What is Pyjamarama for the Spectrum all about?

Pyjamarama was part of the series of Microgen platform games, including “Automania”, “Everyone’s a Wally”, “Herberts Dummy Run” and “3 weeks in Paradise” that starred our hero Wally Week.

Playing the part of the sleeping Wally’s “dream” alter ego, the object of the game was to explore the many rooms of Wally’s house, find a key to wind up the alarm clock and wake Wally ready for work. Each screen featured a number of platforms, allowing Wally to navigate to different locations through doors linking the various rooms.

Pyjamarama needs a map to complete

This involved finding objects which could be used to solve puzzles, unlock rooms, and exchange objects for other objects which would eventually lead to the key. Controls were simple, just left right and jump. The player could carry up to 2 items at a time, and picked up the items by walking over them.

Puzzles in Pyjamarama were solved by using the right combination of items, and therefore the game became a memory test of what items were left where.  This would necessitate manual documentation of the screen layout, something that gamers of the early 80’s will be intimately familiar with – rather than the system plotting where you have been with a helpful map screen.  

This lead to pieces of a4 graph paper being taped together to recreate the map when you ran out of space, or until you bought the latest copy of CRASH! magazine which often included a handy map for games like Pyjamarama.

To complicate matters, various enemies patrolled Wally’s dream world, and contact with them drained Wally’s “snooze energy”, and ultimately lead to a loss of life. Lose 3 lives and the game was over.

How to Complete Pyjamarama

To complete the game, you need to find the various items and swap them in the correct order to proceed through Wally’s dream world. The following Pyjamarama walkthrough should help if you get stuck, although you still need to know where the rooms are.

Pyjamarama Walkthru

1. Get the Bucket and fill it up from the tap in the bathroom.
2. Get the Plant Pot and walk to the room containing the Venus fly-traps
3. Swap the bucket of water for the BP caniste
4. Get the triangle key from the 3rd Floor
5. Go to the 1st and fill the BP canister from the petrol pump
6. Get the pound coin and swap it for the penny
7. Enter the Toilet with the penny and get the hammer.
8. Exchange the hammer for the fire extinguisher in the lift.
9. Go to the 3rd floor and find the room containing the pile of tea
   chests.
10. Climb up the chests and exit through the window.
11. Continue past the fire and get the square key.
12. Enter the unlocked snooker room and get the laser gun.
13. With triangle key and laser gun go to the 1st Floor.
14. Go past the pump room and take the battery, then drop it.
15. With the Bp Can and the Full Laser Gun go to the 3rd floor.
16. Enter the rocket and leave the laser gun on the moon.
17. Get the Ignition Keys from the roof using the Driver’s License.
18. Get the ignition keys, and returning to Earth, slide down the banister and get the helmet.
19. Swap the library ticket for the library book.
20. With the helmet and the book, get the scissors.
21. Switch HELP on, and go to the room with the balloon.
22. Get the box key and swap it for the magnet.
23. Re-fill the BP Can and return to the moon with the magnet.
24. Touch the magnetic lock and get the clock key.
25. Return to Wallys Bedroom, touch the clock and complete.

Pyjamarama Versions

I had the Spectrum version of Pyjamarama, and was blown away by the large colourful graphics that seemed to avoid the worst colour clash that the Spectrum was prone to (only having two colours in any one 8×8 pixel portion of the screen at a time).

Pyjamarama was also released on the C64 and Amstrad CPC.