textfiles/adventure/countdwn.sol

COUNTDOWN

 1 General, Sanctuary
 2 Mason, McBain, Lisa, Rachel,
    Fontaine, HQ, Carlos,
    Golden Desire, Buzz
 3 Scorpio, Lisa, Jack, Colosseum,
    Orient Express, Gina, Endgame


 COUNTDOWN
   Part 1

 GENERAL

 In COUNTDOWN, you are a secret agent working for the CIA, one of the good guys.
Unfortunately, that's about all you know when the game begins. You see, you're
in this prison/hospital known as the "Sanctuary." You've been hit hard on the
head, and although not much damage has been done, you are suffering from
amnesia. Worse yet, you've been scheduled for a lobotomy in the morning. Your
job...well, okay, _our_ job is to escape from the Sanctuary, regain your
identity, and get even with the person who struck you. (Be prepared to take on
something much bigger and more sinister.)

 Mostly, the puzzles in this game involve searching a series of rooms. You will
be MOVEing, OPENing, and GETting various items, as well as USEing them. The game
does not give clues to indicate which items need to be manipulated. You must be
very thorough and persistent to win. This walkthru, therefore, consists mainly
of all the actions that need to be accomplished, but very little explanation.

 A lot of the important objects in COUNTDOWN are depicted with so little detail
that it's often difficult to recognize them for what they are. In this walkthru,
I'll try to describe the onscreen locations of the objects. If you have
difficulty finding an item to MOVE or OPEN, try moving the cursor around likely
places until you find it.

 TALKing to the various characters can be a real pain. Several of them will not
answer your questions or will even kill you if you do not APPROACH them in just
the right way. The walkthru will provide the right conversation sequences
whenever necessary. If such a sequence is not given, then you are safe to use
either the HELP or PLEASANT approach. After the correct approach has been made,
be sure to ASK ABOUT everything available on the list. This is not only
necessary to solve the game, but it is vital in understanding the story.

 And what a story! This game has an excellent plot. When I was playing the game,
I had more fun watching the story unfold than solving the puzzles. In the
walkthru, I will intentionally leave out most of the plot. I want you to get the
help you need with the puzzles and still be able to unravel for yourself the
engaging story contained in this game.

 SANCTUARY

 You are locked in your room in the Sanctuary. The first order of business is to
get out of the room and explore the rest of the territory. LOOK CHART. Wow! What
a great animated sequence. This is one of several flashback sequences in the
game. It's a clever way to show how your memory is returning, Hollywood style.
GET CUP and GET KEY (a glint under the bed). USE CUP on BUG (flying around on
the right near the window). TALK to GUARD who appears outside your door
periodically. You can try HELP and PLEASANT, and ASK ABOUT everything listed.
OFFER BUG to the guard. LEAVE the conversation. Wait until the food arrives. GET
KNIFE (to the right of the food tray). Use the mouse or the arrow key to walk
your character close to the window. USE KNIFE on WINDOW to cut open the security
screen. GO TO WINDOW.

 You are out on the ledge just outside your window. You will have to find
something fast to take your place in the room so that the guard will not get
suspicious. MOVE and OPEN the second WINDOW to the right. GO TO WINDOW. You are
in an empty room. From this point on, each time you are ready to leave a room,
be sure to save your game. There are guards patrolling throughout the Sanctuary.
If they see you, you'll be recaptured, and that's the end of the game.

 They are very punctual in their rounds. Each time you leave a room, note the
time as indicated at the top right of the screen. If you should run into a
guard, restore the game, and this time, wait a few extra seconds before leaving,
or move in the opposite direction, and you should be able to avoid capture. It
can be quite frustrating, but unfortunately, it's part of the game.

 Okay, let's pick up where we left off. You're still in the empty room. OPEN
DOOR. GO TO DOOR. Once outside the room, go east to the intersection, then north
to the end of the hallway. OPEN the DOOR to the north. GO TO DOOR. There is a
CPR dummy here. GET CPR DUMMY. OPEN DOOR. GO TO DOOR. (Don't forget to save your
game first. This is the last reminder.) Move east and south to the intersection.
Go west and GO TO the first DOOR on the south. You're back in the empty room
again. GO TO WINDOW to get back out on the ledge, move two windows to the left,
and GO TO WINDOW. You're now back in your own room. USE CPR DUMMY on BED. Whew!
Now, at least, you won't have to worry about the guard checking up on you.

 Go out the window and return to that empty room again. OPEN DOOR. GO TO DOOR.
Right across the hall from you is an open door. GO TO DOOR. This is a closet.
GET SCISSORS (hanging on the side of a shelf above a mop). GET BLANKET (second
shelf from the bottom to your left). GO TO DOOR.

 Go east to the intersection. There's a door to the east. OPEN DOOR. GO TO DOOR.
You find a naked man locked behind a viewing window. There's an intercom to the
right of the window. TALK INTERCOM. You need to use three different sequences:
PLEASANT PLEASANT; PLEASANT HELP PLEASANT; HELP PLEASANT PLEASANT. Then, OFFER
BLANKET. ASK ABOUT everything. LEAVE the conversation. You get quite a bit of
information and also a possible way of escape. Now, if you can just find this
Barney guy that he told you about.

 OPEN DOOR. GO TO DOOR. Go north to the end of the hall, then go west. You see
stairs going up and down, and a hallway leading south. Take the southern hallway
until you see the third door to the west. OPEN DOOR. GO TO DOOR. Hm, the
initials "B. S." are carved on the wall. This must be Barney's room. MOVE
PILLOW, GET KEY (under pillow), MOVE PICTURE, and LOOK at WRITING (behind
picture). Aha, a clue to the escape route! OPEN DOOR. GO TO DOOR.

 Go north and take the stairs going up. Go south, then follow the hallway to the
east. OPEN the first DOOR to the north. GO TO DOOR. Apparently, this is a
changing room. There are several lockers here. USE KEY on LOCKER (the third one
from the right) and GET BAG. You found a little money in the locker. MOVE TOWEL
(the one on the bench) and GET KEY (under the towel). USE KEY on LOCKER (the
fifth one from the right) and GET BOOTS. Before you go, LOOK at BLOOD (on the
floor near the dumpster) to see another flashback. OPEN DOOR (the one to the
north). GO TO DOOR.

 Go west and follow the hallway going south. OPEN the first DOOR to the east. GO
TO DOOR. This is a supply room and it is very dark in here. There's a magazine
on the second shelf against the wall. OPEN MAGAZINE. You learn that this
building was originally a monastery, and there is an underground catacomb. GET
CROWBAR (sticking out of a drawer on the right side of the screen). USE CROWBAR
on BOX (above the short file cabinet on the left side of the screen). GET HOOK.
OPEN DOOR. GO TO DOOR.

 Go north and take the stairs going down. Go downstairs one more time. Follow
the long hallway going south, then turn east, and go all the way to the
southeast corner of the floor. Along the eastern wall there are four doors --
each leads to an operating room. OPEN the second DOOR from the south. GO TO
DOOR. There is a box on the floor. OPEN BOX and GET FLASHLIGHT. OPEN DOOR. GO TO
DOOR. Go north until you see the fourth door. OPEN DOOR. GO TO DOOR. There is a
dart board on the wall with a scalpel. GET SCALPEL. OPEN DOOR. GO TO DOOR.

 Go west toward the stairs and take the south hallway just before the stairs.
OPEN the first DOOR to the west. GO TO DOOR. This is the evil doctor's office,
and he is sitting in his chair, taking a nap with a wine bottle in his hands.
Nice guy! LOOK at NEWSPAPER (on the floor).

 Learn about the upcoming presidential election and a terrorist group called
Black December. I told you you'd be up against something very sinister, didn't
I? OPEN DRAWER (the second drawer of the file cabinet to the left). LOOK at
DRAWER to get some information about Jack Quinn. GET KEY RING (from the doctor's
desk). MOVE PAINTING (in the middle of the screen). LOOK at WRITING (behind
painting). A safe combination? So is there a safe around here? MOVE BOOKS
(second shelf of the bookshelf). Aha, a safe! OPEN SAFE and GET MONEY.

 Now, it's time to grill the doctor to get some vital information. Specifically,
you must find out who was standing next to him in your first flashback;
otherwise, you will not be able to leave the Sanctuary. USE SCALPEL on DOCTOR.
PLEASANT PLEASANT HASSLE HASSLE. ASK ABOUT everything. LEAVE the conversation.
You have done all you need to do in the Sanctuary. It's time to escape. OPEN
DOOR. GO TO DOOR.

 Go north and take the stairs going down. This must be the basement of the
Sanctuary. There's only a single door here and it's locked. It's a good thing
that you found the key in Barney's room. USE KEY on DOOR. GO TO DOOR. You find
yourself in another dark room where you can barely make out a furnace. LOOK
carefully near the middle of the screen. There is a phone box here. OPEN PHONE
BOX and USE SCISSORS on PHONE BOX. You have to cut the communication between the
Sanctuary and the outside world; otherwise, you'll be recaptured once you
escape.

 MOVE COAL (near right center screen). GET PICK (it appears after you move the
coal). LOOK at the hole just above the initials "B. S." Walk as close to the
hole as possible. USE PICK on HOLE, then GO TO HOLE.

 You're in a small maze, the underground catacomb mentioned in the magazine. The
maze is not too complex but you may want to map it. Giving directions is very
difficult, but here goes. Take the first possible east corridor. There's a short
jog to the south, after which take the first east corridor again. You come
across a pool of water, then the corridor turns south. Turn east again as soon
as you can. Follow this trail, which will lead you to a casket. Go east from the
casket until you reach an intersection. Turn south and go as far as you can,
making no other turns. At the end of this, jog west, then south. Here you should
see another passage leading south just to the right of you, with a heart-shaped
pool in it. Take that passage and follow it all the way to the exit. GO TO
DOORWAY.

 You are now in a wine cellar and there's a dead body here. Could this be
Barney? GET RAG (on the floor near the wine rack) and USE RAG on PLAQUE (to the
right of the wine rack). So, there is a secret door here? Now, how do you know
which four bottles to move? MOVE CRATE (on the floor to the left of the wine
rack). A second plaque! LOOK at second PLAQUE. So, the monastery was founded in
the year MCDXXXIII. That translates to 1433. That's the clue to the wine
bottles. Always counting from the left, MOVE the first BOTTLE on the top shelf,
MOVE the fourth BOTTLE on the second shelf, MOVE the third BOTTLE on the third
shelf, and MOVE the third BOTTLE on the bottom shelf. Voila! A secret door
appears on the right side of the screen! Just one more thing to do before we
leave: USE CROWBAR on CRATE (the one in front of the dead body). GET WINE. GO TO
DOORWAY (right of screen).

 Boy, is it dark out here. You can hardly see anything. LOOK at WALL (center of
screen and slightly above you). There are some notches on the wall. Walk as
close to the wall as you can, and USE BOOTS on WALL. Move the cursor to the top
of the screen above your character, and click it to make your character climb up
the wall. Continue until you are near the top and can move no farther. USE HOOK
on TOP. Okay, you have climbed the cliff and are now outside the Sanctuary.
There are two cars here. How considerate of them to provide you with a getaway
vehicle. LOOK at CAR (the one on the left) to experience another flashback. USE
KEYS on CAR DOOR. Finally, the great escape is successful, and you're on your
way!


 COUNTDOWN
   Part 2

 MASON'S APARTMENT

 From the destination menu, select Mason's apartment by train. LOOK at PHOTO (on
the floor, center of screen). That's a nice picture of Lisa Loomis, a fellow CIA
agent and your girl friend. LOOK at WORK (on the desk) to learn more about Black
December and a new character, Stormbringer. GET BATTERY (on top of the
television). MOVE the left PILLOW and GET KEY (under pillow). MOVE the FLOWER
POT (on top of the ice box). GET CAD (Computer Access Device). GET CRACKER (on
the kitchen table). USE KEY on CAGE DOOR (the bird cage in the kitchen, right
side of screen).

 As soon as the cage door is opened, the parrot flies out and starts to insult
you. Getting upstaged by a bird...this is a new low for you. LOOK at BIRD. It's
carrying a key! USE CRACKER on BIRD. You may not have noticed it, but the bird
just dropped the key on the kitchen counter. GET KEY and USE KEY on DRAWER (top
right drawer of the desk). LOOK at DRAWER and you see the word DOLPHIN. This is
the password you need to use the CAD. USE CAD and type in the password
"Dolphin."

 Choose Research and select everything on the list to get more of the story.
When done, EXIT out of the CAD menu. You can also open the ice box for a point.
Later, after you've found some explosives, you can come back and blow up the
bird for 10 points more. Now, what does that tell you about COUNTDOWN's author?
Oh well, different strokes, and all that. For now, OPEN DOOR, GO TO DOOR, and
leave.

 When you get back to the travel menu, you will be informed that you have E-mail
waiting. Select USE CAD SYSTEM and READ the E-mail. When you are finished,
select McBain's apartment as the destination.

 MCBAIN'S APARTMENT

 GET KEY (on the floor, near the window, next to the chair). LOOK at STATUE and
MOVE SHIELD (on the statue). A keybox appears on the statue as soon as you move
the shield. USE KEY on KEYBOX. The fireplace moves up and a fancy computer
station is revealed. MOVE SWITCH (on the computer). LOOK at COMPUTER.
Interesting. McBain had information about Black December's possible strike
points and the code-name of the operation: Thunderbolt.

 LOOK at EXPLOSIVES (right bottom shelf of the computer) and GET EXPLOSIVES.
LOOK at the NOTEPAD (on the desk) and GET NOTEPAD. LOOK at BOX (second shelf on
the bookshelf) and GET BOX. You get more money and a passport that will allow
you to travel to other countries. MOVE SHELF (the entire bookshelf) and you find
a safe! LOOK at SAFE. This is one elaborate safe that even Alexander Monday
would have trouble opening. Well, we can always do it the hard way. USE
EXPLOSIVE on SAFE. (Note: The explosives have a 10-second delay, so be patient.)

 LOOK at BOX (in the safe). It contains a dossier on Iraqi agents in Israel. USE
CAD on NOT, then ANALYZE NOTE. ENHANCE. I need to point out something very
important here. Do _not_ use the mouse to click the CAD "+" button to enhance.
Instead, tap the "+" key on your keyboard slowly until the hidden writing is
clearly legible. Make sure you do it this way anytime you use the CAD to enhance
anything.

 Once the handwriting is clearly readable, read the message, and exit the CAD
without changing the enhancement. The message is to Rachel Akure to set up a
meeting. Perhaps it will be to your benefit to go pay her a visit. One last
thing before we leave here: LOOK at WINDOW and get another flashback. (Isn't
that great? I never tire of watching these nifty animations.) GO TO DOOR. Before
we visit Rachel in Jerusalem, let's go see Lisa Loomis, who is nearby in
Istanbul.

 LISA LOOMIS

 Use any approach you like with her, then ASK ABOUT everything possible. This
should move the story along nicely, and she's nice to look at, too, isn't she?
LEAVE the conversation. Select USE CAD. Research on any new names that you
picked up. EXIT CAD. Choose Rachel Akure as your next destination and go by
plane.

 RACHEL AKURE

 Rachel is another pretty lady, but deadly. She does not seem to be very fond of
you. OFFER the DOSSIER to get her to answer your questions. ASK ABOUT everything
possible. OFFER her $500 to get a hypodermic dart filled with sodium thiopental
(truth serum). That's about all you can do with Rachel. LEAVE the conversation.
Your next destination is Cairo, Egypt. It's time to pay Fontaine a visit to find
out why he asked the evil doctor to "take care of you." By all means, take a
plane.

 FONTAINE

 Once you reach this location, OPEN DUMPSTER and GO TO DUMPSTER. If you don't,
Fontaine will shoot you on sight! Stay in the dumpster and wait until the hitman
stops right in front of it. Now, quickly, USE DART on HITMAN. TALK to HITMAN.
Fontaine is under the influence of the truth serum and will answer all your
questions. So, ASK ABOUT everything. When you ask him about Black December, he
will give you the location of their headquarters. LEAVE the conversation and GO
TO STREET (left edge of the screen). Your next destination is Black December's
headquarters in Athens, Greece. Go ahead and splurge; take a plane.

 HEADQUARTERS

 Be sure to save the game first because this series of moves requires timing.
Notice that the corridor on the right side of the screen leads back to a door.
There is a disassembled catapult near the center of the screen. A guard comes
out of the door regularly to make patrol rounds. You are safe as long as you
stay near the catapult.

 There is a big rock about halfway down that corridor. Get a fix on the location
of the rock. Have you gotten all that? This is what we have to do. First, wait
until the guard has made his round and is walking back towards the door. Move as
quickly as you can to the rock. GET ROCK. You have to be right next to it to be
able to get it. Now, make your way back to the catapult. GET CATAPULT ARM (left
of screen). USE CATAPULT ARM on CATAPULT. MOVE LEVER (there is a black lever on
the catapult, to the left). USE ROCK on CATAPULT. The catapult is now set to
fire. Select MOVE, put the cursor on the black lever, and click once so that you
only need to click the mouse one more time to activate it. Wait until the guard
comes out of the door and walks to where the big rock used to be. Click the
mouse to move the lever which flings the rock at the guard. That is one squashed
guard! Satisfying, no? Save the game again.

 OPEN DOOR. Note the time indicated at the top right of the screen. GO TO DOOR.
There is another guard here. When you enter the door, you need to catch him
walking to the right, with his back toward you. Use your saved game until you
get the timing right. Once you are safely inside, move to the right, and enter
the room where you see a hostage sitting, and hide behind the wall. The guard
will move up beyond the top of the screen, then return, and start walking to the
left. As soon as he makes his move to the left, dash up to the top the screen,
and enter the room to the right where there is a safe.

 Don't bother with the safe for now, just hide behind the wall. See that monitor
near the center of the screen? Select USE EXPLOSIVES, move the cursor to the
monitor, and click once. Wait until you see the guard again. As soon as he
reappears, click one more time to activate the explosives. Ten seconds later,
just as the guard is standing right next to it, the monitor blows up, and takes
the guard with it. Neat! Now, you have plenty of time to do what you need to do.

 Go back and TALK to the HOSTAGE. He is more than happy to answer your
questions. ASK ABOUT THUNDERBOLT and learn about Jackal. ASK ABOUT BLACK
DECEMBER and obtain a photo from the hostage. LEAVE the conversation. USE CAD to
ANALYZE the PHOTO. Enhance it to the maximum size, and look at the tattoo on the
arm of the man on the right side of the photo. Exit the ANALYZE option and
RESEARCH JACKAL to get the name of his control agent: Carlos Ramirez. RESEARCH
CARLOS. TRAVEL. Take a plane to visit Carlos in Barcelona, Spain.

 CARLOS RAMIREZ

 OFFER $300 to Carlos to get a lockpick. You will need it to open the safe in
Black December's headquarters. You also need to get some information from
Carlos. BLUFF BLUFF PLEASANT PLEASANT. OFFER WINE. ASK ABOUT everything, and, in
particular, JACKAL and SCORPIO. Carlos will tell you about Scorpio's girl
friend, Golden Desire. Be sure to ASK ABOUT GOLDEN DESIRE as well. LEAVE the
conversation, and return to Black December's headquarters. We have a safe to
open.

 BLACK DECEMBER'S HEADQUARTERS (SECOND TIME)

 This time there are no guards to hassle you. GO TO DOOR. Go right and up until
you see the safe. USE LOCK PICK on SAFE and GET NOTE. USE CAD to ANALYZE NOTE
and ENHANCE NOTE. This is the bomb disarming instruction which may just come in
handy later in the game. Perhaps you should write it down. TRAVEL. Let's take a
plane to pay a visit to Golden Desire in Venice, Italy.

 GOLDEN DESIRE

 TALK to BARTENDER. It's obvious what this guy wants. OFFER him $500, then ASK
ABOUT SCORPIO and GOLDEN DESIRE. LEAVE the conversaton. GO TO DOORWAY on right
side of screen. With the help of the bartender, you now see Golden Desire
sitting there waiting to talk to you. TALK to WOMAN. ASK ABOUT SCORPIO and
JACKAL. LEAVE the conversation.

 There's a blackjack machine here. You can play if you want, although you have
plenty of money to finish the game. Do keep track of the time if you really want
to gamble. There is a doorway here leading to the dressing room of Golden
Desire. There is also a big bodyguard standing right in front of it. Be patient.
If you wait long enough, the bodyguard will leave. After the bodyguard leaves,
make sure that Golden Desire is either dancing on stage or still sitting in the
chair. GO TO DOORWAY.

 You are now in her dressing room. OPEN BOX (on the floor). It is a make-up kit.
GET BOX. LOOK at ASHTRAY (on the table). LOOK at JEWELRY BOX (left side of
table). GET KEY (on top of the door on the left of the screen). USE KEY on
JEWELRY BOX, GET KEY (from jewelry box), and USE KEY on right top DRAWER of the
table. GET STATIONARY (in the drawer). USE CAD to ANALYZE STATIONARY. Here you
learn that Scorpio is not dead, and he has a Russian friend named Buzz Brezhnev.
RESEARCH BUZZ. EXIT CAD. OPEN DOOR (the left one). GO TO DOOR.

 You are outside the dressing room again. GO TO DOORWAY to the left. TALK to
BARTENDER and ASK ABOUT GOLDEN DESIRE and BUZZ BREZHNEV. The bartender knows
where Buzz lives. LEAVE the conversation. You may return and ask Golden Desire
about Buzz, but it's not necessary. TRAVEL. Go pay Buzz Brezhnev a visit.

 BUZZ BREZHNEV

 OFFER $300 to Buzz for three capsules containing ambobarbital, a knock-out
drug. Then HASSLE HASSLE HELP. ASK ABOUT SCORPIO. Buzz tells you that Scorpio is
right here in Venice. Good. Guess where you'll be going next?


 COUNTDOWN
   Part 3

 SCORPIO

 You finally get to meet Scorpio. At least he is very willing to answer all your
questions. ASK ABOUT everything. He does have a lot to add to the story
developed so far. LEAVE the conversation. You have E-mail waiting again. Select
the CAD function and READ your E-mail. Travel to Rome to see Lisa Loomis.

 LISA LOOMIS (SECOND TIME)

 Lisa tells you that you must go get Hakeem Ababash, a CIA informant. But first,
Jack Quinn wants to see you. LEAVE the conversation. Visit Jack Quinn.

 JACK QUINN

 Not a whole lot to do here except to ASK ABOUT everything. LEAVE the
conversation. Travel to the Colosseum, the meeting place you and Hakeem had set
up.

 COLOSSEUM

 Save the game here. It sure looks like a set-up, doesn't it? You were ambushed,
you find yourself hanging above a hungry tiger, and the rope is getting burned
through by a candle. Notice that the tiger cell is on the right side of the
screen, and there are two doors separating the cell from the main pit area.
There is also a lever on the wall. As soon as the candle burns through the rope
and you fall to the ground, walk inside the tiger cell. MOVE LEVER to close the
doors. You are safe from the tiger for the time being. You may want to save the
game here again.

 Move to the north end of the cell, and when the tiger is walking away from you,
MOVE LEVER to open the doors. Stay inside the cell but close to the door and
wait for the tiger. The tiger will enter the cell through the south door. As it
is entering the door, move out of the cell through the northern door, and MOVE
LEVER quickly to trap the tiger in the cell. GET ROPE, MOVE BONE (left side of
screen), and GET HOOK (behind bone). Walk as close to the window as you can,
then USE ROPE on WINDOW.

 You are inside a torture room and poor Hakeem is hanging here, dead. GET BAG
(near the window). MOVE SACK (middle of the floor), GET POSTCARD (behind sack),
and LOOK at NEWSPAPER (on the table). Hm, the president of the United States is
in Paris. You don't suppose the terrorists' plan has something to do with that,
do you?

 GET BLUEPRINT (on the table) and USE CAD to ANALYZE the POSTCARD. There is a
microdot in the middle of the postcard. ENHANCE the postcard until you can
decode the microdot. So, Jackal is on the Orient Express with a second device,
and the first device is already installed? This whole operation is becoming very
clear now. You must intercept Jackal, and find and disarm the device already
installed. MOVE STONE (just to the left of the knee of the body) and a secret
door appears. OPEN DOOR. GO TO DOOR. You have E-mail waiting again. Choose the
CAD function and READ the E-mail. Good reliable Lisa, always with your interest
and safety at heart. Select Belgrade train station, Yugoslavia by plane. You
have a date with Jackal.

 ORIENT EXPRESS

 LOOK at NEWSPAPER. Move right until you see a telegram on the floor next to an
ashtray, then LOOK at TELEGRAM. So, Jackal is disguised as a priest? GET
TELEGRAM. Move right until you are at the end of the car. GO DOORWAY to enter
the next car. Go to the fourth cabin. OPEN DOOR. GO TO DOOR. Jackal is here and
he is eating a meal. Pretty obvious what you can do here, isn't it? But first,
you must get him out of the room. TALK TO MAN. BLUFF HASSLE HELP. Good, he's
gone now. USE KNOCKOUT CAPSULES on FOOD. GO TO DOORWAY.

 Move right until you get to the end of the car. GO TO DOORWAY to enter the next
car. This is the cargo area. Retrace your steps and return to Jackal's cabin.
Obviously your capsules did their job. GET CLOTHES (the clothes Jackal is
wearing). You are now disguised as a priest. OPEN ATTACHE (on the empty seat).
It is full of money. GET ATTACHE. OPEN the left OVERHEAD COMPARTMENT. GET TOOL.
GO TO DOORWAY.

 Move right to get to the cargo car. GO TO DOORWAY. Once in the cargo car,
continue to go right until you see a flat crate on the floor. USE TOOL on CRATE.
GET EXPLOSIVE. The game will automatically take you to the next scene.

 GINA

 She is the contact Jackal was supposed to meet. BLUFF BLUFF. OFFER ATTACHE to
Gina. LEAVE the conversation. You are getting close. The only thing left to do
is to get to the bomb and disarm it before time runs out.

 ENDGAME

 LOOK at SHAFT (near the center of the machine). There is a gear missing here.
GO TO DOORWAY (left side of screen). Here is a channel where sewage flows
through. If you can just close the big trapdoor and stop the flow, you should be
able to cross the channel. There is also a gear sitting at the corner against
the wall. GET GEAR. GO TO DOORWAY to return to the machine room. USE GEAR on
SHAFT. MOVE SWITCH. Good, the machine is running again. GO DOORWAY. Just as
planned, the machine shuts the trapdoor and cuts off the flow. GO TO CHANNEL. GO
TO LADDER.

 The ladder leads you to a room. There are two doors here. The one on the left
leads to a corridor filled with guards who have been instructed to shoot first
and ask questions later. The door on the right is nailed shut. That should not
be a problem. USE EXPLOSIVES on DOOR (the one on the right). GO TO DOORWAY. In
this room, there is a big elephant statue in the middle. MOVE ELEPHANT. MOVE
STONE (the one that was originally behind the elephant). You have found the
bomb! LOOK at BOMB. You are now looking at a closeup of the bomb. The bomb has a
front panel fastened in place by four screws. USE SCREWDRIVER on SCREW until all
four screws are removed, then save the game quickly.

 Once the panel is removed, you see a 60-second timer counting down to zero. You
also see three dials and three wires. Remember the disarm instructions? I told
you they would come in handy. USE SCREWDRIVER on RED until the notch is at the 6
o'clock position. USE SCREWDRIVER on BLUE until it is at 3 o'clock. USE
SCREWDRIVER on GREEN until it is at 9 o'clock. Now, all you have to do is cut
the three wires in the right sequence. What sequence, you ask? Well, there are
only three possible combinations. Find out for yourself! Okay, okay. USE
WIRECUTTERS on GREEN WIRE. USE WIRECUTTERS on RED WIRE. USE WIRECUTTERS on BLUE
WIRE. Be sure to accomplish all these things before the timer reaches zero.

 Now sit back and enjoy one the longest conclusions I have seen in an adventure
game. And that's a pretty good surprise at the ending, too, wouldn't you say?

 COUNTDOWN is published and distributed by Access Software.

*****DOWNLOADED FROM P-80 SYSTEMS (304) 744-2253