In Search of the Most Amazing Thing

• Release Date: 1983
• Genre: Action
• Style: Action Adventure
• Similar Games: Gust Buster (ColecoVision)

Game Description

As the title of the game indicates, In Search of the Most Amazing Thing puts you on a quest to find The Most Amazing Thing. This incredible artifact, which is currently in the form of a golden metallic ball, supposedly holds great powers and may even hold the key to the meaning of life!

To find the object of your desire, you will pilot a B-liner given to you by your Uncle Smoke Bailey, who originally found The Most Amazing Thing, but then lost it. The B-liner is something of a cross between a hot air balloon and a sci-fi dune buggy. When in flight (by way of B-liner or jetpack), you must navigate through storms and fog over Darksome Mire, home of the hut-dwelling Mire People. When on land, the B-liner's special tires will keep you from sinking in the sticky tar ground.

Once you reach the underground city of Metallica (not to be confused with the popular hard rock band), you should go to Smoke's apartment for a little advice and information. He will fill you in on what to expect during your mission, such as the fearsome Mire Crabs that you should avoid, the Popberries that you can eat, and the Night Rocks that provide fuel for your vehicle.

Smoke will also give you items you can use to trade with robots for chips, which in turn can be used to purchase useful (and not so useful) gizmos at the Galactic Store. Household gizmos include POSIX (an electronic trash destroyer), HOVAK (a radio-controlled pencil sharpener, ESSEX (a digital lawnmower), LIFT 5 (a spare elevator button), ZENER (a radio-controlled pencil sharpener) and 10 other silly gadgets.

Gizmos of higher importance include eight different flight control panel meters you can use to help operate the B-liner and five different programs for the onboard computer system. These items will help you locate huts, show you what direction you are moving, help you translate important words and phrases, enable you to write songs for use in trade and much more.

Each time you find The Most Amazing Thing, its location will change, providing impetus for you to play the game again. If you are not in the mood to play the game, you may want to read The Adventures of Smoke Bailey, a 76-page novella by Jim Morrow that is included in the package.

The makers of In Search of the Most Amazing Thing promote this game as an educational title. The back of the box offers the following:

"Educational Value: Sharpen your ability to estimate distances and quantities, become aware of distance, direction and time, solve problems through trial and error, and develop a knack for economic and monetary principles."

Production Credits