THE ADVENTURES OF WILLY BEAMISH INTRODUCTION The first thing the player should know about WILLY BEAMISH is that although it appears to be a child's game, it is more for the adult who wants to regress. While a youngster may enjoy the graphics and humorous situations, some of the puzzles may be beyond his ability to solve. However, it still could make for an enjoyable shared experience, allowing the kid to play as much as possible while the adult helps him over the rough spots. The game begins in Carbuncle Elementary school on the last day of the school year, and during the non interactive opening Willy is seen dozing off in the assembly hall while Principal Frick makes his farewell address. Horny, Willy's pet frog, jumps out of his backpack and steals Frick's toupee, causing Willy to be sent to Ms. Glass's last day of after school detention. There are two goals in the game, one which is evident from the start, and the other one becomes apparent as the game progresses. Willy wants to compete in the National Nintari Championship, and needs $2,500 to enter. It becomes clear very soon that his father won't be able to scrape up the cash, so Willy's only chance is to enter Horny in the Tootsweet Frog Jump Contest and win 1st or 2nd prize. Meanwhile, the player is privy to the plot developing behind the scenes thanks to a series of "intermissions." Leona Frumpton, owner of the Tootsweet company, and Louis Stoole, president of Plumber's Union Local 409, have joined together to take over Frumpton. For reasons unknown at first, Louis has gotten his plumbers to go on strike, causing toilets to back up all over the city, and Leona hires a spokesman for Tootsweet to "take the heat." The game can be lost in several ways: Willy can get into too much trouble (as indicated by the Troublemeter) and be sent to Cadet School for the summer or he can lose the Frog Jump contest and be unable to compete in the Nintari Championships. A wrong move can get him sent to the hospital, or he can fail to stop the big plot and Frumpton will be sludged. There are multiple paths to victory, and I'll try to detail the ones I found. It isn't necessary to solve every puzzle, and Willy can even get in a reasonable amount of trouble without losing the game. At several points the player must make a moral decision which may affect how a puzzle is solved, and it may also endanger Willy's trouble rating. How Willy acts is in the hands of the player, and I may not have discovered all the options available nor all the consequences that result. One thing the player might want to do in order to get his money's worth is to always use the Look feature (magnifying glass) to survey each screen in the game. There are many funny descriptions to be read whenever the icon is positioned over an object and is transparent. CARBUNCLE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL (PRELUDE) Willy is sitting in Ms. Glass's afternoon detention class, a result of the mischief caused in assembly earlier. He discovers that his report card is on its way to his house, and the "C" he received in Music Appreciation won't make his father very likely to give him the $2,500 to enter the Nintari contest. So, should he try to go home early and intercept the mail or just face the consequences when Dad sees his grade? His first chance to escape detention comes when Horny makes an unexpected outburst and Ms. Glass asks him for an explanation. "Oh, that was just my frog, Horny" will be taken as an insult, and Willy is then sent to see Mr. Frick. The player still has the principal's toupee that Horny took during assembly, and the only safe way out of this situation is not to get smart and to return the hairpiece. Willy could try to hold the toupee as a bargaining chip to improve his grade in Music Appreciation, but that won't work. After this, Willy returns to detention and can choose to stay or try and sneak out. "Musta been something I ate" will earn Willy a trip to see the new school nurse, who is rather well-endowed. From here, he can persist in feigning his illness which will result in being sent to the hospital, or stop the charade and return to class. Choose number three, "Nothing, Ms. Glass" and Willy just continues to sit in detention. Now, the "old prune" asks Willy and his classmates, Chubby and Carmine, to write a composition on how they plan to spend their summer vacation. A good student would stay put and do the assignment, but a chance to escape early presents itself shortly afterwards as the teacher dozes off at her desk. Carmine and Chubby begin a spitball fight, and Willy may choose to sneak out of the classroom. The hall is guarded by Coach Beltz, so if the player wants to get by he will need a hall pass - or a reasonable facsimile. If the player behaves and sits through detention, Ms. Glass awakens and the students read their compositions before being sent home. Willy's piece is, of course, about his ambition to practice for and compete in the all-important video game challenge. Of course, playing it safe this way means the boy will have no chance to intercept the incriminating report card from the mail box. To forge the pass to freedom, click open Willy's desk, then use the white crayon on the wooden block. Put the pass in Willy's backpack, wait for the teacher to doze off, then sneak out into the hall. Either click on the door to the restroom or the front door of the school, and the alert coach will stop the player and ask where he's headed. Any of the three choices will get him sent to the restroom, either by his own choosing or by Beltz's order to wash his hands after doing some mandatory pushups. If he had tried to write the pass using the other crayon in his desk, Beltz would have detected the blatant forgery and sent Willy to Frick's office. In the bathroom, Willy has his first encounter with Spider, the bully. This is the price he pays for sneaking out early, and some quick thinking is required in order to avoid making a permanent impression in the wall. There is no "wrong" answer here, although if Willy answers "None of your business" or doesn't give the bully his hand-held Game Buddy he'll have to make a detour to the nurse's office and then return to class. He can then try to sneak out again, which will either result in success or a trip to Frick's office. Eventually, Willy either gets out of class before detention ends, or he stays until it is too late to get his report card. After a short graphic scene, Willy glides home on his skateboard and arrives at his front porch. School's out, now let the fun begin! WILLIE'S HOME - FRIDAY AFTERNOON (DAY ONE) If Willy got out of detention early, he has a moral choice to make. He can take the report card that he sees in the mail slot, and he then has the choice of whether to hide it from his father or to show it to him at supper. The first choice will really tick Dad off, probably sending Willie to cadet school, the second will elevate the Troublemeter a few notches. It's best for him just to leave it alone, even if he went to the trouble of getting home early to have the option. Seeing it and not taking may actually have the effect of keeping the trouble level down, resisting temptation and all. Since he is home, he really should check in with Mom (referred to by the game informally as Sheila). Failure to do so will elevate the Troublemeter, and the player will also miss out on some other fun stuff. As Willy approaches the front door for whatever reason, the ghost of his Grandpa appears and warns him that something weird is going on in Frumpton. Ghost Beamish also appears from time to time throughout the game, serving as Willy's conscience. Inside, Willy greets his faithful canine companion, Duffy. He really should take every opportunity to be kind to his pet, otherwise Duffy will make trouble for him. If Willy neglects him enough times, he runs away, is caught by the dogcatcher and the game is over. Other things the dog might do if not given enough attention is digging in the back yard or chewing up something, both of which won't be good for Willy. The player should start off right by taking the dog for a walk, pacifying the pooch. Willy can listen to the messages on the answering machine in the foyer, two of which deal with him. I'm not certain if this erases them so that Dad doesn't hear them, but they are humorous and the player may want to play them back. Entering the kitchen, he is greeted by Sheila, and if he leaves right away he won't have to deal with his kid sister Brianna nor will he be asked to help cut veggies for supper. Duffy is here, and if the player clicks on him he can eavesdrop on the dog's thoughts and gauge how he feels about his master. If Willy stays in the kitchen and either waits a few minutes or clicks on Mom or Brianna to talk, he'll have another choice to make. He can make his mother happy and keep his sister's noise level down by agreeing to push her on the swings, or refuse and help slice carrots for the evening meal. Pushing Brianna on the swings presents Willy with another temptation, as she keeps asking him to push her higher. Save the game here and keep pushing the little brat in order to watch a humorous scene, which may satisfy Willy's mischievous nature, but will also end the game. After either refusing to play with Brianna or after pushing her on the swings, Willy has to wield a ginsu knife to julienne the vegetables. Despite his mother's warning, the knife slips and cuts Willy's thumb. This could be a major catastrophe for the aspiring video champ, so he should treat it right away. The bathroom is through the door in the top center of the upstairs screen, and the player can easily find the medicine cabinet using the TAB key. Click on the "Germ Away" then the band-aid, and disaster will be averted with a minimum amount of pain. While upstairs, there are a few things Willy can do, but he should be sure to return to the dining room by 6:00 (click on Willy to get the inventory and time screen) so he won't be late for dinner. If he goes to the attic he can play with Dad's model railroad set, and Ghost Beamish will warn him to be very careful with the expensive set. It is possible to wreck it, thus elevating the Troublemeter again. Willy might also go into big sister Tiffany's room and add 30 pounds to her scale, and watch the results sometime later in the game. Her diary can be used as a solution to two of the puzzles in the game, but when Willy picks it up Ghost Beamish will appear to appeal to his conscience. The puzzles can be solved other ways, but using the diary can be funnier. Everyone gets together for supper in the dining room, and after Sheila breaks up the kids' bickering, she reminds them to keep mum about Gordon's surprise party to celebrate his 40th birthday and anticipated promotion to vice-president. Surely this is the way Willy will get the money to go to the championships, and Tiffany will get a new car, and the whole family will be happy! Unfortunately, Dad tells them that he was fired, and that the budget will be real tight for a while. A short while later, Dad asks where the mail is, and now Willy is going to feel the heat. How much heat depends on how he handled the report card. If he took the card, Grandpa will appear and urge him to show it to Gordon, and if he doesn't do so Brianna will squeal on him resulting in Cadet school. No matter what else happens, the one certainty is that Dad will take the key to his Nintari and tell Tiffany to keep it for a week, and she is only too glad to oblige. If Willy doesn't recover it, he won't get the practice he needs to win the championship - assuming he gets the money to make it there. The evening news with Stan Lather comes on next, and the family learns that the Frumpton Plumber's Union, led by Louis Stoole, has gone on strike. During the next few days of the game, signs of this work stoppage will become apparent in the tap water, park fountain, and river. After hearing this, Dad is even more depressed, and Sheila tries to cheer him up by serving dessert. Tonight's special is chocolate mousse, sweetened with that modern miracle Tootsweet - made from recycled sludge and containing only two calories per serving. Duffy can't resist this treat, and Willy must decide whether to slip some to his dog and risk Mom's wrath, or to turn a deaf ear to Duffy. He'll get into trouble either way, if he gives the dog a treat he'll do better than if Duffy jumps up and serves himself. Either way, Sheila orders him to get the mutt out of the room, and as soon as Willy exits the screen the player gets the first behind-the-scene look at Leona Humpford and Louis Stoole. Together in a hot tub, they laugh about the Plumber's strike, and Leona tells of her plan to hire a fall guy to take the heat. At this point, that's all the player finds out, and the story returns to Willy after supper. Willy has a chance to earn a couple bucks here, and he may need it to help him win the frog jump contest. Dad is in the living room, if Willy talks to him he will be asked to cut the grass, and he should agree, for which he will receive $2.00. After this chore, Willy's next goal is to recover his Nintari key from Tiffany. At about this time, Sheila should call for him, asking him to take a bottle of conditioner to sister Tiffany in the bathroom. Returning upstairs, Willy may have a chance to actually lower his trouble rating. Entering Brianna's bedroom, he may see his little sister fallen on the floor "Willie, I've fallen and I can't get up!" Assist her into bed and the player actually gets to watch the Troublemeter go down. Inside the bathroom, Willy sees Tiffany in the bathtub. The Nintari key is sitting by the sink, but if Willy reaches for it his sister will eject him from the bathroom forcibly. If he either throws the conditioner to her or starts to talk to her, he will enter a dialogue where he can ask for the key, but he'll find that it's not that easy. Now he has two options to get the key back, he can terrorize her by using Horny on her or he can offer her the diary if he took it from her bedroom. Either option should allow Willy to recover his key, mission accomplished! Willy should still have some time before his 8:00 pm bedtime to hone up on his Nintari skills. In his bedroom, he can use the key on the game, and the "Monster Squad" non-interactive sequence follows. If he cut his thumb earlier and treated it properly he should do well, otherwise it will begin to throb and remind him to tend to it. Have him take the jar of flies from the shelf in his room, it will be very helpful during the contest on Monday. Willy's had a busy day, and if he's still going it means he hasn't gotten into too much trouble. He should have $2.00 from mowing the lawn, his Nintari key and perhaps Tiffany's diary if he didn't use it to recover the key. Time to turn in and prepare for another fun day tomorrow. WILLIE'S HOME, TREE FORT, PIZZA PARLOR - DAY TWO (SATURDAY) The first day of summer vacation, and Willy has to start setting things up for Monday's Frog Jump contest. If he hasn't recovered the Nintari key by now, I'm not certain it's possible. If he didn't mow the lawn on Friday afternoon, he can do it this morning. First, he goes down to join the family at breakfast. As soon as he sits down, Brianna "requests" some Honey-Roasted Kookie Klowns for her breakfast, and Willy can serve her or take the consequences. Duffy is next, asking his master for a morning meal. Finally, Willy returns to the table where Dad is busy looking through the paper for a job. He finds an unbelievable opportunity for employment with the Tootsweet company, and he calls Leona right away. This is just the fall guy Ms. Humpford is looking for, and he gets an interview for the next day - what luck! The Saturday morning cartoons are on the dining room television, and a commercial on the Magnabox television should come on next, advertising the competition to be held Monday afternoon. Willy also gets a look at Horny's competition, the Amazing Turbofrog! It doesn't look like his Horny is any match for that monster, as Brianna is quick to point out. There are a few ways Willy can better his frog's chances, but as long as he is able to place second the game is won. Dad's attention is drawn to the tube next by a commercial for Tootsweet, as he is going to apply for their public relations position on Sunday. Now Willy asks for his allowance, and Gordon will give him $5.00 to wash the Grange Rover. This cash combined with the $2.00 from mowing the lawn will make winning the Frog Jump contest easier, but isn't necessary to finish the game. After Willy washes the car (or not), he should go and meet the gang who are lounging in the neighborhood tree fort. His friends, Perry and Dana are here, and so is Dana's girl frog Gigi. Gigi can help Horny win the contest if Willy can convince Dana to enter her, but this requires some finesse on the boy's part. As Willy enters, Dana returns a "Biffo-Man" comic book she borrowed from him. If he wants to survive the trip to the Pizza Parlor he should take it before the gang goes there. Willy should talk to Perry first, and if he still has Tiffany's diary Perry will suddenly discover a rare Mickey Morris baseball card in his pack of gum. Willy wants this card, and he may trade the diary for it, but this will not go well with Dana. Horny suddenly takes notice of Gigi, and the gang is astonished by how the lusty boy frog jumps after Dana's pet. The conversation turns to the contest, and although Dana states that her frog is simply for show, if Willy isn't too chauvinistic she will say she'll consider entering Gigi. Now she suggests they use her coupon to have some pizza at the Slice 'o Life pizza place, and exiting the tree fort takes the player directly there. Things go smoothly once at the parlor for a few minutes for Willy and the gang as they dig into their free pizza. A photographer stops by and offers to take a picture of the threesome for a dollar, and if Willy did his chores he should have enough to pop for it. A little later, the food has an undesired side effect on Willy, and his friends have a laugh as he tries to avoid the blame for the following incident. Not as amused is the Spiderman, who immediately calls Willy out. Now Willy feels another attack coming, and he'd better get to the bathroom quickly by telling the bully, "Lemme go... I'm warning ya." In the bathroom a painter is working, and informs Willy that he poured turpentine into the toilet in the far stall. He put up a "No Smoking" sign, and Willy should immediately take it and put it in the trash. In comes Spider, and this time if Willy doesn't give the proper item to the extortionist he will suffer some major damage, ending the game. Hopefully, he picked up the "Biffo-Man" comic from the tree fort, and it just happens to be Spider's favorite - I suppose he likes the pictures. After Willy gives this to the punk, the rest of this scene is non-interactive, just watch the action as Willy suggests Spider peruse the pulp in the turpentine-loaded toilet. Back in the tree fort, the conversation turns to practicing frog-jumping. Leaving this scene takes the gang to the park, where Willy can gauge Horny's ability against Turbofrog's 25-foot record. Putting the amphibian down on the mark then giving him a push, Willy notices to his dismay that at best Horny can only do 15-20 feet, even with Gigi there to inspire him. Two things can be discovered here, one that will boost Horny to great new heights, and the other reveals a way to cripple the competition. The vendor here sells the famed "Slam-Dunk" cola for a buck, and Willy should have enough to buy a bottle, and get a timely message about recycling as well. Giving Horny a dose of this will cause him to jump well over the mark, but in keeping with the theme of a "kid's game" the player will find out much later that to use this method during the contest will lead to disaster. However, it is a funny scene to watch, and it doesn't hurt to do it now. The other thing Willy can discover that he will be able to do during the contest is that frogs take leisurely naps after a good meal. Willy can give Horny some of the flies from the jar in his room, and the frog will promptly fall asleep. Ah, if he slips this to Turbofrog during the Frog Jump it may put him out of commission! It's about time for Willy to say so long to his friends and head home. When he watched the contest commercial this morning, he discovered that he must go to the west side of town tomorrow to get an entry blank for the contest. First, he must survive the evening with (insert appropriate organ music) The Babysitter from HELL! Before going home, Willy should return to Olde Towne. If he bought the photo of he and his chums, and if he has $5.00 from washing the Grange Rover, he can have a T-shirt made at the stand near the fountain. Click on the photo and give it to the vendor, who will transfer it to the shirt. Willy should check out the lottery machine next to the vendor's stand, and pick up the ticket he finds when he looks in the slot. This item is crucial, but won't be used until much later in the game. As he heads home, Willy sees Tiffany's first driving lesson with boyfriend Cliff. It will probably be her last one, at least in that car, as she has a little trouble with the proper use of the clutch. Oh, well, it's nice to see that Willy isn't the only one of the Beamish children to get in hot water! ALICIA, THE BABYSITTER FROM HELL - DAY TWO (SATURDAY EVENING) Dealing with Spider at the Slice 'o Life Pizzeria was (excuse the term) child's play compared to Willy's next challenge. Shortly after arriving home, his parents should introduce him to Alicia, who is going to watch the children while they attend a barbecue. Sure, she's ugly, thinks Willy, but he probably hasn't met a sitter he couldn't handle. Shortly afterwards, Alicia calls the children to the dinner table, where the meal is that old quick and easy to make, nutritious dish - macaroni and cheese. Despite the Kraft commercials with the little girl spokesperson, I don't believe it's any more popular with the kids than before. Willy and his sister are no exception, and promptly express their displeasure with the menu. Alicia, an imaginative type, encourages the children to look again at their meal, and this time it's moving - WORMS! Willy and Brianna simultaneously expectorate the cuisine on poor Alicia, and in a startling transformation she turns into a large, frightening bat! I don't know how much she charges for her services, but I might know some folks who would like to hire this child-snatching sitter... Willy, brave soul that he is, tells Brianna to hide, then dashes out of the room himself. Wherever he goes, Alicia flies right behind him, and if he stays still too long he'll be carried away. First, to slow the demon down, Willy should run to the bathroom and get the can of Aqua-Jet hairspray from the cabinet. If the player takes time to look at the label, he'll see this is industrial-strength stuff! Now change the cursor to cross-hairs, then aim the spray near the ceiling. After Alicia flies into the cloud, she'll be slowed down, but Willy still must find a way to capture her. Next stop is Brianna's bedroom, where Willy will find a mouse in the chair cushion. After grabbing that, he should dash downstairs to the living room, click on the vacuum cleaner and dive behind the couch. If he looks at the device that he was to use to vacuum Duffy's shedding hairs, he'll note that it can suck up a three-pound object from up to eight feet away! If he can only get the old bat to sit still long enough.... Willy should now throw the poor rodent from Brianna's room onto the living room endtable. Alicia should descend upon it to consume for an appetizer, and Willy should switch to the cross-hair indicator to target her. Click the button, and that sitter's history. Exhausted, the next scene shows the hero safe in bed with Gordon and Sheila telling him it was just a nightmare... WEST FRUMPTON, THE CRIPES GANG - DAY THREE (SUNDAY) Sunday, day of rest, day for the family to relax... not this Sunday! For Gordon, its the start of a whole new career, for Willy its another challenge on the way to the Tootsweet Frog Jump contest. He must get to the Tootsweet Plant in West Frumpton by 5:00 to get an entry blank for the contest. There are two problems he must overcome - first, to get passage on the ferry that crosses the Dumpling River, and second, the gang of thugs that comes out as night approaches. But, he shouldn't be over there long enough for them to show, should he? If Willy traded Tiffany's diary to Perry for the Mickey Morris baseball card, he has the means to board the ferry. If his morals prevented him from giving his sister's secrets away, he can still find tokens for the ferry. If he had the T-shirt made from the photo, he has the means to really make an impression on Dana, so she will enter Gigi in the contest and assure that Horny makes lustful leaps. The water is looking kinda strange today as Willy brushes his teeth, thanks to the plumbers all being on strike. Downstairs, there is no sit-down family breakfast this morning, as Gordon left early for his interview at Tootsweet. Sheila and Tiffany are in the dining room "discussing" yesterday's driving lesson, and after this exchange Willy leaves the room. The player witnesses another behind-the-scenes sequence, this time it's Gordon's interview with Leona Humpford. Has he got what it takes for the job? Well, that's not really important, he does qualify as the perfect fall guy. Willy now goes to Olde Towne, and if he heads towards the fountain he sees that Tiffany has had a make-over, standing next to Cliff. Well, it's probably just a statement she's making to protest her mother's unfair treatment, or something like that. In the fountain are two ferry tokens, but the policeman nearby will only tolerate him taking one. It doesn't matter, because the ferry trip will be one-way at any rate, stranding Willy in West Frumpton. As Willy tries to board the ferry, Gus stops him and asks for a token. If Willy got the baseball card from Perry, he can give this to Gus in lieu of a token, otherwise he can pay the fare with the token he found in the fountain. As the ferry crosses the Dumpling River, a non interactive sequence follows where Willy assists a group of Japanese tourists by taking their photograph. The woman keeps misinterpreting his comments, and at this point it will do no harm. In gratitude for his services, the grandfather gives Willy a genuine ninja shuriken and a smoke bomb. I never found a use for the ninja star, but the smoke bomb will help deal with the Cripes gang shortly. In West Frumpton, Willy may go to four locations. The Sludeworks can't be entered yet, as picketing plumbers block that path. Plumber's Union 409 is where Willy may listen to Louis Stoole address the assembled strikers, but he can't do anything else here today. The Golden Bowl Tavern will be his last stop over here today, but first he must go to the Tootsweet Plant in order to get the contest entry blank. After getting an entry form, Willy may return to the ferry to find that Gus is stranded on a sludge bar, and the player is stuck in West Frumpton. This is very bad, as this neighborhood gets dangerous as night approaches. Maybe Willy can get into the tavern and call his parents? No, it won't be that easy (of course). When Willy tries to enter the Golden Bowl tavern, he'll be stopped by Ray, a formidable looking bouncer. Using the Look icon on Ray will give the player a clue on how to get him out of the way, but it won't work today. Instead, Willy should try to enter the bar two or three more times, and after Ray turns him away for the third time the Cripes gang should arrive on the scene. If Willy doesn't do something fast, the thugs will inflict some serious damage. Despite his appearance, Ray will be no help whatsoever, as the powers that guide his life have deemed that a gang fight is not in his future today. Since the bouncer chooses to hide behind his astrological convictions, Willy is left to handle the Cripes armed with the monkey wrench which is the only help Ray offers him. Thanks to the Japanese tourists he befriended on the ferry, Willy has the means to delay the inevitable attack. He should click on the smoke bomb, then change the cursor to cross-hairs and throw the bomb at the thugs. Immediately afterwards he must use the wrench on the fire hydrant next to him, and then exit this scene while the gang is held at bay. Now Willy has to run back to the Tootsweet Plant, where he finds the Oriental tourists posing for a photograph. The street gang is close behind, and Willy should try and get the family to help. Despite the language barrier, he should choose the first response "They're gonna clobber me!" This is misinterpreted by the woman as a robbery attempt, and the grandfather orders the family to take action. Yes, this is no simple mild-mannered group of Japanese vacationers, they are actually Ninja tourists! During the following non interactive sequence, the transformed family proceeds to, well, kick tail! After posing for a photograph over the bodies of the vanquished Cripe gang, Willy and his foreign friends have dinner, then he is escorted home in the family's limo. He should have just enough time to get into bed for a much-needed rest. Tomorrow will be the final day of the story, and the player should have everything necessary to win the game. TOOTSWEET FROG JUMP CONTEST - DAY FOUR (MONDAY MORNING) Willy awakens on the big day, and after the frog jump contest things are going to move really fast. After looking at the water in the bathroom sink, Willy wisely decides to skip his oral hygiene this morning. As he sees the family assembled in the dining room, it appears they have foregone their morning showers and such as well. Although in Tiffany's case, it's pretty hard to tell the difference. Sheila tries to call Gordon's attention to the water situation, but he's preoccupied with getting himself ready for his first day at his new job. Dad does pay attention when Willy points out Tiffany's "new look," but Mom passes it off as just a temporary phase. Well, with the family in such chaos, Willy is free to slip out unnoticed. As he exits the dining room, the player sees another scene of Leona Humpford, surveying the city of Frumpton which is rapidly being overcome by sludge. Without sludge being channeled to the city Sludgeworks, how will Leona's Tootsweet Plant continue to produce? Doesn't this worry her in the least? Why did she sabotage her own livelihood? Tune in later for more... Willy's gotta make tracks to West Frumpton in time for the contest, but as he steps out onto the front stoop he walks right into the middle of Gordon's first news conference with Stan Lather. The reporter is pressing Willy's dad for an explanation of the sludge crisis, and Gordon is totally at a loss for words. The scene switches again to Leona in her mansion, watching Gordon on her wide-screen television take the heat, just as she planned. Before taking the ferry across to West Frumpton, Willy should stop at the tree fort if he has the custom T-shirt he had made with the gang's photograph. Giving this to Dana should ensure that she enters Gigi in the contest, and this will make Horny much more likely to win. Today, the ferry rides are free, and as Willy rides across Stan Lather pops up once again. This time he's here to interview Hans and his Amazing Turbofrog, and Hans is quite confident that his frog is unbeatable. When the ferry reaches the other side, Willy may go straight to the competition at the Tootsweet Plant, or go to the Plumber's Union to pick up an important item that will be needed near the end of the game. I went to the Union first, as after the Frog Jump Contest time becomes a crucial factor. Willy should go to the window on the left side of the main door and sneak in through the window. The moment he approaches the desk, Louis Stoole bursts in to nab the kid. Willy should grab the security pass lying on the desk, then throw the plunger standing next to him at Louis. With the union president temporarily disabled, Willy dashes out the door and may now go to the contest. There seemed to be a small logical bug in this scene where Willy must give his entry blank to the judge. If he does it immediately, the contest never seems to start. Willy should wait until the judge warns him that he only has five minutes, then give the entry blank to him. While he waits for the judge, he can set things up to tilt the scales in his favor. If he's played his cards right with Dana, she should be there with Gigi, otherwise Willy will have a slightly more difficult time in the contest. If he has the flies in the jar, he can really fix Turbofrog by giving them to him. The wonder frog will get drowsy and take a nap, then Willy should wait for the judge to ask for his entry form. After Willy turns in his entry blank, a long sequence should begin which leads up to the contest. The player just watches as Leona makes her speech and Coach Beltz fires the starter pistol, then he should save the game just before the contest action sequence. If Gigi is in the contest and Turbofrog is temporarily out of commission it's pretty easy for Horny to win first place. The player should watch the Jump-o-meter, the red bar on the left side of the screen, and click on the jump icon at the right when the indicator is near the top. As long as Horny wins at least second place, the game will continue. If Willy has the bottle of "Slam-Dunk" cola from the park vendor, he could have given Horny a dose just before the contest. His frog would have easily out-jumped the competition, but would quickly have been disqualified after a test showed the cola in his system. This, I suppose, was meant to be a moral statement to the kids about drugs and sports. Leona intends to have a frog leg dinner, and immediately after the contest her security forces begin rounding up the contestants. Willy's frog escapes and hops into the Tootsweet building, and Willy should follow him. Hopping past security, Horny enters the elevator with Willy close behind. As he passes by Leona's office, he hears his father talking to his new boss in her office. He stops to listen, and discovers that Gordon is expressing his doubts about the Tootsweet cover-up and the sludge problem. Willy probably is feeling pretty proud of his dad's moral stand, but an alert security guard suddenly nabs him. Barney Fifth, the overzealous guard who aspires to become a *real* cop, drags Willy off to his office. As he questions the boy, he receives a call from Leona who is ordering that the frogs all be rounded up and brought to Humpford mansion. Willy spots Horny on the security monitor just as the champ is captured, and he tries to get Barney to let him go. No chance of that happening, however, as the guard prepares to call the Frumpton police. The player should have the Nintari key from his sister, and this is the real purpose for it. Willy should combine it with his "G.I. Jim" dogtag chain, then use his newly created hypnotic charm on Barney. Now, a list of phrases comes on the screen, and the player should look in Willy's notebook (which was part of the very sparse game documentation) for the ad he clipped out and find the proper one mentioned there. Choosing the correct phrase will zap Barney into a temporary trance, and Willy can make good his escape. No time to lose now! Horny has been taken to Humpford mansion for Leona's dinner, and Willy must get there quickly to save him. On the way out of the Tootsweet building, Willy once again encounters Stan Lather, who congratulates him on his first (or second) place win and tries to give him his $25,000 (or $2,500) check. So now Willy can go to the Nintari championships, but he's more concerned with finding his frog at the moment. As part of his prize package Willy received a Yamasaki Jet-Ski scooter (along with a year's supply of Diet Slam-Dunk cola and a T-shirt!), and now he can cross the sludged Dumpling River to Leona's mansion. HUMPFORD MANSION - DAY FOUR (MONDAY AFTERNOON) Willy's new scooter is parked at the end of the ferry dock on the Dumpling river, and he can use it now to get to Leona's mansion to rescue Horny. It is also equipped with an AM/FM radio/cassette recorder which is essential a bit later in the game. Right now, Willy should click on the East Frumpton exit, then Humpford Mansion. If he detoured home, he would find that the family is preparing the surprise party for Gordon's 40th birthday. If Willy doesn't get moving, however, Dad won't make it home at all... After he rides to Leona's mansion, Willy sneaks past her chauffeur and general purpose body-busting thug, Stanley. Inside, Willy meets her pet parrot Arthur. Arthur was left to Leona's tender mercies when her husband Harry died, and the mistreated creature longs for someone to talk to. Actually, this is just the writer's ingenious device to get the player to listen to the whole plot, but if Willy doesn't hear Arthur's story the bird will alert Leona and Louis. Willy must talk to the bird and get the entire story, not making any wisecracks along the way. Harry Humpford, the inventor of Tootsweet, died and left the factory to Leona. Leona's ambition is to own all of West Frumpton and turn it into a sleazy tourist attraction called (what else?) Frumpton World. Harry's will has a clause that states if the Tootsweet operation stops, Leona will inherit the Sludgeworks and all of the West Frumpton real estate. That's where Louis Stoole comes in - with his plumbers on strike, the sludge stops flowing, the Sludgeworks shuts down, and no more Tootsweet is manufactured. Oh, isn't that just such a devious plot? Ok, now that's very interesting, but the top priority for Willy is to rescue Horny. There's a suit of armor in the hallway, but if Willy disturbs it now it will make a horrid clatter as it falls. He should sneak into the dining room, where he can see Leona and Louis playing horsy in the living room. Taking a closer look with the Look icon, he hears Stan Lather (that guy shows up all over this game!) doing a special report. Gordon comes clean, exposing the dirty plan, or as much as he knows of it, then announces his resignation. Way to go, Dad! Now back to the rescue... Willy needs to pull the old "jerk the tablecloth off the table" trick without making a noise. There are two objects on the table that he can take, a bronze chalice and a dish cover. He can't take both without disturbing the villains' play, but he must take one so his tablecloth trick will work. Willie should take the chalice and put it in his backpack, then take the tablecloth and do the same. Voila! It worked! (I could never do it, myself). Now, he should sneak off screen to the left and use the tablecloth on the floor next to the suit of armor. Then pull the object sticking out of the tin suit, causing the entire thing to fall quietly on the floor. He takes the helmet, and should discover something else in the suit. This is the plan for the Air Tram inside the Sludgeworks, which also has the code to activate a drawbridge control that Willy will use to elude the security guards. Willy now should reenter the dining room and exit to the right, where he witnesses a ghastly sight. Cook Julia Childish is honing her knives here to prepare the dinner, and the captured frogs are hanging from the carousel! The first thing Willy should do is distract the cook by taking the bronze chalice and throwing it at the lower right corner of the screen. Next, he should sneak around behind the counter, take the pan of grease and pour it on the right side of the cook pot. This will allow him to push the pot right behind Julia, which sets up a trap for her to fall into. Quickly, he returns to the kitchen entrance then clicks on the carousel, which causes him to jump onto it. He is carried quickly around where he jumps off in front of the cook, startling her and causing her to fall backwards into the pot. Now, he should take the helmet and put it over Julia's head to stifle her screams, then push the right button on the carousel control box, which will release all the poor frogs. Horny jumps into Willy's backpack, and now he can make his escape. Well, almost... Leona and Louis grab him as he leaves the kitchen, and he is put into a chest, hands and feet bound. Things look grim for him as the chest is thrown to the bottom of the Humpford pool, and Willy floats out, silent witness to the villains discussing their next move. Leona sends Stanley to pick up Gordon, who must be silenced "permanently" before Leona's plans are ruined. How is Willy going rescue Dad, when he's turning blue himself? In timely fashion, Horny, Gigi, and Turbofrog appear on the scene and pull the plug on the pool, showing their gratitude for Willy's daring rescue. As Leona watches, they all swim out through the drain and surface in the murky Dumpling River. Now, the scene shifts to Gordon, who gets into the limo driven by Stanley. From this point on, Willy has a limited time to find and rescue his Dad before he gets sludged. GOLDEN BOWL TAVERN, HUMPFORD SLUDGEWORKS - DAY FOUR (ENDGAME) With Horny safe again, Willy must find a way to stop Leona Humpford's diabolical scheme - to sludge Gordon, shut down the Tootsweet Plant and level West Frumpton to build Humpford World. Where is Gordon? Well, most likely he's somewhere in the Humpford Sludgeworks, but Willy can't get past Louis's striking plumbers yet. After escaping Humpford's Mansion, Willie is on his new Jet-Ski on the Dumpling River. He should head back to West Frumpton, then use the Look icon to examine his new toy. He'll see the new AM/FM radio/cassette player, and this is the key to getting past Ray at the Golden Bowl Tavern. Click on it and put it in Willy's inventory. If he hasn't done so already, he should go to the T-shirt booth in Olde Towne and examine the Lottery machine next to it to get the Frumpton Bucks Lottery ticket that he finds in the slot. Next, Willy should go to the Plumber's Union 409 where he'll need to use the phone that was out of order on Sunday. While here he should also get the security pass out of Louis Stoole's office if he hasn't already (refer back to the first part of the TOOTSWEET FROG JUMP CONTEST). Inside the booth, he can take the radio out of his backpack and set it on the phone. After he takes the telephone receiver and sets it on the radio, he should press the record button then dial 432-SIGN (432-7446) to record Alyssa's Astrological Hotline. If the player looked at Ray on Sunday when he went to West Frumpton, the description noted the bouncer's obsession with astrology. Willy hits the record button again to stop the tape, then calls the Golden Bowl (342-3403). Burt will answer, but Willy will convince him to bring Ray to the phone. Now Willy hits the playback button, and the big guy is hooked. Before the tape runs out, Willy should go to the bar and enter. Ray should still be on the phone, having a conversation with a taped astrologer (go figure!), while the rest of the plumbers in the bar eagerly await the winning numbers to be drawn for the 40 million dollar Frumpton Bucks lottery. Burt forgot to buy a ticket, and is in a rather bad mood. If Willy wants to stay here, he should give the ticket he found in Olde Towne to the bartender to get on his good side. Burt gives him a complimentary free non-alcoholic drink in gratitude, and allows Willy to stay for the big televised drawing. As could only happen in a fictional game, Burt wins the jackpot and Willy is temporarily forgotten in the ensuing mayhem. Ghost Beamish makes another appearance, urging Willy to DO something! He should grab the Plumber's nudie pin-up calendar from the bar before the dust settles and the police show. Now, this is the ticket to get past the striking plumbers at the gates to the Sludgeworks. Willy should approach them and give them the calendar, and they will quickly be too bust ogling Miss October to notice him. Next, Willy should try to enter the Sludgeworks, and he will be stopped by the security guard at the gate. Using the security pass will allow him to pass, but the guard will call Ms. Humpford to tell her of the intrusion. She immediately has him sound the alarm, and sends her goon Stanley to the site to capture Willy. The player should now save the game, as the upcoming endgame contains a series of action sequences that can be very difficult. Willy should look at the plan he found in the suit of armor from Humpford mansion and note the four colors written at the side. They should read - Burnt Sienna, Mauve, Chartreuse, Mauve. In simpler English this is Brown, Violet, Green, Violet. As soon as Willy enters the first room, he should go _immediately_ to the control panel in the center while the security guards tell their joke. Open the cover to reveal the power switch and turn it on. Then the player should click the colored buttons to the right - Bottom, Top, Middle, Top. If the sequence was entered properly, the light above the control lever should turn green. The security guards should be on the extended bridge, almost to the platform where Willy is. He should have barely enough time to push the lever to the right, which retracts the bridge and dumps the guards into the sludge. There's no time to admire the results, Willy should head across the bridge to the exit on the right side of the screen. As he reaches the exit, Stanley enters from the opposite side, and Willy will enter another action sequence. This time it's a disposal unit of some sort, and Willy should head for the control panel at the left side of the screen. A keyboard and a switch should appear, and the player should turn the switch on. No time to look at the plans now, but five codes may be entered on the keyboard: FART - Obvious, isn't it? FARM - This will send Willy through the plant to be turned into a 50 lb. sack of Tootsweet, ending the game. AIR - This should be used if the security guards get too close. It will blow them down a tube, but they'll return pretty quickly! RAFT - This code sends Willy down a chute that exits into the river outside the plant, then he must reenter the Sludgeworks and start all over again. TRAM - This is what the player should key in (remember the "Enter") Entering TRAM sends Willy down a tube which deposits him on a conveyor belt. He runs in place, staying in position, until Stanley appears once again. The goon throws his hat at Willy, who must avoid it by clicking on a spot near the middle of the belt (an arrow will appear at the right spot). The hat lands at the end of the belt, after rupturing a steam pipe above. Willy retrieves the hat, changes the cursor to cross-hairs then flings it back at his pursuer. Stanley is knocked out cold, and travels down the conveyor belt where the player sees him recycled into a 300 lb. sack of Tootsweet. Now a plunger will rise to Willy's right, which he should jump onto, and from there he jumps into the Sludgeworks Tub Tray Tram. If the player has survived these sequences, the Tram should take him to Grand Junction, and now he should save the game again. The control in front of Willy will determine which way the Tram turns at each junction, and once again he should consult the plans. The proper way to navigate the tunnels in order to reach the giant toilet is: Straight to Conjunction Junction, right to Compunction Junction, left to Malfunction Junction, straight to Petticoat Junction, then left to the final showdown. Wrong turns can take Willy to some funny places, the player may want to try it and see. The Tram comes to a stop by the sludge vat (shaped amazingly like a gigantic toilet) where Willy sees his Dad suspended over the bowl on a long rope. Leona and Louis stand nearby, watching as Gordon is slowly lowered into the sludge. If Willy fails to stop the two, Dad will be sludged as well as Frumpton, although the player may want to let this part play out just to watch the touching father and son farewell scene at the end. Grandpa Beamish appears again to inform Willy of the obvious - his Dad will be history if he doesn't act quickly! This is where the Dunkin' Promaster Elite Model 42 yo-yo is finally used. As soon as the dialogue finishes and the player regains control of the cursor, click on the yo-yo in Willy's inventory, use it on him, then switch to the cross-hair cursor. Leona and Louis will begin walking around the rim of the vat towards Willy, pausing to laugh at the boy for a few seconds. Target the cursor on them now, and let the yo-yo fly! The duo are knocked into the vat of sludge, and now Willy must jump over to the handle to flush them out. The player sees a final appeal from Leona for someone to save her, then the vat empties. The remainder of the game consists of a non interactive sequence, as the Dumpling River clears and everyone gives Willy well-deserved congratulations. He continues on to win the Nintari Championship, and the game closes with a scene of Horny, Gigi and their new family of little frogs. I suppose someone will continue to keep Frumpton slim and trim by turning sludge into Tootsweet, but that's another story. THE ADVENTURES OF WILLY BEAMISH is published by Dynamix, Inc. and distributed by Sierra On-Line, Inc. Fixed by [RYGAR] This walkthru is NO-copyright (NC) 1991 by Venger. All rights reversed.