In the main menu the player has the following options:
Introduction: Select this to see the game's opening sequence. Once the sequence has ended, the player will automatically initiate Act 1 (of six) of the game.
How to play: Click this to see an interactive demonstration on Pepper's and Lockjaw's icon bar and the first puzzles.
Start game: Click this to start the game. You can chose to start from act 1 (without introduction) or any other act. If you start from a later act, text boxes will reveal what happened in previous acts before the game play commences. Regardless which act you select, you start with a score of zero.
Restore a game: Click this to recover a previously saved game. You can (and are highly recommended to) save a game while playing the game through the control panel.
Quit: Click this to exit the game.
Icon bar
Pepper and Lockjaw each have their own icon bar. Make the icon bar visible by moving the mouse to the top of the game screen. You can also change the character's action by right-clicking the mouse button.
This is Pepper's icon bar. The icons are from left to right:
Walk icon: Select this icon to make Pepper walk to other locations on the screen or to other screens (the icon will change into a green arrow at the border of the screen)
Look icon: Select this icon and then click it anywhere on the screen to look at people, items or the environment.
Hand icon: Select this icon and then click it anywhere on the screen for Pepper to pick up, operate or manipulate objects.
Talk icon: Select this icon to talk to people, animals or objects (yes, try to find out). When talking to colonials, often a talk menu will appear with four additional icons - these represent questions Pepper can ask them. Three of them are always the same: Benjamin Franklin, the Pughs and Lockjaw. The fourth icon is to ask the colonial about him or herself. Note that their answers will change as you progress through the game.
Inventory icon: select this icon to access the inventory window where you can select and manipulate your inventory items (see more info below)
Selected inventory item: this small box makes it possible to quickly access the inventory item you most recently selected without having to go to the inventory window. If no inventory is currently selected, then the box is empty.
Control panel icon: click this icon to access the game's control panel where you can save, restore or quit the game or change the game's settings. See more info below.
Help icon: Select the question mark and hover it over any other icon in the toolbar to get an explanation what it does.
Truth detector: this icon is unique to Pepper's Adventures in Time. Click on it and then use it anywhere on the screen to find out if items and people are historically accurate. At the end of each act, you will receive five questions. When you click the truth detector on an item or person that is related to one of the upcoming questions, you will hear a chime sound and the text will be displayed in orange, so read those extra carefully.
Quiz icon: At the beginning of each act, you will be given a list of things to look for throughout the act. At the end of the act you will take a quiz to see if you found the answers. Use the truth detector to find the answers throughout the act. If you forgot what to look for, you can click the quiz icon and it will provide the list again.
This is Lockjaw's icon bar. While most icons serve the same functions, there are a few differences:
Paw icon: Unlike Pepper, Lockjaw can't pick up objects with his stubby little toes. He can however still use it to jump, dig and paw on things.
Smell icon: Unlike Pepper, Lockjaw doesn't have a talk icon (obviously), but he has a keen sense of smell. Use it when you suspect there could be something interesting for Lockjaw to smell. It can help you out in situations where the solution is not always visible.
Teeth icon: another icon uniquely for Lockjaw. Click this icon anywhere on the screen for Lockjaw to eat, drink, pick up objects (instead of Pepper's hand icon) and of course, to bite.
Inventory window
In the game screen, click on the inventory icon (the backpack) in the icon bar for the inventory window to appear.
The icons in the inventory window are pretty straightforward. Use the look icon on an inventory item to get a description of it. Use the hand icon to operate an inventory item, such as to open a book or package. Use the arrow icon to select an inventory item. When you then press ok, it will appear in the toolbar of the game screen.
Note that some puzzles can be solved by using items on each other - by combining them.
Control panel
In the game screen, click on the control panel icon in the icon bar for the control panel to appear.
In the control panel you can save, restore, restart, quit or continue playing the game. You can also set various settings with the slider bars: the duration of the text balloons, the game detail, Pepper's speed and the music volume.
Clicking on Sierra's Half-Dome icon will provide a list with more info on customer service, the sales desk, Technical support, the developers, game hints and the game's warranty.
