If there's one thing you've learned about the Giovanni character in CastleVille, it's that he's a bit different. He's been up to something since his arrival in your Kingdoms, and you've now learned more about what that exactly is. He needs your help in some Gloom Experiments, which comes by way of a seven-part quest series.

Gloom Investigation

• Use 1 Beastie Potion
• Buy 3 Gloomed Rocks
• Visit 4 Neighbors

The Gloomed Rocks cost 2,500 coins each. You'll receive some of that back, as you'll earn 2,000 coins and 40 XP for completing this first quest.

A Little Experiment

• Have 2 Gloom Samples
• Craft 3 Gloom Elixirs
• Use 3 Gloom Elixirs

The Gloom Samples are earned via a general news item on your wall. Gloom Elixirs, meanwhile can be crafted inside the Kitchen. Finally, the Gloom Elixirs need to be used on Flowers, but you'll want to make sure and pick flowers that you're not too fond of, as they will be altered. You'll receive 2,000 coins and 40 XP for completing this quest.

Up All Night

• Craft 2 Vegetable Cocktails (in the Kitchen)
• Have 3 Parchment
• Have 2 Icy Torches

Rewards: 2,000 coins, 40 XP, Sparkler

Design Realized

• Mine Rocks 10 Times
• Have 3 Flaxseed Oil
• Place and Complete the Gloom Slurper Machine

The Gloom Slurper Machine requires 10 Coal, 10 Wood Planks, three Rope and five Gloom Extracts to craft. Ropes must be crafted, while Coal and Wood Planks can be earned by asking your friends to send them to you via individual requests. The Gloom Extracts come via a general news item on your wall. You'll receive 2,000 coins and 40 XP for finishing this quest.

New Direction

• Tax 10 Houses
• Visit 3 Neighbors
• Have 5 Bags of Nails

Rewards: 3,250 coins, 65 XP

Inventing is Hard Work

• Craft 2 Hammers
• Have 5 Down Feathers
• Have 1 Anvil

Rewards: 3,250 coins, 65 XP

Gloom Converter

• Have 7 Lightning in a Jar
• Finish the Gloom Converter
• Collect 3 Crystal Shards

The Lightning in a Jar items come from a general news item posted on your wall. While you're waiting for your friends to send them to you, you can work on collecting the other items for the Gloom Converter. This requires those seven Lightning in a Jar, six Gold Bricks, four Iron Bars and two Purity Wands to complete. The Gloom Converter itself, once completed, will allow you to collect Crystal Shards from it. You'll receive 2,500 coins, 50 XP and an Expansion Crystal for finishing off this final quest.

If you haven't received this quest series in CastleVille, you'll need to make sure that you've finished at least Quest 2 in the Giovanni Studio Mastery quest line. That takes only a few minutes to do, so find it in your quest list, finish it off and you should see these appear the next time you enter the game. Good luck finishing them off!