Floor 1:

It's always nice to start the day with a Mutant-free floor. It lets you work up a bit of a sweat before breakfast, without overexertion so early in the day.

I found it necessary to be able to stab around both the left and right corners of doorways. The SS are more dangerous when you attack them from the left side, because the barrels of their guns always come out on the right. There were several places where I had to fight multiple opponents face-to-face, rather than as they emerge from a room. Sorry, mate, I kept the Silver Key, but I let you know where it was. 

In the first part of the Gold Key area, watch out for the second SS on the right, in front of a sink. He'll react to action behind him. The other three are oblivious. Take them right, left, right, left, and you'll have no problem here.

One shot should be enough for the dog at the start. I circled the perimeter a couple of times, but there were Treasure and Secrets that I couldn't find.

Floor 2:

It's pretty smooth sailing until you catch sight of some Officers behind green oil drums, and the Gold Key is in their midst. [This scenario is saved in the Shooting Gallery folder as Shoot the Officers.]. In fact, it is possible to kill all of the Officers and all of the Mutants in the adjoining green oil drum room with the Knife. I bagged two Mutants the hard way, before finding that there is an easier way to do the deed.

If you want to waste a lot of bullets, you can strafe the Officers as you come into the room, then take your chances with the Mutants. If you wish to be conservative with your Ammo, however, the following might work:

Run quickly across, in front of the Officers behind oil drums, and grab cover beside the door to the next room, where many Mutants are waiting, but not right near the doorway. Move along the side of the wall, towards the Officers. One will come right to the edge; you can see at least half of his body. Neither of you are able to shoot at this angle, but your Knife will fit just fine through the gap between the wall and this last green oil drum on your right.

The Mutants in the next room are dug in like wood ticks. You need to enter the room, advance up a bit, and make them follow you, which isn't easy. You have to bring them back a little at a time, and each time, they're closer when you duck in to the room to bring them out further. They also fire with surprising accuracy from long range. If you stay put, they can hit you from near the top of the room, in the gap between the wall and the green oil drums on the left side of that room. I pulled two or three of them back through two rooms. This procedure must be repeated several times, if you want to complete this section with a cold gun. 

I did the first two Mutants the hard way, meaning that I hadn't cleared the Officers first. The last couple of Mutants were especially feisty brutes. Molly kissed them many times, and I needed to move closer several times before the buggers bit the dust. 

Many of the opponents, mostly SS, that occupy the room just beyond the Gold Key door can be lured back to a spot very close to the entry elevator. Just look across the doorway from the MP-60 I left you. Watch out for the two Officers waiting behind a false panel in the exit elevator. One will announce himself before the Secret is pushed. The elevator panel on the right hand side, immediately inside the door, will also bring you up to number 3. I don't know if the Officers would follow you up. It's too late to ask them.

In the green oil drum Mutant room, there's a secret on the right side wall. I think there's six Mutants up there, guarding a BJ bubble. I don't think they can be taken with the blade. There's just no way to get close to them, and they spread out and attack together if you single one out. I used 43 shots from the MP-60 to drop the lot. It's not very efficient, I know, but I have my Health to think about. Some may consider avoiding this area entirely.

Floor 3:

There's a hidden elevator just to the left of the regular one.  Otherwise, unremarkable. One each for the dogs.

Floor 10:
There's a long, sweeping brown stone room leading to the Gold Key. The place is crawling with Officers. You'll see the first batch on your left, behind some barrels. Early on, you will have the opportunity to engage them in single combat, but further on, they tend to congregate in groups of two to four. They are all reluctant to leave their posts, but they can be convinced, if you let them have a prolonged look at you. Don't retreat too far, however, or they will return to their posts, but they'll be waiting for you. There are several corners where they can be had, provided that you can split them up, and take them on one at a time. Be prepared to draw some of them all the way back to the entrance to the room. If you can secure this area, the batch of SS guarding the Gold Key shouldn't pose much of a threat.

Watch out for up to four rogue SS who'll be milling about the entrance to the brown stone room once you have acquired the Gold Key. They may hide in the Secret area near the Gold Key doors, if you have discovered that one previously, (it's to your advantage to have done so).

There is a Silver Key room very close to where the Silver Key itself is located. Expect multiple SS to come out on their own, once word spreads that you have the Silver Key. They mostly do solo reconaissance, but a few come in pairs. They aren't a major challenge to a Scorpion.

There doesn't seem to be a surplus of Health supplements on this floor, so reckless behavior is ill advised. Two life bubbles are stored in Secret locations. No Ammo was required.

Floor 4:

Neutralize the Guards behind the door on the left first. There's no cover to be had, so you'll need a firearm. I needed two slugs a piece from my Remington for the first two, but the next two can each be felled with a single shot each, if you aim for the heart. The last one can be had with the Knife. It sounds like a par seven to me. If you go through the right side door first, these same Guards will react to sound and attack from your rear flank.

Par Eight for Shoot the 2 SS. 

Shoot 5 Officers is a bit of a challenge. Four are behind hanging skeletons in opposite corners, and one roams the center area. I completed this assignment in the minimum six shots, but it's a par eight for most. The sequence of kills is most important here. Take one of the Officers directly opposite the door with two shots, then draw the fellow in the middle out to the doorway. A second Officer is hiding in a corner on the left hand side. He can be killed with the Knife, but don't do it, or the other two on the opposite side will take target practice on your back. You want the chap on the left to get a look at you before you go back to cover in the doorway. He'll do his little chicken dance, circling the cage, just like the first one did. He only seems to be dangerous after he's made his turn towards the back. Drop him just as he's about to turn and fire. Two shots more are needed to eliminate one of the two other Officers in the second enclosed area. The last one, hiding in the corner, didn't seem to realize that there was enough room for a blade to reach him between the corners of the cage and wall.

Shooting the four Officers guarding the Gold Key is quite a challenge. It can be, and was, done with 8 rounds, but ten sounds fair for par. Reduce your score by one stroke if you can do it without picking up any of the Ammo on the right hand side. I managed to leave two behind, but I picked up one because I needed that spot on the floor to silence my first target. I proceded near left, top right, then left, right again until all had toppled. Several shots were fired at me from the left while I was dispatching the first Officer on the right side, but I was unhit. I would advise against attempting to capture the key without first eliminating at least two of these foes. Note that there are four bodies, but only two are visible.

Floor 5:

If you haven't much Ammo at the start of this floor, your prospects of survival are slim. Right out of the elevator, you'll run into a squad of Guards, from each of the right and left sides, and there aren't any handy nooks from which one would have an apparent advantage. It's best to exit the elevator with the MP-60 ready. Hold your ground just outside the elevator, and you should be able to put them all down with about 50 rounds. The Knife will do for the remaining Guards, one at the end of each of the left and right corridors. If you are obliged to begin this floor with just the Knife, .45, and minimum compliment, I would suggest you go right first, then circle around to cover your rear flank before going right again, picking up Ammo with each kill. You should expect considerable loss of Health, should you be have to go this route. Guards usually aren't much of a challenge, but in open ground, in numbers, and arriving from two different directions, they can be quite a handful. 

Once you've cleared the corridor, You should go left, past the two Gold Key doors. You'll need to expend four or five rounds on the Mutant just behind the door at far left. Not far beyond that door is a room with hanging skeletons. Several Guards and a few Mutants will venture forth from the next room following. A small number can be lured out to the entrance to the hanging skeleton room. There is a small time gap between when they come out to look around, when they go back in, and when the next one comes out. It's just enough time for you to navigate the room, and set up shop to the left of the doorway. You can dispatch them all from that spot, provided that you are fast enough to get there in the first place.

You'll cross paths with additional dangerous Guards as you advance towards the Gold Key. They are in a grey maze-like room, with one door leading out. You'll also lock horns with a few Officers, a couple of dogs, and several batches of SS before you get the key, but you'll have good tactical spots nearby from which to make them dead.

If you want to go back to the room at far right, relative to the elevator, you can do this now, but clear only the main room at this time. All Officers in there can be drawn back to the entrance to the room at far left, past the Gold Key doors. Make sure you have completely cleared the Gold Key room to the left of the elevator before advancing into either of the two doors on the left in the room formerly occupied by living Officers. Two SS and at least one Officer will advance on your rear flank from the Gold Key room if they have not been put down first. 

There are five Officers behind the two doors on the left. Three of them can be drawn back to the Secret in the first Gold Key room, with two doors. The other two who remain can be taken forcefully in or around the room they're in. At the far end of the room, there is a second Gold Key door, where you'll encounter quite a few opponents before obtaining the Silver Key. They're all Officers or SS, though, so tried and true tactics will win out here. The three Officers in the washroom were evidently preoccupied with other matters when I slashed their throats. I had time for a quick shave before continuing my advance towards the Silver Key.

There is an odd stabbing angle to dispense with the Mutants waiting behind the Silver Key door. If no gap can be seen, you can be fired upon by either a Mutant being stabbed, or another in the room with magic curving bullets. If you expose a generous portion of the room, however, you can kill them all with the blade. I could see most, if not all, of the base of the lamp on the other side of the door when I had the correct angle.

The elevator itself is unguarded, but there are three Mutants waiting behind a Secret just to the right of the exit elevator. Although the Silver Key area is very small, it contains multiple Secrets, including a second Secret room past the one containing the three Mutants, and multiple pushwalls that move large blocks around, but fail to uncover any Treasure or munitions. Once I had dealt with the flood of Guards at the beginning, I was able to put my firearms away for the balance of the floor. It would have been most difficult, however, to defeat the initial assault without more firepower than can be relied upon from the Remington.

Floor 6:

Don't be too eager right at the beginning. Avoid the urge to shoot or stab the SS walking away from you. There are plenty more like him in proximity, dogs as well. Find your first Secret just to the right of the elevator, and move to the middle of the corridor, so He'll be sure to see you when he turns around at the far end. Move to your Secret, and wait for him to come to you. You'll want the sound of his agony to alert the others. Circle into your Secret, and begin stabbing, and don't stop until the rush has been quelled. Keep going for at least ten seconds after you catch a glimpse of the last one, just to be sure. If you haven't already picked up the HKMS-940, you'll have to do it here. It's waiting where you want to stand.

Beyond the sinks is a room with a very precise stabbing angle. It's the dogs you have to worry about. I think they go high. Don't even consider using the left side of the doorway. The second SS would take you out if you do that.

Just past Shoot the dog is an interesting challenge. There's a small room on the right, leading to another room from which Officers frequently come out to survey the environs. A couple can be lured back to the doorway opposite the dog, but the others aren't so curious. To down them silently one must time things precisely, starting from just inside the doorway, opposite the dog. If you start to move just as the doorway is opening, It will have closed by the time you reach the door to the room on the left. The nimble of foot will have time to move over to the left side of the door on the left, and take them as they exit.

The fellow guarding the Gold Key was reluctant to move from behind his table. I had to go out into the room to catch his attention when he was looking in my direction. 

Being able to block doors open, or to have them ajar behind you as you advance, will serve you in good stead here. One slug each for the mutts should be enough. 

No Mutants here, but an awful lot of SS. As long as you can get them to come to you one at a time in the dark blue hallway near the exit, you'll be fine, but watch out if they pair up. A Secret nearby would have made my job a lot easier, had I known about it at the time, but I managed to do without it.

When you reach the elevator room, take out the SS in the room opposite the entrance, then go back for the Guards in the room to the left of the entrance. Watch for some Secrets within Secret areas, and for some Secrets to be quite close to others.

Floor 7:

They must have saved the 4Fs for this floor. Other than the Mutants in the slimy maze, there's not much to test you here. Be sure to grab that first Secret off to the left of the elevator before you explore, though. You'll need it for the first few Officers. Elsewhere if you just get to the right spot by a corner or doorway, you can have them spill out en masse and literally beach themselves on your blade, like lemmings. No sport at all. 

Some of the Mutants in the slimy maze must have once been our boys, because they were the only ones with any sense. The maze gives you ample opportunities to display your prowess and test your bravery, as there are a number of spots where Mutants can be fought around corners, but in wide areas. Remember that the green oil drums hinder both yourself and the Mutants, so use them to funnel your foe towards you. You have to go and get them as you advance, but you don't have to draw them all the way back, like on some other floors. One for the Guard, three for the Mutie. Only the one Key here. Eight Awaits.

Floor 8:

Have your MP-60 locked and loaded as you leave the elevator. three Mutants are waiting for you in and around a central block. It's useless to tackle them with the Remington; there's just not enough time to fire left-right-left when using a pistol. Seven shots from the machine gun was enough to drop two of them, and Molly tasted the fetid flesh of the third.

Early on, after taking care of some Officers, you'll see a corridor with a number of SS eager for action. They can all be killed in the doorway, but one of them, possibly the fourth or fifth, has a nasty habit of being able to shoot while being puctured. I took care of this problem by stopping my knife thrusts after each kill was registered, and resuming only after I caught a glimpse of the next fellow's arm. Fortunately, these were SS, so although they're tough, they don't move fast enough to make this tactic particularly dangerous.

Not far from there is another of those Himmelfahrt blokes. He needs about 80 rounds of persuasion from the HKMS-940 to cough up the Gold Key.

The several SS waiting past the Gold Key door seem to be extraordinarily good shots. They can, and will, fire on you in the doorway, when only a portion of their leading arm is exposed. That's if you try to take them from right of the door. They aren't much bother from the left.

Just past the Gold Key door is a room with three doors on the right. You'll want to off the dogs in the first doorway, closest to the entrance. Beyond is an area that looks like a shooting gallery on either side. Though behind pillars, however, the SS on your right are not enclosed. Avoid the urge to attempt a firefight with them from this distance. You're better off flashing them a peek at your butt cheeks instead, to draw them back to the doorway you've blocked open. Once you have the majority of them, the last two can be picked off in a more leisurely manner, and in locations away from the doorway.

Watch for gaps between attacks from the Mutants in the room past where those SS were waiting. Beyond that is a room where there are two Silver Key doors on the left, and a room flanked by ornamental trees at the far end. So far I haven't found any Secrets that would be useful in a fight, and that room's quite wide open, so it's a sound plan to draw them back through two rooms, and dispense with them where those Mutants and dogs had just met their maker.

There's a wood paneled room to the right of Shoot the dog. It has a table in the middle, which tends to get in the way. There are five or six Officers in there, guarding a small amount of Treasure. It's hard to lure them out, and even more difficult to exit the room with them chasing you to your spot, four rooms straight back from the blocked open door. Be sure to leave the door ajar, if you plan to flash them and run.

The one dog on his own can give you fits. Let's call it two for him, one each for the others. Par six for the shooting gallery on this floor.

Floor 9:

Room 1: All of the Officers can be taken out from the corner of the central block at upper right. For Officers in room 4, use the door at upper right. Convince the first fellow to block it open for you. Quite a few of the Officers are reluctant to give up their cover behind the green oil drums, but if you dash across the door frame and back when they are fairly close, that's usually enough. When there's just the one remaining from this lot, draw his attention from the door at upper left, and let him come to you. There's one more waiting near upper center left. If you engage him, three SS may join the fray from the room on the left. One of these two SS can be silenced in the left side doorway where the last of the first group of Officers met the blade. The Other two SS can be lured back two rooms to a doorway. You don't want to fight them in and around the two open doorways.

In the Gold Key area, watch out for rogue Officers from the left side room to venture out while you are battling SS in rooms to the right. One room has a single SS, and its' doorway is a good place to drop several of those Officers. 

There's a room full of Mutants, just before you encounter Shabbs. A single one of them could be killed with the Knife, and I did the last of them that way, but the others will come in tandem, so it's best to lure them back through two doors to where you would have the clear advantage. They are not as intelligent as some of the Mutants encountered earlier, so I guess they weren't formerly any of our men.

Be sure to find all of your Secrets and Treasure before offing Shabbs. This includes the several Crowns in the room where you find him. 

I exhausted my full Ammo compliment and then some to take Shabbs out. I might have used less if I had fought him at closer quarters. He may decide to switch directions if you let him out of your sight, but he won't leave the room where the Mutants had been guarding him. If necessary, you can leave that room to acquire Ammo elsewhere before returning to finish him off. 

My radio's a shambles. One of Shabbs' needles hit it on a ricochet, and that toxic goop nearly melted it, so now I've no back armor. I should never have been so careless, with two strongholds still to go. I've had to go with Plan B to get this intel to you. I'll need to use other methods to provide future instructions. I hate to admit it, but they may have to send you in after me. Godspeed, lad.

HI











 






