Whenever you are not in the castle's secret passage, you can use go to [room] commands, e.g. go to my bedroom, instead of specific compass directions. You may be interrupted en route. If so, repeat the go to command until you reach your destination. If someone enters their bedroom while you are in there investigating, apologize to them, then wait for them to leave before continuing. When inside the secret passage, compass directions must be used.
Each variation has three parts: you need to follow a chain of clues to find a hidden treasure; figure out who committed the murders of Deirdre and Jack's uncle Lionel and find incriminating evidence; and discover the identity of the new ghost who looks like Deirdre. You must solve all three parts of the mystery before 7:00 AM.
Beginning
Examine the gate. Press the dragon's eye. You can give any name you like, but it must have three parts, i.e., two internal spaces, such as Lady Jane Smith or Mr. John Brown. If you give a recognized gendered title (Mrs, Ms, Miss, Lady, Dame, Madam(e), Mister, Mr, Lord, Sir, Master), you make your character male or female; entering other words in the first position will result in gender-neutral gameplay, if you like. (Doctor/Dr and Detective are specified in the source code as examples of non-gendered titles, but if the "title" you enter isn't in the game's limited list, it simply sets a flag meaning "player gender not known".) Answer yes to confirm your name.
When asked your favorite color, enter red, yellow, green, or blue to select one of the variations of the story. (If you enter anything else, the game will select one at random.) Answer yes again to confirm, or no if you would like to change to a different color.
Go in. Answer yes. (If you haven't actually read the letter Tamara refers to, it's the one from April 23rd in the game package.) Follow Tamara. You will be greeted by Lord Jack Tresyllian. Follow Tamara again. Wait. Tamara will lead you into the new great hall. You will be addressed by Ian or Iris, whoever is opposite of your own character's gender if any, or by both, Iris then Ian asking her to "belt up," if you're gender-neutral. Answer yes or no, as you please. Dr. Wendish will enter. Again, either yes or no will suffice. Follow Tamara twice more. You will now be in your room.
For Your Amusement:
Enter something silly when asked your favorite color. For best results, pick a plural noun (swords, shoes, leaves) or a noncount noun (space, water, love).
Kiss Jack.
Kiss Iris (if playing as a man) or Ian (if playing as a woman).
The Mystery
Ask Tamara about the ghost. Wait. Bolitho, the butler, will arrive with your luggage and ask if you wish him to unpack for you. Answer yes. Ask Bolitho about the ghost. Answer yes. Wait. Answer yes to his three questions and take note of what he says about the wall mirror. Go north, remove your clothes, and bathe in the tub. Get the aerosol device. (This can be used as a defense against the ghost in the green and blue variations if you decide to catch them in the act. An alternative is to use the wine bottle in the basement.)
Go south and dress for dinner.Examine the wall mirror. Flip the switch. Oho! An entrance to the castle's hidden passage! Go to the dining room. You will be interrupted in the new great hall, so go to the dining room again. Wait until 7:54 (answer yes each time when prompted whether you wish to keep waiting). Take the butler's note from Jack's napkin, read it, and drop it. Sit down. Wait. Eat. Wait. When the bronze bust of Lionel starts speaking, look under the bust. Wait three times while you all listen to the tape recording.
Look under the punchbowl. Read the first clue. The picture is a hint about what the treasure is. Ask [person] for second clue, filling in the name of the person mentioned in the recording (Viven or Jack). Wait until the party retires to the sitting room. Examine the desk. Get the maid's note and read it. (Passing over the awful Cockney stereotype here...) The final paragraph is a hint for finding the murderer. Drop the note.
Here, the stories diverge.
Red Variation
Treasure:
(First clue: King of spades) Read the second clue. This sounds like a reference to Eve in the Garden of Eden, doesn't it? Where might such a scene be found in glass? Go to the chapel. Examine the window and get the third clue.
Read the third clue. A "bower" is a shady, leafy shelter in a wood or garden, so go to the garden. Dig in the ground. Answer yes when prompted to continue searching. Get the fourth clue.
Read the fourth clue. What might you want to have if you were going "into the rain"? Perhaps an umbrella? Drop all the clues. Go to the foyer. Look in the umbrella stand. Get the cane ("Cain", get it?). Examine it. Remove the paint.
Murder:
Go to the master bedroom. Remember what the maid's note said about not being the type who peeks through keyholes? Look through the keyhole. Go east into the first-floor corridor. Examine the crest and remove it. Play the tape. Go back to the master bedroom and wait for Jack to arrive. Accuse Jack.
Ghost:
Go to the drawing room. Remember that the ghost was bending over and looking for something? Search the floor. Answer yes to continue searching. Get the jewel. Go to the master bedroom. Examine the tallboy. Get Deirdre's necklace. Put the jewel in the necklace. Aha! Looks like you have a suspect. Go to your bedroom. (If you have not already opened the secret door, examine the wall mirror and pull the switch.) Go east and north to Iris's entrance to the passage. Wait until 12:40 AM, then wait one more time. Talk to the ghost. (There's no costume hidden in the castle in the red variation.)
For Your Amusement:
Play the tape in the first-floor corridor with Tamara present. (Ask her to follow you, then go there.)
Yellow Variation
Treasure:
(First clue: Polynesian diver with knife) Read the second clue. (This is an abridged quote from the Edgar Allan Poe poem "The Bells".) The word "bells" would rhyme with the first two lines. Where might you find a bell in a castle? Up a bell tower, perhaps? Go to the fighting deck. Examine the bell and get the third clue.
Read the third clue. A "tomb by the sounding sea," huh? (This is a quote from "Annabel Lee" by Edgar Allan Poe.) You need to find a tomb. Go to the kitchen. Get the lantern. Go to the dungeon. Turn on the lantern. Examine the iron maiden. Enter it and it will sink down into a secret tomb. Examine the coffin and get the fourth clue.
Read the fourth clue. "A Cask of Amontillado" (again, like the Edgar Allan Poe story) points to the wine in the cellar. Drop all the clues. Enter the maiden again. Go east to the basement. Remove the loose bricks. Enter the hole to the secret crypt. Examine the skeleton.
Murder:
Go out of the secret crypt to the basement. Go to Tamara's room. Look under the bed. Read the journal. (This isn't that relevant if you've already found the treasure.) Look under the bed again. Examine the receipt. Remember what the maid's note said about a pet shop that sells more than harmless puppies? Find Tamara if she's not already in the room with you, or just wait here until she shows up again. Accuse Tamara.
Ghost:
Go to the drawing room. Search the floor. Answer yes when prompted to continue searching. Get the jewel. Go to Tamara's room. Look in the jewelry case. Get the earring and put the jewel in it. That points to Tamara... but where might she hide the costume? Go to your room. (If you have not already opened the secret door, examine the wall mirror and pull the switch.) Go east and north to Iris's entrance to the passage. Get the costume and examine it. (There's no haunting in the yellow variation.)
For Your Amusement:
Ask Tamara about Iris.
Green Variation
Treasure:
(First clue: Tresyllian castle with moon and cloud of mist) Read the second clue. "An eye that sees not" could be a false eye. Go to the game room. Examine the rhino head. Get the glass eye and drop it. Get the third clue.
Read the third clue. Where might a "hidden end" be? How about in the hidden passage? Go to the kitchen and get the lantern. Go to Wendish's room. Look. Move the sconce. Turn on the lantern. Go north, west, and south to the dead end in the secret passage. Get the fourth clue.
Read the fourth clue. Read the second and third clues again. The "my first," "my second," and "my third" in the clues are referring to the letters of a secret word. The second clue is I, the third is N, the fourth is K – spelling "ink". Drop all the clues. Where could you find ink? Go north, east or west, and south out of the passage. Go to the office. Get the journal and read it. (Annnd we have title! A bit of an odd design choice, though, to have actual "Moonmist" appear in only one of the variations.) Drop the journal. Get the inkwell and examine it.
Ghost:
Go to the new great hall. Search the floor. Answer yes when prompted to keep searching. Get the contact lens. Go to Wendish's room. Examine the medical kit. Get the small plastic box and open it.
To catch the ghost, go to your bedroom. (If you have not already opened the secret door, examine the wall mirror and pull the switch.) Go east and north twice to Wendish's entrance. Wait here until 12:15 AM, then wait once more. Spray the ghost with the device. Take the costume.
Otherwise, just examine the kit again to find the costume.
Murder:
Go to the library. Examine the bookcase. Remember what the maid's note said about how some people talk to themselves on paper? Get the notebook and read it. Go to Wendish's room and wait for him to arrive. Accuse Wendish.
For Your Amusement:
Drink the Moonmist. (save first)
Take Wendish's mustache.
Before revealing Wendish as the ghost, show the notebook to Wendish in his own room, both with and without first examining his medical kit three times and taking the blowgun. (save first)
Blue Variation
Treasure:
(First clue: skeleton in "Chinese mandarin costume"...oo er. Let's assume this means a guān, ok?) Read the second clue. The answers are "song", "maidens", and "wine".
"Song" is right here in the sitting room. Examine the piano. Take the piece of music and read it. Notice that someone has highlighted the word "suit".
For "maidens", go to the drawing room. Examine the tapestry. Notice that someone has highlighted her "arm".
For "wine", go to the kitchen. Take the lantern. Go west. Examine the rack and take the wine. Examine the bottle. Notice that someone has highlighted "our".
To find the next clue, remember "suit" – perhaps a suit of armor? Go to the new great hall. Examine the suit of armour. Look inside it. Take the third clue.
Read the third clue. The solution is to insert "suit", "arm", and "our" in the logical places, yielding "My alarm has no glamour; its 'suite' tones do clamour. Can you find me?" Drop all the clues. A bell has tones that clamour. Go to the fighting deck. Examine the bell. (There is no fourth clue in the blue variation.)
Ghost:
Go to the new great hall. Search the floor. Answer yes to continue searching. Take the contact lens. Go to Vivien's room. Examine the wooden box. Take the small plastic box and open it.
To catch the ghost, go to your bedroom. (If you have not already opened the secret door, examine the wall mirror and pull the switch.) Go east and south to Vivien's entrance. Wait here until 12:10 AM, then wait once more. Spray the ghost with the device. Take the costume.
Otherwise, just search the wooden box again to discover the costume.
Murder:
If you're at Vivien's entrance of the secret passage, go north to her bedroom (she just opened the door for you). Examine the wooden box again. Remember what the maid's note said about how some people talk to themselves on paper? Take the diary and read it. Wait for Vivien to arrive. Accuse Vivien.
For Your Amusement:
Ask Vivien about Tamara.
Drink the bottle of wine.
Before revealing Vivien as the ghost, show the diary to Vivien in her own room, both with and without first examining her art box three times and taking the blowgun. (save first)
For Your Amusement in any version:
Play the piano in the sitting room. Ask other guests to play the piano.
Turn on the computer in the office.
Ring the bell on the fighting deck after dinner, then wait.
Play billiards in the game room.
Read the magazine in the lumber room (especially in the blue variation).
Move the chest in the lumber room, then pull the handle. (This is how the ghost was able to look down on Tamara from above her bed, as described in her letter of April 23.)
Find someone who is already in the room with you.
Pray.
Entrances to the secret passage
Vivien's bedroom - move the figurine
Wendish's bedroom - move the sconce
Ian's bedroom - move the andirons
Library - search the bookcase, then get the history book
Tamara's bedroom - examine the bed, then turn the bedpost
Master bedroom (Jack's bedroom) - move the telescope
Drawing room - look behind the tapestry, then open the secret door
Sitting room - sit on the window seat, then move the wyvern (What wyvern, you say? According to the source code, when you examine the window seat, you were supposed to be told "Like a tiny gargoyle, a carved wyvern projects over each end of the window seat." However, for some reason this repsonse was commented out, and so a command to examine the window seat unhelpfully falls through to the default response of "It looks even lovelier than it sounds in the tourist brochure.")
Additionally, you can exit from the secret passage
in the following places, but not enter unless the door is already standing open from the passage side:
Dining passage - to backstairs
Iris's entrance - to Iris's bedroom
Hyde's entrance - to Hyde's bedroom
Extras
For further entertainment, you may be interested in:
Lists of bugs in Moonmist: Nathan Simpson, Graeme Cree, XyzzyNews
Posts about this game at The Digital Antiquarian, The Adventure Gamer, and SPAG
Source code
Last updated: 6/22/2021