Sierra Games

Space Quest I: Roger Wilco in the Sarien Encounter

Last updated: October 9, 2026

Overview

Space Quest I: Roger Wilco in the Sarien Encounter is a 1991 VGA remake of the original 1986 Space Quest: The Sarien Encounter, developed and published by Sierra On-Line for MS-DOS, Amiga, and Macintosh12.

Designed by Mark Crowe and Scott Murphy, the remake features enhanced 256-color VGA graphics, Sound Blaster support, digitized sounds, and a point-and-click icon interface replacing the original text parser324.

The VGA graphics were deliberately drawn in a 1950s B-movie style14.

Released on August 20, 1991, some puzzles were changed or replaced with new solutions to accommodate the new interface, and it became possible to skip the arcade sequences24.

According to the fan site SpaceQuest.net, the remake was “marketed very aggressively”, but like Sierra’s other VGA remakes of the period it “flopped with a bang”5.

Story Summary

The remake retells the story of the original 1986 release7. In the Earnon galaxy, Roger Wilco works as a janitor on the research ship Arcada; he wakes from a nap in his broom closet to discover that the Sariens have boarded and taken over the ship7. They have made off with the Star Generator, an experimental device that would be catastrophic in their hands7.

Taking a keycard from a dead crewman, Roger escapes in a pod just before the Arcada blows itself up7. He crash-lands on Kerona, a parched desert world, and destroys a spider-droid the Sariens have sent after him7. In nearby caves, a mysterious figure promises help if Roger slays a monster called Orat7.

With Orat dealt with, the figure gives Roger a skimmer so he can reach the settlement of Ulence Flats and find a ship7. There he wins money on a cantina slot machine, buys a ship and a navigation droid to fly it, and overhears where the Sarien ship Deltaur is located7.

Aboard the Deltaur, Roger disguises himself as a Sarien, sets the Star Generator to self-destruct, and gets clear just before the ship explodes7. The grateful people of Xenon reward him with the Golden Mop7.

Gameplay

The remake uses Sierra’s SCI game engine with a point-and-click interface and icons along the top of the screen, replacing the AGI engine’s text parser2. The new version features enhanced graphics (256-color VGA) and Sound Blaster support2.

Interface and Controls

  • Point-and-click interface with icons along the top of the screen24
  • No longer requires typing commands; players can interact using mouse-driven icons1
  • The text parser is completely replaced by the icon interface2
  • Mouse support for movement and interaction1
  • Introduces “Smell” and “Taste” icons alongside standard Walk, Use, and Talk—these have no practical use but provoke humorous responses8

Structure and Progression

  • The game takes place across the same locations as the original: the Arcada spaceship, the desert planet Kerona, the town of Ulence Flats, and the Sarien ship Deltaur7
  • It is possible to skip the arcade sequences2
  • Several additional scenes and more elaborate text descriptions enhance the humorous effect2

Puzzles and Mechanics

  • Some puzzles have been slightly changed to accommodate the new interface2
  • As a form of copy protection, coordinates in the VGA version while in the escape pod and the rocket purchased at Tiny’s Used Spaceships are only found in the manual49
  • The code for retrieving the cartridge aboard the Arcada can only be found in the manual9
  • Maximum score is 201 points in VGA (vs 202 in EGA)10
  • VGA-exclusive actions: Get widget, get plant, use plant on grate monster, leave Deltaur airlock, get ID card—these replaced several EGA-only actions like lifting the platform and kicking the dead body10
  • VGA-exclusive items: A magnet on the Arcada’s Star Generator base and extra cash hidden in bar dust are unique to the VGA version; the magnet can be used on the Slots-o-Death machine to win consistently11

Reception

Contemporary Reviews

Dragon Magazine (January 1992) praised the redesigned VGA version, noting the upgraded 256-color graphics, improved point-and-click interface, better music, and digitized speech, concluding: “The game plays far better than before and is highly enjoyable, richly deserving its fame”12. Writing for VideoGames & Computer Entertainment, Arnie Katz noted that the game “benefited from a recent face-lift,” adding: “The graphics are much better, and the point-and-click interface makes play easier than the parser-driven original”13.

SpaceQuest.net’s history of the game says that, like Sierra’s other VGA remakes of the time (Leisure Suit Larry I, King’s Quest I, Police Quest I), it was “marketed very aggressively, but to no avail as all of these remakes flopped with a bang”5; no sales figures for the remake have been published.

Modern Assessment

Retro Freak Reviews recommended the remake over the original, stating that the humor, art, animation, and music were improved14. The game holds a MobyScore of 7.4/10 with 70% positive critic reviews and ratings from 67 players2. On GOG, the Space Quest 1+2+3 collection has a 4.3/5 rating15. My Abandonware users rate it 4.49/5 from 45 votes1. HowLongToBeat reports the main story takes approximately 3 hours to complete16.

  • MobyGames: 7.4/10 MobyScore, 70% critics (67 player ratings)2
  • GOG: 4.3/5 (collection)15
  • Steam: Very Positive (collection; 85% positive as of October 2026)17
  • HowLongToBeat: 3 hours main story16

Development

Origins

Around 1990-1991, Sierra began releasing VGA remakes of their mid-1980s hits using the new SCI gaming system5. This offered them a chance to try out the new engine, and among these releases were Leisure Suit Larry I, King’s Quest I, Police Quest I, and Space Quest I5.

Space Quest I was given an overhaul when it was remade using Sierra’s SCI language, which allowed the game to upgrade from its original EGA graphics to VGA4. The VGA graphics were drawn deliberately in a 1950s B-movie style14. Scott Murphy later admitted he had little say in the art direction: “The VGA art designer wanted an old fashioned space movie look. It sounded good in theory but wasn’t executed as was advertised”18. Much of the artwork was outsourced to Korea—Murphy jokingly blamed “The Simpsons” for this industry trend18. In addition to the new graphics, it featured digitized sounds and an icon interface4.

According to SpaceQuest.net’s Troels Pleimert, the remake “was created entirely without The Two Guys’ input”19.

Both are nonetheless credited as Game Designers in the final product20.

The credits list Bill Davis as Creative Director, Douglas Herring and Scott Murphy as Directors, and Herring also as Art Designer207.

Scott Murphy reportedly gave management a list of things he disliked, chiefly the retro art style, and was told, “we can’t change that this far along in development”19.

Roger Wilco’s hair color was also changed from brown to blond in this version5.

An early concept for the original game would have let players choose a male or female character, reportedly dropped because every animation frame would have been needed for both and storage space was limited21.

Several of the puzzles from the original game were changed or replaced with new solutions4. Fans are sharply divided between which version of the game they prefer: many enjoy the rich graphical layout of the 1991 remake, while others appreciate the historical purity of the original4.

The game was released in both VGA and a rare EGA version based on the VGA version, and a 32-color Amiga version4. Ken Allen composed the music for the remake2.

Technical Achievements

  • Used Sierra’s SCI engine with 256-color VGA graphics32
  • Point-and-click icon interface replacing the text parser24
  • Sound Blaster support and digitized sounds2
  • 1950s B-movie art style for all graphics14
  • Additional scenes and more elaborate text descriptions2
  • Platform releases: August 20, 1991 MS-DOS, 1991 Amiga, 1992 Macintosh24
  • System requirements: 286 CPU, 640KB RAM, DOS 5.0, 6MB hard drive, VGA/MCGA graphics; sound support for AdLib, Sound Blaster, Roland MT-32, Pro Audio Spectrum, Game Blaster, and PC Speaker; General MIDI support via patch2223
  • Original media: Five 5.25” or four 3.5” floppy disks; later Kixx re-release on CD-ROM23
  • Localization: A Spanish/English bilingual version was also released6
  • Fully supported in ScummVM since version 1.2.0; runs on SCI engine at 320x200 resolution with 256 colors24
  • The Amiga version was a 32-color conversion4
  • Speed bugs on modern systems: The acid rain sequence in Kerona cave, desert dehydration timer, and Spider Droid arrival all run too fast; official Sierra patches fix memory and SoundBlaster initialization issues, while NewRisingSun patches address timing bugs622

Easter Eggs and Trivia

  • King Graham cameo: In the VGA ending sequence, King Graham from King’s Quest appears to award Roger the Golden Mop—a crossover between Sierra’s flagship franchises11
  • ZZ Top legal issue: The game originally featured a band resembling ZZ Top, but legal concerns from the band’s lawyers forced Sierra to change it—later versions replaced the ZZ Top sprites with a generic alien band (two small aliens and an alien drummer); removing all *.v56 files restores the original sprites1122
  • Latex Babe easter egg: Using the TONGUE icon on the purple spiral above the doorway after obtaining the Sarien uniform triggers a glitchy Latex Babe animation25
  • “Don’t Press” button: Pressing the button in the escape pod transports Roger to Nottingham Castle from Conquests of the Longbow (fatal). In the 1986 original the same button dropped him at Daventry from King’s Quest I, complete with moat alligators and Ken and Roberta Williams overheard inside; the remake removed the King’s Quest references118
  • Instant replay death: One VGA death scene features the Two Guys from Andromeda popping up to announce an instant replay of Roger’s particularly stupid moment8
  • Sci-fi references: New to the remake, the music in Kerona’s hologram area opens like the theme from 2001: A Space Odyssey26
  • Cameos: Robbie the Robot from “Forbidden Planet” works as the store droid; a Star Trek Warbird appears when selecting wrong coordinates; the time pod from Space Quest IV appears when leaving Ulence Flats; Blues Brothers and Madonna appear in the bar11
  • Hitchhiker’s Guide references: The triple-breasted hooker from Eroticon VI sits at the Ulence Flats bar; the arms dealer on the Sarien ship sounds like Marvin the Paranoid Android278
  • Hayao Miyazaki reference: The robot shop features “Hay-A-O,” a creature resembling characters from Laputa: Castle in the Sky, named after director Hayao Miyazaki8
  • Droids-B-Us parodies: The store features Dalek robots (Doctor Who), Maximillian (The Black Hole), Huey (Silent Running), and the Lost in Space babysitter droid; fan sources say the Two Guys won the Toys-R-Us lawsuit over the original game’s “Droids-R-Us”, though the store was renamed Droids-B-Us, and the remake added a Toys-R-Us-style giraffe logo4268
  • Removed crossover: In the 1986 original, a Sarien guard (programmed in by Ken Williams) chatted about King’s Quest II and III; the remake dropped the King’s Quest dialogue references262
  • Dev trivia: Kerona was named after Corona beer, the developers’ preferred drink in 198626; manual credits Scott Murphy as director despite him not working on the VGA remake28
  • Packaging: The remake was sold in 16-color and 256-color packages, and was also offered via a mail-order deal, some copies shipping in original-1986 boxes2

Version History

  • 2.000 (interpreter T.A00.081, 1991-08-20) — original VGA release; also a Spanish/English 2.000 release and a patched 2.000 (interpreter 1.SQ1.004)6
  • 2.000 (interpreter 1.SQ1.004, 1991-08-28) — SCI EGA version6

Legacy

Although the remake received positive reviews, fan histories describe it, like Sierra’s other VGA remakes of the era, as a commercial flop511. 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 199629.

In 1992, Adventure Comics (a division of Malibu Graphics) published a three-issue comic series titled “The Adventures of Roger Wilco” based on the original game’s plot, with issues released in February, April, and May 199230. The remake followed Space Quest IV (March 1991), adopting that game’s “Roger Wilco in/and the…” naming convention; a time pod from Space Quest IV even appears when leaving Ulence Flats7.

Collections

This game has been included in the following collections:

  • The Space Quest Trilogy31
  • Sierra Adventure Starter Kit (1992)31
  • The Space Quest Saga31
  • Space Quest: Collector’s Edition (a.k.a. Roger Wilco Unclogged)3231
  • Space Quest: Collection Series3231
  • Space Quest Collection (XP)1731

Downloads

Purchase / Digital Stores

Download / Preservation

Manuals & Extras

See Also

References

Footnotes

  1. My Abandonware – Space Quest I VGA – platforms, availability, user reviews ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6 ↩7 ↩8

  2. MobyGames – Space Quest I VGA – developer, publisher, platforms, credits, ratings ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6 ↩7 ↩8 ↩9 ↩10 ↩11 ↩12 ↩13 ↩14 ↩15 ↩16 ↩17 ↩18 ↩19 ↩20 ↩21 ↩22 ↩23 ↩24

  3. SpaceQuest.net – Space Quest 1 – manual backstory (Earnon galaxy, Xenon, Arcada) ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  4. Sierra Fandom Wiki – Space Quest I VGA – SCI engine details, versions ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6 ↩7 ↩8 ↩9 ↩10 ↩11 ↩12 ↩13 ↩14 ↩15 ↩16 ↩17 ↩18

  5. SpaceQuest.net – Space Quest 1 Game Information – VGA remake background, reception, Roger’s hair color change ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6

  6. SCI Wiki – Space Quest I SCI – SCI engine details, versions ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6

  7. Wikipedia – Space Quest I – encyclopedia article ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6 ↩7 ↩8 ↩9 ↩10 ↩11 ↩12 ↩13 ↩14

  8. Hardcore Gaming 101 – Space Quest I – Smell/Taste icons, Hayao Miyazaki reference, instant replay death, Conquests of Longbow easter egg ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6 ↩7

  9. Virtual Broomcloset – Publications Archive – manuals, hint books ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6 ↩7

  10. SpaceQuest.net – SQ1 Point Lists – EGA vs VGA point comparison, max scores ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  11. Space Quest FAQ – King Graham cameo, ZZ Top legal issue ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6 ↩7

  12. Dragon Magazine – January 1992 (Issue 177) – Lesser family review: “Sierra has redesigned this classic science-fiction adventure”, “upgraded graphics to 256 colors (VGA)”, “The game plays far better than before and is highly enjoyable, richly deserving its fame” ↩

  13. VideoGames & Computer Entertainment – April 1992 – Arnie Katz “Electronic Gaming Comedy” feature, p. 84: “benefited from a recent face-lift”, “graphics are much better”, “point-and-click interface makes play easier” ↩

  14. Retro Freak Reviews – Space Quest I Review (2017) – “I also recommend the remake over the original version”; “Almost everything is improved in the remake” ↩

  15. GOG – Space Quest 1+2+3 – purchase, user reviews ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  16. HowLongToBeat – Space Quest I – completion times ↩ ↩2 ↩3

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

  18. Virtual Broomcloset – Scott Murphy Interview – VGA remake art direction, Korea outsourcing ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  19. Guys From Andromeda forum – “SQ1 VGA questions” (April 2015) – Troels Pleimert on the Two Guys’ lack of input and Murphy’s objections ↩ ↩2

  20. MobyGames – SQ1 VGA Credits – Douglas Herring (Director, Art Designer), Mark Crowe & Scott Murphy (Game Designers), Jerry Shaw (Lead Programmer), Ken Allen (Composer) ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  21. Indie Retro News – Space Quest I Review (Cola Powered Gamer, 2019) – cut male/female character choice and storage limits ↩

  22. Sierra Help – Space Quest 1 SCI – system requirements, speed bugs, patches, ZZ Top sprite fix ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4

  23. DOS Days – Space Quest I VGA – system requirements, original media, Kixx re-release ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  24. ScummVM Wiki – Space Quest – ScummVM 1.2.0 support, SCI engine, 320x200 resolution, 256 colors, Amiga extended palette ↩ ↩2

  25. SpaceQuest.net – SQ1 Easter Eggs – Latex Babe easter egg ↩ ↩2

  26. SpaceQuest.net – SQ1 Spoofs and References – Toys-R-Us lawsuit, King’s Quest guard dialogue, 2001 music cue, Kerona naming ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5

  27. Sierra Help – Space Quest Easter Eggs – Hitchhiker’s Guide references, Star Trek cameos ↩ ↩2

  28. Space Quest Fandom Wiki – SQ1 VGA – Robin Hood button, manual credits error, version differences ↩ ↩2

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

  30. Space Quest Fandom Wiki – Comics – Adventure Comics “The Adventures of Roger Wilco” (1992): 3 issues (Feb/Apr/May 1992), Malibu Graphics, #1 full color by John Shaw, #2-3 B&W by Paul O’Connor ↩

  31. Sierra Chest – Space Quest 1 VGA – collections, packaging, credits ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6 ↩7

  32. Internet Archive – Space Quest I VGA – preservation, historical versions ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  33. PCGamingWiki – Space Quest I VGA – technical specs, fixes ↩

  34. WiW – Space Quest 1 Point List – complete point list ↩

  35. WiW – Two Guys from Andromeda Interview – development history ↩

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

  37. GameFAQs – Space Quest I VGA – user ratings, King’s Quest castle easter egg, FAQs ↩

  38. TV Tropes – Space Quest I Trivia – creator backlash, feelies, cut female Roger ↩

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