Circuit's Edge

INTRODUCTION

 CIRCUIT'S EDGE is a graphic adventure whose story is set (roughly) in 2702
A.D., in a city called Budayeen, somewhere in the Islamic world. You are
Marid Audran, a private detective. Budayeen is a seedy place full of
unsavory characters, and you're not exactly pure as new-driven snow either.
Drug use, sex, and drinking are favorite pastimes, and some inhabitants are
really into inserting chips in themselves to acquire various skills and
personalities. (Players of NEUROMANCER may detect some similarities here.)
And you, being a carefree, try-anything-once kind of guy, are into
everything!

 This game is in real time -- that is, the game clock keeps ticking away
even if you're just staring at the screen. Be sure to pause the game when
you have to leave for a short time. Certain game elements are sensitive to
game time and must be accomplished without breaks. These will be so
indicated in the walkthru. Saving the game is only allowed when you are in
your own apartment; there is only one save-game slot. When you are on a
time-limited task, don't waste time by returning to your apartment to save
the game.

 All commands for the game are chosen from menu bars at the top of the
screen. Although this type of interface is common to a variety of games,
there are some unusual features unique to this game. These features will be
pointed out at the appropriate spots in the walkthru.

 You need the street map (north is at the top of the page) and the business
directory in the manual to travel. There is a small map window in the lower
right corner of the screen showing your immediate surroundings, to help you
orient yourself while traveling. Movement is done by using the arrow keys
or by clicking either on the main screen or on the small map window (I
prefered using the arrow keys).

 In the walkthru, commands that you select from the menus are in capital
letters. From time to time, you will need to TALK to someone ABOUT certain
things. These are noted in capital letters and quotation marks.

 While in the game, punks randomly ambush you on city streets. Early in this
walkthru, we'll equip you with the KUNG-FU MASTER chip; this should make
you almost invincible to these punks. After each fight, get all the money
and a stiletto or switchblade (if you don't already have one); leave other
things behind. If you find your life meter bar has fallen to less than half,
go to the Medical Clinic, and TALK to the NURSE to BUY NUCLEAR HEALING.
Because of their random natures, fights and healing are not included in the
walkthru.

 YOUR APARTMENT

 Read the description to find out what a dump you live in! Select GAME and
TURN BRIEF MODE ON: Now the game will only give you a description of an
area when you first enter it. This helps save a lot of time and unnecessary
scrolling. Select ACTION, then CHIP-IN your BIO-SCANNER. Let's take a look
at your vital signs. Good, you're in fine health. Better leave that chip in
all the time so we can monitor your health continuously. Hang around here
and wait till....

 Hey, your belt phone is ringing! TALK. It's your friend Saird. He wants you
to go to Cafe De La Fee Blanche to pick up a package from Fuad. (Remember
his new commcode.) EXIT.

 To help you get your bearings, you're outside the Five Pillars Apartments
on North 12th Street, facing west. Turn left and go to the large
intersection. Turn left and go east three blocks. Turn left again and go
down North 9th Street. The cafe is on your left. From now on, follow the
map in your manual to travel.

 TALK to GARGOTIER ABOUT "FUAD." Hm, that rascal probably went to Chiriga's.
EXIT and go there. TALK to FUAD ABOUT "PACKAGE." Now, type INVENTORY. USE
BELT PHONE. Dial Saird's new commcode: 131AEP69. He wants you to meet him
at Frenchy's Nightclub. EXIT and go there.

 TALK to SAIRD. INVENTORY. GIVE Saird the COLOGNE PACKAGE. (Note: The GIVE
option is only available when you take an object from INVENTORY while
TALKing to someone.) Saird is ecstatic over the cologne. He gives you a new
chip to play with. ACTION. CHIP-IN CHRONO-2000. Ah, now you can tell time.
INVENTORY. DROP your WRIST WATCH (you don't need that old watch anymore).
Hang around here and absorb the atmosphere. Hey, there goes your phone
again! TALK. Someone wants you to go to Bougainvillea Apartments to pick up
a note book. EXIT and go there.

 After you get a description of the lobby, another LOOK will take you to
Carter's room. Someone knocks you over the head and everything turns to
black. When you wake up, you learn that Carter has been murdered. Note the
writing on the wall. ACTION. GET the HOLODISK or the ANSWERING MACHINE. Now,
you get arrested by the police. Luckily, your influential uncle Friedlander
Bey (nicknamed Papa) talks Sgt. Hajjar into releasing you. Papa is waiting
to see you in his home. EXIT and go to the east corner of South 1st and The
Streets.

 There is a bank machine here. INVENTORY. USE your BANK DISK. Type in your
bankcode (found in the manual) and withdraw all your money (628 Kiams).
INVENTORY. DROP your BANK DISK and go to Laila's Mod Shop.

 TALK to LAILA. BUY KUNG-FU MASTER chip. ACTION. CHIP-IN KUNG-FU MASTER. Now
you're ready for any punks that may show up. EXIT and go to Friedlander
Bey's home.

 To get here, exit Budayeen by going through the East Gate at the eastern
end of The Street. TALK to BILL (the taxi driver) and tell him: I WANT TO
GO TO FRIEDLANDER BEY.

 EXIT and TALK to PAPA. He tells you he wants you to find the murderer of
Kenji Carter and recover the notebook. Great; now you have a purpose in
life! EXIT and go to the Police Station.

 TALK to BILL to take you to the Police Station. TALK to SGT. HAJJAR ABOUT
"KENJI." If he ignores you, keep trying until he responds. He gives you the
answering chip from Kenji's answering machine. TALK to him ABOUT "MORGUE."
He gives you a morgue pass so you can look at Kenji's effects. ACTION.
Notice that there is a new option only available here: "U."

 To get to the Morgue, TALK to BILL to take you to BUDAYEEN. When you exit
the taxi, you will find yourself just inside East Gate facing west. Go to
the morgue and TALK to the ATTENDANT. Select INVENTORY and SHOW him the
MORGUE PASS. ACTION. SEE EFFECTS. ACTION. GET ITEMS: HOLODISK and
LEATHER
WALLET. INVENTORY. LOOK AT WALLET. There is a tag from Mustafa's Pawn Shop.
EXIT and go there.

 What's going on? The Pawn Shop is out of business. May be you can find out
something at The Leather Goddesses. Go there and TALK to MADAME ABOUT
"MUSTAFA." So the merchandise has been bought out by another merchant. EXIT
and go to Friendly's Pawn Shop.

 TALK to FRIENDLY. INVENTORY. SHOW him MUSTAFA'S TAG. INVENTORY. GIVE him
20
KIAMS. He gives you half a brass ring. INVENTORY. LOOK AT HALF A BRASS RING.
Notice the inscription on the ring. While you are here, BUY an ANSWERING
MACHINE from him. EXIT. INVENTORY. DROP MUSTAFA'S TAG. USE the ANSWERING
MACHINE. To understand the full message, you will need Laila's language
chip and more Kiams to buy it. Maybe Papa can help with the Kiams.
INVENTORY. USE BELT PHONE. Dial Papa's commcode which is listed in the
manual. Well, hope he gets the message. Now, return to Laila's Mod Shop,
and TALK to LAILA about "ORIENTAL." Now, TALK to LAILA about "JAPANESE."
You learn she sold the language chip to a jewelry dealer. Go to the Jewels
of Morocco and TALK to JEWELER about "JAPANESE." It looks like you will
need to solve the burglary of the star sapphire to get the language chip.
Better go find out something more about the serpent tattoos. EXIT.

 Papa got your message! He sent his two body guards to deliver 600 Kiams to
you. Go to Franco's Tattoo Parlor and TALK to FRANCO about "SERPENT." You
learn there are two suspects: Marco and Manny. Marco works in one of the
shops and sold him a holoviewer. (Manny works for sharks?)

 It's been a long night. Return to your apartment and SLEEP until around
6:00 p.m. You may save the game here if you like.

 BACK ON THE STREETS

 It's around 6:00 p.m., and you just woke up. You're feeling a little hungry,
too. So EXIT, and go to the Cafe Solace. TALK to OLD IBRAHIM and BUY any
meal from him until you are grossly full. Now you are ready to continue
tracking down the burglary suspects. EXIT. Let's see, Manny works for
sharks...Loan Sharks! Go to AAA Secured Loans and TALK to GUIDO about
"MANNY." He gives you a matchbook. INVENTORY. LOOK AT MATCHBOOK. The
initials are "S.P." Could it stand for The Silver Palm Nightclub? Yes!
INVENTORY. DROP MATCHBOOK. EXIT and go to The Silver Palm.

 TALK to HEIDI about "MANNY." Hm, a subtle clue: He has unnaturally blue
eyes. EXIT and go to The Eyes Of Texas. TALK to SHOPKEEPER about "MANNY."
Manny might have been involved in a card-counting scheme. Oh, I know just
the place! EXIT and go to The Gambling Den. (Note: It's on South 4th Street,
not 5th.)

 TALK to KARIM about "MANNY." He tells you Manny shacks up with some dancer
who has red hair and green eyes. Gee, this guy sure gets around. Go to the
Red Light Lounge and TALK to FANYA about "MANNY." Finally! This guy lives
at the Ad Dur House. (Note: To find Fanya, I traveled to all the different
bars and nightclubs, talked to all the dancers, and read all their
descriptions, in case you are wondering.) EXIT and go to The Ad Dur House
(at the end of South 9th Street).

 After reading the lobby's description, LOOK takes you to just outside
Manny's room, but it's locked. TALK to LANDLORD. INVENTORY. GIVE him 100
Kiams to get him to open the door. LOOK. ACTION. GET CRUMPLED NOTE.
INVENTORY. LOOK AT CRUMPLED NOTE. Manny is supposed to meet someone named
Tamara at the warehouse on South 1st Street. INVENTORY. DROP CRUMPLED NOTE.
EXIT.

 (If you have a stiletto or switchblade from a punk, skip this part and go
directly to the warehouse.)

 CRAZY ABDUL'S

 TALK TO ABDUL, BUY a switchblade, EXIT, then go to the Warehouse on South
1st Street. LOOK. INVENTORY. USE STILETTO or SWITCHBLADE to cut the rope
that's tied around the crate. So, Manny has been murdered, too. At least
you found the second half of the brass ring in his mouth; this wasn't a
totally wasted trip. INVENTORY. LOOK AT the second HALF OF BRASS RING. Note
the inscription. Putting both inscriptions together, you get: "Shimaal
Mosque, 1 AM." Sounds like a rendezvous. INVENTORY. DROP both HALVES OF
BRASS RING, EXIT, and go to the Shimaal Mosque. It can only be reached by
taxi. To be safe, you should be in Bill's Taxi no later than 12:40 a.m.
Follow the sequence below, but keep an eye on the time. Skip over to
Shimaal Mosque, if necessary, then resume the sequence afterwards.

 ELECTRONIQUES

 Well, Manny is a dead end (pun intended). So, we will try to follow up on
Marco, the other suspect. He sold holosystems; therefore, the electronic
shop is a logical place to visit. TALK to SAMPSON about "MARCO." All you
get is his full name: Marco Herrera. Maybe the police computer can help if
you can just get to use it. EXIT and go to Shoukri's Adult Video Holos.

 You still have the holodisk to contend with, but you haven't found a
machine on which to view it. Answer YES when asked if you want to check out
the latest adult holographic film disk. Answer YES again to slide in the
holodisk you obtained from the morgue. There's a girl on that holodisk who
might just be Kenji's daughter; she hinted that she was going to have
cosmetic surgery. EXIT and go to Franco's Tattoo Parlor.

 TALK to STREET DEALER. BUY POLICE BADGE. This may just fool those cops into
letting you use their computer. (Note: The Street Dealer only appears in
Franco's shop after 10:00 p.m.) A hint that he has a badge to sell is
mentioned in a conversation you overhear in either Chiriga's or The Silver
Palm. Unfortunately, this conversation seems to appear in random clubs.
EXIT and return to Laila's Mod Shop.

 Now that you are rolling in Kiams, let's stock up in chips. TALK to LAILA
and BUY the following chips: RAD HACKER, ALPINE JACK, SUPER SPY, and
PHANTOM. EXIT and get back in the taxi.

 TALK to BILL to take you to POLICE STATION. EXIT. ACTION. USE COMPUTER. The
badge worked! Let's see what it has on "KENJI CARTER." So, he did have a
daughter named Tamara. Things are clearer now. Next, look up "TAMARA
CARTER" to get an address: The Red Dune Apartment. Okay, now we will try
"MARCO HERRERA." Not much luck here, but he does have a brother, Alejandro
Herrera: Try that one. Suddenly, a cop notices you're an impostor and kicks
you out! But at least you noticed the commcode for remote access to the
computer: Maybe a remote link-up is possible. EXIT and go back to the
Shimaal Mosque.

 All you have to do here is wait till 1:00 a.m. Someone sneaks out from the
shadows and gives you the code to the police computer. EXIT, TALK to BILL
to take you back to BUDAYEEN, then return to Electroniques. TALK to SAMPSON
to BUY DATA LINK TERMINAL. EXIT and go to Friendly's Pawn Shop.

 TALK to FRIENDLY to BUY UPLINK CABLES. ACTION. CHIP-OUT KUNG-FU MASTER.
CHIP-IN RAD HACKER. INVENTORY. USE DATA LINK TERMINAL. Dial the remote
commcode for the police computer: 054AJR86. Enter the logon code:
"GRAVITY." Now, let's try "ALEJANDRO HERRERA" again. Bingo! He lives in The
Medinah Apartments. Push the RETURN or ENTER key to disconnect from the
police computer. ACTION. CHIP-OUT RAD HACKER. CHIP-IN KUNG-FU MASTER. EXIT
and go to The Medinah Apartments.

 After the description of the lobby, LOOK will take you to just outside the
Herreras' room, but it's locked. ACTION. CHIP-OUT KUNG-FU MASTER. CHIP-IN
SUPER SPY. INVENTORY. Select CHIP RACK. USE the CHIP SKILL of SUPER SPY.
The lock was no match for Super Spy: You are in! Read the description:
Marco is dead, too. LOOK again until you find the bullet and the star
sapphire. ACTION. GET BULLET. GET STAR SAPPHIRE. CHIP-OUT SUPER SPY. CHIP-
IN KUNG-FU MASTER. EXIT and go back to the Jewels of Morocco Jewelry Shop.

 TALK to JEWELER. INVENTORY. GIVE him STAR SAPPHIRE. He is grateful and
gives you 300 Kiams as well as the Japan-easy chip. ACTION. CHIP-IN JAPAN-
EASY. INVENTORY. USE ANSWERING MACHINE. You finally get to understand the
whole message. Tamara, Kenji's daughter, has the notebook; unless you are
good, she will turn up as another victim. INVENTORY. DROP ANSWERING MACHINE
and ANSWERING CHIP. EXIT and go to the Medical Clinic.

 You are here to follow up on the lead that Tamara may have had cosmetic
surgery. TALK to NURSE about "TAMARA." She needs to see Tamara's picture,
but you do not have a portable holoviewer to play your disk for her. EXIT
and go home.

 You have had another long night. Time to get some rest. Save the game, and
SLEEP. Darn that belt phone: It's ringing again. TALK. Why would Mahmoud
call you at 6:00 a.m. and ask you to come to Hassan right away? Get up and
go to Hassan's Tourist Paradise.

 TALK to Mahmoud about "HASSAN." Hassan has been kidnaped! INVENTORY. LOOK
AT RANSOM NOTE. You only have till 12:00 a.m. tomorrow night to find him.
Did you notice the floral scent on the note? Let's get cracking. EXIT and
go to The Scarlet Orchid.

 TALK to SHOPKEEPER. INVENTORY. SHOW RANSOM NOTE. The scent is made from
tiger orchid and is probably a woman's perfume made only by Heavenly
Fragrances. EXIT and go there. TALK to SHOPKEEPER. INVENTORY. SHOW RANSOM
NOTE. A very odd woman orders this perfume from time to time. You are told
to get some tiger orchid for the shopkeeper to make a new batch. Well, may
be you can buy some from The Scarlet Orchid. Go back there and TALK to
SHOPKEEPER about "TIGER." You find out that you may be able to steal some
at The Ad Dur Docks. EXIT and go there.

 You get here by riding in Bill's taxi. LOOK. You will need help to climb up
to that second story window. ACTION. CHIP-OUT JAPAN EASY. CHIP-IN ALPINE
JACK. INVENTORY. CHIP-RACK. USE CHIP SKILL of ALPINE JACK. Okay, you are
outside the window. You need to bypass the security system to get inside.
ACTION. CHIP-OUT KUNG-FU MASTER. CHIP-IN PHANTOM. INVENTORY. CHIP RACK.
USE
CHIP SKILL of PHANTOM. You get in and pick up two packages: the tiger
orchid and a Cuban cigar box. ACTION. CHIP-OUT PHANTOM. CHIP-IN KUNG-FU
MASTER. EXIT. TALK to BILL to take you back to BUDAYEEN. EXIT and return to
Heavenly Fragrances.

 TALK to SHOPKEEPER. INVENTORY. GIVE TIGER ORCHID. It's done. All you can do
now is wait for the shopkeeper to call you when the odd woman shows up at
the shop. EXIT and go back home. SLEEP. The belt phone interrupts your
sleep again. It's a call from Heavenly Fragrances. The odd woman has picked
up her cologne and there is a phone number on the bill: 774TFF60. INVENTORY.
USE BELT PHONE. Dial the commcode: 774TFF60. That phone belongs to
Mohammad's Glass. Well, you better get some rest before you continue your
investigation; you need it. SLEEP until 6:00 p.m. Save the game if you want
to.

 BACK TO THE CHASE

 You are awake and feeling hungry, and you have to save Hassan real soon.
EXIT and go to Cafe Solace. TALK to OLD IBRAHIM. BUY a meal from him until
you are grossly full. EXIT and go to Mohammad's Glass.

 TALK to MOHAMMAD about "ODD WOMAN." She ordered a crystal ball and it's
ready to be delivered to her. TALK. INVENTORY. GIVE Mohammad 150 KIAMS to
get the crystal ball. He tells you the odd woman is Madame Mimi in the
Tarot Den. EXIT and go there. TALK to MADAME MIMI. INVENTORY. GIVE her the
CRYSTAL BALL. She pays you back the kiams you spent for it. TALK about
"COLOGNE." The nervous Madame tells you that you have to come very close to
death to find what you are looking for. I know just the place. EXIT and go
to the Cemetery.

 You get here by exiting the West Gate at the west end of The Street. It is
mentioned only once at the very bottom of page 10 in your manual. LOOK. You
see the man who jumped you in Kenji's apartment! You have to fight him here.
Hit him three times, and he runs away, but he drops his radio direction
finder. It is broken but it is set for frequency 6229. EXIT and go back to
Electroniques.

 TALK to SAMPSON. BUY RADIO DIRECTION FINDER. BUY WIRES, too; they will come
in handy later. EXIT, INVENTORY, and USE RADIO DIRECTION FINDER. You see a
red arrow at the top of the screen. The red arrow points at compass
directions (north is at the top). Use the arrow to home in on the warehouse
between North 14th and North 15th Streets; then go there. You can't get in;
set off a small explosion to blow the door. Now what? Well, there's still
that Cuban cigar box that we have not dealt with. INVENTORY. DROP. RADIO
DIRECTION FINDER, and go to the Smoke Shop.

 TALK to SHOPKEEPER. INVENTORY. SHOW CIGAR PACKAGE. Whoa! The box really
contains explosives. He also tells you about a terrorist who has been in
the news lately. EXIT and go to Maq'-allah's News. TALK to MAQ'-ALLAH about
"TERRORIST." LOOK. The newspaper says this terrorist, Luigi, was recently
gunned down and killed by police. I wonder if his body is still in the
morgue? EXIT and go there.

 ACTION. GET MORGUE PASS that you dropped the first time you were here. TALK
to ATTENDANT about "TERRORIST." ACTION. GET DEMOLITIONIST chip. INVENTORY.
DROP MORGUE PASS. ACTION. CHIP-OUT KUNG-FU MASTER. CHIP-IN
DEMOLITIONIST.
INVENTORY. CHIP RACK. USE CHIP SKILL of DEMOLITIONIST. You realize you need
to buy a detonator; Crazy Abdul must have one to sell. ACTION. CHIP-OUT
DEMOLITIONIST. CHIP-IN KUNG-FU MASTER. EXIT and go to Crazy Abdul's. (Note:
If necessary, stop by the Medical Clinic now to buy Nuclear Healing.)

 TALK to CRAZY ABDUL about DETONATOR. INVENTORY. GIVE him 100 KIAMS. EXIT
and go to Friendly's Pawn Shop. TALK to FRIENDLY. BUY COUNTDOWN TIMER. EXIT
and return to outside the warehouse. ACTION. CHIP-OUT KUNG-FU MASTER. CHIP-
IN DEMOLITIONIST. INVENTORY. USE EXPLOSIVES. Boom! The door is blown open.
ACTION. CHIP-OUT DEMOLITIONIST. CHIP-IN KUNG-FU MASTER. Go inside the
warehouse.

 You have to fight Alejandro Herrera to the death, but with the Kung-fu
Master chip, this should be easy. His last confession tells you that he did
kidnap Hassan and that he has a big boss behind him. LOOK. Hassan is freed
by you. EXIT and go to Hassan's Tourist Paradise.

 TALK to MAHMOUD. He is very grateful to you and gives you a static pistol
and a holodisk viewer! EXIT and go to the Medical Clinic. TALK to NURSE.
INVENTORY. USE HOLOVIEWER. The nurse sees the picture of Tamara and
recognizes her, but she will not give you any more clues unless you give
her a pair of emerald earrings. (Does this game ever end?) EXIT, return to
Jewels of Morocco, and TALK to JEWELER about "EMERALD." He sold the last
pair to a street dealer in one of the clubs. It figures. Go back to
Chiriga's and TALK to STREET DEALER about "EMERALD." This is the guy that
bought the earrings from the jeweler, but he will not cooperate. TALK to
him again. INVENTORY. GIVE him 50 KIAMS to learn he sold it to some blond
dancer.

 Well, by sheer trial and error, the blond dancer is Kandy. When you TALK to
KANDY about "EMERALD," she will tell you that Lily has it. When you TALK to
LILY about "EMERALD," she will tell you to get her something green with
which to replace it, and call you a "pet." Unfortunately, these dancers
move from place to place and often disappear altogether only to return the
following night. I suggest you try Chiriga's, The Red Light Lounge,
Frenchy's Nightclub, and Big Al's Old Chicago. If you can't find her/them,
try again the following night starting at 7:00 p.m. Meanwhile, back at
Chiriga's....

 After talking to the Street Dealer and/or Kandy/Lily, EXIT. As you exit, a
hooker will come up to you and ask for your commcode. She says she has
something special for you. Say YES to give her your commcode. The hooker
will call shortly afterwards, probably while you are still searching for
Kandy/Lily. You deduce that she lives in 247 Salah Ad-Din Apartments. I
said "deduce" because the call was cut short very abruptly.

 Go to the Salah Ad-Din Apartments, and after the description of the lobby,
LOOK will take you to the hooker's room. You are not surprised to see
another murder, are you? LOOK again to discover the Samurai tattoo on her
body. EXIT and go to Franco's Tattoo Parlor. TALK to FRANCO about
"SAMURAI." He gives you some information obviously linking Kenji to the
hooker, but it serves no other purpose in the game. EXIT.

 We now pick up the story after you have talked to Lily. She wants something
green in exchange for the emerald earrings and she calls you a pet. Now
what can that be?

 HOUSE OF SNAKES

 TALK to SHOPKEEPER. BUY GREEN SNAKE. EXIT and get back to Lily, wherever
you last found her. TALK to LILY. INVENTORY. GIVE her GREEN SNAKE. She
faints at the sight of the snake and that makes it easy for you to grab the
earrings and run! EXIT and go back to the Medical Clinic. TALK to NURSE.
INVENTORY. GIVE her EMERALD EARRINGS. Finally, the nurse tells you that
Tamara has changed completely, and is now Arissa. You have probably run
into her a few times in the clubs.

 Arissa is frequently in Chiriga's, but you may have to search in the other
clubs too. When you find her, TALK to ARISSA, and you learn a lot about the
murder cases. Arissa promises to call you after she retrieves the notebook
from her apartment. Shortly afterward, Arissa calls and tells you to go to
1744, the Gray House.

 After the description of the lobby, LOOK will take you to Tamara/Arissa's
room. Well, at least she has not been murdered like the others...yet. You
learn she has been taken to the warehouse on South 1st Street by Abu Salah.
Wait a minute: You've seen his name. He is the owner of Abu Salah's Rug
Shop. Better get over to the warehouse fast!

 ENDGAME

 LOOK. Here it is at last: the final confrontation. You have to fight Abu
Salah to the death. Again, with Kung-fu Master chipped in, that's not much
of a challenge. ACTION. GET NOTEBOOK. Wait, Abu is not quite dead yet. He
starts the torturing machine. Tamara will die soon if you cannot stop it.
What and where is this black key that Tamara is talking about?

 From now on, you have 60 minutes of game time to get the black key and
bring it back to save Tamara. The black key is in Abu Salah's Rug shop.
Enter the shop, and LOOK will get you the key. Bring it back to the
warehouse. INVENTORY. USE BLACK KEY. Tamara is saved. EXIT.

 Just one last thing to do now. Have Bill take you to Friedlander Bey. TALK
to PAPA. That's it; another long drawn-out murder case solved. Just sit
back and watch the ending.

 Some additional info not included in the walkthru:

 1. You can also SHOW the RANSOM NOTE to SAIRD to elicit some interesting
responses. Use the belt phone to call him to find out where he is. You can
only reach him after 6 or 7 in the evening.

 2. The clue you get by typing "Tamara Carter" into the police computer --
that she lives in the Red Dunes Apartments -- leads to nowhere. By talking
to other landlords, you will find that the Red Dunes Apartments has been
renamed The Saharah's Apartments. Going there does not lead you to Tamara.
Talking to the landlord there yields no further clues either.

 3. Try typing in Friedlander Bey and your own name (Marid Audran) into the
police computer for some interesting reading. Typing in the terrorist's
name does not accomplish anything, which is odd, since he was killed by the
police during a shootout.

 4. You can play blackjack or baccarat in The Gambling Den. It is very hard
to win and gambling has no bearing on the outcome of the game.

 5. The writing on the wall "MCDIX" turns out to be a number in Roman
numerals. That seems to be such a tantalizing clue all throughout the game,
but you don't even need to guess it. Buying and chipping-in the Julius
Caesar chip tells you the true nature of "MCDIX." It serves no purpose in
finishing the game.

 6. To successfully set off the explosion, you need the explosives
(naturally!), wires, countdown timer, and detonator. You must also chip-in
the demolitionist chip.

 CIRCUIT'S EDGE is published by Infocom and distributed by Mediagenic.