
                  The Hitchhiker's Guide to The Galaxy

Ok everyone, hang on to your seats (and your towels!); this is probably
going to be the wildest adventure game you'll ever play...unless Infocom
comes out with a sequel, which they just might do!

Before we get started, a few words of advice. This is not the only way
of getting through the game. Many of the problems and situations (such
as the whale's belly) have more than one solution. So, you might want to
save the game from time to time, and experiment a little, to see if you
can find other ways of doing things (actually, it's wise to save the
game anyway, in case you make a mistake).

Also, consult the Guide frequently during play; you will gain some
useful insights to some of the objects you come across, and even some
helpful information (sometimes). And remember, no matter how bad things
may look: DON'T PANIC!

Here you are, mild-mannered Arthur Dent, about to start the worst day of
your life, although you don't know that...yet! Actually, the day is
already getting off to a bad start, since you've just woken up in the
dark, with a really bad headache (and it's all downhill from here).

The first thing you need to do is stand up and turn on the light. That's
a little better, anyway! Or maybe not, since you're having a hard time
getting coordinated. Grab the dressing gown and put it on, then look in
the pocket. Ah, an analgesic! Take that, then get the screwdriver and
the toothbrush, and head South to the porch (did you hear a tree fall?
Rather omnious, isn't it?).

Here you find something no modern home should be without: junk mail.
Take the mail, and go on outside. Uh-oh! There's a very big bulldozer on
its way to level your home, and there's Prosser standing by, watching it
all. Are you going to take this lying down?

You bet you are! That's the only way to stop it: lie down in front of
the bulldozer. No matter how close the thing gets, don't panic; it won't
run you over (of course, in a short time, it really won't matter what
happens to the house, but you don't know that yet). Just wait awhile
until Ford Prefect shows up (read the junk mail while you wait).

Ford seems a trifle preoccupied with the sky, but he is aware enough of
you to try and give you back your towel. Don't take it, or he'll leave
and you will be a lot worse off than you ever imagined (can things be
worse than this? They sure can!).

Instead of taking the towel, ask Ford about your home. He will
eventually come to his senses, and realize what is going on. When that
happens, he will be able to persuade Prosser to take your place in front
of the bulldozer while the two of you head off to the pub to hoist a few.

As soon as Prosser takes your place, go South and West to the pub. Buy a
cheese (?) sandwich while you wait for him to arrive (when you read the
description, you'll understand about the "?"). When Ford gets there,
he'll buy you a few beers. Drink only three of them.

Around about the time you've finished the third one, there will be a
loud crash. In fact, it's the sound of your home being demolished by the
bulldozer (that will teach you to trust anyone who wears a digital
watch!). Don't take that sitting down, leave the pub and return to where
your house used to be. Along the way, you'll see a starving dog.

While you may wonder if anything could eat that sandwich and survive,
give it to the dog, who will (amazingly!) enjoy it immensely, ignoring a
microscopic space fleet that whizzes past (remember that fleet). Then
continue on to the ruins of your home (Ford will be right behind you).

And just about now, to put a perfect ending to a perfect day (which has
just barely begun), the Vogon construction ships appear, to demolish the
Earth to make way for a new Hyper-space Bypass (hmmm, maybe Ford wasn't
kidding when he said he was from another planet, or that Earth would be
destroyed in a short time).

Still, don't panic...wait until Ford drops the Sub-etha signalling
device. There won't be much time after that, so pick up the device, push
the green button (if you dropped the Aunt's thing, have no fear: it will
turn up again later), and you will be in....the dark.

Get used to that, you'll be spending a lot of time there before this
adventure is over. Notice that, at first, you can't do much. All your
five senses seem to be out of order. However, if you wait, and read the
descriptions very carefully, you will see that eventually, it mentions
only 4 of your senses. The one that's missing is the one you can use.
Keep this in mind, it will come in handy later.

Right now, your nose seems to be working again, so smell. Sniff, sniff.
Ugh! Whatever it is, it sure is strong! You are also now dimly aware of
a shadow, so look at it. Well, well, it turns out to be Ford Prefect!
And, looking around, you find yourself in the hold of a Vogon ship.
Certainly better than being on Earth (or where Earth used to be).

There's a glass case with an Atomic Vector Plotter inside, but don't
bother with it yet. You have something else to do first, namely, obtain
a Babel Fish. That shouldn't be hard, right? All you need to do is push
the button on the dispensing machine, and you'll have one, right?
Hehehehehehe!

Those Babel Fish are pretty slippery characters (but, you may have found
that out already for yourself!). And the cleaning robots are certainly
no help; they seem to have only one mission in life: grabbing your Fish
away from you. Well, we really can't let that happen!

So, first thing to do is remove your gown and hang it on the hook. Now,
wait for Ford to curl up, then get the towel and the satchel. Put the
towel over the drain, and the satchel in front of the robot panel. Now
comes the part that drives most people crazy: they don't know how to
stop the upper-half-of-the-room cleaning robot. But, it's so simple:
just put the junk mail on top of the satchel.

Now you can push the button! Then step back and watch the Rube Goldberg
shenanigans, which end with the Babel Fish stuck solidly in your ear
(squish!). Bet you never thought outer space would be like this!
However, now that you have the Fish, you'll be able to understand anyone
who talks to you.

By the way, somewhere along the line, you will get a message that one of
the phrases you've used was instrumental in starting a war that wiped
out most of a small galaxy. There is nothing you can do about this; no
matter how you try, it will come to pass.

Rather unfortunate, isn't it? Even more unfortunate, sooner or later,
the survivors will figure out how that happened, and they will be
looking for revenge....but more about that charming prospect later.

Right now, press the switch on the case. This will tell you what the
code word is that will open the case so you can snatch the plotter. Make
careful note of what word is required; it is chosen randomly each time.
Too bad you have to listen to some pretty rotten poetry to get the word.

Speaking of poetry, in a short while, you and Ford will be hustled into
the Captain's quarters, and strapped into Poetry Appreciation Chairs
(worser things could happen, but right now, you probably can't think of
any). After the Vogon Captain has tortured you with the first verse,
grit your teeth and enjoy the poetry. He will then, to your dismay, read
you the next verse.

While you could easily live without hearing it, in this case, you do
need to listen so you know the word to type in. Fortunately, after the
second verse, you don't have to enjoy the poetry. Unfortunately, since
you survived both verses, the Captain is going to have you and Ford
shoved out the airlock (you have now found something worse than
appreciating Vogon poetry).

While Ford tries to talk the guard out of spacing the two of you, type
in the word from the poem. You must put quotes around the word, or it
won't go through. Then get the plotter when the case opens. Now just
wait awhile, and you and Ford will soon be in the airlock, with very
little time left.

In fact, time has just run out, and there you are in the depths of
space. Lucky for you, the Guide explained how to survive all of 30
seconds out there! Well, perhaps not so lucky, since, considering the
vastness of space, it's quite improbable that another ship will come by
to pick you up before the 30 seconds run out. So naturally, 29 seconds
later, the Heart of Gold (the HOG) comes past and picks you up.

There you are in the dark again. Wait and watch the display, until it no
longer says you can't hear. Then listen, and you will hear the sound of
the star drive. Now it gets cute: the program will lie to you, and say
there is an exit to port. Don't you believe it! Go Aft instead, and you
will be in Entry Bay  2. You can ignore the brochure, if you like.

Go Aft again, and you're in the Fore End of the corridor. Here, Ford
will find you you, and take you up to the bridge, where you meet Zaphod
and Trillian. Actually, you've seen them both before, at a party you
attended a short time ago. While you listen to the chatter between
Zaphod and Ford, you can begin to drop some items here.

You can drop the plotter, screwdriver, gown, and signalling device. By
this time, everyone else has gone to the sauna, leaving you alone on the
Bridge with Eddie, the shipboard computer. Don't mind Eddie, he's a
little over-protective, but he's a good sort at heart. In fact, you can
pretty much ignore him, as well as Marvin the Paranoid Robot, although
Marvin will be important much later on (depressing as that may sound).

Ok, time to prepare for some pretty weird happenings! First you'll need
the spare improbability drive. So, go down, then Aft. Keep going Aft.
The program will tell you that the Engine Room is dangerous. It LIES!
Don't listen to it, just keep going Aft. Eventually, you'll get there.

Of course, as soon as you're there, you'll want to look around. The
program will tell you there is nothing to see. That, too, is a lie! Keep
looking, and you'll find that there are some things to see here,
especially the spare drive. Don't worry about the tools for now; you can
leave them where they are.

Once you have the drive, go back to the Fore End corridor, then head
Port where you'll find the Nutrimat (try consulting the Guide about the
Nutrimat). Touch the pad, and you will be provided with a delicious (?)
cup of advanced tea substitute. Fortunately, you don't have to drink it.
Take the cup (ignore the carton, it's useless) and return to the bridge.

Drop the cup and the drive. Now, plug the small plug in to the small
receptacle, and put the plotter's dangly bit into the tea substitute.
Ok, you are about to have some pretty strange experiences, but before
you throw the switch, some words of advice and caution.

There are five scenarios (all rather short, but all of them important),
that have to be completed. They come up in random order, so each one has
its own little section of the walkthru. The lead-in to each of them is
that familiar dark area, where you have to wait until one of your senses
is working again. You will be in the dark area again when the scenario
ends (and you will have to listen for the drive sound), which will then
bring you back to the HOG.

Also, be aware there are times that you may briefly go back to one of
the scenarios you have already completed. You just sort of bounce in and
out of those, but you do have to spend time waiting in the dark. I
couldn't find a way around this, so you'll just have to live with it.
Finally, it's a good idea to save the game after you complete each
scenario, just in case. With that said, it's time, so push the switch!

      The Bugblatter Beast

When you come out of the dark, you find yourself in the Lair of the
dreaded Bugblatter Beast. There are, perhaps, better places you could
wish yourself to be in, considering that, among its many charms, the
Bugblatter has those tungsten-carbide vast-pain claws (perhaps he was a
dentist in a previous life).

However, you are here for a purpose, so you'll just have to do something
about the Beast. Consulting the Guide tells you that Bugblatters are
incredibly stupid, which is certainly the case. In the meantime, the
Beast is bearing down on you, demanding your name. Don't be shy,
introduce yourself, then run like heck East out of the Lair.

Pick up one of the sharp stones, and then cover your head with the
towel. Old Buggy is so dumb, he thinks that, since you can't see him, he
can't see you. But, this won't last for very long, so you have to fool
him, and quickly. Lucky for you, this isn't hard.

Carve your name on the Bugblatter's memorial. When he sees the name
there, he will think he's already eaten you, which is why he can't see
you (dumb may be an understatement here). The Beast will then curl up
for a nap, leaving you free (after removing the towel!) to re-enter the
Lair and then go SouthWest.

Here you will find the skeleton of some poor soul clutching a Nutrimat
Computer Interface Card. Take the card, and just wait around for awhile.
You will be mistakenly captured as a Bugblatter Beast (talk about
insults!), but you will eventually be freed, and have some other
adventures along the way, before you find yourself back in the dark
again.

When you get back to the HOG, you can drop the asteroid paint chipper
and the interface card in the Fore End before going up to the Bridge
(you'll need the interface later, but there's no need to drag it around
with you now). Once on the Bridge, push the switch again, and you'll be
back in the dark.

            Trillian

The dark ends with something liquidy to the touch. In fact, you find
your fingers bathing in a glass of wine. Coming to your senses, you
realize that you are now Trillian, and you are at the party where you
(she?) met both Arthur and a mysterious man named Phil.

Take a good look at Arthur, and you will see he has a huge ball of fluff
on his jacket. Just what you want, but your hands are full. Drop the
plate you're holding, and get the fluff. Open your handbag and put the
fluff in it, then get the plate again (otherwise, the pushy hostess
won't leave you alone).

Now, all you need to do is wait, trying not to be bored to tears by
Arthur's feeble attempts at conversation. Give Phil a look, and shortly
he will come over, and take you out to his scooter. As you blast off,
everything once again becomes.....dark.

              Ford

Now you find yourself standing in a country lane, holding a satchel. The
place looks familiar. In fact, it's the lane outside Arthur's home, and
this time you seem to be Ford Prefect.

Those Vogons will be arriving soon, so there's not much time. Open the
satchel, and take the satchel fluff, the towel, and the sub-etha
signalling device. Go North, and there you will see Arthur lying in
front of the bulldozer.

With a certain feeling of deja vu, you offer him the towel. However,
instead of taking it, he asks you about his home. You suddenly realize
what is going on (not that it really matters, considering what will
shortly happen!). In a moment of magnanimity (or possibly madness), you
decide to take Arthur hitchhiking with you.

But first, you have to deal with Prosser. Go over to him, and ask him to
lie down in front of the bulldozer. He'll make a little fuss, but you'll
manage to persuade him. Now, you and Arthur can hurry over to the pub,
and drink some beer (remember to buy peanuts).

Sit there, drinking your beer (no more than three!), meditating on why
Arthur is taking the imminent demise of the world so calmly, until the
house falls and Arthur goes tearing out.

Follow him to the ruins of his home. Drop the satchel, and put the
satchel fluff on top of it. Now wait. The Vogon ships will appear, the
winds will pick up, and you'll start fumbling with the device.

Oops! You just dropped it! Fortunately, it rolls over by Arthur, who
picks it up and looks at it. Also fortunately, Arthur manages to push
the right button, and everything becomes....dark.

             Zaphod

You come out of the dark to find that you're now Zaphod Beeblebrox, the
Presi dent of the Universe. In fact, you're on your way to steal the
Heart of Gold (with a little help from Trillian).

As your speedboat zooms towards its destination, search the seat
carefully and you will find seat fluff and a key. The key opens the
toolbox, but you don't need to do that now. Just make sure you take the
box; you might be needing it later.

Now, if you continue on your present course, you'll never make it
between the cliffs and the spire (or maybe you know that already). The
trick is to make the auto-pilot do the hard work, so steer the boat
towards the rocky spire.

The spire gets closer...closer....closer....and then, at last! the
auotpilot wakes up, just in time, and steers you to safety! Whew, that
was a close one. Ok, now you can stand up and go North to the Dais,
where the dedication ceremonies will be held.

Wait around, enjoying the cheers of the crowd (read the banner if you
like), until Trillian appears. She will jump out of the crowd, and hold
a gun to one of your heads. The guards are a little hesitant about what
to do, so now's your chance: tell them not to shoot.

After a few moments, they will drop their rifles into a pile..just what
you've been waiting for. Tell Trillian to shoot the rifles. As the
weapons disappear, you and Trillian make a break for the HOG! You made
it!! But...everything seems to be getting....dark.

          The War Room

Ah ha, fooled ya! I bet when you heard the sound of the star drive, you
thought you were back on the HOG. But, surprise! you're in the War Room
of a mighty war fleet approaching Earth (at least you're yourself this
time!).

Hmmmm, looking around, you see an ultra-plasmic awl. Pick that up, since
it might come in handy later. Now, take a good look at the aliens. They
are Vl'hurg and G'guvunt. Sound familiar? Ring any bells? Remember that
small galaxy you pretty much wiped out with your careless words?

Well, they finally figured out what happened, and now they are on their
way to Earth to take revenge! (Uh oh) You can't really stop them, so
just wait around and hope for the best.

The fleet gets closer and closer, and then arrives. Amazingly, the first
thing they see is....a huge dog happily munching a cheese (?) sandwich!
The sight of this giant monster, contentedly eating, softens the hearts
of the Vl'hurgs and G'guvunts.

With a new mission in life, they turn around and go home. Along the way,
they transport you back to the HOG. Unfortunately, since the aliens are
microscopic, so are you.....and you end up materializing inside your own
head!

But wait....maybe there is a madness in this method, after all (or is
that the other way around?). Move along the mazy of synapses (any
direction will do, they're all alike), until you come to the particle.

Look at the particle, and you will see it's your common sense. If
there's one thing you surely don't need in THIS adventure, it's common
sense, so take the particle. Whoops! Everythig just went.....dark.

Ok, now you should have collected the four fluffs, the ultra-plasmic
awl, the paint chipper, the nutrimat computer interface, and the tool
box. After you have done the last scenario (whichever one that is),
don't go back to the Bridge. Pick up the interface, and go to the
Nutrimat. It's tea time!

Open the panel on the Nutrimat, remove the circuit board, and replace it
with the interface. Now, touch the pad. With a clearer idea of just what
it is you want, the Nutrimat begins to have some problems. Its own
limited circuitry can't handle it (well, it's just a dumb machine, after
all), so it ties into the main shipboard computer.

Don't spend time here watching the Nutrimat go through its gyrations.
Head for the bridge, and plug the large plug into the large receptacle.
The moment is almost here: the HOG has arrived at the legendary lost
planet of Magrathea, and the natives aren't friendly.

In fact, they are sending up a bunch of missiles to vaporize the HOG
(hmmm, they really AREN'T friendly!). Now, push the switch on the spare
drive. Wow! Talk about improbabilities! The missiles have turned into a
giant sperm whale!

After accepting the congratulations of Ford, Zaphod, and Trillian (who
conveniently disappear into the sauna again), return to the Nutrimat,
where you will find, at last, a cup of REAL tea. Get the cup (you will
drop the No Tea), but don't drink it!! Bring it to the Bridge.

Drop the real tea (you will automatically pick up the No Tea). Remove
the dangly bit from the tea substitute, and put it in the real tea. You
have one more little trip to make. First, however, drop everything you
are carrying except the Babel Fish and the Aunt's Thing (yes, you have
it again, you just can't get rid of it).

Push the switch on the Drive. After a short stay in the dark, you will
find yourself in the whale's tummy (it may, however, take more than try
to get here, but you will make it eventually). There's a flowerpot here!
Get the pot, and put it in the Aunt's Thing. Now, wait around (you
really don't have a choice), and soon you will be in the dark again.

Ah, back on the HOG at last. If you take inventory, you'll notice you
don't have the Aunt's Thing. Don't panic! It will, as always, turn up.
In the meantime, go around picking up the various fluffs. The Zaphod
fluff, along with the tool box, will be by the hatch. Trillian's, of
course, is in her handbag, and Ford's is on the satchel, and the last
one is in the pocket of your gown (unless you took it out earlier and
dropped it somewhere).

The Aunt's Thing has reappeared by now, so go up to the Bridge. Take the
flowerpot, plant all four fluffs, drop the pot, and wait awhile. When
you see a tiny sprout has formed, take the pot into the sauna. When you
emerge, a changed man, you will also have a changed plant.

However, there is another problem! The HOG has landed on Magrathea, but
Eddie, overprotective as usual, has jammed the hatch shut. And, he's not
going to open it, no matter how long it takes him to check for dangers
on the planet (which will be quite a few years).

You are almost ready! First, eat the fruit from the plant (mmm, tasty!).
You have a vision, and pay close attention to it: the vision shows you
what tool Marvin will need to open the hatch. This varies from game to
game, and there is no way to know which one it is until you eat the
fruit. That is also why you have to collect all those tools. Get the
tool that you saw in the vision. If it happens to be one you haven't
seen yet, then you'll find it in Marvin's pantry.

The trick now is to find Marvin, and he's in his pantry, behind the
screening door. First, get the real tea. You automatically drop the No
Tea. But, you don't have your common sense anymore, so....pick up the No
Tea! Now, you have both Tea and No Tea at the same time!!

Go to the Screening Door. Open it. The Door, impressed by your being
able to have both Tea and No Tea will let you through! However, WAIT!!!
Don't go through the door yet! If you set foot in the pantry, you will
be overwhelmed by depression! So, that magic moment has arrived, the
moment you've been waiting for ever since you left Earth: drink the real
tea!! (Ahhhhhh, good to the last drop!)

All right! Now you can go into the Pantry (yay)! Marvin will be there,
sulking as usual. Tell him to fix the hatch. Marvin will grumble, but he
will agree to it, and tell you to meet him at the Hatch Access Space,
with the proper tool, in twelve moves.

As you already have the tool (thanks to the fruit), you can go directly
to the Access space (drop everything but the tool and the Fish), and
wait for Marvin. When he arrives and asks for the tool, give it to him.
Marvin will fiddle briefly, and the hatch will slide open.

Go out to the Hatch, and then down the Hatch. Wow! You have now set foot
on the legendary lost planet of Magrathea, and........

And what comes next, will have to wait for the sequel (and let's hope it
isn't too long a wait!!!)!

--<eof>

