Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy – 30th Anniversary Edition – Free Play Online
I remember in high school after an argument about games, my friend handed me a disk labeled "good text-based game" with this game on it. I'm sure we didn't have the same taste.<p>"New gamers may not see the appeal" is an understatement. The game takes inaccessibility as a badge of honor, or perhaps a badge of honour. It's not just lateral thinking that you need in order to get through the game... you need to lose, restart, and try again. Douglas Adams's humor (or humour) survives the translation to video game format very well but there's very little else about the game that is enjoyable, unless you are a masochist.<p>I can't remember if I finished the game or not. I do remember getting past the puzzle when you arrive on the Vogon ship. If you are tempted to use a walkthrough to beat the game, just go reread the book instead.<p>If you're interested in interactive fiction, you have 37 years of games to play since HHGTTG came out in 1984, and there are plenty of classics in there. My personal favorite is <i>Galatea,</i> which is itself an unusual game (only one location, many endings), and my "junk food" text game would be <i>Leather Goddesses of Phobos.</i><p>The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is one of my favorite books, but one of my least favorite games. It shows up high in interactive fiction rankings, but I suspect it's largely because some people are massive fans of the books.