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About the StoryVampire Penguins. A Corpse Line. Meltdown on Elm Street. Who could forget these classic Hollywood movies produced by your uncle, Buddy Burbank? But his greatest masterpiece has yet to be experienced... Hollywood Hijinx, starring you!Your Uncle Buddy and Aunt Hildegarde have passed away, but their memory lives on in their Malibu mansion, filled with a lifetime of Hollywood memorabilia. And you've inherited it all, with one stipulation - you can only claim your booty if you find the treasures hidden throughout the sprawling beachfront estate. If you can't find the treasures in one night, you lose the whole caboodle. It's just the sort of thing you'd expect from Aunt Hildegarde and Uncle Buddy. And their home is familiar territory: you spent your childhood summers there with your Cousin Herman. Although some say the house is haunted, you're not fooled. You know that Uncle Buddy, who wore a different polyester leisure suit each day of the week, was always rigging the place with goofy gags and booby traps. Inside the house, everything is just as glitzy and full of fun as you remember it to be. There's the luxurious private screening room, the gold-plated bathroom faucets in the shape of Oscars, and the wacky props from old Buddy Burbank movies. The Malibu estate seems like a funhouse at first. But the puzzles you must solve prove that Aunt Hildegarde and Uncle Buddy weren't just kidding around. Claiming the Burbank bundle turns out to be quite a challenge - and it's all in your honor. Hollywood Hijinx is as zany as its author, "Hollywood" Dave Anderson. It's cram-packed with puzzles that will test the wits and tickle the ribs of both first time and experienced players. Difficulty: Standard Game Details
Language: English (en)
Current Version: Unknown License: Commercial Development System: ZIL Forgiveness Rating: Nasty IFID: ZCODE-37-861215 TUID: jnfkbgdgopwfqist |
Editorial Reviews
SPAG
Hollywood Hijinx is a late-period Infocom game, with a cheerfully kitsch theme and a premise of unabashed treasure hunting. You stand to inherit a fortune if you are able to discover an assortment of bizarre B-movie props in a very strange Hollywood mansion -- so off you go to hunt. It contains even more than the usual number of references to Infocom, and at no point does it seem to take itself terribly seriously. (Emily Short)
At the end of it all, nothing in Hollywood Hijinx stands out all that much. [...] I think the real problem is that even in 1987, Infocom had progressed far beyond the basic dry puzzle hunt this game provices. (R. N. Dominick)
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SynTax
If you think this is just another simple treasure hunt that you have played many times before, you are in for a big surprise. The game is full of the most intricate puzzles and believe me, some of them take some solving.
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Member Reviews
| Average Rating: ![]() Number of Reviews: 3 Write a review |

Despite all of which, it remains a solidly entertaining entry in the basic genre of Treasure Hunt in a Relative's Weird, Puzzle-trapped House. (See also: Finding Martin, Letters from Home, The Mulldoon Legacy, Mystery House, etc.) There are a couple of very ingenious set piece puzzles that are worth playing the game for all by themselves; and the tone is upbeat and engaging throughout.

The twelve-hour time limit would normally annoy me, but in my first playthrough I just relaxed, created an intricately detailed map, and explored each room leisurely. I ran out of time (and even made the game unwinnable by messing with some props), but once I learned what to do it was a blast to run through it one more time.
Hijinx captures the flavor of the times and the B-movie industry wonderfully, and is funny throughout. Normally I'm one to resort to a walkthrough pretty quickly, but for some reason I found the puzzles here fairly straightforward with only a couple of mind-benders. Regardless of whether or not you find the puzzles challenging or easy breezy, if you’re just looking for a good time and a few good laughs, this game is great.

Hollywood Hijinx is long and complex, more so than Zork. You play the nephew of a famous movie producing couple who have died and left you their fortune, on the condition that you are smart enough to find all ten of their movie treasures.
The premise didn't really excite me, but as I read the feelies, I began to be more interested. Also, I had heard many people mention this as a favorite Infocom game. Later, during the game, I began to really get into it, especially with the (Spoiler - click to show)remote controlled model of the Atomic Chihuahua set in Tokyo.
The game is hard. I literally couldn't solve the first problem: getting into the house. I had to look up the invisiclues. The game in general was complex, and I honestly just explored the house once, then relied on the walkthrough to see the rest of the game.
Only a few puzzles seemed really unfair, especially the 'last' big puzzle. But the creativity of this game is outstanding. If I had been looking for a long game to play over a month, this would have been it.
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Polls
The following polls include votes for Hollywood Hijinx:Solved without Hints by joncgoodwin
I'm very interested in hearing truthful accounts of at least somewhat difficult games (or games that don't solve themselves at least) solved completely without recourse to hints, walkthroughs, etc.
Great treasure hunt games by Molly
Good treasure hunting games in the vein of Zork and Adventure, although they may not necessarily be set in caves.
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