InvisiClues for The Enigma of the Old Manor House by Daniel M. Stelzer

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If you're stuck, make sure you've got your adventuring equipment (your journal and lantern). The journal contains a map and a plan that update themselves as you play, and the lantern helps you see things that would otherwise be hidden in the dark.

  1. What should I do if I'm stuck?
    1. Make sure you have your notebook (it's lying in the Entrance).
    2. READ IT, then READ THE PLAN and READ THE MAP.
    3. It's also good to have your lantern, to see by.
  2. What should I be doing here?
    1. The plan in your notebook lists your overall plan.
    2. The stories say there's a ghost in the old manor house. Apparently it throws things around and makes noise, and you think that means it's a physical thing that you could find and trap.
    3. More steps will be added to the plan as you go.
  3. How do I "explore the mansion"?
    1. Just make your way around and visit all the rooms.
    2. READ THE MAP if you're lost.
    3. A couple of the doors are blocked, but you can worm your way through if you drop anything bulky.
    4. The lantern is, unfortunately, bulky.
  4. How do I "find evidence of the ghost"?
    1. This should happen naturally as you're exploring the map.
    2. Make sure you've gone through the dark part in the northwest (the Dining Room, the Kitchen, and the Huge Room).
  5. How do I "unjam the doors"?
    1. Two doors are jammed: the one between the Sitting Room and the Dining Room, and the one between the Sunroom and the Huge Room.
    2. The blockage is in the Dining Room and the Huge Room.
    3. You need light to see it.
    4. Once you have light, just MOVE THE FURNITURE or MOVE THE BOXES.
  6. How do I get the lantern into the northwest part of the map?
    1. You can't take it through the blocked doors.
    2. Have you noticed the skylights?
    3. There's one in each corner: the Kitchen, the Sunroom, the Sitting Room, and the Study.
    4. You can climb through any of them with the ladder.
    5. Then you can drop the lantern through the northwest skylight into the Kitchen.
    6. Once you have the lantern in the Kitchen, you can turn on the electricity and never have to worry about light again.
  7. How do I "create a ghost detector"?
    1. This ghost is known for making noise and throwing things around.
    2. Set something up that will make noise when the ghost messes with it.
  8. How do I "use them to track the ghost"?
    1. You can tell where the ghost is by hearing it move past your detectors.
    2. To keep track of its location, you need to set up a detector in each room.
    3. Or at least in the rooms it can access.
  9. Where do I find…
    1. …the gloves?
      1. They're in the wardrobe in the Sitting Room.
      2. You'll need the key.
    2. …the key?
      1. It's in the desk in the Study.
      2. You'll need a source of light.
    3. …the ladder?
      1. It's in the Library.
      2. You can push it between rooms.
      3. PUSH LADDER SOUTH, for example.
  10. How do I set up a ghost detector in…
    1. …the Entrance?
      1. There's a very fancy chandelier.
      2. Just take the tarp off it.
      3. You'll need to use the ladder.
    2. …the Study?
      1. There's a very fancy clock.
      2. It's not ticking any more. But that can change.
      3. Use the key to unlock the clock.
      4. Then open it and push the pendulum.
    3. …the Library?
      1. The ghost seems to like throwing books around.
      2. Take some books, then put them back on the shelves.
    4. …the Sunroom?
      1. Have you examined the mess on the floor?
      2. Have you tried to clean the mess?
      3. You need the gloves.
      4. Hang the chimes on the hook.
      5. You can also use the solution from the Sitting Room, if you prefer.
    5. …the Huge Room?
      1. There's a very fancy piano.
      2. Use the key to unlock the piano.
      3. Open it to reveal the keyboard.
    6. …the Kitchen?
      1. The cabinet doors make a lot of noise when you open them.
      2. Leave them open so they sway around when the ghost comes through.
    7. …the Dining Room?
      1. There's nothing in here that will make noise on its own.
      2. You need to bring in something from elsewhere.
      3. Take the china from the cabinet in the Kitchen.
      4. You'll need the gloves.
    8. …the Sitting Room?
      1. The ghost seems to have torn down the curtains, maybe in an attempt to escape.
      2. Hang something else on the curtain rod.
      3. Namely, the tarp from the Entrance.
      4. You can also use the solution from the Sunroom, if you prefer.
  11. How can I "confine the ghost"?
    1. It will never come into a room where it can see you.
    2. Remember that this ghost is physical.
    3. If you close a door, the ghost can't move through it.
    4. You can use these two facts to herd it into a room.
    5. Once it's confined to a single room, you need to get yourself into that room.
    6. Use the skylights.
    7. Then you need to actually trap it somehow.
    8. One way is to lure it into a container that you can close, like the wardrobe, clock, or cabinets.
    9. If you put something into the container, the ghost will try to mess with it. Then you can close it.
    10. Another way is to throw the tarp over it.
  12. How can I complete the seventh task?
    1. Now you know what the ghost is.
    2. First, let it out of the container, if you trapped it in there.
    3. What do those sorts of creatures like?
    4. There's a laser pointer attached to your lantern that you can shine.
    5. You can also throw the tarp over it again.
  13. All the tasks are complete. What now?
    1. It's time to leave.
    2. The front door is south from the Entrance.
  14. What are some interesting facts about this game?
    1. The "teenager investigates a spooky mystery" part was inspired by fond memories of Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys books.
    2. The layout of the manor itself comes from the board game Clue (or Cluedo if you're British). Doctor Black is the murder victim in the British version. The skylights to the roof stand in for the secret passages.
    3. The final reveal is because I like cats, and I thought it would be fun to combine "it was actually just a cat" and "it was a real ghost" by having it be the real ghost of a cat.
    4. The chimes are F-sharp and B as a tiny nod to Hadean Lands.
    5. The jammed doors are a reference to a venerable old text adventure puzzle, getting a light source around a passage that limits your inventory.