Ballyhoo (video game)

Infobox VG| title = Ballyhoo


developer = Infocom
publisher = Infocom
designer = Jeff O'Neill
engine = ZIL
released = December 15, 1985
genre = Interactive fiction
modes = Single player
ratings = n/a
platforms = Amiga, Apple II, Atari 8-bit, Atari ST, Commodore 64, DOS, TRS-80, TI-99/4A, Macintosh
media = 3½" or 5¼" disk
requirements = No special requirements
input = Keyboard

"Ballyhoo" is an interactive fiction computer game designed by Jeff O'Neill and published by Infocom in 1985. It utilizes the portable Z-machine, which allowed for the game to be released for many popular platforms simultaneously, such as the IBM PC, Apple II, Atari ST and Commodore 64. It is Infocom's nineteenth game.

Plot

The player's character is bedazzled by the spectacle of the circus and the mystery of the performer's life. After attending a show of Tomas Munrab's "The Travelling Circus That Time Forgot", the player loiters near the tents instead of rushing through the exit. Maybe some clowns will practice a new act, or perhaps at least one of the trapeze artists will trip...

Instead, the player overhears a strange conversation. The circus' owner has hired a drunken, inept detective to find his daughter Chelsea, who has been kidnapped. Munrab is convinced that it was an outside job; surely his loyal employees would "never" betray him like this!

As the player begins to investigate the abduction, it soon becomes clear that the circus workers don't appreciate the intrusion. Their reactions range from indifference to hostility to attempted murder. In order to unravel the mystery, the player engages in a series of actions straight out of a circus fan's dream: dressing up as a clown, walking the high wire, and taming lions.

Feelies

Most Infocom games contained feelies: additional items related to the game enclosed in the package. "Ballyhoo" featured the following feelies:
*An "Official Souvenir Program" from The Traveling Circus That Time Forgot describing each of the featured acts and listing common circus slang
*A ticket to the circus
*A toy balloon imprinted with the circus' name and logo (blue was the most common color, although a few orange or black ones were also shipped)
*A trade card for "Dr. Nostrum's Extract", a fictitious patent medicine hailed as a "wondrous curative" containing 19% alcohol

Notes

Munrab, the name of the circus' owner, is "Barnum" spelled backwards.

"Ballyhoo" was labeled as "Standard" difficulty.

"The Lost Treasures of Infocom" bundled 20 Infocom releases, including "Ballyhoo". This package as shipped lacked some information necessary to complete the game; the final page of the souvenir program was omitted. This page was an ad for a classical music radio station; at one point in the game, the player must tune a radio to the frequency listed in the ad in order to proceed.

Tagline

"Big-time suspense under the Big Top!"

External links

*moby game|id=/ballyhoo|name="Ballyhoo"
* [http://www.csd.uwo.ca/Infocom/ballyhoo.html "Ballyhoo" information and overview]
* [http://gallery.guetech.org/ballyhoo/ballyhoo.html Scans of the "Ballyhoo" package, documentation and feelies]
* [http://www.infocom-if.org/games/ballyhoo/ballyhoo.html Infocom-if.org's entry for "Ballyhoo"]
* [http://hometown.aol.com/graemecree/infobugs/ballyhoo.htm The Infocom Bugs List entry for "Ballyhoo"]