The controls for playing TIME GENTLEMEN, PLEASE! are simple.

Use the right mouse-button to cycle through verbs. As you cycle through, the cursor will change to reflect the verb you’ve selected.

Hover the cursor over an object and click the left mouse-button to perform the chosen verb on the object.

You can also use keyboard shortcuts, if you want to feel like a hardcore hacker geek from the movies:

W: walk to, L: look at, U: use/pick up, T: talk to, D: use Dan with, I: Inventory item.

Tab: open inventory, F5: save, F9: Load, O: options, Left-Click: skip line of dialogue, Esc: skip cut scene/quit, H: help.

Ben carries all of his collected items in his stylish hanky-on-a-stick accessory, which he carries in his pocket. To access it, move your cursor to the top of the screen (Ben also keeps his option menus here). Select an item you want to use, and it will become another option in your cursor cycle. Or just examine it over and over again. Remember, you can use one item in your hanky-on-a-stick with another, just like in real life. Less realistically, the universe pauses whenever Ben accesses his pockets.

Pro-tips: Double-click with the walk cursor to make Dan and Ben power-walk. Use right mouse button to examine items when your inventory’s open. If you’re playing without sound, turn on the closed captions, so you don’t miss any aural clues or ambience.

Talking to Characters: Conversations in TIME GENTLEMEN, PLEASE! are dead easy. Click on a character with the ‘talk to’ icon, and choose what you want Ben or Dan to say from the choice of dialogue onscreen. Don’t worry about choosing the wrong thing– you can say whatever you want without consequence, often as many times as you like! Sometimes you’ll need to talk to people for clues or to further your progress, and more options may appear later on. Handily, any options you choose are dulled out, so you can remember what you’ve said. You can still choose them again, though, and they may still lead to further unused or new options.