Armchair – Page 2 – The Dreams of Gerontius

Merlin Mystery Solution: Part 5

2016-10-28 Merlin Mystery

The Merlin Mystery

Go to the Merlin Mystery Solution Index.

This is Part 5 of my solution to The Merlin Mystery (“MM”) by Jonathan Gunson and Marten Coombe.

This post provides the complete solution to the Cone mini-puzzle.

In part 3, we established the chain of objects that links the Cone to the spitfires and the Merlin symbol (“Mer”). We also saw that there is an ambiguity since the Cube is also linked to Mer.

This part goes through the clues that explain the meaning of the spitfires and how this resolves the ambiguity between the Cone and Cube links to Mer.

» Read more

One comment

The Great Global Treasure Hunt on Google Earth

2016-10-23 Armchair, Solutions

The Great Global Treasure Hunt

For a treasure hunt book with such a long title, the publisher provided a surprisingly short time to solve it. The Great Global Treasure Hunt on Google Earth by Tim Dedopulos was published in September 2011 and the competition to win €50,000 closed in March 2012.

There were nevertheless 77 correct entries received with the winner chosen at random.

After that, the publisher quickly lost interest. A series of videos were recorded by the author revealing clues to the solution on each page of the book, but only the first six were posted to YouTube. Perhaps the escalating obscurity of the solutions started to grate because, I’m sorry to say, this is a treasure hunt that infuriates rather than intrigues. Where did such a great idea go wrong?

» Read more

Leave a comment

Merlin Mystery Solution: Part 4

2016-10-21 Merlin Mystery

Prague Astronomical Clock

Go to the Merlin Mystery Solution Index. This is Part 4 of my solution to The Merlin Mystery (“MM”) by Jonathan Gunson and Marten Coombe.

This post provides the complete solution to the Pyramid mini-puzzle.

In part 3, we established the chain of objects that links the Pyramid to the Nimue symbol (“Nim”). This part goes through the clues that in turn link the Nim symbol to the zodiac signs and the witch hats. These sets of symbols provide the first step to solving the puzzle.
» Read more

One comment

Maze: Finding The Path

2016-10-17 Armchair, Solutions

Maze by Christopher Manson

Maze by Christopher Manson is, according to the cover, “The World’s Most Challenging Puzzle”. True to the claim, nobody correctly solved it during the two years between publication in October 1985 and the close of the competition in September 1987. The $10,000 prize money was instead split between several people who all got closest to the solution.

The puzzle has several parts. The first step is to find the shortest path in and out of the maze. Then there is a cryptic riddle to find at the centre of the maze. Finally, the solution to the riddle is solved by finding clues hidden along the shortest path.

This post takes a quick look at the book and provides the solution to finding the shortest path. You can also download an interactive map that keen Maze-solvers may find useful.

» Read more

6 comments

Merlin Mystery Solution: Part 3

2016-10-14 Merlin Mystery

The 7 Solid shapes

Go to the Merlin Mystery Solution Index.

This is Part 3 of my solution to The Merlin Mystery (“MM”) by Jonathan Gunson and Marten Coombe.

This post looks at the 7 solids that appear on the shelf on page 4 (P4). They each represent a mini-puzzle that needs solving to reach the final solution.

» Read more

Leave a comment

Merlin Mystery Solution: Part 2

2016-10-07 Merlin Mystery

The Merlin Mystery

Go to the Merlin Mystery Solution Index.

This is Part 2 of my solution to The Merlin Mystery (“MM”) by Jonathan Gunson and Marten Coombe.

This post introduces all the important symbols used in the book and my shorthand notations for them.

MM is filled with symbols. An important step to solving the puzzle is to be able to recognise them and know which of several different categories they fall into.

» Read more

2 comments

Masquerade by Kit Williams: The Solution

2016-10-05 Kit Williams, Solutions

Page 1 of Masquerade – Click for larger version

Masquerade is the quintessential armchair treasure hunt book: beautiful to look at and filled with many small, easy puzzles as well as one large one that is nigh impossible to solve.

This post goes through some of the little puzzles in the book (as much as can be covered in a single blog post). It also gradually reveals hints to how the main puzzle works, before giving away the full solution. Skip to the end if you want, or try to work it out for yourself once pointed in the right direction.

The clues start right on the title page: “To solve the hidden riddle, you must use your eyes, / And find the hare in every picture that may point you to the prize”.

Indeed, there is a hare hidden on every page, and hunting them down is the first bit of fun to be had in the book. But this clue has two deeper, double meanings: eyes are important, and the hares point, literally, to the answer.

» Read more

11 comments

News and Updates for October

2016-10-01 Armchair, News

This is a monthly update of treasure hunt, game and puzzle tidbits.

“Harry Hid It, But Where Is It?” is an armchair treasure hunt with a prize of at least $5000. Harry has hidden his stolen treasure and the challenge is to find where. Entries can be submitted between 1 March and 15 June, 2017.

Clues to the treasure are found in an adventure novel which can be bought for $9.99 as a download or $19.99 for a physical copy. The first five chapters are available for free to check if it’s your sort of thing.

» Read more

Leave a comment

Merlin Mystery Solution: Part 1

2016-09-30 Merlin Mystery, Solutions

The Merlin Mystery prize wand

Go to the Merlin Mystery Solution Index.

This is Part 1 of my solution to The Merlin Mystery (“MM”) by Jonathan Gunson and Marten Coombe.

This part looks at the structure of the book and the puzzle that the reader is required to solve.

» Read more

3 comments

The Ultimate Quest

2016-09-23 Armchair

The Ultimate Quest

The adage of never judging a book by its cover was never truer than with The Ultimate Quest by William Lynhope. The forest scene daubed in primary colours creates an expectation of something similar on turning the page.

The harsh reality of the interior is 50 pages of unremitting grey text as a grey man meets with a grey lawyer and his blonde assistant. Make it through the story to the clues that supposedly lead to the Holy Grail and you’re rewarded with grey photos of a Michelin road map of France and a copy of The Burlington Magazine. My excitement is barely contained!

Published in 2001, The Ultimate Quest is the search for the Grail. The first person to locate the Grail Keeper and answer his questions three (no, five!) would receive a “priceless” replica of the Grail itself. In 2011, the publishers admitted defeat and closed the competition, never revealing the solution.

The puzzle is a combination of code-breaking and cryptic clues. A little searching on the Internet reveals that nobody has much idea of the solution and the pieces that have been decoded hint at a level of ambiguity that probably renders the puzzle impossible.

» Read more

Leave a comment

« 1 2 3 »