T H E  S P A C E   B A R
      
Background Story

You play Alias Node, a human on Armpit VI, a dismal
backwater mining planet where an ore called Uptite is
mined and refined into Upshot. Armpit VI is a "company
planet", so all government functions are controlled by
the corporation, Amalgamated Vacuum. You are a member
of the Amalgamated Vacuum Security Force (AVSF) -- a
company cop.

After 15 uneventful years on the force, you receive your
first big break. There has been a break-in at Corporate
HQ and some top-secret industrial secrets have been
stolen. The thief is hiding out in a spaceport dive
called The Thirsty Tentacle. You and your partner,
Maksh, are the only ones who can get to the bar and
apprehend the criminal before he can catch the next
shuttle offworld. The only catch: the thief could be
any one of the dozens of seedy characters in the bar.

As an AVSF member, you are trained in an interrogation
technique called Empathy Telepathy. If you talk to a
suspect long enough, and engage him/her/it on an emotional
level, you can enter that character's memories and
relive a memory through that character's eyes.

Each of these "emp-tel" flashbacks is like a small
adventure game, with its own story and challenges. In
addition, when you complete each of these flashbacks,
you will learn a clue that will help you solve the
mystery that faces you back in The Thirsty Tentacle.


How to Play "The Space Bar"

The interface of "The Space Bar" is very intuitive;
just point-and-click. As you move your cursor around
the screen, it will change to let you know what will
happen if you click in a given spot:

Left Arrow        pan the view to the left
Right Arrow       pan the view to the right
Up Arrow          pan up
Down Arrow        pan down
Forward Arrow     move to a new location
Magnifying Glass  go to a close-up view
Exit Sign         leave a close-up view
Hand              interact with a character or object
Red "No" Circle   nothing happens here

When you interact with an object or character, you will
get a menu of all the things you can do at this point
in the game. Note that if you "Pick up" an object, that
object will now become your cursor. You can click this
"wielded object" on another object to get a two-object
interaction (such as throwing the pie at the clown).

When you interact with characters, you must first
"Greet" them to introduce yourself. You can then give
them orders, ask them about specific topics, or chat
with them. Chatting takes you into a special chat mode,
a menu-driven free-form conversation. Chatting with
the right character can lead to an emp-tel flashback.

The icon in the lower left corner is for interacting
with yourself. It is also for performing actions that
are not attached to any noun, such as waiting.

Your Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), at the bottom
center of your screen, has many uses. Click on the PDA
to raise it into view, or to lower it again. The first
button displays a map of your current area. The second
button displays your stash -- those items that you are
carrying around for later use. The third button zooms
the PDA to give you a closer view of the map, your
stash, or any text display. The fifth button displays
your log, which is often filled with all sorts of
important information. The PDA has other functions as
well, but these are not included in this demo.

One final note: during the flashback with the Zzazzl
bartender, you can toggle "Zzazzl Vision" off and on
using the Scroll Lock key.

To quit playing the demo, press the "Alt" and "Q" keys
at the same time.




Top Ten Reasons Why You Should Buy "The Space Bar"

 1. Because, ever since you first saw "Star Wars",
    you've wanted to hang out in a sleazy spaceport bar.
 2. It was designed by Steve Meretzky, whose other
    games include Planetfall, Leather Goddesses of
    Phobos, and The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.
 3. It's really cool to own a game named after the
    largest key on your keyboard.
 4. Art direction by Ron Cobb, the Hollywood visionary
    whose creations have been seen in "Star Wars",
    "Alien", "The Abyss", "Back to the Future", and
    "True Lies".
 5. In addition to the bar, you get to visit eight
    different alien home worlds, experiencing through
    the bizarre senses of 8 different alien races.
 6. You want to check out the capabilities of BAGEL,
    Boffo Games' state-of-the-art adventure game engine
    with its panoramic views and 3D-rendered hi-res
    alien characters.
 7. Our moms can't buy 500,000 copies all by themselves.
 8. You can't wait to see the hours and hours of
    interactive conversations with members of 17
    different hilarious alien races.
 9. There are no other games in which you can play a
    gambling game called "Bibblebonk", or buy drinks
    like "A Vicious Leg Cramp in the Shower".
10. Because we have your pet snathercat in the airlock,
    and if you don't buy a copy in the next 15 minutes,
    we're going to cycle it.

Developer: Rocket Science
Publisher: BMG
Contact: 0171 973 0011
System Requirements

The minimum requirements for the Windows 95 version:

   Operating System:  Windows 95
   CPU Type & Speed:  75 MHz Pentium
   Memory:            16 MB
   Graphics:          16-Bit SVGA 
   CD-ROM Speed:      Quad-speed (4X)
   Hard Disk Space:   50 MB
   Sound Card:        8-bit Direct X-compatible Windows 95 sound card
   Mouse:             100% Microsoft-compatible mouse and driver