Mystery of the Missing Princess Walkthrough

This
little known children’s game from England features some of the best
cartoon animation you’ll see outside of Disney or DreamWorks studios.
The game will appeal to children (it certainly appealed to my son
who is two) because of the crisp animation, the gentle humor, the
talking duck, Lucky (!), catchy songs, and a happy ending. Shamefacedly,
I have to admit that I nearly didn’t finish this game because of a
killer arcade sequence near the end that involves rafting a winding
river. PLAY IT AND SEE IF YOU DON’T BELIEVE ME, ye who be snickering
behind your hands! The game features a number of game styles. It is
initially a treasure hunt where you must find an object a la 11th
Hour. Once you find the object, a cutscene plays and you are treated
to a puzzle or arcade sequence. The game box itself is quite distinctive,
featuring a castle tower shaped box with windows around it featuring
the characters in the game. I don’t recall how many times I had to
tell my son to play with his own toys! The game comes with a poster,
cassette, and CD of the songs. The interface is point and click and
has a very easy to use save feature. The game also checks that you
want to save before you quit-good for impetuous quitters. The game
ran very smoothly despite having to stream a lot from the CD-ROM.
The voices are clear and well acted, although the rapping pageboy
I could do without! For those who require hints, a hint button at
bottom right of the screen gives you both sound and visual hints. 
If I were to compare this to another game, I would compare it favorably
to the Scooby Doo series. The game plays differently every time (i.e.
the puzzles have different solutions each time you play). On the negative
side, it has a couple of arcade sequences that may stop less dexterous
individuals (and how is a child supposed to manage if an adult can’t?).
The game is short for an adult but amusing. I heartily recommend you
play this game with a child just to see their reactions.

The game
starts in the hall-you and your companion, Lucky the Duck…

Hall

Find
the Great Hall. Take the right hand door. A cutscene reveals the
King’s daughter, Abigail, is missing. Go to the Kitchen. The
doors leading down in the corner of the room lead to the Kitchen.

Kitchen

The ransom
note is hidden somewhere behind one of the things on the wall. Click
on the items until you find it. A cutscene plays wherein the King
reads the note. Find the tower, where Muggins’ scrolls are.
Go back upstairs and out the blue door to Outside.

Outside

Walk
around in either direction until you find the Wizard’s Tower. Go in.

Wizard’s Tower

Descend
to floor level. Turn until you find the bowl of scrolls. Click on
them. A cutscene plays. Find a poster of an evil desperado. Go
back Outside.

Outside

Walk
in either direction until you find a large arch leading into the Storage
Area. Go in.

Storage Area

Click
on the Wanted poster on the far wall. A cutscene plays wherein the
party discover Abigail is at Castle Blackheart. Find Muggins’ skulls.
 Return to the Wizard’s Tower.

Wizard’s Tower

Turn
until you find the skulls. Click on them. After a cutscene of the
five leaving the castle, you are presented with four roads. This is
a listening puzzle. Listen for the footsteps/hoofsteps. Take the left
road. At the next junction, take the road second from the left. At
the next junction, take the road at right. Find a burial place
of a great man. Return to the Great Hall.

Great Hall

Exit
to the right of the throne. This leads to the Chapel.

Chapel

At the
back of the Chapel is a sarcophagus. Click on it to get the next cutscene.
The party has arrived at Castle Blackheart to find the drawbridge
is up. You must help Lucky fix it. First, take the broken gear off.
Put it in the recycler. Pull the switch at the right. Replace the
gear with the new gear on the floor. Pull the switch near the floor.
Find the crates and stocks. Go Outside.

Outside

The stocks
are to the left of the Storage Area. Click on the stocks. The next
cutscene shows the party wanting to enter a door blocked by a troll.
Click on the troll-he wants sunglasses. Click on the sunglasses-wearing
donkey, He gives you the sunglasses. You give them to the troll. Find
some bellows. Return to the Kitchen.

Kitchen

Click
on the bellows next to the fireplace. The party are getting nearer
to the princess in the next cutscene. They need to get to the tower
by using the catapult. Make sure you take careful note of the wind
direction and relative weights of the four (Muggins teleports himself
up there) and pulling back further on the catapult accordingly. When
all four are up, you must find the polka dot smocks. Go back
Outside.

Outside

Enter
the building to the left of the stocks. Click on the smocks. A funny
cutscene reveals who in the party is a coward and who is brave. Find
a trapdoor. Return to the Chapel.

Chapel

At the
front of the pews is a differently colored flagstone. Click on it.
After the cutscene, you must guide each of the four non-magical party
members to the other side of a bubbling mud pit. The platforms they
must jump to move so be sure to take that into account. One false
move and it’s in the drink! The troll changes the direction that the
platforms flow but you can also control it to suit yourself. When
they all make it to the arch on the other side, find a landscape
view. Go upstairs to Abigail’s room.

Abigail’s Room

Click
on the window in the room. A cutscene plays. Find a sand timer
(hourglass).  Return to the Wizard’s Room.

Wizard’s Room

Find
the sand timer. Click on it. Another sound puzzle plays after the
cutscene. Move the cursor around the screen of the soldier’s camp.
Where it is quiet is a safe passage through. You have to do this three
times. Find an ax. Return to the Kitchen.

Kitchen

Click
on the ax above the fireplace. Watch the next cutscene. Find the
well. Luckily, it is in the center of the Kitchen. Click on it.
The cutscene shows the party discovering the princess’ carriage at
the end of a river. They raft down it. THIS IS THE HARDEST PUZZLE
IN THE GAME! You must keep the raft from hitting the sides of the
river as well as avoid flotsam. If you hit anything, you go backwards.
This is a real exercise in frustration. I found keeping the mouse
as still as possible was the best solution. When you finally do it,
find the horse drawn wagon. Go Outside.

Outside

Find
the wagon. Click on it. Muggins reveals a way to take care of the
ten soldiers by magic in the cutscene by using his magic wand. You
must click on each soldier when he pops up (a variation of the whack-a-mole
game). Be careful not to hit any soldier a second time or it negates
the magic. When you have captured all soldiers, find the shield
crossed by swords. Go to the Great Hall.

Great Hall

Click
on the shield opposite the throne. A hoax has been revealed in the
latest cutscene. Abigail was in the castle the whole time! Find
Abigail’s shoes. Go up to Abigail’s room.

Abigail’s Room

Next
to the bed are Abigail’s shoes. Click on them. The final, very long
cutscene reveals the hoax perpetrators to be Abigail and Sir Longsword,
who wish to be married. The King gives his blessing and the happy
ending ensues.

(28)