Somehow I unlocked the passage to Thin Ice without grabbing any of the tomes in the mansion. Has this ever happened to anyone else? It's my first time playing so I wasn't even aware there was a hidden gate until I stepped on it.

Yeah, it happened to me sometimes, too... The portal appeared even though I didn't collect every tome.

BTW, Episode 2 is my absolute favorite from the whole Blood. It has an unbelievable atmosphere, especially the fifth level (not counting the secret one).

I'm enjoying episode 2 so far, but I really suck at this game. I'm thankful for the ability to make it control like a modern FPS cause I've really lost my old school skills. I still have a habit of wanting to get the cursor on enemies though.