Jared Grace is the twin brother of Simon and younger brother of Mallory. He is very curious and tends to act before he thinks. He discovers Spiderwick's book in the tower room, ignores the warning, and breaks the book's seal, triggering the attention of the Ogre Mulgarath.
Jared's weapons are the baseball bat and slingshot. Though his first melee weapon is a broom stick, he needs to upgrade it to the baseball bat and can upgrade it further with an aluminium bat which he finds in the cabin in the quarry. In addition to regular swing attacks, Jared can also execute a spinning attack and ground slam, stunning the enemy. If timed properly, he can also knock a rock right back at a Bull Goblin.
Jared can shoot regular rocks (infinite supply) or the more powerful ball bearings (collectible) with his slingshot. If he prepares his shot longer, the crosshair turns red for a more powerful shot.
Jared has the likeness of and is voiced by Freddie Highmore, who also played Jared in the motion picture.
Simon Grace is the twin brother of Jared and younger brother of Mallory. He is the smart one in the family who loves to read and build mechanical things. He loves animals and hates violence, yet turns out to be the deadliest of the siblings, building his own weapon and allowing him to do things no other can.
Simon's weapons are the splatter gun, which he builds himself, and his throwing ability. In addition to spraying his deadly tomato juice concoction from the splatter gun, Simon can also execute a reverse shot and charge attack, unleashing a torrent of tomato juice. The splatter gun is also the only weapon with which the River Troll can be defeated, and the only weapon that can douse lava and Fire Salamanders, allowing Simon to collect the animals to feed the Griffin.
Simon can also throw tomato bombs (infinite) and gobstones (collectible), which become explosive after he meets the first Cave Knocker. If he prepares his throw longer, the crosshair turns red for a more powerful throw. And finally, Simon is the only sibling who can lure Sprites with faery fruit (collectible).
Simon also has the likeness of and is voiced by Freddie Highmore, who also played Simon in the motion picture.
Mallory Grace is the older sister of Simon and Jared. She is the strong and self-sufficient one and at first doesn't believe Jared when he tells her about the Unseen World. She is a master with the sword and has won several fencing competitions.
Mallory's weapon is, of course, the sword. A better sword hangs on the wall in the secret study, which Thimbletack can make available to her by detaching it. In addition to the normal hacking and slashing, Mallory can also execute a jumping attack, knocking down nearby enemies, as well as a lunging attack in quick succession. If timed right, she can also disarm goblins. Her ability to disarm Goblins makes her the only sibling who can take on Redcap. While she is the strongest melee attacker, she does not have a ranged attack like Simon and Jared, making her extra vulnerable to rocks thrown by Bull Goblins.
Mallory has the likeness of and is voiced by Sarah Bolger, who also played Mallory in the motion picture.
Thimbletack is a Brownie and old companion of Arthur Spiderwick. He's been residing inside the walls of the estate even after Arthur's abduction, guarding the field guide and making sure Mulgarath would not return. He couldn't prevent Jared to find the book and break its seal though. When angry, Thimbletack turns into a Boggart. Honey is the key to helping Thimbletack out of his "moods". But what is done is done, and Thimbletack decides to help the siblings. Jared provides him a small house in the attic after he destroyed the dumbwaiter in which Timbletack resided. The siblings also bring him various items to decorate his new house with. In addition to informing the children about the happenings and dangers of the Unseen World, as well as killing cockroaches within the walls, Thimbletack retrieves the Seeing Stone, recovers the magic acorn from Spiderwick's vault and provides Mallory with a better sword. In the end he even saves Jared's life by distracting Mulgarath.
Other friendly characters
Hogsqueal is a Hobgoblin - not to be confused with a goblin, whom he hates. Jared first finds Hogsqueal in the quarry, captured and locked up in a cage. Hogsqueal makes a deal to help Jared free his brother from the goblins if Jared releases him from his cage. Jared does so and gets spit in the face. While that may seem insulting, Hogsqueal actually has the ability to make humans see the Unseen World by doing so, turning the monocle with Seeing Stone useless. He also makes his 'gift' to Simon (in return for killing a group of Bull Goblins who betrayed Hogsqueal's family) and Mallory (in exchange for birdseed). You'll notice that the character you play no longer wears the monocle after being blessed by Hogsqueal.
Hogsqueal has an enormous appetite for birds and, after being released, resides in the tree in front of the house, near the birdhouses. Unbelievable as it may seem, his craving for birds will also be the ultimate demise of the ogre, Mulgarath.
After a bitter divorce from her cheating husband, Helen Grace moves with her three children to the estate of her late uncle, Arthur Spiderwick, who lived there 80 years ago and mysteriously disappeared. While she starts working at her new job, the children discover the Unseen World. It is only when the attack on the house in imminent that the siblings inform her about the danger they are in, convincing her by letting her look through the monocle with Seeing Stone. Luckily Simon has a plan and instructs his mother on how to make a tomato juice bomb in the kitchen oven. While the goblins attack and the children hold them off with their weapons, Helen prepares the trap as fast as she can. They manage just in time - the bomb goes off, taking out all goblins, including their leader, Redcap.
Eighty years ago, Arthur Spiderwick, discovered an unseen world in the surrounding woods of his estate - a world a magical creatures such as sprites, brownies and griffins, but also dangerous beings, such as goblins and trolls. Curious about this unknown world, he start researching it and writing down his findings in a field guide. Too late, he realized that his field guide contained secrets which would allow Mulgarath, an evil shapeshifting ogre, to grow his power and manifest himself outside the unseen realm and into the world of humans. He sealed the field guide, locked it in a chest, and made a concoction that generated a protective circle of toadstools around the house to protect himself and his young daughter, Lucinda. Concerned that Arthur may fall into the hands of Mulgarath and be forced to share his secrets, sylphs from the Realm of the Sylph abducted him and brought him to their realm where he still resides to this day, untouched by time. At present day, Arthur's niece moved into the estate where one of her children finds the field guide, and breaks the seal...
Arthur Spiderwick only appears in the game during movie cut scenes. However David Strathairn, who played Arthur in the motion picture, narrates the game as Arthur.
Eighty years ago, Lucinda Spiderwick witnessed the abduction of her father, Arthur, when she was a young child. Nobody believed her story about the Unseen World and she was eventually placed in a sanitorium where she resides to this day at almost 90 years of age. She is not alone though - several sprites keep her company, camouflaged as flowers in her room. When the siblings fail to burn the field guide, they manage to escape the mansion through the tunnels and visit their aunt in the sanitorium for advice. She tells them that her father is still alive in the Realm of the Sylph and that they can go there by calling Arthur's pet: the griffin, Byron. She also gives Timbletack's jack, enabling him to travel to other parts inside the mansion walls.
Lucinda Spiderwick only appears in the game during movie cut scenes. On a side note: in the movie Jared and Mallory visit aunt Lucinda with the field guide - it's there that Redcap manages to snatch a few pages from it, rather than during the melee in the mansion yard in the game.
Enemies
Mulgarath is an ogre and shapeshifter. Other than his natural shape, he also takes on appearances of a crow and snake. (in the movie he also takes on human shapes, one of which is portrayed by Nick Nolte). When Jared removes the seal from Spiderwick's field guide, Mulgarath awakens, aware that the book has been found. Mulgarath hungers for the book and the knowledge it contains as it would enable him to conquer worlds beyond Spiderwick's estate. Commanding an army of goblins under the lead of his right hand, Redcap, he orders the book to be brought to him, eventually getting involved himself when the spell of the toadstool circle around the mansion is broken. In a final confrontation, Jared runs with the book and climbs to the top of the mansion tower. All seems lost, but that is not keeping in mind Hogsqueal and his even greater hunger for birds.
Redcap is the right-hand of Mulgarath and bull goblin in command of the goblins. Bull goblins compete for leadership, and a special hat may be worn by the dominant individual. Redcap is an expert swordsman and can block any blow with his weapon. The only sibling who can take on Redcap is swordmaster Mallory, but even she can only hurt him after first disarming him. However, when Redcap feels he's on the losing end of a fight, he runs away like a coward. Eventually he gets his due though, thanks to a tomato juice contraption by Simon and his mom. At one point, Redcap manages to tear out a few pages from the field guide, including pages that contain information on how to break the protective spell of the toadstool circle. Soon an attack of Goblins on the mansion will be inevitable.
Goblins have a tenacious grip. One they dig their teeth into you, it is difficult and painful to shake them off. Their teeth are actually bits of glass and metal they stick into their gums. They always lose teeth when they die in combat. Mallory, Jared and Simon collect these teeth as it enhances their combat skills. The entire Spiderwick estate is crawling with various types of goblins under the command of their leader, Redcap. The green goblins (not pictured) are the easiest to take on. The similarly-shaped red goblins are a bit tougher and often wear armor. Beware, even when you disarm a green or red goblin, they'll still fight, often jumping on your back to cling on you. The worst and biggest are the Bull Goblins who have a nasty charge attack and are capable of throwing rocks. Timing to counter-attack is key.
The land troll dwells in the tunnels underneath the Spiderwick estate. The tunnels, which the monster dug, reach as far as the town sewers. Jared will encounter it during the first visit in the tunnels on his way to aunt Lucinda (in the movie accompanied by Mallory). If you encounter this troll, RUN! Baseball bats and rocks won't do a thing. Road traffic on the hand...
The River Troll resides in the pond at the end of the forest road, close to the quarry. Jared will first encounter it when he returns the first time from the quarry. In order to pass the troll, it needs to be fed with goblins - ten goblins the first time and five goblins any character passes it afterwards in either direction. If the river troll manages to grab you, shake yourself out of his grip before you get eaten. A good strategy is to purposely get grabbed by the troll, so the goblins approach the monster, and then escape from its claw for a goblin to become its next victim. Only Simon can defeat the river troll, either by throwing tomato bombs or by spraying it with the splatter gun, with the splatter gun being more effective. The river troll will retreat and eventually end up in the sunlight, turning to stone.
Sprites
Sprites are little faeries that fly (and in some cases walk or jump) all over the Spiderwick estate. They have special powers to assist in combat, which the player can use to his benefit. However, before using a Sprite power, it must first be caught with the sprite net. When a sprite is caught for the first time, the player needs to record it (paint it) within a time limit or it escapes again. Once a sprite is recorded, it doesn't need to be recorded again. Note that real-time play continues while a sprite is being recorded, so if the character gets attacked while recording, the sprite will escape also. In order to complete the game 100%, all sprites must be recorded. See the text walkthrough for their locations.
There are also four garden sprites. These sprites were Arthur Spiderwick's close friends and are now homeless and desperate. These sprites only appear in sequence after the previous garden sprite(s) have been found. After using their power, they will head to the flower gardens in the backyard of the house where a new home awaits them, and beautify their garden upon interacting with them.
There is only one Beetle mimic Sprite (pictured left) in the game, located in the Deep Woods near the Oak tree, behind a bush with a stray sod. This sprite will create a blue clone of the character you're playing and help you in combat. Before catching it for the first time though, you'll need to fight and kill your own clone.
Leatherwing Sprites (pictured right) refill the health of all characters. There are 10 in the game. For every two sprites recorded, the characters' health branch will increase by one leaf until the maximum of 8 leafs is reached.
Will-O-The-Wisps (pictured left) distract goblins from the character, sometimes causing them to fall to their death. There are 10 in the game. If enough Will-O'-The-Wisps are recorded, it will be possible to steer them as they fly away by holding the Activate Sprite button.
Flower-Head Sprites (pictured right) cause a whirlwind, knocking out enemies. There are 7 in the game. For every two sprites recorded, the whirlwind targets an additional enemy.
Royal Orchid Sprites (pictured left) created a toadstool ring around the player, protecting him/her from goblins for a short time. There are 5 in the game. For every two sprites recorded, the toadstool ring will last longer.
Flower-Winged Sprites (pictured right) give the player the power of dash, temporarily increasing their speed. There are 7 in the game. For every two sprites recorded, the time of the power lasts longer.
Bellflower Sprites (pictured left) boost the damage inflicted by the character, making their weapons glow. There are 5 in the game. For every two sprites recorded, the increased damage time will last longer.
Pondskater Sprites (pictured right) make the character temporarily invulnerable. Running into enemies with this power enabled will also knock them back and hurt them. There are 3 in the game. When more sprites are recorded, the power of invulnerability will last longer.
Sprout Sprites (pictured left) don't fly, but hop around. They can be caught only once and yield a faerie fruit. There are 10 in the game.
Stray Sods (pictured right) are walking Sprites that are always near a brown bush that blocks a path or hidden area. They keep walking back and forth through the bush, so if you don't see them immediately, wait a bit for them to appear. Then run in circles around the Stray Sod until he gets dizzy and the bush will vanish. While dizzy, catch the Stray Sod to record it. Stray Sods provide gob stones and can also be caught only once. There are 8 in the game.
