JumpStart Adventures 3rd Grade: Mystery Mountain/Transcript

Text that appears in red indicates dialogue that got removed in later releases.

Sign-In Screen
Sign-In Bot: Well, hello, we've been waiting for you. Please sign in, we've got a busy day ahead. If you're new to this school, please use the keyboard to enter your name.

Sign-In Bot: If you're already enrolled, select your name by clicking on it. If you don't see your name, use the arrows to scroll up or down the list. When you're finished, click on the 'enter' button.

[If the player clicks on the Sign-In Bot]

Sign-In Bot If you see your name on the list and want to continue your game, please click on it. If you do not see your name, or you want to start another game, please enter a name using your keyboard.

[If the player clicks the enter button after typing in a new game]

Sign-In Bot: Please enter and have a seat. Sit up straight, no slouching in this classroom. Is that gum in your mouth? Sorry, my mistake.

Classroom
[''The player moves the cursor to the TransQuizzer on a table. The player then clicks on it to pick it up. Suddenly, the lights dim, and the objects in the classroom start moving around by themselves. A few seconds later, a robot comes crashing through the window of the classroom. He grunts as he gets up'']

Botley: If Professor Spark's had meant for me to fly, he'd have given me wings. But what could I do? This mission is too important. (as he looks around) Now where could it be? (He notices the player and jumps in surprise. He then smiles) You startled me! I didn't think anyone would be here. Hey, you've got that, uh, the, the, um... TransQuizzer! Now be careful with that thing. Don't drop it! The future of the world may depend on that little machine in your hands. (as he gets in a thinking position) That is, if I'm not too late. There's just so little time and so much to do. (gets an idea) But wait! (thinks to himself again) Nah. (looks at the player briefly before speaking again) Well, it's worth a try. (turns to the player) Listen, I need your help, and if you think you can handle it, you can help me save the world. I am Android XL2, but you can call me Botley. That's what Professor Spark calls me. His daughter Polly calls me... (frowns) W-Well, never mind what Polly calls me. The professor created me as a prototype companion device. You see, he was having such trouble finding sitters for Polly, cause she scares them all away. So he invented me. I'm also programmed to be her friend. (rolls eyes) And believe me, it's tougher than it sounds. I'm not getting to the point, am I? Um, here, let me start from the beginning.

(He presses the red button on his chest, which opens up a compartment. The scene then cuts to a close-up of the compartment, as it shows screens of what's been happening in the world lately. A miniature version of his head appears next to each screen that lights up to explain what happened.)

Botley: This morning, Polly's father -- He left for another one of his famous inventor's conventions, and he programmed me to keep an eye on Polly. I'm supposed to keep her out of trouble. With Polly, that's always tough, but today, it was impossible! After coming home from school and madder than I've ever seen her, Polly locked herself in her father's secret chamber. Now, I really shouldn't tell you this cause I've been programmed for secrecy. But this being a world emergency and all, well... The professor has an honest-to-goodness time machine up there, and it really works! Not only that, but Polly sent 25 of the other androids back in time! The whole world is changing, and the changes have Polly written all over them. Cars don't exist anymore, and now everyone has to travel by pogo stick. An orangutan has just been elected President of the United States in a landslide! And the Statue of Liberty is now the Statue of Licorice!

(The compartment closes as we go back to the classroom with Botley.)

Botley: It's all happening so quickly! But with your help, I think we can rescue all the androids and maybe stop the world from getting too weird! (holds out his hand) Just hand me the TransQuizzer, I think it's got all the information we need to get started.

[Once the player gives Botley the TransQuizzer, he puts it inside his compartment.]

Botley: Cool! Now hang on tight and come with me!

[He presses the blue button on his chest, and a rocket booster extends from his back, then he (and the player) zoom out the broken hole in the glass window back towards Mystery Mountain.]

Front Door
Botley: Phew! Sorry about the landing. I wasn't programmed to fly. Well, this is it, home sweet home. Polly should be inside. Um... as I was saying... this is the professor's mountain. Polly should be inside, and I just bet she's watching us now.

(The scene cuts straight to Polly in her father's chamber)

Polly: (laughs) That was funny, watching that poor dumb robot flying back in time. I couldn't ask for a better way to spend the afternoon. In another day, the world will see the dawning of Polly's Planet.

(A beeping noise goes off)

Polly: Whoops, it seems there's someone at the door. Let's take a little peek.

(Polly turns her chair around and presses a button on the control panel.)

Polly: Oh, it's only Botley. He knows I don't like to be disturbed when I'm working. It breaks my concentration. OK, let's see what he wants. This might be fun.

[Back at the front door, a screen rises into view and Polly's monitor turns on.]

Polly: Oh, Snotley, you're back! I've been looking for you.

Botley: My name is Botley.

Polly: I can see you've brought help, and you've got the TransQuizzer!

Botley: (aside, to the player) She knows we need it to save the world.

Polly: Didn't my father teach you it's rude to tell secrets, Rotley? Well, I suppose he's told you his side of everything, but what does he know? Today when I was at school, the teacher handed us a surprise quiz. I already knew all the answers, and she knew I knew them. So, just to have some fun, I made up my own answers to that dumb old quiz. But instead of laughing like she was supposed to, she gave me a big, fat zero! I felt faint and short of breath! No one's ever given me a zero before!

Botley: Well, that's not quite true, Polly. I remember just two weeks ago.

Polly: Be quiet, Plotley, this is my story! Anyway, after getting my first zero ever, I got the most brilliant idea: instead of settling for a bad grade, I'd change history to match my answers.

Botley: So you sent 25 of your father's robots back in time to change history?! How could you do that, Polly?!

Polly: Oh, that was the easy part, since daddy just invented that handy-dandy time machine upstairs. Everyone should have one. I just marched those robots into the machine, pushed a few buttons, and voila! Unfortunately, there's still one more question: the extra credit question, and it's super hard. That's why I've been looking for you, Knotley.

Botley: That's Botley! And I want nothing to do with your plan, Polly! Just bring those robots back! Don't you see? You could destroy us all!

Polly: (mimicking) You could destroy us all! (normal voice) Puh-leeze, Spotley, if you're so scared, why don't you just bring them back yourself. You've got my TransQuizzer, now all you need are the questions on my history quiz. To make it so easy even you can figure it out, I'll leave the disc with the first part of the test on the first floor -- that's five questions total. Just plug that disc into the TransQuizzer, then figuring out where I sent the robots should be simple. But I'm warning you: if I don't get 'em all back soon, I'm sending you off to do the extra-credit question. Oh, uh, by the way, you have to get in the house first, and I changed the locks. Good luck!

[Polly's monitor turns off and the TV screen goes down.]

Botley: [to the player] Oh, that's just great! How are we gonna get into the mountain?

Botley: You see, the professor's lock system only opens when you reproduce the chimes you hear. Ring the doorbell to start the chimes. That will start the unlocking mechanism!

[clicking on the doorbell]

Botley: Just listen closely and repeat what you've heard by clicking on the correct door panels.

(clicking on Botley)

Botley: The only way to get inside is to unlock all the locks. Listen closely to the door chimes, then repeat what you've heard by clicking on the correct parts of the door.

[after unlocking the front door]

Botley: Now be quiet and follow me. First, though, let me put this in a safe place. (He opens the compartment on his chest and reaches inside, before turning to the player) On second thought, maybe it's safer with you. (He pulls out a belt) It's the utility belt that Professor Spark designed for me, and it's quite an achievement!

(The belt appears in it's intended spot, on the bottom edge of the screen. Each button lights up as Botley explains how it works)

Botley: Over there's a button that will take you out of any room in the mountain. The indicator next to it tells you how much energy is left to power the mountain. Now if you ever need assistance, push on this button, and I'll do what I can to help. In the middle of the belt is the inventory. That's where we can store things we find in the mountain, the TransQuizzer, for instance. Professor Spark has set up a lot of games inside the mountain for Polly, me, and the other robots. If you click on this button, you can make some of them harder or easier to play. Finally, this score keeps track of how many invention points we earn. By opening the door, you've already earned a few points. Now, our destiny!

First Floor
(Botley goes inside Mystery Mountain)

Botley: This is the professor's home and laboratory. It's an entirely self-sufficient environment. We don't have to leave the mountain for anything. The professor even included recreational and cultural activities, so he and Polly wouldn't get bored. I suppose I should give you the two-cent tour of the place. Over there's the kitchen where we feature the very finest robot cuisine. Back there's the art gallery. Through that door is the music hall. When Polly takes her weekly music lesson there, the whole place clears out. Behind that door are stairs leading to the professor's jumbo-electro generator. If necessary, we might have to go down there to power up. Finally, that stairway leads to the upper floors, filled with the professor's inventions. His most amazing invention, the time machine, is at the very top. Maybe later we'll have time to explore, but now we have to stop Polly from making the world too weird. To do that, we need to find that quiz disk.

(He looks around and spots the first quiz disk sitting near the Music Hall door)

Botley: Hey, there it is! (The disk is acquired) Pull out the TransQuizzer by clicking on the inventory button on the utility belt.

(The player clicks on the inventory button and the TransQuizzer is brought out)

Botley: Alright! It looks like the disk should be inserted in the slot near the top of the TransQuizzer.

(Two small monitors on the device flicker on to reveal Miss Winkle and Polly)

Miss Winkle: Good morning, Polly, I hope you've studied for the quiz today. You may have a lot of natural ability, but even geniuses need to study.

Botley: That's Polly's teacher, Miss Winkle. At that school on the hill, everything's state of the art. All the quizzes are personalized, programmed, and videotaped by the teacher. Pretty cool, huh?

Miss Winkle: Now, today's quiz is all about inventions and discoveries: something you should know plenty about, Polly, (gasps) but no fair asking your father for help. (giggles)

Botley: See? Everyone's impressed by the professor.

Miss Winkle: There are 25 questions total, Polly, five on each of the five disks I passed out to you and the rest of the class, that's five different levels. So, sit up straight, put on your thinking cap, and select your first question.

Botley: Okay, what we should do first is select one of the quiz questions. Just click on any one of the five buttons near the bottom of the TransQuizzer. Since we've gotta bring all the robots back, the order doesn't really matter.

(If the player selects the first question)

Miss Winkle: People once thought the Earth was the center of the universe and everything revolved around it. That's because when they looked up in the sky, the sun and the stars all appeared to be moving around the Earth. A nice idea, but appearances can be deceiving. Today we know that the Earth revolves around what?

Polly: Miss Winkle, as everybody knows: I am the center of the universe!

[The answer for the question shows: Me, Polly Spark!]

Miss Winkle: Yes, Polly! You're exactly right. The whole world revolves around you.

Botley: Heavens, Polly is just too much to bear. She used to think she was the center of the universe. Now she really is. We need to go back in time and straighten this mess out, or life as we know it will change drastically! Click on the inventory button to put away the TransQuizzer.

[After the TransQuizzer is put away, a monitor descends from the ceiling and flickers on to reveal Polly]

Botley: Polly, you know I've been programmed to clean up your messes, and that includes bringing back my robot pals. I know you won't tell me where they are, but how about a little hint?

Polly: Well, it just so happens, Sotley, that I realized long ago that you would try to mess up your work, so I covered my tracks by hiding clues all over the mountain - four clues total. You and your friend will have to find and collect them all, and even if you can find them all, which I highly doubt you can, you will still have to go to daddy's time machine and figure out where I sent the robot, if you expect to beat me. Oh, by the way, you know how daddy feels about amateurs going into the time machine room. It's a very sensitive piece of equipment, you know, so before a hunk of rusty bolts like you can get inside, you'll have to earn a bunch of invention points. A thousand of them should just about do it for starters.

Botley: Well, Polly, okay. It looks like we have no choice to play by your rules as unfair as they are. Just tell us what we need to find for this mission.

[The screen goes static for a second]

Polly: Relax, Scutley, it won't be so bad. I sent Russian robot, Cosmo-Bot, to put me in the center of the universe. You can get him back if you find these four clues: a pig, a sundial, a postage stamp, and a dollar bill. But, why mess up a good thing?

[Polly's screen turns off and the monitor ascends back into the ceiling.]

Botley: Cosmo-Bot and I never used to get along, but now we're pals. I can't believe Polly reprogrammed him for her selfish purposes. We have to find those clues and get Cosmo-Bot back. Finding the clues should be a little less hopeless with my powerful sensoring device. Professor Spark cooked me up this way so I could better keep an eye on Polly. I can monitor every nook and cranny of the mountain. Shhh, I'm gonna try to sense this area out for clues. [sensoring device blinking] Hey, we're in luck! I'm sensing a mission clue in the Painting Gallery. There's another mission clue in the professor's virtual collection. That's in the art gallery!

Kitchen Door
(starting the activity for the first time)

Botley: This is the door to the kitchen. Everyone eats here: Polly, her dad, and of course, all us robots. The professor put a lock on it months ago, because some of the robots were getting a little gluttonous... I mean, they'd eat all the time if they could. I used to know the combination, but it looks like Polly's changed this lock. You can figure out the combination if you can figure out the math problems that appear on the door.

(Mort appears, peeking out through the window on the door)

Botley: That's Mort peeking out from inside. He's one of the nicer robots around here, but he gets a little cranky when he hasn't eaten.

Mort: Thank goodness, you're here! My stomach's rumbling, and I don't know how to cook!

Botley: I'm not sure what Polly has planned for us inside, but we need to get beyond this door!

(if the room has a mission clue)

Mort: I'll say you do. Polly's left me in charge something very important! There's a clue in here, but you have to feed me first! I'm so hungry.

(if the room doesn't has a mission clue)

Mort: You certainly do, because Polly has left me in charge of some invention points you'll need, and I'll hand them over if you feed me well.

(continued)

Mort: I'll even try to help you out! Anything to speed up my lunch! I know a lot about math, and I'm famished!

Botley: Click on the arrows on the tiles at the bottom of the equation. The up arrows will increase the number, the down arrows will decrease it. When you think you've got the correct number in the tile, click the glowing enter button beneath it. If you want, you can also enter numbers using your keyboard, then press 'Enter'.

(returning to the activity)

Botley: Welp, the door's locked again. Time to figure out the combinations to those locks.

Mort: Oh, please hurry. I'm faint with hunger.

Botley: Of course, the door's still locked, but you'll have no trouble getting the combination.

Mort: I'm so glad you're here! My blood sugar's dropping!

Botley: Is it too much to ask for people to leave the doors unlocked around here? Well... we can figure out the combination again.

Mort: Hurry! Hurry, hurry! I'm growing weak with hunger!

(clicking the help button)

Botley: To figure out the combination, start by entering the correct number in the bottom tile of the ones column. To increase the number on the tile, click on the up arrow at the top of each tile, or click on the down arrow to go backwards. If you want, you can also enter numbers using your keyboard.

Botley: When you think you have the correct number in the correct column, click on the button below that number. If your answer is correct, the button below the next column will light! When each equation is solved, one of the combination locks on the door will open.

Kitchen
(entering the room for the first time)

Botley: This is Professor Spark's kitchen, but I doubt your kitchen is anything like this, unless you happen to have lots of hungry robots hanging around your house. See that machine in the middle of the room? It's the robot feeder! Two things you should know about robots -- One, they're usually hungry, and two, their table manners are atrocious. Around now, I'd normally be hungry enough to eat a 57 Chevy, but Polly's behavior has made me lose my appetite.

(if the room has a mission clue)

Polly: Hey, if you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen, Spotley. Of course, if you do leave, you won't be able to find the mission clue I've hidden in here.

(if the room doesn't have a mission clue)

Polly: That's not all you'll lose if you don't get this show on the road, Dotley. I have to warn you, though: there aren't any mission clues in here, but if you really wanna play in the kitchen, I've left some spare invention points for you.

(continued)

Botley: But, Polly, there's so many hiding places! At least give us a hint!

Polly: Boy, can you be dense! What do you think, Mort's hanging around here for the fun of it?

Botley: OK, I get it! If you want, you can click around the kitchen to check out some of the cool stuff in here, but to feed Mort and help save the world, click on the feeding machine. I have to warn you, though: watch your fingers and toes around hungry robots.

Robot Feeder
(starting the activity for the first time)

Botley: Here it is: Professor Spark's Robot-Feeding Machine, patent pending. I've wandered in here for a midnight snack many times myself, but now it looks like we've gotta feed Mort.

Mort: Yes, Botley, it's time for a little snack!

Botley: Don't you worry, Mort, I've got help today!

Mort: I'm not worried, because I know I have something you need desperately!

Botley: After Mort calls for a snack, he'll tell you what toppings he wants on it, and exactly how much of each topping he wants. When you turn on the machine, Mort's robot bowl will move along the conveyor belt in front of me, while the toppings move along the conveyor belts behind me. What you need to do is measure each of the toppings and drop exactly what Mort wants in his bowl. To measure any of the toppings, you first have to click on one of the instruments on he back wall to pick it up. Then, use the instrument to click on the topping you wanna add to the bowl. Finally, click on the bowl as it moves down the conveyor belt to top Mort's snack with the ingredient.

Mort: Don't forget, Botley, that I'm a very picky robot, so if too much or too little of any topping winds up in my bowl, I could get an upset stomach. Luckily, you can turn the machine off to remove that topping. Turn the machine back on to continue.

(if the player clicks on the 'metric' shelf)

Mort: Most of the world uses the metric system to weigh and measure things. With the metric system, liquid is measured in liters, and weight is measured in grams. In Professor Spark's kitchen, we often measure liquid in milliliters. Did you know that a thousand milliliters is the same as one liter?

(if the player clicks on the 'molecular' shelf)

Mort: Everything, I mean, everything is made up of molecules. Molecules are so incredibly small you can't even see them with a normal microscope. Molecules are made of two or more atoms joined together, so you can imagine how small atoms must be. The odd instruments here measure those tiny, tiny amounts, but for those of us with a keen sense of taste, that can make all the difference.

 (if the player clicks on the 'cups' shelf) 

Mort: In the United States, most people still use cups to measure liquids and other ingredients, while weight is measured in pounds and ounces. In this kitchen, we still measure some things with cups.

(if the player turns off the machine after adding the wrong amount or wrong topping to Mort's bowl)

Botley: You were right to get rid of that. He wouldn't have liked it. Click on the switch to try again.

Botley: Phew, if Mort had tasted that, we never would've heard the end of it! Let's try again.

Botley: Good thing you dumped that. Mort is so-o-o-ooooo finicky! You'll get it this time.

(if the player turns off the machine but hasn't finished Mort's meal yet)

Botley: I don't think you're finished yet! Click on the switch to continue preparing Mort's meal.

Art Gallery
(entering the room for the first time)

Botley: This is Professor Spark's art gallery. It's sort of an art museum and an art studio combined. That odd-looking machine over there is his virtual collection, where the professor keeps a display of some of the most famous works of art in the world. You can also go into the painting gallery in the back to create your own masterpiece. Don't forget to bring your imagination.

(A tall, blue-haired, female robot hovers into the room and lands next to Botley)

Mrs. Beasley: If you're going to visit the gallery, you let me know if you find any of Polly's things hidden in there. If I've told her once, I've told her a thousand times: don't mess up the collection! Of course, she doesn't listen to me. Why, once I found a Romanesque urn next to a baroque.

Botley: That's Mrs. Beasley, she's the resident art expert! (whispers) Some say she's as old as some of the Greco-Roman statues in here.

Mrs. Beasley: I heard that, you hotshot silicon chipsters! So smart, and so fast, and so what? I've got more sense in my vacuum tubes than a lot of you.

Botley: Well, if we have any questions about the art, we'll be sure to ask you!

Virtual Collection
(using the machine for the first time)

Botley: This is a device that Professor Spark invented to display all the great works of art he knows and loves... without actually having to fork over the big bucks to buy them himself. It's all done with computers. Huh, what else?

 (if the machine has a mission clue) 

Botley: Luckily, that makes it easier to find the mission clue that Polly hid here.

 (if the machine doesn't have a mission clue) 

Botley: Luckily, that makes it easier to find the invention points that Polly hid here.

 (continued) 

Botley: First, you need to select the work of art that matches Polly's hint. See that drum on the right side of the machine? That displays tiny pictures of all the works in the collection. If you click on any of the pictures, Mrs. Beasley will tell you a little bit about it, and help you decide if it's the work you wanna see. After Mrs. Beasley is finished, you can click on it again to see the work on the professor's digital display. Fortunately, Mrs. Beasley has also neatly arranged all the works of art into categories. She's really kind of a neat freak. If the work you want isn't on the display, pull this lever to check out a different category. Mrs. Beasley, can you remind my friend about which of the professor's works of art we're looking for?

 (After Mrs. Beasley delivers her clue) 

Botley: So you should begin by selecting the correct category, but be careful which work you send to the digital display, because each time you do, it will use up some of the energy that's vital to running things around here -- of course, if we get low, we can always run down to the electric generator to juice up.

(starting the puzzle for the first time)

Polly: Hey, that was a lucky guess, and according to Polly's book of rules, which was written by yours truly, lucky guesses don't count, so there! No, you'll have to work a lot harder than that to win!

Botley: That's not fair, Polly! If that's the right work of art, you can't just change the rules like that!

Polly: (mimicking) You can't change the rules like that! (normal voice) Well, guess what, Blotley, it's my house, and my missions, and you play how I say! Now I say "solve this"!

Botley: Uh-oh, it's a puzzle Polly thinks only she's smart enough to finish, but I think you can do it too. You just have to line up the tiles so that all their sides match. Click on any puzzle piece to lift it off the display, then click on any other piece and they'll change places. All the pieces aren't right-side up, though, so sometimes you'll have to rotate them. You can do that by hitting the rotate button, right there at the bottom of the display. While you're playing, Mrs. Beasley will tell you stuff about what you're looking at. She knows everything there is to know about the works of art Polly used to create this puzzle.

Painting Gallery
(entering the room for the first time)

Botley: This room looks like an ordinary painting gallery, but Polly's father created it so anyone can make their own art.

(if the room has a mission clue)

Polly: Hidey-ho, Snotley. I hid one of the mission clues here, and if you want it, either you or your friend will have to paint me a pretty picture -- of course, I get to tell you exactly what to paint, and it better be good.

(if the room doesn't have a mission clue)

Polly: There's no mission clue here, Rotley, so I guess that means you're clueless (chuckles), but if you wanna earn some extra invention points, you or your friend can paint me a picture.

(continued)

Polly: I've always wanted a painting that showed something like this.

Botley: Click on any of the empty frames to begin painting. Click on the sheet of paper on the floor to read Polly's story.

(starting the activity for the first time)

Botley: So the deal here is that Polly wants us to illustrate her strange story. I don't have much of an artistic flair -- it's just not in my programming. So, it... looks like it's up to you! Luckily, Professor Spark made it so anyone can paint like one of the great masters. To your left are all the tools you'll need, and at the bottom are lots of cool colors. If you need to be reminded of what Polly's demanding, click on the card on the lower left corner of the frame. When you go back to the gallery, you'll see your work already hanging on the wall, then we'll find out if Polly likes it, but don't let her opinion matter to you. I don't know much about the artistic process, but my inner transistors tell me that selecting the background first is the best way to illustrate Polly's story.

Jumbo-Electro Generator
(entering the room for the first time)

Botley: This is the mountain's electric generator! Pretty impressive, huh? Professor Spark invented so that he could produce all the electricity he needs to run the gadgets here in the mountain, and believe me, this place needs a lot of juice! It basically runs with batteries, but these aren't like the batteries on your flashlight at home! When used in the correct combinations, these batteries pack a big enough wallop to kick this generator into gear!

(Five monitors emerge from the tubes of the generator's inner ring.)

Botley: See the monitors on those tubes? Each one has a specific battery requirement, so that when magnified together, the batteries are equal to the value on the monitor! The trick is to pick the right combination of two batteries!

(Using his right arm, he reaches over to grab two batteries, 8 and 3, and places them on top of the monitor displaying '11'.)

Botley: When you get all the batteries in place, the generator will produce electricity! You have to think fast, though, and work your way through both rings to get the generator going, because those batteries will run outta juice if you make them pull all the way for too long!

(As he says this, the two batteries disappear, and the monitor goes blank. He then presses a button on the control panel, and a new number appears on the monitor.)

Botley: Okay, now you do it -- put the correct batteries in place!

Maestro's Door
(starting the activity for the first time)

Botley: This is the door to the professor's concert hall, which he usually keeps locked so none of the less musical robots around here pound too hard on the piano. But the door doesn't open with a key. Instead, it uses a password. You have to figure out the password by unscrambling the four words on the left side of the door. I'm not so good with spelling, but luckily we've got some help. Hey, Bothoven!

Bothoven: Huh? Hello? Who's there? Oh, Botley, it's just you! You should have called my name instead of just scuffling around out there.

Botley: Uh, sure. Okay... listen, Polly's up to no good again, and we're trying to stop her. We're having trouble with this lock. Can you help us?

Bothoven: Huh? Speak up! Don't mumble.

Botley: CAN - YOU - HELP - US?!

Bothoven: Now, Botley, if I just gave you the answers, Polly would reboot me in a heartbeat, but if you're really having trouble figuring out one of the words, click on the button next to it and I'll see what I can do. Good luck!

Botley: Okay! What you must do is unscramble the letters on the left side of the door to create four words. You can do that by clicking on any letter, then clicking on the space where you want it to go. Each time you unscramble a word, you'll be rewarded with at least one letter in the password, which appears on the right side of the door. When you unscramble those letters, you've figured out the password and the door should open. Easy!

Music Hall
(entering the room for the first time)

Botley: This is the mountain's music hall. This is where rehearsals are held by our award-winning All-Robot Chorus, headed by Maestro Trombot. Of course, thanks to Polly, half the members of the chorus are lost in time right now. Aw, to hear their sweet, dulcet tones just one more time. Maestro? Hey! Maestro!

Maestro: Shh, Botley, you'll misalign my perfect pitch sensors. (singing) Do-re-mi-fa-so-la-ti-do (speaking) There we go.

Botley: Sorry, Maestro, but Polly's put us all in a bit of a jam and the future of civilization is at stake!

Maestro: Mamma-mia, if she would only practice her arias, she wouldn't have the time or the inclination to destroy the world! Music has such civilizing influence, although her voice... let's just say it's not music to my ears.

Polly: I heard that, Maestro! You just don't appreciate my instrument. (sings Wagner's "Die Walküre" out of tune)

Maestro: Well, Polly, you do have a... quality.

(if the room has a mission clue)

Polly: I've got scads and scads of quality, but what Knotley here wants is the mission clue I hid here. In order to get it, though, he'll have to play me a song. Not just any song, though, I wanna hear this song.

(if the room doesn't have a mission clue)

Polly: Yeah, yeah, I got quality to burn. Pity Knotley doesn't have any musical skill, 'cause he'll need it if he wants me to give him some extra invention points. You see, I want him to play me this song.

(continued)

Polly: And please play it right, Ding-bot, my delicate ears can't handle even one sour note. You mess up, and you get nothing, nada, zilch, nuts.

Maestro: You know, if you like, you can play the organ with the top row of number keys on your keyboard.

Botley: Click on the music tablet to play that tune.

(after the player clicks on the music tablet)

Maestro: How did she... Uh, it seems that you have your work cut out for you, dear Botley. You see, the music is all mixed up. If you want to hear how it's supposed to sound, click on me, and I'll play it for you, then you should have little trouble rearranging those musical phrases until they're in the right order. Click on the button next to the phrase to hear the music stored on it, then click on the phrase to move it to another slot.

Botley: If you click on the play button, you can play the entire piece as it's arranged on the music tablet. You can even change the instrument it's played with by selecting one of the instruments on this panel.

Second Floor
(introduction)

Botley: You'll see that as we go up higher in the mountain, the professor's inventions get more secret and bizarre. Here we have the professor's delicate biosphere. And over there we have the professor's shrink-o-matic, an easy way to shed a few robot pounds. That tram there will take us even further up into the mountain and to some of the professor's other inventions, including his famous time machine. If you want to go back to the first floor, click on these stairs.

Biosphere
(entering the launch pad for the first time)

Botley: See that glass dome? That's Professor Spark's biosphere! In it, he can grow anything he wants from any part of the world! It's kinda like a vegetable zoo, and to protect the biosphere from outside contamination, the professor has set up a remote control way of working inside it! See over there? Those are explorers the professor designed to fly into the biosphere, and on that monitor is where you can watch the explorer as you maneuver it anywhere you want. Inside, there are five different environments to check out: a desert, a rainforest, a mountain range, a grassland, and even an ocean. Each one contains plants and animals you might find in those places.

Polly: Oh, Muttley, over here! Daddy doesn't deserve all the credit. I've planted some things in the biosphere too!

Botley: Sure, Polly, whatever you say.

(if the room has a mission clue)

Polly: I did. You don't have to believe me, but I just thought you might be interested in knowing that I've planted a mission clue in there. You can't get your poor robot friend back without it. Don't expect me to tell you where I hid it, though. That would be too easy.

(if the room doesn't have a mission clue)

Polly: Don't scoff, it just so happens that I recently planted some invention points inside the biosphere. I'm not gonna tell you where, though. Oh, no, you're gonna have to find them on your own.

(continued)

Botley: Polly, the biosphere is huge! You're expecting us to find a needle in the haystack... so to speak.

Polly: Relax, Knotley, I know Daddy didn't exactly overload you with smarts. I guess I can even the playing field and give you hints along the way, and here's your first hint: get one of those explorers launched. Even you should be able to understand that.

Botley: Boy, someday! Well, let's launch one of these babies and see what Polly's got in store for us inside that biosphere! Click on the launch button on the console to send the explorer inside!

(after an explorer is launched into the biosphere)

Botley: Okay! Now we can navigate the explorer around the biosphere by watching it on this monitor! Click on the monitor for a closer look!

(starting the activity for the first time)

Botley: Huh, this is weird! It seems like the explorer is underground! I guess what we need to do is fly up into the biosphere! That should be right above us! To fly the explorer, use the arrow keys on your keyboard. Press the up arrow to blast the explorer forward, and press the left and right arrows to rotate it.

(once the player makes it above ground)

Botley: Good job, we're above ground! The professor reproduced five different environments here! You have to find the one where Polly hid her clue! Press the spacebar to launch a probe, it'll give you an eyewitness view of what's down there, then match what you find with Polly's hints! When you think you figured out the right environment, land the explorer in the designated landing pad! Each environment has one!

Shrink-O-Matic
(entering the room for the first time)

Botley: This is Professor Spark's masterpiece... well, one of 'em, anyway. He calls it the... uh, something or other. We call it the Shrink-O-Matic. It can reduce anything or anyone to the size of a medium-large molecule, with the help of my good friend, Egbert.

Egbert: Greetings, human. Do you know what a molecule is? Well, it's one of the tiniest things around. Everything's made of them, one way or another, and it's impossible to see them with the naked eye.

Botley: As you can see, Egbert is full of facts. He manages all the specimens in this place, and he's deeply attached to them. Anything you need to know about any of them, he can tell you.

Egbert: Oh, yes. So, if you want to know about any of my wonderful specimens, just pick up this analyzer and click on it, but please, don't hurt the specimens.

(if the room has a mission clue)

Polly: Well, that'll come in handy when you go searching for the mission clue, because I miniaturized it and hid it inside one of those specimens.

(if the room doesn't have a mission clue)

Polly: Well, too bad there's no clue here, Grotley, but I guess that will come in handy if you need some extra invention points, because I miniaturized a few and hid them inside one of those specimens. It's almost too easy.

(continued)

Botley: Which specimen, Polly? Give us a hint!

Polly: Okay, Potley, okay, anything to stop your whining.

(after a clue is given)

Botley: So we have to figure which specimen Polly is talking about. That's where Egbert'll come in handy. Use his analyzer to get information on any of the specimens, and to help you determine which is the right one. When you think you know the right specimen, hand the analyzer back to Egbert. You can then move the specimen over to the shrink-o-matic. Once it's there, Egbert can shrink me to the size of a molecule, then I can dive into the specimen and find what we're looking for.

(if a specimen is clicked on before using the analyzer)

Botley: Choose carefully! We can't shrink me down too many times without having to recharge the mountain, so we have to be picky! Maybe you should use the analyzer to be sure!

(if the microscope is clicked on before placing a specimen on the shrinking platform)

Botley: You have to bring a specimen over to the shrink-o-matic before it can be turned on!

(after a specimen is placed on the shrinking platform)

Botley: Do you think that's the right specimen? If so, just click on the microscope on the floor!

(if the microscope is clicked on after placing a specimen on the shrinking platform)

Egbert: Ready, Botley? Hold on tight! It is some ride, I'm told.

Botley: Tis a far better thing I do!

Egbert: Bon voyage, Botley. That's French, you know.

Botley: Later!

Egbert: Happy trails!

Botley: Oh, my!

Fantastic Voyager
(starting the activity for the first time)

Botley: If you chose the right specimen, the object Polly hid should be somewhere inside that giant molecular thingamabob up there. You just have to bat me into that stuff until it's revealed. Click on the mouse button to launch me into inner space, then use the mouse to move the magnet. I can't stay small forever, though, so try to get through the molecules before I return to my regular size.

(when starting the activity on the first level)

Botley: I won't last more than ten rounds in here, so you have to work quick. Click on the mouse to launch me!

(when starting the activity on the second level)

Botley: The way things feel in here, I think I'll just clip right along fast! You'll still have only ten rounds, though! Click on the mouse to launch me!

(when starting the activity on the third level)

Botley: Whoa, I just felt a strange vibration in my body! There's no way I'm gonna last too much longer than eight rounds, plus, this place is slick and fast! Click on the mouse to launch me!

Third Floor
(introduction)

Botley: Yes, we're at the very top of the mountain! Just knowing what's up here gives me chills! Still, I'd go anywhere and face any danger to save my fellow robots! Over there we have the professor's observatory. Once, a while ago, he caught Polly spying on the neighbors with the telescope. Boy, did she get a nice long time out. In that room is a little obstacle course, sort of a robot boot camp. The professor uses it to test out his new robots. Of course, I passed with flying colors when I was tested, but sometimes he comes across a robot with a few bugs that need to be worked out. If you wanna go back downstairs, just click on the tram. Oh, and over there, behind those forbidding stone doors, that's where the professor stores the time machine. There's no way to open it, though, until we have all of Polly's mission clues and, of course, enough invention points.

Observatory
(entering the room for the first time)

Botley: NASA has nothing over Professor Spark. Just take a look at this place. It's here that the professor conducts his top secret astronomical experiments, way ahead of his time, of course. Hey, did you know that the professor landed a rocket ship on the moon years before Neil Armstrong ever set foot on it? Ha, just kidding. The scary thing is: if Polly used this room, she could send one of the mission clues anywhere in the universe!

Polly: Well, no one's ever accused me of making things easy, Snorley, so I'm not about to start now.

(if the room has a mission clue)

Polly: I guess you could say that you can get a mission clue here, but it's not exactly in this room.

(if the room doesn't have a mission clue)

Polly: Well, there's no mission clue here, but if you want, there's a pack of invention points available, but it's not in this room.

(continued)

Polly: In fact, it's not even in the solar system, because I used one of Daddy's rockets to ship it into deep space. Special delivery! You won't find it by just looking around the void. You'll have to figure out exactly where to look.

Botley: How do we do that, Polly? Space is a big place!

Polly: Well, just 'cause I'm such a nice girl, I'll give you a teeny-weeny hint. There you go, I just sent the hint flying off toward the new black hole Daddy recently discovered. If you really work fast, you might rescue the hint before it gets sucked up into another dimension. Then again, maybe you'll fail. Scary, huh?

Botley: Don't worry, we might have a chance! Professor Spark recently launched a whole series of space probes into the black hole! I think we can use it to intercept Polly's radio transmission! Just click on the telescope and we'll get started!

(clicking on the decoder before intercepting the radio transmission)

Botley: That hint is still hurdling to toward the center of that black hole! Please click on the telescope to intercept it!

(clicking on the help button before intercepting the radio transmission)

Botley: Click on the telescope to intercept Polly's message before it gets sucked into the Professor's black hole!

Black Hole Blaster
(starting the activity for the first time)

Botley: Is this cool or what? One minute, we're in Professor Spark's observatory, and the next, we're looking into space, 300,000 lightyears away, at a humongous black hole! See that? That was Polly's radio transmission, and the radio wave circling inside the black hole is part of Polly's hint! Unless you blast it out of there, it's gonna get sucked into a different dimension! That's one of Professor Spark's space probes. Don't worry, it's strong enough to resist the intense gravitational pull of the black hole, and it packs laser beams powerful enough to knock Polly's radio transmission to safety! You can actually spin the ship by using the arrow keys on your keyboard. To shoot the ship's laser beam, press the spacebar on your keyboard. Whenever you hit a radio transmission packet head-on, you'll knock it one lightyear away from the center of the black hole. When you collect four radio packets, you've got Polly's entire hint, ready for unscrambling. Okay, you have four spaceships ready to help you. Each one has a limited amount of laser energy, so shoot only when you really think it'll help. Now, go to it!

Alien Signal Decoder
(using the machine for the first time)

Botley: This is the professor's alien transmission decoding device. It comes in handy when it comes to decoding transmissions from extra-terrestrial beings. The catch is: he hasn't yet found any alien transmissions to decode. Still, we can use it to read Polly's hint. I guess you can call that an alien transmission. Here comes the radio transmission you intercepted from the grip of the black hole!

(a series of words appears in the device's unscrambling box)

Botley: What a drag, Polly's hint is all scrambled! The words aren't in the right order! Polly's not an alien, technically, but we can still use the professor's alien decoder to unscramble her hint. What you need to do is rearrange the words so they create a sentence that makes sense. You know, a subject is usually followed by a verb and all that stuff you learned at school. Huh, I can't tell a pronoun from a protozoan, but I do know that every sentence begins with a capital letter and ends with some kind of punctuation mark: a period, a question mark or an exclamation point. Unscramble all the sentences and we can go to the professor's star chart and figure out where Polly sent that spaceship. Good luck!

Star Chart
(using the machine for the first time)

Botley: This is the professor's star chart. It's really like a map that shows the locations of all the billions of stars that we can see from Earth. Of course, there's billions more we can't see. In the old days, people used to navigate by the stars. This map would've come in handy then. Move the pointer over any of the constellations to find out their names. If you wanna know more about one of the constellations, just click on it.

Robot Maze
(entering the room for the first time)

Botley: This is the most dangerous part of the mountain! That's why Professor Spark uses it as an obstacle course for testing out new robots! With all the treacherous paths and sharp turns, it's the perfect way to test out the latest in robot navigational technology! No way are we going down there ourselves, though! If you make one false move in this room, you could... well... you don't wanna know what could happen!

(if the room has a mission clue)

Polly: You're right, Motley, that little box down there contains the mission clue you so desperately need. I programmed that stupid robot to put that box where you wouldn't be able to reach it, then I scrambled the commands. See if you can unscramble them.

(if the room doesn't have a mission clue)

Polly: Too bad, Spotley, I didn't hide a mission clue down there. I did put a few spare invention points inside that box. I programmed that stupid robot to put the box where you wouldn't be able to reach it, then I scrambled up the commands, not that you'll be able to put them back in the right order.

(continued)

Botley: We'll see, Polly, two heads are better than one.

Polly: Not if one of them is yours, Snotley.

Botley: Okay, as far as I can figure, here's the situation: that robot has been specially designed to maneuver his way down there. He's really good at following directions, and he's got nerves of steel, so what you have to do is rearrange all the robot's commands on that remote-control device in front of you, so they're in the correct order. The commands tell him which way to move. Just click on the command you wanna move, then drag it to where you want it to go. When you press the run button at the bottom of the remote-control, the robot will follow your directions to get to that box, if the order is correct. If not... well... better him than me.

Time Machine Mission Control
(entering the room for the first time)

Botley: Wow. Huh, 'cuse me if I sound sort of odd, but I wasn't sure we'd make it to the time machine mission control. It's impressive, huh? This is Professor Spark's most important work to date -- the time machine extraordinaire! The professor created it so he could witness the invention of anything you can think of! Just go back in time and observe. He would never meddle, not like Polly. When he finds out what she's been up to, I wouldn't be surprised if she's in for some serious time out! Now we need to figure out where he have to go in history to complete this mission. That odd-looking machine will help with that task. It's called the Wheel of Invention, and by using Polly's mission clues, we can figure out which inventor we need to find. The professor tried to ensure that not just anybody could use the time machine -- you need to know something about history, science, art... a little bit of everything, really. So click on the wheel and let's get going!

(returning to the room)

Botley: Okay, we've made it to the mission control again, and the time machine is waiting for our input! To complete the mission, let's head over to the Wheel of Invention, and quick!

Botley: Now that we're back at mission control, we need to use the Wheel of Invention to get started on the next clue.

Botley: Alright, things are going well! We're back at mission control, but before we do anything else, we need to use the Wheel of Invention!

Botley: Moving right along! Let's get over to the Wheel of Invention to figure out our next mission!

(clicking the help button)

Botley: The Wheel of Invention is over there, and you'll need to use it to learn the details of this mission: where and when in history we need to go, and who we need to see once we're there -- all the important stuff. Toward the back of the room is the time machine itself. You'll need to key to open it, but we won't get that until we figure out the details of this mission over at the Wheel of Invention. That area way in back of me is where all the professor's time-traveling robots are stored. Normally, the cells are filled, but since Polly's been here, it's a little more quiet and empty than usual! (sniffles) 'Cuse me, but sometimes I get emotional!

Wheel of Invention
(starting the activity for the first time)

Botley: We finally made it! This is where we bring everything together and figure out how to find the robot that Polly sent back in time! This is the professor's Wheel of Invention! It's an obstacle to the time machine. You see, some of the robots kept wanting to travel back in time to taunt the early computers, but you can't have that, so the professor devised a little quiz that's too difficult for the robots, but, hopefully, it's not too difficult for you!

(a podium emerges from the floor, and a game show-esque fanfare starts playing in the background)

Botley: Oh, brother, Polly's reprogrammed the wheel so it's no longer just a quiz -- it's a quiz show! It seems the show's called "Pollywood Squares", and you're the first contestant!

Monty: This is how you play: answer three questions for each of the clues you collected! You'll find out what, when, where and who -- all the information you need to create a profile of your mission!

Botley: Once the game begins, you've gotta work fast, and try to answer each question on the first try! That way, you'll win the time key faster, and win the most points! Ready... set... Okay, let's begin! Just click the "on" button to start!

Time Machine
(entering the time machine for the first time)

Botley: Wow, I never thought I'd see the inside of this thing! Pretty cool, huh? The professor made it clear this time machine was off limits to anyone but him, but with Polly about to send the world out of control, I think the professor would understand. Looks pretty complicated, huh? But let's see if we can figure out how this baby works! That looks like our window into the past! Look, all the information you found at the wheel is now neatly in place up there! I guess the time key did that! This lever looks important! Click on me if you think I should pull it! Maybe it'll start things up!

Robot Roost
(visiting the robot roost for the first time)

Botley: This is where the professor stores all his time-traveling robots. I call it "The Robot Roost". Believe you me, these guys have been around the block a few times. The problem is: we have to get them all back from the different places in times that Polly sent them!

(if a robot hasn't been rescued yet)

Botley: We can't rescue any robots, though, until we complete a mission, so let's turn back and finish what we started!

(after a robot has been rescued)

Botley: Right now, though, it's one down and twenty-four to go. You gotta start somewhere! Just let me store this robot for safe keeping. A long rest is sorely needed. Polly sent plenty more back in time, so let's start another mission.

Ending Cutscene
Polly: So, Rotley, you think you've foiled my plan by rescuing all those robots? Well, my test score may be zero now, but there's still that extra credit question, and Ms. Winkle says that extra credit questions always more than make up for the rest of the test. This extra credit question involves the origins of the universe. Now, we all know she's expecting me to discuss the Big Bang, but I'd rather discuss the Big Bot. Yeah, that's right, I think the universe started with a robot named Botley!

Botley: Me?! But I thought there was... I don't know... mutual respect developing between us!

Polly: Save me the schmaltz, Blotley, Daddy programmed you to obey me. So I order you to march on over to the handy-dandy time machine and set those dials to way, way back: to the beginning of the universe.

Botley: But, Polly, the beginning of the universe would mean the end of me!

[Cut to the professor's chamber]

Botley: You can't mean that!

Polly: You should never have tried to stop me, Plodley... I mean, I didn't deserve that big fat 'F' on my test. No! I really had no choice but to send those robots back to change history so I could get the 'A' I so richly deserved -- the 'A' Ms. Winkle refused to give me!

[At that moment, Professor Spark himself enters the room and glares at Polly]

Polly: I know my father said I was never ever under any circumstances to play with his time machine, but I know in my heart that if he were here right now, he'd say "Polly, Ms. Winkle robbed you! Now go out there and change the history of the world you brave, brilliant, beautiful little girl!"

Professor Spark: Ahem.

Polly: Uh-oh!

[Polly turns around and smiles at her father nervously]

Botley: Professor Spark! Oh, it's so good to see you!

Professor Spark: Hello, Botley. Hello... Polly.

Polly: So, how was the annual Time-Warp Inventor's Convention, Daddy? As fun as usual?

Professor Spark: Yes, it was very informative. Very informative indeed. Funny how you think you know a thing or two about history, and then all of a sudden, it changes on you.

Polly: But, Daddy, I-I-I can explain!

Professor Spark: I'm waiting.

Polly: Um... umm... Botley made me do it! He must have a faulty chip or something. I tried to stop him, but he was out of control! Oh, Daddy, I'm so glad you're home!

Professor Spark: Nice try, Polly, but I think Ms. Winkle might tell a different tale.

Polly: Oh, Daddy, Ms. Winkle just doesn't understand. I thought she did, but she doesn't!

Professor Spark: Fortunately, Polly, she understands enough to let you retake that quiz, right now.

''[Ms. Winkle appears on another monitor.]''

Ms. Winkle: Hello, Polly. I'm so glad to give you this opportunity. Of course, because you took the test once, I can't give you the same questions. So I've made up another test, just for you. I hope you've been brushing up on your Latin!

Polly: Latin? Latin?! Oh, but Daddy!

[Cut to the Robot Roost]

Botley: Good old Professor Spark. Nothing gets by him!

Polly: You just wait til next time, Snotley!

[Polly's monitor turns off and the screen goes up.]

Botley: Okay, now that all the robots are home safe, feel free to stay and explore the mountain all you want, but don't count Polly out just yet. She could still show up at anytime.