Space Quest 1 EGA Official Hint Book > Being stuck on a puzzle for too long is frustrating. On this page you won't find a walk through but the hints from the official hint book. A hint doesn't spoil the game like a walk through does.

General
story
credits
game information

Database
characters
planets
ships
inventory items

Game Help
hint book
point list
patches
fixes
saved games

Space Quest 1 EGA Hint Book
This page is about the official Space Quest 1 EGA hint book, released by Sierra in 1987. It's of the usual hint book size, namely 15 x 11.5 centimeters. It consists of 38 pages and does not only include game hints but also maps, a point list and a terrific "after the end of the game" section featuring stuff you might have missed. The Space Quest 1 hint book used a special hint marker to reveal clues. You had to uncover a question using your marker. An answer would magically appear in redish letters. But after some time the hints will disappear again, while the yellow ink of the marker remains. You can't re-reveal the hints that have disappeared over time, meaning the hintbook is a one-time throw-away product. People had the tendency to lose their special marker. You could order a new one for $1.95 using this order form (52 KB) but most people chucked out their hintbooks in pure frustration. Possibly because of all the disadvantages involved, a year later Sierra designed a new format that used the "adventure window" system. A funny note: the hintbook is written by Roberta Williams (designer of King's Quest).

Scans: cover close-up (28 KB) - marker pen in action (36 KB) - a map (20 KB) - adventure window version (36 KB)

General Questions
Aboard the Spaceship Arcada
The desert of the Planet Kerona
The underground Caverns of Kerona
The settlement of Ulence Flats
The Sarien spaceship, the Deltaur

All I do is wander around! There must be more to an adventure game than this?!
- "Look" a lot Perhaps you'll get a hint. Look for things laying around and take them with you. Every item you can "get" has a purpose, and is used for something.
- Return to the library (a second time) and hang out.
- A scientist will approach you in the library and give you valuable information toward beginning your quest.
- Before you leave the doomed spacelab, find the cartridge "Astral Body". It contains the instructions for destroying the captured Star Generator.

This game is too fast. This game is too slow!
- On some computers, you can type "slow", "normal", or "fast" to change speeds. Scenes with a lot of animation may run at "normal" speeds even in "fast" mode.

How do I "see" the items I'm carrying?
- Just type "look" and the name of the item.

How do I "drop" things I'm carrying?
- You don't. You're going to need everything you find. You may however, "use" things, thus consuming them.

Am I the only one who keeps "failing in my quest?" I'm tired of starting all over again from the beginning of the game. What am I doing wrong?
- Nothing. Everyone "fails" a lot in adventure games. That's one reason it's so satisfying to finally solve one. You problem is you aren't "saving" your game as you progress. Adventure games are designed to be saved periodically so you don't have to start at the beginning every time you make a mistake.
- Look at your manual for instructions on how to "save" game on your particular computer
- Once you know how to "save" a game, save it a lot! Especially right before you think something might happen to you, or when you want to try something risky. The more "saved games" you have, especially recent ones, the less you have to backtrack.

Where does my character put all that stuff he's carrying?
- The same place Superman puts his street clothes when he flies!

How do I get the magnetic chair to release me?
- This is the perfect example of a phony question. I put this here just to see if you'd fall for it. And... you did!
- Why are you reading this? I told you this was a phony question!
- In fact, there isn't even a magnetic chair in this game.
- That could be an interesting sensation, though. A magnetic chair.
- This just shows that even lots of answers don't validate a fake question.
- From now on, you must promise not to go around reading all of the answers indiscriminately like this. Even a big answer like this one could well be phony. Even a seemingly logical question may be wrong. Now, repeat after me: I promise I will not look at answers I don't need. There, that's better!

There are so many cartridges in the library. Which is the one I want?
- Be patient. Someone will come to your assistance.
- A scientist will stumble into the Data Archives the second time you go to this room and give you valuable information.
- Try to help the scientist. Listen carefully to what he has to say.
- Key words are: Astral Body. Need I say more?

I want to put the cartridge n the cartridge slot. Every time I try an alien zaps me!
- Well, that ought to tell you something.
- I'm afraid those nasty Sariens don't want you to do that.
- I'll be blunt, you can't.

The ship keeps exploding on me! I don't like that. What can I do about it?
- You can do nothing about the ship exploding.
- Try hurrying. You don't have much time to get off the ship.
- Get the heck out of there!
- Save your game a lot at the beginning until you have learned what you need to do in the shortest amount of time.

What happened to the Star Generator?
- That's a good question!
- The evil Sariens took it.
- It's up to you, Space Cadet, to find and destroy it before the Sariens use it for their evil purposes.
- It's on the Sarien spaceship, the Deltaur.

I see dead bodies lying around. Can I do anything with them?
- Why would you want to? Ugh!
- Well, actually you can. One dead crew mate can help you.
- "How?" you ask. Search his body or uniform. You'll find something you need.
- You can find a keycard in the pocket of his uniform.

How can I open or close the bay doors of the Vehicle Bay?
- From the Control Center overlooking the Vehicle Bay.
- In the Control Center is a control panel with two buttons. One is "open" bay doors, and the other is "close" bay doors.
- Flush the respective buttons on the panel in the Control Center to open or close the bay doors in the Vehicle Bay.

The Sariens keep shooting me! How can I fight back?
- You can't utter run away or hide.
- On the Arcada, you will get a warning that they may be approaching. You will "hear footsteps coming".
- When you get the warning, exit the room as quickly as you can.
- You can also try to hide from the Sariens. You can hide in the elevators (which incidentally will take you to another room), or try to get out of their line of sight be hiding behind the wall of an elevator.

There's one elevator that won't open for me. How can I get into it?
- You need a classified keycard to enter the elevator.
- You can find a keycard in one of your dead crew mate's
- Put the keycard into the slot in the panel next to the elevator. You now have "security clearance" to be able to enter the elevator.

I see two doors side by side in the Flight Preparation room. But, I don't know how to open them.
- This one's awfully easy. Are you sure you don't want to figure it out yourself?
- You're going to feel dumb when I give you the answer.
- Okay, you win. In the middle of the two closets are two buttons (see them?); push the right button to open the right closet, and push the left button to open the left closet.

How do I ride the janitor droid?
- Ha, ha! You fell for another trick question!
- There is no janitor droid.
- In fact, you are the only janitor on this ship!

How do I enter the Vehicle Bay?
- You need to open the door first.
- The door opens from the Flight Preparation room ( the room with the two doors).
- There is a recessed area in the Flight Preparation room. In that area is a control panel. Look at the control panel.
- There is a button in the control panel called "Airlock". Push it.

When I enter the Vehicle Bay, I explode! How come?!
- Tell me this - were the bay door open? Were you wearing your spacesuit?
- You can't survive in the vacuum of space without wearing your spacesuit!
- If you're not wearing your spacesuit, then you'd better make sure the bay doors are closed hen you enter the Vehicle Bay.

I need an escape vehicle. Is there one?
- Yes. It's in the shaft in the middle of the Vehicle Bay.
- There is a small control panel on the right side of the Vehicle Bay.
- Press the button on the control panel and as small escape pod (one-man spaceship) will come up the cargo elevator. Neat, huh!

How can I get inside the escape pod?
- You need to find a door in the space pod.
- Keep trying to "enter" the pod. You'll eventually find the right place.
- Stand at the left side of the pod and "enter the pod".

How do I fly the pod?
- "Look" in the pod first.
- "Look" at the control panel of the escape pod.
- You will see a few buttons, like "power" and "don't touch'.
- You had to go an press it, didn't you? Well, I hope you saved your game first. Did you enjoy your visit to Daventry?
- Turning the power on and pulling the throttle will get the pod going. First, close the door and buckle your seat belt!

I took off in the pod, but I keep getting "lost in space".
- Oh, I forgot to tell you in the previous question that there is another important button. That is the "Auto Nav" button.
- Push the Auto Nav button. It will lock you in on the first planet you come to. The pod will automatically land there. Be quick about it, though. You only have about a minute to push that button after you take off.

Now that I've crash-landed on a desert planet, should I just leave the pod?
- You might want to "look" in the pod once again to make sure you won't be forgetting anything.
- There's something very important in the pod that you should take.
- You won't know that it's there until you crash-land on the planet.
- A survival kit jarred loose inside the pod during the crash.
- Open the survival kit. You'll see a couple of interesting items.

The sand creatures keep getting me!
- Don't wander around off into the open desert!
- From the crashed pod, only go to the right or east.

Meteorites keep smashing me!
- I hate to have to point this out, but apparently sand creatures and meteorites like to hang out together.
- Look at the previous question.

I saw a UFO land and little green men got out!
- Say what! Have you been drinking too much Xenonian Ale?
- You don't think you've been seeing this, do you?
- Guess what? That's right. You fell for a phony question again!

I can't get away from the spider droid! It keeps blowing me up!
- When the spider droid comes, run.
- The spider droid won't go up the ramp to the cliffs. You'll be safe there.
- If you're patient, you can kill the spider droid by pushing a boulder that is on top of the rock bridge. Take careful aim.

The rock bridge crumbled and fell; with me on it!
- Watch how many times you cross the rock bridge.
- Notice small cracks appearing each time you cross the bridge.
- Crossing the bridge too many times will make the bridge collapse.
- On the fifth crossing, you die!

I looked in a hole in the cliff. Unfortunately, I got sucked in and my bones got spit out! What happened?!
- I hope you saved your game!
- Did you ever hear the old saying "Curiosity killed the cat." Well, it certainly killed you!
- Don't go looking in strange holes again!

I keep wandering around! Where am I supposed to go?
- It's not readily apparent where you're supposed to go. Look for any strange rock formations.
- Have you seen two stone pillars up on the cliffs?
- Walk between the stone pillars. You will be in for a surprise.

I found a cave, but it was empty.
- Later on, there will be "something" in the cave.
- A beast called Orat, lives in the cave.
- Be very careful of Orat. He can be very ferocious.
- He might not see you if you hide behind a rock in his cave.

How do I get past the grate? A tentacled beast keeps grabbing me!
- No, you can't get rid of the beast.
- Look very carefully at the grate. Do you see any way around it?
- You have to go around the grate.
- Very carefully, go to the far wall of the cave, get as close to it as you can, and then scootch along the wall of the cave, across the grate. The beast will try to grab you, but can't.

I see a door past the grate, but I can't open it.
- You need to do something with the small geyser.
- Remember, coming down the elevator? Well, there is a small rock at the bottom that you can pick up.
- Put the small rock on top of the geyser. The door will open, but don't ask me how it works.

Laser beams just cut me to ribbons! How can I get past them?
- Now, let's think back to crash-landing the pod. Remember the broken windshield...?
- If you "look" at the front of the pod when you are standing outside of it (on the open desert), then you will discover a broken piece of windshield on the ground. Get it.
- You can "use" the piece of glass to reflect the laser beams back into the laser units, and burn them out, thereby, disabling them.
- Pretty smart, huh?

The drops of acid fall on me, killing me!
- "Raindrops keep falling on my head..."
- Sorry. Got carried away there. Anyway, it's best to be in "slow mode" when trying to get past the acid drops.
- Type "slow" and press the return button to put yourself in "slow mode". Watch the acid drops for awhile. Time your movements very carefully and stop between the drips.

I met a big alien head, but couldn't understand him! what'll I do?
- Did you listen carefully? No, just kidding.
- There is a translator device you need to be able to understand him.
- You can find this translator device in the flight preparation room of your old spaceships, the Arcada. If you didn't retrieve it, then tough luck.
- The translator device you need is in one of the two closets in the Flight Preparation room of the spaceship Arcada.
- Don't forget to turn it on!

I stepped in space slime and it's stuck to my feet! Yuck!
- Don't you know better than to step in space slime?
- Just kiddin'. But, I caught you with a fake question. Better watch out for that!
- Be glad! Space Slime is disgusting!

Where is Orat? I can't find him!
- Orat lives in a cave in the desert of Kerona.
- Orat's cave is hard to see, so look carefully at the sides of cliffs.
- Orat's cave is located in a cliffside in the room just east of the rock bridge.

I keep dying of thirst on the desert planet!
- Well, it's obvious. You need to drink something.
- I hope you found the can of dehydrated water.
- The can of dehydrated water is in your survival kit.
- The survival kit can be found in the pod.
- "Look" in the pod after it crashes.

I need to kill Orat, but I don't know how.
- It would be tough to do it alone. Try getting someone to help you.
- How about your old friend, the spider droid? If he can kill you then I bet he could kill Orat.
- Enter Orat's cave with the spider droid following. Immediately, hide behind the big rock inside the cave. The spider droid will go to Orat and kill him instead of you!

I killed Orat, but the big alien head won't help me. Now what?
- You forgot to give him something.
- The big alien head wants proof that Orat is really dead.
- You need to bring the big alien head a body part of Orat to prove that he is truly dead,
- After you kill Orat, a body part will be left lying on the cave floor. Get it, and take it to the big alien head. He will then help you.

Help! How do I get the skimmer to go?
- How do you get a car to go?
- It's easy. Turn the key.

I can't control the skimmer. I keep hitting rocks!
- Relax. Take it easy. Slow down.
- Go in "slow mode" when you are riding the skimmer. Even going slow, it's hard to keep from hitting rocks.
- The skimmer moves to the left en right only. If you are having trouble controlling it with your joystick or mouse, try using the keyboard.
- When riding the skimmer, "aim high". Focus on a point on the horizon and don't take your eyes off it. Steer the skimmer at the point on the horizon. Your peripheral vision will see the approaching rocks and you'll be able to maneuver around them more easily.

How do I know how many buckazoids I have?
- Just "look" at your buckazoids (when you have them in your inventory). When you do this, you will be told how many you have.

How do I order a drink in the bar?
- Soo, ya want to drink, do ya? I hear that Keronian Ale is pretty potent stuff.
- But, if you insist on drinking, you have to wait for the bartender to ask you for your order.
- The bartender will ask you for your order when you stand at the right end of the bar.

The bartender won't serve me because I don't have any money. How can I get some money?
- Sometimes you can find money on the ground outside...
- Or perhaps you have something that you could sell.
- You can increase your money supply by playing the slot machine.

How do I play the slot machine in the bar?
- First, you gotta wait for the first guy finish playing.
- Second, you need to walkup to the slot machine and stand real close to it. When you are close enough, you will see a close-up screen of the slots. Follow the instructions to play. When you are finished, push F10.
- But.... third, you need some cash. Buckazoids.

I keep losing money at the slot machine! Help me!
- Well, gambling is gambling. Gambling is never a safe bet.
- Did you think you would always win at the slot machine?
- Okay. Okay. I'll help you the best I can... and this is something you could never do in Las Vagas. Save your game a lot when you play the slot machine. Every time you win some money, save your same. That way, you'll eventually get some bucks.
- Just don't get the triple skulls. That means death!

Should I buy the smaller, green droid from Droids R Us?
- Never trust a used droid salesman. If you're not careful, you'll get a lemon.
- The small green droid is nothing but a walking pile of nuts and bolts.
- Stay away from the small green droid. It'll fall apart on you.

I bought a gelatinous gimpadrome. What do I do with it?
- Aha! Gotcha! You just fell for another fake hint!
- You're got to quit doing this. Just stick to the real questions.
- I'm kinda curious myself, though. What do you do with a gelatinous gimpadrome?

I bought a sleep, silver spaceship. Now, how do I fly it?
- You can't. You need assistance.
- Only pilot droids can fly a spaceship of this kind.
- You need to get a pilot droid from somewhere.
- You can buy the taller, white droid from Droids R Us. That droid is a pilot droid. "Load" it into the spaceship, and it will fly the ship for you.

How do I know which sector to fly my spaceship to?
- Keep your ears open. Do a bit of eavesdropping.
- Bar patrons do a lot of talking.
- Keep hanging out in the bar. You might overhear something.
- You need to drink beer in the bar. Keep drinking beer until you overhear some guys talking. They will mention the sector you need to go to. Don't drink too much beer, though!
- Sector HH

I want to enter the Sarien spaceship, the Deltaur. But, I keep floating off into space!
- You need something to guide you in space.
- A jetpack would help!
- Don't tell me you don't have a jetpack! I think it's too late now.
- Back in Ulence Flats you could have obtained a jetpack. Remember the guy that offered to buy your skimmer...?
- In Ulence Flats, don't sell the guy your skimmer the first time he asks. He'll come back again with a second offer. Part of his second offer is a jetpack. Then, sell him the skimmer.

I managed to enter the airlock of the Deltaur. But, the other door will not open.
- Have you seen the robots come through the door?
- There is an opportunity here.
- Wait for a robot to come through the door and then hurry through it before the door closes again.

I see a trunk, but I don't know what to do with it.
- You can "look" in it and see that it is empty.
- You can put something in it.
- You can put your jetpack in it.

I'm in a room with a trunk in the middle of it. How can I leave? I keep getting shot by Sarien guards if I try leaving.
- Did you expect to be welcomed with open arms?
- You probably don't want to walk around in open corridors teeming with Sarien guards.
- There are other ways to leave a room besides a door.
- You might try the vent.

I see a vent, but I can't reach it.
- You can stand on the trunk to reach the vent.
- But first, you need to push the trunk to the wall where the vent is.

I want to open the vent, but I can't. Now what?
- You need to pry the vent open.
- But, you need something with which to pry.
- I hope you got the survival kit from the pod when you crash-land in the desert of Kerona.
- After you crash-land on Kerona in your pod, you needed to "look" in the pod before exiting it. You would have discovered a survival kit. In the survival kit is a Xenon Army Knife. Use the knife to pry open the vent.

I pressed a button and turned into a holographic image! How do I get out of this?
- Actually, it's probably an improvement.
- No, but seriously folks, you just ran into another fake question.
- I'm pretty good at coming up with fake questions, don't you think? Maybe I'm good enough to write my own adventure game.

I managed to enter a ventilation shaft. I discovered another vent, but I can't open it.
- The vent is stuck.
- No, the Xenon army knife won't help here.
- You need to "kick" the grate to unstick it.
- After "kicking" the grate, you still need to "open" it.

The Sariens keep shooting at me! What can I do?
- As you are, you are easily recognizable as an enemy alien.
- The Sariens need to believe that you're one of them.
- You need a disguise.
- In the "laundry" room, enter the washing machine. You will discover a Sarien uniform in it.
- As longs as you have the entire uniform on, you will be safe.

I lost my helmet!
- Oh, oh! You're in trouble now.
- Without your helmet the Sariens can see that you're not green like them.
- I hope you have your pulseray. You're going to need it for protection.
- From this point on, use "slow" or "normal" mode to be able to shoot the Sariens before they shoot you. If you are in "fast" mode, you will never have time to shoot them first.

I need an identification card. Where do I find that?
- Are you wearing the Sarien Uniform?
- Have you looked at the Sarien uniform?
- Have you looked in the pocket of the Sarien uniform?
- Well, if you haven't, then I suggest you do!

I see a gas grenade I want! How can I get it?
- You don't have authorization to carry a gas grenade.
- Of course, if you don't ask permission, you cannot be refused.
- Try to get the droid out of the room so you can steal the grenade.
- Show the droid your ID card. When he has left the room to check your records, quickly take a gas grenade.

I found the Star Generator! But, I can't do anything with it.
- Of course you can't. There is a force field around it.
- Get rid of the force field.
- "How?" you ask. That's a good question. The guard with the Star Generator has a remote control device on him. If you could only get that device...!
- The only way to get the remote control device is to kill the guard.
- But, be careful how you kill him!
- Kill the guard with the gas grenade.
- Kill the guard with the gas grenade from the upper level of the Star Generator room. Then, search his uniform for the remote control device. Use it to turn off the force field around the Star Generator.

I know I'm supposed to set the Star Generator to self-destruct. How do I do that?
- First, you need to turn off the force field (look at the prior question).
- I hope you know the code that sets the Star Generator to self-destruct. You don't!? Then, you're in a bad way, I'd say!
- Do you remember the Keronian piston room? The place where you go the skimmer? Well, you should have put the "Astral Body" cartridge in the computer. Doing so would have given you the Star Generator self-destruct code. O hope you saved your game at that point.
- Once you know the self-destruct code, key it into the Star Generator's control panel. "Look" at the control panel of the Star Generator.
- The Star Generator's self-destruct code is - 6858.

There's an elevator in the Deltaur that won't work. Will it ever work?
- Yes, eventually it will.
- But, it won't until you have set the Star Generator to self-destruct.
- Then, you can enter it to make your escape.

I set the Star Generator to self-destruct. Now what?
- Get the heck out of here!!
- you've got five minutes to leave the Sarien spaceship before it blows up!!
- Hop on the broken elevator to speeds up your escape.

I found a little spacecraft on the Deltaur. Is that my salvation?
- Yes!! Grab it while you have time!
- Get in it and leave before the Deltaur blows up!!
- Congratulations on finding this spaceship and leaving the Deltaur in one piece. You have saved the universe from certain tyranny by the evil Sariens. You are a hero!