Counterfeit Island



Difficulty: Medium

Synopsis: Counterfeit Island was the tenth island released on Poptropica. It is a detective quest involving a museum called the Museum Fantastique, which houses some of the world's most famous paintings, namely The Starry Night by Vincent van Gogh and The Scream, by Edvard Munch. There is an art thief named the Black Widow who is trying to steal the museum's most prized painting, The Scream. It is up to the player to capture the Black Widow and recover The Scream. The island was opened to early access on December 21, 2009, and to Non-Members on January 4, 2010. This island was the first island where when the player enters an area which does not appear on the map, such a multi-player room the map says you are here in the area the player came from. The description on the island's information page is, "Some of the world's most famous artwork is on display at the Island's museum, but rumour has it someone's out to steal it. Can you explore the dark and dangerous side of the online virtual world Counterfeit Island and save the day in the cracking canvas caper?" 

Full Poptropica Counterfeit Island Walkthrough
Here is the complete walkthrough in text format for everyone who doesn’t want to watch the videos. It’s pretty long and took a while to write so I hope you like it. Please leave feedback in the comments section. Thank you!

Your Arrival On Counterfeit Island
Follow the map to Counterfeit Island. You’ll arrive by balloon right next to the museum. Start running all the way to the right and head to the Downtown area. When you arrive, the first store you’ll see is called Bobo’s Clown Store. Go inside. You’ll see several colored balloons inside. Click on the green one to pick it up and then leave the clown store.

EXTRA: you can jump up on the roof of the store to talk with Bobo the clown. He’ll tell you why he’s up on the roof. It’s not necessary to talk with him to complete this quest.

Now head all the way to the right and enter the Countryside zone. Walk a little bit further to the right and you’ll come across a crying boy and a young woman holding a red balloon. Click on the crying boy and you will give him your green balloon. Once he has it he’ll fly up and away into the air. Poor balloon boy! Oh well, he’s not your problem right now. Head back to the left to go Downtown and then run all the way to the left of that zone and go into Main Street. When you arrive at Main Street, go inside the Web Browser Internet Cafe. Once you’re inside, walk to the right and talk to the bearded guy wearing the hat and camera. He’ll tell you that he lost his tunnel tour tickets and that if you can find them, he’ll give you one. While you’re talking to him, look up at the TV behind you. It’s balloon boy on the news! Head back out of the cafe and then go to the right and go to Downtown.

Your next stop is the garbage can just to the right of the entrance to the underground tunnel tour. Click on the garbage can and a screen will appear showing all garbage inside. Click on each piece and drag it away from the center. Soon, you’ll reveal the lost tickets that are buried inside. Click on the tickets and they’ll go into your backpack.

OK, now run back to Main Street and enter the Web Browser Internet Cafe again. Go inside and stand next to the man who lost the tickets. Open up your backpack and find the tickets and then click on “Use”. The guy will thank you for finding them and just as he promised, he’ll give one back to you so that you can use it to take the underground tunnel tour. And that’s exactly where we go next!

EXTRA: On your way back Downtown to go to the underground tunnel tour, you can stop in at Bobo’s Clown Store again to pick up another balloon. I think it makes getting the torn picture in the tunnel a little bit easier, but this is optional.

OK, head back Downtown and go to the entrance to the underground tunnel tour. There’s a woman standing outside wearing a green beret. Stand next to her, then open your backpack and click “Use” on the ticket inside. Next, click on the gate behind you to start the tour.

The tunnel tour is very easy to do, because there’s just one path to follow. When you get to the bottom, you’ll see a lightbulb hanging down from a cable in the middle of the tunnel. Jump up onto this cable and climb to the top. You’ll see a torn piece of paper on top of another cable just to the right. This is part of the torn picture that you’ll need to unlock the secret door to the museum later in the quest. Climb all the way to the top of the cable and jump to the right. This is really easy if you’re carrying a balloon from Bobo’s Clown Store. When you pass over the torn picture, you’ll pick it up. Keep following the main tunnel until you see a stone staircase heading up out of a door. Follow the stairs to leave the tour.

The Mysterious Guy
Right after you exit the tour, you’ll meet a mysterious man standing next to the exit. He’ll tell you a story and ask you to get a job at the museum, then meet him in this same spot after nightfall. Now head up the sand to the right and you’ll see another torn piece of the picture. Pick this one up. Before leaving this area, run across the docks to the left and jump up to the top of the mast on the fishing boat to find your third piece of the torn picture. Now head back to Main Street and enter the museum.

Inside the Museum
Talk to the security guard inside the museum and he will tell you to go speak with the assistant curator. The assistant curator is up the stairs right above the entrance. Go up and talk to him. He will tell you that four paintings have been placed in the wrong wings of the museum and that he needs you to put them in their correct spots. In each wing, you can pick up one painting on the wall (the others won’t move) and take it somewhere else. Here’s where all the paintings should go. When you’re done placing all of the paintings, go back and speak to the assistant curator. He’ll tell you that you are hired and will take you inside the Forgery Detection Lab to begin your training. Speak to him and then he’ll tell you to select a station to begin your training. Click on the first desk to get started. Use the X-Ray device over each of the paintings until you find the one with the sketch marks underneath the painting. Use the arrows at the top to switch between the paintings and then click on the one you think is the real painting below.
 * Move the painting from the cubism wing to the impressionism wing.
 * Move the painting from the impressionism wing to the expressionism wing.
 * Move the painting from the expressionism wing to the realism wing.
 * Move the painting from realism wing to the cubism wing.

In the next test, you’ll use a magnifying glass to try and figure out which painting is a fake. Look in the corners of each painting to find the signature and figure out which one is different than the others. That is the forged painting.

The third test is a photograph and you need to click on the area that shows it is a fake. Move up to the left to where the moon is and click on the dark side of the moon to prove that this photo is a fake. If this was really a picture of the moon, there would be no stars on the dark side of it.

Now move to the next station, where the museum does chemical analysis of paint samples. In this test, you select a paint sample and then it drops into the beaker. A red bar moves across and when it reaches a square, that square lights up with a color. Click on that color beaker above while the square is lit to add it into the test solution. If you do it correctly and in time, a green check mark will appear over the square. Keep going until all four squares are done correctly. Now repeat the whole process for the remaining two paint samples. Once you finish this test, your training is complete and the assistant curator will give you a key to the supply room.

Leave the forgery detection lab and walk right and then follow the signs to the statue room and security office. Walk left past the statues and follow the sign to the security office and supply closet. Walk all the way to the left and you’ll find the door to the supply closet. Use the key from your backpack to unlock it and get inside. Once you walk in, you’ll find the sixth and final piece of the torn picture, which will complete to form the image of a gargoyle head.

Now walk back to the right and go back through the statue room. Follow the sign to the main hall and then exit the museum. Now it is night time outside. Head left and go to the city docks. The mysterious guy in the had and sunglasses will still be standing where you left him. Go inside the gate to the underground tour area and then follow the tunnel back to the wooden ladder. Climb the ladder and then click on the hatch at the top. The hatch cover will appear on screen and it has a gargoyle face on it. Re-arrange the pieces on the hatch to match the version you see in the torn picture. All of the features have to match the picture exactly. When you’re done, the hatch will open and you can proceed up through it.

You’ll arrive inside the supply closet in the museum. Use your supply room key to unlock the door from the inside and then go into the hall. Watch out because the shadow of the security guard will walk by the window to the security office. Wait for her to go by and then run past the window all the way to the statue room door. Go inside and then move across the room carefully, avoiding the laser beams. You are safe from being spotted by a laser beam when you’re hiding behind something, like a statue or potted plant. Once you arrive at the far end of the room, exit to go to the main museum hall.

From here, go up and to the left to where the painting of the Scream is located. Click on the top of it and you will jump up onto the light hanging above it. All of the sudden the museum alarms will go off and the police will arrive. You’ve been framed! You’ll be placed in jail and then questioned by the police. You will take a lie detector test which is very easy to pass. Then you’ll be asked to join the chief inspector over at the museum security office.

On the way back to the museum office, stop inside Bobo’s clown shop, where you’ll find the security guard from the museum. Ask him what time he left his post and he will give you his time card. After you get it, head to the museum and go up to the security office. Once you arrive, walk to the right and click on the big computer. You’ll automatically check the security camera footage and because you have the time card from the security guard, you’ll know where to look. You will see the mysterious guy appear and walk up to the painting. Press the print screen button to get a surveillance video screen print. Then go over and talk to the investigator. She will tell you to show the picture to the people in town. Leave the museum and head right towards Bobo’s Clown Shop.

When you arrive outside the clown shop, show the surveillance video screen print to one of the mimes. The mime will pretend to play music, which is a clue that the mysterious guy you’re looking for is hiding in the jazz cafe. Go right and then enter the cafe. When you arrive inside the cafe, walk to the right and the mysterious man will be there. He will run away from you. Follow him to the right to begin a big chase.

During the chase scene, you’ll be riding on a scooter trying to catch the mysterious guy. You don’t really need to catch him during this part. All you need to do is avoid the different obstacles that appear in the road as you go by. The chase lasts for a minute or two and you’ll arrive at the Docks. The thief will escape in a waiting motor boat but will drop a key card which you will pick up.

EXTRA: keep an eye out in the beginning of the chase for Balloon Boy. He will appear up in the sky between the buildings in the background.

Your next stop is the museum. When you arrive in the main lobby, the assistant curator will be waiting for you and give you a package that arrived addressed to you. It’s a painting of Vincent Van Gogh’s Starry Night, and there’s also an x-ray device included. Open your backpack and click on the Examine button on the painting to take a closer look. Drag the x-ray device over the painting and you’ll see a secret message from the curator telling you to meet at the Pop Art Museum in Early Poptropica island. This is a fun part where you now have to leave Counterfeit Island and go to Early Poptropica. Head back outside and return to your travel balloon, which is just to the right of the museum entrance. Choose Early Poptropica on the map.

Walk left to the Pop Art Museum and then go inside. Walk a little bit to the left and you’ll find an older woman wearing purple clothes. Talk to her and she will explain a little bit about what is going on and give you a key. Exit the museum, go back to your travel balloon, and head back to Counterfeit Island.

When you arrive back in Counterfeit Island, run all the way to the right to the Countryside. You’ll see the Inspector’s house here and you can use the key that the Curator gave to you to get inside. Head upstairs and you’ll see a painting hanging on the wall. Click on it to remove the canvas and you’ll see that it’s hiding the stolen painting from the museum! But then the lights will go out. and you’ll be knocked unconscious.

When you awake, you’ll be deep inside an underground hideout. Both you and the mysterious thief will be tied to chairs and you are captives of the Black Widow, the world’s greatest art thief. The Black Widow will leave the room and then you and the mysterious guy will talk about how you were both set up by her. He’ll tell you to move your chair close to him so that he can untie you. To move your chair, click and drag your mouse to the left. It will slowly move towards the guy. Once you get next to him, you’ll both escape the chairs and he’ll suggest that you both go after the Black Widow. Head out of the room to the right.

You’ll arrive in the next room. Run all the way to the left and then jump up on the boxes while avoiding the guards. The hardest guard to sneak past is on one of the platforms right above you. You need to wait until he gets all the way to the left and then turns and starts walking right. Jump up immediately and follow him a few steps until you see a couch. Jump onto the couch and the springs will propel you to the platform above and to the left. Here you’ll see a special access panel. Use the key card you found when you were chasing the mysterious guy before to open the door. Go through the door to enter Black Widow’s private gallery. Then walk to the left to begin the final confrontation with Black Widow.

The mysterious guy will run and jump onto a platform with a handle. You need to turn the handle to raise the platform up so that he can catch her. But once he does that, the Black Widow will start dropping art onto the ground, destroying it. You need to catch the art to keep it from breaking while continuing to try and turn the handle to raise the platform. This is a really tough part to finish! If more than one million dollars of art breaks, you’ll fail and have to start this part over again. But after every four pieces you save, she’ll get really mad and then you have a few seconds to run over to the platform to turn the handle. But watch out because after a few seconds, she’ll throw a bomb towards you. You need to avoid getting hit by the exploding bomb and then return to the middle to try and catch four more pieces of art. Keep repeating the cycle until you raise the platform all the way to the top.

Once you’re done, the Black Widow will be captured! You’ll appear inside the Internet Cafe and the Curator will be there. She’ll tell you to meet her at the museum. Go there and then the Curator will show you that the museum has been the secret hiding place for some of the most famous works of art in the world. You’ll receive the medallion for finishing Counterfeit Island. Congratulations!