In COUNTDOWN, you are a secret agent working for the CIA, one of the good
guys. Unfortunately, that's about all you know when the game begins. You
see, you're in this prison/hospital known as the "Sanctuary." You've been
hit hard on the head, and although not much damage has been done, you are
suffering from amnesia. Worse yet, you've been scheduled for a lobotomy in
the morning. Your job...well, okay, _our_ job is to escape from the
Sanctuary, regain your identity, and get even with the person who struck
you. (Be prepared to take on something much bigger and more sinister.)
Mostly, the puzzles in this game involve searching a series of rooms. You
will be MOVEing, OPENing, and GETting various items, as well as USEing them.
The game does not give clues to indicate which items need to be manipulated.
You must be very thorough and persistent to win. This walkthru, therefore,
consists mainly of all the actions that need to be accomplished, but very
little explanation.
A lot of the important objects in COUNTDOWN are depicted with so little
detail that it's often difficult to recognize them for what they are. In
this walkthru, I'll try to describe the onscreen locations of the objects.
If you have difficulty finding an item to MOVE or OPEN, try moving the
cursor around likely places until you find it.
TALKing to the various characters can be a real pain. Several of them will
not answer your questions or will even kill you if you do not APPROACH them
in just the right way. The walkthru will provide the right conversation
sequences whenever necessary. If such a sequence is not given, then you are
safe to use either the HELP or PLEASANT approach. After the correct
approach has been made, be sure to ASK ABOUT everything available on the
list. This is not only necessary to solve the game, but it is vital in
understanding the story.
And what a story! This game has an excellent plot. When I was playing the
game, I had more fun watching the story unfold than solving the puzzles. In
the walkthru, I will intentionally leave out most of the plot. I want you
to get the help you need with the puzzles and still be able to unravel for
yourself the engaging story contained in this game.
SANCTUARY
You are locked in your room in the Sanctuary. The first order of business
is to get out of the room and explore the rest of the territory. LOOK CHART.
Wow! What a great animated sequence. This is one of several flashback
sequences in the game. It's a clever way to show how your memory is
returning, Hollywood style. GET CUP and GET KEY (a glint under the bed).
USE CUP on BUG (flying around on the right near the window). TALK to GUARD
who appears outside your door periodically. You can try HELP and PLEASANT,
and ASK ABOUT everything listed. OFFER BUG to the guard. LEAVE the
conversation. Wait until the food arrives. GET KNIFE (to the right of the
food tray). Use the mouse or the arrow key to walk your character close to
the window. USE KNIFE on WINDOW to cut open the security screen. GO TO
WINDOW.
You are out on the ledge just outside your window. You will have to find
something fast to take your place in the room so that the guard will not
get suspicious. MOVE and OPEN the second WINDOW to the right. GO TO WINDOW.
You are in an empty room. From this point on, each time you are ready to
leave a room, be sure to save your game. There are guards patrolling
throughout the Sanctuary. If they see you, you'll be recaptured, and that's
the end of the game.
They are very punctual in their rounds. Each time you leave a room, note
the time as indicated at the top right of the screen. If you should run
into a guard, restore the game, and this time, wait a few extra seconds
before leaving, or move in the opposite direction, and you should be able
to avoid capture. It can be quite frustrating, but unfortunately, it's part
of the game.
Okay, let's pick up where we left off. You're still in the empty room. OPEN
DOOR. GO TO DOOR. Once outside the room, go east to the intersection, then
north to the end of the hallway. OPEN the DOOR to the north. GO TO DOOR.
There is a CPR dummy here. GET CPR DUMMY. OPEN DOOR. GO TO DOOR. (Don't
forget to save your game first. This is the last reminder.) Move east and
south to the intersection. Go west and GO TO the first DOOR on the south.
You're back in the empty room again. GO TO WINDOW to get back out on the
ledge, move two windows to the left, and GO TO WINDOW. You're now back in
your own room. USE CPR DUMMY on BED. Whew! Now, at least, you won't have to
worry about the guard checking up on you.
Go out the window and return to that empty room again. OPEN DOOR. GO TO
DOOR. Right across the hall from you is an open door. GO TO DOOR. This is a
closet. GET SCISSORS (hanging on the side of a shelf above a mop). GET
BLANKET (second shelf from the bottom to your left). GO TO DOOR.
Go east to the intersection. There's a door to the east. OPEN DOOR. GO TO
DOOR. You find a naked man locked behind a viewing window. There's an
intercom to the right of the window. TALK INTERCOM. You need to use three
different sequences: PLEASANT PLEASANT; PLEASANT HELP PLEASANT; HELP
PLEASANT PLEASANT. Then, OFFER BLANKET. ASK ABOUT everything. LEAVE the
conversation. You get quite a bit of information and also a possible way of
escape. Now, if you can just find this Barney guy that he told you about.
OPEN DOOR. GO TO DOOR. Go north to the end of the hall, then go west. You
see stairs going up and down, and a hallway leading south. Take the
southern hallway until you see the third door to the west. OPEN DOOR. GO TO
DOOR. Hm, the initials "B. S." are carved on the wall. This must be
Barney's room. MOVE PILLOW, GET KEY (under pillow), MOVE PICTURE, and LOOK
at WRITING (behind picture). Aha, a clue to the escape route! OPEN DOOR. GO
TO DOOR.
Go north and take the stairs going up. Go south, then follow the hallway to
the east. OPEN the first DOOR to the north. GO TO DOOR. Apparently, this is
a changing room. There are several lockers here. USE KEY on LOCKER (the
third one from the right) and GET BAG. You found a little money in the
locker. MOVE TOWEL (the one on the bench) and GET KEY (under the towel).
USE KEY on LOCKER (the fifth one from the right) and GET BOOTS. Before you
go, LOOK at BLOOD (on the floor near the dumpster) to see another flashback.
OPEN DOOR (the one to the north). GO TO DOOR.
Go west and follow the hallway going south. OPEN the first DOOR to the east.
GO TO DOOR. This is a supply room and it is very dark in here. There's a
magazine on the second shelf against the wall. OPEN MAGAZINE. You learn
that this building was originally a monastery, and there is an underground
catacomb. GET CROWBAR (sticking out of a drawer on the right side of the
screen). USE CROWBAR on BOX (above the short file cabinet on the left side
of the screen). GET HOOK. OPEN DOOR. GO TO DOOR.
Go north and take the stairs going down. Go downstairs one more time.
Follow the long hallway going south, then turn east, and go all the way to
the southeast corner of the floor. Along the eastern wall there are four
doors -- each leads to an operating room. OPEN the second DOOR from the
south. GO TO DOOR. There is a box on the floor. OPEN BOX and GET FLASHLIGHT.
OPEN DOOR. GO TO DOOR. Go north until you see the fourth door. OPEN DOOR.
GO TO DOOR. There is a dart board on the wall with a scalpel. GET SCALPEL.
OPEN DOOR. GO TO DOOR.
Go west toward the stairs and take the south hallway just before the stairs.
OPEN the first DOOR to the west. GO TO DOOR. This is the evil doctor's
office, and he is sitting in his chair, taking a nap with a wine bottle in
his hands. Nice guy! LOOK at NEWSPAPER (on the floor).
Learn about the upcoming presidential election and a terrorist group called
Black December. I told you you'd be up against something very sinister,
didn't I? OPEN DRAWER (the second drawer of the file cabinet to the left).
LOOK at DRAWER to get some information about Jack Quinn. GET KEY RING (from
the doctor's desk). MOVE PAINTING (in the middle of the screen). LOOK at
WRITING (behind painting). A safe combination? So is there a safe around
here? MOVE BOOKS (second shelf of the bookshelf). Aha, a safe! OPEN SAFE
and GET MONEY.
Now, it's time to grill the doctor to get some vital information.
Specifically, you must find out who was standing next to him in your first
flashback; otherwise, you will not be able to leave the Sanctuary. USE
SCALPEL on DOCTOR. PLEASANT HASSLE HASSLE. ASK ABOUT everything. LEAVE the
conversation. You have done all you need to do in the Sanctuary. It's time
to escape. OPEN DOOR. GO TO DOOR.
Go north and take the stairs going down. This must be the basement of the
Sanctuary. There's only a single door here and it's locked. It's a good
thing that you found the key in Barney's room. USE KEY on DOOR. GO TO DOOR.
You find yourself in another dark room where you can barely make out a
furnace. LOOK carefully near the middle of the screen. There is a phone box
here. OPEN PHONE BOX and USE SCISSORS on PHONE BOX. You have to cut the
communication between the Sanctuary and the outside world; otherwise,
you'll be recaptured once you escape.
MOVE COAL (near right center screen). GET PICK (it appears after you move
the coal). LOOK at the hole just above the initials "B. S." Walk as close
to the hole as possible. USE PICK on HOLE, then GO TO HOLE.
You're in a small maze, the underground catacomb mentioned in the magazine.
The maze is not too complex but you may want to map it. Giving directions
is very difficult, but here goes. Take the first possible east corridor.
There's a short jog to the south, after which take the first east corridor
again. You come across a pool of water, then the corridor turns south. Turn
east again as soon as you can. Follow this trail, which will lead you to a
casket. Go east from the casket until you reach an intersection. Turn south
and go as far as you can, making no other turns. At the end of this, jog
west, then south. Here you should see another passage leading south just to
the right of you, with a heart-shaped pool in it. Take that passage and
follow it all the way to the exit. GO TO DOORWAY.
You are now in a wine cellar and there's a dead body here. Could this be
Barney? GET RAG (on the floor near the wine rack) and USE RAG on PLAQUE (to
the right of the wine rack). So, there is a secret door here? Now, how do
you know which four bottles to move? MOVE CRATE (on the floor to the left
of the wine rack). A second plaque! LOOK at second PLAQUE. So, the
monastery was founded in the year MCDXXXIII. That translates to 1433.
That's the clue to the wine bottles. Always counting from the left, MOVE
the first BOTTLE on the top shelf, MOVE the fourth BOTTLE on the second
shelf, MOVE the third BOTTLE on the third shelf, and MOVE the third BOTTLE
on the bottom shelf. Voila! A secret door appears on the right side of the
screen! Just one more thing to do before we leave: USE CROWBAR on CRATE
(the one in front of the dead body). GET WINE. GO TO DOORWAY (right of
screen).
Boy, is it dark out here. You can hardly see anything. LOOK at WALL (center
of screen and slightly above you). There are some notches on the wall. Walk
as close to the wall as you can, and USE BOOTS on WALL. Move the cursor to
the top of the screen above your character, and click it to make your
character climb up the wall. Continue until you are near the top and can
move no farther. USE HOOK on TOP. Okay, you have climbed the cliff and are
now outside the Sanctuary. There are two cars here. How considerate of them
to provide you with a getaway vehicle. LOOK at CAR (the one on the left) to
experience another flashback. USE KEYS on CAR DOOR. Finally, the great
escape is successful, and you're on your way!
MASON'S APARTMENT
From the destination menu, select Mason's apartment by train. LOOK at PHOTO
(on the floor, center of screen). That's a nice picture of Lisa Loomis, a
fellow CIA agent and your girl friend. LOOK at WORK (on the desk) to learn
more about Black December and a new character, Stormbringer. GET BATTERY
(on top of the television). MOVE the left PILLOW and GET KEY (under pillow).
MOVE the FLOWER POT (on top of the ice box). GET CAD (Computer Access
Device). GET CRACKER (on the kitchen table). USE KEY on CAGE DOOR (the bird
cage in the kitchen, right side of screen).
As soon as the cage door is opened, the parrot flies out and starts to
insult you. Getting upstaged by a bird...this is a new low for you. LOOK at
BIRD. It's carrying a key! USE CRACKER on BIRD. You may not have noticed it,
but the bird just dropped the key on the kitchen counter. GET KEY and USE
KEY on DRAWER (top right drawer of the desk). LOOK at DRAWER and you see
the word DOLPHIN. This is the password you need to use the CAD. USE CAD and
type in the password "Dolphin."
Choose Research and select everything on the list to get more of the story.
When done, EXIT out of the CAD menu. You can also open the ice box for a
point. Later, after you've found some explosives, you can come back and
blow up the bird for 10 points more. Now, what does that tell you about
COUNTDOWN's author? Oh well, different strokes, and all that. For now, OPEN
DOOR, GO TO DOOR, and leave.
When you get back to the travel menu, you will be informed that you have E-
mail waiting. Select USE CAD SYSTEM and READ the E-mail. When you are
finished, select McBain's apartment as the destination.
MCBAIN'S APARTMENT
GET KEY (on the floor, near the window, next to the chair). LOOK at STATUE
and MOVE SHIELD (on the statue). A keybox appears on the statue as soon as
you move the shield. USE KEY on KEYBOX. The fireplace moves up and a fancy
computer station is revealed. MOVE SWITCH (on the computer). LOOK at
COMPUTER. Interesting. McBain had information about Black December's
possible strike points and the code-name of the operation: Thunderbolt.
LOOK at EXPLOSIVES (right bottom shelf of the computer) and GET EXPLOSIVES.
LOOK at the NOTEPAD (on the desk) and GET NOTEPAD. LOOK at BOX (second
shelf on the bookshelf) and GET BOX. You get more money and a passport that
will allow you to travel to other countries. MOVE SHELF (the entire
bookshelf) and you find a safe! LOOK at SAFE. This is one elaborate safe
that even Alexander Monday would have trouble opening. Well, we can always
do it the hard way. USE EXPLOSIVE on SAFE. (Note: The explosives have a 10-
-second delay, so be patient.)
LOOK at BOX (in the safe). It contains a dossier on Iraqi agents in Israel.
USE CAD on NOT, then ANALYZE NOTE. ENHANCE. I need to point out something
very important here. Do _not_ use the mouse to click the CAD "+" button to
enhance. Instead, tap the "+" key on your keyboard slowly until the hidden
writing is clearly legible. Make sure you do it this way anytime you use
the CAD to enhance anything.
Once the handwriting is clearly readable, read the message, and exit the
CAD without changing the enhancement. The message is to Rachel Akure to set
up a meeting. Perhaps it will be to your benefit to go pay her a visit. One
last thing before we leave here: LOOK at WINDOW and get another flashback.
(Isn't that great? I never tire of watching these nifty animations.) GO TO
DOOR. Before we visit Rachel in Jerusalem, let's go see Lisa Loomis, who is
nearby in Istanbul.
LISA LOOMIS
Use any approach you like with her, then ASK ABOUT everything possible.
This should move the story along nicely, and she's nice to look at, too,
isn't she? LEAVE the conversation. Select USE CAD. Research on any new
names that you picked up. EXIT CAD. Choose Rachel Akure as your next
destination and go by plane.
RACHEL AKURE
Rachel is another pretty lady, but deadly. She does not seem to be very
fond of you. OFFER the DOSSIER to get her to answer your questions. ASK
ABOUT everything possible. OFFER her $500 to get a hypodermic dart filled
with sodium thiopental (truth serum). That's about all you can do with
Rachel. LEAVE the conversation. Your next destination is Cairo, Egypt. It's
time to pay Fontaine a visit to find out why he asked the evil doctor to
"take care of you." By all means, take a plane.
FONTAINE
Once you reach this location, OPEN DUMPSTER and GO TO DUMPSTER. If you
don't, Fontaine will shoot you on sight! Stay in the dumpster and wait
until the hitman stops right in front of it. Now, quickly, USE DART on
HITMAN. TALK to HITMAN. Fontaine is under the influence of the truth serum
and will answer all your questions. So, ASK ABOUT everything. When you ask
him about Black December, he will give you the location of their
headquarters. LEAVE the conversation and GO TO STREET (left edge of the
screen). Your next destination is Black December's headquarters in Athens,
Greece. Go ahead and splurge; take a plane.
HEADQUARTERS
Be sure to save the game first because this series of moves requires timing.
Notice that the corridor on the right side of the screen leads back to a
door. There is a disassembled catapult near the center of the screen. A
guard comes out of the door regularly to make patrol rounds. You are safe
as long as you stay near the catapult.
There is a big rock about halfway down that corridor. Get a fix on the
location of the rock. Have you gotten all that? This is what we have to do.
First, wait until the guard has made his round and is walking back towards
the door. Move as quickly as you can to the rock. GET ROCK. You have to be
right next to it to be able to get it. Now, make your way back to the
catapult. GET CATAPULT ARM (left of screen). USE CATAPULT ARM on CATAPULT.
MOVE LEVER (there is a black lever on the catapult, to the left). USE ROCK
on CATAPULT. The catapult is now set to fire. Select MOVE, put the cursor
on the black lever, and click once so that you only need to click the mouse
one more time to activate it. Wait until the guard comes out of the door
and walks to where the big rock used to be. Click the mouse to move the
lever which flings the rock at the guard. That is one squashed guard!
Satisfying, no? Save the game again.
OPEN DOOR. Note the time indicated at the top right of the screen. GO TO
DOOR. There is another guard here. When you enter the door, you need to
catch him walking to the right, with his back toward you. Use your saved
game until you get the timing right. Once you are safely inside, move to
the right, and enter the room where you see a hostage sitting, and hide
behind the wall. The guard will move up beyond the top of the screen, then
return, and start walking to the left. As soon as he makes his move to the
left, dash up to the top the screen, and enter the room to the right where
there is a safe.
Don't bother with the safe for now, just hide behind the wall. See that
monitor near the center of the screen? Select USE EXPLOSIVES, move the
cursor to the monitor, and click once. Wait until you see the guard again.
As soon as he reappears, click one more time to activate the explosives.
Ten seconds later, just as the guard is standing right next to it, the
monitor blows up, and takes the guard with it. Neat! Now, you have plenty
of time to do what you need to do.
Go back and TALK to the HOSTAGE. He is more than happy to answer your
questions. ASK ABOUT THUNDERBOLT and learn about Jackal. ASK ABOUT BLACK
DECEMBER and obtain a photo from the hostage. LEAVE the conversation. USE
CAD to ANALYZE the PHOTO. Enhance it to the maximum size, and look at the
tattoo on the arm of the man on the right side of the photo. Exit the
ANALYZE option and RESEARCH JACKAL to get the name of his control agent:
Carlos Ramirez. RESEARCH CARLOS. TRAVEL. Take a plane to visit Carlos in
Barcelona, Spain.
CARLOS RAMIREZ
OFFER $300 to Carlos to get a lockpick. You will need it to open the safe
in Black December's headquarters. You also need to get some information
from Carlos. BLUFF BLUFF PLEASANT PLEASANT. OFFER WINE. ASK ABOUT
everything, and, in particular, JACKAL and SCORPIO. Carlos will tell you
about Scorpio's girl friend, Golden Desire. Be sure to ASK ABOUT GOLDEN
DESIRE as well. LEAVE the conversation, and return to Black December's
headquarters. We have a safe to open.
BLACK DECEMBER'S HEADQUARTERS (SECOND TIME)
This time there are no guards to hassle you. GO TO DOOR. Go right and up
until you see the safe. USE LOCK PICK on SAFE and GET NOTE. USE CAD to
ANALYZE NOTE and ENHANCE NOTE. This is the bomb disarming instruction which
may just come in handy later in the game. Perhaps you should write it down.
TRAVEL. Let's take a plane to pay a visit to Golden Desire in Venice, Italy.
GOLDEN DESIRE
TALK to BARTENDER. It's obvious what this guy wants. OFFER him $500, then
ASK ABOUT SCORPIO and GOLDEN DESIRE. LEAVE the conversaton. GO TO DOORWAY
on right side of screen. With the help of the bartender, you now see Golden
Desire sitting there waiting to talk to you. TALK to WOMAN. ASK ABOUT
SCORPIO and JACKAL. LEAVE the conversation.
There's a blackjack machine here. You can play if you want, although you
have plenty of money to finish the game. Do keep track of the time if you
really want to gamble. There is a doorway here leading to the dressing room
of Golden Desire. There is also a big bodyguard standing right in front of
it. Be patient. If you wait long enough, the bodyguard will leave. After
the bodyguard leaves, make sure that Golden Desire is either dancing on
stage or still sitting in the chair. GO TO DOORWAY.
You are now in her dressing room. OPEN BOX (on the floor). It is a make-up
kit. GET BOX. LOOK at ASHTRAY (on the table). LOOK at JEWELRY BOX (left
side of table). GET KEY (on top of the door on the left of the screen). USE
KEY on JEWELRY BOX, GET KEY (from jewelry box), and USE KEY on right top
DRAWER of the table. GET STATIONARY (in the drawer). USE CAD to ANALYZE
STATIONARY. Here you learn that Scorpio is not dead, and he has a Russian
friend named Buzz Brezhnev. RESEARCH BUZZ. EXIT CAD. OPEN DOOR (the left
one). GO TO DOOR.
You are outside the dressing room again. GO TO DOORWAY to the left. TALK to
BARTENDER and ASK ABOUT GOLDEN DESIRE and BUZZ BREZHNEV. The bartender
knows where Buzz lives. LEAVE the conversation. You may return and ask
Golden Desire about Buzz, but it's not necessary. TRAVEL. Go pay Buzz
Brezhnev a visit.
BUZZ BREZHNEV
OFFER $300 to Buzz for three capsules containing ambobarbital, a knock-out
drug. Then HASSLE HASSLE HELP. ASK ABOUT SCORPIO. Buzz tells you that
Scorpio is right here in Venice. Good. Guess where you'll be going next?
SCORPIO
You finally get to meet Scorpio. At least he is very willing to answer all
your questions. ASK ABOUT everything. He does have a lot to add to the
story developed so far. LEAVE the conversation. You have E-mail waiting
again. Select the CAD function and READ your E-mail. Travel to Rome to see
Lisa Loomis.
LISA LOOMIS (SECOND TIME)
Lisa tells you that you must go get Hakeem Ababash, a CIA informant. But
first, Jack Quinn wants to see you. LEAVE the conversation. Visit Jack
Quinn.
JACK QUINN
Not a whole lot to do here except to ASK ABOUT everything. LEAVE the
conversation. Travel to the Colosseum, the meeting place you and Hakeem had
set up.
COLOSSEUM
Save the game here. It sure looks like a set-up, doesn't it? You were
ambushed, you find yourself hanging above a hungry tiger, and the rope is
getting burned through by a candle. Notice that the tiger cell is on the
right side of the screen, and there are two doors separating the cell from
the main pit area. There is also a lever on the wall. As soon as the candle
burns through the rope and you fall to the ground, walk inside the tiger
cell. MOVE LEVER to close the doors. You are safe from the tiger for the
time being. You may want to save the game here again.
Move to the north end of the cell, and when the tiger is walking away from
you, MOVE LEVER to open the doors. Stay inside the cell but close to the
door and wait for the tiger. The tiger will enter the cell through the
south door. As it is entering the door, move out of the cell through the
northern door, and MOVE LEVER quickly to trap the tiger in the cell. GET
ROPE, MOVE BONE (left side of screen), and GET HOOK (behind bone). Walk as
close to the window as you can, then USE ROPE on WINDOW.
You are inside a torture room and poor Hakeem is hanging here, dead. GET
BAG (near the window). MOVE SACK (middle of the floor), GET POSTCARD
(behind sack), and LOOK at NEWSPAPER (on the table). Hm, the president of
the United States is in Paris. You don't suppose the terrorists' plan has
something to do with that, do you?
GET BLUEPRINT (on the table) and USE CAD to ANALYZE the POSTCARD. There is
a microdot in the middle of the postcard. ENHANCE the postcard until you
can decode the microdot. So, Jackal is on the Orient Express with a second
device, and the first device is already installed? This whole operation is
becoming very clear now. You must intercept Jackal, and find and disarm the
device already installed. MOVE STONE (just to the left of the knee of the
body) and a secret door appears. OPEN DOOR. GO TO DOOR. You have E-mail
waiting again. Choose the CAD function and READ the E-mail. Good reliable
Lisa, always with your interest and safety at heart. Select Belgrade train
station, Yugoslavia by plane. You have a date with Jackal.
ORIENT EXPRESS
LOOK at NEWSPAPER. Move right until you see a telegram on the floor next to
an ashtray, then LOOK at TELEGRAM. So, Jackal is disguised as a priest? GET
TELEGRAM. Move right until you are at the end of the car. GO DOORWAY to
enter the next car. Go to the fourth cabin. OPEN DOOR. GO TO DOOR. Jackal
is here and he is eating a meal. Pretty obvious what you can do here, isn't
it? But first, you must get him out of the room. TALK TO MAN. BLUFF HASSLE
HELP. Good, he's gone now. USE KNOCKOUT CAPSULES on FOOD. GO TO DOORWAY.
Move right until you get to the end of the car. GO TO DOORWAY to enter the
next car. This is the cargo area. Retrace your steps and return to Jackal's
cabin. Obviously your capsules did their job. GET CLOTHES (the clothes
Jackal is wearing). You are now disguised as a priest. OPEN ATTACHE (on the
empty seat). It is full of money. GET ATTACHE. OPEN the left OVERHEAD
COMPARTMENT. GET TOOL. GO TO DOORWAY.
Move right to get to the cargo car. GO TO DOORWAY. Once in the cargo car,
continue to go right until you see a flat crate on the floor. USE TOOL on
CRATE. GET EXPLOSIVE. The game will automatically take you to the next
scene.
GINA
She is the contact Jackal was supposed to meet. BLUFF BLUFF. OFFER ATTACHE
to Gina. LEAVE the conversation. You are getting close. The only thing left
to do is to get to the bomb and disarm it before time runs out.
ENDGAME
LOOK at SHAFT (near the center of the machine). There is a gear missing
here. GO TO DOORWAY (left side of screen). Here is a channel where sewage
flows through. If you can just close the big trapdoor and stop the flow,
you should be able to cross the channel. There is also a gear sitting at
the corner against the wall. GET GEAR. GO TO DOORWAY to return to the
machine room. USE GEAR on SHAFT. MOVE SWITCH. Good, the machine is running
again. GO DOORWAY. Just as planned, the machine shuts the trapdoor and cuts
off the flow. GO TO CHANNEL. GO TO LADDER.
The ladder leads you to a room. There are two doors here. The one on the
left leads to a corridor filled with guards who have been instructed to
shoot first and ask questions later. The door on the right is nailed shut.
That should not be a problem. USE EXPLOSIVES on DOOR (the one on the right).
GO TO DOORWAY. In this room, there is a big elephant statue in the middle.
MOVE ELEPHANT. MOVE STONE (the one that was originally behind the elephant).
You have found the bomb! LOOK at BOMB. You are now looking at a closeup of
the bomb. The bomb has a front panel fastened in place by four screws. USE
SCREWDRIVER on SCREW until all four screws are removed, then save the game
quickly.
Once the panel is removed, you see a 60-second timer counting down to zero.
You also see three dials and three wires. Remember the disarm instructions?
I told you they would come in handy. USE SCREWDRIVER on RED until the notch
is at the 6 o'clock position. USE SCREWDRIVER on BLUE until it is at 3
o'clock. USE SCREWDRIVER on GREEN until it is at 9 o'clock. Now, all you
have to do is cut the three wires in the right sequence. What sequence, you
ask? Well, there are only three possible combinations. Find out for
yourself! Okay, okay. USE WIRECUTTERS on GREEN WIRE. USE WIRECUTTERS on RED
WIRE. USE WIRECUTTERS on BLUE WIRE. Be sure to accomplish all these things
before the timer reaches zero.
Now sit back and enjoy one the longest conclusions I have seen in an
adventure game. And that's a pretty good surprise at the ending, too,
wouldn't you say?
COUNTDOWN is published and distributed by Access Software.
