The game takes place in an apartment building with 5 floors, a cellar and roof. Each floor has four apartments, T-shaped corridor and elevator. Apartments are numbered by the floor number followed by A (lower left), B (lower right), C (upper left) and D (upper right). Your apartment, where you start the game, is apartment 4A. Most other apartments change location at random each time you start a new game. At the end of each corridor, to the right of the elevator, is a map where you can see which apartments you've already visited (room-specific icon), which apartments you haven't yet visited but have the key for (key icon), and for which apartments you still need to find the key (question mark).
When you start the game, you'll have the following door keys: 2B (Shakespeare), 3A (random), 3D (ToonVision Games room), 4A (your apartment) and 5A (Clock room). You'll need to find all other keys which are random. Note that puzzles change whenever you replay the game.
Apartment 4A: Your apartment
Click the TV controller power button to switch on the TV. Zap the channels a bit and switch off the TV - cartoon characters will jump out of the TV, snatch your remote control and escape all over the apartment building. Your quest is to find the TV remote to zap them away again.
Your apartment consists of a TV room, bathroom and kitchen.
Optional: Left lounge chair (click and drag the tissue to clear away the pie), window reflection, lamp, broken TV, arcade (to play Toon Boy).
Turn left and enter the kitchen (right door).
Optional: flowers, kitchen cabinets, dishwasher, both windows, cooking pot, corner shelf, ceiling lamp, fridge (to play Fridge Fight).
Click on the locksmith note on the fridge to get another key (5B/1C).
Exit and enter the bathroom (left door)
Optional: bathtub (several animations), toilet, pipes box (select water/syrup/pudding/gravy and then turn open the sink faucet)
Examine the towel to find a 4-letter random password and remember it.
Click on the "flake away" shampoo to get another key (3C/1B).
Exit and press right twice.
Optional: portrait, light switch
Click on the shoes to get another key (3B/2C).
Click on the door and type in the password to access the 4th floor corridor.
4th floor corridor
Things that can randomly happen in any corridor. Most are animations but some require action:
- TNT plunger: press or ignore. Pressing will move you to a different floor.
- Stolen mouse cursor: move Scoops the dog around until he pukes it out.
- Strong guy taunts you: punch him in the face and gut until he drops.
- Bee attack: swat them all.
- Ugly face blocks path: pull nose hair.
- Tree trunk: use the woodpecker along the dotted line.
- 2nd floor bomb throw and corridor catches fire: extinguish it (damage remains for the rest of the game).
- Shell game (find a key under a cup): check under his hat to get another key (4B/5B).
Check the map at the right of the elevator at the end of the hall to see of which rooms you have the keys, which you have visited, and of which you don't have the key yet. Notice also the notes which my contain hints.
Enter the elevator and head to the second floor.
Apartment 2B: Shakespeare
Try to enter repeatedly until he says "2 keys or not 2 keys" and quickly grab the keys he's holding (4C & 4D).
Apartment 3D: ToonVision Games room
It is possible that you're made to play the shell game. The key is not under
any of the shells but under his hat. Click on it to get another key (/3A).
In this room you can play 3 different games but these are optional:
- D-Ding Dong: a 3D ping pong game
- Bubble Trouble: a 3D fish-shooting game
- Make Way for the Highway: a 3D Pong-type game
ALL OTHER APARTMENTS SEEM RANDOMLY ALLOCATED, SO JUST VISIT ANY UNEXPLORED APARTMENT FOR WHICH YOU HAVE A KEY AND THEN FIND THAT APARTMENT BELOW TO SEE WHAT TO DO THERE.
NOTE THAT FLOOR 5 IS NOT YET ACCESSIBLE:
- if a dinosaur mom blocks the 5th floor elevator then you'll need to visit the Prehistoric Cave to remove her.
- if a mechanic blocks the 5th floor elevator then zou'll need to...
Slot Machine room
You probably won't win the remote (we tried many many times), but you can get 2 more keys (2A & 5C) by keep pulling the arm until it lines up 3 keys (twice). Other line-ups have some animations. Line up 3 bombs and the slot machine is destroyed for the rest of the game.
Bull Fight
After the clip, click on the matador's ruby red slippers (if you look at a map, you'll see it listed on the "Stuff you found" note).
Click on the bull's skull for a key.
Prehistoric Cave
It's possible the blue cat drops a bomb, shattering the screen. Place the pieces of glass back in place.
Optional: click both carnivorous plants, river, volcano, palm trees, footprints, large stone by nest, cave (to play the tile-flipping puzzle).
Click the egg multiple times to hatch a baby dinosaur. If a dinosaur mom blocked the 5th floor elevator then now she'll clear the way.
Time Machine Plane (5A)
Optional: right desk drawer, upper-right window, blue machine on the left
Click the grandfather clock for a key (5D).
Get the winding key from the top drawer of the left desk and enter the time machine plane.
Now it gets really interesting! From the plane, you can go to multiple apartments as you can set different years. After setting the year, click the buttons as displayed on the monitor and press the "ON" button. The destinations are as follows:
- any year + no/wrong code: Random destination (can even be an apartment not present in the house!)
- WAY BACK: Prehistoric Cave
- 300 BC: Roman Hypodrome (Ap. 1B)
- 966 AD: Castle Dungeon
- 1544 AD: Pirate ship Fredonia
- 1820 AD: Wild West
space city
Video room
Optional: play the videos
Click the bird for a key.
Kartoon Kombat
Feel free to play. It's optional.
Castle Dungeon (Time Machine: 966 AD)
It's possible Scoops shatters the screen with a bazooka. Place the pieces of glass back in place.
Click on the television to play Shlepardy. When you win, select the cheese (if you look at a map, you'll see it listed on the "Stuff you found" note).
Return to Pixel and Chisel. Click on them to enter the dungeon. Play Dr. Pickle's game. In three trials, you must find the two (out of the nine)
that are exact matches.
When complete, click on the right wooden door for a key. Then return to the corridor.
Pirate ship Fredonia (Time Machine: 1544 AD)
Click the barrel for a key.
Optional: click, hold and drag the mast (multiple times),
Desert, phone and cellar
When surrounded by sand sharks, repeat the talking pattern of the 5 characters. You'll get a key.
Inside the tent, click the magic lamp to play the tile puzzle.
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When the witch is crushed, grab her ruby slippers. Click on the cow skull to get
the key to 2A. Go to the elevator and down to the first floor.
First Floor (Corridor)
Turn left at the end of the corridor. Frank is on the phone talking about trying
to find ruby slippers. Give him the slippers. He thanks you profusely. Use the
phone to call the Cable Guy. He won't come out to fix the cable box until he gets his other sock. Pull the switch in the fuse box at the top of the stairs. Go down to the cellar.
The washing machine explodes, throwing laundry everywhere. You must collect
clothing pairs. Drag one of the pair to the other. They will be removed. There is one left over: the Cable Guy's missing sock! Go next door to the boiler room.
The mice are dreaming of cheese (and other dairy products). Switch on the light to wake them. They are uncooperative. Return to the phone.
Phone the Cable Guy. He agrees to come out to fix the cable box since you found
his sock. Go to room 5A on the fifth floor.
Boiler Room
Wake the rats and give them the cheese. They give you much advice. Go back to 5A.
5A (Time Machine)
Go to 1820. Fiddle is tied to the train tracks. Use the bricks at right to block off the tunnel. When you are run over (anyway), you are transported to a Wild West town: Boot Hill.
Boot Hill
Go to jail (do not pass go, etc.!) You're locked up. Try to get the keys from the jailer. Not so easy ... Bend the bars by clicking on them several times. Now, you get the keys. Go to the gravestones.
Gravestones. Click on the gravestone at right. You get the key to 1D. Go in the barbershop.
Barbershop
Lather Fiddle up. Use the straightedge razor. When you shave him, you get a key.
(Keep lathering and shaving for some morbid fun.) Go to the second floor.
Second Floor (Corridor)
Pixel threw a bomb at me when I arrived on this floor. Quickly click it to throw
it back. Use the fire extinguisher to put out the fires. Enter 2A.
2A (Lounge Singer)
Click on the tip jar to get a couple of tips. Head to 2C.
2C (Deli)
Click on Fiddle in the corner. Drag the food to him until he eats it all and
explodes. You get the key to 5D that he swallowed. Go up the elevator to room 5D.
5D (Upside-Down TV Room)
Go through the door into the kitchen. Open the oven. Aha! The remote. It's too hot to take out. Mrs. Findley tells you you'll need to find an oven mitt. She tells you "one of those freaks" took it. Go downstairs to 1B.
1B (Wedding Ceremony)
The bride asks you to film their wedding. After doing so, you are rewarded with a key to 2D. Go to 1C.
1C (Amusement Park)
Go into the Tent of Freaks. When able, take the cheese from the cheese monster if you haven't got any before. More importantly, take the oven mitt when the appropriate freak is displayed.
Having acquired the oven mitt, you can now win the game (go to 5D kitchen). If you want a sense of closure by having accessed all the rooms, move to the right to the test of strength. 1C (Test of Strength).
Click on Frank to draw back the hammer. Click again to get him to hit the strength tester. When the gauge registers "smokin'," you get the key to 3B. Exit the room and go to 3B.
3B (Train Depot)
Click on the box to get the blueprint. Click on the blueprint to examine it. Take all the pieces out of the box one by one. Construct the machine. Pieces make a metallic clang when they are in the correct place and can no longer be moved. The building process is divided into three stages. When you get it all complete, you are rewarded with a key to 4B. Head upstairs to room 4B.
4C (Vault)
Click on the vault drawers until you find the one that contains the combination.
Then find the three characters that make up the code. Drag them to the appropriate boxes at the bottom of the vault door. My code was 26D (two six delta). The vault opens and you can take some cheese. Go to 1D.
1D (Game?)
You need your 3D glasses for this moving scenery thing. I don't know what it was
for. Click on a door to leave. Return to 5D kitchen.
5D (Kitchen)
Open the oven and take the TV remote. Now you must send the cartoon characters
back. You are in the corridor. Zap the characters to send them back to cartoon land. When you have sent all five main characters back, the end video plays. Be sure to watch the credits video. A satisfying departure from other adventure games ...
