Laura Bow 1: Helpful Hints

Templeton’s Helpful Hints

Interaction with characters:

General hints

Ask/tell the characters about everybody else, including the animals. The more information you obtain the better. Even what seems trivial piece of information may prove to be crucial.

You may also ask/tell about the following pairs, though on some you get meaningful answers only in certain acts:

  • Lillian and Ethel
  • Lillian and Celie
  • Gertie and Clarence
  • Dr. Feels and Clarence
  • Gloria and Clarence
  • Fifi and the Colonel
  • Fifi and Rudy
  • Gloria and Rudy
  • Rudy and Clarence (from Act 3)
  • Fifi and Jeeves (from Act 5)
  • The Colonel and Lillian (from Act 5)

Note:

1) If you ask/tell about other pairs, you won’t get any information, just answers like “I don’t know anything about it”.

2) If you wish to discuss the same topic with the same person again in the same Act, you will get answers like “You have already asked me about it”. You may discuss it again with the same person in the next acts – and you may receive additional information about that topic. The exceptions are:

a. The Croutons are the only topic you can talk about again and again with the same people in the same Act, though the answer you receive won’t change.

b. After finding dead body, you may go and tell about it to other characters, even if you already told them about that person in the current Act, before finding his/her body. However, most characters won’t believe you, and tell you are hallucinating. Only Dr. Feels, Gloria, Rudy and Lillian will go and check if what you told is true – but only with regard to the first victim you told them, and providing the victim is someone they care about (for instance, Rudy and Gloria will go to check on Gertie, but not on Dr. Feels). If you tell someone, who went to see if the victim you told about is really dead, about the same victim or about any other victim – you will get answer like “I am not falling for the same trick twice”. From Act 6, no one will believe you.

With whom there is no point talking at all?

1) Jeeves – whatever you talk with him about, he just tells you to leave him alone.

2) The Colonel – he just answers angrily and impatiently on every topic you bring – “It’s none of your business!”, “Stop pestering/spying on the guests!”, “I don’t want to discuss that with you!”, etc.

Who will talk with me only in certain acts?

1) Celie is the most informative character. She will mostly not answer your questions on Acts 1and 2. On Acts 3, 4 and 5 she will give you valuable information, providing that you found and gave her necklace. However, from Act 6 she’ll refuse to talk with you.

2) Dr. Feels and Gertie will talk freely, though you don’t learn much from them.

3) Gloria will speak with you on Acts 1 and 3. On Act 2, when she is alone in the billiard room, she’ll be too focused on the music to answer, except when you tell her about Gertie. When Clarence is also in the room, she’ll talk freely.

4) Ethel will talk sense only on Act 1 – after that she’ll become too drunk.

5) Fifi is too busy on Act 1 to talk. You can talk with her in the rest of the acts, except when she is sleeping (in Act 3).

6) Clarence will mostly answer in Acts 1 and 2 that “it is none of your business”, whatever topic you talk with him about. In Act 3 he will refuse to talk with you while he is talking with Rudy, and after that he’ll be asleep. In Act 4 he is outside, fighting with Rudy, unavailable for talking. In Act 5 he’ll become informative, and in Act 6 he’ll be too busy to talk.

7) Lillian will talk with you in Acts 1 and 2. In Acts 3 and 7 she will act strangely inside the playhouse. In Act 4 you can talk with her at the study, but when she is in her room she’ll claim to be too tired to speak. In Act 5 she is available to talk when she is in the Colonel’s room. In Act 6 she’ll claim to be too busy to talk.

8) Rudy will talk with you only in Acts 1, 2 and 5.

d. Items which you gain possession of during the game, to show/give/tell/ask about:

  • Valve handle
  • Hanky
  • Crank
  • Cane (from Act 3)
  • Necklace (from Act 3)
  • Cigar butt (from Act 4)
  • Soup bone (only Celie, Acts 1 and 2)

Other items are ignored by the people with whom you speak.

General subjects to ask/tell about:

  • Bible
  • Ghost
  • Sarah
  • Estate
  • The Croutons
  • Dr. Feels’ bag
  • The Colonel’s cigar (only the Colonel, Acts 1 – 3)
  • Treasure (from Act 3)
  • Voodoo (only Celie)

Do I really have to talk with everyone?

Actually, no. In order to finish the game as “super sleuth”, the only fact you need to learn from the other characters is that Rudy has gambling habit. Ask about Rudy whoever is not fond of him (Lillian, Ethel, Celie and Clarence – but not Gertie or Gloria), and they will tell you that. But if you follow that “cheat”, you’ll miss much of the fun in the game – learning about the schemes and plots of the characters, as well as about the Croutons.