I am nearing the end of the MYST V - I am just about to link to the final age of Laki'ahn from Direbo. I have discovered, somewhat belatedly, that each time I link back to Direbo I should open the two bridge gates on the island I have linked to, in order eventually to have access via the eight bridges to all of the islands. I have done this with some ages but have not opened all gates. Having reached this far I would hate to fail to be able to bring the game to a conclusion for the sake of not having unlocked a couple of gates. Without giving too much away, can anyone tell me if this is a vital part of the "endgame," and if so, a suggestion of how I can rectify my error without having to backtrack and go through the game again?

Don't worry about the gates, they're just a little time saver to get from one Age to another without going back to the Shaft all the time .

Right, thank you very much. I shall press on with my quest with a (relatively!)untroubled mind. JB