1) Alice's Nightmare in Wonderland - Solution

[sylas]

ALICE’S NIGHTMARE IN WONDERLAND SOLUTION 

KEY
A – Agility
L – Logic
I – Insanity
C – Combat
E – Endurance
!! – Enemy has initiative
[ ] – Jump to paragraph

Combat is your most important attribute. The more points you put into it, the easier your adventure will be. The best build is Swashbuckler Alice (put 5 points into Combat and Agility). This solution puts zero points into Combat but the true path remains relatively easy. I recommend using either Skill Monkey Alice (put 5 points into Agility and Logic) or Think Tank Alice (put 5 points into Logic and Endurance). Attribute tests will be assumed successful unless they are not vitally important. 

I have put paragraph numbers at the start of each ‘chapter’ for ease of access if anyone is looking for a quick reference. I have also included hints on play and key points to use Items in possession. I am classing all food items as Provisions. Each restores 4 Endurance.


[1]
Set off in pursuit. Follow. Check the cupboard. Agility test (not vital). Success gets you Scissors (deals 3 damage in combat). Check the dresser. Take 4 Provisions. Ignore pictures. Landing.

[114]
+1I. Think way out. Logic test. Fight one Tick-Tock Man!! C7,E7. Take Golden Key. Open glass box. Take a bite of the cake. +4E. Insanity test. Gain 1 extra use of Curiouser and Curiouser. Take 2 pieces of Curious Cake (+4E,+1C next combat). Drink from bottle. Add Shrinking Potion. Try the doors. Use Golden Key. Go into garden.

[136]
Go left. -1I. Look at the sundial. Logic test. Answer is HOURGLASS [120]. Take Coin. +1L. Approach fountain. Throw in the Coin. Wish for ferocity of a Unicorn. +1C. Drink from the fountain. +8E,+1A,+1C. Go east. Go right into the mist.

[285]
Insanity test. Password: ‘Jabberwocky’ (-50 from paragraph when asked). Puff on the pipe. Enter the palatial house. Go in the tree. If your Agility is 11 or higher, ask about his ability to stand on his head. +1L. If your Agility is below 11, ask about his ability to perform somersaults. Add 2 boxes of Dr Lutwidge’s Ligament Lubricator (automatic pass on Agility test). Note ‘Revelation 236’ and ‘Metamorphosis’. Head for the grand house.

[319]
Enter without knocking. Leave the hall. Open the door halfway down the corridor. Look at the game of chess. Answer is ELEVEN moves [11]. +1L. Agility test (use the Lubricator if you have it). +1I. Don’t use Curiouser and Curiouser. Use Pen Is Mightier. Take Pepper-Grinder (-1C of living creatures, use this in ALL combats where applicable). Leave.

[228]
You have ‘Revelation’ [283]. Play the Cheshire Cat’s game. “We’re all mad here.” “Because it can produce a few notes…” “I haven’t been invited yet.” +1L. Note ‘Bonkers’.

[216]
You have ‘Revelation’ [236]. Look in the house. Keep searching. Take 4 Provisions. Don’t use Pen Is Mightier. Fight Raven Writing-Desk!! C7,E8. Approach the table. Prepare a picnic. Take 4 Provisions. If you don’t have the Scissors, take Bread-Knife (deals 3 damage in combat). Look at the tea tray. Take Tea Tray (-1 damage received in combat, but -1A). Leave.

[6]
Despite the advice you can gain from Raph the Dodo and the Cheshire Cat, there is an even quicker and easier way through the maze. Go north. Go east. Go north. Go west. Step through the mirror. Follow the new path. Go north. Go west. Go west. Go south. Go south.

[76]
Give password. -50 here [63]. ‘Jabberwocky’ [115]. Head into the palace. Eat Provisions and a piece of Curious Cake to full health. Prepare for battle. Fight Automaton!! C10,E10. Unlock the door. Add the Gryphon’s Golden Feather. Don’t use Pen Is Mightier. Fight Ace of Clubs!! C9,E9. Insanity test. Use Pen Is Mightier. Use Gryphon’s Feather. Go beyond the looking-glass. Note ‘Portal 233’.

[145]
Insanity test. Leap over the creatures. Agility test (use Lubricator if you have it). Go left. Run. Explore courtyard for clues. Enter the keep. Logic test. Answer is WHITE KING [106]. Use Pen Is Mightier. [462]. Take Vorpal Sword (+1C, deals 4 damage in combat).

[Portal 233]
You have a Golden Feather. Eat Provisions and a piece of Curious Cake to full health. Use the Vorpal Sword. Fight Vampiress C11,E12.

[125]
Insanity test. Eat Provisions to full health. You have a Golden Feather. Note 1 attack. You don’t have ‘Phantasm’. You have ‘Bonkers’. Note 1 attack. You have ‘Metamorphosis’. Note 1 attack. You’ve made 3 attacks. Fight Jabberwock C9,E12 (Vorpal Sword deals 3 damage here). You are victorious!


NOTES
This Solution does not make a single use of the Curiouser and Curiouser ability, which I deem as a red herring anyway since most of the results are bad for you.

The Tea Tray is one of the most broken items in the adventure as it effectively doubles your Endurance!


Finally, anyone looking for a challenge can apply the following rule to their next game: Gain 4 Insanity points on paragraph 1.

[Thank you!]

Thanks so much for this guide, i think its literally the only one out there! I got stuck in the maze for way too long, going in endless circles, and was about to rage quit for good cuz i was so completely annoyed with it and didnt want to start from scratch only to end up probably getting stuck in the stupid maze again. Anyway, i see this is from two years ago, so not sure if you will see this comment, but seriously thank you so so much!

[philsadler]

Oh God, I remember that maze. I ran around in that on my Kindle for a while before I got utterly pissed off and never played it again.

[misomiso]

Do you have a solution for Wicked Wizard of Oz, and /or Caves of Ice?
ty

[sylas]

Feb 3, 2020 17:36:13 GMT misomiso said:

Do you have a solution for Wicked Wizard of Oz, and /or Caves of Ice?
ty

Wicked Wizard of Oz is much easier in terms of choices and battles. It's quite hard to fail whichever path you take despite not being a cakewalk. Don't worry about the final bad guy's stats either, it's one of the easiest fights in the book. Don't have any solutions though, as it would take a considerable effort to cover all the player characters. Pretty sure all the paths are viable too with some being slightly easier depending on the starting character choice. 
Don't have Caves of Ice nor have I heard of it tbh.

[sylas]

Jan 25, 2020 19:34:02 GMT philsadler said:

Oh God, I remember that maze. I ran around in that on my Kindle for a while before I got utterly pissed off and never played it again.

Oddly enough, the maze is much easier than Warlock of Firetop Mountain as you are given two possible clues to a shorter maze that has identifyable teleport spots. It helps a lot to map too. The irony of the maze is that even combining the two clues, there is still a much shorter and safer way through you can take.

[sylas]

Jan 25, 2020 19:14:16 GMT Thank you! said:

Thanks so much for this guide, i think its literally the only one out there! I got stuck in the maze for way too long, going in endless circles, and was about to rage quit for good cuz i was so completely annoyed with it and didnt want to start from scratch only to end up probably getting stuck in the stupid maze again. Anyway, i see this is from two years ago, so not sure if you will see this comment, but seriously thank you so so much!

You're welcome. 

Apart from the unfair chess game and the slightly annoying maze, this is one of the most balanced gamebooks out there.

[misomiso]

@sylus

Sorry meant 'heat of Ice'. I found a solution on this sit actually. Meant to be one of if not the best gamebooks ever written.

[sylas]

Feb 4, 2020 15:11:32 GMT misomiso said:

@sylus

Sorry meant 'heat of Ice'. I found a solution on this sit actually. Meant to be one of if not the best gamebooks ever written.

I would agree with that statement too. It's an incredible adventure that is also extremely balanced in gameplay. You have to choose/use your Abilities wisely but you'd be just as fine not having any at all if you want a challenge - although Dave Morris himself said that he did not notice his book could be completed this way. Moreover, there are at least two very different paths you can take to victory without any Abilities. When I got the book, I wasn't expecting to like it that much due to not being a huge fan of sci-fi. But I became quickly engrossed in the rich storytelling that includes many wondrous and terrifying encounters and very intriguing competitors. It has the exploration aspect of an outdoor adventure and the claustrophobic elements of Deathtrap Dungeon, but you get the options to interact with your allies/rivals.
This should be your next book. Dave Morris really has outdone himself with Heart of Ice.

[dfchang813]

I registered on here purely for the purpose of continuing discussion.

First of all this is a fantastic gamebook and I had a ball playing it. It kept me up past my bedtime and it’s been a long long time since any gamebook has done that. I finished it in one sitting over 3.5 hrs and end to bed at 3 am. So yeah. Crazy. Keep in mind I had to do all the puzzles in my head and used only my phone to take snapshots for notes. I played it in bed with no dice or cards.

1. So I get the maze is a real pisser but exploring the book’s branches you are at least guaranteed passage through if you make sure you encounter the Dodo and the Cheshire Cat. While sylas’ solution is much faster and more elegant you don’t have to use it to make it through. And of course with proper trial and error and mapping you could power through anyway without hints. I didn’t have a problem with it’s inclusion.

2. What I DO have a problem with is the crazy chess puzzle. You encounter it relatively early in the story and it turns out to be a game ending event if you don’t solve it which you don’t find out about until the endgame! That is some old school Fighting Fantasy Jonathan Green b.s. right there. Bravo! 👏👏

But here’s the thing. While I was smart enough to figure out the answe has to be a low section number and quickly located section 11 to move on, I’m haunted by Alice’s response.

Let me quote her:

“White to win in 11 moves!” Alice says triumphantly moving the White pawn to Red’s side of the board.

Huh??? Umm exactly how does moving white’s pawn to Red’s side of the board give you checkmate? Is that the first move or the last move? And 11 moves is a helluva chess puzzle! There are no hints. Am I going to have to sit down and actually have white make 11 moves to force checkmate to truly figure this out or am I missing something?

Would love if sylas could chime in here and give a more definitive answer to this puzzle. I was able to figure out every other puzzle but this one didn’t make sense to me unless I misunderstood Alice’s comment.

Thanks!

[dfchang813]

Alright guys.

So I decided to go all in.

Set up chess board, sat down, and plotted all moves.

Guess what? White checkmates in 3 moves. If you count black’s moves as well which is not traditional then it’s 5 moves total. Not anywhere close to 11 and the pawn doesn’t move at all.

To take it a step further I then inputed the exact puzzle into an online chess puzzle program called Next Chess Move which confirms checkmate by White in 3 moves.

When you read the section where the chess puzzle is first presented there is ZERO evidence in the text that this is anything but a straightforward puzzle to be solved straight up. In other words no hint that you have to use a different set of rules, use knowledge from the original Alice novels, etc.

So unless I’m missing something the critical chess puzzle that MUST be solved to avoid certain death in the endgame ... has a fatally flawed and completely illogical solution. Unless you cheat or think “meta” you can’t solve it.

The solution would be section 3, not 11.

🤷🏻‍♂️😰

[sylas]

It was 2 years ago when I solved the chess puzzle. I honestly can't remember how I did it and won't be trying it again.

edit: I just tried it using the chess solver and you are right dfchang813 that the answer should be 3. I didn't work this one out and used a different longer solution. Jon Green we need an explanation!

[dfchang813]

Jun 1, 2020 14:53:08 GMT sylas said:

It was 2 years ago when I solved the chess puzzle. I honestly can't remember how I did it and won't be trying it again.

edit: I just tried it using the chess solver and you are right dfchang813 that the answer should be 3. I didn't work this one out and used a different longer solution. Jon Green we need an explanation!

Hi Sylas thanks for reply! And really appreciate your solution and comments on this gamebook. Still the only one on the Internet after 4 years!

There is certainly no controversy that White moves first and mates in 3 moves. First move is to check the Black King with White Knight which forces him to move up one space. From there the White Queen sequentially checks into mate in 2 more moves.

While Alice’s comments in section 11 obviously alludes to moving the White Pawn to the last rank to Queen it, there just isn’t any logic or rationale to do it. And there’s absolutely nothing in the presentation of the chess puzzle to suggest this is something that is a requirement.

In point of fact the puzzle once you look at it is pretty straightforward. Checkmate in 3 moves is considered beginner level for these types of puzzles.

I guess unless Jonathan himself responds to my query we will never know the truth or rationale behind this puzzle or whether a crucial piece of information wasn’t given. Typos do happen as there were a few of them in Wicked Wizard for instance that was corrected on its Kickstarter Updates section.

In any case the answer to the puzzle is 11 moves which is incorrect. Still that will get you to section 11 and that information is critical to finishing the book. Hopefully for those who are stuck and using your solution guide this discussion will give more context to the chess puzzle.

Very odd that almost all the other puzzles in the book have Logic checks to give you a hint to the solution but with literally the most critical puzzle in the entire game ... one which MUST be solved if the book is to be finished at all ... we have no logic check and no hint and a solution that is obviously incorrect with the information given. 🤷🏻‍♂️

[a moderator]

I think it highly unlikely that this has anything to do with the solution to the chess puzzle, but '11' is how '3' is represented in binary.

[dfchang813]

Jun 1, 2020 17:02:03 GMT a moderator said:

I think it highly unlikely that this has anything to do with the solution to the chess puzzle, but '11' is how '3' is represented in binary.

If this is truly the explanation that would be next level trolling by Jonathan. 😂😂

The crazy thing is that there is such a huge gulf between the real answer and the gamebook answer. Again, 3 move checkmate is a beginner level puzzle but ELEVEN MOVES?!? That is actual hard to expert level. Think about how hard it is to plan 11 moves ahead? That’s insane! The entire idea of these chess puzzles is to put the opposing King in perpetual check until mate. In real chess these situations don’t occur too often because grand master level players know already these solutions and just resigns way ahead. 😂. But figuring out how to perpetually check for 11 moves is a big accomplishment. Entire endgames last less than that.

So basically I’m pretty sure this is a mistake somehow.

[schlendrian]

It's not a chess puzzle and not a mistake .
Take a copy of "Through the looking glass" and open it on the first couple of pages

[dfchang813]

Jun 1, 2020 21:10:01 GMT schlendrian said:

It's not a chess puzzle and not a mistake .
Take a copy of "Through the looking glass" and open it on the first couple of pages

Oh WOW!!! That is epic. So it’s from the text. Nothing to do with chess at all. But the number of chapters in the book as a chess match.

Thank you so much for providing the context for the solution. I think it’s a little unfair to expect non readers or those who haven’t read the book in decades to get that reference!

Thanks again!

[schlendrian]

You're welcome!
I'm torn - I like that it requires out-of-the-box thinking, a quality that is certainly connected with the novels.
But as a crucial puzzle with no hints it certainly is very harsh on people who don't know the book very well

[sylas]

I don't like that solution it's too unfair. Would it be that hard to throw in a hint of some sort or not make it such a vital part of the victory route?

[dfchang813]

Jun 2, 2020 16:14:21 GMT sylas said:

I don't like that solution it's too unfair. Would it be that hard to throw in a hint of some sort or not make it such a vital part of the victory route?

I’ve done reviews of all his ACE gamebooks on my YouTube channel and I will be uploading Alice one shortly. 100 percent agree with you sylas. Another reviewer on Goodreads also didn’t understand solution and another one on Amazon states you had to cheat to get to section 11 because he also didn’t understand puzzle.

I don’t think you should be expected to know one tiny line from the table of contents of Through the Looking Glass to solve a puzzle so critical to finishing game. And there was ZERO hint that you should look to source material!

[guest431]

Do you have a solution for Wicked Wizard of Oz at all? ty

[sylas]

Jul 24, 2020 11:54:47 GMT guest431 said:

Do you have a solution for Wicked Wizard of Oz at all? ty

Nobody's done one yet. But since there is not 1 playable character but 6, it would take a long while to get all those done. Despite the much bigger reference count, each characters story is relatively short and the choices you make aren't as vitally important so any route you take could lead to victory. I don't think the adventure needs solutions tbh as there isn't really an overall 'puzzle ' to solve so to speak and I found it quite difficult to fail unless you get unlucky dice rolls all the time.

[vagsancho]

Horrible title.
To think that the man who wrote this is the same man who wrote Howl of the Werewolf and Night of the Necromancer.
Well... It shows versatility, i guess...
Horrible, horrible title, though.

[sylas]

Aug 25, 2020 7:55:41 GMT vagsancho said:

Horrible title.
To think that the man who wrote this is the same man who wrote Howl of the Werewolf and Night of the Necromancer.
Well... It shows versatility, i guess...
Horrible, horrible title, though.

I take it you haven't read this entry or know anything about Alice in Wonderland then. And yes, it is the same Jonathan Green.

[dfchang813]

So I just got the special Kickstarter 5th anniversary hardback as well as the 2nd edition printing paperback and Jonathan has updated the chess puzzle to make it more fair. Now if you can’t get the answer you can roll a Logic check and succeeding takes you directly to section 11. This corrects a fatal flaw in the adventure and I’m quite happy he made it.

It does stir the pot however in the sense that earlier editions of this gamebook both hardback and paperback will have the more unfair path.

[sylas]

Oct 11, 2020 3:53:10 GMT dfchang813 said:

So I just got the special Kickstarter 5th anniversary hardback as well as the 2nd edition printing paperback and Jonathan has updated the chess puzzle to make it more fair. Now if you can’t get the answer you can roll a Logic check and succeeding takes you directly to section 11. This corrects a fatal flaw in the adventure and I’m quite happy he made it.

It does stir the pot however in the sense that earlier editions of this gamebook both hardback and paperback will have the more unfair path.

That's good to hear. At least we know how to bypass the problem now.

[firebead]

Jul 21, 2018 12:19:00 GMT sylas said:

It seems impossible to gain the word ‘Phantasm’ AND solve the vital game of chess. If you are able to bring the ‘Phantasm’ to the final battle with the Jabberwocky, you’ve definitely cheated.

It's not impossible, only higly improbable. The word 'Phantasm' and the chess game are mutually exclusive, right, but you can gain both in a single playthrough.
Just choose one of them when you enter the Duchess' house. Then, when you reach the center of the maze, you find a magical pool which can transport you back in time, i.e. to some specific paragraphs. Some of them are before the Duchess' house, so you can re-enter it and choose the chess game or the 'Phantasm' word, depending on what you chose the first time.
However, since the results of the magical pool are random and the reward for having 'Phantasm' is minimal, it isn't really worth the hassle.

[sylas]

Very well discovered. I hadn't even thought of anything like that. The probability isn't that minimal either as it's about half the chance of getting the right result. In addition, the worse it can do is teleport you back to the maze entrance, and the other result takes you forward to the palace immediately so if you're done exploring the maze you can skip right to the exit. It's still a bit of unnecessary detouring but at least the option is there if you need it (especially if you went for Phantasm first).

[Mizu]

Please help me in 405 and 415...

[Mizu]

The door in the clocks