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A new tournament begins! This season, we’ve chosen our favorites and nominated the Best Puzzles out of all the Sierra games! These puzzles are not only obstacles we’ve overcome, but define great moments in Sierra’s gaming history. All you do is take a look at the nominees and cast your votes in the thread! You can judge these anyway you want. We’re here to honor difficulty, beauty in simplicity, and/or the overall creativity in designing these puzzles. We have a huge roster this time, so let’s get started!

Round 1: FIGHT!

1. "QFG2: The WIT Trials" vs. "Rama: The Octospider Puzzle"
2. "Island of Dr. Brain: Liquid Weights" vs. "GK3: Le Serpent Rouge"
3. "GK2: Retrieving the Lost Opera" vs. "GK2: Splicing the Tape"
4. "Shivers: Chinese Checkers" vs. "Shivers: The Pinball Puzzle"
5. "LSL7: Vicky Gone Wild" vs. "KQ6: The Cliffs of Logic"
6. "KQ6: The Five Gnomes" vs. "GK1: The Message on Laveau's Tomb"
7. "QFG1: Storming the Brigand Fortress" vs. "GK1: 12 and 3 and Turn the Key"
8. "PQ2: The Time Bomb" vs. "PQ1: Arresting Hoffman"
9. "QFG2: Helping Julanar" vs. "Shivers 2: The Egg Puzzle"
10. "KQ6: The Catacombs" vs. "GK2: Wolves in the Basement"
11. "Camelot: The Riddle Stones" vs. "KQ6: Death's Challenge"
12. "Rama: The Numerical Puzzle" vs. "SQ5: Roger vs. WD-40"
13. "LSL3: Undressing Patti" vs. "KQ3: Defeating Manannan"
14. "SQ2: HOLD BREATH" vs. "SQ2: PUT GEM IN MOUTH"
15. "SQ3: Roger vs. Arnoid" vs. "QFG2: The Trial by Fire"
16. "QFG4: The Rites of Avoozl" vs. "GK1: The Schattenjager Ritual"

And the voting begins when the pie hits the Yeti...



... and go!

Wow! There are so many of them! This is going to be very difficult. Anyway, since the pie has already hit the Yeti, here we go:

1. "QFG2: The WIT Trials"
2. "GK3: Le Serpent Rouge"
3. "GK2: Retrieving the Lost Opera"
4. No vote
5. "KQ6: The Cliffs of Logic"
6. "GK1: The Message on Laveau's Tomb"
7. "GK1: 12 and 3 and Turn the Key"
8. "PQ2: The Time Bomb"
9. "QFG2: Helping Julanar"
10. "GK2: Wolves in the Basement"
11. "KQ6: Death's Challenge"
12. No vote
13. "KQ3: Defeating Manannan"
14. "SQ2: HOLD BREATH"
15. "QFG2: The Trial by Fire"
16. "GK1: The Schattenjager Ritual"

1. "Rama: The Octospider Puzzle"
Haven't played either one of the competitors, but I like the sound of "Octospider". Even though, to my Rama-less ears, it sounds a bit redundant since spiders usually have eight legs anyway.

2. "GK3: Le Serpent Rouge"
Nooooooooo... poor Liquid Weights... a perfectly fine and highly enjoyable logic puzzle that's also random (those are rare), doesn't stand a chance against the Red Serpent...

3. "GK2: Retrieving the Lost Opera"
Splicing tape is mentioned in the manual. And I was annoyed by it being so exact, a different combination of words that could work in real life, won't work here.

4. "Shivers: The Pinball Puzzle"
Original over stolen all the way.

5. "LSL7: Vicky Gone Wild"
Climbing the cliffs from stone to stone... I was playing KQ6 on my laptop and it's a pain in the neck using a touchpad for that.

6. "KQ6: The Five Gnomes"
Tough battle, really. But I do love the little gnomes, except for the voice of the one with the hands. It also gives you a massive feel-smart moment.

7. "GK1: 12 and 3 and Turn the Key"
The one I nominated. Figuring out which tile goes where, that took a while since I was primarily focused by the patterns the snakes were making.

8. "PQ2: The Time Bomb" vs. "PQ1: Arresting Hoffman"
Don't know either, am not going to vote.

9. "Shivers 2: The Egg Puzzle"
Granted, I didn't get far in Shivers II, but I love the puzzles from the series.

10. "GK2: Wolves in the Basement"
Logic beats trial and error, although visually I way prefer the Catacombs. They don't make me as nauseous as the 1st person wolf mode.

11. "KQ6: Death's Challenge"

12. "Rama: The Numerical Puzzle"
Don't know but this one sounds fun.

13. "KQ3: Defeating Manannan"
One perfectly fine puzzle with hilarious results (even if you mess up, voluntarily or otherwise) versus a puzzle that's butt-stupid. Granted, part of Larry's humour is it defies reality, but with this puzzle it takes it up a notch.

14. "SQ2: HOLD BREATH" vs. "SQ2: PUT GEM IN MOUTH"
15. "SQ3: Roger vs. Arnoid" vs. "QFG2: The Trial by Fire"
Don't know these, not voting

16. "GK1: The Schattenjager Ritual"
Whee! Schattenjägers!

1. "QFG2: The WIT Trials"
2. "Island of Dr. Brain: Liquid Weights"
3. "GK2: Splicing the Tape"
4. No opinion on this one, so I abstain
5. "KQ6: The Cliffs of Logic"
6. "KQ6: The Five Gnomes"
7. "QFG1: Storming the Brigand Fortress"
8. "PQ2: The Time Bomb"
9. "QFG2: Helping Julanar"
10. "KQ6: The Catacombs"
11. "KQ6: Death's Challenge"
12. "SQ5: Roger vs. WD-40"
13. "KQ3: Defeating Manannan"
14. "SQ2: HOLD BREATH"
15. "QFG2: The Trial by Fire"
16. "GK1: The Schattenjager Ritual"

1. "QFG2: The WIT Trials"
Such a cool string of puzzles! With very resourceful solutions too!

2. "GK3: Le Serpent Rouge"
It's a game-wide puzzle that you'll take occasional breaks from and return to solving later!

3. "GK2: Retrieving the Lost Opera"
It's edutainment!

4. "Shivers: Chinese Checkers"
This is the only puzzle I remember from the game because I spent hours trying to solve it.

5. "KQ6: The Cliffs of Logic"
Best copy protection puzzle ever. Solving it requires you to read the journal that comes with the game, and the journal on its own is a great read.

6. "KQ6: The Five Gnomes"
Love this puzzle! Like BBP - it makes you feel smart when you solve it. It's a great beginner's puzzle, and something I always let newcomers solve when we're playing.

7. "QFG1: Storming the Brigand Fortress"
Epic action sequence in the form of a puzzle! Love the dining hall segment!

8. "PQ2: The Time Bomb"
And then, on your way to arrest the Death Angel, you stumble across an unrelated bomb on a plane. Love it.

9. "QFG2: Helping Julanar"
Easing someone's pain and making them comfortable is an interesting puzzle goal on its own, rather than curing them.

10. "KQ6: The Catacombs"
Like I said before: it's the only maze I ever look forward to playing. Great atmosphere, great music, great traps, and there's even a spot where the genie will try to trick you. As cool as wolf senses are, I'd pick this maze over the GK2 one any time.

11. "KQ6: Death's Challenge"
Subtle, powerful, and amazing. A simple puzzle with very strong emotional feedback.

12. "SQ5: Roger vs. WD-40"
A game of cat-and-mouse across several scenes, and fully layered so you need to take her down slowly and carefully. A very cool showdown!

13. "KQ3: Defeating Manannan"
This puzzle defines how an adventure game can be difficult without being ridiculously impossible. Your goals become clear, but the timer will keep you on the edge. Then again, there's something about LSL3 where Al Lowe assumed the player was going to type "REMOVE BRA" anyway and worked it into the game design.

14. "SQ2: HOLD BREATH"
This is it. This is to Sierra what Monkey Island's drowning puzzle was to LucasArts. You're underwater, you're dying, and yet there's an obvious solution that will make you feel like an idiot once you spend a few minutes trying to solve it. Of course, "Put Gem in Mouth" is quite amazing too, but that's more meme-worthy than anything.

15. "SQ3: Roger vs. Arnoid"
I like the "Trial by Fire", but the Arnoid battle is tops for me. A chase scene with two alternate outcomes, one of which comes with a use for that orat-on-a-stick.

16. "QFG4: The Rites of Avoozl"
I like solving puzzles that require me to re-inject life into an enormous Chthonic god. It's a fair bit buggy, but getting through the traps is my favorite part of the game since every character class has to approach the rites differently.

1. "QFG2: The WIT Trials"
2. "GK3: Le Serpent Rouge"
3. "GK2: Retrieving the Lost Opera"
4. "Shivers: The Pinball Puzzle"
5. "KQ6: The Cliffs of Logic"
6. "GK1: The Message on Laveau's Tomb"
7. "GK1: 12 and 3 and Turn the Key"
8. "PQ1: Arresting Hoffman"
9. "Shivers 2: The Egg Puzzle"
10. "KQ6: The Catacombs"
11. "KQ6: Death's Challenge"
12. "Rama: The Numerical Puzzle"
13. "KQ3: Defeating Manannan"
14. "SQ2: HOLD BREATH"
15. "QFG2: The Trial by Fire"
16. "GK1: The Schattenjager Ritual"

Five voters so far. I'll update to the next round when a few more people get their votes in.

It is late, I'll try to remember tomorrow.

1. Rama: The Octospider Puzzle
2. GK3: Le Serpent Rouge
3. GK2: Splicing the Tape
4. Shivers: The Pinball Puzzle
5. KQ6: The Cliffs of Logic
6. KQ6: The Five Gnomes
7. GK1: 12 and 3 and Turn the Key
8. PQ2: The Time Bomb
9. QFG2: Helping Julanar
10. KQ6: The Catacombs
11. KQ6: Death's Challenge
12. SQ5: Roger vs. WD-40
13. KQ3: Defeating Manannan
14. SQ2: PUT GEM IN MOUTH
15. SQ3: Roger vs. Arnoid
16. QFG4: The Rites of Avoozl

Fun!

1. "QFG2: The WIT Trials" vs.
Rama kicked my butt so hard that it wasn't fun, so by default, I'll choose whatever else is against it. Not a big fan of QfG2, but this puzzle was ok.

2. "Island of Dr. Brain: Liquid Weights" vs. "GK3: Le Serpent Rouge"
Can't beat Le Serpent Rouge, no matter how hard you try. And the Cat Hair Moustache doesn't take anything from it!

3. "GK2: Retrieving the Lost Opera" vs. "GK2: Splicing the Tape"
Splicing the tape. I played GK2 initially at a friend's house, and I remember being stuck in this puzzle, going home, spending my night working through it in a notebook (while I asked my friend to tell me every element of it over the phone) being excited about a few solutions, and finally coming back the next day to his place to solve it!

4. "Shivers: Chinese Checkers" vs. "Shivers: The Pinball Puzzle"

Chinese Checkers. Tough but fun.


5. "LSL7: Vicky Gone Wild" vs. "KQ6: The Cliffs of Logic"

I have fond memories of the Vicky Gone Wild puzzle, and it's very funny. But Cliff of Logic all the way!

6. "KQ6: The Five Gnomes" vs. "GK1: The Message on Laveau's Tomb"

I love GK, but this one goes to KQ6 again. So many great puzzles in that game. I loved figuring this one out.

7. "QFG1: Storming the Brigand Fortress" vs. "GK1: 12 and 3 and Turn the Key"

Drei Drachen kriechen in meinen Schlaf
die Seele wo'lln sie lebendig zum Frass
feurigen Atems, gespatener Zunge
geniessen sie jedes Mahl.

Nuff said!

8. "PQ2: The Time Bomb" vs. "PQ1: Arresting Hoffman"

Police Quest is the only Sierra series I haven't replayed in recent memory. It's on my list to do so, but right now, I don't remember either of this, so I'll skip.

9. "QFG2: Helping Julanar" vs. "Shivers 2: The Egg Puzzle"

Helping Julanar. Probably my favorite part of QfG2.

10. "KQ6: The Catacombs" vs. "GK2: Wolves in the Basement"

Another one that goes to KQ6. Yes, there was logic in GK2, but the catacombs in KQ6 was just awesome.

11. "Camelot: The Riddle Stones" vs. "KQ6: Death's Challenge"

Another one to King's Quest 6. Like Chris said, such a powerful puzzle. Hm, does KQ6 have the best puzzles in all Sierra games?

12. "Rama: The Numerical Puzzle" vs. "SQ5: Roger vs. WD-40"

Anything SQ5 will have a very special place in my heart, and this fight was just epic. so WD-40 all the way!

13. "LSL3: Undressing Patti" vs. "KQ3: Defeating Manannan"

A tough choice, but defeating Manannan is awesome.

14. "SQ2: HOLD BREATH" vs. "SQ2: PUT GEM IN MOUTH"

Gahhh Hold Breath. As a non english speaker, figuring this out at the age of 8 was one of the high points of my life!

15. "SQ3: Roger vs. Arnoid" vs. "QFG2: The Trial by Fire"

Arnoid!

16. "QFG4: The Rites of Avoozl" vs. "GK1: The Schattenjager Ritual"

The rites of Avoozi is one of the low points of QFG4 for me. The concept behind it was very cool, but the execution not so much. I replayed it recently and 60%^I had no idea what I was supposed to be doing.

On the other hand, the execution of the Schattenjager puzzle is impeccable. Figuring the crystals out and what you have to do to complete each step of the way is great. Plus, you become a Schattenjager that night, but perhaps the best moment is to believe something is happening right away only to find out is Gerde just vacuuming. lol. And yes, I'm currently a little biased towards anything GK related , too, but to me it's indisputable between these two.

Welcome to SHP cesar!

1. QFG2: The WIT Trials -- never played the other one, but this was one of the best sequences in QFG2.

2. Can't really vote here--haven't played either. I am playing GK3 right now though, but haven't gotten to this point. Actually, it was the fame of this puzzle that was part of the reason I finally bought the game from GoG. I want to see what all the fuss is about. So...yeah. Let's go with GK3.

3. I like Pinball better than Chinese Checkers. Never played Shivers though.

4. KQ6: Cliffs of Logic. Yes, it was elaborate copy protection, but it was the best implemented elaborate copy protection in any adventure game I've ever played.

5. KQ6: The Five Gnomes. A puzzle that involves the clever use of multiple items is in an entirely different league than a puzzle that just requires you to ask everyone you see about the code until you finally meet the person who can translate it. No contest here.

6. QFG1: Storming the Brigand's Fortress. This is a ridiculous comparison. There are so many different ways to approach and solve the QFG1 Fortress raid. It's the f*cking culmination of QFG1's brilliant RPG/Adventure Hybrid gameplay. The GK1 clock puzzle is just a one-off puzzle with one single solution. Of course the QFG1 sequence is better. Good Lord.

7. PQ2: Time Bomb. PQ2 beats PQ1 in pretty much every way, including this puzzle.

8. QFG2: Helping Julanar. This multi-part puzzle is one of the most beautiful moments of the entire game. Very satisfying and emotionally poignant to boot. And the music f*cking rocks.

9. KQ6: Catacombs. Logic my ass. I found the GK2 basement puzzle to be utterly infuriating because it hits you completely out of nowhere at a climactic moment in the game when all you want is to see the damn conclusion to the story. Not sit there and f*ck around with an overly complex puzzle that is going to nearly always kill you at least once or twice before you start to get the hang of it. It destroys the narrative momentum. f*ck that puzzle.

10. KQ6: Death's Challenge. This is another baffling comparison. Riddle puzzles are awful in any context. Either you're good at riddles, and you can pass them, or you're not and you're stuck forever unless you read a walkthrough. I f*cking hated that moment in Camelot. Death's Challenge on the other hand, is one of the most brilliant and emotionally evocative moments in the entire Sierra catalog. My God, man!

11. SQ5: Roger vs. WD-40. Another case where I haven't played the other game, but even so--I loved that whole sequence in SQ5. It felt SO good finally getting rid of her and getting onto her ship.

12. KQ3: Defeating Manannan. Why are so many of these comparisons so ridiculous?? This is perhaps one of the most iconic moments in the entire King's Quest franchise, and it is the culmination of hours of gameplay (on your first playthrough at least) AND it involves finally being free of one of the best villains in Sierra history!!

13. SQ2: Hold Breath. Hilariously logical in its simplicity, but probably one of the most inane parcer word hunts in the Sierra catalog. I do like the gem in mouth one, too--but I gotta go with Hold Breath, just because of how silly I felt once I finally realized what I needed to do.

14. SQ3: Defeating Arnoid. I'm not sure what part of QFG2 this is referring to--the part in the cave where you need to repeatedly dowse yourself with water? Yeah...I'm going with SQ3 here. Defeating Arnoid is a great moment, and there are multiple solutions, too! Classic!

15. GK1: Schattenjaeger Ritual. Again, this one could use clarification--Do you mean FINDING the scrolls for the rites in QFG4? Or performing the tasks themselves in the Dark One's Cave? I'll go with GK1 here. The Schattenjaeger ritual is one of the best moments of the game, in my opinion. It's cool and mystical and really opens up the scope of the game's mythology. What's not to love?

Thanks Collector!

Lamb, I think this is the "easy" phase. It's "round one", so I assume we'll then get another round where we start pitching the winners against each other until we get to the best of the best. Or something like that

1. "QFG2: The WIT Trials" vs. "Rama: The Octospider Puzzle"
QFG2 easily. I never really liked playing the magic user class in QFG, but only comparatively speaking- it was damned fun! RAMA's puzzles in contrast were very chore-y, although I do like the game. But it's from the late 90's era where Sierra just wasn't producing "fun" games like the ones that hold a special place in my heart.

2. "Island of Dr. Brain: Liquid Weights" vs. "GK3: Le Serpent Rouge"
Still haven't played GK3. Yeah, I know. Island of Dr Brain is one I played as a kid and I really enjoyed most of the puzzles in the game, although I missed the Coles' influence. The liquid weights puzzle is a good one though. Quite a difference between difficulty settings too.

3. "GK2: Retrieving the Lost Opera" vs. "GK2: Splicing the Tape"
Haven't played GK2 either! Lynch mob time.

4. "Shivers: Chinese Checkers" vs. "Shivers: The Pinball Puzzle"
Evil puzzles. My wife's favourite game of all time, and how we met online, so I guessI should be nice, but I hated these puzzles. I'll vote Pinball since it's slightly less evil than the Checkers one.

5. "LSL7: Vicky Gone Wild" vs. "KQ6: The Cliffs of Logic"
Vicky, one of the few fun and logically-driven moments (IMO) from Larry 7. Both puzzle, narrative and graphics. KQ6 logic cliffs are a classic example of puzzles done wrong; it's a chore, it's nitpicky, you'll die a lot, the music is annoying, you guys know all this already anyway.

6. "KQ6: The Five Gnomes" vs. "GK1: The Message on Laveau's Tomb"
Tough one. Two Jensen classics. I honestly don't remember how the GK1 one works though, so I'll not vote.

7. "QFG1: Storming the Brigand Fortress" vs. "GK1: 12 and 3 and Turn the Key"
QFG1. The Coles were so clever in not making it identical for each class to accomplish a goal, but also not stopping them from doing it the other classes' ways.

8. "PQ2: The Time Bomb" vs. "PQ1: Arresting Hoffman"
I think most of us died (more than) a few times in the PQ2 puzzle, because it's very confusing to know what do *precisely* from beginning to end. I've never finished the PQ1 AGI version, but in the VGA remake, the Hoffman sequence is a standout that has excellent punchiness, suspense, danger and music. Neat locale also. PQ1 for me.

9. "QFG2: Helping Julanar" vs. "Shivers 2: The Egg Puzzle"
So many puzzles I don't remember, and I've played Shivers 2 and liked it. I'm fairly sure I would vote QFG2 anyway though. The Julanar sequence is one of the more logical quests in QFG2, a lot of them aren't (IMHO). Very rewarding too. Plus, there's that death sequence with the broken monitor!

10. "KQ6: The Catacombs" vs. "GK2: Wolves in the Basement"
Never played GK2, so won't vote. Loved the catacombs though.

11. "Camelot: The Riddle Stones" vs. "KQ6: Death's Challenge"
Camelot. A lot of neat puzzles, I wish the game flowed a bit better. One of those games that could *actually* use a VGA remake. KQ6 Death sequence was a bit formulaic and easy, although it's a legendary sequence. but we're talking puzzles here.

12. "Rama: The Numerical Puzzle" vs. "SQ5: Roger vs. WD-40"
Any RAMA puzzle loses by default for me. But the SQ5 Roger/WD-40 sequence would win a lot for me too. Excellent sequence, and the Kiz Urazgubi chase (not to mention planet name) and ultimate victory for Roger, going all the way back to the game beginning with the foreshadowing of sticking a banana in the tailpipe, just genius. And the planet itself is perfectly drawn and animated.

13. "LSL3: Undressing Patti" vs. "KQ3: Defeating Manannan"
Larry 3. Although I originally liked that puzzle for the perversion of it when I was a younger guy, I appreciate it on both that level and that it was simply good adventure game design (even if I prefer the Larry half of the game). Even though it's tricky it all makes sense in context (however tongue-in-cheek-y) and you have to make use of your surroundings to great effect. The original KQ3 was an exercise in pain and frustration and the Manannan side of things is arguably the worst part of KQ games, with the spellbook being a partial exception. I really need to play the remakes and see how the first 15 minutes is.

14. "SQ2: HOLD BREATH" vs. "SQ2: PUT GEM IN MOUTH"
Yikes, another bad game (again, IMHO). I vote neither, is that an option?

15. "SQ3: Roger vs. Arnoid" vs. "QFG2: The Trial by Fire"
Wow, tough one here. I have to say QFG2. When it wasn't random puzzle hunting like "find creature in desert", or "talk to Rakeesh on day 13" (I know that's not right, BTW!), the game had great locales and puzzles. Plus, it's one of the best Sierra games for forward momentum, starting at the beginning and continuing to the end.

SQ3 gets props for having 2 endings to the puzzle, and I wonder who was clever enough to use the pods and the orat-on-a-stick.

16. "QFG4: The Rites of Avoozl" vs. "GK1: The Schattenjager Ritual"
Ai ai ai! another toughie. I would love to say both if that was an option. Depends if you mean finding the rituals, or the part inside the Avoozl cave.
If you mean the rituals, I would say QFG4. I love that QFG4 was an open world but unlike QFG2, it didn't sprawl on forever. It was just big enough to have a lot of things and not feel 100% comfortable knowing where everything was. Plus, at nighttime it becomes a whole different ballgame! This ties back to the rituals because you get them from all over. in the town, and outside, from various places and people. GK1 is an awesome one too though. Almost every puzzle in that game rocks.


Sorry for the tl;dr folks! i get serious about my Sierra

Alistair wrote:Sorry for the tl;dr folks! i get serious about my Sierra

As if there is anything unusual about that here. Welcome to SHP, Alistair. I guess you found that "Spikey" was already taken.