i am new to adventure games and got the demo for this game and would like to ask "you experts" some questions. i pretty much found my way around the hotel lobby and got to my room and after seeing the letter she wonders out loud about informing the office so there's a clue. she has a phone and the office is on speed dial, bingo! i call and get fax 2. wasn't totally obvious, but wasn't extremely arcane either.
this is my concern about clues in this game:
1. was i told somewhere to go visit this Alfolter fellow, the guy mentioned in fax 2 or am i to assume i was to find him since he is now in charge of her affairs? was i given a clue that i was to see him or did i need to deduce that?
2. was i given a clue as to where to look for him or am i supposed to wander around aimlessly until i found him?
3. why didn't the baker tell me he was "two doors down"?
4. why wasn't there a sign over his door that indicated or hinted that a notary might be inside?
5. how in God's name was i supposed to "know" to put fax 2 in the hand of the doorbell? was i just to guess as in try everything in my inventory "to see if it worked"?
so this is my concern. i don't want the puzzle solutions handed to me but i want a few clues or hints like the baker telling the the notary is 2 doors down or the building having a sign on it...something. IF I KNEW i was at the doorbell of the notary, i might have eventually guessed that with those eyes on the doorbell, maybe it wanted to examine my credentials first so i might have plopped the fax in it's hand.
i'm asking you experienced players if this is what i can expect throughout this game. are all adventure games like this? again, if i had known i was at the notary's doorbell i might have guessed to put the fax in its hand. was i to assume he was there because i'd checked everywhere else? i don't want it real easy but i need at least a couple of clues. first, thanks for reading all this :-) (sorry) and also thanks for any insight you can provide.
ehh, i came back to add one more thing. which would you choose, syberia or the longest journey? thanks!

***Spoilers****
1. Yes, you were told by your boss, Marson, on the phone. Marson tells you that that the firm made provisions so that the take-over of the factory could go through in case Anna died before the deal was concluded, and he tells you that you'll have to see the notary right away to seal the deal.
2. If you asked the guy at the inn/hotel about the notary's adress (use the 'Mission' dialogue line once more after he gives you Fax #2) he told you that there's only one notary in Valadilene and that his house is easy to recognize. The house with the automaton by the door fits the bill nicely, so that was the hint.
3.Kate didn't ask the baker where the notary was, did she ?
4.With the hint from the guy at the inn/hotel there was really no need for a door sign. In any case, missing the hint and wondering around a bit looking for the notary doesn't really hurt since exploration is crucial.
5.You have to explore the game world, pick up on the details and figure things out. The first time you tried the levers to operate the automaton you probably realized you were supposed to put something in his hand, right ? And the way the automaton's eyes were moving were kind of a give away that it was something he could read. Considering that Fax #2 is a letter from your boss to the notary introducing you as the lawyer in charge of finalizing the take-over, this one wasn't really that hard to figure out. But yes, sometimes trial and error is a last resort when everything else fails.
Here's the thing, i think you're just feeling a bit overwhelmed, which is perfectly natural considering you're new to the genre.
But, trust me, relax a bit and keep playing. After you've played a few adventure games you'll start to get the hang of things, and you'll have no trouble understanding game mechanics and/or narrative styles that may seem a bit obscure or even weird right now ;)
As much as i love the Syberia games i have to say i'd choose TLJ.

Since this is a newcomer to this kind of game I'd say stick with Syberia. It is a much easier game than TLJ.
Adventure games are rife with opportunities for this kind of nitpicking. The easiest thing to do is have a site like Universal Hint System bookmarked for helpful clues if you get stuck. In general it is worth it to play for the stories imo.

Yes, i guess you're right. Syberia is easier so probably more suited to a newcomer. When i said i'd choose TLJ i didn't think about that, i just thought about how special TLJ is ;)
But Syberia is also a wonderful game, so i don't think anyone can go wrong with one or the other.

thanks to you both and especially Namur for your excellent overview. great advice and i can see now i need to pay more attention in these kinds of games. i think i'll start over using what you've suggested. thanks again!
interesting, just a few days ago i was standing in line waiting for something to open talking with an older gentlemen from the Azores. :-)
Namur (or anyone for that matter), one other thing:
you say:
"If you asked the guy at the inn/hotel about the notary's address (use the 'Mission' dialogue line once more after he gives you Fax #2"
how often does that happen that i HAVE use the dialogue thing twice? usually it just repeats what i just heard and i really don't want to have to go through the list twice EVERY time i meet someone! that kind of sucks as i missed important info because i didn't click Mission twice. like i said, everything else i click twice usually just repeats. did i miss something? does it "glow" if there is still useful conversation 'behind it'?

You're welcome.
Adventure games can be a bit demanding in terms of how much attention you need to pay to details, but many of them are extremely rewarding in terms of good stories and memorable characters. Both Syberia and TLJ are part of that lot - wonderful stories, great characters.
Ah, yes, you can find at least one Portuguese in every corner of the planet ;)
I can't be sure right now about how dialogue lines are handled in Syberia (i'm tempted to say that lines that are no longer relevant change color, blue to black or something, but i'm really not sure), but in this particular case, considering you needed the adress it kinda makes sense that Kate would have to ask about it again after reading the Fax, and the only appropriate line to do so was the 'Mission' line.
In any case, this is what i mean when i say you'll start to get the hang of things. I understand that right now going over every line twice to make sure you don't miss anything seems like the only way, but after a while you'll kind of instinctively know when it might be relevant to ask about the same thing twice.

thank you again my friend...
"i'm tempted to say that lines that are no longer relevant change color, blue to black or something"
i'll pay more attention - blue to black can be a little hard to discern (especially on a netbook!) but l'll check.

No problem ;)
I'm sure you'll have a wonderful time with Syberia. If you find yourself stuck, you can always post here on the boards to get a hint from one of the forumites that usually hang around here.

I know this post is a month old. However in case you haven't noticed: When you hear (or see) a conversation you have heard before you can right click to skip a sentence. If it's a dialog you can cut each sentence off by right clicking them. That way a conversation only takes a few seconds.