Grackon’s Curse Walkthrough

Grackon’s Curse is
a little-known title released by the now defunct Taiwanese company, Ednovation,
in 1995. It is a Myst-like point-and-click adventure that uses letterboxing
in its display. Graphically, it is comparable to Myst, but it does not
limit itself to a slide show presentation. I had problems with the Quicktime display,
where the screen would be displayed in black and white. This was rectified by
pushing the Windows button on the keyboard and then clicking on Grackon to return
to the game. This was more of an annoyance than anything. Another annoying part
of the control was that sometimes you have to take three steps before you can
turn around so be careful to go the right way first time. The sound effects are
limited and repetitive, as is the music. The voice acting was laughable. It was
obvious there were a limited number of people doing a number of voice parts. Of
greater significance, this had a number of situations where making a mistake led
to death (and being kicked out to the desktop) without warning. Saving regularly
reduced the frustration from this aspect. This is a fairly simple game that could
be a way of introducing potential adventure gamers to the world of adventure games.
However, for the more experienced adventurer, this will be finished in a matter
of hours with very little challenge.

LEVEL 1

Start

After
watching a video that informs you that you are heir to Castle Crondiff, which
has been cursed by the evil wizard Grackon, you find yourself in the middle of
a castle corridor. Looking left, you can see a closed gate at the end of the corridor.
Looking right, you see an open gate at the end of a corridor. This leads to a
staircase upstairs. There is also a door on the left side along this corridor.
Straight ahead is the main corridor. Go down the corridor.

Main Corridor

Proceed
along the corridor until you reach a door on the left. This door is locked with
a pictograph puzzle and cannot be opened at this time. Proceed to the second door
on the left.

Kitchen

Straight ahead in this kitchen is a pot
on an open fire. Approach the pot and click on it to read a message with a recipe
for the Antidote for the Potion of Death. It states you will need a periwinkle
soaked in rain, a drop of violet paint, and seven drops of the Spring
of Living to create the antidote. To the right of the stove are three barrels
that can be examined. They contain (from left to right) beer (poisoned), milk
(sour), and periwinkles soaked in rain. Do not drink the beer or you will die.
The milk, although unpleasant, will not harm you. The periwinkle cannot be
collected at this time, as you do not have the right vessel. Turning right, examine
the parchment on the table. This is a Crondiff pictograph-English letter translation.
Take note of the symbols. Now we can open the protected door. Head back out to
the main corridor to the first door. Approach the lock. Click on the symbols for
"OPEN" (bat man/satyr/chicken/snake). You now have access to the armory.

Armory

On
entering, turn immediately left to open a chest. This releases a recording of
Grackon explaining his ambitions. To the right of this chest is another. This
has a rusted lock that requires the Key of Knowledge to open. Examining the helmets
further elicits a message of Grackon speaking. Exit the room and attempt the door
opposite–it is locked.

Main Corridor

Continue along the corridor
until the end. To the left is another gate through which a flight of stairs leads
to Level 2. There are two doors on the right. The corridor ends in a closed gate.
The first door on the right is locked and cannot be opened. The second is guarded
by a pictograph lock. It does not open with "OPEN" as the earlier one
did but "UNLOCK" (lion, snake, unicorn, bat man, winged serpent, hippocampus).
This is the dining room.

Dining Room

Note that there are four
other doors in this room (one in each wall). None of these can be opened. At right
is the throne table. Another ghostly scene is heard. Click on the note at the
table, which mentions a Chest of Challenge (no Pamela Anderson jokes!). At the
right front dining table, there is a red potion. This is the potion of death.
Do not drink it! Why? Well, if you can’t work that out, drink it! At the
other end of the dining room, click on the suits of armor to hear another ghostly
conversation. Exit the room, turn left, and proceed to the flight of stairs to
Level 2. This guy is sure out of shape: puffing like a chimney and having to stop
twice!

LEVEL 2

Main Corridor

Follow the corridor
until you can turn left. Going further forward leads to a dead end. Turn left
and take the first door on the left. It leads to a small chamber.

Small
Chamber

Immediately turn left. Click on the chest. The top of the chest
has a pattern on it that needs to be completed. Notice four spaces in the sequence.
This puzzle is a sequential one. A certain figure appears, then appears again
a certain number of spaces further, then again that number of spaces plus one.
Click on the left plank to begin the puzzle. The correct symbols are the third
symbol (dragon), the fourth symbol (crack), the seventh symbol (cow skull), and
the fourth symbol again (crack). Push the plank at right to complete the puzzle.
Now remove the Demon Vessel. Examine the marble on the other side of the room.
This is the Stone of Order. It gives several clues about the order of the colors
for a later puzzle. Be sure to turn the marble block to read all five hints about
the colors. Turn to the mask on the wall. This is the Spring of Living. Return
to the kitchen on Level 1.

LEVEL 1

Kitchen

Go
to the rightmost barrel and click on the periwinkle with the Demon Vessel to collect
a periwinkle. Your inventory does not inform you that you have picked up the periwinkle,
however. Return to Level 2.

LEVEL 2

Corridor

Progress
to the next door on the left. This is the baby’s room.

Baby’s Room

Walk
over to the crib. Click on it and the seat for some more of the flashback story.
The chest is currently sealed by an invisible force. Look at the painting. It
contains a Lion, a Vixen, an Owl, an Ibex, an Eagle,
and some Tarot cards. Click on them in this order: Vixen, Ibex, Owl, Lion,
Eagle, Tarot to spell VIOLET. Then click on the shield at the bottom of the painting.
This lifts the magical seal on the chest. The chest will now open revealing the
Violet Paint. Click the Demon Vessel on the Violet Paint. Go back to the Small
Chamber.

Small Chamber

Go over to the Spring of Living. Click
the Demon Vessel on the Spring. Now the antidote is complete! Return to the corridor
and progress further. The third door on the left is sealed. The door opposite
it opens into the Main Chamber.

Main Chamber

Click on the bed
for some more of the story and cheesy acting. The chest at the foot of the bed
contains a notebook written by the Queen. Another chest holds a message about
Grackon. A note on the table gives a clue to the pattern puzzle in the Small Chamber.
Click on the vase by the fireplace. A secret door opens to a chamber beyond.

Secret
Chamber

In this chamber there is a chest that has a polynomial puzzle
as its lock. This requires working out what digits the symbols represent. Each
is a distinct digit from zero to nine. The numbers can be worked out by trial
and error (a lot of trial and error!). The correct answers are 785219. Click each
of the locks to open the chest. Take out the Palette of Pride, which needs the
Seven Sacred Colors. Turn around and make to exit. Before leaving, turn and face
the seven pots. Click on them with the Palette. Return to Level 1 to the Dining
Room.

LEVEL 1

Dining Room

Add the antidote to
the Potion of Death. The potion vaporizes into a key (!?). Take the key and return
to Level 2. Go to the locked door (the third one on the left). Use the key on
the door. This is the library.

LEVEL 2

Library

On
the table is a note that mentions the Stone of Order. On the shelves are two crystal
balls. One of them plays more of the background story, while the other merely
shows flames. Read the book on the shelf. To the right of the bookshelf is a horse
statue that animates when touched. Turn to the frame on the wall. Click on the
frame to get clues to this puzzle. Ensure you know the order for the colors. If
you don’t get it right, you lose the Palette and have to get it again. The correct
order for the colors is red, yellow, blue, pink, orange, violet, green. When complete,
the painting becomes a key–the Key of Knowledge. Return to the Armory on Level
1.

LEVEL 1

Armory

Open the chest in the armory
with the Key of Knowledge. Inside is the Wizard’s Bone that will open a secret
chamber. Return to the Secret Chamber in the Main Chamber on Level 2.

LEVEL
2

Secret Chamber

Use the bone on the door to open it. (This
game becomes more and more bizarre!) Enter the next Secret Chamber.

Secret
Chamber 2

This small room only has one thing of interest–a "magic
star." Click the top plank to learn that all rows must add up to twenty-six.
Click the second plank to get started. Choose the correct numbers from the choices
below the puzzle. The top row should be 1. The next row should read 7, 5, 12,
2. The third row is 9, 10. The fourth is 11, 4, 8, 3. The bottom row: 6. A door
opens to a cache of weapons. Choose the panpipes. Only they can defeat Grackon.
Any other weapon results in failure when you go to use it. The cache closes, and
the puzzle "drills" a tunnel through the floor. You are taken underground
to a tunnel.

UNDERGROUND

Tunnel

Follow the tunnel
until it reaches a red curtain. There is a set of double doors at left. Get out
the panpipes and click on the curtain. A Quicktime video of a red metal dragon
creature appears. This is Grackon! When your panpipes are displayed, click on
Grackon. His head will disintegrate, and he will fall to the ground defeated.
A brief video congratulates you for defeating Grackon. Another game with a lame
ending.

THE END