BLUE ICE WALKTHROUGH - part 1

   By the Three Jays, with many, many thanks to Rik Yapp

Blue Ice is a unique game, or, in reality two games.  The main
game is traditional adventure fare, rather quirky, often lyrical
and quite beautiful, which with patience and experimentation can
be solved by any reasonably experienced player.  The real
challenge only begins after the adventure game ends and the search
for the Ultimate Solution begins. This challenge is definitely not
for the faint hearted or those who like quick answers and the
reward of a pat on the back end sequence heaping on the
congratulations.  Nothing in the deeper game tells you that you
are even working along the right lines and the only way we could
confirm that we had indeed found the Ultimate Solution (U.S.) -
after literally hundreds of hours of communal work - was to check
it out with the author himself.  The U.S. comprises two words and
two not very exciting words at that.  Whether the tortuous route
to find them is worth the hours of research, trial and error, hair
tearing and frustration is a matter of opinion.  We were
frequently ready to throw in the towel on this incredibly
difficult game (we defy anyone to name a harder one) but something
about it kept drawing us back and we are glad we persevered.  An
explanation is called for before the walkthrough proper begins .

When the authors, Rik Yapp and Carol Nudds conceived the game they
planned to launch it as a competition.  They designed it to be
played on two levels -the adventure game and the deeper game.
They envisaged that a lot of players would solve the adventure and
that those who moved on to the deeper game would be helped by a
series of staged clues to reach the U.S. and a hefty prize.  To
prevent hacking into a final screen and illegitimate claims to the
proposed prize, they did the obvious thing - they didn't put one
in.  Instead players were to be invited to submit their U.S. to a
competition address and await a big cheque or a letter of regret.

Unfortunately the hoped for competition didn't materialise but Rik
kindly issued his cryptic clues via e-mail and phone to an ever-
decreasing group of BI afficionados.  Even so, a few of the game's
minor mysteries have still to be solved as the author himself has
forgotten the minutiae!  These minor mysteries largely involve the
many red herrings inserted by Rik to further confuse the poor
adventurer and to make the prize all the more elusive to reach.

We have divided this walkthrough into three sections:
a) The Adventure Game
b) The Path to the Ultimate Solution
c) The Red Herrings and the Numbers Grid Problem

THE ADVENTURE GAME

There are several ways to play the game and the following is just
one suggested route.  We have taken what we think is probably the
most direct route but it is worth taking time to absorb the
lyricism and atmosphere of the game.  Enjoy the music that fits in
seamlessly and adds to the magic, and look out for Orseppro and
her daughter Hope.  One or both of them is present in every
screen, guiding the player to free Icia from its oppressive laws.
Remember to save the game often as some clues disappear in the
course of the game.

You start the game in the Eye screen.  Right click on the mouse
and find three icons - a magnifying glass for inspecting things
and for clicking on characters to read their thoughts, a hand for
picking up and moving things, and an arrow for movement. Have a
look around, take the crown from the King's head and try to give
it to Edward - he refuses it in no uncertain terms.  You will
notice three things that are common to every other room in the
game.  The first is a grid to the top left of the screen.  Click
the hand icon on it to expose four lines of four numbers.  Numbers
grids appear in every room, sometimes well disguised, and form a
problem that is explained at the very end of this walkthrough. It
is not essential to solve it for the adventure part of the game,
but make a note of the numbers as you find them (hints on the more
obscure ones appear on the final page of this walkthrough)

The second common feature is a Law scroll and storyboard at the
top of the screen (read them all) and the third is a question
mark, also often well hidden. Click on them as you enter each room
to get an audio clue This one says, "At twice midnight I give you
life" so use the hand icon to change the two clocks to show
midnight and move through the now open eye into the House screen.
The ? here says "A key cannot unlock a door that is blocked by
ice."

Grab the sun from the sky and use it on the pond to melt it.  You
can also grab the paper plane from the sky (it will fly in several
of the locations and eventually forms a parchment piece in a
puzzle that is not essential to the adventure game). Enter the
Pond (?  Clue "A warm maggot helps catch a cold fish").  Pick up
the five coins and the key in the tail of the fish.  There is a
parchment piece in the clam but leave it for now.

Leave the Pond and use the key on the front door, entering The
Hall (? "In time you will find the right door.  Be patient, think
about it.") This indicates that reading characters' thoughts will
give keys and that a glance at the grandfather clock will give a
clue as to which door the keys will unlock.  You are only allowed
to carry one key at a time so it is a good idea to use the keys as
you find them.  So we'll start by collecting and using all the
available keys.  Click on Mrs Scraggend to receive the Pantry key
and see a picture of the Pantry door appear on the face of the
clock.  Enter The Pantry (door to the right of the hall).  The
Pantry contains salt, sugar and pickled onions that you will need
later in the game.  At the moment you have nothing to carry
powders in but take a pickled onion.

Clicking on Mrs Scraggend gets you another key (hear the clock
chime) so reenter the hall and unlock the door to the Dining room.
Glance at the menu to find out what's for breakfast.  Click on Mrs
Scraggend to get the Kitchen key.  Unlock the left-hand door and
enter The Kitchen.  There's lots here you need.  First try to get
the bottle.  Mrs S. will stop you so use the hand icon to drag the
bottle towards her.  A quick drink satisfies her so the bottle is
now yours.  This will be your container for liquids during the
rest of the game, just as the salt cellar is your container for
powders, so pick that up as well.  Get the knife and use it on the
bread to take a slice to toast later.  Check out the recipe book
to find you need to make blackberry jam.  Take a match from the
box and strike it (you can carry the lit match with you until you
need to use it.) Finally, clicking on Mrs S. gains you the key to
the Bedroom.  Go back to the hall and take the stairs (to the
right of the screen) to the Bedroom (you can also travel from
location to location via the thumbnail pictures at the bottom of
the screen, which appear after you've entered a room once.)

In the Bedroom use the hand icon on Mrs S to grab her hairnet.
While her mouth is open enter it and take her gold tooth.
Clicking the arrow on to the spider door gets you into the Attic
but it's too dark to see anything yet.  Return to the bedroom and
read Mrs S.' thoughts to gain the Garden Key.  The door is in the
kitchen so return there and open it up.  Reading Olly's thoughts
in the Garden gives you the Loo key but leave it for a little
while.  Return to the Hall, click on Edward to get the Library
key, unlock the door (left side of Hall), enter and click on him
as he sits at his table to get the key to open up the Music room,
also off the hall.  Once you've unlocked this door, get the Loo
key from Olly in the Garden and open that room up too. The door to
the Loo is in the Music Room.

The Loo is in darkness but the ? audio clue -"A golden opportunity
laid open for you"- and the writing on the law scroll give hints
for lighting it up.  Use the gold tooth to power up the generator.
The ? audio clue on the mirror and the pickled onion in your
inventory point to the method of getting wind.  Feed the onion to
Olly.  Notice the icon becomes a hand?  Use it on Olly's bottom to
get some wind (get another onion if you fail first time).  Now
squeeze the toothpaste tube, get the toothbrush and click it on
the toothpaste.  Clean Olly's teeth with it and you'll keep the
brush for later use.  Go back to the Music room and get the
Drawing room key from Edward's thoughts.  After unlocking that
room, click on Pollyanna in the Garden to get the Bathroom key.
The door to it is in the Bedroom and, after unlocking it, click on
Mrs S. in the Library for the Laboratory key.  Find this room off
the Stairs and unlock it too.  While on the Stairs have a good
look at the map - more about that later.

@~More next issue

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