The ClueFinders 4th Grade Adventures
The ClueFinders 4th Grade Adventures: The Puzzle of Pyramids is computer game in The Learning Company's ClueFinders Series where the ClueFinders embark on an Egyptian adventure to save the world from the forces of chaos.
Synopsis
The ClueFinders are on an adventure in Egypt with , , and their dog, Socrates. There, they uncover the tomb a Peribsen, a king from the second dynasty. Joni finds a mysterious ring and tried it on her finger, but it gets stuck. Fearing embarrasment, she fails to tell Professor Botch.
Later that night, Alastor Loveless arrives with his goons. They load all the artifacts and Professor Botch into the trucks. Loveless explains he wants to unleash the power of Set, whom it was beilved Peribsen was aligned with.
The next day, the ClueFinders return to the dig to find to deserted. However, they find a mysterious scroll the thevies missed. The ClueFinders decide to take the scroll to so someone can translate it. There, they met an antique dealer who claims to be five thousand years old. He tells them that whoever kidnapped Professor Botch wants to unleash the power of Set.
He says to stop him, they must find a mysterius place of power. The scroll has five clues that guide them towards reaching this place of power. However, the clues are written an anchient code the antique dealer can't read without "Cairoglyphs," anchient pottery pieces with letters covered on them.
Meanwhile, Alastor Loveless interogats Professor Botch for on piece of informtaion, the location of the Ring. Professor Botch tries to feign ignorence, but Loveless manages to figure out the ClueFinders have the Ring, and sends his minons after them.
After collecting the Carioglyphs, the ClueFinders learn they need to take a boat south. This takes them to the mysterious . The area is populated by mice who seemed to convinced they are anchient Egyptians and spend their time building pyramids, columns, and such structures. A cat who lives in an obelisk has had gems stolen from their doors by these mice. The ClueFinders agree to get the gems back, in exchange for being let in the palace.
Loveless' goons finally catch up with the ClueFinders, and take the Ring from them. Loveless returns to the tomb, where he will began the Ceremony. His goons put ancient pistons and gears in place that will cause , long buried underground, to rise to the surface, so that Loveless will be ready to conduct the Ceromony.
The ClueFinders reach the inside of the obelisk, where they are given special powers: Owen; flight, Leslie; intelligence, Santiago; strength and Joni; bravery. They are transported back to the tomb, in time to see the pyramid rise out of the groud. They began to travel through it in order to rescue their profesor and the world.
Meanwhile, Set rises out of the ground, but, like with so many villians, Loveless' overconfidence was his weakness. He never considered the possibilty that he might not be able to "control" chaos. Set flings Loveless and his minos down a chasm with one wave of his hand.
The ClueFinders show up and declare that they're there to stop Set. Leslie uses her intelligence to come up with a plan. Joni distract Set, while Own lifts Santiago into the air so he can push the pistons back in place. The pyramid collapses, and Set disappears forever. The ClueFinders escape, and they lose their new powers. All the artifacts are returned to their proper place.
Charactors
The charactor listed are charactors that appear only in The ClueFinders 4th Grade Adventures, for information about other charactors see the main ClueFinders page.
Professor Botch
Professor Botch is described in the game's advertising as "eccentric but lovable," which is rather accurate. Professor Botch is held hostage for hostage for the whole game, and the game regularly cuts back to show Loveless interogating him for information. Botch tries to avoid helpping Loveless by feigning ignorence. This doesn't fool Loveless in the least, but it is rather humourous for the user. To "botch" mean to bungle or ruin through clumsiness.
Alastor Loveless
Sir Alastor Loveless III grew up on the streets of London, and since then he's dreamed of ruling the planet. Loveless is now an archaeologist for the London Museum and has been trying to Peribsen's tomb for a long time. Loveless is, in many ways, a parody of the sterotypical villain. For example, in one scene he cackled manically for a long time in the typical villain fashion, before coughing and explaining that he swallowed his mint. "Loveless" can mean either feeling no love, or the quiality being unloved, both of which fit the charactor (recall Loveless grew up in the streets.)
Places Visited
Like in The ClueFinders 3rd Grade Adventures, there are different areas that are visited, but unlike the first program, each area isn't limited to one skill.
Cairo
In Cairo the goal is to collect "Cairoglyphs." Fortionatly, collecting Cairoglyphs is a hobby of many store oweners in the area and they agree to give them to the ClueFinders in exchange for help. The Cairoglyphs earn the ClueFidners clues, which lead to a secret chamber. After solving a puzzle in there, they find they need to go south in a boat. After constructing a boat in another activity, they head off to the Nile kingdom.
Nile Kingdom
The goal here is to collect gems from mice that live here who are convinched that they are anchient Egyptians. To earn them, they have to helpped in building their pyramids and palaces. Once the gems are earned, they have to places where the belong in a pattern.
The Pyramid
The goal in the pyramid is to reach the center and save Professor Botch and stop Loveless. To do this, the user must unlock doors and cross over giant chasms.
Quotes
- Professor Botch: This tomb has remained undisterbed for thousands of years.
- Leslie: This is exciting.
- LapTrap: I'm all a quiver.
- Professor Botch: Who knows what lies behind these doors, untold treasures, perhaps.
- LapTrap: Oh great, mysteries! I hate mysteries!
- Joni: LapTrap, sush.
- Loveless: Just open the tomb, you silly little man.
- (Joni has the Ring stuck on her finger)
- Santiago: Well, Joni, I guess this makes you an international jewel theif.
- Joni: Can you at lest pretend you're helpping, Santiago. I can not get this thing off, it feels like it's holding onto my finger.
- Owen: Maybe it likes you, Joni.
- Leslie: It looks like some kind of ceromonial ring, you'd better let Professor Botch know you have it.
- Joni: Okay, Leslie, I'll tell him tommarow, but it's so embrassing. I never should have touched this ring in the first place.
- Joni: Yuck, coffee. Why do grownups drink this stuff.
- Loveless: I have one question, professor; where is the Ring?
- Professor Botch: And what ring would that be?
- Loveless: You know what I'm talking about, professor; the Ring.
- Professor Botch: The Ring!
- Loveless: The Ring.
- Professor Botch: The Ring!
- Loveless: Do not mock me, professor.
- Professor Botch: Don't mock you!
- Loveless: You will tell me where to find the Ring, otherwise your students will...wait, your students, of course! (manical laughter)
- Loveless: Once I have the Ring we will be able to procend with...the Ceromony.
- Professor Botch: Oh, are you getting married? How lovely.
- Loveless: I'm not getting married, you twit. I am an evil man, and I'm up to no good.
- Professor Botch: Say, what sort of ceromony is this anyway.
- Loveless: Ah, so you're finally, begaining to understand. With the Ring, I will be able to focus the astro-energy, that will unleash the power of Set.
- Professor Botch: No!
- Loveless: Yes!
- Professor Botch: No! No!
- Loveless: Yes! Yes!
- Professor Botch: Oh my, this could be problem.
- Loveless: (manical laughter)
- Santiago: Oh no, I can't read a word of this. Can you help us out?
- Antique Dealer: Kids these days. These are simple hieroglyphics. When did they stop teaching hieroglyphics in school?
- Leslie: So what does it say?
- Antique Dealer: Well, it goes something like this:
- The threat to our land is deep and dark, stopping it won't be a walk in the park
- But you have proven worthy and wise, what swell bunch of gals and guys
- But when the pretender tries to take the thron, you won't be able to stop him alone
- You'll find alies at a secret place on the Nile, but getting there may take you a while
- You can't walk or fly there, you'll have to float, so get out of here and go south in a boat
- Joni: Yuck!
- Leslie: That has to be, the worst piece of poetry I have ever heard.
- Sphinx: What have we here? Look like a group of fresh young heroes. Unfortunately, I already had a hero sandwich for lunch. Who are you people, anyway?
- Joni: We're the ClueFinders! We're going to stop the forces of chaos!
- Sphinx: Get outa here.
- Santiago: No, really.
- Sphinx: No, really; get outa here; but to get out, you must solve this ancient puzzle.
- Leslie: Hey, haven't we seen you before?
- Sphinx: No. In fact, I'm not sure I'm seeing you now, you may be something I ate.
- Joni: We're getting a little impatient with all this.
- Sphinx: Good thing you're not doctors then, I wouldn't want to be one of your impatients.
- Joni: I can't wait to get out of these tunnels.
- Sphinx: Tunnels? You must be in a subway station. No wonder my plane hasn't shown up.
- Sphinx: Welcome to the deeper reaches of the Pyramid. Of course, you could tell that just by looking, couldn't you?
- Sphinx: Don't worry, I know you can do it, I read the script.
Notes
This program has a fair degree of historical accurecy. For example, it is true that Peribsen did indeed have an intrest in Set, but there was many mistakes as well. For example, the ClueFinders find a secret chamber built in Cairo, but Cairo wasn't built untill long after the second dynasty, or ancient Egypt for that matter. Note that the word "god" is never used in the program. Instead the word "embodiment" is always used. This is obviously to avoid religous issues. The actually tomb of Peribsen was discovered in the 19th century, and is in far worse condition than portrayed in the game.
This game is uses a different animation style than the other ClueFinders games. In the other titles, charactor are outlined with black lines, as most cartoon charactors are, but in this game they are outlined with lines that are a color slightly darker than the object being outlined. There is also a difference in the plot between this game and the other titles, for example, it is revealed at the begaining who the villian is.
There are a lot of mistakes involving the Ring. Joni has the Ring on the ringfinger of her right hand, but in several shots of her right hand, the Ring is missing. She can't have taken it off, because it was stuck. In the game there are three individuals who wear the Ring; Joni, Loveless and Set. How can one ring fit a twelve-year-old girl and a fifty-foot-tall Egyptian god? If the Ring fits on Set's finger, it should fit around Joni's waist.
Referenced By
Learning Company | The ClueFinders | The Learing Company | The Learning Company
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