IN 1995, TERRY PRATCHETT’S DISCWORLD UNIVERSE WAS BROUGHT TO LIFE BY A DEDICATED TEAM OF DEVELOPERS AND SOME STELLAR COMIC TALENT. DUST OFF YOUR LUGGAGE AND KEEP A BANANA AT THE READY AS WE SLINK OUT OF THE SHADES TO OFFER A MUCH-NEEDED GUIDE TO THIS NOTORIOUSLY TRICKY POINT-AND-CLICK ADVENTURE

WORDS BY TOM OLDFIELD

Aftera short but eventful prologue featuring Death himself, Rob Brydon’s notorious Michael Caine impression and a spot of immolation, the novice wizard Rincewind is roused from his slumber, high in the towers of the Unseen University. After a satisfying scratch, he hops out of bed then casually breaks the fourth wall as he squints at a “sinister shape” perched atop a distant spire before noting it as a potential plot element.

This particular plot element turns out to be a dragon, summoned by a mysterious, secret brotherhood to terrorise the city of Ankh-Morpork and the Discworld beyond. It would be poor PR for the wizards of the Unseen University to be caught twiddling their thumbs with a marauding mythical creature on the loose, so Rincewind is roped in to track the beast down and (in the spirit of the game) give it a good talking to.

The seeds of Discworld first germinated in the minds of two former colleagues at Beam Software, Angela Sutherland and Gregg Barnett. Angela had branched out to form Teeny Weeny Games and Gregg, Perfect 10 Productions, two companies that shared similar philosophies. Joining forces as Sutherland-Barnett, they conspired to pitch an idea to the prolific and hugely popular Discworld author and creator, Terry Pratchett. This idea would not only remain true to his much-loved universe but also compete with the big point-and-click fish swimming in the pond at the time, namely the Monkey Island and Sam & Max franchises, backed by LucasArts. After six months of cajolery, Terry agreed to work with the duo, and they set about creating a labour of love.

"RINCEWIND COULD HAVE POTENTIALLY BEEN VOICED BY JOHN CLEESE, THOUGH HE TURNED DOWN THE TEAM WITH THE FAMOUS PHRASE, ‘FUCK OFF, I DON’T DO GAMES!’"

Progressing through the story takes Rincewind on a fantastic, often abstract adventure through the shady streets of Ankh-Morpork, the forests and mountains of the Discworld and eventually time and space itself. Along the way, he’ll acquire a plethora of weird and wonderful items to stuff into his pockets or to keep safe within the magical maw of his faithful companion, the Luggage. Using these trinkets correctly will satisfy the wills and whims of the game’s eccentric denizens, although this is often easier said than done.