<!--
	Title: Thumbs up to HITCHHIKER'S GUIDE to the GALAXY!
	Author: Shay Addams
	Source: QuestBusters v1(11)
	Date: November 1984
	Transcription by Steve Derby
-->

***Don't panic!* You don't need to read the book to play the game. And even if you
have, the adventure won't be so easy you'll stroll through it in ten minutes. In case
you've just returned from another planet, Douglas Adams' 1979 book told how Arthur
Dent met up with an alien named Ford Prefect and thumbed a ride on a space ship
moments before the earth was destroyed. Ford is a roving researcher for the
<u>Hitchhiker's Guide</u>, a sort of "see the universe on $5 a day" computerized travel
book, and the madcap novel describes their** off-the-wall escapades enroute to a legendary
planet called Magrathea. You play the part of Arthur, whose house is about to be demolished by a
bulldozer.

<img class="float-right" src="/public/img/articles/questbusters-hhgttg-review/hhgttg-logo.jpg" alt="Hitchhiker's Guide logo">

Steve "Planetfall" Meretzky has adhered closely to the plot line, and anyone familiar with
the book will have a slight edge in the opening scenes. If you can't figure out how to **stop the
bulldozer** from reducing your house to rubble, get a copy of the book and flip through the first
chapter for the solution. This applies to most of the problems that occur before you escape earth's
destruction by the Vogon fleet. Beyond this point, Meretzky and Adams have devised **some
mindgrinding problems** that make the game tough no matter how many times you've reread the
book. The babel fish, for instance, is necessary in order to understand the Vogons' speech so you can
obtain a piece of equipment needed to operate the Improbability Drive later on. In the book, Ford
Prefect told Arthur to "Just put this fish in your ear." But in the adventure, the babel fish flies out
of a tall machine when you push a button -- and a team of cleaning robots keep snatching up the fish
and disposing of it before you can grab it. You can get to the game's next phase without solving this
problem. However, the game can't be completed without sticking a fish in your ear. At least
you can get a preview of what's in store.

Onboard the spaceship "Heart of Gold," Zaphod Beeblebrox, President of the Imperial Galactic
Government, tells you and ford that he's stolen the ship so he can find the lost planet or Magrathea.
Other characters include Marvin the Parnoid Android, a woman named Trillian, and Eddie the
ship's computer. This crew is much more one-dimensional than the characters in <u>Cutthroats</u>,
though Ford Prefect is entertaining in his own way. (He's still **no Floyd**.) The game doesn't involve
the same style of interaction with the characters, and you'll make more progress by consulting the
Guide about the objects and people you encounter. It taps into a " Sub-Etha-Net database" light years
away and answers relevant questions (this game's equivalent of <u>Sorcerer</u>'s Encyclopedia Frobizzica).
If it can't give you a practical answer, the Guide often offers a funny excuse like: "Sorry, that
portion of our Sub-Etha database was accidentally deleted last night during a wild office party."

## HOW TOUGH IS IT?

Categorized by Infocom as a Standard level game, <u>HG</u> is more difficult than <u>Cutthroats</u>, another
Standard title (reviewed elsewhere in this issue). **Hints are offered** within the game. Try to pick
up or examine objects that are of no value in solving puzzles, and the program explains: "That's
not important; leave it alone." After getting killed in the opening scene, you'll appreciate messages
suggesting what you might have done to avoid death. Responses like "Useless, totally useless," and
"Complete waste of time" sometimes warn you against pursuing absolute dead ends. There are no
color-coded objects or clues hidden in the documentation. Adams and Meretzky each invented
problems independently, but Steve says the best are those that the two collaborated on. They spent
some time pubcrawling across England while conducing "in-depth" research for the game. The
maximum score is 400 points.

**For the first time** in an Infocom game (except the mysteries, which don't have scores),
you won't receive status titles like "Novice Adventurer" or "Apprentice Enchanter" for
attaining points along the way to the final scene. That's too bad, because those little promotions are
important rewards that boost the spirits of many adventurers.

The galaxy's a big place, but you won't need to do a lot of mapping. The numerous locations are not
spread across a vast landscape as in <u>Zork,</u> so you follow a more linear path until the Improbability
Drive is assembled. Ever play Sierra's <u>Time Zone,</u> with its time machine for traveling through time
and space? The Drive serves the purpose, but with major differences: [1] it operates randomly, so
you never know where you'll wind up. [2] In addition to new locations, you often materialize in
the body of another character! This offers unique perspectives on the story, because you may wind
up as Ford Prefect trying to save Arthur, or as a girl Ford picks up at a cocktail party. From each
major location, you can explore a number of rooms before finding the way to move on to the next area.
Each area features its own problem, and these grow progressively tougher toward the end game. They
can be fairly complex, and often hinge on figuring out what to do with tools like the "molecular
hyperwave pincer "and other offbeat gear. The vocabulary boasts **over 800 words**. And there
are plenty of ways to die, though the most exceptional is being **bored to death** by a "lethally
dull woman at the cocktail party.

Whole chunks of the original text are woven into the adventure as it unfolds onscreen, while
Adams' wry wit and satiric observations highlight every scene. And the new material is **even zanier
than the book** at times. You get a red and yellow "Don't Panic!" button, some "peril-sensitive
sunglasses," a microscopic space fleet and other whimsical items in the package. Meretzky has done
a masterful job of evoking the novel's cockeyed comedic spirit, making this **an excellent
adaptation** and the best novel-to-adventure to date. (It is Infocom's first such game.) There is
one tradeoff. A single disk couldn't possibly hold the entire story <u>and</u> the fresh material, so the
sequel will pick up where the ones ends -- when the ship lands on Magrathea.

<hr>

**Computer:** Most Home Computers<br>
**Skill Level:** Intermedia<br>
**Serves:** 8<br>
**Price:** Atari & C-64, $34.95. Others,$39.95<br>
**Manufacturer:** Infocom
