Scorpion's Tale

Ballyhoo: As told by Scorpia

Scorpia

WARNING! This article contains spoilers. Avert your eyes!

Back again, eh? My, you're looking a bit peaked. It must have been all that running around in the cubes you did last time! No matter, we have just the thing to make you feel better and provide you with a little relaxation: a trip to the circus!

Well, maybe this wasn't quite the best circus to choose. "The Travelling Circus That Time Forgot, Inc." is, perhaps, a trifle on the sleazy side. Certainly the performances were nothing to write home about. Nor the over-priced goodies, which weren't all that good. At least it's over, and now you're loitering in the wings of the big top, feeling slightly depressed.

Ah, but you may yet have the chance to bask in the limelight, incredible as that might seem. There's more going on around here than is first apparent! All it takes is a little snooping around (ok, a lot of snooping around), some death-defying acts, and a bit of help from your friends (and this column!) to bring you fame (if not fortune).

The first order of business, naturally, is to find out just what is happening below the surface. Stepping out of the wings, you find yourself at the Connection. A small group of people is making its way through a turnstile nearby, but you don't seem able to follow them just yet. No need to worry; you'll manage that later.

In the meantime, look at little Comrade Thumb, the midget. Poor guy, he's having a hard time getting a drink of water. Too bad he isn't quite tall enough to reach the button on the fountain.

Moving along south, you come to the White Wagon, where Mr. Munrab (read that backwards) resides. He probably wouldn't take kindly to being interrupted, but what's that sticking out from under the trailer? Hmmm, it's a long fiberglass pole. Funny, no one did any pole-vaulting during the performances, so it must have some other use (or even uses). You might as well hang on to it.

Drifting west, you reach the Back Yard. Here comes Chuckles, who brushes past you, speaks to the guard in the cage, and disappears through the turnstile southwards. And right on his heels is none other than Comrade Thumb. The little guy is apparently willing to give a performance for you gratis, so go ahead and enjoy it. And by all means, do not overlook Harry the guard. He is a very knowledgeable person; talk to him often.

Say, look at that tent over there... let's take a peek inside. Ah, this is where the props are stored. Uh-oh, sounds like someone is coming... better do something fast! You don't want to be seen (there won't be much of a game, otherwise).

But, at least you know now what the problem is: Munrab's daughter has been kidnapped! And the detective he's hired is just slightly less than competent. With him on the job, you shudder to think of what might happen. There's only one thing to do: rescue her yourself. Of course, that's easier said than done. Especially since any or all of the performers could be involved.

Things seem to have reached an impasse. You can't get through the south turnstile, and you can't get through the east one. But, have you been everywhere else yet? Wander around for awhile, and see what turns up. Bet you'll find one or two useful items! A word of advice: when visiting high places, less is better.

Ok, now you can get through the east turnstile, which leads to the Midway. First stop is the Menagerie, which houses an irritable elephant and a bored gorilla (separately, of course). A little further on you come to an empty cage. Peering in, you can just make out a key hanging on the wall. Naturally, the cage door is locked, so you'll have to swipe the key some other way. It's a shame your arms aren't longer.

Further along the Midway is Rimshaw and the bizarre Andrew Jenny. Checking your ticket, you see you are entitled to Rimshaw's services, so take advantage of them. Andrew Jenny, however, isn't (aren't?) going to be very helpful right now, so you might want to move on to the end of the Midway, and Tina the Fat Lady.

She doesn't seem very talkative; indeed, she apparently doesn't even know you're there at all. Now, how are you going to get her attention? Shouting won't do it, and you can't go climbing around on her, either. While you think about this one, I'll just sneak out for a quick snack. Oh, and make sure you take in the complete exhibit!

Looks like you're about done here for now, and there's still that other turnstile to get through. That's a tough one. Harry won't buzz you in, because he knows you're not one of the performers. If you could figure out a way of tricking him, you might be able to get by. However, you do have to know a little bit more about Harry first... and don't forget about the balloon.

So, here you are in the performer's camp at last. Not a very large place; only two trailers in all: one for Katzenjammer the Lion Tamer and one for the clowns. It doesn't appear that anyone's home at Katz's place, still that key you borrowed might be useful here. Clown Alley is occupied, but you'd have a hard time getting in as yourself. Pretty hairy stuff.

Care for a little excitement? Ready to take your life in your hands? No? Gee, then you won't ever finish this adventure! Ok, that's better (I'm glad you changed your mind). Pay a visit to the lion's den. My, that stand looks interesting. Unfortunately, shaggy-mane won't let you near it. But that's no problem for you, right? You know all about these beasts, right? (If you don't, you haven't been talking to the right person!). So, don't just stand there, get those cats out of the way! Grate work!

Whew! Actually, this lion-taming business is really easier than it looks, huh? (We will overlook the fact that your face is white and your knees are shaking). Perhaps a little music will help you to calm down. Unfortunately, reception around here isn't too good; all you get is static. It probably has something to do with being at sea-level.

Now that you've gotten yourself together again, you might want to check out that gift. You still have some money with you, and that's what it's for; don't be afraid to do a little gambling. Ooops, it looks like you're broke (or maybe you did too well and got tossed out). No matter, there wasn't anything else to spend the money on, anyway.

Let's do a little inventory check here. Ah yes, that cigarette case. I'll bet there's someone who would be interested in seeing it. That is, if you know to whom it belongs. And leave us not forget those poor animals cooped up in the menagerie!

So, what about Mahler (the gorilla, not the composer) and Hannibal of the jungle? Ya know, there's a lot of truth to that old saying about elephants and mice; now where would you find a mouse? As for the gorilla, you should be able to handle him in record time; it's all in your head.

There seems to be a hole in the wall here suddenly; take a step through and see what's on the other side. Aha, the White Wagon! And now, you can get to the ladder -- in back of it. But wait... here comes Comrade Thumb, and he appears to be rather upset. Remember what he shows you (it can wait a little while), then check out the top of the trailer.

It wouldn't be surprising if you found something interesting in that trailer; however, there's Munrab to deal with first. Actually, getting him out is really pretty easy. Hello? Anyone home?

Still, you don't want to waste time here, so get in and out fast. Then you can check out what Thumb was trying to show you before. Ahhh, you're getting close now, but you aren't quite finished. The bird, so to speak, has flown again. Give chase, but don't just stand around.

Darn! Looks like he got away after all. Say, who's that lying on the ground there by the Midway entrance? By golly, it's the detective, and he's out like a light. Possibly there is some way you can wake him up. After all, you're just dying to get a look at that ransom note, aren't you?

The action is beginning to wind up now; you should know where to go next. The difficulty is that person standing in front of the trailer. He's there as a guard, and you won't get past him; you will just have to make him go away. Yet that shouldn't be too hard; look through your inventory and think about it. I'm sure you can get him very nervous very quickly.

Search the trailer carefully and take nothing for granted. You'll need a little (hehe) help, but that's easy. Unfortunately, just when you think that the game is over, you find out that it isn't. Munrab has the wrong idea about you, and the girl is gone again! Oh, the trials and tribulations of the amateur detective!

When you finally track everyone down, you begin to wonder if this is a replay of King Kong. Well, it isn't, but it's close enough. Of course, you know how to handle Mahler. However, it helps to be on the safe side. The roustabout can be useful, if you recall what he was doing when you first saw him. And let's not forget Jimi Hendrix, either. After that, everything is pretty clear sailing, except that you will have to make one quick sidetrip. It's a bit of a drag, but I give you my pledge it's necessary.

Whew! After all that, it's probably going to be a long time before you visit the circus again (and I don't blame you a bit!). Before we turn the lights out here, I'd like to give you an update on the Kobayashi Alternative. Articles for CGW usually have to be in about 2 months before publication. After my Kobayashi review was subbed, Simon and Schuster announced they were replacing the disks that had bugs in them. This information came too late to be included with the article. Therefore, anyone who has Kobayashi, and has discovered bugs in it, should send the original disk, plus a list of the bugs found, to: Prentice Hall, Route 9W, Englewood Cliffs, NJ 07632 Attention: Technical Support. You will get an updated, bug-free (we hope) version in return. Make sure you specify which computer you have.

And so it's that time again. Remember, if you have a problem with an adventure game, you can reach me in the following ways:

On Delphi: visit the GameSIG (listed under Groups and Clubs). On GEnie: come to the Games RoundTable (type: Scorpia to get there). U.S. Mail: Send your questions, with a SELF-ADDRESSED, STAMPED envelope (not required for correspondents outside the USA) to:

Scorpia
P.O. Box 338
Gracie Station
New York, NY 10028

Until next time, happy adventuring!

Copyright 1986 by Scorpia, all rights reserved.

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