There should be no need to use this walkthrough since there is a very sophisticated & detailed dynamic hint system built into the game itself! (It is fully described both in the tutorial and the Manual.)

It has been excellently and almost uniquely devised for a non-linear game so that the player can get help at EVERY stage of the game without revealing future gameplay.

But if you so desire - carry on!

FOREWORD

{A} This walkthrough describes ALL the actions which you must take in order to succeed, together with a relatively small number which are not essential to completing the game.

N.B.  The game contains some ‘red herrings’.

However, please don’t use this walkthrough unless you absolutely have to. Some aspects which are not absolutely imperative have been omitted. A lot of these are interesting and provide much of the background story to the game, and particularly to the fascinating (and artistic) character, scenery and history of Norrköping … a relatively small town in Sweden, and home to the Developer, Mikael Nyqvist.

{B}   “Warning”:-  The main purpose of this game is to examine items, interview people, view the interesting sights and scenery, and apart from solving the mystery, generally ‘act the tourist in Sweden!’, etc.

If you simply take this walkthrough in your hand (or consult all the built in hints) and follow exactly what to do and not to do, you can probably finish the game quite quickly. However that would completely defeat its whole purpose!

{C}   The walkthrough does not do justice to “Blue Madonna”! A very great part of the interest and beauty of the game is wandering around through the vast number of locations, views, residences, etc There are actually so many that I’m pretty certain that I missed a few !  :~)

          There is a lot of interesting history and material in Norrköping, a small but quite important city whose population is a little under 100,000 and whose original roots date back to the 14th century, or earlier!

{D}   This is a first-person game and much of the intricacy and pleasure lies in browsing around … and as mentioned above there is a lot of that. I personally frequently ‘got lost’ looking for some location or object (even occasionally inside a residence!), and sometimes after finding it, lost my way again on returning in order to continue the game.

{E}   “Blue Madonna” does not contain many ‘stand-alone’ puzzles, and those included are generally not difficult.

However there IS one main puzzle for some players which runs right throughout the game. It is the necessity to ramble around (maze-like) without losing one’s way and getting frustrated due to this.

          Generally, the player is only told where to go, but not exactly how to get there, or sometimes even how to move around when actually there! Where this is really tricky, simple written descriptive hints are given to help in orientation. But there maybe some locations where this may not be sufficient for some players. In those cases this walkthrough contains exact instructions such as:-

                   Move right twice (R x 2); then move forward (F); then left three times (L x 3); then move forward five times (F x 5); and finally move right (R) again.

KEY :-  Right .…. Left ….. Forward (‘Up’) ….. Back (‘Down’).

{F}   Upon entering every new location, it is highly advisable to browse around as much as possible in order to explore the general layout. However, the walkthrough never tells you explicitly to do this!

{G}   You should most certainly NOT have to follow the same order of accessing locations as described in this walkthrough since the game is not linear. There are a very great number of permutations of routes, and it is most unlikely that two players will follow exactly the same itinerary. In addition it is most likely that this walkthrough does not describe the best or even optimum route to play the game (and finish it completely)!

          Some locations of course will not appear on the map until you have completed certain tasks, and so a particular order is sometimes obligatory. Other than this, you are free to visit (&/or revisit) all locations on the map as and when you wish!

{H}   There is no need to describe ANY of the ‘mechanics’ &/or interface of the game. It is all contained in the manual which is to be found in the “BM” folder on your Hard Disc (after installing of course), and also as a shortcut in the same program group as the installed game.

{I}   There is no so-called ‘bad language’ or ‘adult material’. It is all first person and mouse driven point & click. There are full (and excellent) subtitles for ALL speech.

{J}  As in most games, it is easy to make a wrong or redundant move! So it is advisable to save frequently.

There are 100 save-slots… in case anybody needs that many! Since each save is fairly small, saving and loading is reasonably fast, presenting little delay to progress.

N.B.  There are absolutely NO dead-ends or crashes in the game!

{K}  EVERY TIME you obtain a new item, it will appear in your inventory. You should observe each new inventory item immediately it appears in inventory by right clicking on it to get an excellent greatly enlarged picture of the item together with a very short caption outlining its description.

N.B.  It is imperative to view, and sometimes to manipulate, some of the inventory items in close-up to complete action upon them. In addition, some inventory items will combine with others there and attempts must be made to test this.

{L}  There are no instructions in the walkthrough to close certain drawers, cupboards, cabinets, etc when they are left open since the game ensures that you cannot continue if you do NOT, and often informs the player of such!

{M}  There are a number of puzzles in the game. Wherever there is an outright spoiler, I have inserted it in a much smaller print and a bright green color that is not TOO easy to read, as follows:-  Spoilers are inserted like this ………

I have done this deliberately since many players do not want to see spoilers unless and until absolutely essential.

The walkthrough starts here!

In the text, all objects which are acquired and entered into the inventory are written in bold, underlined, and red.

All objects which are used from the inventory are written in bold, underlined, italicized, and blue.

If you are not too acquainted with this type of Quest-Adventure game, play through the short tutorial which will familiarize you with the controls and interface.

**** Otherwise… skip it! ****

[ 1 ] Christina's house {1st visit}

*****  Read the newspaper article – "Artist Christina Falk dead".

This is the beginning of the saga!

*****  Open the gate and enter the garden.

*****  Nearby is a folding wooden chair.

*****  Take the wooden chair.

*****  Walk to the windows at the side of the house.

*****  Place the wooden chair on the ground beneath the windows.

*****  Climb up on the chair.

*****  Open the window.

*****  Enter Christina's house.

*****  Walk around the ground floor.

*****  Close to the front door is a large mirror and underneath it several objects including a table lamp and a large potted plant.

*****  Beneath the table lamp is a card.

*****  Pick up the postcard.

*****  Look at the card in close-up. It is a home made postcard displaying some sort of ruins.

*****  Turn the card over.

*****  Read the short postcard-letter to Christina from Gerard.

*****  Left mouse click on the postcard.

*****  Notice the signals which indicate that a new location has been added to the map.

*****  It is a calling card for Christina's art studio.

*****  Go to the front door and turn to the right.

*****  Climb the stairs.

*****  Enter the bedroom and look around.

*****  On a chest of drawers there are a white towel and red T-shirt.

*****  In front of these is a note from Christina to Len.

***** Read the note in close-up. It deals with a repair needed to the front door to Christina's studio which can be opened by simply kicking it!!

*****  Go back downstairs and exit Christina's house through the front door.

*****  Use the double gate to exit Christina's grounds.

*****  Exit onto the map.

*****  From the map, choose the new location of Christina's studio and go there.

[ 2 ] Christina's studio {1st visit}

*****  Approach the front door to the studio.

*****  Kick the right bottom corner of the door.

*****  Enter the studio.

*****  Find a painting of a ruin on an easel. It should be easy to find, but if you have very great trouble, proceed as follows:- From the very first screen after entering the studio, walk R, F, F-Right arrow.

*****  Look at the painting in close-up.

*****  Carol exclaims "Alvastra… It's the same motif as on the postcard".

*****  On the easel below that painting is a nail file.

*****  Grab the nail file.

*****  Exit Christina's studio.

*****  Exit onto the map.

*****  From the map, choose the location of Christina's house and return there.

[ 3 ] Christina's house {2nd visit}

*****  Next to the stairs leading upstairs is a brown door leading to the basement.

*****  Open that door and go downstairs.

*****  Walk forwards into a bedroom.

*****  On one of the wooden paneled walls is a small square panel. If you have great trouble finding it:- It is to the right of a rather grotesque looking painting and a chair.

*****  Look at it in close up.

*****  Click on it to remove it – This doesn't work!

*****  Carol remarks "I need more than my fingers to pry this open".

*****  From inventory, use the nail file to open the panel.

*****  Inside is a water pipe and some valves.

*****  Take the key lying there.

*****  Leave the bedroom, go up the stairs to the living room on the ground floor.

*****  Go to the cupboard on one of the walls of the living room.

*****  Open the cupboard. – Impossible just like that!

*****  From inventory, use the key to open the cupboard.

*****  In the cupboard, read the letter from Ann Nygren of the Norrköping historical society concerning the Alvastra monastery.

*****  Notice the signals which indicate that a new location has been added to the map.

*****  Use the double gate to exit her plot.

*****  Exit onto the map.

*****  From the map, choose the new location of the Alvastra monastery ruins.

[ 4 ] The Alvastra monastery ruin {1st visit}

*****  Have a good look around the ruins of the monastery.

*****   There is quite a lot of interest to see… some sign descriptions re the history of some of its most famous inhabitants, a grave, a herb garden etc.

****  But there is only ONE thing that you HAVE to do at this stage to continue .

*****  You have to find the abbot's house. This can be somewhat tricky, so if you have great difficulty it's best to proceed in stages as follows.-  R, F, L, Fx3, L, F, R.

*****  This brings you to a sign description.

*****  Read it – It mentions the abbot's house.

***** R, F, L, F. Carol informs "This must be the way to the abbot's room".

***** Fx3, L, F, L.  Enter the abbot's house.

*****  There is a brownish-red object embedded in one of the walls.

*****  Examine it in close-up.

*****  It is a diagram together with a note informing of the finder to obtain something of importance.

*****  The diagram is reminiscent of something seen in the monastery.

*****  There are 4 cut out squares in one of the walls of the ruins.

*****  Go to that area.

*****  These squares are extremely close to the entrance of the monastery so it's probably easier to start from there.

*****  At the location where you first entered the monastery, there is a door – it seems black since it is probably dark inside. (It is immediately to the left of some stars leading up.

*****  Enter that opening.

***** Move to the wall where those squares are situated.

*****  Click on the square that is active.

*****  Read the letter that Christina left there together with her mobile phone.

*****  Pick up the phone.

*****  Exit onto the map.

*****  From the map, choose the new location of Christina's summer house.

[ 5 ] Christina's summer house {1st visit}

You can’t get any further in the demo --- You’ll have to buy the full game!

Hope you enjoyed this short demo.