Wonderland Walkthrough

Robyn Campbell, the creator
of Wonderland (and other adventure games on her website),
created this game years earlier
on a different computer system. Back then, the game was mainly text.
Since discovery of InterAx, she was able to reprogram
the game with full screen graphics. She credits a program called
Storybook Weaver Deluxe by Mecc/SoftKey, which is designed to allow
children
to create their own graphical stories.

A simple point and click
adventure, this short game is easy to use and kids, especially
those familiar with the Alice in Wonderland books, will love seeing
some of the well-known characters. The interface is very easy to use and there
is an abundance of quest items that must be found and given to the appropriate
characters.

There are quite a few
voice-overs and character acting in the game. All were done by
either Robyn or her family and friends. As a result, much of the
voice
acting is less than what you expect in a professional production. Children
will not be put off by the acting but the New Zealand accents may make understanding
a little bit of a challenge to those not so familiar with subtle differences
in pronunciation of the English language. I found it refreshing to hear a
New Zealand accent-I do not think I have ever encountered one in
any previous games.

As I noted earlier, the
game is based on the Alice in Wonderland world created by Lewis
Carroll. In a readme included in the game, Robyn gives a preamble
to the events of the game:

“ You have just finished reading Alice in Wonderland. “What an exciting
book,” you
think, “nothing like that ever happens to me.”

It is a lovely hot summer’s day-a perfect day for adventure. You feel very
sleepy and doze off…Zzz…Zzz….

When you wake up….”

CLEARING

… I was in a clearing.
I could see water in the distance and swans swimming lazily on
it. There was a dock jutting out into
the water and a boat rocking gently against light waves gently coming
into shore. Willows just begged for climbing and other trees, bushes,
and flowers were everywhere I looked. I headed east to an enclosed
part of the forest.

ENCLOSURE

Closer to the water now and there were bulrushes in the water.
Ground cover sheltered near a rock. I picked up a lone wooden bucket.
Checking there was no way through the imposing hedge to the east,
I made to leave the natural enclosure. There was something unusual
about the ground cover that caught my eye. Pushing the ground cover
aside, I found a rabbit hole! Being a firm believer in caution, I
made a mental note about the hole and headed west back to the clearing
and then north to the dock.

DOCK

The boat looked seaworthy and the dock was serviceable. Using my
caution rule, I preferred to leave the boat well alone until I had
some way of securing it wherever I went. Seeing nothing more, I returned
to the south and followed a path to the west.

FOREST

More wooded now as I headed west. Strangely, a freshly baked loaf
of bread sat on the ground. I picked up the bread and continued along
a path to the west.

DEFORESTATION

More evidence of the existence of intelligent creatures greeted
me here. Trees had been purposely cut down. On one stump, I found
a stick that could be useful later. I followed the path southwest.

HAT HOUSE

The strangest looking hat sat in another clearing. Complete with
a well, long since serviceable, and a metal mailbox, I had to be
heading in the right direction! There was no answer when I knocked
on the door. If only I could find some people to help me. I found
a rope, which I took with me as I continued along the path to the
southwest.

SANDY MEADOW

In a sandy meadow bound by the greenest hills I had ever seen,
I was accosted by a wolf-like dog. Not greatly aggressive, I suspected
this was just a pup. I threw my stick to the dog and of he ran, appeased
by his new toy! A bone, dry and bleached by the sun, caught my eye
after the dog had fled. I collected it and walked south.

DIRT PADDOCK

I was surprised to come to the end of the path in an area of dirt
and rocks with only a handful of flowers. Almost completely desolate,
I noted a flash of white. On closer inspection, it was a pair of
the smallest gloves I had ever seen. Even stranger was the fact that
there were not five fingers on each glove-what creature besides a
person would wear a glove? I pocketed them and retraced my steps
to the deforested area.

DEFORESTED AREA

On return to this area, I realized I had missed a pathway to the
south earlier. Hoping it may hold answers to the way home, I followed
it.

MUSHROOM HOUSE

It was at this point that I realized I was no longer anywhere near
home, for here was an area of mushrooms easily taller than I was.
But more surprising than this was an especially large one, which
had been built into a house! I knocked on the door to the house and
a caterpillar, brilliant blue and hairy, appeared and asked for a
cup of tea! I said I would endeavor to find one. A little shaken,
I walked south on my journey.

CHESHIRE CAT

It was at this juncture
that I realized that somehow I found myself in Wonderland, the
world from the very book I had been reading what
seemed oh so long ago. Up in the nearest tree was the Cheshire Cat,
smiling at some long forgotten joke. He had one piece of advice for
me: “Don’t forget to collect things that may be useful”.
A lost and lonely lamb sat at the base of the tree seemingly unable
or unwilling to decide where to go. Not quite sure of the Cheshire
Cat’s intentions, I rescued the lamb and walked east.

MANSION

Now, here was a glorious mansion in the middle of the forest, complete
with fountain, cherub statue, and sculpted gardens. At the entrance
to the house were two exquisitely dressed figures that would not
have looked out of place in an expensive French restaurant. Except
for two facts: they were no more than two feet tall and they were
a leafy shade of green! I approached them but they fled almost instantaneously,
leaving an invitation to play croquet with the queen. I walked east
to try to find the little green men.

COTTAGE

Down the path from the mansion was a far more mundane structure.
An orange tree and a sundial sat to one side. All was quiet. No sign
of the little men. I opened the blue door cautiously and walked in.

INSIDE THE COTTAGE

Directly across from
the entrance was a an ornate patterned rug and a bright sun-yellow
door with a stained-glass heart in the middle
of it. There were more lands beyond the door! Unfortunately, the
door required a key. I would have to return if I found the key. I
noted a cup of tea, forgotten and tepid. Perhaps the caterpillar
would accept it? I exited the room to the left. This was rather an
oddity-a room inside a house used for storing wood, sticks, and leaves.
Rummaging through some of the leaves, I discovered a bottle of pink
medicine. Heeding the Cheshire Cat’s advice, I pocketed it.
I went back to the entry foyer and then to the kitchen to the right.
In the old-fashioned kitchen, a fire blazed in the hearth. A black
pot sat near the flames ready for the next soup or stew. The kitchen
table was set up for tea. I took the cake from the tabletop. At least
I would not starve. Past the kitchen cupboard, I went in a white
door to the lounge room. Beige lounges and chairs looked plush and
comfortable but I had no time to rest. Casting a cursory eye over
the bookshelves, I noted few books but a few knickknacks. Opening
the doors at the bottom of the bookshelves, I found an ornate fan.
I took it with me and returned to the mansion.

MANSION

The mansion was somewhat
less extravagant inside, but it was a neat and tidy kitchen. A
bowl of fresh fruit sat on the kitchen table
set in blue. Two chairs flanked the ends of the table. A tired scullery
maid was feeding a baby to one side. Speaking with her, she asked
if I had seen her medicine. I gave her the bottle I had found. She
dropped the “baby”-a pig, telling me I could have it!
I picked up the pig and left the house and made my way back to the
caterpillar.

MUSHROOM HOUSE

The caterpillar was delighted when presented with the lukewarm
tea. It disappeared into the house after giving me a gold key. I
walked northeast past the mushrooms to a tea party.

TEA PARTY

Outside a quaint painted red house was the strangest sight I had
seen in Wonderland. For here was a tea party attended by a man in
a large hat, a rabbit, and a sleepy dormouse! The rabbit offered
me a cup of tea but the pot was empty! The man asked if I had brought
along some cake. I gave him the cake I found in the house and left
the unusual party, following an easterly path.

DOOR IN THE TREE

In the middle of a huge
oak, was a sturdy yellow door. After viewing the tree for a few
moments, I walked in. What an assortment of junk,
I thought. For here was a box with a gramophone on it, an old spade,
a broken chair, a hammock, and a piece of sticking plaster, the only
item of use in the room. Ignoring the trapdoor in the floor, which
went heaven knows where, I returned to the dock.

DOCK

I used the rope with the boat. I now had a way of securing it.
I started rowing across the glistening sea. What a glorious day for
being on the open sea. Magically, I soon arrived at a sandy island.

ISLAND

On arrival, I headed east, only to find my way blocked by a very
aggressive swan. It seemed to lick its lips if that were possible!
Fearing for my health, I gave it the loaf of bread and it left munching
happily. Walking past the palms, the sand soon made way for soft
green grass and low lying mountains. I picked up a feather from the
path and entered a cave at the base of the mountains.

CAVE

Slowly acclimatizing to the darkness, I made out stunning limestone
formations, stalactites and stalagmites. A different kind of glistening
caught my eye at the left side of the cave. I had found a pipe. Pocketing
the pipe, I returned by boat to Wonderland and decided to try the
key the caterpillar gave me at the house with the locked door.

DOCK

When I arrived at shore, I thought again of the rabbit hole I had
found on first arriving here. I returned to the enclosure.

ENCLOSURE

Holding my breath, I plunged into the rabbit hole and fell. And
fell. And fell. And fell until finally I landed on the pile of leaves
in the house with the locked door!

HOUSE

I sidled up to the door and tried the key. It worked! I was outside
again in a garden.

GARDEN

The most amazing colors overwhelmed me. Tulips, sunflowers, and
a myriad of other flowers I had never encountered before me like
a giant floral prism! A curious fellow dressed as the two of hearts
barred the way until I presented him with the invitation I had inadvertently
received earlier. I walked west to the croquet pitch.

CROQUET PITCH

Here was surely the largest rabbit I had ever seen. He somehow
knew my name and asked for the gloves I had found and then asked
for his fan. When I gave them to him, he ran off to his meeting with
the queen. I continued walking west.

STONE WALL

A huge stone wall reached for the sky here. To the west, a smaller
wall extended further but my eye was caught by an entrance in the
stone wall, partially obscured by shrubs and flowers. Curiosity got
the better of me and I walked in.

HOUSE IN THE WALL

Yet another door, this time wooden, greeted me as I entered the
room. It, too, had the heart shaped design in it. A boy, his shoulders
slumped in shame, moped around the room. He told me he lost a pig
he stole. Repressing a desire to give a lecture about karma, I gave
him the pig I had found. I walked to the right to a lunge room wallpapered
with bright colored leaves. The room contained a most unusual case
clock, what many would call a grandfather clock. This curious cloak
had a jolly cartoon face. I spoke with it-it had lost the mouse that
ran up it. I said I would return if I found it. A cushion on a carnelian
lounge hid a friendly, but hairy, spider, which I took with me. Continuing
to the right, I entered the kitchen. A woman stood there with her
dog. She explained to me that she had lost the knob to her cupboard
and could not feed her dog. I gave her the bone for the dog. I left
her, promising I would return with a knob if I found it. I went through
the wooden door near the boy who had stolen the pig.

TERRACE

Outside on a terrace was a woman eating cereal. Atop a column near
her was a spider web devoid of spiders. She was distressed that she
had lost her spider. I gave her the spider I had found. She thanked
me and left. Heading northeast, I found a solitary man, dressed in
very old-fashioned clothes.

DESPONDENT MAN

The man told em he had lost his feather. I gave him the one I had
found on the island. He thanked me graciously-he could now return
home. Following the path to the east, I approached a well-topped
hill.

THE HILL

Two children who I suspected were twins asked if I had found their
bucket. They were hoping to collect water from the well. I presented
them with the bucket I had found and they returned to collecting
their water. I returned to the terrace.

TERRACE

Trudging northwest, again my senses were taken aback by a stunning
vista. Here was a picnic spot if ever there were one. A beautiful
river spanned by a graceful bridge with soft sounds of a low-lying
waterfall beyond the bridge. Not surprisingly, a woman was taking
in the scene. However, it became apparent that she was in fact searching
for something. She told me she had lost her lamb. She was delighted
when I presented it back to her safe and sound. I started to cross
the bridge when I caught a flash of metal in a bush next to it. There
was a golden horn. I took it with me and crossed the bridge.

LITTLE BOY BLUE

All dressed in blue, searching amongst the hay and other grains,
was a dashing character. I asked what he was searching for. I returned
the horn he had lost earlier. Without a sound, he cast his eyes to
one of the piles of grain and raised his eyebrows. Searching in the
pile, I found the knave of hearts. Fearful of his mother discovering
he had stolen her hearts, he gave me the knob to the cupboard and
told me to retrieve the tarts he had stolen. He then fled. I returned
to the terrace.

TERRACE

This time I walked west
to the king’s court.

KING’S
COURT

Flanked by a flautist
and a lute player and entertained by a less than entertaining jester,
the king was a most welcoming fellow. Somewhat
dampened in spirits by the loss of his pipe, he immediately brightened
when I returned it to him without a scratch. The performers put on
a show in my honor. Making my apologies, I left after collecting
an anxious mouse hiding under the king’s throne. I rushed back
to the house in the wall.

HOUSE IN THE WALL

The mouse scurried back up the clock when it saw the familiar face.
The happy face seemed to smile even more widely than before. I then
returned to the kitchen. True to his word, the knob the knave gave
me fit in the cupboard in the kitchen. Further true to his word,
the tarts were safe and sound. I collected them and made my way toward
the other wall I had seen earlier.

HUMPTY DUMPTY

I have to admit being a little anxious at this point. Here was
Humpty Dumpty. I knew what was supposed to happen to him and thought
that perhaps it would be negligent of me to talk with him. He assured
me there was no problem (it was a common occurrence) and I could
help him with some sticking plaster. I gave him the small sticking
plaster I had found. He opened a gate in the wall and promptly fell
off the wall! I continued west to the gate.

THE GATE

Another picnic-worthy area, more willows draped romantically over
a welcoming pond of dark blue. Not having the time nor the clothing
for a dip, I walked south through the gate.

THE COURT

The queen was in rather
a bad mood, especially as she suspected the knave, her own son,
of thievery. She muttered her catch cry, “Off
with his head” but schizophrenically seemed to forget all about
him when I returned her tarts. She presented me with a bag of gold.
I returned to the Cheshire Cat.

CHESHIRE CAT

Silently, the Cheshire Cat watched me from his tree. And I watched
him. And I felt very sleepy. And (yawn) before I knew it (yawn) I
must have fallen asleep.

BACK HOME

I awoke right where I
had fallen asleep. What a crazy dream! Serves me right for reading
fantastical books. I chastised myself for even
believing it could have been real. I got up, dusted myself up, picked
up my bag my bag of gold and went inside the house to tell my mother
about my silly imagination…