The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy - You are Arthur Dent, an Englishman with a bad hangover

Summary

You are Arthur Dent, an Englishman with a bad hangover wearing a dressing gown containing a much needed buffered analgesic and some fluff. Your house has just been destroyed, followed shortly thereafter by your planet Earth (mostly harmless). You are rescued by your friend Ford Prefect, who is not an out-of-work actor. He has given you a book The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, a towel, and is now telling you to put a fish in your ear. It must be a Thursday; you’ve never quite gotten the hang of Thursdays.

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxyis written by Douglas Adams and Steven Meretzky and based on Adams’ BBC radio series, television series, and the series of subsequent novelizations. It’s one of the classic Interactive Fiction games produced by Infocom, labeled as Science Fiction and has a Standard Level of Difficulty. Though divergent from the source material, the main characters, locations, and concepts are here. Unlike the book, death can come quickly if Arthur fails to observe his surroundings, collect inventory, talk to people, and consult the Guide. DON’T PANIC!

Original C=64 Grey Box Contents: Megadodo Publications Advertising Booklet for your very own Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy complete with Fluff, Destruct orders for your home and planet, a nice red button with the words DON'T PANIC printed in large yellow letters, a pair of Joo Janta 200 Super-Chromatic Peril-Sensitive Sunglasses, No Tea, and your very own Microscopic Space Fleet. All this can be yours, for the low, low price of only 59.99 Altairian Dollars.

Gameplay

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy is an interactive fiction video game based on the comedic science fiction series of the same name. It was designed by series creator Douglas Adams and Infocom's Steve Meretzky, and was first released in 1984 for the Apple II, Macintosh, Commodore 64, CP/M, MS-DOS, Amiga, Atari 8-bit family and Atari ST. It is Infocom's fourteenth game.

The game loosely mirrors a portion of the series' plot, representing most of the events in the first book. Arthur Dent wakes up one day to find his house about to be destroyed by a construction crew to make way for a new bypass. His friend Ford Prefect, who is secretly an extraterrestrial, helps to calm Arthur down and hitches them a ride on one of the ships in the approaching Vogon constructor fleet, moments before the fleet destroys the Earth to make way for a new hyperspace bypass.

Aboard the ship, Arthur learns that Ford is a journalist for The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and has been on Earth researching the planet for the Guide. The two are discovered by Vogons, and subjected by the captain to a reading of his poetry. The two manage to survive this, and the Vogons instead throw them into the airlock and shoot them out into space. By a huge improbability, they are picked up in the last moments before they die of asphyxiation by the spacecraft, the Heart of Gold while it is traveling on Infinite Improbability Drive. After getting safely aboard the ship, Arthur and Ford meet Ford's friend Zaphod Beeblebrox, who had stolen the Heart of Gold as his first act of office as the Galactic President, and Arthur's friend Trillian (Tricia McMillan), who Zaphod had picked up from a party on Earth. Zaphod wants to travel to the legendary planet of Magrathea, believing it holds a great secret.

At this point, Zaphod leaves the task of getting to Magrathea to the ship's computer Eddie, and he, Ford, and Trillian depart to the ship's sauna. Arthur finds Eddie incapable of getting to Magrathea without help. Arthur initially tries to help by supplying the Infinite Improbability Drive with a tea substitute from the ship's Nutrimatic device to serve as a source of Brownian motion, but this only causes Arthur to temporarily take on the consciousness of Ford, Zaphod, and Trillian in their respective pasts, and must manipulate events such that items in these past periods are brought aboard the Heart of Gold in the present. Through this, Arthur gains enough parts as to replace the circuit board in the Nutrimatic so that it can produce real tea. This tea is powerful enough to power the Drive to get them to Magrathea, but in orbit, the ship is attacked by two missiles from the surface. Arthur employs the Drive again that changes the missiles into a sperm whale and a bowl of petunias, neutralizing the threat.

The ship prepares to land, but the computer will not let them do so. Again, the other three head off to the sauna, leaving Arthur to figure out how to fix this. This requires Arthur to reach Marvin the Paranoid Android's closet on the ship as to get the final tools needed to fix the computer and get it to land. The game ends as Arthur and the others are about to set foot on Magrathea.

The Hitchhiker's Guide is a text adventure game, where the player, in the role of Arthur Dent, solves a number of puzzles to complete various objectives to win the game. This includes collecting and using a number of items within their inventory. The player has a limited variety of commands that they can enter to observe, move about, and interact with the game's world, such as look, inventory, north (to move north), take screwdriver, or put robe on hook. Most commands will advance the game's turn counter, and some puzzles require the player to complete the puzzle within a fixed number of turns or else may end the game and require the player to restart at the beginning or a saved state; passive commands like look, inventory, and mistyped or non-comprehended commands do not count as turns. Once the player can acquire it, the player can use the eponymous Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy to ask about a wide variety of topics, some which may be helpful in solving the game's puzzles.

Plot

A radio telescope detects the approach of a large asteroid on a collision course with Earth; authorities dub it "Attila" after the ancient conqueror Attila the Hun. Scientists determine explosives planted on the surface of the asteroid may divert it into a stable orbit around Earth. A five-person expedition uses the Space Shuttle Atlantis to rendezvous with the asteroid and plant the charges. The crew is led by Commander Boston Low (voiced by Robert Patrick), and joined by Dr. Ludger Brink (Steven Blum), a German archaeologist and geologist, Maggie Robbins (Mari Weiss), a linguistics expert and reporter, pilot Ken Borden (David Lodge) and NASA technician Cora Miles (Leilani Jones), who is also running for Congress.

Low, Brink, and Robbins spacewalk to the asteroid and set the charges. While they are successful in altering the orbit of Attila, they find the inside of the asteroid appears hollow, and proceed to explore. When they enter a central chamber, they are trapped as the asteroid transforms into a dodecahedron pod and rapidly accelerates away into deep space. When the three recover and can exit the pod, they find themselves on an alien planet, on a central island surrounded by five smaller, spire-shaped islands; in the game's novelization, they name the planet Cocytus. It shows signs of former intelligent life, but as they explore, they find no evidence of any sentient creatures that remain, and the one advanced complex they are in shows signs of long-term deterioration. They encounter a strange form of spirit-like energy that guides them to a particular patch of ground, which they find to be soft and consistent with an opening that has been buried by time. Shortly after Brink begins digging, the ground gives way beneath him, opening a cavern into a subterranean structure. Robbins and Low find Brink dead at the bottom of the rubble.

Robbins insists they explore the structure separately and the two part ways, keeping in contact with their communicators. In what appears to be a museum, Low discovers a pair of crystals containing a glowing green liquid. After seeing a demonstration in the museum of similar crystals being used in what looks like a resurrection ceremony, Low tries one on Brink, bringing him back to life. They search for a means to return to Earth, using Brink's and Robbins' talents for xenoarchaeology to decipher alien text and images.

As the trio continue to explore, they find Brink has become addicted to the crystals and started hoarding them for himself, leading to conflict within the group. Low discovers a pyramid that houses a preserved alien, whom he is able to reanimate by use of the life crystals. Through Robbins, the alien explains that his species had become obsessed with eternal life and had decided to travel to a new universe, Spacetime Six, from the current one, which they call Spacetime Four. The alien chose to remain behind to warn others about the crystals and the dangers of transcending to Spacetime Six. However, the rest of the species have been unable to find a way to return to Spacetime Four, and only they would be able to provide the humans with a spacecraft to return to Earth.

Low offers to travel to Spacetime Six to show the aliens how to return, but this requires them to repower the portal that was used. They are able to retrieve two life crystals from a machine that generates them, but Low and Brink fight over the crystals, and Brink falls to his death. During the process of opening the portal, Robbins is killed. The player has the option of reviving Robbins with a life crystal after the portal is opened; however, if they do, she immediately jumps to her death, with no crystals left to revive her a second time. With no other options, Low uses the portal to meet the rest of the aliens in Spacetime Six; with the portal open, the aliens can perceive the route home and return to Cocytus. They restore Brink and Robbins to life and cure Brink of his addiction to the crystals, though this leaves him as an elderly man. If Low left Robbins dead, she is happy to see him, but if Low revived her, she is angry and scorns him. As promised, the aliens reconstruct a spacecraft for the humans, and representatives of the species join the humans as they return to Earth.

Points

• Taking the buffered analgesic 10
• Drinking or enjoying the beer (first time, as Arthur) 5
• Drinking or enjoying the beer (second time, as Arthur) 5
• Drinking or enjoying the beer (third time, as Arthur) 5
• Arriving at the Vogon Hold 8
• Getting the babel fish in your ear 12
• Enjoying the Vogon poetry 15
• Opening the glass case in the Vogon Hold 25
• Entering the Engine Room of the Heart of Gold 25
• Getting the Nutrimat/Computer Interface 25
• Drinking or enjoying the beer (as Ford) 15
• Leaving the party with Phil 25
• Stealing the Heart of Gold on Damogran 25
• Taking the common sense particle 25
• Drinking the tea 100
• Entering Marvin's Pantry 25
• Blooming the plant by entering the sauna 25
• Getting Marvin to open the hatch 25

400 Total Points

You lose 30 points each for eating the cheese sandwich, drinking the Advanced Tea Substitute, or turning on the spare drive while plugged into the large receptacle before the missile attack begins.

Levels

• Earth
• Vogon Ship
• Heart of Gold
• Random Scenarios
  • 1. Damogran (As Zaphod)
  • 2. Earth (As Ford)
  • 3. Party (As Trillian)
  • 4. Traal
  • 5. War Chamber And Maze
• Heart of Gold Revisited
• Inside The Sperm Whale
• Heart of Gold 3

Earth

The game starts in Arthur Dent's bedroom, where it is currently dark. STAND UP. TURN ON LIGHT to see a dressing gown. GET GOWN. WEAR GOWN. LOOK IN POCKET to find a thing your aunt gave you, buffered analgesic and pocket fluff. GET ALL FROM GOWN to take the thing, the analgeisc and the pocket fluff. Arthur eats the buffered analgesic and recovers from his headache. GET SCREWDRIVER AND TOOTHBRUSH. PUT SCREWDRIVER AND TOOTHBRUSH IN THING. Putting items in the thing is a useful way of storing important items. Even if the thing is dropped, it always appears back in the inventory after a few moves.

Move SOUTH to the front porch. GET MAIL on the doormat. READ MAIL to see a letter from the local council explaining that a demolition order has been served on Arthur's house. Move SOUTH to the front of the house. A bulldozer will be driving toward Arthur's house. Mr. Prosser from the local council sees Arthur and yells at him to get out of the way. LIE DOWN to stop the bulldozer from moving toward the house. WAIT three times and Ford Prefect will arrive and offer a towel to Arthur. WAIT another three times and Ford will convince Prosser to lie down in the mud. Move SOUTH and WEST into the pub.

EXAMINE SHELF to see a plate of uninviting cheese sandwiches. BUY SANDWICH. Ford enters the pub and buys some beer. DRINK BEER three times to hear the distant crash of Arthur's house being knocked down. Move EAST to the country lane to see a small dog. GIVE SANDWICH TO DOG and it will ignore a passing microscopic space fleet. Move NORTH to the front of the house, which is now a pile of rubble. WAIT twice and Ford will drop a small device from his satchel. GET DEVICE. EXAMINE DEVICE to see a green button. PRESS GREEN BUTTON.

            _______
           |Back of|
           | House |
           |_______|
     ______/       \______
    |       _______       |
    |      |       |      |
    |      |Bedroom|      |
    |      |___ ___|      |
    |          |          |
    |       ___|___       |
    |      | Front |      |
    |      | Porch |      |
    |      |___ ___|      |
    |______    |    ______|
           \___|___/
           |Frnt of|
           | House |
           |___ ___|
               |
 _______    ___|___
|       |  |Country|
|  Pub  |--| Lane  |
|_______|  |_______|
    

⤴ ↳

Vogon Ship

It will be dark after arriving on the ship. WAIT four times and the smell sense will disappear from the list of senses. SMELL to see a shadow moving in the dark. LOOK AT SHADOW to see the Vogon hold. EAT PEANUTS offered by Ford. The aim now is to find a babel fish so that the Vogon captain can be understood. Getting the babel fish is a fun but complicated puzzle.

EXAMINE DISPENSER: It is a babel fish dispenser with a button at eye level and a slot at knee level. PRESS DISPENSER BUTTON: A babel fish shoots out of the slot and exits through a small hole in the wall below a metal hook. REMOVE GOWN. PUT GOWN ON HOOK to cover the hole. PRESS DISPENSER BUTTON: The babel fish slides down the sleeve of the dressing gown and then vanishes through a drain. GET TOWEL. PUT TOWEL ON DRAIN. PRESS DISPENSER BUTTON: The babel fish lands on the towel covering the drain, then a tiny cleaning robot collects the babel fish and exits through a panel in the wall. GET SATCHEL. PUT SATCHEL ON PANEL. PRESS DISPENSER BUTTON: The cleaning robot hits the satchel and the babel fish is caught by an upper cleaning robot. PUT MAIL ON SATCHEL. PRESS DISPENSER BUTTON: The upper cleaning robot madly tries to catch all of the loose mail and the babel fish continues on its flight into Arthur's ear.

PRESS SWITCH on the glass case: Make a note of which word should be remembered in the Captain's favourite poem. For example, it may be "type in the third word from the second verse". The word that should be remembered is random each time the game is played. WAIT five times and the guards will drag Arthur and Ford to the Captain's quarters. WAIT twice and the Captain starts to read his poetry. ENJOY POETRY. WAIT four times and the Captain will start to read the first line in the second verse of his poem. Remembering the position of the word that was revealed by pressing the switch on the glass case, you should be able to see the correct word to use. For example, if the first line in the second verse is "Gashee morphousite, thou expungiest quoopisk!" and you were asked to type the third word, the correct word to remember will be thou.

WAIT four times to return to the hold. TYPE "WORD" where "word" is the name from the poem. So if the word was "gashee", then you would enter this: TYPE "GASHEE." Remember to use quotation marks around the word or it will not work. The glass case will open. GET PLOTTER, GOWN AND TOWEL. WAIT three times until Arthur and Ford are thrown into the airlock. WAIT four times to exit the airlock. Arthur and Ford are then picked up by the Heart of Gold.

⤴ ↳

Heart of Gold

WAIT four times for the hear sense to become available. HEAR to hear the hum of a star drive. Move SOUTH to entry bay number two. WAIT to follow Ford to the bridge. GET PINCER. PUT PINCER IN THING. DROP ALL. GET TOWEL. Move DOWN and SOUTH six times to the engine room. LOOK twice. GET GENERATOR, PLIERS AND RASP. PUT PLIERS AND RASP IN THING. Move NORTH twice and WEST to the galley. EXAMINE MACHINE to see a touch-sensitive pad. PRESS PAD and a cup of Advanced Tea Substitute will appear in the slot. GET ATS. Move EAST and UP to the bridge. DROP ALL. GET ATS AND TOWEL. PUT DANGLY BIT IN ATS. PUT SMALL PLUG IN SMALL RECEPTACLE. PRESS SWITCH to enter dark. WAIT four times for the small sense to disappear from the list of senses. SMELL to see a shadow moving in the dark. LOOK AT SHADOW to enter the Bugblatter Beast of Traal's lair.

 _______    _______
|       |  | Entry |
|Bridge |  | Bay 2 |
|_______|  |___ ___|
       d\__    |
 _______   \u__|___
|       |  |Corridr|
|Galley |--| Fore  |
|_______|  |___ ___|
               |
 _______    ___|___    _______    _______
|Marvins|  |Corridr|d |Hatch- |  |Access |
|Pantry |--|  Aft  |--|  way  |--| Space |
|_______|  |___ ___| u|___ ___|  |_______|
               |         d|
            ___|___    ___|___
           |Engine |  |       |
           | Room  |  | Ramp  |
           |_______|  |_______|
    

⤴ ↳

Random Scenarios

The scenario you go to now could be one of the five below at random; after you have done one, get out of the dark, then go back to the bridge and drop any items you have. Press the switch again and go to more scenarios until you have visited all five. You may come back to a scenario again occasionally. If you have completed it, everything will go dark as soon as you get there. If you have not, you will need to do the scenario. An exception to this is Earth (As Ford). Either do the scenario again or just wait until everything goes dark. You will know if you have completed it because there will be fluff on Ford's satchel (on the Bridge).

An important scenario to which this is an exception is the War Chamber/Maze. If you travel here a second time, you will explode and splatter yourself all over the bulkheads. You can stop yourself going to the War Chamber/Maze by not typing anything into the game which the game does not understand and therefore never getting the "Careless Talk Costs Lives" passage, as detailed in Vogon Ship. If you get Real Tea before getting the "Careless Talk Costs Lives" passage, you can control the scenario you visit and not go to the War Chamber/Maze twice.

While playing through the game in order to compile the item lists, you get real tea after doing Traal. When you PUT DANGLY BIT IN TEA, the game brought up the "careless talk costs lives" passage about three or four turns later. This suggests that if you do not have the "careless talk costs lives" passage before getting real tea, then the game will bring it up so that you can actually visit the war chamber and then the maze.

• Damogran (As Zaphod)
• Earth (As Ford)
• Party (As Trillian)
• Traal
• War Chamber And Maze

1. Damogran (As Zaphod), Random Scenarios

Presidential Speedboat, in the pilot seat Get the toolbox, then search the seat, finding the key and the fluff. Steer for the spire. Eventually the autopilot will kick in, or you can activate it by pressing the button. Stand up after it has and go north.

Dais

Wait around until Trillian shows up. Order the guards to drop their weapons or not to shoot, then grab the gun and shoot the rifles or ask Trillian to shoot them for you. Go east, to the Heart of Gold.

Dark

HEAR, then go AFT.

⤴ ↳ ⇡

2. Earth (As Ford), Random Scenarios

Country Lane

Go north.

Front of House

Open your satchel and take the fluff, the towel and the device. Give the towel to Arthur, then (after saying you are an idiot), go to Prosser and ask him to lie down. When Arthur gets up, go south, then west.

Pub

Buy peanuts and a sandwich. Give the sandwich to Arthur if you did not give one to the dog earlier (as Arthur). Buy some beer. Drink two beers (as well as the one you had in the description) and Arthur will run out. Go east, then north.

Front of House

Arthur will be jumping up and down in rage. Drop your satchel, put the fluff on top of it, and wait until everything goes dark.

"There is an alternate solution to getting the satchel fluff. Instead of placing the fluff on the satchel, you can simply give to Arthur, who, under the influence of the beers he drank, will take it and stick it in his pocket. You will then have it in your pocket when you become Arthur again."

Dark

HEAR, then go AFT.

⤴ ↳ ⇡

3. Party (As Trillian), Random Scenarios

Living Room

Look at Arthur. Drop your plate or glass and take the fluff. Open your handbag and put the fluff in it, then take the glass or plate from the hostess and look at Phil. Eventually, he will come over and everything will go dark.

Dark

HEAR, then go AFT.

 _______    _______
|Dining |  |Living |
| Room  |--| Room  |
|___ ___|  |_______|
    |    __/
 ___|___/
|       |
|Kitchen|
|_______|
     

⤴ ↳ ⇡

4. Traal, Random Scenarios

Lair

The beast demands that Arthur say his name. SAY ARTHUR and the beast will say that the name will be added to the list of rememberance once it has eaten him.

Beast's Outer Lair

Move EAST to the outer lair and the beast will follow. PUT TOWEL OVER HEAD to temporarily confuse the beast. GET STONE. CARVE ARTHUR ON MEMORIAL: The beast sees Arthur's name on the memorial and realises that it must already have eaten him. REMOVE TOWEL.

Inner Lair

Move WEST and SOUTHWEST. GET INTERFACE. WAIT twice.

Dark

HEAR, then go AFT.

            _______    _______
           |       |  | Outer |
           | Lair  |--| Lair  |
           |_______|  |_______|
         __/
 _______/
| Inner |
| Lair  |
|_______|
     

⤴ ↳ ⇡

5. War Chamber And Maze, Random Scenarios

War Chamber

Get the awl. Wait until you see the dog eating the sandwich you gave him earlier. If you did not, you will have to give Arthur the sandwich as Ford for him to give it to the dog. Then you will be able to do this part. But, if you did, after the dog eats the sandwich, you will go to the Maze.

Maze

This is, in fact, your brain, so do not leave anything in here. Walk around until you find a particle. Take the particle (which is, in fact, your commmon sense), and everything will go dark.

Dark

HEAR, then go AFT.

⤴ ↳ ⇡

Heart of Gold Revisited

Bridge

After doing the scenarios, make sure you got the interface, the awl, and the chipper. Make sure that pocket fluff is in your gown (or wherever you dropped it), satchel fluff is on the satchel, and jacket fluff is in the handbag. If these are not here, you will have to do a scenario again depending on what is missing. Then go down, aft, and down.

Hatchway

Here, take the toolbox, the seat fluff and the small key (and if these aren't here, you need to do Damogran (As Zaphod) again). Now go up, fore, then up.

Bridge

Drop the seat fluff, the key, toolbox. Take the interface. Go down, then port.

Galley

Open the Nutrimat, then remove the circuit board and put in the interface. Touch the pad and go starboard, then up.

Bridge

Drop the circuit board. Any minute now, Eddie will announce that there are a couple of missiles approaching the ship. DON'T PANIC! Just put the large plug into the large receptacle, then press the generator switch. The missiles will turn into a sperm whale, and a bowl of petunias. Go down, then port.

Galley

Take the Tea, then go starboard, and up.

Bridge

Drop the Tea, then take the dangly bit out of the ATS and put it into the Tea. Pick up the device or the thing and press the generator switch. Everything will go dark.

Dark

Now, this will take you back to a random scenario, but now that you have tea you can choose which scenario you visit. Look at the section on Dark to find out how.

⤴ ↳

Inside The Sperm Whale

You can now go to Inside The Sperm Whale in the same way that you visited the Random Scenarios. Here, you have two options: Either take the flowerpot and put it in the thing, then wait until everything goes dark; or you can take the pot and then press the green button on the device, depending on which you picked up. The problem is, the device seems to be broken. So call the engineer by pressing the red button. Show it to him and he says it is out of date and unrepairable. Show him the lifetime guarantee and he fixes it for you. Get out of there.

Dark

HEAR, then go AFT

⤴ ↳

Heart of Gold 3

Entry Bay Number Two

Go aft, then up.

Bridge

Now, collect the four fluffs, and either wait for the thing to turn up or drop the device depending on which method you used earlier. Plant the four fluffs in the pot, and wait until a sprout grows. Go port, into the sauna, and when you come back out, eat the fruit. Make a note of the tool that Marvin asked for, and pick it up. It might be in the tool box, in which case you will need to unlock it with the key. If it is the Thermo-Fusion Chisel, wait until you get that in Marvin's Pantry. Take the Tea. But, earlier (in the Maze) you removed your commmon sense, so you can now take the No Tea. Go down, then aft.

Corridor, Aft End

Open the door. It will be so impressed that you have Tea and No Tea that it will open. Go port. However, if you enter Marvin's Pantry, you will die. So, do the thing you have been waiting for. DRINK THE TEA. Go port.

Marvin's Pantry

Get the chisel, then ask Marvin to repair the hatch. Go starboard, then down.

Hatchway

Drop everything apart from the fish, the tool, and no tea. Go starboard.

Access Space

Wait for Marvin. Give him the tool when he asks. Go port, then down.

Ramp

The game has ended.

⤴ ↳

Dark

As the dangly bit has now been added to the tea, you will now be able control where you visit in the dark. Each time that you WAIT, a different sense will be missing from the list of senses. The following locations can be visited:

• FEEL (Cold, wet and squishy), DRINK LIQUID = Living Room
• FEEL (Warm, wet and squishy), DRINK LIQUID = Sperm Whale
• HEAR (Hum of star drive from above), SOUTH = Entry Bay Number Two
• HEAR (Hum of star drive from below), SOUTH = War Chamber
• SEE (Light at front of eyes), LOOK AT LIGHT = Country Lane
• SEE (Light at back of eyes), LOOK AT LIGHT = Presidential Speedboat
• SMELL (Pungent waving under nose), LOOK AT SHADOW = Bugblatter Beast
• SMELL (Pungent waved under nose), LOOK AT SHADOW = Vogon Hold

The locations that need to be visited are the living room, sperm whale, war chamber, country lane and presidential speedboat. All of these locations must be completed before you can move on with the game. Each time that a location has been completed, you will return to the dark on the Heart of Gold. To return to the main dark section, WAIT four times, HEAR, go SOUTH twice, UP and PRESS GENERATOR SWITCH. You can then continue on to the next location by entering WAIT until the required sense is missing from the list. When the five locations below have been completed, move on to the next Heart of Gold section.

Living Room - (Feel, Drink Liquid)

LOOK AT ARTHUR to see a ball of fluff. DROP WINE. GET FLUFF. OPEN HANDBAG. PUT FLUFF IN HANDBAG. GET WINE. WAIT twice to return to the dark.

Inside The Sperm Whale - (Feel, Drink Liquid)

GET FLOWERPOT. PUT POT IN THING. WAIT three times to return to the dark.

War Chamber - (Hear, South)

GET AWL. PUT AWL IN THING. WAIT four times to enter the maze. Move NORTH until you reach the black particle in the maze. GET PARTICLE to return to the dark.

Country Lane - (See, Look At Light)

Move NORTH to the front of the house. OPEN SATCHEL. GET TOWEL AND FLUFF from the satchel. OFFER TOWEL TO ARTHUR, who refuses it because he is worried about his home. Enter IDIOT when asked to think of a word. WALK TO PROSSER. Say to PROSSER, LIE DOWN and he will lie in the mud. Move SOUTH and WEST into the pub. BUY BEER. BUY PEANUTS. DRINK BEER twice to hear the muffled crash of Arthur's house being knocked down. Move EAST and NORTH to the front of the house. GIVE FLUFF TO DENT. WAIT three times to return to the dark.

Presidential Speedboat - (See, Look At Light)

LOOK UNDER SEAT to find the small key and seat cushion fluff. UNLOCK TOOLBOX with the small key. PUT FLUFF IN TOOLBOX. GET TOOLBOX. STEER TOWARD SPIRE. WAIT three times. STAND. Move OUT to the dais. WAIT four times and Trillian will arrive. The guards raise their rifles to shoot. Say to the GUARDS, DROP RIFLES. Say to TRILLIAN, SHOOT RIFLES. Move EAST to return to the dark.

Heart Of Gold

After returning to the Heart of Gold when the total score is 225, WAIT four times and then HEAR. Move SOUTH three times and DOWN to the hatchway. GET TOOLBOX. Move UP, NORTH and UP to the bridge. GET TEA to drop no tea. GET NO TEA. Due to the particle being removed from the maze, Arthur is now able to carry tea and no tea at the same time. GET POCKET FLUFF. GET SEAT CUSHION FLUFF AND WRENCH from the toolbox. DROP TOOLBOX. PUT WRENCH IN THING. OPEN HANDBAG. GET JACKET FLUFF AND TWEEZERS from the handbag. PUT TWEEZERS IN THING. GET GOWN. GET SATCHEL FLUFF from the gown. You should now have satchel fluff, jacket fluff, seat cushion fluff and pocket fluff in the inventory.

GET FLOWERPOT from the thing. PUT ALL FLUFF IN FLOWERPOT. WAIT three times and a tiny sprout will appear in the flowerpot. Move WEST into the sauna and the plant will change. EXAMINE PLANT to see that fruit has grown on the plant. EAT FRUIT and remember the name of the tool that is mentioned. Move DOWN and SOUTH to the aft end of the corridor. OPEN DOOR, which is so impressed by Arthur's ability to carry tea and no tea at the same time that it opens. DRINK TEA. Move WEST to the pantry. GET CHISEL. PUT CHISEL IN THING. Say to MARVIN, OPEN HATCH. Move EAST and DOWN to the hatchway. GET (name of tool that was mentioned) from the thing. DROP ALL EXCEPT (name of tool). Move EAST into the access space. WAIT four times and Marvin will ask for a tool. GIVE (name of tool) TO MARVIN. Move WEST and DOWN to the ramp to complete the game.

Have you tried?

• Looking under your bed?
• Enjoying the mud while you are lying in front of the bulldozer?
• Phoning home from your bedroom?
• Asking Prosser for the time?
• Getting drunk in the pub?
• Buying peanuts (as Arthur)?
• Listening to the jukebox music (several times, then again when you are Ford)?
• Petting the dog?
• Kicking the dog?
• Feeding peanuts to the dog (You can only do this as Ford)?
• Hitting Prosser before your house is demolished?
• Hitting Prosser after your house is demolished?
• Enjoying your house after it is demolished?
• Asking Prosser about your home after it is been demolished?
• Giving the towel to Prosser?
• Giving the thing your aunt gave you to Prosser?
• Giving the satchel to Prosser (You can only do this as Ford)?
• Talking to Prosser after the Vogon fleet has arrived?
• Eating the cheese sandwich when you are Ford?
• Going straight to the Pub when you are Ford, instead of giving Arthur the towel, and then waiting a few turns?
• Yelling in the Dark?
• Waiting about 60 turns in Dark to see the hints you get?
• Not eating the peanuts in the Vogon Hold?
• Drinking the Santraginean Mineral Water?
• Asking Ford about the Earth once it is destroyed?
• Enjoying the Vogon poetry without the babel fish?
• Opening the hatch in the Heart of Gold before landing on Magrathea?
• Kicking the screening door, then entering Marvin's Pantry?
• Closing the screening door once you have opened it?
• Reading the tiny message on the circuit board with the magnifying glass?
• Smashing the circuit board?
• Turning on the spare drive while plugged into the control panel before the missile attack begins?Turning on the spare drive while not plugged into the control panel
• during the missile attack?
• Asking Eddie to open the hatch after the ship has landed?
• Not going to the Access Space after asking Marvin to fix the hatch?
• Saying something other than your name when the Beast asks for it?
• Saying your name with the towel over your eyes?
• Carving a name on the memorial instead of carving your name on the memorial?
• Carving one of the names suggested by carving a name on the memorial?
• Carving the Beast's name on the memorial?
• Reading the memorial before carving your name?
• Reading the memorial after carving your name?
• Showing the thing your aunt gave you to the Beast?
• Waking the sleeping Beast?
• Drinking the wine at the party?
• Eating one of the hors d'oeuvres (try several times)?
• Throwing the glass of wine?
• Throwing the plate of hors d'oeuvres?
• Picking up Arthur at the party?
• Picking up Phil at the party?
• Jumping into the water from the Presidential Speedboat?
• Throwing something into the water from the boat?
• Shooting the crowd?
• Shooting the guards?
• Shooting Trillian?
• Shooting yourself?
• Shooting the toolbox?
• Shooting anything?
• Ordering the guards to shoot before they've dropped their photon rifles?
• Ordering the guards to shoot after they've dropped their photon rifles?
• Examining the approaching star system and the third planet from the War Chamber of the battle fleet?
• Talking to the Vl'Hurg leader or G'Gugvunt leader?
• Dropping something in the Maze and then walking around once you have gotten out?
• Talking to the bulldozer driver?
• Talking to the Vogon Captain?
• Talking to the hostess?
• Closing the thing your aunt gave you?
• Wrapping the towel around your head anywhere except Traal?
• Typing I AM ARTHUR DENT (not to a character)?
• Typing PANIC?
• Typing DON'T PANIC?
• Pushing the red button on the Thumb when an Engineer is already there?
• Counting the hors d'oeuvres at various points?
• Counting the crowd at the Dais at various points?
• Counting the guards at various points?
• Typing DON'T LOOK?
• Typing DON'T WAIT?
• Typing DON'T [verb]?
• Examining the bulldozer?
• Examining the Vogon fleet?
• Examining the flowerpot?
• Examining the mechanism in the Access Space?
• Examining various tools?
• Typing GIVE UP?
• Typing THROW IN THE TOWEL?
• Typing PULL MYSELF TOGETHER?
• Brushing your teeth with the toothbrush?
• Typing ESCAPE at any point?
• Filling anything?
• Returning to various scenes after you have successfully completed them?
• Applauding at any point other than during the poetry reading?
• Answering the game's various rhetorical questions by typing yes or no?
• Typing APPRECIATE [noun]?
• Asking characters about the object of the game?
• Kissing someone?
• Punching yourself?
• Taking Prosser's digital watch?
• Spilling beer on Ford?
• Hitting a button instead of pushing it?

Guide Entries

To consult the guide, type CONSULT GUIDE and then type which entry you want, or type CONSULT GUIDE ON [subject].

• Alcohol
• Atomic Vector Plotter
• Babel Fish
• Damogran
• Earth
• Fluff
• France
• Galactic Security Agency
• Galaxia Woonbeam
• Green Button
• Heart Of Gold
• Infocom
• Brownian Motion
• Genuine People Personalities
• Magrathea
• Hitchhiker's Guide
• Improbability Drives
• Intelligence
• Large Plug
• Long Dangly Bit
• Matter Transference Beams
• Pan-Galactic Gargle Blaster
• Peril-Sensitive Sunglasses
• Protein
• Nutrimat
• Ravenous Bugblatter Beast Of Traal
• Red Button
• Sanntraginean Mineral Water
• Sirius Cybernetics Corporation
• Small Plug
• Small Receptacle
• Space
• Thumb
• Towel
• Vogon Poetry
• Vogons
• Walking
• various tools and weapons

Commands

There are a number of one-word commands which you can type instead of a sentence. You can use them over and over as needed. Some count as a turn, others do not. Type the command after the prompt (>) and hit return.

Again

Hitchhiker's will usually respond as if you had repeated your previous sentence. Among the the cases where AGAIN will not work is if you were just talking to another character.

Abbreviation: G

Brief

This tells Hitchhiker's to give you the full description of a location the first time you enter it. On subsequent visits, Hitch-Hiker's will tell you only the name of the location and the objects present. This is how Hitchhiker's will normally act, unless you tell it otherwise using the VERBOSE or SUPERBRIEF commands.

Diagnose

Hitchhiker's will give you a brief medical report of your physical condition.

Footnote

Occasionally, the text in Hitchhiker's will mention the existence of a footnote. To read the footnote, simply type FOOTNOTE followed by the appropriate number (for example, FOOTNOTE 6). This will not count as a turn.

Inventory

Hitch-Hiker's will list what you have.

Abbreviation: I

Look

This tells Hitchhiker's to describe your location in full detail.

Abbreviation: L

Quit

This lets you stop. If you want to save your position before quitting, use the SAVE/RESTORE commands.

Abbreviation: Q

Restart

This stops the story and starts it again from the beginning.

Restore

This restores a saved position made using the SAVE command.

Save

This makes a "snapshot" of your current position to wherever you choose or to wherever your interpreter saves by default. You can return to a saved position in the future using the RESTORE command.

Score

Hitchhiker's will show your current score and the number of turns you have the taken.

Script

Varies depending on what interpreter you have but most save the script to a file on your computer. On the original game it printed the transcript as you went, so some interpreters may still do this.

Superbrief

This commands Hitchhiker's to display only the name of a place you have entered, even if you have never been there before. In this mode, Hitchhiker's will not mention the objects which are present. You can get a full description by typing LOOK. In this mode, the line between turns will be eliminated. This mode is not meant for first-time players. See also VERBOSE and BRIEF.

Unscript

Ends the SCRIPT.

Verbose

This tells Hitchhiker's that you want a complete description of each location every time you enter it even if you have been there before. also see BRIEF and SUPERBRIEF.

Version

Hitchhiker's will display the release number and serial number of your copy of the story.

Wait

This will cause time in the story to pass. Normally, between turns, nothing happens in the story. You can leave your computer, have a snack, take a walk, hitchhike to Procyon IV, spend fourteen years working in the slime pits and return to find nothing has changed. You can use WAIT to make time pass in the story without doing anything. For example, if you meet Marvin, you could WAIT to see what he would do.

Abbreviation: Z

Verbs

These are only some of the verbs which Hitchhiker's understands. There are many more, and they can be used in conjunction with a variety of prepositions.

ANSWER, ENJOY, LIGHT, SAY, APPROACH, ENTER, LISTEN, SHOOT, ASK, ESCAPE, LOOK, SHOW, BLOCK, EXAMINE, MOVE, SIT, BUY, EXIT, PANIC, SLEEP, CARVE, FILL, PULL, SMELL,CLIMB, FIND, OPEN, STAND, CLOSE, FOLLOW, PICK, TAKE, CONNECT, GIVE, PLUG, TASTE, CONSULT, HANG, POINT, THROW, COVER, HIDE, PUSH, TOUCH DANGLE, JUMP, PUT, TURN, DESTROY, KILL, READ, TYPE, DRINK, KNOCK, RELAX, WAKE, DROP, LIE, REMOVE, WALK

Items

Advanced Tea Substitute

Found by pressing the pad in the galley on the Heart of Gold. It is connected to the dangly bit on the plotter to access the dark.

Atomic Vector Plotter

Found by using the correct word to open the glass case on the Vogon Hold. It is connected to the ATS to access the dark.

Babel Fish

Found by solving the puzzle in the Vogon Hold and then pressing the dispenser button. It is used to understand the language of the Vogon Captain.

Buffered Analgesic

Found in the pocket of the gown. It is used to help Arthur recover from his headache in the bedroom at the start of the game.

Cheese Sandwich

Bought in the bar on Earth. It is given to the dog outside of the bar to prevent the microscopic space fleet from being eaten.

Circuit Board

Found in the panel of the Nutrimat on the Heart of Gold. It is not used.

Electronic Sub-Etha Signaling Device

Ford drops the device on Earth a few seconds before the Vogon Fleet arrives. The green button is pressed to transport to the Vogon ship.

Flathead Screwdriver

Found in the bedroom at the start of the game. It is one of the items that Marvin may need to use after Arthur has eaten the fruit.

Flowerpot

Found inside the sperm whale. The four pieces of fluff are planted in the flowerpot, which is then carried into the sauna to make the fruit grow.

Fruit

Found after taking the flowerpot with the four pieces of fluff into the sauna. It is eaten to discover which tool Marvin needs in the future.

Glass Of White Wine

Found in the party. It is dropped to create more space in the inventory. This also makes the hostess appear, so make sure to pick the wine up again after putting the jacket fluff in the handbag.

Gown

Found on the chair in the bedroom at the start of the game. It can be used to store extra items, and is also hung on the hook in the Vogon hold.

Handbag

Found in the party. It is used to store the jacket fluff.

Hitchhiker's Guide

Found after visiting the captain of the Vogon ship. It can be consulted about various things in the game, but does not have to be used.

Hypersonic Pliers

Found in the engine room on the Heart of Gold. It is one of the items that Marvin may need to use after Arthur has eaten the fruit.

Improbability Drive

Found in the engine room on the Heart of Gold. It is not used.

Ionic Diffusion Rasp

Found in the engine room on the Heart of Gold. It is one of the items that Marvin may need to use after Arthur has eaten the fruit.

Jacket Fluff

Found by getting the fluff from Arthur's jacket after looking at Arthur at the party. It is put in the handbag, and is one of the four pieces of fluff that is put in the flowerpot.

Junk Mail

Found in the porch of Arthur's house. After the satchel has been put on the panel in the Vogon hold, the mail is put on the satchel.

Laser-Assisted Monkey Wrench

Found in the toolbox. It is one of the items that Marvin may need to use after Arthur has eaten the fruit.

Magnifying Glass

Found in the toolbox. It is not used.

Molecular Hyperwave Pincer

Found on the bridge of the Heart of Gold. It is one of the items that Marvin may need to use after Arthur has eaten the fruit.

No Tea

Available at the start of the game. No tea is dropped after Arthur gets the real tea, but after the large black particle has been removed in the maze both no tea and tea can be picked up. Having both no tea and tea allows Arthur to walk through the screening door to Marvin's pantry.

Number Twelve Asteroid Paint Chipper

Found on the bridge of the Heart of Gold. It is one of the items that Marvin may need to use after Arthur has eaten the fruit.

Nutrimat/Computer Interface

Found in the Bugblatter Beast of Traal's outer lair. It is put in the panel of the nutrimat in the galley to make the tea.

Peanuts

Ford will give Arthur the peanuts after he arrives on the Vogon ship. They are eaten to replace the protein loss caused by transporting to the ship. The peanuts are also bought by Ford in the pub when he returns to Earth.

Plate Of Hors D'oeuvres

Available in the party section. It is not used.

Pocket Fluff

Found in the pocket of the gown. It is one of the four pieces of fluff that is put in the flowerpot.

Sales Brochure

Found in Entry Bay Two on the Heart of Gold. It is not used.

Santraginean Mineral Water

Found in Ford's satchel on Earth. It is not used.

Satchel

Found in the Vogon hold after Arthur falls asleep. It is put on the panel in the hold, and is then covered with the mail. The satchel is also opened when Ford returns the Earth to get the satchel fluff and towel.

Satchel Fluff

Found in the satchel when Ford returns to Earth. It is one of the four pieces of fluff that is put in the flowerpot.

Seat Cushion Fluff

Found by looking under the seat in the presidential speedboat on Damogran. It is one of the four pieces of fluff that is put in the flowerpot.

Sharp Stone

Found in the Bugblatter Beast of Traal's lair. It is used to carve Arthur's name on the memorial after has put the towel over his head.

Shipping

Found in the galley. It is opened to reveal the strange gun.

Small Key

Found by looking under the seat in the presidential speedboat on Damogran. It is used to unlock the toolbox on the presidential speedboat.

Splitting Headache

Available in the house at the start of the game. It is cured by eating the buffered analgesic from the pocket of the gown.

Strange Gun

Found by opening the shipping carton from the galley. It is not used.

Thermo-Fusion Chisel

Found in the toolbox. It is one of the items that Marvin may need to use after Arthur has eaten the fruit.

Thing

Found in the pocket of the gown. This is a very useful item that can be used to store any other items. It cannot be lost, and no matter what happens to it the thing will always appear back in the inventory after a few moves. Many objects are added to the thing throughout the walkthrough.

Toolbox

Found in the presidential speedboat on Damogran. It is used to hold the seat cushion fluff.

Toothbrush

Found in the bedroom at the start of the game. It is one of the items that Marvin may need to use after Arthur has eaten the fruit.

Towel

Found in the Vogon hold. It is put over the drain as one part of solving the Babel Fish puzzle. It is also used in the Bugblatter Beast of Traal's lair to prevent the beast from seeing Arthur.

Tweezers

Found in the handbag. It is one of the items that Marvin may need to use after Arthur has eaten the fruit.

Ultra-Plasmic Vacuum Awl

Found in the war chamber. It is one of the items that Marvin may need to use after Arthur has eaten the fruit.

Gallery