Pocket Almanac: Word Trails, a City Clue Hunt

About Pocket Almanac: Word Trails

It is hunt day, and the whole city is the board. Your Pocket Almanac holds the map of six trails: the Harbour Quarter, the Market Lanes, Clock Tower Hill, the Riverside Gardens, the Railway Arches and, last, Lantern Square.

Every trail forks four times. At each fork the map offers two stops, and each stop’s clue is on a band: Meaning clues say what the word means, Mix clues give its letters scrambled, and Logic clues tell you what to do to a word. Answer on a different band from your last answer and the signal climbs; miss and it drops back to x1. So your route is your plan: hop bands for the bigger score, or take the band you trust.

Each stop stamps a letter into the Almanac, and at the end of the trail the stamps fall out in a jumble that spells the finale word. Each trail adds a rule of its own: fewer tries, a steeper climb, a higher ceiling. A trail takes three to six minutes. Your stamps and records stay on this device only; nothing is uploaded.

How to play

At each fork, tap one of the two roads. The sign on each road names the stop and its band: Meaning, Mix or Logic.
Type the answer on the hunt keyboard or a real keyboard, then press Enter or Send. Backspace deletes a letter.
Answer on a different band from your last answer and the signal climbs. A wrong answer or a pass drops it to x1.
Every stop stamps one letter into your Almanac, even one you missed. The four stamps spell the finale word.
Solve every stop and the finale without a hint for a gold route. Each trail has its own rule, shown on the map.
Press Escape or Start to pause.

Controls

Tap a road, or Left and Right — choose the next stop
Type the word, then Enter — answer
Backspace or Ⓑ — delete a letter
1 or Ⓧ — ask the Almanac for a hint
Escape or Start — pause

Frequently asked questions

Does the road I choose matter?

Yes. Each road leads to a clue on one band. Answering on a different band from your last answer raises the signal, which multiplies your points, so a good route hops bands. You can also turn off the road signs in the settings to make every fork a surprise.

What if I miss a stop?

The stop is given away after its tries run out, but its stamp still goes into your Almanac, so you always reach the finale. The signal drops back to x1 and the trail is no longer a gold route.

What is the finale?

Each stop stamps one letter. At the end of the trail the four stamps fall out of the Almanac in a jumble, with a few words of meaning: put them in order to spell the finale word.

Can I play with a keyboard or a pad?

Yes. Type the answer and press Enter, use Left and Right to choose a road, and 1 or Ⓧ for a hint. A pad’s D-pad moves between buttons and Ⓐ presses one.