Oh, no you don't. I went to the trouble of putting in a complete on-screen hint system for Lost New York just so I wouldn't have to answer questions like this. Type "hint" or "help" while you're playing the game, and it'll offer hints on all appropriate puzzles.
"I'm typing 'hint,' and it says it's disabled."
You obviously have the freeware version of Lost New York. (Cheapskate.) The good news: It's fully playable, so if you want you can play through the entire game without paying a dime, with my blessing. The bad news: You'll have to rely on your own wits rather than the on-screen hints. (There are clues built into the game, of course.)
"Yo, I'm no cheapskate! How do I get the registered version? Oh, and, uh, how much does it cost, anyway?"
Twelve bucks. (Fifteen outside of the U.S. and Canada.) For that you get the on-screen hints, plus an illustrated manual with all kinds of other goodies about New York history. Make checks out to Neil deMause, 197 7th Avenue, #2R, Brooklyn, NY 11215.
Next question.
"How did you get the idea for Lost New York?"
There's a complete bibliography in the manual that comes with the registered version, plus one in the game itself, if you can find it. I'm not going to repeat it all here.
"Are there any questions I *can* ask?"
Sure. Ask me about myself, about interactive fiction in general, about Mayor Giuliani's affair with his communications director.
"Mayor Giuliani is having an affair with his communications director?!?"
You didn't hear it from me. Next question.
"Uh... Can you tell me a little about yourself?"
I'm a born-and-raised New Yorker (originally from Manhattan, now transplanted to Brooklyn) and aficianado of the city's politics and history. I'm on the editorial collective of Brooklyn Metro Times, a quarterly zine, and write freelance for other political magazines like Z and On The Issues. Lost New York is my second i-f game, following MacWesleyan/PC University, which was released in early 1995.
"Where can I get that? Are you gonna extort money for that one, too?"
No, it's free. (Cheapskate.) You can get it, as well as numerous other i-f games, via anonymous ftp from ftp.gmd.de/if-archive/games. It's also available on AOL, and probably a few other places.
"How can I communicate with you for real, instead of this stupid fake question-and-answer session?"
You can write to me at neild@echonyc.com. Bug reports, criticism, and just random correspondence are fine, but don't ask me for hints unless you're prepared to cough up the dough. Besides, the folks at the rec.games.int-fiction newsgroup are more than happy to help with hints if you want.
