SPEECH BUBBLE - this button will make Nelly talk to an object/character.

PORTHOLE - this button will make Nelly  look at an object/character.

HOOK - this button isn't for gouging. It will make Nelly interact with an object/character. It can be used to pick up items or operate machinery.

Release the mouse when it is over the option you have chosen, and Nelly will attempt to carry out your instruction.

If you get stuck, make sure you have examined your surroundings and talked to every character. Showing objects in your inventory to characters can also offer clues.


DIALOGUES
When you talk to a character you will be presented with a series of options. Choose what you want Nelly to say by clicking that line. Once a line of dialogue has been said the option will normally appear in a dim red font. This indicates that the line has been said before, but allows you to say it again. You can disable this dimming by choosing settings from the menu bar and clicking the 'Read Dialogues' toggle.


USING THE INVENTORY
At the beginning of the game Nelly has only one item in her possession, but she will collect more during her adventure. You can bring up Nelly's inventory by right-clicking or by pressing the 'I' key. To close the inventory, move the mouse to the edge of the screen or press the 'Escape' key.

You can interact with an  item using the action compass (see above).

To select an item, left-click on it. You can then attempt to combine that item with other items in your inventory. If you want to use an item with a character or object, select the item and move the mouse to the edge of the screen The inventory screen will disappear and you can use the item with any character or object. To discard the selected item, right-click and it will return to your inventory.


USING THE MAP
Once Nelly has found a map, she can travel around the Barony of Meeth. Bring up the map using the menu bar or by pressing the 'M' key. The map shows icons that represent places Nelly can travel to. Hovering the mouse over an icon will give you a brief description of that location. Clicking on an icon will send Nelly to that place. As Nelly learns about more places in the Barony, more icons will appear on the map.

To close the map, move the mouse to the edge of the screen or press the 'Escape' key.


SHORTCUT KEYS
ESC -
    During the introductory cutscene: Skips ahead to the start of the game.
    While Nelly is walking: Skips ahead until she reaches her destination.
    While a window is open: Closes the open window.

L - brings up the 'Load' window.

S - brings up the 'Save' window.

Q - brings up the 'Quit' window.

M - brings up the map.

I -  brings up the inventory.

F12 -  will capture a screenshot and save a Windows Bitmap file(.BMP) in the Nelly Cootalot folder,

Please note that the shortcut keys (apart from F12 and ESC) will not function if the 'Save', 'Load' or 'Quit' windows are open.


WHAT THE HELL ARE SPOONBEAKS?
Spoonbeaks, more widely known as spoonbills, are one of Nelly Cootalot's favourite kind of bird. Here is a drawing of one:

SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
If your system is lower than the minimum the game may still run, but it will probably struggle. Don't be put off if your computer doesn't meet the recommended settings, there's a good chance that it will still run well. You may find that some parts of the game run more slowly than others. If that's the case, altering the settings may improve performance (see below).

MINIMUM-
500 Mhz Pentium Processor
128 Mb RAM
Windows 95 OSR2, 98, ME, 2000 or XP with DirectX 5+
DirectX compatible video card that supports 16 bit 640x480 resolution
DirectX compatible sound card

RECOMMENDED-
3 Ghz Pentium Processor
1 Gb RAM
Windows 95 OSR2, 98, ME, 2000 or XP with DirectX 5+
DirectX compatible video card that supports 16 bit 640x480 resolution
DirectX compatible sound card


ADJUSTING THE SETTINGS
In-game you can make adjustments to the sound, graphics and gameplay by clicking settings from the menu bar. This allows you to alter sound and music volume, screen gamma, and a number of other minor settings.

If you find the game running too slowly in rooms that display smoke/steam, set 'Particle Effects' to off. In other rooms this will have no effect.

You can adjust more major settings by running 'winsetup.exe'. If sound effects or music do not play properly, you can try altering the Sound options. You can also choose to disable music or sound completely.

Unchecking 'Smooth scaled sprites' may help make the game run faster on a slower computer, at the expense of the graphics.

 You can choose to play the game in a window rather than full-screen, though some text may appear too small with a desktop resolution above 1024x768. The application also allows you to change the game's resolution, though 320x240 is not recommended as it will render the game unplayable.


TECHNICAL SUPPORT / BUG REPORTS
If you find a bug, or receive an error message asking you to contact the game's author please let me know. Send a message to 'Ali' using the Private Message function on the AGS forum. 


CREDITS