I am playing The Watchmaker game and have been okay till now. I am asked to get a bottle of wine from the cellar but the character won't do it. He is supposed to mention that it looks like someone had been there before him, but all he says is that the shelves are well stocked. I checked to see if I missed something but all I can find is he wants some acid but hasn't got a comtainer. I am at a loss can you please help?

Check this out and see if it might help you.

I may be wrong but unfortunately they seemed to answer all but the wine thing. Guess I will have to start all over to see if I missed something. Phooey! thanks for your help.

I wish you didn't have to start over. I would take a close look at MaG's walkthrough to see what you might have missed.

Okay let you know how I get on.

I hope it goes well.

Um I'm afraid I am still very much stuck. I have re started this game four times now and feeling a right idiot! I think I know what is wrong but have no idea how to fix it. I have followed Mag's walkthrough to the letter. Not deviating in any way as I usually do. The first thing is when the greenhouse has a hole blown through it, he has to go into the greenhouse, notice a hole the other side of the greenhouse,then out to the garden at the back noting a statue and a fountain, Check. Then he goes outside to the second hole and is supposed to note that the gardener's house, which is close by seems to be the likely direction for whatever it was to have come from,but the house shows no damage. I cannot get him to say anything but what caused this explosion? Any idea what I may have missed cos for the life of me I cannot see it!

There is a YouTube walkthrough here. It is in a different language, but there are English subtitles. Maybe watching that would help you out?

It's been about 14 years since I played Watchmaker, but what I do remember is that you cannot follow a walkthrough step by step throughout the game. If something described in the walkthrough isn't available to do, skip it and go on to the next thing, and eventually it will come available. I don't know if the game was designed to deliberately force you to do things in a different order each time you play, or whether it's a bug that eventually works itself out. If it's a bug, it may be worse on faster computers or those with multiple processors.

If you need saves, there are some at
http://www.nicouzouf.com/?page=list&alpha=t

unfortunately alphabetized under T for "The"

That's very helpful information, Jenny. Thank you.

Belive it or not I am still on this game I have re started many many times but still don't seem to do the right things to trigger the chessboard on the wall of the Mausoleum. I have played this game following the walkthrough to the letter also by doing my own thing just talking to the people and taking the things I need but I am always stuck at the Mausoleum. Does anyone who's ever played this game remember what the trigger is to open the marble chessboard? please? It is obvious I am seriously missing something? The walkthough says that The female character should go to the old wing and do things while there one of which is looking at a painting of a young girl holding chess peices I have done that thought that was the trigger as the girl is the person in the Mausoleum and left the unfinished chess game on the wall. No such luck for me. There is a clock that needs the things revealed behiind the chessbord to activate that next bit. Also before that I should see another hole through the greenhouse after the expolsion, seeming to come from the gardener's house yet there is no damage on the house walls? No one says anything about the gardener's house is it there I am missing something? Would that affect the chessboard thing? I really hate not to finish a game but this one is driving me dotty! Please help!

Have you looked close/clicked at the clue for the large chessboard puzzle?
The clue is a chessboard at side of the mausoleum before you enter the mausoleum.

Yes I have looked close and the character just says what they did when they first saw the chessboard. That is is a painting of an unfinished chess game and is signed Anna. I looked close using both chacters even though walkthrough states it should be male I have reached the Mausoleum yet again everything done to the letter. Character in old wing says that the painting is of a young girl with three chess pieces, must be Anna. No mention of the actual pieces.eg. black rook and pawn and white knight. The chessboard inside Mausoleum is just the same the character says the same things as when they first went in about it being made out of one piece of marble also that you can click on the squares. I tried to put in the three missing peices just as it stood but of course nothing happens.

After seeing - clicking:
- the picture of the girl holding the chess pieces
- the chessboard on the wall of the mausoleum
-------Did you right click on the chessboard inside the mausoleum to get access to the squares? You must press three squares in the correct position, and the correct sequence.

Lozza -

I also wrote a walkthrough, trying to cover the areas that were non-linear.
Ckeck it out, and go to the section called The Castle's Old Wing;
it might help you figure out what you could have skipped.

Are you playing this part as Darrel? I think it makes a difference.

I hope you can get past this point. Between MaG and me, we will try our best to help. Keep us posted.

Ed. MaG made a point - right clicking on the chessboard is important.

Thanks for your help, Tally Ho.

Okay I managed to get the inside chessboard to open. I had miscounted the squares. Now I have managed to get both characters in the clocktower and niether will pass the door. Walkthrough says to pull door bolt. Where is it please? All I managed to find was a hole in a nearby column. Where oh where is it pleeeese? thank you for you help I at least got past one obstcle now I have done it I think!

Have you looked around at clock tower - catacombs - crypt and then chapel?

I am sticking to the walkthrough even changing characters to the letter. I did not really look around as walkthrough does not say to do so. I noticed there is a staircase leading upwards but did not go there. Should I have? I did eventually get out of the door by aiming at the door hinge that said "stairs" when clicked. I clicked and Darell walked right through the door? I then went to the grenhouse and found the body of the gardner. managed to get out of sand trap after a few goes. Thing is now,Darell has to go into the Nauturium area to be acosted by Greta. I have gone to the Nauturium but no Greta I don't really want to go back through the sand trap again, but will if it will help me to move on. What could I have not done this time? Should I have gone upstairs in the catacombs and tower,looked around etc? I picked up bronze ring,removed the broken disc. went down to catacombs looked at altar, moved cups noticed bracelet/armband?

One walkthrough did state to check those places = clock tower - catacombs - crypt and then out from chapel.

I mentioned this in an older thread: I think that an action with Greta and the cook must have been missed. It might be the scolding of or the waking of the chef while he was drunk.

I understand what you are saying, I hope. After the sand trap Darell has to dust hmself down wipe his mouth the go to the Nauturium to be met by Greta blaming him for the drunken state of the chef also about the tea for Madam as she likes it at a certain time. I have to put blood on the rose and so on. When Darell enters the Nauturium in my game he is not met by anyone. I have walked all round the castle and no one is around except the superviser's wife who is in the gym? The tea tray set with the rose for madam is a trigger for the next part that then allows Victoria, in the old wing, to use a gold coin on the scales etc. Is there anything else you can think of I may have missed before the sand trap. I have since gone back and looked at the room above the crypt, then out but not the catacombs just the panel in the wall that lets you into the altar and such like. I will go back and look at the catacombs and see if that makes a difference. I am so sorry to make a nusiance of myself you must be really fed up with me. I just want to finish this game.

I have trawled the castle looking for Greta and in one of the rooms I found the cook but Darell says he will leave it to him. So I have no idea what I could have missed.

Lozza,

I sent you a saved game from an old mail I kept.
This is behind greenhouse before Greta's scolding.
Play through and see Greta.
Instructions are in mail.

--------
BTW. A gamer told me that she also had problems doing this part. She replayed and followed the walkthrough - checking if her time is the same as the walkthrough. If they are different - she knew she missed a step or two and replayed from the last compatible time. That way - she crosschecked her gameplay.

Thankyou for that,I had a feeling it may be the time. Since the first game I have not had the time shown. I think I have got this far because I have not strayed from the walkthrough, until the crypt as I just could not get through the door. I have never been able to get saves to work. Although I have used a computer for many years now,I am not very computer minded, just the basics really. I will really try though and also maybe go back to the crypt and get Victoria to get him out by using the telephone. Then he can continue on faster, you think I will be able to do it that way? Will let you know the outcome. Watch this space. Thank you all for helping me I have a good feeling that I may just finish this game! (fingers crossed).