Hugo
The protagonist, who explores the haunted house and searches for Penelope.
Documented for this version
The game is controlled through typed text commands on the DOS keyboard.
Exact version-specific function-key behavior is not listed here.
How it plays
The game uses a first-person viewpoint with illustrated rooms and a text parser. Players type commands to look around, interact with objects and characters, move between locations, and manipulate inventory items.
The objective is to explore the haunted house, overcome traps and supernatural obstacles, and rescue Penelope. Progress is largely linear, with new rooms and solutions becoming available as the player finds objects and enters the required commands. Incorrect actions can lead to danger or an unwinnable situation, so saving frequently is useful.
Plan your run
Examine every visible object and try standard parser verbs such as look, take, open, use, and go. Record unusual clues and keep important objects rather than discarding them.
Save before entering suspicious rooms or attempting unfamiliar actions. If a command fails, describe the object more specifically or try a simple synonym; the parser can be particular about wording.
Meet the cast
The protagonist, who explores the haunted house and searches for Penelope.
Hugo's girlfriend, whose disappearance provides the central objective.
Before you begin
Save often, especially before testing an unknown object or entering a dangerous area.
Inspect rooms carefully and experiment with short, conventional commands.
Hugo's House of Horrors is a DOS graphic adventure developed and published by Gray Design Associates in 1990. It combines illustrated exploration with typed text commands and presents a light, parody-oriented take on haunted-house horror. The player guides Hugo through a dangerous mansion while searching for his missing girlfriend, Penelope. Progress depends on examining scenery, collecting objects, solving inventory puzzles, and entering suitable commands. The game became a recognizable shareware-era adventure despite its small production and occasional parser limitations, and it established the Hugo series.
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