Steamworks Island comes out tomorrow and I can’t wait for it. I think it’s going to be a really fun island. It will be pretty tough to top Skullduggery Island but I think the Creators of Poptropica can do it. It’s available in Early Access mode tomorrow, which means that you must be a paid member to play it.

For the past few weeks the Creators have been posting things on their blog about the island. Last week we were introduced to Sprocket the Robot who will be a companion on the adventure. This week, the Creators posted two screenshots of what the island will look like. The first one is the inside of one of the shops you will visit and the second one is of a maze.

The big news this week is that Poptropica Steamworks Island finally has an official launch date. Here are the details!

Early access launch date (paid members only: Thursday August 12

Public launch date: September 9

So now we know when Steamworks will be here. I’ve got my paid subscription all set up and ready to go so I will have a walkthrough and screenshots on Thursday as soon as I can!

There’s a new trailer for Steamworks Island up on YouTube. Have you seen it yet? It’s going to be awesome when it finally comes out!

I like the little robot dude that flies along with you. The Creators have been posting a few sneak peeks about him on their blog recently.

Pathwise is one kind of Poptropica’s multiplayer games. It is a puzzle activity, in which the purpose is always to hook up tiles of your colour from one end of the board to another before the other guy can. To start out a game of Pathwise, first head to the closest multiplayer room. Click the person you want to challenge, and 2 selections will appear over the participant’s head: Chat and Battle. Select “Battle”, and a listing of games will appear. Click on “Pathwise”, which is the very first game listed. The opposite player will be given the options “Sure!” or “No, thank you!”. If they choose “Sure!”, the game will start, but if they say “No, thank you!” or won’t respond to you, you’ll need to locate someone else to play the game.

On your turn, select any tile to switch it to your color. Your main goal is to generate a pathway that connects the two sides of your colour.

Each player is going to be on opposite sides of the screen – one person is on one of the two grassy green sides, the other at one of the two watery blue. Your primary goal is to reach the other side with your colour before the other person does. You’ll take turns to click on one of the 81 hexagonal tiles to make it a part of your path. Hitting a tile when it is your turn will change the plain grey tile’s colour to your own. In case a tile has already been colored green or blue, it can’t be clicked on ever again. It is a 9 x 9 grid, but it depends on the player’s quick wits and calculations to win. When it is your turn, don’t hesitate for too much time – or else your turn is certain to get skipped!

Since there are no points in this game, the only way to be successful is to create a finished path to connect the two sides of your colour jointly, before your opponent gets to it. The game comes to an end when someone has won, or when the whole playing field is filled. If the whole grid is filled up as there was simply no champion, it’s a draw.

Want to pretend to be a vampire in Poptropica? Well the creators just released a few new costumes this past weekend and they are all vampire costumes. I think they did it because the new Twilight movie, Eclipse, is really popular right now. The new vampire costumes all look like characters from the movie. There are three costumes for girls and one costume for boys. This is what they all look like. Also you should read the little descriptions at the bottom of each card for the costume because they’re pretty funny.

Vampire Girl 1

Fang-tastic style is always fashionable.

Vampire Girl 2

Being scary never looked so good.

Vampire Girl 3

A trendy take on a horror classic.

Vampire Boy

A trendy take on a horror classic.

There are two big pieces of news this weekend on Poptropica. The first is that the official name for the new island that’s coming soon is Steamworks Island. The Creators posted about it on Friday in the main Poptropica blog. We don’t know much about it yet but there have been many posts with sneak peeks and screenshots with a few things that will appear on the island. The Creators didn’t say when it will be released but it will probably come out in early access for paid members very soon.

The second piece of news is that there are two new items in the Poptropica Store that you can buy in time for the Fourth of July holiday. The first one is Fireworks. When you buy these and put them on then you will carry one around. Then you press the spacebar to shoot it off into the sky. Do it where it’s night like on Spy Island or at the Pirate island in Skullduggery for the best effects. There’s another item also in the Poptropica store called Atomic Power. It makes you glow green with little green and yellow balls swirling around you. If you press the space bar, then you “explode” with a big green circle and any Poptropica citizens nearby also turn green.

Hello there Poptropica Fans. I’ve been reading the Poptropica Blog this week and guess what? There’s going to be a brand-new island coming out soon. The creators are posting sketches and images all week and they look really awesome. So far here is what we’ve seen:

• Something called a multi-tool. It does stuff. Lots of different stuff.
• Dynomite. Maybe we get to blow stuff up!
• A vicious plant monster. Ewww.
• A rusty robot. He looks pretty cute.

The Multi Tool Looks Cool.

Except for the plant, it looks like most of the island is very mechanical. The creators said the multi-tool would be used for a lot of things, so maybe part of your quest is to fix a lot of machines on the island that have broken down and need repair. We won’t know for sure until the island is released. I hope they announce the dates on Friday when they reveal the island’s name!

Poptropica has another new island adventure and its name is Skullduggery Island. Paid subscribers have had access since May, and the general public can play starting on June 17, which is this coming Thursday!

The biggest thing about Skullduggery is that it is much different than previous islands on Poptropica. In addition to solving mysteries and quests, you must sail from port to port trading cargo to earn doubloons and upgrade your ship. So it takes a lot longer to play than most other islands. It is the longest and most in-depth island in Poptropica.

The Walkthrough for Skullduggery Island

When you arrive by balloon, you’ll be in Fort Ridley, which is where the first part of Skullduggery Island takes place. In the Fort Ridley part of the mission, you need to assist the villagers who’ve been regularly assaulted by Captain Crawfish, a dreadful and notorious pirate. After you finish this part, you will get your very first sailing ship and can discover a few more islands.

Travel down Main Street to the right and cross the covered bridge. On the far side, climb down into the stream and go left to get the Doubloon from the sand.

Return over the bridge to the Main Street area and then go inside the General Store where you’ll find a woman inside. Click on the doubloon in your backpack and use it to buy a bag of chicken feed. Over the the right of the store, you’ll spot a bunch of shelves. On the top is a broken mirror and you’ll need to jump up and get it.

Give the feed to the boy with the chickens. He’ll be so delighted that he can feed his chickens now that he will give you one of them as thanks for the feed.

Now go over the bridge to the right and you’ll arrive at a corn field with a farmer outside. He’ll say that the pests are eating all the corn and he can’t feed his family. Find the chicken in your backpack and use it. The chicken will start to eat the bugs that are attacking the corn and the farmer will give you a blue candle as a present.

Go up the hill and run past the house on the top and go back down to the ocean below. You’ll see a woman there. Talk to her and she will tell you about her husband who has been lost at sea.

Next go back up the hill and enter the Governor’s house. There are two men over by the fireplace on the right. Speak to them and use the blue candle from your backpack to make the invisible parts of the document appear. The guy on the left tells you to find the map pieces and chase away Captain Crawfish. He says he’ll give you the final key to uncover the treasure once you do that.

Now leave the mansion and run all the way to the left to where the fort tower is. Go up to the top and use the telescope up there. Move it around until you see a small raft on the horizon. Click on the broken mirror in the lower-left corner to send a signal to the raft and it will come to the dock.

A man will walk out onto the pier to meet you. He is the husband of the woman you talked to near the ocean. He offers up his broken-down ship to you and wishes you luck on your adventure.

Embark on your ship and sail to the small island in the upper-left corner of the map. As you move from place to place in your boat, try to stay far away from sea creatures, pirate ships, and thunder clouds because they will all damage your ship. If you see salvage floating in the water, try to get it for extra doubloons and goods.

You’ll soon arrive at Dragon Cove. Click on the dock and disembark. To find the map piece, go to the water’s edge and stand on the sunken statue to reveal a Mallet. Push the crate with the fisherman sitting on top of it to the right as far as it will go and then use the mallet you just found while you stand next to the gong. The sound of the gong will make the fish jump out of the water and onto the fisherman’s hook. He will give you a piece of the map which he found in the fish’s mouth. You cannot immediately afford a new ship, or the services of the Shipwright, who can repair damage while underway. New ships and the crewmembers are pretty expensive and you’ll need to do a lot of trading between the islands before you can start upgrading. Go up to the trading post and sell any spice you have and buy silk.

Sail to Bouffant Bay, to the right, again avoiding pirates and creatures but picking up salvage from the water.

The guy here when you arrive on the boat dock will give you a small hint concerning the hidden map piece on this island. Walk a bit over to the right and go to the Trading Post, where you will want to sell whatever silk you have. This trading post sells Medicine at a very cheap price so buy as much as you can while you are here. And the next thing to do here is to find the hidden map piece. First, walk over to the right and you’ll arrive at a house with hanging baskets of ferns outside. Jump up and touch the one on the right, then the one on the left, and finally the one in the middle. Once that is done, you’ll find the hidden map piece. One of the buildings here, called Willard’s Warhouse, holds the Cargo Master and having him on board your ship means you can carry fifty percent more cargo. You probably can’t afford to hire him right now. Don’t forget to make sure you bought the Medicine cargo from the trading post because you’ll want to sell it at the next port.

Hanging out in Bouffant Bay in Poptropica Skullduggery Island

Sail to Parrot Port, directly below. Sell your salvage and cargo, but there is no cargo to cheaply purchase here. In Petey’s Pirate Pub is the Navigator, who can increase your sailing speed if you hire her. At upper left is a Cracker. Leave the pub and go back to the Trading Post, where you’ll see a parrot. It will tell you to dunk yourself in the sea and come back to find it. Go back to your boat and swim in the ocean, then find the parrot on the window sill of one of the buildings above the Trading Post. The parrot will tell you to clog the vent and he’s talking about a chimney on top of one of the other buildings over to the right. Go stand on that chimney to stop the smoke from coming out. You can find the parrot in the palm tree over to the right. He tells you to go to the old tower and find a pirate that he knows. Go to him, then locate the parrot atop the buildings you may have to dunk yourself and do the chimney again. Use the cracker to lure him back to the tower, where the pirate gives you the map piece.

The next stop is Golden Harbor, which is the island in the lower-right corner of the map. It’s surrounded by treacherous rocks so be careful when you go and pick up any salvage you can along the way. When you go inside the bank, you can borrow doubloons which let you buy more cargo for trading and earn money quickly. You can obtain a loan of doubloons from the back that costs 5% interest each day days go by each time you sail to a new port and you have to repay the loan within 20 days. There’s also a hidden map piece in Golden Harbor and you get it by turning on three of the street lanterns in a specific pattern. The correct order to light the lanterns is to get the fifth one first, then the third one, then the fourth and followed by the second and first. The map piece will then fall down from the archway. Once you have the map piece, go to the trading post and buy up as much grain as you can fit in your cargo hold.

Now, get back in your ship and sail West until you arrive at the Pirate Outpost. Sell your grain and buy Spice, which is cheap here. Go all the way up to the top of the island and you’ll find a small building with a sign that says Corsair Cannonry. In the cannon shack is the Cannoneer, who you may wish to hire later. At the top of the mast is a “cannon starter kit” fuses, which will fire any of the four cannons on the outpost. Now go down to the left and you’ll see a barrel with a sign that says, “Danger – Explosive.” Push this barrel off the platform and let it drop all the way down to the water below you. Leap off the platform and land next to the barrel in the water below. Push the barrel to the right and place it directly underneath the gold tooth in the big skull statue. Go back to the cannon that was near where the barrel fell from the platform and click on it to fire. The cannonball will hit the barrel of explosives, which will blow up. The explosion will shake the gold tooth and the hidden map piece will fall out.

The Repeating Trading Route

Next, start following a repeating trade route by returning to Dragon Cove to sell your spice. Now you have established a clockwise route of trade that will help you to build your wealth over time and buy larger ships and more cargo, and eventually hire some or all of the four helpful skilled crewmen. Follow this route for the most efficient way to build doubloons:

1. Dragon Cove
2. Bouffant Bay
3. Parrot Port
4. Golden Harbor
5. Pirate Outpost

Fighting pirate ships in Skullduggery Island

Taking on Captain Crawfish

When you have the biggest and most powerful kind of boat, the Phoenix Warbird, and the skilled Cannoneer, you are more than a match for any ship, even Captain Crawfish. When you’re ready to fight Captain Crawfish, sail down to Skullduggery Island in the lower left section of the map and he’ll turn up for battle. When he is defeated, return to the Governor’s house at Fort Ridley. The governor gives you a bone shovel, which you need to dig up treasure, and he shows you exactly where to find it on Skullduggery Island.

Sail down to Skullduggery Island and dock there. Walk six paces to the right of the flag and use the bone shovel to dig in that spot. Once you have dug uo the treasure, Captain Crawfish re-appears with his crew, including the Governor’s aide who turns out to be working with Crawfish!

There’s no fight here, however. Your trusty crew arrives on your ship and defeats Captain Crawfish and his band of pirates. You return to Fort Ridley with the treasure and the Governor gives you the Island Medallion as a reward.

Congratulations! You’ve finally finished and beaten Skullduggery Island on Poptropica.

Paid members in Poptropica now have early access to Skullduggery Island. This brand-new island is about a mean pirate named Captain Crawfish who has terrorized a small island. You need to help the islanders by finding an old buried treasure that will help them rebuild their damaged island. Along the way, you’ll adventure on the oceans, sail from port to port, battle sea monsters and pirate ships, assemble your crew and then finally battle with Captain Crawfish himself!

Skullduggery Island is a lot of fun and takes much longer to play than any of the other Poptropica Islands. In order to take on Crawfish, you have to get a warship and that costs one million doubloons, which means you need to do a lot of trading from port to port. The good news is that is easy to do but it takes a lot of time.

I think  the hardest part was to find the five pieces of the map. Each piece is hidden on one of the different islands and they can be tricky to find. I will post a complete step-by-step guide to Skullduggery along with trading tips very soon, but in the meantime, take a look at this Skullduggery Island walkthrough if you’re stuck.

Only one more day until Mythology Island is ready for the public. It has been in early access since the beginning of the month but now everyone will get a chance to play it. It’s going to be awesome. There are a lot of screenshots and walkthroughs around from people who have already finished it. I watched some of the videos on YouTube and I love how you get to meet all the different Greek Gods and Goddesses. It’s hard to pick a favorite but I thought Athena was pretty cool. She helps you out with your quest to find the five items for Zeus and then gives you some pointers on how to get help from Hercules when you need it.

Are you ready to play Mythology Island? Be sure to go to Poptropica tomorrow when it opens up for everyone!