Panak Strikes!

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and Wishbringer

Steve Panak

THE HITCHHIKER'S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY
by Douglas Adams and Steven Meretzky

WISHBRINGER
by Brian Moriarty

INFOCOM
125 Cambridge Park Drive
Cambridge, MA 02140
48K Disk $34.95 each

See what I mean? This month, not one but two games from the only company that can really turn me on. The graphics which Infocom's prose sends scorching into my mind make all my arcade action games obsolete. So, without further ado, let's get into the first one.

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is Infocom's fourteenth work of interactive fiction (and they said it wouldn't last). However, it also marks a first for Infocom. It's the first time they've used a best-selling author's book as a basis for one of their games, and they've even had the author co-write the game itself.

Douglas Adams is the man behind the madness, and the four books which comprise the Hitchhiker trilogy have been best-sellers-both in the U.S.A. and in the author's native England. They have spawned, in addition to the Babel fish, a public radio series and a PBS television mini-series (imported from England). Rumors continue to circulate as to the possibility of a motion picture again reuniting Arthur Dent and his cohorts.

The game itself takes you into the tormented world of Arthur Dent, who, on one sunny morning, got up on the wrong side of his bed to find his clothes, his house and his planet utterly destroyed by bureaucrats bent on progress. To cap it all off, he discovers that his friend, Ford Prefect, is not from Guildford after all, but from a small planet somewhere near Betelgeuse. As in the series, the two are joined by Zaphod Beeblebrox, the universe's cleverest two-headed man, and by Marvin, the paranoid android, who often has a pain down all the diodes in his left side.

The four band together and are joined by other memorable characters, as they move in and out of improbable situations as easily as most of us get out of our old socks. And, all the time, they slyly poke fun at every science fiction gadget and concept ever created.

The characters come to life as the story unravels before your awaiting eyes. One problem, however, is inherent. The characters in the trilogy are extremely complex-more than a computer game can handle, even one from Infocom.

So, in order to understand many of the events, you have to have read the books. How else could you know what truly repulsive creatures the Vogons are? But, once you've read the books, you've also learned solutions to some of the puzzles.

Not all the puzzles, though, and there are more than enough riddles to keep the game gnawing at you for at least a couple of weeks. Some of the puzzles are extremely humorous (as well as difficult), as they taunt you after each incorrect solution attempt. And, for those of you who've played the game, I want you to know the Babel fish is still tormenting me.

Infocom followed Hitchhiker (as if that was possible, but then, achieving the impossible is an Infocom exclusive) with Wishbringer, a fantasy game in their introductory (formerly "junior") level.

In this game, you're a postal clerk who is ordered one day, none too politely, to deliver a mysterious letter to the town's Magick Shoppe. But this letter turns out to be a ransom note for the proprietor's kidnapped cat.

Upon your return from delivering the letter, you discover that the town has changed -- for the worse. It's no longer the friendly city of your youth, but has mutated into a malignant metropolis, whose livid life-forms have no good plans for your future.

Wishbringer also takes you through a labyrinth of twists and turns that wind through other familiar Infocom locales. Suddenly, you find yourself outside a white wood house (Zork), or on a sultry pier (Cutthroats). But each of these places has also changed strangely. Mailboxes, in particular, take on a life of their own as they skip and jump about, demanding to be fed.

If you evade the boot patrol and have the Wishbringer stone, you're in command of its power. It allows you to cast seven spells, some of which can only be used once. It's not easy; all the spells require additional items, such as grue's milk. And, if you've ever tried to get milk from a grue, you know how painful that can be. Only the wise warrior will find all the items, then wait and use the spells at the correct time, finally completing the game.

The puzzles are generally easy, especially if you've challenged Infocom before. However, the prose is entertaining, and tile game is fun and full of surprises, more than making up for the quick completion time.

Both programs function smoothly. Infocom has left little room for improvement, although Wishbringer introduces a new cursor. As usual, time is always spent loading data from the disk, but this is necessary. Sometimes it even enhances the game, providing a tension-building delay before you find out that you've inadvertently killed yourself.

The Infocom production staff has outdone itself again in the packaging of these two games. Both utilize their new packaging design, which resembles a book, with a front cover that opens to display the manual.

The disk and other game goodies are secured in a compartment in the back. Hitchhiker's manual is especially good, with humorous prose and drawings. Also included are the peril-sensitive sunglasses (which become opaque when danger approaches, so you won't be unnecessarily alarmed) and a "Don't Panic" button. I was slightly disappointed that the glasses were only cardboard. I was unable to wear them out on the town, but costs must be kept down. At least the button could be worn -- and was!

Wishbringer's manual isn't quite as impressive. It contains the local history of Festeron, as it concerns the Magick Dream-Stone. This, of course, added something to the story, but, while imaginative, wasn't as much fun to read. It lacked the twisted Infocom humor I've grown to love.

Other Wishbringer paraphernalia include postal maps of the town, the letter you must deliver and the stone itself, which I found fascinating. It glows in the dark, but not that age-old glowing green I've grown accustomed to since childhood. It glowed purple. This was unsettling enough to make me recharge it and watch it glow a number of times. I suggest setting it nearby and playing Wishbringer in its eerie radiation.

So, while both these games are identically superb, I have to give the slight edge to The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Its sarcastic blend of humor and torment often sent me screaming from the room, with clumps of hair between my fingers.

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