the waterfall. Pick up the board laying at your feet, then go inside the cave just a little, grab a bone and get the heck outta there before the troll catches you. We'll deal with this bit later. Heh. For now, swim back over to the waterfall and you'll get sucked under and end up back on the other side. :D
Go down, left, left and down again, but you'll need to exit and re-enter this screen twice before you can actually do anything because the ogress or the ogre will catch you. Go inside the house and very quickly throw the bone to the dog. He'll sit happily munching on it while you nick upstairs for a sticky-beak. Grab the axe leaning against the wall, then go back downstairs and hide in the cupboard. This bit could take a while, but you need to stay in the cupboard until you hear the ogre come back. Look through the keyhole to see him get fed and to see the prize you're after -- the hen that lays golden eggs. Once the ogre has fallen asleep, leave the cupboard, grab the hen and get out of the house quickly, then up one screen -- the ogre will chase you until you get to this screen, so be quick! Then you can go right and right again and be taken up to Lolotte's castle ... maybe for a reward? Hm?
No such luck. This time she wants Pandora's Box before she says she'll set you free. When you're back in the forest, go left and down. Wave your axe at the trees and they'll be too afraid of you to hurt you. Go right and save you're game, as the cave can be quite tricky. Go inside and you'll encounter three witches. Avoid the one who starts chasing you and position yourself between the other two. Snatch their glass eye and they'll be completely helpless. Snicker a bit and leave the cave. Re-enter the cave and take the scarab they throw at you in the hopes you'll give them their eye back. Give the eye back, but leave the cave instead of going anywhere near them -- they'll just start chasing you again. From outside, go left, up, up and up again. Go on inside the spooky house.
You can explore the house if you like, but you'll explore it pretty thoroughly later in the game anyway, so you don't need to bother. Instead, from the screen you start out in, go left. Have a look at the books on the shelves and take the Shakespeare book. Look at the portrait, then examine the wall she's looking towards. You'll find a latch. Flip it and go through the door. Take the shovel and go up the stairs, where you'll find a rather grand-looking organ. You can sit down and play it if you like, but again it has some significance later, so you don't have to worry. Go back down the stairs, right through the parlour and leave the house. Go left three times to a stump.
If there's nobody here, keep leaving and re-entering the screen until a minstrel is sitting on the stump playing his lute. Talk to him and give him the Shakespeare book. He'll give you his lute and wander off. Go up and once again if there's nobody here, leave and re-enter until you see Pan dancing around playing his flute. Play the lute and Pan will stop. Give him the lute and he'll give you his flute and skip off. Go right four times and down twice. You should be back at the waterfall. Put on the golden crown and once you're through the waterfall, SAAAAAVE!
This bit is tricky. Light the lantern the dwarves gave you and enter the cave. Avoiding the troll as best you can, go right, down and right. There is a chasm in the middle of this room, so save in case you fall down it. When you are standing as far across the screen as you can without falling into the chasm, put the board across it and walk straight across. You'll pick up the board automatically, then go up. Go out through the hole and into the swamp.
Stand close to the mound on the edge of the swamp and jump. Keep jumping until you get to a gap you can't jump across. Put down the board and carefully walk across it. On the other side, don't get too close to the snake and play Pan's flute. This will hypnotise the snake for a little while, so grab the piece of fruit on the tree, go back across the board (remembering to pick it up once you've crossed) and go back through the swamp an' in the cave.
Go down, cross the chasm by putting the board across it again, then go left, up and left and out of the cave, then under the waterfall. You'll find it's night now. Go left and up and you should be outside the spooky house. Go in.
Now you'll find out why this mansion's been deserted for some time -- it's haunted! The first thing you'll hear is a baby's cry. Wander around the house until you do hear it, then go back to the main entrance, into the door on the left at the top of the stairs and left into the nursery. Look in the cradle and you'll discover there's nothing there, but there's obviously a ghost baby in there because you can hear crying and the cradle is rocking. Leave the house and go left. Don't worry about the zombies -- they'll leave you alone as soon as they sense your scarab. Find the grave that has the epitaph relating to a baby and dig it up. You'll find a rattle! Go back into the house, up to the nursery and give the rattle to the baby. Phew. Next thing you'll hear is chains rattling downstairs. Go through the master bedroom and stand at the top of the stairs -- you'll see the miser ghost wandering about. Leave the house and go left again, this time looking for the grave that would best suit a miser. Dig it up and you'll find a bag of coins. Go back into the house and wait for the miser to appear. Give him the bag of coins and he'll disappear. Suddenly, you hear weeping from upstairs. Go to the main entrance of the house if you're not already there and go into the door on the right. A lady ghost will appear. Leave the room and leave the house. This time go left and look for the grave of a lady who lost her lover at sea. You'll find a locket. Go back into the house, upstairs and give the ghost the locket. She'll disappear. Now you'll hear moaning, so leave the room and a gentlemanly ghost will appear. Leave the house and head for the graveyard on the left of the house, looking for a soldier's grave. Get the medal of honour you find there and take it back into the house and give it to the ghost. Finally, you'll hear giggling. Go to the main entrance and a little boy ghost will appear. Leave the house and go right. Dig up the grave most suited to a little boy and you'll find a wooden toy horse. Take it back inside, upstairs and into the room on the right at the top of the stairs. The boy will climb up a ladder that's suddenly appeared there -- follow.
You'll find yourself in the attic, with the boy sitting on top of a chest. Give him the toy horse and he'll disappear. Open the chest and look in it. You'll find some sheet music. Take it, go back down the ladder, leave the room, go down the stairs and go into the room on the left, through it into the tower, climb the stairs and sit down at the organ. Play the sheet music and a door will pop out of the organ. Look in it and you'll find a skeleton key. Stand up, go back down the tower, through the parlour and leave the house. Go right. Unlock the crypt and go inside.
Inside the crypt, pick up the rope lying at the edge of the platform. You'll find it's a ladder, so climb down it. You don't need to worry about the mummy -- he's afraid of your scarab too. Pick up the box, climb back up the ladder, leave the crypt and go down twice and for the last time (it's absolutely for real this time!) go up Lolotte's mountain.
Lolotte has some bad news for you -- her son Edgar has fallen in love with you. She is going to give you the honour of being his wife. Your possessions are taken away and you are shown to Edgar's room, where you are to spend the night before you are married the next morning. Wait around for a little bit and Edgar will come up the stairs and slip a rose under the door. Take it and take the gold key attached to it. Unlock the door and go all the way down the stairs. Avoid the guard at the bottom and go right. Again avoiding the guard, go into the door at the top right of the screen -- into the kitchen. Open the cupboard and you'll find all your possessions. Take them, leave the kitchen and go right twice and all the way up the stairs. You should now be outside Lolotte's bedroom.
Unlock the door using the gold key and go in. Shoot Lolotte with Cupid's arrow and because she's so evil, the love in the arrows will act like a poison to her. A new day dawns! Edgar will wander up the stairs and release you. Take Genesta's talisman and go down the stairs. Enter the room on the left halfway down the tower. Go into the room on this screen and take the hen and Pandora's box. Keep going down the stairs, left and leave the castle.
Go into the stables and open the gate to release the unicorn. Leave the stables.
Go down and carefully walk down the path down the mountain. At the bottom, go up and into the crypt. Go down the ladder and put Pandora's Box down. Leave the crypt, close the door and lock it so that nobody else will be able to unleash the terrors of Pandora's Box on the world. Go left all the way to the sea, up once and off the pier.
Swim out to Genesta's island, then go down, left and into the castle. Go up the stairs and give Genesta her talisman. Then sit back and watch the beautiful ending. All's well that ends well, right? And this ends well! *g*
Total score: (if you did everything I said) 230/230. You've just completed King's Quest IV. Congratulations!
