obviously i was trying to accomplish what your reply suggested, i had even tried going through the first door and recalling to the beacon i had placed just inside the final door, but that didn't work. it hadn't occurred to me to put the beacon outside the final door. worked like a charm.i'm not sure i agree that your solution is a "spoiler". it certainly is much less so than the game guides available that provide detailed walkthroughs of all the game's quests. it seems perfectly natural to me to use the skills available to my party to achieve their goals, regardless of whether or not they are strictly within the rules set up by the npcs within the game.
what had me so frustrated was the insertion, within a roleplay game, of a standard eye/hand coordination, dexterity test in the middle of a significant quest. if i wanted to play that type of game, i'd be working my leisure suit larry magna cum laude.
thanks again for your help.
