And just why is ...?

Richard sent in his answers to this quiz that appeared in the June 2001 issue of Muddled Times.

Whose childhood toy is Cuthbert?

It wasn't a childhood toy, it was a small bear wearing a mortar board and orange waistcoat I bought my wife-to-be after she finished her degree. The "ber" bit of "CuthBERt" is pronounced "bear".

Who's the snugglepuss named after?

It was Simon Dally's nickname for his girlfriend.

Who was Captain Colin?

The Captain's Log is traditionally named after the person in charge of the system upon which it runs. Colin Duffy ran Wireplay, which is why this incarnation has the log of Captain Colin.

Just why is Richard likened to the canary?

That You Shall Never Know.

Who was murdered in the Olive Grove?

It wasn't me!

Why was the Irish puzzle removed from the mausoleum?

You mean the one about the "Kerry ring" railway line? I guess it was because something had to go and everyone knew the answer to that one. Hmm, I do have a sneaking recollection that someone complained it missed a station or two out, too.

Where can a map of the scriptorium be found outside of the game?

Simon ripped the idea off from "The Name of the Rose" by Umberto Eco (turned into a film of the same name starring Sean Connery), but whether he used that as his map I don't know. I do know he made a bad job of it and for years it had weird one-way connections that linked rooms to the wrong place.