Space Quest IV: Roger Wilco and the Time Rippers

Last updated: January 16, 2026

Overview

Space Quest IV: Roger Wilco and the Time Rippers is a graphic adventure game developed and published by Sierra On-Line, released in March 1991 for MS-DOS with subsequent ports to Windows, Macintosh, Amiga, and PC-98¹². Designed by Mark Crowe and Scott Murphy, the game is the fourth installment in the Space Quest series and the first to feature Sierra’s icon-based point-and-click SCI interface and 256-color VGA graphics³¹. The game was released on floppy disks in March 1991 and later re-released on CD-ROM in December 1992 with full speech support, featuring Laugh-In announcer Gary Owens as the narrator⁴⁵. The game cost over $1,000,000 to produce but was a commercial success, selling more copies than all three previous Space Quest games combined⁴⁶. It was one of the first games to use motion capture animation and featured video-captured animation³⁴.

Game Info

Developer: Sierra On-Line¹ Designer: Mark Crowe, Scott Murphy¹ Publisher: Sierra On-Line¹ Engine: SCI (Sierra Creative Interpreter)¹² Platforms: MS-DOS, Windows, Macintosh, Amiga, PC-98 Release Year: 1991 Series: Space Quest Protagonist: Roger Wilco Sierra Lineage: Core Sierra

Story Summary

Following the events of Space Quest III, lowly janitor Roger Wilco is heading back to his homeworld of Xenon aboard the Aluminum Mallard⁶. Stopping at a bar for drinks and retelling his heroics to the customers, Roger is approached by two androids⁶. Taken outside, they reveal themselves to be under the employment of Sludge Vohaul, the villain of Space Quest II, who has been reborn in the future and is seeking revenge⁴⁶.

Before the androids kill him, two soldiers rescue Roger, one of whom opens a rift in time and instructs him to escape through it⁶. Travelling through the rift, Roger winds up on Xenon in the near future, devastated by a major disaster—in what the game claims is “Space Quest XII: Vohaul’s Revenge II”⁴⁶.

Exploring the ruins of the planet’s main city, Roger finds a recording revealing that Xenon developed an AI supercomputer to run everything, but it was infected with a virus—Vohaul’s mind digitized—that waged war on the inhabitants, killing or enslaving most of the population⁶. Finding he must stop Vohaul, Roger sneaks a ride to Vohaul’s base and steals a time-travel ship⁶.

Taking himself back several years, he winds up on the Planet Estros during “Space Quest X: Latex Babes of Estros”—a parody of Infocom’s Leather Goddesses of Phobos—where he encounters his future ex-girlfriend⁶. After rescuing her from trouble, Roger joins them on a shopping trip, acquiring items to assist in his quest⁶. Roger also visits Space Quest I, where the graphics and music become retro and he is threatened by a group of monochrome bikers who consider Roger’s 256 colors pretentious⁶.

Infiltrating Vohaul’s base, Roger finds the soldier who rescued him is actually his son from the future, and that Vohaul captured him⁶. After initiating the supercomputer’s reformatting process, Roger confronts Vohaul, defeats him, rescues his son, and liberates Xenon once again⁶. His son provides only minor details about his future before Roger bids farewell and returns to the present⁶.

Gameplay

Space Quest IV was developed using Sierra’s SCI engine with 256-color hand-painted graphics, representing a significant visual upgrade from previous entries³⁴. It was one of the first games ever with video-captured animation³.

Interface and Controls

• In contrast to the first three games, Space Quest IV uses a point-and-click interface similar to King’s Quest V³¹
• Actions include icons for walking, looking, using/picking up, talking, smelling, and tasting (the latter two mainly for comedic purposes)¹
• Objects can be examined in the inventory and selected as actions to use in environments¹
• Designer Scott Murphy preferred keeping the original parser interface, believing it added depth, but management overruled this decision to maintain consistency across Sierra’s modern games⁷

Structure and Progression

• The game features time travel through multiple “Space Quest” eras, including the dystopian future of “Space Quest XII,” “Space Quest X: Latex Babes of Estros,” and the original Space Quest I⁴⁶
• Features scrolling screens—a first for Sierra games at the time⁴
• Like other Sierra games, players must deal with deadly situations quickly to avoid game over sequences⁸

Puzzles and Mechanics

• Ms. Astro Chicken: Flight of the Pullet is an embedded minigame in the Latex Babes of Estros portion, appearing in a mall arcade³
• The minigame is a sequel to Astro Chicken from Space Quest III and parodies Ms. Pac-Man³
• Players control a flying chicken whose enemies include flying squirrels, windpumps, shotgun-wielding hunters, and hunting dogs³
• The arcade cabinet eventually explodes, though this has no effect on the broader game³

Reception

Contemporary Reviews

Dragon Magazine (September 1991) praised the game’s “brilliant” humor and “meticulous” attention to detail, calling the animation and music “amazing” and concluding “Space Quest IV is a great addition to a great series of games”⁹. Computer Gaming World’s Charles Ardai stated in 1993 that “the CD-ROM version is even more filling than the original. It accentuates and improves all of the game’s strong points,” with voice actors providing much better performances than in King’s Quest V¹⁰.

While noting that the CD-ROM did not change the brevity of the gameplay, Ardai added: “There are better adventure games than Space Quest IV [but] there are few games that are more entertaining. Fewer still are improved so much in the transition to CD-ROM”¹⁰. He concluded that “Space Quest IV is the perfect multimedia game: it looks and sounds great and it offers an experience one could not get from a floppy-based game”¹⁰.

In April 1994, Computer Gaming World said the CD version’s voices “bring Roger Wilco’s campy world to life… one of his finest and funniest adventures”¹¹. Jim Trunzo reviewed the game in White Wolf #30 (1992), rating it 4 out of 5, stating: “The game’s comedic bent camouflages the underlying tenseness of the conflict between the good guys and the bad guys. Great futuristic graphics blend perfectly with the simplified game play to make Space Quest IV: Roger Wilco and the Time Rippers one of life’s rare creatures - a successful sequel”¹².

The Amiga release was not as well received, with some reviewers citing poor quality of the conversion and some Amiga magazines grading it as low as 19%¹².

Modern Assessment

In 1996, Computer Gaming World ranked Space Quest IV as #1 on its “15 Funniest Games Of All Time” list, writing that it “transformed every sci-fi time-travel cliche with Gary Owens’ voice… providing the perfect comedic counterpoint”¹³. In 2011, Adventure Gamers named Space Quest IV the 48th-best adventure game ever released¹⁴.

The game holds a MobyScore of 7.5/10 with 69% positive critic reviews and ratings from 127 players¹. On GOG, the Space Quest 4+5+6 collection has a 4.3/5 rating¹⁵. My Abandonware users rate it 4.53/5 from 69 votes¹⁶. HowLongToBeat reports the main story takes approximately 4.6 hours to complete¹⁷.

• MobyGames: 7.5/10 MobyScore, 69% critics (127 player ratings)¹
• GOG: 4.3/5 (collection)¹⁵
• Steam: Very Positive (312 reviews, collection)¹⁸
• GameFAQs: “Great” (74 ratings), rated “Tough” difficulty¹⁹
• IMDB: 7.9/10 (162 votes)²⁰
• HowLongToBeat: 4.6 hours main story¹⁷

Development

Origins

Space Quest IV was developed using 256-color hand-painted graphics and was one of the first games ever to use motion capture animation³⁴⁷. The overall cost of the game was far greater than previous titles, exceeding $1,000,000—makingitcomparabletoKin{g}^{\prime }sQuestIV,whichwasthefirstSierragametocrossthe$1 million barrier³⁴.

The game was released originally on six high-density floppy disks in March 1991 and later re-released on CD-ROM in December 1992 with full speech support³⁴. The CD-ROM version featured voices from Sierra employees, except the narrator Gary Owens—a legendary voice actor with over 30,000 voice-over jobs including Roger Ramjet and Space Ghost³²¹. Notable voice cast included Jeff Bender as Roger Wilco, Scott Murphy himself as Sludge Vohaul, Josh Mandel as the Monolith Burger Manager, and future Gabriel Knight designer Jane Jensen as Maebot²⁰. When writing narrator lines, Scott Murphy always imagined Gary Owens speaking them; signing Owens was “a dream come true”²¹. Murphy later stated Owens was “a living legend in the entertainment biz whom we were both extremely privileged to have had the opportunity to work with”²². Scott Murphy later revealed that the CD-ROM version was not authorized by the Two Guys—neither designer worked on it, having moved onto other projects, and other developers implemented modifications to areas like Galaxy Galleria⁷. An Atari ST version was announced via Sierra News Magazine but was later canceled⁴.

Space Quest IV pioneered the use of digitally scanned artwork for backgrounds—the only game in the series to use this technique⁷. While Roger remained a bitmap-animated character, environments were created from acrylic paintings scanned into computer memory. Roger’s sprite was constructed within a 33×16-18 square grid, with animators creating hundreds of individual frames to simulate movement⁷. Developers organized rooms using 16 priority bands (horizontal grid divisions) to control object placement and character movement⁷.

The original game came with: a box, six 3.5” game disks (seven for Macintosh), Sierra game manual, Space Piston Magazine booklet, optional hint book for $9.95,Sierragamescatalogue,andseveralleafletsfromthird-partycompanies{[}^{r}ef-3].Thegamewasoriginallysoldfor$59.95³.

Josh Mandel, then a producer at Sierra eager to contribute creatively, wrote significant portions of the game’s text including the Bargain Bin descriptions, Radio Shock online catalog, fake Hintbook text, and look messages for locations on Xenon, Estros, and the Galaxy Galleria²³. According to Mandel, “Sierra’s lawyer would break out in an icy sweat every time he entered the SQ area” due to the team’s freewheeling approach to parody²³.

In a 2015 interview, designer Mark Crowe reflected on design decisions he regretted: “The most egregious one that comes to mind is the infamous Sequel Police at the Galaxy Galleria. That was just plain dumb”²⁴.

Version History

SCI1 Versions:²⁵

Game Version	Interpreter	Date	Notes
1.000.342 (beta)	—	1991/03/05	Beta distributed by “The Humble Guys”
1.052	1.000.753	1991/01/18	Initial VGA release
1.1	1.000.753	1991/03/05	VGA update
1.060	1.000.744	1991/03/12	EGA version
1.000 (German)	1.SQ4.030	—	Bilingual German/English
1.3 (Italian)	1.SQ4.057	—	Bilingual Italian/English
1.000 (French)	1.SQ4.057	—	Bilingual French/English
1.000 (Spanish)	1.SQ4.057	—	Bilingual Spanish/English

SCI1.1 CD-ROM Versions:²⁵

Game Version	Interpreter	Date	Notes
1.0	1.001.064	1992/12/07	CD-ROM with full voice
1.0 (Windows)	1.001.064	1992/12/07	Windows CD version

Voice Cast

The CD-ROM version (December 1992) featured full speech support with professional voice actors.²⁰²⁶

Principal Cast:²⁰

Actor	Characters
Gary Owens	Narrator
Jeff Bender	Roger Wilco
Stuart Moulder	Roger Wilco Jr.
Scott Murphy	Sludge Vohaul
Kelli Spurgeon	Zondra
Josh Mandel	Monolith Burger Manager
Jane Jensen	Maebot

Technical Achievements

• First Space Quest with 256-color VGA hand-painted graphics³⁷
• First Space Quest to use point-and-click icon interface³¹
• One of the first games to use motion capture animation³⁴
• First Sierra game with scrolling screens⁴
• CD-ROM version featured full speech support with Gary Owens as narrator⁴⁵
• MIDI music and Sound Blaster sound effects³
• Platform releases: March 1991 MS-DOS floppy, December 1992 CD-ROM, 1991 Macintosh, 1992 Windows 16-bit and Amiga, 1992 PC-98¹⁴
• System requirements: 286 CPU, 4MB RAM, 6MB hard drive, VGA graphics, 2x CD-ROM drive; sound support for Roland MT-32, AdLib, Sound Blaster, PS/1, and Game Blaster²⁷
• Disk vs CD-ROM differences: Floppy version has superior color handling and Windows compatibility; bikes in SQ1 sequence are colored in floppy but monochrome in CD; Software Excess clerk waves only in floppy version; CD-ROM originally offered speech or text (not both), though ScummVM allows simultaneous display²⁸²⁶
• Fully supported in ScummVM since version 1.2.0; runs on SCI engine at 320x200 resolution with 256 colors²⁸
• Speed bugs on modern systems: Cyborg encounters in SQ12 era, Sequel Police at Skate-O-Rama and Xenon, transport shuttle boarding, and timepod entry all run too fast; NewRisingSun patch addresses timing and graphics issues²⁷

Debug Modes

• Debug activation: Typing “backstage” during gameplay enables debug mode; Alt+V displays version number²⁹³⁰
• Alt+I: Access all inventory items
• Alt+M: Add 20 buckazoids to your account
• Alt+R: Display current room number
• Alt+T: Teleport to any room number²⁹³⁰
• Beta version commands: A rare beta distributed by “The Humble Guys” includes additional debug commands: Alt+A (ego status), Alt+D (debug toggle), Alt+E (show available objects), Alt+F (memory parameters), Alt+G (modify variables)²⁹
• CLASSES file trick: Creating an empty file named “CLASSES” in the game directory enables a chapter/location selection menu at startup²⁹
• Time pod debug patch: A modern fan patch allows instant travel between game eras without original debug codes²⁹

Easter Eggs and Trivia

• Secret Ortega time code: Entering a specific sequence (top row left to right, then leftmost symbol of second row) in a timepod transports Roger to the surface of Ortega from Space Quest III; a death message parodies the “This is your brain on drugs” PSA³¹³²
• “I Love Lunacy” easter egg: A different timepod code briefly transforms Roger into “electronic entrails of some long-lost civilization” displaying the message³¹
• Hidden QA credits: Looking at the unreadable sign in the bar staircase five times reveals full Quality Assurance credits (floppy version only)³²
• Bob Andrews cameo: Former Sierra programmer Bob Andrews occasionally appears at the Galaxy Galleria’s Big and Tall store “rummaging around, occasionally pulling out a pair of red shorts”³²
• King Graham carried by condor: In the pterodactyl’s nest on Estros, King Graham from King’s Quest can be seen being carried by the once-starving eagle from KQ5²⁷³²
• Cedric the Owl target: In Ms. Astro Chicken (Windows CD version only), Cedric from King’s Quest V occasionally flies by; hitting him awards 50 bonus points³²
• Luke Skywalker’s speeder: The crashed hovercraft on Xenon streets is Luke’s red speeder from Star Wars in disguise³²
• Get Smart reference: A trash can in the Arcade functions as one of the agents from the TV series when addressed³²
• Droids-B-Us lawsuit: Smelling the back of Droids-B-Us at Ulence Flats triggers: “Smells like another lawsuit coming back to haunt the Two Guys from Andromeda”—referencing the Toys-R-Us lawsuit from SQ1³²
• Two Geeks signing: When first visiting Software Excess, the bouncer mentions the Two Geeks From Andromeda are inside signing copies of their latest release³²
• Meta hint book: The bargain bin at Software Excess contains a hint book for Space Quest IV: Roger Wilco and the Time Rippers—the very game you’re playing³²
• Energizer Bunny parody: Sierra obtained verbal permission from Eveready for the bunny parody, proceeding based on parody protections²⁶
• CD-ROM typo: The Multimedia PC CD-ROM edge contains a typo: “trademards” instead of “trademarks”²⁶

Pop Culture Spoofs

• Star Wars: Zondra’s “Into the sub, flyboy” parodies Leia’s “Into the garbage chute, flyboy”; Imperial ProBots appear in the SuperComputer; Jebba the Hop spoofs Jabba the Hutt³¹³²
• 2001: A Space Odyssey: Admiral Toolman throws Roger’s underpants into the air, transforming into the DeepShip 86—parodying the bone-to-spaceship transition³²
• Alien/H.R. Giger: The Super Computer’s interior artwork resembles Giger’s biomechanical alien ship designs³¹
• Twin Peaks: A hint book question references “the one-armed man” with the answer “Ask Bob”³¹
• Software store parodies: “Boom” (Loom), “It Came For Dessert” (It Came from the Desert), “Sim Sim” (Maxis games), “Where in the World is Hymie Lipschitz” (Carmen Sandiego), “Cluck Egger” (Chuck Yeager’s Flight Simulator), “Hz So Good” (Hertz rental)³¹³²
• King’s Quest XXXXVIII: The bargain bin contains “King’s Quest XXXXVIII by Roberta Williams III”³²

Cut Content

• Dacron Danny: A bargain bin item removed from Software Excess; the recorded description called it “a character so offensive, so sexually inept, and so lame-brained”—a parody of Leisure Suit Larry³³
• Stunt Flyer: Another bargain bin program that was cut from the final game³³
• Hidden KQ6 room: An unused room discovered in source code via SCI Studio containing removed references to ZZ Top, the original Droids’R’Us logo, Hero Quest banner (renamed Quest for Glory), the Dinosaurs TV series character, and “Radio Shock” signage (changed to “Hz So Good” in CD-ROM)³³
• Unused audio: Multiple sound fragments exist in resource files that weren’t incorporated into the final game³³
• Roger’s original design: Early artwork showed Roger with a white shirt and purple sleeves; the final version unified his clothing colors⁷
• Alternate title screen: An earlier title screen appeared in 1990 promotional materials; the EGA conversion preserved the original design⁷

Bugs and Compatibility

• Error 47: The most notorious bug in the Space Quest series—the game crashes at the ComPost terminal in Sickbay with “Error 47: Not an object: $0script64994/$f29”³⁴
• Non-responsive NPCs: A bug prevents Blaine Rohmer (the endodroid runner) and Elmo from responding to dialogue; normally talking to them twice works, but Roger only says “Hey” and they walk away³⁴
• Animation glitches: On fast systems, the droid in the hallway “rushes by at the speed of light” and Roger appears to be “headbanging” instead of looking around³⁴
• Format countdown too fast: The supercomputer formatting sequence runs unthrottled, not giving players time to escape; adjusting the in-game speed slider can help³⁴³⁵
• File not found errors: “992.v56 not found” or “993.V56 not found” errors occur when running SCIDHUV.EXE directly instead of SQ4.BAT³⁵
• Sound issues: NT-based Windows systems require VDMSound to emulate Sound Blaster; Windows version users should change “synthtype=basesynth” to “synthtype=highsynth” in sierra.ini for proper music³⁵
• ScummVM recommended: ScummVM (since v1.4.1) resolves most known issues including timer bugs; NewRisingSun patches also address timing problems for DOSBox users³⁴³⁵
• Point bell glitch (CD-ROM): A bug prevents triggering the 3-point award when Roger changes back into his space uniform, leaving players with 312/315 points; keeping the unstable ordinance allows an alternate 332/315 maximum²⁰

Legacy

According to Sierra On-Line’s SEC filing, combined sales of the Space Quest series surpassed 1.2 million units by the end of March 1996³⁶. Space Quest IV was an instant success, selling more copies than all three previous Space Quest games combined³⁴.

After Space Quest IV, Mark Crowe went to work for Sierra subsidiary Dynamix in Eugene, Oregon, where he produced Space Quest V without Scott Murphy’s assistance³⁷. The game’s self-referential humor—with Roger traveling through his own past and future sequels—became one of the series’ most beloved elements⁶.

Collections

This game has been included in the following collections:

• Space Quest: Collector’s Edition (a.k.a. Roger Wilco Unclogged)²
• Space Quest Saga (The)²
• Space Quest Collection (XP)²¹⁸
• Space Quest: Collection Series²
• Space Quest 4+5+6¹⁵

Downloads

Purchase / Digital Stores

• GOG – Space Quest 4+5+6¹⁵
• Steam – Space Quest Collection¹⁸

Download / Preservation

• Internet Archive – Space Quest IV³⁸
• My Abandonware – Space Quest IV¹⁶
• DOS.Zone – Play in Browser³⁹

Manuals & Extras

• Space Quest IV Manual – Space Piston (PDF)⁴⁰
• Space Quest IV Hint Book (PDF)⁴⁰
• Space Quest IV Designer Letter (Japan) – pack-in feelie⁴⁰
• Sierra Chest – Space Quest IV – walkthrough, maps, easter eggs, memorabilia²
• MobyGames – Space Quest IV – covers, screenshots, credits¹
• Wikipedia – Space Quest IV – encyclopedia article¹²
• PCGamingWiki – Space Quest IV – technical fixes⁴¹
• HowLongToBeat – Space Quest IV – completion times¹⁷
• SpaceQuest.net – Space Quest 4 – game information, screenshots³
• SpaceQuest.net – SQ4 Point List – complete scoring breakdown⁴²
• WiW – Space Quest IV Point List – point-by-point walkthrough⁴²
• Adventure Classic Gaming – Mark Crowe Interview – design retrospective²⁴
• ScummVM Wiki – Space Quest IV – engine compatibility, resolution²⁸
• Sierra Help – Space Quest IV – patches, speed fixes, technical help²⁷
• SpaceQuest.net – SQ4 Easter Eggs – hidden content, secrets³¹
• SpaceQuest.net – SQ4 Fun Facts – development info, version differences²⁶
• Sierra Help – Space Quest Easter Eggs – cameos, references³²
• SpaceQuest.net – SQ4 Cancelled Content – cut content, unused rooms³³
• SpaceQuest.net – SQ4 Spoofs & References – pop culture parodies⁴³
• GameFAQs – Space Quest IV – user ratings, FAQs¹⁹
• SpaceQuest.net – SQ4 Cheats & Debug – debug commands, teleport codes²⁹
• Sierra Help – SQ4 Cheats – cheat codes³⁰
• Space Quest Fandom Wiki – SQ4 Development – technical innovations, sprite details⁷
• Space Quest Fandom Wiki – Gary Owens – voice actor biography⁵
• Space Quest Fandom Wiki – Technical Solutions – bugs, Error 47, timer issues³⁴
• SpaceQuest.net – SQ4 Fixes – patches, compatibility solutions³⁵
• TV Tropes – Space Quest IV – tropes, analysis⁸
• Guys from Andromeda – SQ4 Page – official Two Guys site, Gary Owens tribute²¹
• NeoGAF – Gary Owens Obituary Thread – Two Guys memorial quote²²
• IMDB – Space Quest IV – ratings, trivia, goofs²⁰
• IMDB – SQ4 Full Credits – complete voice cast, crew²⁰

Series Continuity

• Previous: Space Quest III: The Pirates of Pestulon
• Next: Space Quest V: The Next Mutation

References

Footnotes

1. MobyGames – Space Quest IV – developer, publisher, platforms, credits, ratings ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹ ↩¹⁰ ↩¹¹ ↩¹² ↩¹³ ↩¹⁴

2. Sierra Chest – Space Quest IV – Sierra history, collections, platforms ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷

3. SpaceQuest.net – Space Quest 4 Game Information – release details, original packaging ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹ ↩¹⁰ ↩¹¹ ↩¹² ↩¹³ ↩¹⁴ ↩¹⁵ ↩¹⁶ ↩¹⁷ ↩¹⁸ ↩¹⁹ ↩²⁰

4. Sierra Fandom Wiki – Space Quest IV – plot, technical details, production cost ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹ ↩¹⁰ ↩¹¹ ↩¹² ↩¹³ ↩¹⁴ ↩¹⁵ ↩¹⁶ ↩¹⁷

5. Space Quest Fandom Wiki – Gary Owens – narrator role in SQ4/SQ6, sarcastic commentary style, character interactions ↩ ↩² ↩³

6. Space Quest Fandom Wiki – Space Quest IV Multimedia – CD-ROM version, plot details ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹ ↩¹⁰ ↩¹¹ ↩¹² ↩¹³ ↩¹⁴ ↩¹⁵ ↩¹⁶

7. Space Quest Fandom Wiki – SQ4 Development – digitally scanned artwork, sprite grid, priority bands, unauthorized CD version, Roger’s original design ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹ ↩¹⁰

8. TV Tropes – Space Quest IV – tropes, game-breaking bugs, continuity snarl, easter eggs ↩ ↩²

9. Dragon Magazine – September 1991 (Issue 173) – Lesser family review: “humor in this graphic adventure is brilliant”, “attention to detail is meticulous”, “animation and music are… amazing”, “a great addition to a great series of games” ↩

10. Computer Gaming World – April 1993 (Issue 105) – Charles Ardai CD-ROM review, p. 34: “CD-ROM edition is even more filling than the original”, “perfect multimedia game”, Gary Owens performance praised ↩ ↩² ↩³

11. Computer Gaming World – April 1994 (Issue 117) – “Invasion Of The Data Stashers”: “bring Roger Wilco’s campy world to life”, “one of his finest and funniest adventures” ↩

12. Wikipedia – Space Quest IV – White Wolf 4/5 review (Jim Trunzo), Amiga 19% reviews ↩ ↩² ↩³

13. Computer Gaming World – November 1996 (Issue 148) – “15 Funniest Games Of All Time” list: Space Quest IV ranked #1, “transformed every sci-fi time-travel cliche with Gary Owens’ voice” ↩

14. Kotaku – Are These The 100 Best Adventure Games of All Time? (2011) – Preserves Adventure Gamers’ 2011 ranking: Space Quest IV at #48 ↩

15. GOG – Space Quest 4+5+6 – purchase, user reviews ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴

16. My Abandonware – Space Quest IV – platforms, availability ↩ ↩²

17. HowLongToBeat – Space Quest IV – completion times ↩ ↩² ↩³

18. Steam – Space Quest Collection – purchase, user reviews ↩ ↩² ↩³

19. GameFAQs – Space Quest IV – user ratings, difficulty rating, FAQs ↩ ↩²

20. IMDB – Space Quest IV – 7.9/10 rating, voice cast (Jeff Bender, Scott Murphy as Vohaul, Jane Jensen, Josh Mandel), point glitch bug, trivia ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷

21. Guys from Andromeda – Space Quest IV – official Two Guys site, Gary Owens 30K voice jobs, Roger Ramjet/Space Ghost, Scott Murphy “dream come true” quote ↩ ↩² ↩³

22. NeoGAF – Gary Owens Obituary – Two Guys “living legend” memorial quote after Owens’ 2015 death ↩ ↩²

23. Virtual Broomcloset – Josh Mandel Interview – writing contributions, Sierra lawyer anecdote ↩ ↩²

24. Adventure Classic Gaming – Mark Crowe Interview – design regrets, Sequel Police criticism ↩ ↩²

25. SCI Wiki – Space Quest IV – SCI interpreter versions, release dates, patches ↩ ↩²

26. SpaceQuest.net – SQ4 Fun Facts – Gary Owens biography, disk vs CD differences, Energizer Bunny permission, CD typo ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵

27. Sierra Help – Space Quest IV – system requirements, speed bugs, patches, King Graham condor easter egg ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴

28. ScummVM Wiki – Space Quest IV – ScummVM 1.2.0 support, SCI engine, 320x200 resolution, 256 colors, simultaneous speech+text ↩ ↩² ↩³

29. SpaceQuest.net – SQ4 Cheats & Debug – debug activation, Alt key commands, beta version commands, CLASSES file trick, teleport codes ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶

30. Sierra Help – SQ4 Cheats – Alt+I, Alt+M, Alt+R, Alt+T commands ↩ ↩² ↩³

31. SpaceQuest.net – SQ4 Easter Eggs – Ortega time code, Lunacy easter egg, Star Wars references, H.R. Giger influence ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷

32. Sierra Help – Space Quest Easter Eggs – Bob Andrews cameo, QA credits, Luke’s speeder, Cedric target, Get Smart reference ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹ ↩¹⁰ ↩¹¹ ↩¹² ↩¹³ ↩¹⁴ ↩¹⁵

33. SpaceQuest.net – SQ4 Cancelled Content – Dacron Danny, Stunt Flyer, hidden KQ6 room, unused audio ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵

34. Space Quest Fandom Wiki – Technical Solutions – Error 47, non-responsive NPCs, animation glitches, timer issues ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶

35. SpaceQuest.net – SQ4 Fixes – file not found errors, sound issues, format countdown fix, ScummVM/DOSBox solutions ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵

36. SEC Filing – Sierra On-Line 10-K (March 1996) – “Space Quest… sold more than 1.2 million copies in this series” ↩

37. Dynamix Fandom Wiki – Mark Crowe – designer biography ↩

38. Internet Archive – Space Quest IV – preservation, historical versions ↩

39. DOS.Zone – Space Quest IV – play in browser ↩

40. Virtual Broomcloset – Publications Archive – manuals, hint books, pack-in feelies ↩ ↩² ↩³

41. PCGamingWiki – Space Quest IV – technical specs, fixes ↩

42. WiW – Space Quest IV Point List – complete point list ↩ ↩²

43. SpaceQuest.net – SQ4 Spoofs & References – Star Wars, Twin Peaks, Alien, Carmen Sandiego parodies ↩