solutions/BastowA.sol

The Secret of Bastow Manor
(A.K.A. The Secret of Bastow Manor 64)
(c) Gameworx Software 1983

  --  The 99% Walkthrough!  --  

1/ General hints
2/ Solution - short list
3/ Solution - long list
4/ Notes


1/ General Hints

The dogs will get you after a limited number of moves, so whenever you are
in the open, be sure to take cover (eg climb the tree) frequently in order
to avoid being attacked.  There are 3 hiding places outside the house, one
of which you must arrange yourself.

There is a secret panel in the study which is not indicated in the text.
In the same study, there is a pencil which cannot be lifted.  I think
'pencil' may be a typographical error for 'panel'.  It makes more sense
that the game should tell you about the panel and that you couldn't lift
it.  This basic problem got me stuck for about 5 years!

The combination to the safe must be entered in one string, not as single
characters (eg, enter ABCD not A [ENTER] B [ENTER] C [ENTER] D [ENTER].

The safe combination is IBDF.  This is worked out by the note in the box
which says 'VI', and then the book in the library.  If you start at F, the
sixth (VI) letter and go right 3, you get to the 9th letter, which is I.
Left 7 takes you back to the  second letter (9-7), which is B, and then
right  2 brings you to D (2+2).  The F at the end is our starting letter,
but I am not sure how we are meant to know that it is used at the end,
other than as a starting point.


2/ Solution - short list

S, Climb tree, Look tree, Break branch, Get branch, Climb tree, N, Look
gate, Get key, Iron, S, Unlock mailbox, Look mailbox, Look mailbox, Get
letter, Get torch, Read letter ("The left is right...or is the right
wrong?"), N, Unlock gate, Open gate, Go gate, S, Drop branch, N, Look shed,
S, N, Get ladder, N, E, E, Drop ladder, Climb ladder, Climb ladder, W, W,
S, S, Move case, Open case, Look case, Get apple, Get branch, Light torch,
Go trap, S, Look pit, Drop branch, S, Open toolbox, Look toolbox, Get
crowbar, W, Pull switch (Anyone know if this was made? Could it be
Thermonuclear Wargames?  If you try to go north in the first screen of that
game, it says that way leads back to Bastow Manor!), E, N, N, Look door,
Remove beam, Open door, Go door, Open clock, Look clock (Don't do this more
than once or you will end up with a multitude of knives!), Drop letter, Get
knife, Drop apple, Cut apple, Get key, Small, S, Go stairs, Open window, Go
stairs, S, Look table, S, Get armour, Wear armour, N, W, Drop crowbar, Get
bucket, Move crate (So much for the armour!), E, N, N, N, Look balcony, E,
Look desk, Read book (right 3, left 7, right 2), W, S, S, Go stairs, S,
Fill bucket, N, Go window, Climb ladder, W, W, W, S, Climb tree, Climb
tree, Drop key, Iron, Look mailbox, Get key, Brass, Climb tree, Climb tree,
N, Go gate, S, S, Go trap, Drop bucket, Get box, Unlock box, Open box, Look
box, Drop key, Brass, Get note, Read note ('VI'), Drop box, Drop note, Get
bucket, Get key, Brass, Go door, S, Unlock door, Open door, Go door, Look
desk, Open drawer, Look drawer, Drop pencil, Get pencil (???), Get bucket,
Press panel (perhaps 'pencil' is a mistake & it should say 'panel'?), Pull
button, E, Go stairs, Go window, Climb ladder, W, W, S, S, Go trap, S, S,
S, Look skeleton, E, Look wall, Go hole, Throw water, Hole, W, N, N, N, Go
door, S, Go stairs, S, Fill bucket, N, Go window, Climb ladder, W, W, S, S,
Go trap, S, S, S, E, (We get to repeat that twice more - fun, hey?), Throw
water, Hole, W, N, N, N, Go door, S, Go stairs, S, Fill bucket, N, Go
window, Climb ladder, W, W, S, S, Go trap, S, S, S, E, Throw water, Hole,
Go hole, Look robot, E, Look chest, Unlock chest, IBDF (all as one entry),
Look chest, Get gold


3/ Solution - long list

S
Climb tree
Look tree
Break branch
Get branch
Climb tree
N
Look gate
Get key
Iron
S
Unlock mailbox
Look mailbox
Look mailbox
Get letter
Get torch
Read letter ("The left is right...or is the right wrong?")
N
Unlock gate
Open gate
Go gate
S
Drop branch
N
Look shed
S
N
Get ladder
N
E
E
Drop ladder
Climb ladder
Climb ladder
W
W
S
S
Move case
Open case
Look case
Get apple
Get branch
Light torch
Go trap
S
Look pit
Drop branch
S
Open toolbox
Look toolbox
Get crowbar
W
Pull switch (Anyone know if this was made? Could it be Thermonuclear
Wargames?  If you try to go north in the first screen of that game, it says
that way leads back to Bastow Manor!)
E
N
N
Look door
Remove beam
Open door
Go door
Open clock
Look clock (Don't do this more than once or you will end up with a
multitude of knives!)
Drop letter
Get knife
Drop apple
Cut apple
Get key
Small
S
Go stairs
Open window
Go stairs
S
Look table
S
Get armour
Wear armour
N
W
Drop crowbar
Get bucket
Move crate (So much for the armour!)
E
N
N
N
Look balcony
E
Look desk
Read book (right 3, left 7, right 2)
W
S
S
Go stairs
S
Fill bucket
N
Go window
Climb ladder
W
W
W
S
Climb tree
Climb tree
Drop key
Iron
Look mailbox
Get key
Brass
Climb tree
Climb tree
N
Go gate
S
S
Go trap
Drop bucket
Get box
Unlock box
Open box
Look box
Drop key
Brass
Get note
Read note ('VI')
Drop box
Drop note
Get bucket
Get key
Brass
Go door
S
Unlock door
Open door
Go door
Look desk
Open drawer
Look drawer
Drop pencil
Get pencil (???)
Get bucket
Press panel (perhaps 'pencil' is a mistake & it should say 'panel'?)
Pull button
E
Go stairs
Go window
Climb ladder
W
W
S
S
Go trap
S
S
S
Look skeleton
E
Look wall
Go hole
Throw water
Hole
W
N
N
N
Go door
S
Go stairs
S
Fill bucket
N
Go window
Climb ladder
W
W
S
S
Go trap
S
S
S
E
(We get to repeat that twice more - fun, hey?)
Throw water
Hole
W
N
N
N
Go door
S
Go stairs
S
Fill bucket
N
Go window
Climb ladder
W
W
S
S
Go trap
S
S
S
E
Throw water
Hole
Go hole
Look robot
E
Look chest
Unlock chest
IBDF (all as one entry)
Look chest
Get gold

Now we must escape with the gold - but I don't know how!  Some bells will
ring & skeleton will chase you.  So far I have tried dropping the armour in
the treasure room (thinking that if it goes in the chest, the weight may
equal that of the gold, and prevent the bells from ringing), closing the
chest (which you can't do), collecting the plank to stop the skeleton
crossing the snake pit (which makes no difference), and trying to get to
the garden so the dogs eat his bones! (which there don't seem to be enough
moves to do).


4/ Notes

I was at a flea market a few weekends ago, and I came across a stack of C64
tapes.  One of them was a Computer Classics title, and on the back was a
list of their other games.  There was a host of titles for the VIC 20,
including "The Secret of Bastow Manor".  Underneath the VIC 20 titles was a
list of C64 titles, which was basically everything from the VIC 20 list but
with '64' added to the end.  Therefore the proper title of the C64 version
of this game is "The Secret of Bastow Manor 64"!

This game was probably the second game I ever played on the C64, and my
brother and I spent ages on it, and got quite far - in fact, it was only
the panel puzzle (see above) that got us stuck.  Since we spent so much
time on this game, our father used to ask us all the time if we had solved
the game.  However, he never remembered the name right, so he always asked
us "Have you solved Bristow Manor yet?"  Of course, this became a running
joke between my brother & me and it still is, so I have had lots of good
memories associated with this game.

I spent several "wilderness years" without a C64, until I stumbled on to
C64 emulation, and managed to transfer Bastow Manor to a disk image. After
that, a couple of people helped me on the way, and therefore deserve much
thanks:

Adam Nelson (Spud) - When I came back to the game, I knew what to do, but I
couldn't manage the 'minimalist' sequence needed to avoid the dogs!  Adam
knew how to set up the ladder & get back to the shed safely.

Stuart George (Dark Fiber) - After getting as far as my brother & me had
been before (further even, by one move - I discovered FILL BUCKET!), DF
told me about the hidden panel, then gave me a few other tips.

Your Name Here - Whoever gets past that %$^%$# skeleton!!

David Williams - My brother, for all his help more than a decade ago, plus
for being impressed and encouraging when I discovered FILL BUCKET.

My Dad - I'm looking forward to telling him I solved "Bristow Manor" ;)

/Andrew Williams.

7th April 1999