The bar entrance[edit]
When you step outside, you will be standing in front of the bar, and a vehicle will be parked right outside. So far, you know very little, and you're still woozy from the effects of whatever medicine you've been given. You'll have to walk around a bit to see if you can find anymore clues. It's a good idea to save your game at this time if you haven't already.
From the bar, you have more options than any other location in the game. You can return inside. You can visit the alley off to the right (which takes you back to where the fire escapes lead.) You can walk off to the left or to the right. You can OPEN the manhole cover and duck back into the sewers. And finally, you can approach the vehicle in front of the bar. The sewers can be used to travel to and from this location, the basement of the bar, and the alley alongside the bar. It will be useful later on in the game, but you can ignore it for now. Start with the vehicle.
Checking the car[edit]
You can actually approach the front of the vehicle, or the trunk. Both will be locked. However, the second key which you found in the pocket of the corpse happens to be the key to a Mercedes Benz. USE it on the car door to open it, and MOVE inside. You will be sitting in the front seat. From here, you can investigate the dashboard, and you should notice the glove compartment off to the right. OPEN the compartment, and you will find a number of interesting items. The first is the car registration which includes Joey Seigal's address. The next is a map with instructions to someone named Ace to follow a specific route and to not let the cops find Mrs. Sternwood in the trunk. Finally, there's a snapshot of an incredibly obese woman. TAKE all of these items.
There is one other feature to the car. There is a hood release button on the right hand side. However, if you HIT it, it will trigger a trap, and the car will explode with you inside. You will die and be forced to start over from wherever you last saved your game. Instead, simply MOVE to exit the vehicle and return to the street.
Crime-ridden streets[edit]
As you investigate the rest of the street, it is quite common to run into some trouble. Particularly, there are two muggers. One mugger only occupies the alley next to the bar. He is enormous, and there is little you can do to counter his attack. If you shoot him, the cops will hear and come arrest you for murder, ending the game. If you try to HIT him, he will knock you out and take all of your money. You will not die from this encounter.
However, there is a smaller mugger with a gun. This mugger can be stopped by using the HIT command on him. You will give him a black eye and he will run away. But he won't stay away forever. He will come back seeking vengeance. You can thwart his efforts two more times, giving him a second black eye and a broken nose. However, when he returns for a fourth encounter, you will have no choice but to give him your money or he will shoot and kill you (There is a rare case that he will still kill you due to an 'itchy-finger').
If you lose all of your money to either of these muggers, you can always return to the casino in an attempt to find some loose coins, and win more back from the working slot machine. You should also note that, in many versions but not the NES version, the police drive along the street from time to time. You won't see them, but you'll hear their sirens come and go. If you hear a siren getting closer, you should duck into a building or in the sewer to avoid getting noticed.
Heading to the right[edit]
If you choose to go to the right from Joe's Bar, you will start off in the direction of the police station. However, the first or second time you walk in that direction, you will encounter a woman (who in every version but the NES version is implied to be a prostitute.) She speaks to you as though she knows you, and says she just got out of jail. She claims to have put a surprise under the hood of Joey's car, and that she has a surprise for you too, as she reaches into her purse.
Given the situation you're in where you don't know who you are, you can't really trust anyone. And in fact, this woman is aiming to kill you. She is reaching for the gun in her purse. The only move you can make which does not result in death is to HIT her. If you attempt to shoot her, the cops will hear it and arrest you. After she is knocked out, you can OPEN her purse to look inside, where you will find a makeup kit, a $20 bill, and a gun. You can TAKE all of these items, although you don't really need to. Once you leave the scene, you will never encounter this woman again.
If you continue on to the right from this encounter, or if you did not run into the woman at all, you will reach the police precinct. You can approach the doors, but in your current state, all they will do is place you under arrest and charge you for the murder of the man in the office, Joey Seigal. Avoid that fate for now. Additionally, if you continue to proceed to the right, you will wind up falling into a deep construction pit and dying. There is no warning and no way to avoid it, so simply do not visit the location to the right of the police precinct.
Checking out the left[edit]
From Joe's Bar, try moving to the left instead. You will first arrive at a newspaper stand. If you SPEAK with the paperboy inside, he will tell you the paper is a quarter. Depending on the version that you are playing, you can either USE a coin on the paperboy to get a newspaper, or you can TAKE the lower right newspaper and a coin will be automatically deducted. The paperboy will thank you by telling you that the cops are looking for someone matching your description. The newspaper will offer no useful advice, and only contains a headline about the bombing of Pearl Harbor (which places the events of this game some time in December of 1941).
Continuing to the left, you may wind up encountering a drunk man crossing the street, but it is not guaranteed to happen. If you do encounter him and SPEAK with him, he'll suggest that he can give you some useful information for some money. In most versions, it will take a $20 bill to get him to talk, although in other versions like the NES, it only takes a couple of coins. He will tell you that Joey hired a hit man to kill you, and that he might be waiting in your office.
If you continue left from there, or don't encounter the drunk at all, you will be standing in front of a gun and ammo store. You can OPEN the door and MOVE inside if you wish. Inside, you will find a large man standing behind a counter with a gun and some ammunition on display. A sign will read that there is a special on the gun and that it is for sale for only $20. You don't actually need to purchase it, or any of the ammo, as the gun you have is perfectly fine, and has enough ammunition to complete the game, but buying anything won't prevent you from completing the game either.
Two taxis cabs[edit]
Outside of the gun shop, if you head to the left, you will find a blue taxi cab parked on the street, just waiting for customers. Go one more screen to the left, and you will find a yellow taxi cab waiting for the same exact thing. One of the two drivers will seem calm and friendly, while the other will appear nervous and shifty. Which one is in which depends on the version you are playing. However, this has no bearing on the game at all, as both cabs function identically to one another. Both will take you wherever you want to go, and both will charge the same amount for the trip.
At this time, you should have accumulated three address, although one of those addresses is for the very street you are on. But this is important since now you will know how to get back here when you are done traveling. Of the other two addresses, one is the location of Joey Seigal's home, and the other is for the doctor who was mentioned on the bill that you found in the receptionist's desk. It's time to hop in a cab and pay one of these places a visit.