Shivers 2

27 April 1997

Copyright © 1997 Balmoral Software (http://www.balmoralsoftware.com). Portions copyright © 1997 Sierra On-Line, Inc. All rights reserved. Republication, redistribution or conversion is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Balmoral Software. Contents subject to change! For the latest information, see http://www.balmoralsoftware.com.

Notice

Our apologies to the many viewers who've requested a walkthrough for Shivers 2. We played part of the game, but it didn't hold our interest. Perhaps it was all the dark, weird colors or the annoying timed-play modes, but we felt this game was much less immersive than the original Shivers game. We really tried to like Shivers 2, but due to other time commitments we felt we couldn't justify "muddling through" with it. Our solution to the barber-shop spider puzzle is given below.

Spider Puzzle

The objective of the spider puzzle in the barbershop sink is to select a path with which the spider can reach its egg case on the far side. On playing the puzzle, you'll immediately notice that while the spider can face left or right, it can neither back up nor turn around. Crossing any colored bridge square causes all bridges of that color to disappear and a different color set of bridges to appear. As a result, the spider must cross colored bridges in this order:

Bridge Color Sequence

Four "blocks", each a different color, serve to prevent the spider's passage through certain paths. Each of these blocks can be permanently lowered by passing over the like-colored "control button" in one of the corners of the puzzle grid. Bridges, blocks and buttons are indicated on the following map:

Spider Puzzle Map

Working backwards from the puzzle exit, we see that the last bridge crossed is blue (B4), so the immediately-preceding bridge crossed must be yellow. The only two possibilities are bridge Y2, or bridge Y1 if the yellow block has been lowered. Clearly, the yellow block cannot be lowered if the yellow button that controls it is accessed from the left, for crossing bridge Y1 would make bridge Y2 disappear and the spider would be trapped on the yellow button. Therefore, the yellow button must be accessed from below; that is, bridge Y2 is crossed immediately before lowering the yellow block. The only path then open after the yellow block is lowered is over bridge R3, R5 or B4. While it may not be strictly necessary to lower the yellow block immediately before exiting the puzzle over bridge B4, it certainly would be convenient to do so.

Under this assumption, then, the final portion of the spider's path is

Bridge Y2
Yellow Button
Lowered Yellow Block
Bridge B4

The immediately-preceding bridge must be R3 or R5. It cannot be R3 since the preceding bridge would have to be blue and there isn't a blue bridge accessible (even if the blue block is lowered). Therefore, bridge R5 precedes Y2, bridge B7 precedes R5, and the final portion of the spider's path may now be written

Bridge B7
Bridge R5
Bridge Y2
Yellow Button
Lowered Yellow Block
Bridge B4

and the bridge preceding B7 must be yellow. Examination of the map shows that the only yellow bridge that could be used is Y7 after the red block has been lowered.

Assume now that the red block has already been lowered. Then the bridge preceding Y7 must be red; the only choice is R10. Preceding R10, the spider lowers the blue block by passing over the blue corner button, but this has no bearing on the solution. Prior to bridge R10, a blue bridge must be crossed - the possibilities are B1, B3 or B5. The spider's path may now be updated as

(Lower red block)
Bridge B1, B3 or B5
Blue Button
Bridge R10
Bridge Y7
Lowered Red Block
Red Button
Bridge B7
Bridge R5
Bridge Y2
Yellow Button
Lowered Yellow Block
Bridge B4

To lower the red block, the corner red button must be accessed from above since there is only a dead end to its left when the red block is up. After passing over the red button, the spider must exit over either bridge Y7 or B9. If B9 can be selected, passage over the red button must have been preceded by a yellow bridge, and none exist. Therefore, the spider crosses bridge Y7 (from right to left) after crossing the lowered red block. Bridge Y7 must then be followed by a blue bridge; B8 is the only possibility. Bridge B8 must be followed by a red bridge - the possibilities are R4, R6, R8 or R9, and the first two can be ruled out.

To complete the solution, we need only find a sequence of bridges that could be crossed between R8/R9 and R10 via the blue corner button. One choice is R8, Y3, B5, R10, and the updated spider path is

Red Button
Lowered Red Block
Bridge Y7
Bridge B8
Bridge R8
Bridge Y3
Bridge B5
Blue Button
Bridge R10
Bridge Y7
Lowered Red Block
Red Button
Bridge B7
Bridge R5
Bridge Y2
Yellow Button
Lowered Yellow Block
Bridge B4

How can the spider reach the red corner button from its starting position, with the last bridge crossed being red? The obvious choice is the sequence B3, R8, and the final spider path solution is

Bridge B3
Bridge R8
Red Button
Lowered Red Block
Bridge Y7
Bridge B8
Bridge R8
Bridge Y3
Bridge B5
Blue Button
Bridge R10
Bridge Y7
Lowered Red Block
Red Button
Bridge B7
Bridge R5
Bridge Y2
Yellow Button
Lowered Yellow Block
Bridge B4

which doesn't rely on lowering blue and green blocks. There may also be other solutions.

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