Secret Files 3

Developer:  Fusionsphere Systems/Animation Arts
Publisher:  Deep Silver

Walkthrough by Steve Metzler (December, 2012)

If you don't like hunting for miniscule hotspots, then the designers had you in mind. Either hold down the space bar (or use the magnifying glass icon in the inventory) to see all items that you can interact with, and all room exits, highlighted!

As this is an inventory based adventure, remember to try every object on every other object when you get stuck. Sometimes even the most unlikely objects will work together. And I do mean unlikely!

Throughout the course of the game, be sure to keep a close eye on your journal. It documents important events that have occurred, and discoveries you have made. You can even use it to get spoilers for the non-inventory (abstract) puzzles.

Whenever an important object appears in your inventory or a scene for the first time, I put an invisible marker for it there in the walkthrough. Then, later on when you need to use this object, I provide a link back to where you were supposed to have obtained/seen it. That way, you can just nick into the walkthrough and read small excerpts of it when you are genuinely stuck, without having to spoil your whole game by reading the walkthrough from the very start, scanning for a particular object.

Sometimes I guide you via compass directions. In this case, the simple directions will be written out, like: east. But the longer ones I've used shorthand for, like: NE for northeast, or SW for southwest.

...when the enemy endeavored to cut off his communication by sea, he was forced to divert that danger by setting fire to his own ships, which, after burning the docks, thence spread on and destroyed the great library. --Plutarch, Life of Caesar

However, Secret Files 3 provides its own version of these events, whereby you begin by playing a shady character named Menis Ra, who has been paid in gold by two other even shadier characters to destroy a specific set of papyrus scrolls in the great library. You start off with the following in inventory: a Map of the library, a Bag Of Gold, Incendiary Agents, a Rope, and a Grappling Hook. The first order of business is to scale the library wall. Using the Cracks in the wall to climb upwards, the most you can move from your current position is one diagonal. So bearing that in mind, the way up is first staight up, then bear right a bit, then work your way towards the centre again, then go all the way diagonally left to get to the top (Wall's Edge). You wind up hiding in the shadows next to a Stables. There is a Guard here that you must get past. Take the Leather Bag from the Stables wall, and use it on the Snake to obtain a Snake In Bag. Use this object on the Window of the Stables, and the Guard goes to investigate when the horses kick up a fuss. Menis Ra then makes his way through the Door that the Guard has vacated.

Now you are in the library, but there are some more Guards here unexpectedly. Use the Beam above you to climb up onto it. Some of the beams are rotten, and you can't head directly east, for instance. So... go south first, then east, then all the way north and take the Banner there, which becomes a Linen Cloth in inventory. On the other side of the beams, head all the way south, then east, and you come to a Window above a Door. Combine the Rope with the Grappling Hook to obtain a Rope With Grappling Hook. You can't use this object directly on the Window, as it will alert the Guards. So combine the Linen Cloth with it to obtain a Rope With Muffled Grappling Hook, and use this on the Window. Now you are in the chamber next to the main reading room which contains the scrolls you are meant to destroy. Just have a look at the Clay Pots, and Menis Ra does the rest. A single Clay Pot survives the resulting conflagration by making its way into the sewers below...

In Max's office, examine the Picture of the volcano on the wall. Nina notices that there's a small crack running down the centre, and that it's mounted on metal rails. A safe! But how to open it? Hmm. There's an Air Conditioner on the wall next to the Aquarium, but there is no way you can manually turn it on. Take the Stucco Tool that is on top of the two crates and use it on the Refrigerator. You obtain an Ice-cold Tool. Use this object on the Air Conditioner to fool it into switching on. Now... there are five other objects in here that you can switch on: the Aquarium, a Desk Lamp, a Radio, a Model, and a Lava Lamp. You have to experiment a bit, but it turns out that having the Air Conditioner on, and *only* the Aquarium and the Lava Lamp as well, is the combination to the safe! In some Documents that are stashed there, Nina finds a photo of a stone relief that looks exactly like the amulets the sect members that gave the job to Menis Ra in Alexandria were wearing (and also, the same as those worn by the sect members in Secret Files: Tunguska). Wow. This mysterious sect is at least 11,000 years old. Nina also retrieves a Cell Phone from the safe. But she can't use it until we figure out what the 4-digit PIN is. Use the unmarked Key on the Drawer of the Desk to open it. Take the City Map, the Photos, and the Book from the Drawer. Scrawled on the bottom of the Drawer, you find the 4-digit PIN for the Cell Phone: 0504. All that Nina finds on the Cell Phone is a distressing message from Max's Turkish colleague, Emre. Nina decides to head for Turkey...

You can't actually walk around the whole place. You have to use the Excavation Site Map to get into each Lot. First, access the Cell Phone to look at the video that Emre sent you as an MMS. Well, the first place I chose completely by chance was Lot E. And this looks promising as the place to drill, because there is a Puddle of Oil there that has spilled from a Pump, and Emre mentioned on the call that it smelled like oil where he was. Also, there is a Tree there which is most likely the source of the roots Emre is seeing. Now we just have to find a drill. That's in Lot D (access it, and it now appears as a Rock Drill in your inventory). But before we can begin to drill, Nina has to convince herself that Lot E is the right place. Use the blue icons in your inventory that you obtained from watching Emre's video on the various objects above ground, and Lot E matches on 3 out of 6: the tree roots, the oil smell, and the engine sound from the Pump. Nina agrees that this is the most likely place, and now you can use the Rock Drill in your inventory on the Rock Slab there. Then use the Chain on the resulting Drill Hole to enable Emre to pass you the Key. Before you head to Lot C for the elevator, go to Lot B and gather some Red Earth to the NE in that scene. It appears as a Clod Of Dirt in inventory. Then you can head to Lot C and use the Key that Emre gave you to access the Elevator.

At the bottom of the Elevator, you find a mining Helmet and a locked Wooden Crate (which becomes a Wooden Box in inventory). Press the Button to send the Elevator to the top, put the Wooden Box in the Elevator shaft, then press the Button once more to call the Elevator. From the Smashed Wooden Crate, you recover: a Hammer, a Pipe Wrench, and an empty Plastic Bottle. Follow the Tunnel, and you come to a Ruined Bridge. Have a look at the Crevice in the ceiling above. The crack goes all the way to the surface. Use the Pipe Wrench on the Clod Of Dirt to turn it into Fine, Red Sand. Then use the Pipe Wrench on the Pressure Gun to unscrew it from the Hose, and fill the Pressure Gun with the Fine, Red Sand. Use the Pressure Gun With Paint on the Hose to re-assemble it, then put the Pressure Gun in the Crevice and turn on the High Pressure Cleaner. Now if you take the Elevator back up again, you'll find a Color Marking in Lot D. Combine the Hammer with the Chain and use this item on the Color Marking. Now head back down below, and use the Chain to have Nina swing over the chasm, where Emre comes to meet her.

What follows next is a strange, abstract puzzle. Nina and Emre must take turns advancing onto a 4 x 4 grid of animal drawings. The only clue as to which animal tile to step on next is that Emre mentions some of the animals are incorrectly drawn (these are all on the outside of the grid). So, the algorithm I eventually decided on was: choose the incorrectly drawn animal closest to you, and step on that tile next. So here is what I did to solve the puzzle:

1. Nina notices that the Ox just to her right is incorrectly drawn (missing horn), so move one step forward onto the Ox in the grid.
2. Emre sees that the Tiger directly across from him on the other side of the grid is incorrectly drawn (two tails), so move one step forward onto the Tiger in the grid.
3. Nina sees that the Ibis to her left is incorrectly drawn (extra wing), so move one step forward onto the Ibis.
4. The Fox outside the grid to Emre's left is incorrectly drawn (extra ears), so Emre moves one step forward onto the Fox.
5. Nina notices that the Wild Boar directly across from her on the other side of the grid is incorrectly drawn (extra leg), so move one step to the right onto the Wild Boar.
6. Emre sees that the Lizard to the NW is incorrectly drawn (extra set of legs), so move one step forward onto the Lizard.
7. Now Nina could move onto the Grasshopper just in front of her, but this would not be a good idea as Emre would have no place available to move next. So she notices that the Dragonfly is incorrectly drawn (extra set of wings), and moves diagonally to her left onto the Dragonfly.
8. The Grasshopper is incorrectly drawn (extra set of legs), so Emre moves one step to his right onto the Grasshopper, and...

...the Gate with the large relief on it opens, revealing an ancient Cistern. Emre wants to lower his Geiger Counter down into the Cistern to take some readings before venturing in. So use the Knife in his inventory to cut the Roots at the edge of the Cistern, then combine the Roots with the Geiger Counter, and use this object on the Cistern to obtain a reading. Emre has detected radioactivity, after 10,000 years! This could explain why the crops in the local area failed all that time ago. Now Emre and Nina have to flee the dig site as people are after them. They are pursued by a car, Emre is shot, but Nina manages to grab the wheel and knock their pursuers off the road. But not long afterwards, Nina and Emre also plunge off the road. Nina comes to, hanging upside down. Emre is no longer in the car. Use the Light Switch near Nina's hands to turn on the car's overhead light. Her Safety Belt is located just above Nina's chin, but the latch is stuck, so we need to figure out a way to cut her free. From the Sunshade by Nina's right hand, you can recover a Comb and a Parking Disc. Use the Comb to pick the lock on the Glove Compartment. It contains a Folding Rule. Use the Folding Rule to retrieve the Lunch Box. It contains a bread Knife, which is somehow sharp enough to saw through a seatbelt? Ah, well, Nina is free now. The Lunch Box also contained a Fork and a sandwich (Bread With Meat in inventory). Take the Metal Box and examine it. It contains Emre's Notes, and Max's Roughbook (rugged laptop for field use). Look at Emre's Notes first. Nothing of much interest there. Then turn on the Roughbook, and a menu comes up. Select Email. The very first e-mail is from a 'cicero63', an art restorer of actual name Michael Anderson, who Max had an appointment with in San Francisco the day after tomorrow. Nina decides to keep that appointment...

Take the Torture Devices from the shelf next to the cell, and Nina acquires: an Iron Mask, a Poker, and a Mouth Spreader. Head back outside and use the Sword to cut a hole in the cloth that is patching up the basement Window. It gets cold inside again, and one of the guards lights a fire. While you're outside, use the Net on the two Hooks above and to the left of the Door, and have Nina climb onto the Roof. Use some Salt on the Clothes Line to thaw the knot, and this end swings down to the street. Now climb back down and use the Sword to retrieve as much of the Clothes Line as possible. Now tie the Clothes Line to the Poker to obtain a Poker With Clothes Line. Use the Mouth Spreader on the little herb Shop to prise open a corner of it, and Nina is able to retrieve some Henbane, some Lavender, and some Chamomile Blossoms from the opening. Hmm. It seems Henbane is a strong narcotic. Head back up to the Roof, and use the Poker With Clothes Line on the Chimney. Now use the Chimney, and Nina climbs up to it. Use the Henbane on the Chimney. Then head back inside, making sure to separate the Poker from the Clothes Line on the way down. Sure enough, the Guards are out cold :-) Take some Ashes from the Ash Pan under the Fireplace. Put the Wooden Wedge into the Recess just in front of the Cell Door. Then when you use the Poker with the Cell Door, Nina uses the Wooden Wedge as a fulcrum to lift the Cell Door off its hinges.

Unfortunately, An-Nasir got knocked out along with the Guards, so we'll need to find a way to revive him. Take the Wooden Bucket from the cell, head outside, and use it on one of the piles of Snow to fill it. Once you head back inside, the snow turns to water and you have a Wooden Bucket With Water. Use this item on An-Nasir to wake him. He dashes up the Narrow Alleyway too quickly for Nina to follow him, but at least you have access the the Narrow Alleyway now. Nina can't figure out which of the three Passages he took, and wishes she could have another chance. Her wish is granted, and the dream is reset, with An-Nasir unconscious on the cell floor once more. Now we need to figure out a way to follow him before we try the bucket of water trick again. So head back to the Narrow Alleyway, and you can recover a Potato and a Head Of Cabbage from the Trash on the Bench there. But these don't do you much good... except, that you can use these to figure out that the Iron Mask can be baited to attract an animal. But not with veggies. Hmm. There's a fishmonger sign right there in the alley. Also, there's a sign that says: "No street musicians after nightfall." Use the Cell Phone on this sign to play one of Max's annoying ringtones, and the angry fishmonger above dumps some Fish Offal on the Bench. This item becomes Fish Guts in inventory once you pick it up. Go to the Marketplace next. Use the Fish Guts on the Iron Mask to bait it, then use this item on the Cat and you now have a Captured Cat. Head back to the cell and stash some of the Fish Guts on An-Nasir so that the Cat can follow his trail. OK, time for the bucket of water trick to wake up An-Nasir again and... darn! This time, by using the Captured Cat on one of the Passages, you manage to determine that he went through the middle passage in the Narrow Alleyway, but there are three new Passages he could have taken in the next alleyway.

Once you get control back again, go to the second alleyway and take the Ladder. Then use the Wooden Bucket With Water on the Hollow in the ground there. Nina waits for the patch to ice over. Bucket of water trick on An-Nasir once more, and this time the ice slows him down just enough so that Nina can see he took the right-hand Passage from the second alleyway. In the next alleyway, there are three Gates. Use the Ashes on one of the Gates, and Nina dusts the handles of all three. This time, he takes the left-hand Gate. Head back through this Gate when you regain control, and use the Ladder on the Porch on the other side of the bridge. Climb up there, and Nina brushes all the snow from it onto the ground so we can track his Footprints through here next time. On this final run, he goes over the bridge and to the right. Walk along to the Right Exit and you discover that he has sold the amphora to none other than Leonardo da Vinci! Now we need to find the Cylinder that Leonardo uses to remember things, and decode it to determine the whereabouts of the amphora.

OK, so we're in Leonardo's workshop. Take the Jack, and also the Tool from the bowl, which turns out to be a Lighter. Take the Book from the small table on the left-hand side of the Door (it's a Chronicle of the Medici family), and the Walking Stick from the large pot there. Also take the Paint Pot next to the empty Canvas. Use the Lighter on the Oil Lamp at the front of the Vehicle to cast some light on the large Scales at the back of the workshop. You are able to determine that there is a Catch (accessed through a small hole) preventing the Scales from moving, and we can't get at this Catch with any of the items currently in our inventory. Examine the Walking Stick. There are some cryptic symbols carved on it. Combine the Paint Pot with the Walking Stick and use it on the Canvas. The carvings from the Walking Stick have been transferred to the Canvas, and now you have a code table where every character of the alphabet is represented by a cryptic symbol. Use the Jack on the Vehicle to point the headlamp upwards. Now if you look at the Left Arm Of The Scales, you can see there is a box up there with a cylinder inside it. This must be the item we are searching for. Also, the Vehicle's elevated headlamp has revealed some Chisels hanging on the wall. Sure enough, one of these fits into the hole in the Right Arm Of The Scales and undoes the catch. Now the Left Arm Of The Scales swings down, and you can take the Mechanical Cylinder from it. Hmm. The Cylinder has the names of Italian cities on it: Verona, Roma, Catania, Chieti, and Sondrio. If you looked at the Master Craftsmen Diploma on the wall above the Door, you will have noted that da Vinci's teacher's name was Verrocchio. Sure enough, if you turn the 5 wheels on the Cylinder so that they line up like this:

VER RO C CH IO

The Cylinder opens to produce a Diary Page. Now you can use the Diary Page on the Canvas to decipher the code and obtain a Deciphered Diary Page. It appears that da Vinci hid Archimedes' scroll in a painting that has something to do with 'The Magnificent'. Now use the Deciphered Diary Page on the Chronicle to discover that Lorenzo de' Medici was known as 'The Magnificent'. Oops. That would be the Lorenzo de' Medici that just came to collect this very painting! Just then, Nina's dream ends.

May I ask you something about buying alcohol?

And then:

Now about buying alcohol again.

Then use the fake bottle of whiskey on the Display of the Kiosk, and Nina hides it there. Go talk to the Officer once more, and: Report a violation of the ban on selling alcohol. That keeps the Officer occupied for a while so Nina can get to the museum. I thought that getting into the museum would involve solving another puzzle, but no, you can just walk right in. First, head Upstairs. You can't get into the burned-out room directly because the Door is wrecked, but if you head out the Window just to the right of the Door, Nina gets onto the ledge outside. Just access the other Window there, and now you're in the burned-out room. Pick up the Watering Can and the Frame Of Glasses. You are somehow allowed to pick the lock on the Drawer with the Frame Of Glasses to obtain a Keycard. Done here now. Head back out the Window, and go all the way Downstairs once you get back inside.

Once you are Downstairs in the museum, access the Fuse Box. Both the Lights and the Power are off, and the Keycard can't be scanned without power. Hmm. OK... now that the good Officer is gone, time to go ransack the Trunk of his Patrol Car. You recover a Can With Diesel and a Bolt Cutter. Use the Bolt Cutter on the utility shed to the right of the museum to cut open the padlock on the Metal Door. Then use the Can With Diesel on the Watering Can, and use that item to fuel the Emergency Generator. Then you can turn it on, and head back Downstairs.

Use the Keycard on the Door and... whoa. It's dark in here. Exit the dark room and access the Fuse Box once again. Make sure the Power is OFF and the Lights are ON. Then head back inside. Take the Lamp from the shelf to your left, then walk forward a few steps and plug it into the Socket. Head back outside to the Fuse Box, and switch the power back over to the Sockets. Now with the aid of the Lamp, you can see. Head forward a few steps and access the Computer. Click on the titles above the form boxes to get drop-down menus. We're obviously looking for: Leonardo da Vinci, Madonna Benois, 1477. Nina goes inside the archives to retrieve the Painting. Now use it on the X-Ray Machine and... use Nina's Cell Phone to scan the QR code that is left on the Computer. Something about Alcatraz, and Cassandra. Nina heads to Alcatraz, but gets locked in upon her arrival.

Once inside Alcatraz, access the Showcase to obtain a Clothes Hanger. Then head for the Open Cell. Take the Mug from the Shelves on Nina's left, and some Bricks from the floor. Look out the Window. That Outbuilding across the Courtyard, with the replica of the da Vinci 'Vitruvian Man' drawing scrawled on it, is where we have to get to. Against all expectations, use the Mug on the Toilet to obtain a Mug With Water. Use this object on the Air Conditioning above the entrance door to short out the power. Then you can use the Bolt Cutter to take the Cable that is running up the wall next to the Showcase. Back in the Open Cell, take the Blanket from the cot, and combine it with the Bricks to obtain a Blanket With Bricks. Combine the Cable with the Blanket With Bricks to obtain a Sack Of Bricks. Look out the cell Window, then use this item on the Window. Nina does the necessary to transfer it all outside. Then use the Sack of Bricks on the Courtyard below to break the bars. Access the Window once more, and Nina climbs out onto the ledge. Now you can use the Clothes Hanger on the Cable there to slide down to the Outbuilding.

Aha. It's a hacker that is helping Nina. But he (or she) doesn't have control of the Combat Robot (called 'Murphy') that has just appeared. Go through the Door to Nina's left. There's a partially assembled Combat Robot there. Pick it up. From the Scrap Heap all the way to the right, you recover: a Taser, a Flame Thrower, a Buzz Saw, and a Drill. Equip the bot with your weapon of choice, head back out, and use your Combat Robot on Murphy. On any combat run, you can choose from top or bottom attack and defense. You can also choose to have your bot lay a limpet mine. It's all random, and you get as many tries as you need to defeat Murphy. Once you do, you get to meet 'Cassandra'. When it comes to a choice of how to get out of there, it doesn't matter which one you choose. But the most altruistic choice, if you're inclined to feel better that way, is: Okay, I'll try to gain her some more time.

The codes for the present routes are: orange is discharged here in Cádiz. Magenta goes to Le Havre, white is unloaded in Rotterdam, and cyan stays on board.

We know that Max is being held at their 'headquarters', and that is also where a spare part is destined, but we don't know where that is. Hmm. That orange Container at the end with the white marker is the only one bound for Rotterdam. So that is most likely the one containing the spare part. But its door is blocked by the Container with the magenta marking to its left. So... use the Door at the top of the ladder to go outside, then use the Ladder there to climb up on deck. Near the Airplane you can get: a pair of Working Gloves, a Measuring Instrument, and a Screwdriver. Use the Plastic Cup on the Grease that is on the right-hand wheel of the Airplane to obtain a Mug Of Grease. On the way back down, use the Screwdriver to take apart the Lamp that is just to the right of the Door outside. You manage to recover: a Lamp, a Lamp Holder, and a Red Glass. Combine the Red Glass with the Mug Of Grease (which is yellow), and now we have a Greased Glass (which is orange). Use the Greased Glass on the Container to the left of the orange-coloured one, and a workman comes and tells the crane operator that he forgot to unload one. Now we can access the orange Container's door :-)

The Container Door is sealed with a thin cable. Use the Threaded Bar on the Container Door to open it, and examine the Part. Once again, I chose the difficult version of the ensuing puzzle. If you need help, then it's here. I numbered the pieces before you move them, and show you where they go in the puzzle in the panel below that, with the last piece rotated and ready to go in. And that leads Nina to...

Note the Guardian symbol on the wall just to the left of the door that Nina arrived through. Pick up the Plush Toy. Then open the Car Door and use the Handbrake. Nina pushes the Car off the Air Duct Grating. Take a Stone from the Heap Of Stones across the street, and use it on the Shop Window. Using two more Stones, you are able break the Shop Window and can now grab the Camera that was behind it. Use the Camera to zoom in on the large skyscraper Ruin in the middle of the screen. Nina spots another Guardian symbol there. Just then, a building to Nina's right collapses, depositing a Balcony onto the street. Access the Balcony, and Nina recovers an Iron Bar. You can use this item to remove the Air Duct Grating, and now Nina can get into the subway tunnels.

As you enter the subway tunnels, take the Lady's Shoe just in front of you, and also the Tablet PC. Use the Plush Toy on the Gasoline that is dripping from the wrecked Bus above, and you now have a Teddy Saturated In Gasoline. Go back topside, combine the Teddy with the Iron Bar, and use the resulting combo on the Fire next to your ransacked Shop Window. Now you have a Burning Teddy. Head back to the subway, and use the Burning Teddy on the Gasoline. The ruined Bus falls down on top of the Subway Car. Now access the bus Ruin to climb up to the street. Now you're up on a burning roof with Flames shooting several metres high separating you from a Guardian across the way. But not to worry. Access the Cable Roller, and you come away with a Steel Cable. Use the Steel Cable on the Elevator wheel through the hole in the wall. Then tie the other end of the Steel Cable to the Steel Cable that is running up to the Billboard. Now you can use the Hand Wheel next to the Elevator wheel to pull the Billboard over the Flames. Nina runs across the Billboard to speak to the Guardian and then... the doctor and Max revive her just in time. As Max, access the Desk to get a Pen And Paper, and give it to Nina. She hands you back a Note With Coordinates. Access the Computer Terminal behind you, use this item on the Input Field, and hit the Search button. You wind up piloting a submarine just off Santorini...

You have control of Jane Cunningham here. First, have a look at the the Stone Figures all the way over to the right. Looks like the letters above the figures represent the months of the year. Yup. Note that the last one is missing. That would be 'D' for December. Now look at the Indian Ornaments. It's a Relief Of Ganesh, and below it are some symbols. They form a pattern. Note that the 2nd symbol from the left is missing from the 6th position, and the 4th symbol from the left is missing from the last position. Now look at the Hieroglyphs. Hmm. Rows 1 and 3 are identical. Rows 2 and 4 are the same, except for a symbol in Row 2, and a Lion in Row 4. Rows 3 and 6 are identical, except for an Ox in Row 3, and an Eye in Row 6. Finally, Rows 4 and 7 are identical, except for the Lion in Row 4, and the symbol in Row 7. I'm betting it's the Lion symbol we're interested in, as this is the only one that turned up more than once in the near-identical Rows. Now go to the Terminal, and use the Buttons on the bottom to cycle through each column till you have a 'D' in the first column, the two missing Indian symbols in the next columns, and the Lion symbol in the last column (here is the solution if you're still stuck). The Button to the right now gives you access to the Guardians' place.

Once inside the Guardians' place, Jane Cunningham uses a form of blackmail to make Nina figure out a way to release the Deterrium from the Force Field. Walk all the way to the left, and look at the Mural above the large Clock. Wow. It's Archimedes, Cleopatra, Menis Ra, Leonardo da Vinci, Max, Nina, Jane Cunningham, and... the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. If Cunningham gets her hands on the Deterrium, the Guardians have predicted the world will end! There are 8 symbols on the Clock: Mars Symbol, Compass, Dagger, Venus Symbol, Paint Brush, Pistol, Skull, and Eye. Hmm. This one was a bit difficult, not least because I thought the numbers on the outside of the clock were part of the puzzle. But they aren't. The clue is in the direction the various figures' hands on the Mural are pointing. You have to use a bit of trial and error, but here is the solution:

1. The first figure in the Mural is Archimedes, and his hand is pointing south. So move the Compass all the way to the south.
2. Cleopatra is next. Move the Eye to point east.
3. Menis-Ra's hand is pointing to the SW, so point the Dagger there.
4. Point Leonardo da Vinci's Paint Brush to the west.
5. The Mars Symbol (Max) goes to the SE.
6. Point the Venus Symbol (Nina) north, straight up.
7. Jane Cunningham's Pistol goes to the NW.
8. And finally, the Four Horsemen are pointing to the NE, so point the Skull there.

The face of the Clock recedes. Head on in, and Nina speaks to the Guardian. Of course, the only morally correct choice after that is:

Leave the force field on and save the world.

Even if you make this altruistic choice, Jane comes and clocks Nina, and takes the Deterrium anyway :-( If you make the other choice, you have to solve a little slider puzzle before you can de-activate the force field, but the eventual outcome is the same: Jane takes the Deterrium and legs it. In either case, she leaves her Bag behind, and you can recover an Antidote from it to save Max. Then Nina and Max make off in the escape pods, and confront Jane back at CERN.

As Max, trapped in the elevator by Dr. van Rijn, take the elevator Keycard and use it to unscrew the Slab above. Take the resulting Exit, then pick up the Metal Pin from the top of the elevator. When you try to use the Ladder, the elevator starts plummeting downwards. Use the Metal Pin to jam the Guide Wheels, and the elevator comes to a halt. Over to Nina again. Use the Keycard that you retieved from the Table using the ModelUFO on the Console, and the Laser Grid disappears. Head for the Data Center, but there are two Mercenaries guarding the door there. Note the Sprinkler System nozzle that is right above the Mercenaries, then go Back and use the Keycard to gain entry to the Hospital Ward. Use the Key With Lighter Key Ring on the Top Wall Cupboard to unlock it, and you recover: some Dressing Material, a bottle of Disinfectant, a Laser Pointer, and a Defibrillator. Now return to outside the Data Center, and use the Laser Pointer on the Sprinkler System to set it off. One Mercenary leaves to go sort out the problem. Use the Defibrillator on the Puddle to take out the remaining Mercenary, then head into the Data Center.

Uh oh. They're cutting through the Door of the Data Center with a torch. Use the Walkie-talkie to smash open the Fire Cabinet, and take the Fire Axe. Use it on the Pipe above the Door, and when the Mercenary comes through the Door he gets taken out by the blast of steam and Nina picks up his Gun. Over to Max again. Use the Ladder to climb down to the ground floor, and Max heads outside. Of course, the Entrance to the Transformer Building is locked, and the Keycard won't open it. Use the Walkie-talkie on Max to call Nina. They can open the Entrance remotely, but they need the identifier for its location in order to do that. Look at the Lock on the Entrance, then use the Keycard to unscrew the Cover. Examine the Identifier, then go Back and use the Walkie-talkie again to report the number to Nina. Game over!^*

*There are four possible endings, depending on the choice you made at Alcatraz regards helping Cassandra, and the choice you made at the Guardians' place with the deterrium.

Copyright © Steve Metzler 2012. All rights reserved.