Syberia Walkthrough by Jennifer Miller

The Highly Entertaining
Walkthrough by Jennifer
Miller
July
2002

(Not to be confused
with Cyberia.  This [Syberia] is a completely different and
much cooler game.)

Ta da! After a five-month absence,
I make my triumphant return to the walkthrough page of JA!!

Have you ever had one of those
days where you wake up, and nothing seems to go your way?  I was having
a day like that when a small box from Randy Sluganski appeared on my doorstep. 
No kids, this was not a box of flaming poo, for inside was the answer to
brighten up my gloomy day.  It was Syberia.

Basics

Whoever said that the adventure
genre was dead needs to have his head examined, play Syberia, then
have his head examined again.  This game is positively gorgeous! I spent
half of my time while wandering the different game areas picking up my jaw. 
From the first moments of the game I was completely hooked.  And so will
you be!

Spoiler alert!

The very nature of a walkthrough
is to provide straightforward answers to a game’s most complicated
puzzles.  As of July 2002 when this walkthrough will be posted, Syberia
has yet to be released in the United States.  Fair warning to all U.S. JA
readers:  if you read this, you will be spoiled for the ENTIRE game. 
I recommend, unless you are really curious, staying as unspoiled as possible. 
Syberia will be worth the wait.

If you reading this from across
the borders and overseas, I apologize for the waste of space. Moving on.

If you’re a fan of Funcom’s
classic The Longest Journey, the interface in Syberia will
hold no mystery for you.  Intuitive pointers, represented by a gold ring,
tell you what objects can be acted upon and directions that are available
to you. One click to walk, two clicks to run.  Right clicking on the mouse
will bring up your inventory screen. To use an object, select it in your
inventory and a small graphic will come up in the corner of the screen while
you are carrying it.  Right-clicking the mouse will place the item back
in your inventory.  You can switch between objects and documents by clicking
the green arrows.  To switch between handling documents and viewing them,
select the icons on top.  Oh and yes, to save games (which are blessedly
unlimited) select the menu button. One other really cool thing.  To impress
your friends with the graphic capabilities of Syberia, go the main
menu screen and select “cut scenes” to replay the movies you have
already viewed over the course of playing.  Obviously, certain movies will
not be available until you have reached that point in the game.

The best part of Syberia
is that it is mostly non-linear.  My walkthrough is just one of numerous
paths that can be taken in order to complete Kate’s quest.  My advice,
like that I gave in Schizm and Beyond Atlantis 2, is to take
your time, breathe in the atmosphere of the places you will travel to. 
Talk the ears off of every person you can interact with.  You never know
what you may find out.

Sit back and relax.  Mammoths
and trains and automatons, oh my!

Valadilene, The French Alps

The game opens with the funeral
procession of Anna Voralberg, the sole heir to the Voralberg Toy Company. 
It is lead by a strange little wind-up drummer and attended by a group of
C3-PO like robot men.  Kate Walker, the Angelina Jolie-ish young woman you
will be assuming the role of, watches in wonder as this scene plays out. 
After the gates have closed, she makes her way to the Inn where she is staying.

Inn

After dropping your suitcase
in the lobby, turn to the right and take the Welcome pamphlet off of the
display rack.  Read it to learn more about the history of the town and a
little bit about the Voralberg factory, the centerpiece of Valadilene’s
industry.

Kate refuses to take her suitcase
any further, so let’s see if we can find the innkeeper. Um hello? Anyone
home? Guess not.  Take a closer look at the desk and you’ll see another
one of those strange robots, a smaller version of the one that greeted you
as you walked in.  Pick up the small key and use it wind him up.  (Finding
and using certain keys are well, key to getting through this game.
Get use to them.)  Once he’s been wound, click on the red button to
activate the bell and summon the innkeeper.  Talk to him about all subjects.
Something annoying about the dialog, probably my only complaint about this
game:  once you’ve used a dialog choice, it does not disappear, meaning
you could talk about the same thing a million times, and it would still
be there.  Sometimes this works, other times it doesn’t.  During your
conversation with him, the young boy across the room will grow upset and
run from the room, the gears he was playing with falling to the floor. 
The innkeeper will tell you that his name is Momo and he was a close friend
of Anna Voralberg’s.  After you’ve talked your fill with the Innkeeper,
he’ll assist you with your bags and show you to your room.

On the end table, you’ll
find a fax from your boss. Wonderful, nice to know that even when you’re
in the Alps, he’s still keeping tabs on you.  When the innkeeper has
left, pull out your cell phone.  You can scroll through the programmed numbers
using the up and down arrows in the center of the phone.  Get the one called
“Office” (or bureau as in my version) and click send to call your
firm.  Nice hold music!  Too bad it doesn’t have a beat I can dance
to.  Marson will come on the line and you’ll have to tell him about
the complication in your plans.  He’ll tell you to contact the town
notary and promises to send a fax with the all the necessary introductions
to do so.  After he’s hung up, you can check out the room, but there’s
not much there, so let’s go get that letter from the innkeeper.

Greet the innkeeper and go through
the dialogues to get the second fax.  This will be the letter of introduction
for the notary.  Talk to him some more if you wish (he’ll correct your
use of robot to automaton) but this guy can be long winded.  Walk across
the room and collect the gears Momo dropped, 4 in all.  A couple are on
the floor and the rest are on the table.  Also, make note of the diagram
he sketched into the table.  Notebook time kids!  Pencil it into your trusty
composition book for future reference.  Time to go out and explore Valadilene.

Town

There aren’t too many people
milling about on the streets.  Head to Kate’s right and meet up with
the boulanger (means baker in French.  Just thought I’d be pretentious
and impress you with my foreign language skills).  He’ll tell you that
the mayor has ordered all the stores to close today in honor of Anna Voralberg. 
It’s really strange how much this family meant to this town, as if
with the death of Anna, the town will die too. Anyway, keep going down the
street past the boulangerie and you’ll reach the notary’s house. 
Pick up the recent copy of the Gazette de Valadilene that has been abandoned
on the park bench.  There’s a small article about Anna Voralberg and
underneath it is an editorial pertaining to my earlier thoughts. Can Valadilene
survive without the Voralberg factory?

Head up the stairs to the front
door and get a close up of the automaton mounted to the left.  Play with
it and you’ll realize that he must greet visitors of the notary.  Place
the letter of introduction (fax #2) into his hand, and then pull the center
lever to bring the head into place.  Afterwards, pull the lever to the right
to activate him.

The Notary

The Notary will approve your
letter, and let you into his office.  Walk through the reception area and
go through the double doors at the back left.  After formal introductions,
Kate will take a seat and explain her reasons for being in Valadilene. 
The Notary will tell you that a letter was left by Anna before she died
saying that there is another heir to the Voralberg factory – her brother
Hans, a man who was thought to have died over sixty years ago.  Curiouser
and curiouser!  The Notary informs Kate that in order for the sale of the
factory to go through, she must find Hans Voralberg and have him sign the
contract.  No use trying to get Hans’ location from this guy because
not even Anna knew where he was.  The Notary will give you the letter to
finish reading.  Great, so my little business sojourn to the French Alps
has turned into a missing persons case, just great.

Before washing his hands of the
situation, the Notary will tell you that in order to piece together Hans’
whereabouts, you’ll need to access the Voralberg factory on the other
side of town.  The key needed to open the gate is in the reception area,
hidden behind the coat rack.  It’s not so much of a key as an axle
needed to work the automaton lock.  Take your leave of the Notary, retrieve
the key, and then head up the street the way you came.

Voralberg Factory

Once you’ve passed the boulangerie,
you’ll be back to the square in front of your hotel. This will trigger
a phone call from your fiancé, Dan.  Seems, um, charming.  Yeah anyway,
talk your full with Dan, and then get back to the task at hand. (Kate will
receive ever more frequent phone calls from her friends and family during
the course of the game.  This serves to more fully develop her character.)
To Kate’s right, you’ll see a large wall and the ring will light
up, indicating you can go that way.  Do so.  You’ll be confronted with
a large metal gate, complete with a locking mechanism disguised as an automaton. 
Take the key from the Notary’s office and place it into the mechanism. 
Activate the gate by reassembling the mechanics at the bottom, then lowering
the lever.  Nice job, Bob Villa!  You’ve made it onto the factory grounds.

Head towards the dry fountain
and you’ll have your choice of four paths to pursue. Number them from
left to right.  Here’s where they go:

1. The toy/automaton factory

2. Power source platform

3. Train station

4. Voralberg family house.

I started out with the factory,
but I think for the purposes of completeness, let’s start with the
house first. Go that way.

Unfortunately, it doesn’t
seem like the Voralberg’s were expecting guests as the front door is
locked. Kate voices your frustration: “I have to get in there.” 
Nothing like some aimless wandering to clear up a locked door puzzle. So
let’s wander.  Go around to the right side of the house and you’ll
find a motorized ladder, but unfortunately, that doesn’t seem to be
working either.  Didn’t the Voralberg’s have a handy man? Sheesh,
okay, let’s keep looking.  Go to the right and you’ll meet the
gardener on the edge of what appears to be a large hedge maze.  She’s
too busy pulling weeds to chat much so head into the bushes. Thankfully,
you’ll only be allowed to enter one alcove where you’ll find a
trademark Voralberg key.  Add it to your inventory then go running out of
here before Microids decides to design a maze into this place of the game.
Yes, I’m sure it was tempting to put one here, but they were smart,
and knew that players would lose it if forced to confront a maze in such
a perfect game. Nice job guys!

Take the key back to the motorized
ladder and use it to gain entrance to the house through the open attic window. 
Before vertigo gets the best of you, scurry up the ladder into the attic.
Just don’t expect to find Mr. Rochester’s mad wife up here.  (You
know you’re a nerd when you make references to Jane Eyre while
writing an adventure game walkthrough!)  Once you’ve made it up, take
a look in the desk to Kate’s right. In it, you’ll find Anna’s
extensive diary and a bottle of ink.  Read Anna’s diary thoroughly
and you’ll learn the history of Hans’ disappearance.  Voralberg
went to amazing lengths to fake his son’s death, even tricking one
of the town priests into performing a full funeral mass for him.  Anna was
the only one who acknowledged Hans’ existence and maintained contact
with him through a series of voice cylinders, similar to the wax cylinders
on the early Edison machines.

Once you are finished with Anna’s
diary, walk to the other side of the attic and flip on the light.  Momo
will appear out of the shadows, but refuses to answer your questions until
you draw him a picture of a mammoth, just like the ones Hans used to draw. 
Doesn’t seem that Kate is much of artist.  So where can I get a drawing
of a mammoth?  (Don’t be fooled, my dear reader.  Your resourceful
walkthrough author had a hell of a time with this one!)  Walk back over
to where you turned on the lights and look very carefully at the exposed
wall beam.  Hey!  Would that be a sketch of a mammoth that Hans placed there
during his interment in the attic?  Place the paper Momo gave you over the
carving and rub on it until you have a neat mammoth drawing.  Go back to
Momo and present him with it.  Overjoyed, he’ll now answer all your
questions and agree to take you to his secret place.

Hurry down the ladder and around
the house, back to the fountain.  Momo will meet up with you there.  Follow
him out the gate, and down the street, until you have passed the Notary’s
office.  When you get to the next scene, you will see a black iron gate
on the left side.  Momo will unlock it and you are free to follow him.

The Cave

Hurry up the path and past the
beached rowboat to find Momo waiting for you at a fork in the road. Talk
to him about all subjects and he’ll tell you about the cave he found
across the water.  That must be the cave Anna wrote of in her diary, where
her and Hans found the mammoth toy.  But since Kate seems to be wary of
water, we’ll have to find a way to either lower the water or go around
it.  (Is it something with chicks in games?  The girl in Beyond Atlantis
2 hated water as well.  It’s not like you’re going to melt!) 
Go up the stairs to the right of Momo and you’ll find the source of
the water stoppage: a dam. (I’m having visions of Flood Control Dam
#5 from Zork.) Try pushing on the wooden rod to raise the dam, but
no luck.  Kate should be lifting weights instead of her credit card at Bloomingdale’s. 
Go back to Momo and ask for his help.  Being a good boy, he’ll follow
you to the control wheel and try pushing it . . . only to break the rotting
piece of wood away. Wonderful! What do we do now?  Pick up the broken plank
and head back down path until you get to the beached boat.  Wait, I think
there’s an oar I can reach.  Use the broken plank to push it closer
to you.  Lord, again Kate won’t touch because it’s all wet.  Oh
Momo!  Could you come help me because I’m a wimpy girl?  Momo comes
to get the oar after you have again asked for help and carries it back to
the fork.  Ask him one last time for help with raising the dam, and he’ll
follow you up the stairs to the control wheel.  Voila!  We have lowered
the water level!

Go down the stairs to the fork,
only to find Momo has disappeared.  Where could that kid have gone? No matter,
we need to push on.  Take the path on the left, across the water, to the
cave on the other side. Inside, you’ll see the cave drawings that Anna
wrote about, and lying on the floor, the mammoth doll that Hans risked his
life to retrieve.  Take the doll and hurry back out of the cave and out
of the park.  Let’s get back to the factory and see if we can find
out more about Hans. On your way there, you’ll get a call from your
best friend and biggest flake, Olivia.

Voralberg Factory

When you’ve reached the
fountain, take the path that is second from the left and you’ll reach
a strange platform.  Activate the lever found on one of the nearby posts,
and the large barrel standing in the center will be carried into the factory. 
That’s all that can be done here.  Simple yes, but like all things
in Syberia, very important.

Once you’re back at the
fountain, take the leftmost path to enter the main building of the Voralberg
factory.  Nice place! It kind of reminds me of the Toys R Us stores before
they did away with the cool cartoon Geoffrey Giraffe and brought in that
animatronic thing they call Geoffrey.  Head to Kate’s left around the
assembly lines to the power room.  We’ll need to get the juices flowing
into this factory before anything else can be done.

Once inside, walk over the machine
and pull the right chain. It looks like the pull handles from the older
model toilets.  This will release an automaton hamster that will start running
in his wheel to lower the water wheel outside.  Funny, that reminds me of
my thought processes on any given day.  Um yeah, so anyway, once the wheel
has been lowered, pull the handle on the left to send power into the rest
of the building.

Leave the power room and cross
the assembly area, past the stairs until you get to a strange loading area. 
Before anything can be done, you get a phone call from your mother.  She’s
quite a sweetheart, seeming to find more pleasure in her opera star boyfriends
and beauty treatments than talking to her daughter.  Kate will hurry her
mother off of the phone, and then you’re free to continue.   Go to
the strange forklift and activate it.  The lift will pick up the barrel
that was brought in from outside and carry it into the main area of the
assembly line. After depositing its cargo, the automaton lift will return
to its original position and shut off.  I should get one of these for a
pet!  Doesn’t need food or vet care, just the occasional polishing
and oiling.  Anyway, enter through the red door nearby for more surprises!

Welcome to the automaton workshop. 
Who’s that poor guy hanging around up there?  Doesn’t seem to
be activated since he hasn’t spoken a word.  Walk around the room a
bit.  Hey wait, did his head move?  I think he is activated!  Head
over to the crank on the back wall to lower the automaton down and he’ll
introduce himself as Oscar.  Talk about all subjects and he’ll ask
you to manufacture a specific model of legs for him so he can complete his
construction.  In order to do so, Oscar will supply you with a punch card
containing the information on how to construct the legs.  The automaton
assembly line will read this information from the control panel and build
the legs accordingly.

Leave the workshop and head up
the metal stairs to the upper level of the factory.  Once you’ve reached
the top of the stairs, you’ll see a set of doors to Kate’s left.
Go in there to check out Anna’s office.  As all good adventurers know,
the desk is the most important place to gather information and clues.  On
Anna’s, you’ll find a stack of late notices and invoices, a letter
to Hans, and plans for a massive clockwork train.  Unfortunately, we can’t
go through the drawers.  Walk over to the bookshelf and get a closer view. 
By pulling on one of the green books on the top shelf, a small door on the
second shelf will swing open to reveal a kind of music box with two little
automaton dolls sitting atop it.  Click on it to play the cylinder inside. 
This is the gramophone that Anna wrote about in her diary!  Take the music
cylinder, but we can’t take the machine quite yet.  Leave the office,
as there is nothing more we can do here for the time being.

Continue along the gangway past
Anna’s office, and then up the second set of stairs to the factory
control panel.  Insert the punch card from Oscar into the bottom center
slot, and then flip up all the red switches on the right side.  Don’t
worry if only #3 lights up; you’re doing just fine.  Now, before we
can activate the machines, we have to choose the right kind of wood to make
Oscar’s legs from.  For the unspoiled, this is a trial and error process. 
However, reader, you are too spoiled for me not to give you this solution. 
On the bottom left, you’ll see a sample of wood.  Click on this three
times to bring up a beige-colored piece of what could be birch or pine. 
Activate the assembly line by flipping the lever on the right-hand side
and watch as the Voralberg automatons do the rest.

Once they’re finished, go
back down the floor of the assembly area and walk towards the power barrel. 
Retrieve the legs from the end of the belt and take them back to Oscar in
the workshop.  If you’ve been following my walkthrough, then Oscar
should be pleased with his legs and will hurry off to continue his duties
as the engineer of the Voralberg clockwork train.  If there’s a problem
with the legs, go back and keep making them until you have a proper pair. 
Once Oscar has gone off to begin his preparations, follow him to the station.

At the fountain, take the path
that is second from the right and you’ll end up the Valadilene train
station.   Like the rest of the town, this place will be deserted.  Go up
the train and board the last (coach) car.  Oscar will be there waiting to
speak with you.  He’ll explain that according to his programming that
he must follow all proper departure procedures, including the purchasing
and taking of tickets, before the train can leave the station.  Kate will
get frustrated, as will you player, but we’ve gotta follow what Oscar
says.  Once you’ve finished your dialogue, Oscar will disembark and
go take up station in the ticket booth.  Exit the train from the same side
you boarded from and go meet with Oscar at the booth.  He will give you
a ticket for passage on the train . . . but he has no idea what the destination
will be!  Sounds like a good premise for an adventure game.  However, since
Kate is not the owner of the train, she will have to get a stamped permission
form from the owner, or their representative, before the train can leave. 
You could just about tear your hair out!  Oscar gives you the form and warns
you that you must be quick since you are already behind schedule.  What
schedule? I thought I was the only passenger!

The Town

Hurry back to the gates of the
factory and head over to the Notary’s office.  If you took the time
to follow your adventure game player, snooping nature, you discovered that
there was a stamp on the reception desk of his office.  Place the form underneath
the automaton stamping machine, then pour the bottle of ink from the Voralberg
attic into the machine through the top of its head.  Afterwards, punch the
red button and you are now approved to take the train out of Valadilene.

Voralberg Factory

Back at the train station, give
the form and ticket to Oscar.  He’ll be pleased with the paperwork,
but inform you that all departure conditions have still not been met.  You’ll
need to get two more important objects before you can leave Valadilene.
GAH!!!

Let’s go look around the
church. We haven’t seen that yet.

The Town

Once you’re back on Main
Street, talk to the elderly man that is sitting on the park bench.  Kate
is in a hurry, so they won’t chat long.  Continue over the bridge and
up the hill to the strangest looking church you will ever see.  Before you
can get inside, Marson will call again, demanding to know your progress. 
Again, Kate will push him off the phone, needing to get back on her quest. 
Enter onto the church grounds through the iron gate.

There are a few places we can
go here, but the main sanctuary won’t be one of them.  I was sad we
weren’t able to see this, but oh well, only so many hours in the day
to design backdrops.  Follow the path around the right to the back of the
church.  Open the door and go into the sacristy.  Oh you think this room
looks normal, but not a chance.  See that crucifix hanging on the back wall?
Go over there and get a better look at it.  Even here, He is an automaton. 
Perhaps it is the Christian in me, I don’t know, but I found that image
kinda creepy.  Move the crucifix to the left and recover the key hidden
behind it.  Next, go around the altar to the large wooden chest of drawers. 
Close up on it and insert the key to open the drawers. Each one will hold
a color-coded punch card. Collect all of these.  Afterwards, open the middle
drawer and turn the wheel on the right side of the dresser.  This will reveal
a hidden compartment where you’ll find a key to the Voralberg family
vault and a letter from the priest that performed Hans Voralberg’s
funeral. His guilt over being misled by the senior Voralberg is quite evident
in this letter.

Pocket both of these and exit
the sacristy.  Walk up the path towards the gate until you get a small set
of stairs leading to a strange elevator.  However, doesn’t seem we’re
going to be able to get in until we fix the gear panel on the right.  Now,
did you take my advice and sketch that drawing Momo left for you on the
table? We’ll need it now.  Place the gears you recovered from the innkeeper’s
floor into their correct positions, and this will activate the elevator. 
Take it to the top of the bell tower and you’ll be greeted with another
automaton.  Man, these things really do hang out all over the city!  This
guy works the bells and plays what is on the punch cards that you have hidden
in your jacket, sort of like a player piano.  Each one plays a different
tune, but the one we’ll need has the pink stripe along the top.  Place
it in the slot on the automaton’s back.  The ringing of the bells will
activate the automaton on top of the Voralberg family vault, causing him
to lower his hat.

Hurry back down the elevator
and go directly left of the church to get to the vault.  Inside the automaton’s
lowered hat, you’ll see a place for one of those special Voralberg
keys.  Take the one from the sacristy and place it in the hat.  This will
unlock the gate of the vault, allowing you to enter.

See okay, I have a phobia of
cemeteries.  Not so much of regular, tombstone and grass cemeteries, but
of these large tombs and vaults.  So Kate dearie, I’m just as frightened
as you are.  Go down into the heart of the tomb until you see the vault
for Hans Voralberg.  Okay kids, this is it.  This is when we find out if
Anna’s letters and diary were true.  But I mean, this game doesn’t
have a “mature” rating, so whatever we find can’t be that
bad, can it?  I’m just not sure if I want to be staring at a sixty-year-old
corpse.  Pull out Hans’ vault, and then open his coffin.  The only
thing you’ll find inside is a newspaper clipping from the Gazette of
Hans’ funeral and another one of the audio cylinders.  Take both and
get the hell out of there.

Voralberg Factory

Make your way back to Anna’s
office via the leftmost path at the fountain.  Once there, place the newly
discovered audio cylinder in the gramophone.  During the course of the next
movie, you’ll get to witness the discovery of the mammoth doll in the
cave above the town and Hans’ tragic fall from the rocks. (Don’t
feel bad if this makes you jump back.  I was upset too.)  After the cylinder
has finished playing, the top of the gramophone will pop off, leaving you
free to take the dolls.

Run back to the train and enter
the coach car.  Go past Oscar to the center room.  In it are two pedestals
and a cabinet for housing the cylinders you have found and (drum roll) will
find along the way.  Place the two you have already recovered in there,
then put the mammoth doll on the right most gold plate and the dolls on
the center pedestal.  This will function as your new gramophone for the
rest of the trip.

Go back to Oscar and let him
know that you’ve recovered all the required objects for departure. 
That’s all find and dandy, Kate darling, but we’ll have to wind
up the train before we can go anywhere. Grrrr, okay okay.  Exit the coach
and cross to the opposite platform from the one you boarded from.  Walk
up to the front of the train and you’ll encounter a strange device
. . . not that all devices in Valadilene aren’t strange!  Turn
the large wheel to extend one of those silly Voralberg keys towards the
engine.  Once it has stopped, flip the switch and this will open the door
on the engine and complete the winding process.  Turn the giant wheel again
to retract the winding arm.  Seems we are set!

Head back to the train and you’ll
get another call from Dan.  Seems he’s pretty pissed that you aren’t
heading home soon.  Kate will try to talk him down, but it doesn’t
seem to work.  Get him off of the phone as soon as possible, and then climb
into the coach car.  Let Oscar know that the train is all wound and you
will be on your way.  To where you ask? Well, watch the following drop-dead
gorgeous cut scene to find out.

University of Barrockstadt

Good German name, Barrockstadt. 
Reminds me of a brand of beer.  Mmmm . . . perhaps that what I need after
my long day here at the office.  Oh! So sorry! Must get back to the task
at hand. Yes yes, of course, welcome to Barrockstadt!

The station

You’ll wake up to find that
the train has come to a halt inside the strangest of train stations; it
appears to be a giant aviary!  Oscar will inform you that the train’s
springs have wound down and must be rewound in order for them to continue. 
However, there doesn’t seem to be a winding machine in this station. 
When Kate asks for help, Oscar will say that he must stay inside because
the humidity present in the station’s atmosphere could corrode his
gears.  Cry baby.  Well, let’s head outside and see what we can find.

Exit the coach car by going down
the ladder on Kate’s left and this will put you on the platform next
to the car.  Head out of the station along the platform (on Kate’s
left again) until you get the end of the path a great locked wall.  Kate
will notice there is indeed a winding mechanism in Barrockstadt, but we’re
going to have to figure out a way to get the train all the way up there. 
Don’t suppose Oscar will get out and push, will he?

Head back toward the station
and Oscar will let you know that the rectors of the University want to have
a meeting with you.  Well, they can just wait. I have more exploring to
do.  Keep going down the platform past the train, and then straight across
the four-way stairs.  If you keep walking along the platform, you’ll
end up at small beach on the river.  The stationmaster will be there, smoking
his pipe, or whatever it is he does days.  Introduce yourself and speak
with him about all subjects.  He’ll tell you all about the aviary and
how the Amerzone cuckoo has overrun the bird population found here. (Hehehe,
I loved the inclusion of Benoit Sokal’s first game in here.)  So, there
was an automaton eagle constructed to fly around and collect all the cuckoo
eggs as to keep the population down.  But now it’s gone into disrepair
and the cuckoos have begun to flourish again.  The stationmaster says he
might able to help you if you can fix the eagle. It’s a thought!  Before
leaving, make sure to pick up the random hook lying in the sand.

Head back up the platform until
you get the stairs.  This time, take the set on your right and exit the
station through the doors on the right.  Outside the door, there’s
another set of stairs that lead down.  Follow them.  You’ll see a barge
in the distance, with an old couple standing on deck.  Let’s go see
if they can help me out! If you listen to the husband’s dialogue carefully,
you’ll hear that he’s speaking about five different languages. 
Sounds like the Swedish Chef!  And his wife sounds like Gilda Radner doing
Roseanne Roseannadanna.  It’s hilarious!  So anyway, they offer to
tow the train with their barge as long as you can pay them $100 and open
the locks so they can get through.  Sounds easy enough!  Now where can I
get $100?

University

Well, we are way over due for
our meeting with the rectors, so let’s go over to the University and
take a look a around.  To do so, go back up the stairs away from the barge
and towards the sidewalk once you’ve reached the top.  You’ll
cross the small park area and climb the steps past the massive mammoth statues. 
Mammoths . . . . hmmm, you don’t think Hans could be here, do you?

Once you’ve reached the
courtyard of the main University building, you’ll see a large automaton
bandstand in the center. Cross the little bridge and walk around the lower
platform until you reach a door on the other side.  In close up, you’ll
see that it’s quite a strange mechanism.  Looks like we’ll need
some sort of egg shaped object in order to balance out the gears.  I don’t
seem to have an egg on me at the moment, so let’s proceed up the main
stairs into the University.

The inside of this place kind
of reminded me of the Natural History Museum at the Smithsonian in Washington. 
Large, prehistoric skeletons, bored students, and plenty to read!  Go left
from the foyer and continue down the hall until you reach the council room
where the rectors sit and argue.  Feeling a little bit like Dorothy when
she’s entered the Emerald City, approach the rectors and speak to them
about all subjects.  Seems as though they aren’t too pleased with the
fact that your train has stopped in the station, preventing any other trains
from coming in.  They want you to move it, so they strike up a deal with
you:  if you can repair the automaton bandstand, they will give you the
necessary money to tow your train.  Wow!  Sounds like a good deal to me! 
Perhaps these guys aren’t so bad after all.

Leave the rectors and cross the
foyer to the opposite hall. You’ll see one of the university professors
examining a skeleton.  Go talk to him; he doesn’t look that busy. 
He’ll introduce himself as Professor Pons of the paleontology department.
Talk to him about everything.  Seems as if Hans was a students of his! What
a stroke of luck!  Since Pons and Hans (Hans and Franz: we will PUMP you
UP!) share a common love for mammoths, they were able to work together quite
closely.  Hans had shared with him the discovery of the mammoth toy he found
in Valadilene.  Professor Pons says he would love to get his hands on this
toy and confirm its authenticity. Well, let the guy get back to work.  Let’s
go kick back and get some education (or edumication as I like say) in the
library.  Head back across the foyer toward the council room.  Before reaching
there, you’ll pass a door on your right.  Go in there.

Wow, nice place!  I think the
D’ni from Myst would have a run for their money with the size
of this library.  Walk down to the tables where the students are reading
and pick up an abandoned title about a trip to the Amerzone.  In it, you’ll
learn more about the Amerzonian cuckoo and how it loves to eat forest sauvignon
berries. You mean, as in cabernet sauvignon?  That always goes nice with
big steak. Um yeah, so moving on – walk up the stairs to the side of
the library and you’ll reach a ladder.  Climb this to get a better
view of the books up top.  There’s another title about the Amerzone,
this one about the Yanga-cola mushroom.  Seems as if the natives of the
Amerzone would ingest a powder made from the Yanga-cola in order to increase
their power of sight during the hunt.  File that in the “useful knowledge
for later” bin.

The station

Let’s go recover the mammoth
toy for the professor to study.  I just hope he doesn’t decide to dissect
it or anything because I would really like to present this to Hans in one
piece.  Return to the station down the stairs, across the courtyard, and
through the glass doors.  If you remember, the toy in is your coach car,
sitting on one of the gold plates.  Stick it into your coat.  Lord, not
another call from Marson.  Yes, hello sir, sorry I’m busy, can’t
talk, bu-bye.  That guy has no patience, I swear!

University

Hurry back to the university
and present Pons with the mammoth toy.  He will be overjoyed and invites
you to his lecture that afternoon on the origins of the toy, its people,
and the culture.  I mean, okay, I know you’re supposed to be on a business
trip, but we probably should go so we can get the toy back afterwards. 
Follow the professor into his lab when he excuses himself to start his research.

Take a look at the shelves to
the left of the door.  In them, you’ll find a bottle of the Yanga-cola
powder, a pair of grips, and another one of those Voralberg voice cylinders. 
Go over and speak to the professor about the forest sauvignon.  He claims
ignorance about the plant, stating that is a paleontologist.  For plant
concerns, it would be best to talk to the stationmaster.  Okay, let’s
go do that then.

The station

You’ll find the stationmaster
in his usual spot, standing on the beach.  Ask him about those pesky forest
sauvignon berries.  At this, he’ll get very nervous and flustered,
saying he knows nothing about that plant.  Afterwards he’ll storm off,
claiming he has much to do.   What is it with this plant?

Return to the train and play
the third cylinder by placing it in the player on the center podium of the
collection room.  This is a letter from Anna to Hans, speaking about the
factory in Valadilene. Seems as if the factory as fallen on hard times,
and may close.  That would explain all the overdue notices Kate found earlier.

Head back to the University,
but ask the stationmaster one more time about the sauvignon.  He’ll
be standing on the stairs as you head for the glass doors.  This will get
him to tell you to speak with Pons about them.  But wait – didn’t
Pons send me to him?  This is all getting too weird.

University

Go back and speak with Pons about
sauvignon, explaining to him that the stationmaster knew nothing and that
I should talk to him.  The professor again claims ignorance and says that
perhaps the rectors would be more helpful.

Of course, the rectors will talk
your ear off about the berries and their delicious taste.  They will finally
acknowledge that there is a small, on the side trafficking of sauvignon
wine that is being made from berries cultivated by the stationmaster, and
then distilled by Professor Pons.  The stationmaster knows the location
of this garden, so therefore, we need to speak with him again.

The station

Back at the station, you’ll
find the stationmaster still standing on the stairs.  Confront him with
the new information you have concerning the wine operation.  He’ll
relent, and confirm that this is indeed true. Reluctantly, he’ll lead
you across the bridges to the opposite platform and down the path to a large
metal door.  Ask him for help with the door and he’ll open it for you.

Out in the sickly garden, all
the way in the back, you’ll find a couple bushes still sporting some
sauvignon berries.  Grab a few so we can deal with those pesky Amerzonian
cuckoos.

Go back up the path until you
reach the platform.  Instead of crossing the bridge, walk up the platform
in the direction of the train until you see a ladder in the distance, surrounded
by a group of cuckoos.  Walking up to them doesn’t seem to shoo them
away.  Throw down the berries and they’ll seem happy enough to leave
you alone.

Oh vertigo and heights!  Climb
the ladder all the way to the top and you’ll reach the automaton eagle
that the stationmaster told you about when you arrived.  Kate doesn’t
seem to be too motivated to fix the thing anymore, so let’s get one
of those cuckoo eggs instead.  Use the grips from Professor Pons’ lab
to do so.  Hey wait!  This is just what I need to gain entrance to the bandstand.
 Isn’t it amazing how things work out like that?

University

As you’re heading for the
University, the stationmaster will stop you and give you a bottle of the
sauvignon wine to apologize for his lying to you.  Accept it graciously
and move on to the bandstand.

Walk around to the door and deposit
the cuckoo egg onto the other side of the balance mechanism.  The door will
open, giving you access to the inner workings of the bandstand.  As with
most of the Voralberg devices, flip the lever, and everything should be
back in working order.  Good job!

Hurry back to the council room
and inform the rectors on your success.  Make sure to talk to them about
your money so you can receive it and get the heck out of this dump!

The station

Go back to our little friends
at the barge and give them the money.  In return for your diligence, they’ll
throw you the key to the lock control board.  Now, to figure that out.

Go back up to the main level
of the station, through the glass doors.  Instead of crossing the bridge,
walk over to the left side of the entrance platform and you’ll find
a neglected console.  This would be the control panel to operate those silly
locks.  Insert the key to open the panel.  As you’re doing this, your
mother will call.  Geez, doesn’t she know the meaning of TMI?! Hang
up with Mom, and then focus back on the control panel.  Since the instructions
are written in German, Kate has no idea how the bloody thing should be operated! 
Pull out your cell phone and dial the service number, which if you were
too lazy to look, is 27666742.  The automated service will walk you through
the procedure of raising and lowering the locks.  You’ll discover that
your location code is 4 for the Barrockstadt lock, and you’ll need
to press 1 to raise the water and 2 to lower it. Once you’ve selected
location and direction, press the “*” key.  Easy enough!

Go warn the barge that you’re
ready to start opening the locks.  They’ll stand by as you head back
for the control panel.  Now, we’ll first need to lower the level. On
the panel, press 4, then 2, and then *.  Go back the sailors and let them
know the first lock is open. Once they have passed through, press 4, then
1, *.  Once they have passed through that lock, they will be clear of the
train station.

Cross the bridge and hurry up
the platform to speak with them again. Ask them for help on getting the
train hooked to the barge, and they’ll throw you a rope.  Attach your
random hook to the rope and hook it on the front of the train.  Now that
everything’s in place, watch as the barge pulls your train up to the
winding mechanism.  Yes! Almost out of here!  Hurry up the path to the engine. 
As you’re walking, Pons will call you and tell you his lecture on the
mammoth toy is about to begin.  Oh yes!  I had completely forgotten about
that.

University

Go to the foyer of the University
and take the left set of stairs directly ahead.  You’ll end up in the
lecture hall and Pons will tell you to take a seat.  He’ll talk for
a while about the migratory patterns of the early hunters of the mammoth,
known as Yukols, and even hypothesize that these people were the first to
domesticate the wooly mammoth, drawing his conclusions from the toy.  He
also believes that the last remaining members of this society now live on
an isolated island off of the Asian continent known as Syberia, not to be
confused with the Russian province of Siberia.  Could this be where Hans
was going?

Once the lecture is over, follow
Pons to his lab.  Pick up a copy of his lecture notes on the desk, and the
mammoth toy.  Talk to him about the lecture to learn more.  Real interesting
stuff, in an X-Files sort of way.

The wall

Head back to the engine via the
station, and place the mammoth toy back on its gold plate in the collection
room.  Exit the car and cross over to the opposite side of the platform. 
Go up to the winding machine and rewind the train’s clockworks.  At
this, Dan will call. He is furious that you haven’t returned home yet. 
Hanging up on him is the smart option, dear.  Back in the coach car, tell
Oscar that we are all wound and ready to proceed.  So the train starts,
but we only get so far before stopping again.  What now?

Exit the coach car and you’ll
find Oscar waiting for you in the ticket booth.  He’ll tell you that
you’ll need a ticket and a visa to pass through the protective wall. 
Oh geez, not now Oscar!  Why do you have to follow procedure now?!  And
of course, he’s not authorized to issue visas.  We’ll have to
find someone else who can do that.

Go around the booth and you’ll
see a door on the side of the great wall.  Open it and climb up the stairs
to reach the top.  Once you’re there, Olivia will call.  She seems
to be concerned about Dan.  Um okay, but he’s MY fiancé, sweetie, back
off.  Be nice to her, and then continue on your way.  Head along the top
and enter the guardroom.

Here you’ll meet Captain
Malatesta, sole watcher of the wall.  Ask him quite politely that you need
his help to continue on your way.  He responds that he refuses to give out
visas because there is a soldier sitting on the other side of the wall just
waiting for an innocent civilian to pass through.  For proof, he asks you
to look through the telescope.  After focusing it, all Kate will see is
a piece of wood.  Perhaps Malatesta has bad eyes.  Tell him that the rider
is just a dead tree. Malatesta will not believe you.  Great, but I really
need that visa!

Look around and you’ll notice
on the desk that there is a pair of broken glasses and two empty wine goblets. 
What was it about increasing eyesight? Oh yes! The Yanga-cola powder!  Pour
two glasses of the Barrockstadt sauvignon and pour the Yanga-cola powder
into one.  After a bit of convincing, Malatesta will accept your offer of
wine.  The powder will do its trick and the captain’s eyes will be
stronger.  Have him look at the “soldier” again.  Realizing that
he has indeed been looking at a piece of wood all these years, Malatesta
will grant you a passage visa for the wall.

Return to the booth and give
Oscar your visa.  He’ll present you with a ticket and orders you back
on board.  Give the ticket back to Oscar, who’s waiting for you in
the coach car, and then have a seat.  Time for another ride into the unknown.

Komkolzgrad

Holy cold war, Batman!  Where
are we?  This place is freakier than Pee-Wee’s Playhouse!

The platform

The train will wind down once
again and pull into the station of a very strange looking factory.  Large
clouds of black smoke will be billowing skyward and everything is cast in
a red glow.  Exit the coach car and walk towards the engine.  Oscar will
call you over and let you know that you’ll need to wind up the train
before you can progress.  Tell me something I don’t know Oscar!  Unfortunately,
he has no idea where we are, so there’s little we can learn about this
place right up front. (Fortunate for you, player, I do. So welcome to Komkolzgrad!) 
Let’s go check out that large statue towering in the distance.  Perhaps
we can find some answers there.

More ladder climbing kids!  Climb
all the way up to the control room in the head of the statue to get an idea
on the function of this bloody thing.  Take a look around.  You’ll
see by the bed that there’s a fourth Voralberg cylinder, a metal lever,
and a set of plans on how to operate the statue.  Hans has been here!  Seems
as if we’re on the right track after all.  Turn towards the control
panel on your right.  This will move the statue back and forth.  Place the
lever into the panel to activate it.  Move the lever up twice to move the
statue until it is straddling the train.  Once you’re there, press
the red button to activate the winding mechanism.  Okay, since that’s
finished, let’s move the statue all the back, so push down on the lever
twice. (Note: if you don’t want to view all the little movies for the
moving of the statue, just right-click on your mouse.)

Wow!  That was too easy!  No
complicated machines to figure out (climb down the ladder), no weird people
to interact with, no visas to procure . . . hey!  Wait!  Come back here! 
Where are you going with those things from my train?!!  It’s no use
following him because the door is locked.  Rats.  Better get onto the train
and see what’s missing.

Hurry into the coach car and
you’ll find Oscar tied up in the back. Collect all the tools left on
the floor, then undo Oscar’s bonds and he’ll tell you a scary
story.  Basically, he was pulled down and delivered of his hands!  Great,
just great.  How am I supposed to move on if my engineer has no hands? And
it’s no use asking Oscar if you can operate the train; he’s not
allowed to tell. I suppose we’ll have to track the hand thief down. 
But how to get inside the factory?

Before leaving the train, view
the final cylinder, the one you recovered from the control room.  In this
letter, we learn that Hans came to this Russian city, called Komkolzgrad,
to renovate its largest factory with automatons.  At its peak, Komkolzgrad
was the center of science and industry in Communist Russia.  Now it seems
to be abandoned.

Leave the train and return to
the statue.  Climb into the control room and move it forward one time. 
Exit the control room and you’ll see that there’s a hole in the
sheet metal wall of the factory.  Perhaps if I can get over there, I can
pry it open with these tools I’ve found.  Jump over to the opposite
platform and use your tools to tear a larger hole, big enough for you to
walk through.  Seems as if we’ve stumbled into some sort of storage
room.  Could find plenty of useful things here.  Go over to the shelves
and you’ll find a spark plug, which looks curiously like a small Voralberg
automaton.  Rats, though.  I can’t seem to get through these doors.

Go back to the statue and push
it back once.  Leave it and cross all the way to the other end of the platform. 
Ooo . . . a freight elevator.  Pull the lever to summon it and let’s
take it down and see where it goes!  To a mine a course, what else? At this,
Dan will call, but the signal will die because of where you are.  It’s
pretty dark in here so let’s change that.  Look at the generator on
your left.  Seems that spark plug might come in handy here.  Place it in
the generator and watch that bad boy start to spin.  Seems we now have light! 
Walk all the way to the other end of the mine and take the second elevator
up.  We are now in the factory!

The factory

Go to your left and up the stairs. 
My God!  It looks as if the huge furnace pipes have been converted into
a giant organ.  If you look closely at the player, you’ll see she now
has Oscar’s hands.  If only I could use that screwdriver lying nearby
to take them off.  Go ahead and take the screwdriver anyway. We might need
it.  Go back down the stairs and cross in front of the two large doors. 
On the other side of the room, you’ll find a ladder that has been blocked
by a large metal sign.  See, I knew you’d need that screwdriver.  Use
it to remove the plate.  Climb on up and enter the left-hand door. 

Here you’ll meet Sergeui
Borodine, the director of the Komkolzgrad factory, probably the only living
soul left in this godforsaken place. He was badly injured during an accident
in the factory, so now he wears a large mask over the upper portion of his
face.  (Can we say Phantom of the Opera? I think Gaston Leroux deserves
some credit here!)  Speak to him about all things.  He’ll admit that
he did assault Oscar and take his hands, but it was all for a good cause. 
You’ll discover that he’s a fanatical admirer of the great soprano
Helena Romanski. (Yep, we can say Phantom of the Opera.)  The hands
were for his automaton organist who is to play for Helena when she makes
her triumphant return to Komkolzgrad, which he intends to orchestrate. (No
pun intended . . . well, maybe a small one.)  He strikes a deal with you: 
if you can convince Helena Romanski to come back to Komkolzgrad and give
a personal recital for Borodine, he will return Oscar’s hands and send
you on your way.  But there’s a catch – no one knows where Helena
has retired to.   Borodine opens his Romanski museum to you so you can learn
more about her.

Leave the control room and climb
down the ladder. The entrance to the museum is in the upper-right corner
of the screen. Man, this almost as bad as that Eva Gardner museum in North
Carolina.  This guy is not only a fan, but he’s obsessed! He has everything
from her dresses, to her makeup table and brushes.  In the back, be a good
adventurer and check out the desk.  In here, you’ll find a book filled
with scraps of articles about her and photos (including one that looks like
Hans standing with Borodine and Helena) and a stack of letters from Borodine
to Helena, all returned unopened.  To find out more about Helena, call your
opera-loving mother.  Her and her tenor boyfriend, once linked to Helena,
will tell you that they think she’s in Aralbad, a Russian resort town
on the coast.

Head back to talk to Borodine. 
Before you get there, Dan will call again.  Apparently, he feels awful about
the argument, but only because he may have embarrassed himself at work. 
What nerve! Afterwards, tell Borodine you think Helena is in Aralbad and
that you need to find a way to get there since your engineer is broken. 
Borodine will turn on the factory monorail, which will take you to see the
drunken cosmonaut named Boris Charov that lives on the mountaintop.  Exit
the control room and take the door to the right of the control room.

The Cosmodrome

As you’re exiting the monorail
station, Olivia will call.  Again, she is really worried about Dan and wants
to know what’s going on. And because she’s so concerned, she’s
been spending more time with him! Sheesh, woman!  Why can’t you mind
your own business? Well, that’s two friends pissed off at me – maybe
I should try for three.  Anyway, keep walking up the path towards the large
Cosmodrome you see ahead.  Climb the stairs and you’ll see a junked
space capsule.  You’ll find Charov in there.

Yep, and he’s drunk, sloppy
drunk. Remember Randy Quaid’s character from Independence Day?
The same thing with this guy.  Bottles of vodka lay everywhere.  Why don’t
you pick one up for the road?  Talk to him about all available subjects. 
Doesn’t seem like we’ll get much useful info out of him while
he’s in this state.  Let him stagger off once he’s finished and
he’ll pass out in a bin near the crane.  Leave him be while we check
out the capsule.  On a small shelf, you’ll find a key to operate the
crane and a letter concerning Hans Voralberg’s work for the Russian
space program.  It appears as if Charov was going to fly Hans’ device,
but when the program was scrapped after Hans’ sudden disappearance,
so was he.  Poor guy! It’s no wonder he’s upset!

Head out of the capsule and you’ll
see our cosmonaut friend passed out nearby.  Seems we’ll need to get
him underneath that shower and wake him up since we have more questions
about Hans.  See that control panel on the opposite side of the platform?
Use your newly found key to activate it.  Turn the right control arm once
to the left and then push the left on down to position the tub correctly. 
Once you’ve done that, head down the stairs and to the right.  Turn
the large wheel to get the water flowing to the showerhead.  Go back up
to the control panel and push up the lever controlling the water.  Surprise! 
Can you answer my questions now?

Charov will be a little out of
sorts at first, but he’ll warm up to you.  Ask him all your questions,
and this time you’ll get straightforward answers.  He’ll confirm
that he did indeed know Hans Voralberg and was devastated when the program
was canceled.  So he’s spent the rest of his time here, drinking away
his sorrows.  He also tells you a bit about the airship and his eagle, Soyouz.

Leave Charov for the time being
and continue to the right to check out the launch platform of the station. 
You’ll see Hans’ flying wing in the center.  Quite an impressive
device!  It’s a shame it has never flown.  Over to the right, you’ll
see the aging airship, surrounded by birds.  Head to the left and climb
the stairs to get to the control room.  On the right, there’s a control
panel that operates the launch system for the flying wing.  Close up on
it and use the abandoned key to open the top of the panel.  Reconnect the
two broken wires and close the top.  Sure, try pressing the launch control
buttons, but you’ll need to get a blood sample for the passenger before
launch can commence. Take the blood cartridge from the panel.  Hmmm, I wonder
. . .

Leave the control room and walk
to the other side of the platform.  Head up the stairs to the airship to
get a better look at it.  Unfortunately, the door is locked. And the birds
seem to be swarming all over it!  And here I thought I was playing a good
game and not Hitchcock.  Um, well maybe this is just a passing thing.
Moving on.

Go back to see Charov and ask
him about the airship again.  He’ll hand you a key to get inside. Unfortunately,
once you do, nothing happens when you pull the lever.  You’ll find
Charov hanging around the stairs to the control room.  He’ll make a
deal with you.  If you can repair the flying wing and send him to the stars,
he’ll tell you about how to get the airship running and take you to
Aralbad.  Sounds easy enough. Have him give you some blood for the cartridge
so you can get the launch program running.  Return to the control room.

Place the blood cartridge back
into the panel and start pressing the buttons.  Unfortunately, Charov’s
blood sample fails.  Rats . . . well, let’s the cheat system and use
a few drops of our own.  Of course, since Kate is a light drinker, she’ll
pass with flying colors.  Keep pressing the buttons for the sequence to
continue.  Charov will come up on the screen and begin to tell you how to
get the airship out, but is cut off by static.  Before he enters the rocket,
he tosses something toward the platform, and then disappears as the flying
wing blasts towards space.  But wait! You didn’t tell me your secret!

Run down stairs and recover the
object Charov left for you.  It looks like a lever.  But to what?  Leave
the launch pad and go past the capsule to the longer set of stairs with
a red light over the entrance.  Climb up these and you’ll reach the
cage for the eagle that Charov told you about.  Perhaps if I release him,
he’ll get rid of all those birds around the airship!  Place the lever
in the device to your right, the one that looks kind of like a projector. 
Soyouz will soar out of his cage and go after the little sparrows, scaring
them all away.

Hurry back to the airship and
climb inside.  We’re in luck!  Pull the lever now and the automaton
pilot will take you to Aralbad.

Aralbad

Not a bad flight.  I just wish
they hadn’t shown The Brady Bunch Movie for the in-flight entertainment. 
And these peanuts are supposed to keep me all day?

The Hotel

Cross the stone courtyard and
past the fountain to the hotel entrance.  Marson will call you at this point,
still pissed that you haven’t found Hans yet.  Patience darling!  Inside
the hotel lobby, speak to the receptionist, a Mr. Felix Smetana.  Once hearing
that you’re not a guest, Smetana refuses to let you meet Helena Romanski.
So she is here! But how can I get back to see her?  We’re going
to need a distraction.  Smetana will go back to his soccer matches on the
old TV, so we’re free to poke around the lobby a bit.  Across the lobby,
there’s a locked iron door that leads to the thermal baths.  Next to
it is a broom closet, full of cleaning supplies.  Oooo, we could do some
damage here.  One of the favorite St. Mary’s College of Maryland
pranks was to take a bottle of Mr. Bubble and dump it in the fountain in
front of the student center.  Let’s have Kate do the same here.  Take
the bottle of soap and empty it into the fountain, creating a mountain of
bubbles.  You badass!

Go back in the lobby and open
the large curtain to the left of the main door.  Now, go get Smetana’s
attention by ringing the bell on the desk.  Of course once he sees the bubbles,
Smetana will go into a complete panic and leave his desk unattended.  Silly
man!  Hasn’t he ever played an adventure game before?  Go behind the
counter and take a look at the guest check in.  Yes, Helena is here.  Make
note of her security code (1270) in your notebook.  Also, notice that Hans
has been here as well.  But how can that be?  He seems to have been everywhere
I turn up!  Also, make sure to pick up the pamphlet for the Kronskey Hotels. 
Inside, the phone number for their Paris location, the Hotel Meizurt, is
written in red.  We’ll need that later.  Also, give the red button
a good smack to open the iron grate door to the baths.

Go on through the gate and take
the door on the left.  This is the dining room and bar for the hotel.  Sitting
near the bar is an automaton, a sort of butler with a wheelchair.  Go talk
to him.  He’ll introduce himself as James and that he’s Helena’s
nurse and caretaker.  She’s currently sitting out on the pier that
overlooks what used to be the ocean.  However, he can’t bring her in
to talk to you until she’s good and ready. Great . . . we’ll go
out there instead.  Walk to the far end of the dining room and you’ll
encounter another locked door, this one controlled by a coded panel.  Try
entering Helena’s code and pulling the lever, but it doesn’t seem
to work. Probably because she’s already out there.  Let’s try
something else. Head back to the baths.

Oh wait!  The door to the cloakroom
is open!  Cross the hall to the back right door.  Inside, you’ll find
a ticket on the floor with a second code: 0968.  This might help us.  Head
towards the back room and grab one of those snazzy crystal goblets off of
the cart.  Pocket it like I did with that neat glass from the Newport Creamery
in Rhode Island.  Go back to the dining room and use the new code to open
the door to the pier.  Before heading outside, make sure to put on the gas
mask.  The air of Aralbad is so saturated with salt that it could kill you. 
Nice place for a spa, huh?

You’ll find Helena all the
way at the end of the pier, looking out across the dried sea basin.  While
you’re speaking to her, Smetana will run up and inform you to leave. 
Helena will defend you, saying she doesn’t get guests very often. 
So there, Smetana! (blows raspberries)  Once you’ve finished with your
questions, Helena will want to go inside. Grab the bell that is hanging
nearby and hang it on the closest hook to the hotel door.  Ring this to
signal James.  Only, you’ll have to go inside and let James know you
rung it.  Then he’ll go out to get Helena.

Mom will call in the meantime
and ask you all about Helena.  Give her your best short story, and then
get her off of the phone as James wheels Helena in.  Talk a bit more to
Helena and she’ll tell you that her voice has completely left her and
the only thing that could cure it would be this amazing cocktail that a
bartender in Paris once made for her.  In Paris you say?  Call the Hotel
Meizurt (46433643) and the current bartender will give you the ingredients
for a “Blue Helena.” They are as follows:

Twist of lemon
Honey
Vodka
Blue curacao
Ice

This next puzzle was probably
the most frustrating yet interesting in the entire game.  A bar completely
controlled through musical keys and symbols.  What could be better for this
cocktail loving music major?  Let’s get a better look at the bar/organ.

Between the bottles is a sheet
of paper, showing you what keys control which bottle of alcohol.  They are
numbered 1-16 from bottom to top, 1-8 being in bass (

)
clef and 9-16 in the treble (

) clef.  (You know you love my hand drawn symbols!)

Well okay, we’re on the right
track. We have the bottle of vodka, and it looks as if this machine has
its own curacao and ice. But where to get honey and lemon? Look down under
the right side of the bar into the cabinet. TA DA! Just what we needed .
. . ick, except the honey has all crystallized. Add it to your inventory
and then go back into the central room where the baths are. See those two
guys playing chess on your right? Go over there and turn the knob to heat
the water in the smaller raised tub next to them. Place the honey bottle
in the water once it’s heated enough. This will heat up your honey (why
does that sound like a line in a Mariah Carey song?) and you’ll be all set
to make a “Blue Helena.”

Back at the bar, place the vodka,
honey, and lemon in their appropriate places.  Power up the machine by pushing
the knob all the way on the left.  Now, position the lower lever so it’s
pointing to the bass clef.  Keeping your keys numbered from left to right,
press the second key.  This will give you your vodka.  Next, flip the switch
over the treble clef, pressing the third key after doing so, giving you
a healthy amount of blue curacao.  For the final ingredients, push the knobs for lemon (lemon slice), honey (black honeycomb) and ice (snowflake).  To shake, click on the automaton symbol and the drink
will be delivered to Helena for inspection.  If it’s indeed her miracle
cure, she will drink up.  But Helena’s a soprano, therefore, a diva,
not unlike myself.  If it’s even slightly wrong, she’ll send it
back to be remade.  So be careful with this one.

After downing the concoction,
Helena will sing a few notes, only to grow frustrated with the tone.  She
tells Kate that she used to be able to break glass.  If she can do that,
then she will really believe that she has gotten her voice back.  Place
the crystal goblet you thieved earlier on the end of the bar and tell Helena
to try.  She will indeed use her powerful pipes to shatter the goblet into
many pieces.  Wonderful!  She’ll come to Komkolzgrad with you!

Head back to the airship and
Olivia will call.  She’ll confess to you that she messed around with
your fiancé and feels terrible about.  Kate will end the conversation abruptly
as Helena arrives for the trip.  Poor Kate . . . I say kick both of their
asses to the curb.

Komkolzgrad

The factory

To an audience of two humans
and many automatons, Helena will sing her heart out, accompanied by the
powerful pipe organ.  Upon the completion of her recital, Borodine will
drop a large cage over the helpless Helena, as he intends on keeping her
in the factory for all time.  He really has gone mad!  Come on, Kate; let’s
get her out of there.

Hurry to the door of the cage
and break the lock with your tools.  Helena will run out.  Please don’t
forget Oscar’s hands!  Use the screwdriver to detach them from the
organ player.  Run to the main entrance.  As you and Helena try to escape,
Borodine will drop a set of bars between you and singer, trapping you inside. 
Give the hands to Helena and tell her to put them back on Oscar and get
the train ready for departure while you find a way out.  Go over to the
freight elevator and take it down into the mines.

Just as you exit the elevator,
a loud explosion will ring out from behind you.  Borodine has destroyed
the elevator shaft!  Must get to the other elevator before he takes out
that one as well.  Too late, Kate darling.  Get a close up of the small
bomb he has waiting for you at the other end, then run away from it before
it explodes in your face.  But how am I supposed to get out?  Remember those
air vents you may (or may not) have looked at earlier?  Climb up that and
you’ll make it back to the platform.

The platform

Look over at the crates next
to the elevator.  One of them has come open in the explosion.  It’s
filled with those little bombs Borodine has been using.  Snag one for safekeeping. 
Never know when you’ll need an explosive device.  Hurry back to the
engine and Oscar will get your attention.  Apparently his hands are back
in place and things are peachy.  Let’s get in the coach so we can get
the hell out of here!

Dan will call as you board. 
Blow the little bugger off; goodness knows he’s done enough already. 
Speak briefly to Helena as the train approaches the large statue.  Blast! 
Seems Borodine has been tricky and installed steel bars across the statue’s
legs so we can’t get out!  No worries here kids, I have a bomb more
powerful than a Latoya Jackson infomercial.  Exit the coach and place the
bomb on the leg of the statue. Tell Oscar about your plan then run back
into the train. Watch as the statue explodes, setting off a train reaction
(no pun intended, really this time) that sets the factory up in flames,
destroying Borodine and his mad empire.  And of course, our heroes get out
just in the nick of time.

Aralbad

The train will come to a stop
at the Aralbad station, winding down in the perfect place.  All passengers
will disembark, even Oscar.  Go use the now VERY familiar winding mechanism
to tighten the springs of the train then speak to Oscar about all subjects. 
Seems as if we’ve both grown up quite a bit over the last few days. 
Once you’ve finished, Smetana will arrive and tell you that a package
was delivered for you at the front desk.  But I’m not a guest here,
how strange.

Return to the hotel lobby and
look inside the brown box that is on the left hand side of the desk.  Even
stranger – it’s an automaton of a mammoth.  But wait!  Only Hans
made these!  Does this mean he’s here?  Marson will call again at this
point, asking for another progress report.  Yes, we’re close, but not
quite there yet.  More later, boss.  Helena will call the reception desk
and ask Smetana to have you meet her in the dining room.  Do so.

Helena and James will be waiting
for you there.  She will tell you all about her several year affair with
Hans Voralberg and that it nearly destroyed her when he disappeared.  But
as suddenly as he disappeared, he’s reappeared . . . and is waiting
for you out on the pier!

Hurry outside (not needing the
mask this time) and sure enough, the mysterious and terribly hard to find
Hans Voralberg will be waiting on the bench to see you.  While speaking
with him, Hans will sign the papers to transfer ownership of the factory
to Universal Toys.  Kate will be floored with the ease he does so, believing
he does not understand what he has just done.  All Hans seems to care about
is getting to Syberia and living among the Yukols and their domesticated
mammoths.  He intends on taking his clockwork train the rest of the way,
directing you to a pontoon plane at the end of the pier to take you back
to New York.  Marson will call after Hans has left you, congratulating you
on your success and telling you that by all means, do not lose the signed
papers.  If they’re lost, the sale is void.

The final scene will then play
out for you, in all its amazing beauty.  Kate of course, follows her heart,
leaving those shallow people behind in New York to have more adventures
with Hans and Oscar as they travel to Syberia.

Oh yeah, this has sequel written
all over it!

The End (at least until
Syberia 2)

Screenshots