Alone In The Dark II - Part 1

                   Solution By Phil Darke

Alone In The Dark 2 is a brilliant game, and much improved on the
original Alone In The Dark.  It is, however quite hard in places,
but there are a couple of tricks that can make life a bit easier.
First there are quite a lot of books and papers to be picked up
and read while you are playing.  None of these are essential in
order to complete the game although they do give you an excellent
background to the story.

Second combat; there are lots of weapons to be picked up while
playing and they can be very useful, but it is usually much better
if you are able to fight without weapons.  The head butt is
particularly deadly.  When you encounter one of the zombies try to
get right up close to him before you attack, if you can get close
enough he will be unable to use his weapon and if you keep head
butting and moving towards him you will kill him with no problem.
It is also handy if you can get close enough to stand in a doorway
to attack or to back him into some confined space thus restricting
his movements.

One particularly nasty individual who you will encounter is the
chef who you will meet in the kitchen.  He is armed with a
blowpipe which is deadly and it is essential in dealing with him
that you do not give him the opportunity to use it.

Finally throughout the game you will pick up flasks.  These are
used to restore your health, but don't use them unless you really
need to because you should save as many as possible for the second
part of the game, which is much harder than the first and you need
as much health as possible when you start part two.

Last but not least the Adventurer's Golden Rule applies in this
game more than most:- "SAVE EARLY, SAVE OFTEN"

At the start of the game kill the first zombie and take the
Thompson, flask and clip which he drops.  Run down the drive and
shoot the zombie who runs to meet you. Now run on down to the end
of the drive and kill the other three zombies who are waiting
there.  This is quite hard but if you use this opportunity to
practice the head butt technique I mentioned above you will
eventually do it, though it may take several attempts.  Now go
back down the drive to the anchor.  Push the anchor and run into
the maze, take the first turning left and attack the zombie there.
Take the photo and return to the main path. Continue along the
path and take the next right.  There is another zombie here who
leaves behind a rope, flask and a clip for the Thompson after you
have killed him. Take these.

There is an ace of diamonds on the ground, this is the exit from
the underground passage which you will be exploring shortly.
Return to the main path and continue along it to the cross roads.
Go left and kill the zombie there and take the book which he
drops.  Return to the main path and go straight across the cross
roads to a T junction.  Turn right and then left at the end.  Kill
the zombie and take the clip.  Now go back to the T junction and
go straight across, ignore the next right for the moment and carry
on along the path to an alcove on the left just before the end of
the path, where another zombie is waiting.  Kill him and continue
along the path, turning left at the end then left and left again
at the end, this takes you back to the cross roads, with yet
another zombie to be killed on the way.  Go right at the cross
roads and right at the end to where you find another zombie and
also a grappling hook.

There are four playing cards on the ground.  Stand on the ace of
diamonds to enter the underground passage, the other three cards
will kill you.  Turn right, kill the zombie and pick up the torn
note book.  Go to the chest and push it, pick up the metallic jack
card.  As you do so a figure will appear behind you, use the
revolver to shoot it, this will take about five shots.  Pick up
the sabre and go to the altar, use the metallic jack on the altar
and a trap door opens, go to the ladder and climb it after taking
the flask which you will find there.  This is the exit mentioned
earlier. Now return to the turning which you ignored earlier.  Go
down this passage and kill the zombie there to obtain another
flask.  Turn right at the end and prepare the sabre for use.

Walk slowly along the path until about two thirds of the way
along, you will be attacked by some vines.  The easiest way to
deal with these is to take a quick slash and step back, keep
repeating this until they are defeated.  Save your game here and
run along the path to where you find Peg Leg, a particularly nasty
character and quite hard to kill, but if you can back him into the
corner at the side of the statue and get close enough before he
has chance to attack you, the head butt technique works well.
When you have killed him pick up the newspaper and the flask.  use
the rope with the grappling hook and use them on the statue.  You
will lose all your weapons here.

BELOW THE STATUE

Pick up the nickel and walk carefully across the plank which is
quite slippery, pick up the crank and paper bag along the way.  Go
to the end where you find Striker's body, search the body to find
a pipe cleaner and the other half of the notebook.  Combine the
two halves of the notebook and read it.  Now go to the door and
slide the newspaper under the door, use the pipe cleaner on the
key hole to get the key.  Open the door and enter.  Save your game
here.  Walk along to where a zombie is sleeping, stand directly in
front of the lever.  Use the paper bag once to inflate it and
again to bang it.  As soon as he stands up push the lever. If you
timed it right and were standing in the right place a hanging
barrel will now be released which will knock him over the edge of
the cliff.  Pick up the book, riot gun and flask and look at the
side of the grandfather clock.  Use the crank on the hole there
and a secret passage will be revealed.  Enter the passage and use
the lift.

BASEMENT

The newspaper which you used earlier has turned into a dead man's
pact.  Tear this up in front of the music man, he will die. Go
through into the next room and pick up the battledore and go
through to the next room which is the shooting gallery.  Kill the
two zombies here and pick up the riot gun ammunition.  Now go to
the end of the room to where there are four blocks.  Use the
battledore to turn them so that all the faces show diamonds. If
you stand with your back to the blocks they turn once, if you face
them they turn twice.  As you turn the last block a zombie appears
from the door in the corner.  Kill him and enter the room.  Pick
up the whiskey and the two books. Use the nickel on the slot
machine to get two tokens.  Leave this room the way you came, you
will encounter another zombie on the way. Either kill him or put
the whiskey down in front of him.  Take the sack and wear the
Santa suit which it contains.  Now return to the lift and up the
stairs.

GROUND FLOOR

Watch the little chef zombie and the path he takes to the kitchen
then follow him.  If you step on the wrong squares you will get
killed by the harpoon from the statue in the corner.  Enter the
kitchen and take and eat the fried eggs and take the frying pan.
When the big chef heads towards the dumb waiter come up behind him
(what you are supposed to do here is kill him with the frying pan
but I did not find this very effective) and kill him.  Now search
the kitchen and take the wine and the poison.  Use the poison on
the wine and leave the kitchen.  Go to the serving hatch and leave
the poisoned wine there stand back and wait for the zombies to
take the wine and die.  Enter through the double doors and use the
tokens on the organ.

Pick up the doubloon and go through the doors at the end.  Take
the bullet proof vest thompson and clip and go back the way you
came.  Cross the hall to the door under the stairs and turn right.
This room contains four very nasty zombies and the way you are
supposed to deal with them is with the hand grenade down the
chimney from the floor above but I found that this did not work
very well so I used the direct approach.  Open the door and back
out, carefully position yourself in the doorway.  You can probably
take out the first zombie with the riot gun as he comes through
the door.  Then move forward and head butt the other three as they
come toward you.  It will probably take several attempts but it
can be done.  When you have seen off all four enter the room and
take the red billiard ball from the Christmas tree. Now go back
out and nick the crown from Neptune's head and go up the stairs.

FIRST FLOOR

Kill the zombie on the landing and enter the 1st door on the
right, which is the billiard room.  Kill the zombie here and pick
up the derringer and sword stick.  Go to the bookcase at the end
of the room and take the book and parchment.  Leave the room and
go to the bedroom.  Use the sword stick on the two arms in the
corner, using the same technique that you used earlier with the
vines.  Take the parchment and use it with the other piece that
you got in the billiards room and read it.  Now walk to the end of
the room and put the crown on the statue there.  This opens up
another door, go through and pick up the amulet and you will be
transported to the attic.

THE ATTIC

Pick up the message and flask and run through the door, around the
corner to the small chest, get the Thompson and clip and kill the
acrobatic zombie who attacks you.  Kill the other zombie and pick
up the grenade (though you should not need it now), flask and key.
Go through the door in the corner to the end of the room.  Use the
doubloon on the jack in the box and take the pom pom.  Now go to
the other end of the room and throw the pom pom through the
opening.  The jumping jack will go after it and kill the snake.
Now go through the opening and up to the chimney.  This is where
you should use the hand grenade if you did not kill the four
zombies on the ground floor.  Go down the chimney and back up to
the 1st floor.  Enter the billiard room again and insert the red
ball into the game machine.  This reveals a door at the end of the
room.  Use the key from the attic to open the door and enter.  You
are about to be captured and lose all the items in your inventory,
so if you have any flasks left use them now so that you have the
maximum possible strength for the next part of the game.  You find
yourself in a cell, One Eyed Jack is outside with Grace.  When she
makes a run for it and he chases after her.  Use the hook to pick
the lock and head downstairs.  Elisabeth now enters through the
front door and captures you again.

@~To be concluded next issue
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