Distractions
Ah, how Douglas Adams must be chuckling in his grave - the BBC have resurrected the old Infocom Hitch-hikers Guide to the Galaxy text adventure. Despite the game being, well, ancient by modern standards, this has been my first encounter with it. I knew of it, certainly - it's achieved legendary status on the net (along with much of Infocom's output, such as the Zork series), but this is the first time I've had a go at it. And I have to admit, it's every bit as frustrating as I'd heard. It's almost taken for granted that games these days will molly-coddle their players. Devices such as multiple lives and continues are the norm, and on the whole minor mistakes will rarely lead to sudden deaths (though there are exceptions). It wasn't always like this, of course. Once upon a time the slightest error on would be rewarded with your instantaneous demise and HHGTTG hearkens back to that bygone era: I've lost count of the number of times I've been squished by bulldozers and disintegrated along with the rest of the planet earth.
Even when I've managed to avoid coming down with a bad case of death the game proves no less frustrating. The game logic is bound to Adams' unique wit, which makes it compelling and baffling by turns. I've been sorely tempted to give up on it several times now, but... perhaps after I've managed to get that darned babel fish in my ear...
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Hmm.. I never got past the fish either. I'll have to give it another try! :)
The babel fish is, quite rightly, regarded as one of the classic adventure game puzzles. In part because just as you work out what you have to do, you get everything in place, press the button to dispense a fish, and... well, I won't spoil it for you.
I never made it past the Nutri-mat drinks machine, a little later in the game. I keep meaning to dust off Frotz and have another go.
Oh, and if you *really* want 'frustrating,' try Adams' other Infocom adventure, 'Bureaucracy,' which grew out of his original attempts to get H2G2 made into a film. It's excruciating.
Ha! I've got a fish in my ear!
Let's see... first played this wen I was in college. Probably 2nd year. Which would be '91-92. Yeah, that's about right.
[ahem]
Thirteen years. Thirteen bloody years. That's how long it took me to get that smegging fish in my ear. And what really bugs me, the most infuriating part, is that I was only one move off the entire time. Perhaps worse, it's a move I was sure I'd already tried. [sob]