Backpackers Guide to the Universe

Backpackers Guide to the Universe was published by Fantasy Software in 1984 and written by Bob Hamilton with Darren Hamilton. It is the third and last game featuring the character Ziggy, after The Pyramid and Doomsday Castle — and it is also an unfinished project, because only this first part of a planned three was ever written. Parts two and three never materialised.

Ziggy is worn out after his previous adventures and has gone on holiday to a remote corner of the universe. In practice that means a maze of caverns you fly through, looking for the exit key and collecting exotic creatures into your backpack. Along the way you shoot ring-wraiths with a flame-thrower, collect keys for doors and blast your way through the maze with explosives. There is no map and no automap, so you draw your own.

A curiosity: the cassette held two things — the game itself and a guide. The guide described each creature in a style that was plainly reaching for Douglas Adams, and contained information you needed to keep the creatures in your backpack alive. Without the guide the game loses half its point, which is awkward for a modern player.

Opinions are divided. Spectrum databases describe it as a dull maze game with no sound and poor graphics that is nonetheless fun for people who enjoy mapping. Its ZXDB user score sits at around 6.4 out of ten — average.

Controls are Q, A, O and P, with the bottom row to fire, symbol shift for status and break to return to the start and repair the backpack. Kempston, Interface II and cursor joysticks are all supported.