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THE TIME
MACHINE (1981) |
REVIEW
by AtariGrub
Time
travel has always been a favourite subject in science fiction with a variety
of theories banded about as to how it could be achieved. The first ever time
machine was in H.G.Wells 1895 book of the same title. Since then, other time
travel ideas have been realised in TV form such as Doctor Who, Stargate, The
Time Tunnel and also movies including Back to the Future and Terminator. If
you had the opportunity to travel through time, where would you go and when?
Prehistoric earth? Ancient Egypt? The future perhaps? Well in this text adventure
game from Brian Howarth, you get to travel to all these places and more!
You begin the game lost on the foggy moors, searching for the mysterious Dr. Potter from whose house strange lights and sounds have been reported to emanate from. As a journalist for the local newspaper, this is the kind of story that you have been looking for and will hopefully lead to more than the mundane reporting you're used to.
From the onset the problems begin, as you find yourself lost on a foggy moor. Now I'm not sure about anyone else, but I personally find mazes one of the most frustrating parts of any adventure, particularly when you start with no objects to map with! Not only would this put off many new comers to the genre, but also a few adventure game veterans as well!
However,
once through the fog, you'll find yourself at Dr. Potter's house, where the
real puzzle solving can begin! After gaining access to the premises you soon
discover not only Dr. Potter's Time Machine, but also that the man himself needs
rescuing! It's not clear if he has been kidnapped, lost in time or even how
he managed to send back a tape recording of himself asking for help!? Anyway,
its up to you to use the machine to travel through time in order to find the
3 Prisms that are need to fully control the time machine and steer it to the
far future, where Dr. Potter awaits rescue!
The controls for the machine without the prisms are useless and it's a blind journey through time requiring constant exiting and entering from the time machine until you arrive at your desired destination. Locations include prehistoric earth, ancient Egypt, the famous ghost ship 'Mary Celeste' and also the distant future. Occasionally the time machine will stop in the time-warp next to a police box - cue music dumma-de-dum, dumma-de-dum!
The puzzles throughout
the game are fairly easy and logical, but you'll need to jump back and forth
in time to utilise all the objects found in the various locations, before finally
rescuing Dr. Potter from a possible robotic death. It can be frustrating at
the beginning of the adventure trapped in the fog and also repeated use of the
time travel controls for the next random location can be quite annoying. Overall
The Time Machine is certainly nowhere near as good as Level 9's 'Lords of Time',
but is still a reasonable time jaunt none the less.
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"we
are wanderers in the fourth dimension of space and time..."
(6/10) |
GAME
HINTS
Hold down the mouse button and drag cursor across the appropriate Hint or Solution
for help.
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PROBLEM:
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I keep drowning in a quagmire! |
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HINT:
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You need to pull yourself out before you sink. |
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SOLUTION:
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GRAB BUSH |
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PROBLEM:
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How to I find the house in the fog? |
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HINT:
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There are actually only 3 locations in the fog maze. |
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SOLUTION:
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From your beginning location travel NORTH, then WEST and finally SOUTH, where you'll see a house to the north. |
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PROBLEM:
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No one is answering the doorbell… |
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HINT:
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This is because there's no one actually in the house. Try entering 'burglar' style, but remember to wear protection! |
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SOLUTION:
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WEAR GLOVES. SMASH WINDOW. GO WINDOW. |
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PROBLEM:
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How do I get through the hallway door? |
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HINT:
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You'll need the same key that unlocks the study drawer. Make sure you do a thorough search of the study. |
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SOLUTION:
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LOOK PAINTING |
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PROBLEM:
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What can I do with the strange machine? |
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HINT:
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You can enter it and travel through time! |
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SOLUTION:
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GO MACHINE, then PUSH FOR or PUSH REV button. LEAVE MACHINE to venture outside. Note: Until you have all three prisms either button will send you to a random location. |
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PROBLEM:
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What do I do with the Prisms when I find them? |
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HINT:
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You need to return to the time machine through a portal and place them in one of the empty sockets. |
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SOLUTION:
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GO PORTAL. INSERT PRISM. |
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PROBLEM:
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Time-Warp: I see a Police Box! |
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HINT:
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Yes, it's Doctor Who's TARDIS, but he'll be of no help to you. |
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SOLUTION:
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This location has no use, just ENTER PORTAL and carry on with your own time travels! |
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PROBLEM:
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Ancient Egypt: What can I dig up in Egypt? |
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HINT:
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All that you need is already uncovered in this time-zone. |
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SOLUTION:
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However TAKE SHOVEL, as you'll need it in another time location. |
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PROBLEM:
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Ancient Egypt: I see a projecting stone, what use is it? |
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HINT:
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It is a mechanism that will allow you access into the tombs. |
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SOLUTION:
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PUSH STONE to reveal a dark opening. |
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PROBLEM:
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Ancient Egypt: It's dark … I'm scared! |
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HINT:
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Hopefully you remembered to bring the Flashlight with you from Dr Potter's Cellar…. |
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SOLUTION:
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LIGHT FLASHLIGHT. However, remember that the battery is limited so UNLIGHT FLASHLIGHT when you don't need it. |
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PROBLEM:
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Ancient Egypt: I seem to be trapped! |
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HINT:
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PULL LEVER in the Weapon Room to open a doorway two locations north. The doorway doesn't stay open for long however…. |
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SOLUTION:
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After you PULL LEVER use the Rock to WEDGE LEVER. This keeps the door propped open. |
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PROBLEM:
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Ancient Egypt: A snarling dog threatens me! |
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HINT:
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Remember that scene in 'Raiders of the Lost Ark' where Indiana Jones faces the guy with the swords? |
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SOLUTION:
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SHOOT DOG with the pistol you found in Dr Potter's desk drawer. Alternatively you can FEED DOG with the Salty Beef from the Marie Celeste. |
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PROBLEM:
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Marie Celeste: How do I get into the Deckhouse? |
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HINT:
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You'll need a tool to prise open the door. |
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SOLUTION:
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OPEN DOOR while carrying the Crowbar, which can be found in Dr Potter's Study Drawer back in the house. |
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PROBLEM:
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Marie Celeste: Where can the Prism be found in this time zone? |
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HINT:
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It is in a pouch in the highest point of the ship. |
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SOLUTION:
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CLIMB RIGGING to reach the Crows-Nest. |
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PROBLEM:
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Prehistoric: How do I get across the causeway? |
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HINT:
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The Brontosaurus is a harmless vegetarian, but hungry. |
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SOLUTION:
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FEED BRONTO with Salty Biscuits found on the Marie Celeste. |
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PROBLEM:
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Prehistoric: What can I do with the boat? |
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HINT:
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You need to repair it, with three items found in other locations. |
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SOLUTION:
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FIX BOAT with the Torn Sail, Needle & Thread and Rope all found on the Marie Celeste. Use GO BOAT to sail between the causeway and the tiny island. |
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PROBLEM:
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Prehistoric: What can I do on the tiny island? |
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HINT:
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Remember where pirates hide their treasure….? |
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SOLUTION:
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DIG using the Shovel found in Ancient Egypt. |
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PROBLEM:
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I've now found all 3 prisms, what do I do now? |
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HINT:
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You need to insert all the prisms in the empty slots inside the time machine and then travel to the far future. |
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SOLUTION:
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Keep PUSH FOR button a few times. If you find yourself in the time-warp just PUSH REV once and then LEAVE MACHINE to find yourself on a grassy plain. |
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PROBLEM:
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Future: I'm not sure what to do on the grassy plain? |
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HINT:
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You need to open up the Metal Plate to enter an underground chamber. |
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SOLUTION:
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LEVER PLATE with the Crowbar. |
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PROBLEM:
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Future: How do I get past the Robot Guard? |
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HINT:
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The Robot is being powered by the Generator found in the Power Room. |
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SOLUTION:
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Use violence. |
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PROBLEM:
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Future: I'm still stuck on this last problem. |
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HINT:
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You'll need a heavy object to smash the generator. |
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SOLUTION:
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SMASH GENERATOR with the Hammer found in the Marie Celeste cabin chest. |
Alternative Covers:
 |
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FURTHER GAMES
in the series by the same author:
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MYSTERIOUS
ADVENTURES
(Chronological order) |
MYSTERIOUS
ADVENTURES
(Channel 8 Software order) |
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| 1) The Golden Baton 2) The Time Machine 3) Arrow of Death (Part 1) 4) Arrow of Death (Part 2) 5) Escape from Pulsar 7 6) Circus 7) Feasibility Experiment 8) The Wizard of Akyrz 9) Perseus & Andromeda 10) Ten Little Indians 11) Waxworks |
1)
The Golden Baton 2) Arrow of Death - Part 1 3) Arrow of Death - Part 2 4) Escape from Pulsar 7 5) Feasibility Experiment 6) The Time Machine 7) Circus 8) The Wizard of Akyrz 9) Perseus & Andromeda 10) Ten Little Indians 11) Waxworks |
The games above are listed on the left in the original release order and on the right in the Channel 8 Software numbered order.
All these adventures were also available on other computer formats, including graphical versions for the Commodore 64 and ZX Spectrum.
The following adventures
were announced in the mid-eighties, but never released:
12) Mid-Winter
13) After the Fire
14) Beyond the Infinite
The H.G. Wells Society
(Subscription information for the H.G.Wells Society)
hgwellsusa.50megs.com/UK/index.html
Future is your
Destiny
(Read the H.G.Wells 'Time Machine' novel online)
nostalgic.narcissa.org/ttm/
Official BBC Doctor
Who Website
(News, pictures, screensavers and more on the famous Time Lord and his adventures!)
www.bbc.co.uk/cult/doctorwho/
Time Travel
(A guide to the real science behind time travel)
freespace.virgin.net/steve.preston/Time.html
ifiction.org
(Play The Time Machine on-line!)
www.ifiction.org/games/play.phpz?cat=&game=263&mode=html