If you've never played Infocorn's interac-tive fiction before, you should read thisentire instruction manual. If you're an ex-perienced Infocom game player, you mayonly want to read Section I: About TheHitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.

,/

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Section I: About The Hitcthiker'sGuide to the Galaxy

Preface to the Story 3

Hints 3

Sample Transcript and Map 3

About the Authors 6

Section 11: About Infocom'sInteractive Fiction

An Overview: What IsInteractive Fiction?

6

Starting and Stopping·"Booting Up"• Saving and Restoring• Quiring and Restarting

6

Communicating withInfocom's Interactive Fiction• Basic Sentences• Complex Sentences• Talking to characters in the story

7

Special Commands 8

Tips for NovicesEleven useful pointers aboutInteractive Fiction

9

Common Complaints 9

Running the Storyon your Computer

10

Quick Reference GuideThe most lmponant things toknow aboutIteractivel Fiction,

14

2

SECTION I: ABOUT THEHITCHHIKER'S GUIDE TOTHE GALAXYPreface to the StoryDon't Panic!

Relax, because everything you need toknow about playing The Hitchhiker'sGuide to the Galaxy is contained in thepages of this manual. In this story, you willbe Arthur Dent, a rather ordinary earthcreature who gets swept up in a whirlwindof interstellar adventures almost beyondcomprehension. As the story begins.bulldozers are waiting to reduce yourhouse to rubble to make way for a motor-way bypass, While you attempt to dealwith this problem, your rather strangefriend Ford Prefect drops by to tell you thatthe Earth is about to be demolished tomake way for an interstellar bypass! If yousurvive this double threat, you'll embarkon a series of intergalactic misadventureseven funnier than your worst nightmares!And, because anything is possible in TheHitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, you maysoon not even be sure of your ownidentity!

A special note for people who have readthe book The Hitchhiker's Guide to theGalaxy: Although the opening of the gameis fairly similar to the book, the storyquickly diverges, with lots of new materialand different twists. Although familiaritywith the story may make a few of the,earlypuzzles easier, if you rely too heavily onthis previous knowledge you will certainlyend up getting misled.

HintsThis version of The Hitchhiker's Guide

to the Galaxy includes hints! If you everget stuck, you can type HINT and press theRETURN (or ENTER) key. Then follow theinstructions on your screen. Most of thehints are nudges in the right direction; thelast hint in the sequence is usually acomplete answer.

Sample Transcript and MapThis transcript is not from Hitchhiker's,but it does show most of the things you cando in the story. It contains several simplepuzzles and their solutions. and it will giveyou a good idea of how interactive fictionworks. The player's sentences appear incapital letters after each prompt. (». Themap represents the terrain in the sampletranscript.

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>GET OUT OF THE TAXIThe door is locked."Hey, that's four pounds thirty, old chap."

>GIVE THE FIVE POUND NOTE TO THEDRIVER

"Thanks, chum."

>UNLOCK THE DOORThe taxi door is now unlocked.

>GET OUT OF THE TAXIStreet CornerYou are on a street corner on the outskirtsof London. A signpost reveals that you areon the corner of Foominster and Frobbing-ton. The sidewalk continues north and east.Because of the heavy traffic here, crossingthe street is out of the question.

>WHOAM IYou are Chester Smith. an unemployedgranola salesman.

.>WHAT IS THE OBJECT OF THE GAME?Well. the superficial object of the game is toget to the end of the story and achieve the •maximum score.

The real object of the game is to show abunch of novices how interactive fictionworks.

>WALK NORTHOutside Blood BankYou are in the middle of the block on astreet that runs north-south. Immediately tothe east is the entrance to a massivegranite (Footnote 9) building. Next to theentrance is a sign and a doorbell.

>FOOTNOTE 9Well, concrete actually. We wanted agranite building for the story, but wecouldn't afford it. But the concrete IScovered with a plastic veneer that doesLOOK a lot like granite.

>READ THE SIGN"OUTSKIRTS OF LONDON BLOOD BANK:We pay 30 pounds tor a pint of blood.Painless, takes only an hour. Ring doorbellfor admittance."

>EASTThe Blood Bank door is closed.

>OPEN ITIt's locked.

>RING THE DOORBELLYou already did that, didn't you?

>NOI think you're wrong. I'm a computer, so Ihave a really terrific memory. and I'malmost positive you already rang thedoorbell. Couldn't you be mistaken?

>NOHmmm ...well, I just looked back, and Iguess you didn't ring the doorbell after all.Do you still want to ring the doorbell?

>YESThe bell rings. A minute later, a stoopedman opens the door and beckons you toenter.

>ENTER THE BLOOD BANKWaiting RoomThis is a dim room with exits to the eastand west. A narrow, winding stair leadsdownward. The room is sparsely furnishedwith several uncomfortable-lookingbenches. There is no one waiting ahead ofyou.There is a bottle of smelling salts here.

The stooped man slams the front door andbolts it. "Please ..ave a seat. It will only beseveral. ..minutes." He exits to the east.

>SIT DOWNWhat do you want to sit down on?

>THE BENCHYou are now sitting on the bench.

>ENJOY THE BENCHEasier said than done. considering howhard and uncomfortable the bench is.

>TAKE THE BOITLE OF SMELLINGSALTS

You can't reach it from the bench.

>STAND UPYou are on your own feet again.

>TAKE THE BOITLE OF SMELLINGSALTS

Your load is too heavy.

>INVENTORYYou have:

a briefcasea suitIt looks like the suit contains:

a ten-pound notea grapefruit

>OPEN THE BRIEFCASEOpening the briefcase reveals an array ofgranola samples.

>DROP THE GRAPEFRUIT THEN TAKETHE BOTTLE OF SMELLING SALTS

Dropped.

Taken.

>WAITAfter all, what's a waiting room for? Timepasses ...

The stooped man enters, pushing awheelbarrow full of bones. You're no experton the subject, but they sure don't look likechicken bones. He spills the bones downthe winding stairway.

>WESTThe front door is closed.

>OPEN THE DOORWhich door do you mean, the front door orthe laboratory door?

>FRONTIt's bolted.

>LOOKWaiting RoomThis is a dim room with exits to the eastand west. A narrow, winding stair leadsdownward. The room is sparsely furnishedwith several uncomfortable-lookingbenches. There is no one waiting ahead ofyou.There is a grapefruit here.The stooped man is here, pushing awheelbarrow.

>STOOPED MAN, OPEN THE FRONTDOOR

"Who are you calling stooped? I've got aname you know- Igor."

>IGOR, OPEN THE FRONT DOORIgor chuckles. "Don't be nervous. It'scompletely ..ainless. There's nothing toworry about."

>IGOR, WHAT ABOUT THE BONES?"Ohl Um, they're just...fake bones ...we usefor the ...anatomy class on Wednesdays!"

4

A gaunt man emerges from the doorway tothe east. "Igor, bring in the next subject."He exits.

>BREAK DOWN THE STREET DOORThis results in a very sore shoulder.

"If you'll just...step this way," says Igor,producing a cattle prod.

>DON'T WALK EASTYou bravely hold your ground. Igor pokesyou with the prod. You feel less brave.

>WALK EASTLaboratoryThis is an even dimmer room filled withstrange apparatus. A person-sized tablefills the center of the room.The mad scientist is here, rubbing hishands.

Igor enters behind you and locks the door.

>DON'T PANICYou try your best. You fail.

"The table ..lease lie down ...on the table,"says Igor, fondling the prod.

>L1E DOWN ON THE TABLEYou are now lying on the table. The madscientist quickly shackles your wrists andankles.

>MAD SCIENTIST, LET ME GO"Who are you calling mad? They called memad at Oxford also, but I'll show them!"

The mad scientist produces a hypodermicneedle tilled with a bubbling green fluid. Heslowly inserts the needle into your arm.Everything becomes dark and fuzzy ...

>LOOKEverything is dark and fuzzy.

>NORTHIf you recall, you passed out a few mov bago.

>DIAGNOSEIf you recall, you passed out a few movesago.

>LOOK AT MEEverything is dark and fuzzy.

>WAITTime passes ...

The fuzziness clears, and you find yourselfin a strange new location.

>LOOKWest of HouseYou are standing in an open field west of awhite house, with a boarded front door.There is a small mailbox here.

>OPEN THE MAILBOXOpening the small mailbox reveals a leaflet.

>INVENTORYYou have:

a briefcaseIt looks like the briefcase contains:

an array of granola samplesa suitIt looks like the suit contains:

a ten-pound notea bottle of smelling salts

>SMELL THE SMELLING SALTSIt smells just like the lid of a bottle ofsmelling salts.

>OPEN THE BOTTLEOpened.

>SMELL THE SMELLING SALTSThe smell is overpowering. Your surround-ings blur and grow indistinct. ..

LaboratorySitting on the table are:

some bonesSitting on your workbench is:

a hypodermic needlea book

>IGOR, REMOVE THE BONES"Yes, master." Igor clears the table."There's another subject waiting outside."

>IGOR, BRING IN THE NEXT SUBJECT"Yes, master."

>WHOAM IYou are Baron von Edelstein, the "MadProfessor of Oxford."

>EXAMINE THE HYPODERMIC NEEDLEIt is filled with a bubbling green fluid, youridentity transfer serum.

>READ THE BOOK(taking the book first)The book is entitled "Who's Who inInteractive Fiction Sample Transcripts." Itwould take hours and hours to read thewhole thing; perhaps you'd like to consultthe book about a specific individual?

>CONSUL T THE BOOK ABOUT METhe entry about Baron von Edelstein reads,"A minor and poorly developed character inthe Hitchhiker's sample transcript."

Igor prods the subject into the room andonto the table.

>INJECT THE SUBJECT WITH THESERUMYou're not holding the hypodermic needle.

>TAKE THE HYPODERMIC NEEDLETaken.

>INJECT THE SUBJECT WITH THESERUM

The subject, who you forgot to shackle tothe table, pushes you away. In the ensuingstruggle, you accidentally inject yourselfwith the serum. Ughts whirl around yourhead. Especially red, yellow, and greenlights. The lights slow down and finally stopwhirling, and you realize that. ..

Your taxi is stopped at a traffic light. It'sbeen an hour since your last fare, Sud-denly, someone pulls open the door andslides into the back seat. "Corner ofFrobbington and Foominster, please."

5

About the AuthorsDouglas Adams graduated from Cam-bridge in 1974, where he was an activemember of the Footlights Club, whichlaunched the careers of many of Britain'sgreat comics. He has collaborated onseveral projects with MOIl1Y Python'sGraham Chapman, and has worked as awriter and script editor for the TV seriesDr. Who. The Hitchhiker's Guide to theGalaxy began a a radio serial, and itspopularity oon propelled it into fourbooks, a television series, two records anda stage show. Given Adams's fondness forInfocom' computerized fiction, andlnfocom's oft spot for the Hitchhiker'ssaga, it was only a matter of time beforethe two teamed up to produce an interac-tive version. Adams second work ofinteractive fiction was Bureaucracy. He islisted first (thanks to alphabetical order) inBritain's Who's Who Among ZanyComedy Science Fiction Authors, wherehis entry reads "Mostly harmless."

Steve Meretzky was born in mid-1957,frightening the Soviet Union into the earlylaunching of its Sputnik satellite.Meretzky's gestalt was shaped by anumber of painful childhood experiences,including growing up in Yonkers androoting for the New York Mets. His firstcontact with interactive fiction came whilehe was a student at MIT. (We use "stu-dent" in the most general sense.) Meretzkynow lives near Boston. He and his wifeBetty are expecting to increase the size oftheir family by approximately 50%sometime in early 1988. Meretzky isirresponsibly responsible for the followingother Infocom titles: Planetfall, Sorcerer.A Mind Forever Voyaging, LeatherGoddesses of Phohos. and Stationfall.

SECTION II:ABOUT INFOCOM'SINTERACTIVE FICTIONAn Overview: What IsInteractive Fiction?Interactive fiction is a story in which youare the main character. Your own thinkingand imagination determine the action ofthat character and gu ide the story fromstart to finish.

Each work of interactive fiction. such asHitchhiker's, presents you with a series oflocations, items, characters, and events.You can interact with these in a variety ofways.

To move from place to place, type thedirection you want to go. When you findyourself in a new location, it's a good idea(0 become familiar with your surroundingsby exploring the nearby rooms and readingeach description carefully. (You maynotice that Hitchhiker's occasionally refersto a location as a "room," even if you areoutdoors.) As you explore the galaxy. it ishelpful to make a map of the geography.

An important element of interactivefiction is puzzle-solving. You should thinkof a locked door or a ferocious beast not asa permanent obstacle, but merely as apuzzle to be tackled. Solving puzzles willfrequently involve bringing a certain itemwith you, and then using it in the properway.

In Hitchhiker's, time passes only inresponse to your input. You might imaginea clock that ticks once for each sentenceyou type, and the story progresses only ateach tick. Nothing happens until you type asentence and press the RETURN (orENTER) key, so you can plan your turns asslowly and carefully as you want.

To measure your progress. Hitchhiker'skeeps track of your score. You may getpoints for solving puzzles, performingcertain actions. or visiting certain loca-tions. Keeping track of what actions resuhin an increase in your score will help youlearn what the goal of the story is.

6

Starting and StoppingStarling th« storv: To load Hitchhiker' 5.

follow the insrruciion-, in therelevant section in the manual.

Following the copyright notice and therelease number of the story. you will see amessage which begin" the "tory. Then theprompt (» 'Will appear. indicating thatHIft"h1I1J..n·.\i!\ waiting for your first input.

Here are a few inputs for you to try atthe firs: several prompts. After typing eachinput. don't forget to press the RETURN(or ENTER) key:

>TURN ON THE LIGHT>LOOK UNDER THE BED>INVENTORY>LOOK AT THE GOWN

You should now have a feel for interactingwith the story. YOIi decide what to do next.

Saving and restoring: It will probablytake you many days to completeHitchhiker' s. Using the SAVE feature. youcan continue at a later time without havingto start over from the beginning, just asyou can place a bookmark in a book youare reading. SAVE puts a" napshot" ofyour place in the story onto another disk.You may want to save your place before(~r after) trying something dangerous ortricky. That way. you can go back to thatposition later. even if you have gotten lostor "killed" since then.

To save your place in the story. typeSAVE at the prompt (», and then press theRETURN (or ENTER) key.Then follow the instructions for saving andre toring. Some systemsrequire a blank disk. initialized andformatted. for ~aves. Using a disk withdata on it (not counting other HitchhiJ..u·ssave~) may re~ult in the loss of that data,depending on your system.

You can restore a saved position anytime you want. To do 0, type RESTOREat the prompt (». pres~ the RETURN (orENTER) key. Then follow the instructiom.You can thencontinue the story from the point whereyou u~ed the SAVE command. You cantype LOOK for a description of where youare.

Quilting and restarting: If you want tostan over from the beginning. typeRESTART and press the RETURN (orENTER) key. (This is usually faster thanre-booting.) Just to make sure.Hitchhiker' swill ask if you really want tostart over. I I'you do. type Y or YES andpress the RETURN (or ENTER) key.

If you want to stop entirely. type QUITand press the RETURN (or ENTER) key.Once again. Hitchhiker's will ask if this i~real Iy what you want to do.

Remember when you RESTART orQUIT: if you want to be able to return toyour current position. you must first do aSAVE.

Communicating with Infocom'sInteractive FictionIn Hitchhikers, you type your sentence inplain English each time you see the prompt(». Hitchhikers usually acts as if yoursentence begins "I want to ... ,'· althoughyou shouldn 't actually type those words.You can use words like THE if you want,and you can use capital letters if you want:Hitchhilers doesn't care either way.

When you have finished typing asentence. press the RETURN (or ENTER)key. Hitchhiker's will respond, telling youwhether your request is possible at thispoint in the story, and what happened as aresult.

Hitchhiker's recognizes your words bytheir first six letters. and all subsequentletters are ignored. Therefore. BULLDOg.BULLDOgs, BULLDOzer. and BULL DOck-pokingham (a small town in Dockpoking-hamshire) would all be treated a~ the sameword by lIitchhiker' s.

To move around, just type the desireddirection: NORTH, SOUTH. EAST. WEST.NORTHEAST. NORTHWEST, SOUTH-EAST, and SOUTHWEST. You canabbreviate these to N, S, E. W, NE, NW.SEt and SW. respectively. You can u!)eUP(or U) and DOWN (or D). IN and OUT willabo work in cenain places. On board aship. you'll want to use the directionsPORT (or Pl. STARBOARD (or SB). FORE(or F). and AFT.

Hitchhiker'» understands many differentkinds of sentences. Here are severalexamples. (Note that "orne of these objectsdo not actually appear in Hitchhikers.)

>WALK NORTH>DOWN>NE>GO AFT>U>TAKE BOX>PICK UP THE CARDBOARD BOX>DROP IT>PUSH THE BUTION>OPEN THE AIRLOCK DOOR>EXAMINE THE PRESSURE SUIT>LOOK BEHIND RHODODENDRONBUSH

>LOOK UNDER THE TABLE>LOOK INSIDE THE REACTOR CAVITY>SHOOT THE BEAST WITH PEASHOOTER

>ATIACK THE BUREAUCRAT WITH THECOURT ORDER

You can use multiple objects withcertain verbs if you separate them by theword AND or by a comma. Some ex-amples:

>TAKE PENCIL. PAPER. STAMP>DROP THE MAP, THE FORK. AND THETHERMO-NUCLEAR WEAPON>PUT THE FRYING PAN AND THE EGGIN THE CUPBOARD

The word ALL refers to every visibleobject except those inside something else.If there were an apple on the ground andan orange inside a cabinet, TAKE ALLwould take the apple but not the orange.

>TAKE ALL>TAKE ALL STAMPS>TAKE ALL THE STAMPS EXCEPT THERED STAMP

>TAKE ALL FROM THE DESK>GIVE ALL BUT THE PENCIL TO THEROBOT

>DROP ALL EXCEPT THE PEASHOOTER

7

You can include several sentences onone input line if you separate them by theword THEN or by a period. (Note that eachsentence will xtill count a:--a turn.) Youdon't need a period at the end of the inputline. For example. you could type all of thefollowing at once. before pressing theRETURN (or ENTER) key:

>EAST.TAKE THE GUN THEN PUT THEBULLET IN IT.SHOOT GERTRUDE

If Huchhikers doesn't understand one ofthe sentences in your input line. or ifsomething unusual happens. it will ignorethe rest of your input line (see "CommonComplaints" ).

There are only three kinds of questionsthat Hitchhikers understands: WHAT,WHERE, and WHO. Here are examplesthat you can try in the story:

>WHAT IS ADVANCED TEASUBSTITUTE?

>WHERE IS THE TOWEL?>WHO IS ZAPHOD BEEBLEBROX?

You wi II meet other people and creaturesin Hitchhiker'». You can "talk" to some ofthese beings by typing their name. then acomma. then whatever you want to say tothem. Here are some examples:

>BARTENDER. GIVE ME A DRINK>FORD, OPEN THE SATCHEL>CAPTAIN, WHAT ABOUT THE METEORHOLE?

>FRED, TAKE THE TOWEL THENFOLLOW ME

>MARVIN. KILL THE ALlEN.ENTER THECLOSET

Notice that in the last two example~. youare giving a person more than one com-mand on the same input line.

You can use quotes to answer a question.say something "out loud," or type some-thing on a keyboard. For example:

>SAY"HELLO">ANSWER "MY NAME IS ZEKE">TYPE "LOGOUT"

Hitchhiker's tries to guess what youreally mean when you don't give enoughinformation. For example. if you say thatyou want to do something, but not whatyou want to do it to or with, Hit(.'~hiker' swill sometimes decide that there IS onlyone possible object that you could mean.When it does so, it will tell you. Forexample:

>SHOOT THE DOGGIE(with the ray gun)The cute little doggie is incinerated.

or

>GIVE THE TOWEL(to the hitchhiker)The hitchhiker naturally already has atowel. but thanks you politely for your offer.

If your sentence is ambiguous,Hitchhiker's will ask what you reallymean. You can answer most of thesequestions briefly by supplyi~g the missinginformation. rather than typing the ennreinput again. You can do this only at thevery next prompt. Some examples:

>CUT THE BREADWha~ do you want to cut the bread with?

>THE KNIFEThe bread is stale to the point of beingpetrified.

or

>KILL THE FLY WITH THE AXEWhich axe do you mean. the teensy aXE:orthe atomic-powered supersonic planet-smashing axe?

>TEENSYThe fly expires.

Hitchhiker's uses many words in itsdescriptions that it will not recognize inyour sentences. For example. you mightread, "Disgusting gobs of yellow goo oozeout of the monster's elbows." However, ifHitchhiker's doesn't recognize the wordsGOO or ELBOWS in your input, you canassume that they are not important to yourcompletion of the story. except to provideyou with a more vivid description of where

you are or what is going on. Hitchhiker'srecognizes over 800 words, nearly all thatyou are likely to use in your sentences. IfHitchhiker's doesn't know a word youused, or any of its common synonyms. youare almost certainly trying something thatis not important in continuing youradventure.

Special CommandsThere are a number of one-word com-mands which you can type instead of asentence. You can use them over and overas needed. Some count as a tum, others donot. Type the command after the prompt(» and press the RETURN (or ENTER)key.

AGAIN-Hitchhiker's will usually respondas if you had repeated your previoussentence. Among the cases where AGAINwill not work is if you were just talking toanother character. You can abbreviateAGAIN to G.

BRIEF- This tells Hitchhiker's to giveyou the full description of a location onlythe first time you enter it. On subsequentvisits, Hitchhiker's will tell you only thename of the location and the objectspresent. This is how Hitchhiker's willnormally act, unless you tell it otherwiseusing the VERBOSE or SUPERBRIEFcommands.

DIAGNOSE-Hitchhiker's will give you amedical report of your physical condition.This is particularly useful if you have justsurvived a dangerous part of the story.

FOOTNOTE- Occasionally the text inHitchhiker's will mention the existence ofa footnote. To read the footnote, simplytype FOOTNOTE followed by the app '0-priate footnote number (for example,FOOTNOTE 2). This will not count as arum.

mM users onlyHINT-If you have difficulty whileplaying the story, and you can't figure outwhat to do. just type HINT. Then follow thedirections. at the top of your screen to readthe hint of your choice.

8

•

INVENTORY-Hitchhiker's will list whatyou are carrying. You can abbreviateINVENTORY to I.LOOK- This tells Hitchhiker's to describeyour location in full detail. You canabbreviate LOOK to L.

QUIT- This lets you stop. If you w~t tosave your position before quilting, followthe instructions in the "Starting andStopping" section. You canabbreviate QUIT to Q.

RESTART-This stops the story and startsover from the beginning.

RESTORE- This restores a position madeusing the SAVE command. See "Startingand Stopping" for more details.

SAVE- This makes a "snapshot" of yourcurrent position onto your storage disk.You can return to a saved position in thefuture using the RESTORE command. See"Starting and Stopping" formore details.

SCORE-Hitchhiker's will show yourcurrent score and the number of turns youhave taken.

SCRIPT-This command tells your printerto begin making a transcript of the story asyou venture onwards. A transcript may aidyour memory but is not necessary. It willwork onl y on certain computers: read yourrelevant section.

SUPERBRIEF- This commandsHitchhiker's to display only the name of aplace you have entered, even if you havenever been there before. In this mode,Hitchhiker's will not even mention whichobjects are present. Of course, you ca~always get a description of your location.and the items there. by typing LOOK. InSUPERBRIEF mode, the blank linebetween turns will be eliminated. Thismode is meant for players who are alreadyvery familiar with the geography. Also seeVERBOSE and BRIEF.

UNSCRIPT - This commands your printerto stop making a transcript.

VERBOSE- This tells Hitchhiker's thatyou want a complet~ des~ription of e~chlocation, and the objects 111 It. every timeyou enter a location, even if you 've beenthere before. Also see BRIEF and SUPER-BRIEF.

WAIT- This will cause time in the storytopass. Normally, between turns, nothinghappens in the story. You could leave yourcomputer, take a nap, and return to thestory to find that nothing has changed. Youcan use WAIT to make time pass in thestory without doing anything. For example,if you encounter an alien being, you couldWAIT to see what it will do. Or, if you arein a moving vehicle, you could WAI~ tosee where it will go. You can abbreviateWAIT to Z.

Tips for NovicesI. You may want to draw a map showingeach location and the directions connectingit to adjoining locations. When you findyourself in a new location. make a note ofany interesting objects there. There are 10possible directions (NORTH. SOUTH,EAST. WEST, NORTHEAST, NORTH-WEST, SOUTHEAST, SOUTHWEST, UP,and DOWN) plus IN and OUT. Drawing amap isn't essential in Hitchhiker's, butyou might find it useful.

2. EXAMINE all objects you come across inthe story.

3. If you find an object that you think youcan use, TAKE IT. Some objects will helpyou solve some of the puzzles.

4. Save your place often, That way. if youmess up or get "killed." you won't have tostart over from the beginning.

5. Read the story carefully! There are oftenclues in the descriptions of locations andobjects.

6. Try everything you can think of - evenstrange or dangerous actions may provideclues, and might prove to be fun! You canalways save your position first if you want.Here's a si lIy example:

>GIVE THE TARNISHED COIN TO THEUSHER

The usher looks unimpressed, and beqinsleading you toward the last row of thetheatre.

You've just learned there is something(Such as the crisp bill) which rnighjconvince the usher to give you a front rowseat ... perhaps even a front row seat nextto Queen Isameera and her dreadfullyexpensive and easy-to-steal diamond-studded tiara.

7. Unlike other "adventure games" youmay have played, there are many possibleroutes to the end of H itchhiker' s. If youget stuck on one puzzle, move on toanother. Some puzzles have more than onesolution: other puzzles don't need to besolved at all. Sometimes you will have tosolve one puzzle in order to obtain theitem(s) or information you need to solveanother puzzle.

8. You may find it helpful to go throughHitchhiker' s with another person. Differentpeople may find different puzzles easy andcan often complement each other,

9. If you really have difficulty. you cantype HINT. The screen will then show youa list of questions to which yo~ can. getanswers. (Simply follow the directions atthe top of your screen to see the hint ofyour choice.) You don 't ne~d tc? use thehints to enjoy the story. but It will makesol ving the puzzles easier.

10. Read (he sample transcript toget a feel for how lnfocorns interactivefiction works.

I I. You can word a command in manydifferent ways. Fo.r example. if you ~antedto take a blue jacket. you could type 10 anyof the following:

>GETJACKET>TAKE THE JACKET>PICK UP THE BLUE JACKET

If you type in a command that Hitchhiker' sdoesn't understand, try rephrasing thecommand or using synonyms. IfHitchhiker's still doesn't understand yourcommand. you are almost certainly tryingsomething that is not important in continu-ing your adventure.

Common ComplaintsHitchhikers will complain if you type asentence that confuses it completely.Hitchhiker' s will then ignore the rest of theinput line. (Unusual events. such as beingattacked, may also cause H itrhhiker' s toignore the rest of the sentences you typed.since the event may have changed yoursituation drastically.) Some of Hitchhikerscomplaints:

Idon't know the word" ". Theword you typed is not in the story'svocabulary. Sometimes using a synonymor rephrasing will help. If not. Hitchhiker'sprobably doesn't know the idea you weretrying to get across and it isn't necessary tocomplete the story.

You used the word .. .. in a waythat Idon't understand. Hitchhiker'sknows the word you typed. but couldn'tuse it in that sense. Usually this is becauseHitcnhiker:« knows the word as a differentpart of speech. For example. if you typedPRESS THE LOWER BUTTON, you areusing LOWER as an adjective, butHitchhiker's might know LOWER only asa verb, as in LOWER THE BOOM.

There was no. verb in that sentence!Unless you are answering a question, eachsentence must have a verb (or a command)in it somewhere.

There seems to be a noun missing Inthat sentence! This usually means thatyour sentence was incomplete, such asEAT THE BLUE.

There were too many nouns in thatsentence. An example is PUT THE SOUPIN THE BOWL WITH THE LADLE. whichhas three noun "phrases." one more th.anHitchhiker's can digest in a single acnon.

Running the Story on Your ComputerThis tells you how to run your Infocom story on your computer, andprovides a few other handy bits of information.

ATARI STTum on your Atari ST and wait for the desktop to appear. Insert the

story disk and open the disk window. Click once with the mouse on theprogram (.PRG) icon to select it, then choose OPEN from the File menu.A standard shortcut is to double-click on the program icon.

COMMODORE AMIGATum on the Amiga and wait for the Workbench to appear. Insert the

Story disk and open the disk window, then double-click on the story icon.The story can also be started from within the Command Line

Interpreter (Q.I). If the default drive and directory are not the same as thestories. they must be changed with the "CD" command (for example, CDdf1:) Then type in the story name.

I beg your pardon? You pressed theRETURN (or ENTER) key without typinganything.

It's too dark to see! In the story, there wasnot enough light to perform your action.

Be specific: what object do you want to.. "? You used HIM, HER or IT,but Hitchhiker's isn 'r sure what person orobject you meant.

You can't see any II " here! Theitem you referred to was not visible. It maybe somewhere else. inside a closedcontainer. and so on.

WHAT YOU NEEDIBM PC AND COMPATIBLESRequired - computer running MS-DOS (version 2.0 or higher)

192 kbytes of RAMblank disk or hard disk (for your play disk)

Optional - primer (for SCRIPTing)blank formatted disk (for SAYEs)

ATARI STRequired -Optional -

Atari ST series computerblank 3.5" disks (for SAVEs) compatible printer (forSCRIPTing)

COMMODORE AMIGARequired - Amiga computerOptional - 256 K memory expansion cartridge (for faster execution)

extra 3.5" double-sided disks (for SAYEs)compatible printer (for SCRIPTing)

TALKING TO THE STORYWhenever you see the (» prompt, the story is waiting for you to enter

a command: If you make a mistake use the backspace key to erase theerror. After you have typed your command, press <RETURN>. The storywill respond and the prompt (» will reappear.

If a description will not not fit on the screen all at once, [MORE] willappear at the bottom of the screen. After reading the screen, press any keyto see the rest of the description.

The other object(s) that you mentionedisn't (aren't) here. You referred to two ormore items in the same sentence, and atleast one of them wasn 'r visible to you inyour present location.

MAKING A BACKUP COpyWe recommend thal you make a backup copy of the original story disk

for your personal use. See your hardware manual for instructions on howto make disk copies. Put the original away in a safe place and always usethe copy 'as your regular play disk.

You can't go that way. There was nopassage or exit in the direction you tried tomove.

THE STATUS LINEAt the top of the screen is an area reserved for the status line. This area

is used to display your present location in the story and it is updated aftereach move. The status line may also display (depending on the game)various other types of information including score, total moves, time, orcharacter attributes.

You can't use multiple (In)direct objectswith" ". You can refer to severalitems at the same time only with certainverbs. Among the more useful of theseverbs are TAKE, DROP, and PUT. Thisrestriction also applies to the usc of ALL, as'in DROP ALL. For example, ATTACK willnot work with multiple objects; youcouldn't say ATIACK ALL or ATTACKTHE BEAST AND THE ROBOT.

LOADING THE STORYIBM PCOne Drive or Two Drive System1. Insert the play disk (this is the disk you made in the previous section)

in drive A or your only drive) and turn on the computer.2. Press <RETURN> twice or until you are at the DOS drive prompt (».3. Type in the title of your story (for example ZORK) ot the first eight

letters of it. Do not include spaces between two word titles (e.g.,HITCHHIKER'S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY would be HITCHHIK).At this point you might also want to use one or more of the optionalcommand line switches (see section on Command Options - switches)thal are available.

4. Press <RETURN>. In a few moments the story will begin. If it failsto appear consult the Troubleshooting section.

Hard-Drive System1. Turn on the computer.2. Connect to the directory into which you copied the files from the

original story disk.3. Type in the title of the story (e.g .• ZORK) or the first eight letters of

it. Do not include spaces between two word titles(e.g.,HITCHHIKER'S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY would beHITCHHlK). At this point you might also want to use one or more ofthe command line switches thal are available.

4. Press <RETURN>

.' SCRIPTINGYou can use the SCRIPT command to print out a transcript of your

moves in the story, The SCRlYf function is an optional feature which isnot necessary to complete the story and may not be available with certainhardware. The transcript can be started at any point during the game.

,

..,That sentence isn't one I recognize. Thesentence you typed may have beengibberish, such as GIVE COMPUTERWITH SWORD. Or, you may have typed areasonable sentence but used a syntax thatHitchhiker's does not recognize, such asSMELL UNDER THE ROCK. Try rephras-ing the sentence.

Scripting ProcedureCheck to see if your printer is ready and has paper, then type: SCRIPT

<RETURN>. A message will appear asking you whether you would liketo SCRIPT to a printer or to a file. If you want to use a printer just press<.RETURN>.IBM PC ONLY - To save the transcript to a disk file. enter a legal DOSfile name and press <RETURN>. Remember, there is no output to theprinter when you elect to write the transcript to a disk file.COMMODORE AMIGA ONLY -If a problem occurs with theprinter, the story will "timeout" (appear to hang) for 30 seconds or so,then a printer error message will appear. If you don't correct the problembefore the 30 seconds are up. scripting is automatically cancelled.To stop the transcript type UNSCRIPT.

10

SAVING/RESTORING A STORY POSITIONYou can save your current story position to any disk in any drive,

space pennitting. No other data on the save disk will be affected. Youmust use a previously formatted save disk.

IBM PC) . Type: SAVE <RETURN>. A message will appear similar to this:

Enter save file name. (Default is A:STORY.SAV):2. Enter a new file name (legal DOS please) or use the default provided.

You may also specify a new default drive along with the file name. Ifno drive is specified in the default message, and you don't specify one,the Save will be made to the drive you are currently using. If you wantto use the default just press <RETI1RN>.When the save is finished the story will respond with a message suchas COMPLETED. If it responds with FAILED, consult theTroubleshooting section.Initial default file name.(tbe one displayed the first time you typeSA VE) is always "STOR Y" .SA V. Whenever you enter a new filename, it becomes your default if the SAVE succeeds. For yourconvenience, SAVE and RESTORE share the same defaults.

ATARISTUsing a Single Drive

Type SA VE at the prompt (». The standard Atari ST dialog box forselecting files will be displayed. The directory in which your save will bestored (including drive identifier) appears near the top of the box.

If you want to SAVE to the story disk itself, simply choose a filename under which to save your position and type it into the selection areaIt is not necessary to type ".SA V" after the name, this is addedautomatically.

To use a different save disk. remove the story disk from the drive andinsert the new disk. IMPORT ANT: You must click with the mouse on theshaded "title bar" area of the inner directory window to display the directoryof the new disk.

After typing in the file name, click on the OK button, or press theRETIJRN key. If you want to cancel the save operation, click on theCANCEL button. The disk drive wiU spin for several seconds. and if all iswell, the story will eventually respond:

OKIf it responds:

FADEDconsult the Troubleshooting section. After saving your story position, youmay continue the story.

Using Multiple DrivesIf your save disk is in a different drive from the story disk. the save

procedure is identical to using a single drive except that you must identifythe second drive by changing the directory specification (the line near thetop of the dialog box). When the dialog box appears, edit the directoryspecification so that the drive letter corresponds to the drive containingyour save disk. IMPORTANT: You must click with the mouse anywhereINSIDE the inner directory window to display the directory of the savedisk,

The following keys are useful for editing items in the file selectionbox:

- up and down cursor keys - select item to edit- left and right cursor keys - position cursor within item.- backspace and delete keys - erase the character before or after thecursor.- ESC key - erase the whole item.

Restoring a Saved Story PositionTo return to a previously saved story position, type RESTORE at the

prompt (». A standard dialog box will appear, showing a list of yoursaved positions on the indicated disk. If there are more save files on thedisk than will fit in the window, the scroll bar becomes active. If you wantto restore from a different disk, change disks as described in Section onSAVING. Click once over the name of the position you want to restore,then click on the OK button, or press the RETIJRN key. If you want tocancel the restore operation, click on the CANCEL button.

COMMODORE AMIGA1. Type SAVE at the prompt (». A message will appear asking you to

choose a name for the save file..2. If you want to SAVE to the story disk itself, just enter a file name and

press RETURN.3. If you want to SAVE to another disk, you must prefix the file name

with either the name of the second disk (e.g., Saves:) or the name ofthe drive containing it (e.g., dfO:). The prefix is needed even if the twodisks were swapped using a single drive. If the save succeeds, the prefixbecomes the default prefix, and need not be typed again for the nextsave.

The disk drive will spin for several seconds. If all is well, the story willrespond:

OKIf it responds:

FAILEDconsult the Troubleshooting section. After saving your position, you maycontinue with the story.NOTE: The file "Icon.Data" is used 10 create icons for new save flies. Ifyou delete this file, new save flies will not have visible icons.

Restoring a Saved Story PositionYou can return to a previously saved story position at any time. Type

RESTORE at the prompt (». The most recently saved or restored positionwill be displayed as the default Then eruer the name of a save file, as inSection on SAVING.

If you want to return to the default position, you can just press theRETIJRN key.

TROUBLESHOOTINGIf the story fails to load properly, or SAVE/RESTORE or SCRIPT fails,check each of the following items.

IBM PC1. Make sure all connections on your computer are plugged in, connected

properly, and that all power switches are turned 00.2. Make sure all disks are inserted correctly and that all drive doors are

closed.3. Inspect all disks for any visible damage.4. For SAVE problems, make sure the Save disk is not write-protected.

Also, make sure the disk has enough room for a Save file (approx. 35kper Save) and that it has been fonnatted properly. As a last resort, try adifferent disk.

You can check to see if your game is damaged by using the $VERIFYCommand.

Type: $VERIFY at the story prompt (» and press <RETURN>. Ifyour story is currently frozen (ie. you are unable to type from thekeyboard) you will have to reboot the disk, restart the story, and then type$VERlFY.

After you successfully issue the SVERIFY command the disk will spinfor approximately a minute and then a message, similar to one of thefollowing will appear:GOOD - The disk has not been damaged and the data is intact If you arehaving problems. they are most likely hardware related. It is also possiblethat there is a bug in the program.NO GOOD - This indicates that the data on the disk is damaged. Repeatthe $VERIFY procedure several times. If possible, repeat the $VERIFYprocedure on another computer. If the game ever replies positively, the datais intact and you must look elsewhere for any problems you areencountering.

All disk and printer errors are handled within the story. if youencounter an error message you will be given the option LO A (abort) or R(retry). In most cases choosing Abort will not throw you out of the gameand cause you to lose your position. However, if you get an error messagewhen the game is either Restoring or reading information from the disk (aprobable indication of a damaged disk) choosing Abort will throw youback into OOS. In this case consult the section on Troubleshooting.

ATARI ST1. Inspect all disks carefully for any visible damage.2. For SCRIPTing, make sure the printer is connected properly, enabled

for printing, not out out of paper, etc.3. Try again: the problem may only be only momentary.

If you continue to experience problems, follow this procedure.Reboot the diskette. When the initial screen is displayed, type $VERIFYat the prompt. The disk drive will spin for a minute or less and one of thefollowing messages will appear.1. "DISK CORRECT." The disk has not been damaged and the data is

intact. The problem may be with your hardware, probably the diskdrive. It is also possible the program contains a bug.

12

2. "DISK FAn ED" or "DISK READ ERROR." This reply indicateseither hardware trouble or disk damage. Repeal the $VERIFY processseveral times. Also try SVERIFY on another computer. If the storyever replies "DISK CORRECf", the data is intact If you repeatedlyget an internal error message on more than one computer, the disk hasmost likely been damaged.

COMMODORE AMIGA1. Inspect all disks carefully for any visible damage.2. For SA YEs, make sure the save disk is not write-protected (the small

opening in the comer of the disk should be covered).3. For SCRIPTing, make sure the printer is connected properly, enabled

forprinting,notoutofpapere~.4. Try again; the problem may only be momentary.

If the story produces an error message, run the following procedure:Restart the story. When the initial screen appears, type $VERIFY andpress the RETURN key. The disk drive will spin for a minute or so, and amessage similar to one of the following will appear.I. "DISK CORRECf." The 'disle has not been damaged; the data is

intact ..This may indicate a problem with your hardware (usually withthe disk drive). It is also possible the story contains a bug .

2. "DISK FAn ED" or "DISK READ ERROR." This reply indicateseither hardware trouble or disk damage. Repeat the $VERIFY processseveral times. Also try the $VERIFY process on another computer. Ifthe story ever replies "DISK CORRECT," the problem is in yourhardware. If you repeatedly get an error message on more than onecomputer, the disk has most likely been damaged.

•COMMAND OPTIONS (switches) - IBMPe ONLY

You may issue command options, by using switches, when you loadthe story. The switches allow you to tell the story extra infonnation aboutthe hardware you are using and how you want the story to be displayed onyour computer's screen.

Switches are entered at the .same time and on the same line as the storytitle when you load the story. They are all entered in the form"title" Icommand (e.g. IDTCIDflK/r <R.ETIJR.N» with a space between the storytitle and the I.

Here is a liSt of switches which you may use.Uisplay Switcbes

In most cases, your story will be displayed in the most efficient andliCStheticmanner posible. However, because of numerous types of hardwareconfigurations and the different graphics characteristics of each story plusyuur own wants in terms of how the story display should look, you mightlry the following options:

Ie - selects colour output provided colour compatibility and a colourmonuor are available. The Ic switch also allows you to select foregroundand bacleground colours after the switch (e.g., Ic?] gives white on blue,which is the default). Refer to the system documentation for numbers tousc.

1m - prohibits colour input. This is the default on machines withoutc"lour capability.

Other SwitchesIp - If SCRIPTing to the printer isn't working well, type UNSCRIPT,

SAVE your position, and quit the story. Then reload the story using the /p

switch and try SCRIPTing again.

If - Disables the UNDO feature in stories that use it This switch isuseful on machines with 256 kbytes or less of memory in the sense that itfrees some memory (but disables a useful feature) thereby giving yousomewhat faster game play. The UNDO feature is automatically disabled ifthere is not enough memory to support it. Machines with more than 256kwill have enough memory to load the entire game with the UNDO feature,in which case the speedup is negligible.

/k - allows you to specify how much memory the story can use inkbytes. (e.g., /k128) Normally it uses as much as it can get. This switchmight be useful if you think that the story is affecting or being affected byother memory resident programs that you have loaded.

COLOUR DISPLAY - ATARISTONLYIf you are using a colour monitor, you can change the colours used in

the display. At the prompt (», hold down the SHIFT key and use the fourcursor keys to cycle through the available combinations.

If you are using a monochrome monitor, you can reverse the video inthe same way.

AMIGA PREFERENCES - AMIGA ONLYSeveral aspects of the story presentation can be changed using the

Amiga Preferences tool, including text size (60 or 80 columns) and colour .The size can be changed only before the story is started. You also usePreferences to specify your type of printer and the port to which it isconnected. The Amiga supports both parallel and serial devices.

MEMORY USAGE AND MULl-TASKING- AMIGAONLY

On a multi-tasking computer such as the Amiga, tasks must share theavailable memory. Some tasks may require that a certain amount of freememory be available at all times. Also, actions like opening, resizing andhiding windows can temporarily require large amounts of memory.

When the lI_!,focomstory loads, it will always leave a specified amountof memory free. The default minimum amount is 64 Kbytes. This can bechanged by starting the story from the CLI with a special argument of theform "FIn," where n is the new minimum number of bytes to leave free(for example, Zork F/32000). If you supply an argument, memory usestatistics will be displayed when the story loads.

You may need 10 increase the amount of free memory if, for example,you are running several tasks and switching between them fails or causesthe system to hang. On the other hand, you can probably decrease freememory if you are running only the story. This may reduce or eliminatedisk activity on versions of the Amiga with limited memory.

Quick Reference GuideI.To start the story ("boot up"). see therelevant section.

2. When you see the prompt (> on yourscreen, Hitchhiker'S is waiting for yourinput. There are four kinds of sentences orcommands that Hitchhiker's understands:

A. Direction commands: To move fromplace to place. just type the direction youwant to go: N (or NORTH), E, S, W, NE,SEt NW. SW, U (or UP). D. IN, OUT, P (orPORT), SS, F, or AFT.

B. Actions: Just type whatever you want todo. Some examples: READ THE SOOK orOPEN THE DOOR or LOOK THROUGHTHE WINDOW. Once you're familiar withsimple commands, you'll want to use morecomplex ones as des~ribed in '~C0ffi:m~ni:,eating with Infocom s Interactive FIction.

C. Commands given to people: To talk tocharacters in the story, type their name,then a comma. then what you want to sayto them. For example: MARVIN, GIVE METHE AXE or OLD MAN, GO NORTH.

D. Special one-word commands: Someone-word commands, such as INVENTORYor DIAGNOSE, give you specific informa-tion or affect your output. A list of theseappears in the "Special Commands"section.

3. Important! After typing your sentence orcommand, you must press the RETURN (orENTER) key before Hitchhiker's willrespond.

4. On most computers, your screen willhave a special line called the "status line."It tells you the name of your currentlocation, your score, and the number ofturns you have taken.

5. You can pick up and carry many of theitems you'll find in the story. For exampleif you type TAKE THE NECKLACE, youwill be carrying it. Type INVENTORY tosee a list of the items you are carrying.

6. When you want to stop, save your placefor later, or start over. read the "Startingand Stopping" section on page 8.

7. If you have trouble, refer to the specificsection of this manual for more detailedinstructions.

FROM--

MASTERTRONiC

eACTIVISION 1990®VIRGfN MASTERTRONIC LTD 1990

14

I

I

NOW THE ONLY LIMIT IS YOUR IMAGINATION

Classic Infocom Interactive fiction is back - at an lrresistable price.

ZORK I - The great underground empire beckons you into a world fraught with danger and discovery.Using all the cunning you can muster, you'll plunge far below the surface of the earth in search of theIncomparable treasures of Zork. In this, the original Infooom adventure, you'll rome face to face withcreatures so outlandish they defy description. AnQyou'll wander through an underground domain so vast,

"with so many twists and turns, that it will offer you new surprises no matter how many times you explore it.,

PLANETFALL - 'Join the Patrol and see the Galaxy'. You took the poster's advice and marched into therecruitment station near your home on the backwater planet of Gallium. PLANETFALL teleports you 100cenfurles into the future, onto a Stellar Patrol ship where your rank is Ensign 7th class - about as low asyou can go. But then the ship explodes, and you are jettisoned onto a world plagued by floods, pestilencend a mutant Wild Kingdom. Luckily, you are accompanied by Floyd the mischievous robot - who might

h Ip you find the secret to saving it...

WISH BRINGER - A postal clerk in the seaside village of Festerton, you set out to deliver an envelope toY Olde Magick Shoppe. Familiarity reigns until an old woman in the shop persuades you to help find herkldn pped cat. Then your world takes on the dimensions of a nightmare, where trolls guard bridges,goldfish become piranhas, vultures spy on you, ghosts haunt the cemetery and your little post officeb comes a fortress-like tower. You'll want to use The Wishbringer, a magical stone embued with wishes,galn and again as you confront unusual creatures - and finally, The Evil One.

LEATHER GODESSES OF PHOBOS - A hilarious spoof of 1930s pulp science fiction, you're kidnappedby the evil Leather Godesses. They take you back to Phobos as an experimental subject, whilepreparations continue to turn earth into their private pleasure playground. Playing the role of a male orfemale, you'll embark on a bawdy, rousing and very amusing romp across the solar system. With three'n ughtiness levels', the game will please everyone - from the lewd to the crude.

AVAILABLE ON:PC, Amlg. and ST £9.99(PC versions contain both 5.25" and 3.5" disks)

FROM--

M4ST~~RTRONiCFor Furth.r Information plea•• contact:USTOMER SERVICES, VIRGIN MASTERTRONIC LTD, 16 PORTLAND ROAD. LONDON W11 2LA TEL: 071-727-8070

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