After being shunted into the time rip in the introduction sequence, Roger will find himself dropping in on the post-apocalyptic streets of Xenon, in the Space Quest XII time period. While wandering around the streets, be careful to avoid the zombies and security droids to avoid being vaporized. If you hear one coming, hide behind a pillar or under an overhang, out of sight. This will also score you a few points. Head off to the east and pick up the ROPE that is lying on the pile of rubble near the bottom of the screen. Now, return to the west and head west again. You'll find yourself at the wreckage of a skimmer. Examine the wreckage and take the POCKETPAL TERMINAL from the glove compartment. Now, head to the north to find an abandoned tank. Look in the hole and take the UNSTABLE ORDINANCE. Unstable, eh? That sounds dangerous! Replace the UNSTABLE ORDINANCE and be on your way.

Head to the north and hide behind the pillars of the building. Enter your inventory and throw the ROPE onto the ground. When the pink bunny marches by, use the HAND icon to attempt to snag him in your snare. When you capture the BUNNY, examine it in your inventory. Remove the POWER CELL from its back and place it in the POCKETPAL. Now, head south and to the west. You should be on a screen with a sewer grate on the ground. Pull it up with the HAND icon and drop through.

When you drop into the secret chamber, grab the JAR from the desk. Then, pull up the desk blotter. There, you will find a button. Press it to find out exactly what made Xenon such a pile in the first place. When the message is finished, open the sewer hatch on the left side of the screen. Once in the sewers, head up a bit and then all the way over to the left. From there, you can head down to the ladder leading out of the sewer. As you make your way past the the grating on the wall, a green slime will ooze out and begin to follow you. Scoop a bit of the SLIME up using the JAR you found back in the secret complex.

When you poke your head out of the manhole, you'll witness the Sequel Police's patrol ship land. After the Police clear out, leave the manhole and head for their ship. Climb into undercarriage hatch (the landing-gear compartment) and they will unknowingly fly you to the command headquarters. When you arrive, go left and wait for a Time Pod to appear. When its occupant heads over to talk with his partner, make a dash and hop into the Pod. If you're using the disk version of the game, this will bring up the copy protection for the game. Use the chart below to disable the timepod's security system. If you're playing the CD-ROM version, feel free to ignore the following meaningless chart.

Now, you're ready to head out. Very important: Write down the code that is on the control panel when you enter the pod. You will need this to get back to Space Quest XII later. Now, enter a random set of symbols or two to escape to Space Quest X. If you're having trouble getting out, sometimes a row of the bottom right characters--the ones that look like question marks--will work. Also, try the reverse of the SQ12 code.

Boarding the patrol craft and stealing the timepod are two of the "problem points" of SQ4 for faster computers. If you're having trouble boarding the ship, try downloading a saved game to bypass these troublesome segments of the game (or slow down the game using Mo'Slo or Turbo).

Space Quest X

Upon arriving in the much-less-bleak Space Quest X, you should head to the west and then to the outcropping on the far left hand side of the screen. This will cause the shadow of a pterodactyl to pass overhead. Now, return to the east (where you left the Time Pod) and head down the rock steps. You'll be nabbed by the pterodactyl and get carried off to its nest. Momentarily, a Sequel Police droid will join you in the nest. Use the HAND icon to search him and take the GUM WRAPPER you find on him. Examine the WRAPPER more closely in your inventory. Then, climb out of the nest through the hole in the bottom left side. You will fall into the pools below and be captured by the Latex Babes of Estros. Their leader (and your wife?!?) Zondra will drag you off to their complex.

After the submarine ride, you will find yourself strapped into a chair at the mercy of the evil Thoreen. As she is about to subject you to the horrors of the epilator, a giant Sea Slug will appear and scare away the Babes. When your restraints are released, press the red button on the chair. Then, grab the OXYGEN TANK sitting on the floor and toss it into the Sea Slug's mouth. When the Sea Slug is defeated, the Babes will take you off on a celebratory shopping trip to the monument of consumerism known as the Galaxy Galleria.

When the Latex Babes abandon you, be sure to pick up the dropped ATM CARD. Now, you can explore the Galleria a bit. Clockwise around the Skata-O-Rama, the stores in the Galleria are Sacks, Buckazoid Bill's Sushi Bar and Arcade, the Big and Tall Store, Monolith Burger, Radio Shock (or Hz. So Good in the CD-ROM version), and Software Excess. First, head for the Big and Tall Shop and get a fresh set of clothes. Then, go to Monolith Burger and sign on for a burger assembly position to earn some extra buckazoids. Be sure to get at least 70 BUCKAZOIDS before you're fired. When you are finally fired, return to the entrance of the Galleria and take your boss' discarded CIGAR BUTT.

Now, you'll need a clever disguise to take advantage of the ATM CARD you found earlier. After having examined the CARD in your inventory, go to Sacks and buy the black DRESS and wig for sixty buckazoids. Then, go to the ATM machine near Software Excess and, using the ATM CARD along with your clever disguise, empty the account. Then, enter Software Excess and buy the SPACE QUEST IV HINT BOOK from the bargain bin. Open up the HINT BOOK and read it through. Now, return to Sacks and switch back to your old clothes. Head for the Arcade and play Miss AstroChicken for awhile. When you're finished, walk upwards a bit until the Time Pod materializes. Then, loop around the row of games in the middle of the arcade and out the door without being spotted. Get on the walkway heading to the southwest. At sacks, switch over to the walkway heading northeast. Continue on this walkway until reaching the stairs leading down to the Skate-O-Rama.

You'll need to elude the Sequel Police at the Skate-O-Rama. This portion of the game works slightly differently in the floppy disk and CD-ROM versions of SQ4. The following sections are adapted from Peter and Jeremy Spear's The Space Quest Companion, Second Edition (Osborne McGraw-Hill, 1993).

Once again, if the Skate-O-Rama sequence seems impossible, you might want to download a saved game or try to slow down SQ4 using either Mo'Slo or Turbo.

Once you reach the Arcade again, hop in the Time Pod and be sure to write down the current code before you leave. Then, enter the combined codes from the HINT BOOK and the GUM WRAPPER (with the portion from the HINT BOOK first) and get ready for a blast from the past!

Space Quest I

Wow! It's good old Ulence Flats--complete with stunning EGA graphics! Make your way south to the bar and enter. Talk with the Monochrome Boys until you're kicked out. Then, kick over their bikes parked outside. As you run off to hide, they will come rushing out. Once they leave, return to the bar and grab the BOOK OF MATCHES. Now, head back toward your Time Pod. When the Monochrome Boys attempt to run you down on your way back to the Pod, jump out of the way at the last possible minute with the WALK icon. Enter the Time Pod and key in the code for Space Quest XII that you copied down at the beginning of the game (you did copy it down, didn't you?).

Back to Space Quest XII

When you arrive back in Space Quest XII, head to the rightmost screen of the complex. Throw the SLIME on the lock and enter. You'll find yourself in a corridor. Don't head down it! There is a laser security system in effect. Use the MATCHES on the CIGAR to smoke up the corridor enough to see the beams. Then, use the controls on the wall to rotate the beams until they're straight and you can walk through unharmed. The correct codes are 156 for the first pair of beams, 024 for the second beams, and 108 for the third. If you fool around with the beams first, however, these codes won't work. Enter the M.C. Escher-esque computer maze and look on one of the several terminal plugs and note its shape. Now, head back to the Time Pod, return to Space Quest X, go to Radio Shock (Hz. So Good) and purchase the POCKETPAL ADAPTOR that matches the shape of the terminals in the Super Computer. Now, go back to the Time Pod and return to SQ12. Attach the ADAPTOR to the POCKETPAL and plug it into one of the terminals. Wow! Plug and Play technology! You'll want to head for the area in the bottom-left hand side of the schematic.

You'll need to avoid the security droids patrolling the Super Computer during this sequence. Probably the easiest way to do this is to stand still for a few seconds immediately upon exiting the corridor with the laser security beams. When a droid appears, quickly return to the corridor. Wait for about ten or fifteen seconds and exit back into the Super Computer. There shouldn't be any droids to plague you now. Head to the left and into the command chamber. Enter the code from the SQ4 HINT BOOK and enter. You will find yourself in a Macintosh-style interface (shudder). First, flush the droid icon and then the brain icon.

Now, head up to the top level and enter one of the tunnels. This will bring you to Vohaul's inner sanctum. Much to your surprise, Vohaul is inhabiting the body of Roger's son! You have to fight him, pushing forward in order to avoid being pushed off the platform. After a short struggle, you'll knock Vohaul into the transfer beam, suspending him. Climb down the ladder to get the DISK Vohaul tossed away. Insert the DISK into the access panel on the platform and select "disk upload," "beam upload," move the pointer to Roger, Jr., and press "beam download." At times, this sequence can be troublesome. If the above method doesn't work, play with it a little. If performed correctly, you will save Roger, Jr., vanquish Sludge Vohaul (again), and complete the game!

Nicely done!

A job well done! You've successfully managed to complete Space Quest 4! Now, just sit back, relax, and enjoy the endshow.

Warp back to the Virtual Broomcloset!

Questions, comments, suggestions... jess@wiw.org