Child abuse? I doubt Children's Services would look kindly on keeping a child locked in a basement; even if Robin was physically dangerous, there are hospitals he could have gone to.

Though...that's a good question, now that I think about it. I can see James locking him in the basement because Robin was "possessed", but I've been assuming, like many of the other posters on this thread, that it was Catherine and the doctor who kept Robin alive (telling James he was dead). And the doctor didn't believe in the whole curse thing -- surely he would have put Robin in a hospital, even if that meant doing so without James's knowledge.

Can we assume that Robin was mute? Has anyone ever spent time with a new baby that wouldn't alert everyone within 100 feet that he/she is alive? It's difficult enough to imagine hiding a baby on the second floor of a house with the maid in a room off the kitchen and forbidden to go upstairs. It's crazy to think you could hide a baby from a man who is sleeping in the next room!

I think the baby was kept hidden by Catherine, James and the doctor until Catherine's death. The baby was subsequently moved downstairs into the basement. Either because he had killed his mother, and therefore was too dangerous to keep in his nursery. Or because both Catherine and James were dead, and the doctor thought it easier to keep him someplace that was more secure.

I might say something stupid here, but I was surprised that Michael never mentioned calling the police after he found Robin in the basement, he just said that since then he was a better writer.
I would have called the police straight away, and even if Robin left after Michael ran away, at least they could organize a search!
I wouldn't like to have a cannibal madman wandering in the nearby country...

the shape of 'Robins' head looks very similar to those who suffered encephalitis (sp) as per the Elephant man. Another natural disease which gives an allegory to the animal nature of the curse...

Went back into the game. If you have a save at 5pm on Monday, go out and look in the mail box. There's a notice there from the National Trust telling Michael that if he doesn't vacate the premieses, the police will come and arrest him! Seems Jerry's transaction was not legal.

Carla -- yes it is odd that Michael never contacted the authorities. I wonder why not.

In the weird interpretation category -- does anybody else think that the African tribe's fortunes became WORSE after they supposedly controlled the evil god and confined it to the mask? Is there any chance that the ritual performed by the tribe and by Michael actually strengthened the evil spirit?

I'd certainly wondered how bad things were for the tribe before confining the spirit, if what James witnessed was considered an improvement.

Another thought just occurred to me, saw Becky's information about Jerry's "transaction" being illegal, i.e. his selling of this mansion/estate to Michael, just what was Jerry's PURPOSE in doing so if he did not have the legal right (deed) to do so? Anybody got any thoughts on this or have we covered it already?
Love, Betty Lou :kiss:

I think Jerry didn't realize that the house was being monitored (or lived in!) and somehow managed to get access to the key. He then arranged a "sale" to Michael, with the intent of gradually helping Michael sell the valueable works of art, while Jerry took a 50/50 cut of the profits.

If anything ever went wrong with this pretty picture, I think Jerry was planning to blame everything on Michael.

Having finally finished this game last night, I just want to throw in my two cents...

I think the Dr and Catherine hid the baby (Robin) from James due to his obsession with the "curse". This from the letter found the the locked study drawer. From the letter in the hidden room under the chapel, I got the impression James killed Catherine, but since I have deleted the game, I can't go back to that and regain my first impression of why.

I haven't seen anyone else mention the appearance of John Patterson's name in James' journal on the study desk. In case you are not familiar with him, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tsavo_maneaters will give some insight here. I think this reference fits nicely with the lion's claw and the amulet.

Still not sure of how all the threads tie in together, but will make for more interesting replay down the road as more details are observed.

What an amazing amount of speculation with this game! I wonder if the writers will ever come up and explain things a little?

Winkie

Winkie -- interesting link. You're right -- that's great background info.

Okay, went back in the game and read the letters. Why is it that every time I go back in this game I get creeped out a bit more?

The letter in the desk in the study -- the doctor says: "what we all did two years ago," so the decision to hide Robin away was made by "us all" i.e., James knew that Robin was alive and was in on the decision to hide the family "shame."

The doctor's mention of the "other issue" and James's mention in the letter in the chapel that Catherine was thinking of having him committed as insane -- I think what was happening -- okay, this IS creepy -- is that James wanted to complete the ritual, and to do that you needed the remains of a victim. Okay, who was an obvious victim? Robin. I think James was trying to convince Catherine and the doctor to kill Robin and use him as part of the ritual to control the spirit in the mask, and that's why Catherine and the doctor were certain he had lost his mind. Later in the letter he tells the doctor that he must complete the ritual if James can't, even though it would make the doctor a cold blooded murderer.

I suspect the night of Catherine's death, matters came to a head as James tried to kill Robin. I still don't know who killed Catherine though, or once she was dead, why James didn't simply go ahead and finish his plan to kill Robin and carry out the ritual.

The doctor later expresses regret that he did't believe James and carry out the ritual, as he is beginning to believe that the mask DOES have supernatural powers.

EDIT: Winkie -- the writer has explained things a little! (Not sure we've understood the explanation though.)

Take a look at Rael's posts on pages 5, 7, and 8 of this thread.

Hi all you guys! I am reading now more posts on this wonderful, delicious thread! and enjoying it so much. I just had another thought - I do get a few now and then - If either Robin, James or the doctor had been Catherine's killer, and there is a coffin for Catherine in the crypt then why was Catherine buried in the garden in the ground like that? Except for the purpose of us finding her grave, digging her up and taking one of her teeth, I don't understand this. It would have been just as easy to open her coffin in the crypt and take a tooth.....was its only purpose just to make it harder for us to find her? And it is not as if her death was a big secret from the authorities, since James was being investigated in the death of his wife......so ???
Love, Betty Lou :kiss:

This is a really great game, with lots of story and mystery to it. And very creepy. I know my hair was standing up a few times, especially during the midnight sequences.
I also appreciated that the system requirements were kept low so that I could play it.
I would love more games like this.

Paul

Betty Lou --

Catherine was buried in the "garden" because James and the doctor were trying to hide her death from the authorities. They told everyone else that she was traveling. The only reason the authorities found out is that the maid happened to see the body being buried.

I suppose that once James had to admit she was dead, he acquired a coffin to make it look as though her body were in the crypt, but he didn't bother to dig her back up and put her in it!

He managed to keep the autorities at bay so that he never had to actually produce a body.

Becky, I was thinking that letter in the study was addressed to Catherine, not James. I got the impression James found the letter and made the discovery Robin was still alive. I'm going to have to reload this game and replay sooner than I intended!

And I had seen Rael's posts-would be even more confused without them, I think!

Also, the notes by the typewriter about the events not being supernatural after all or something made me try to find a "reasonable" explaination for this saga. After all, truth is often much stranger than fiction/supernatural!

Winkie