Hobbies And Interests
Playing the Game
Your case book is always a great source of clues. Mostly it is filled with story details, but occasionally there are hints as to what room or item you need to be on the lookout for to move further in the game.
When entering a new room/space, any area that's surrounded by glowing light is the first place you should explore. They usually lead you to a hidden object part but sometimes a new puzzle to unlock a room.
'Hints' Button
The "Hints" button works differently in this version of the game. Instead of having a limited number of hints per level, your hint meter refills itself after every use. The time it takes to refill may depend on how you do in the room. There are other differences that make solving the entire game a little easier to achieve:
Sometimes the "Hints" button will direct you to where a hidden puzzle is within an area.
If you are in an area and know that an item in your inventory is needed but don't know where to use it, open your inventory and drag the item to the "Hints" button; that will illuminate the area where the item needs to be used.
There's also a new feature called the crime computer that acts like a second "Hints" button as well as giving more insight into the mystery you're solving. One helpful use of this feature is that if there is an item in your inventory that you do not know what it does or when to use it, drag it into the crime computer and it will give you helpful info on it. Also, a puzzle can be skipped by clicking the "Crime Computer" button.
Your Inventory
To get to hidden puzzles and unlock more areas:
After completing a hidden objects round, any item that's put into your inventory case will more often than not be used to unlock the next area.
Example: The wrench given to you after the first hidden object space will get you to the intercom puzzle, which will give you a key that will then get you through the front gate.
Sometimes inventory items need to be used multiple times on one area for them to be fully successful.
Example: When you have a brick in your inventory and standing on the porch, grab the brick and hit the window three times (any fewer will not get you inside the house).
Certain inventory items will need multiples, each saved over a few hidden object rounds, before they need to be used. The main time this happens is when you collect three eyeballs and don't need to use them until you go back outside and need to enter a door at the back of the scene.
Don't worry if you have items in your inventory for a long period of time. There are a few items (such as typewriter keys) that will not be needed till much later. It should also be noted that when exploring an area, the game will tell you what's happening there and sometimes what may be needed in order to get past it (captions found at the top of the screen after clicking an area).