The console is loaded, the controllers untangled, and the lights dimmed. The music fades on, the logo disappears, and I, game two, begin on my quest. It is my job as Link to do something, by going somewhere, and finding something in order to ‘beat the game.’ But almost as quickly as I can run my character in a circle, reality hits me: I have no idea what to do, where to go, or what to collect. Sure, years of watching other people play older versions of The Legend of Zelda has prepared me for my quest, but the exact goals for this particular game are unknown to me and though the game itself provides clues, I do not know where to start from, let alone where to finish. Perhaps this is because of my lack of video game knowledge and experience, but maybe it has to do with the game itself. The narrative created by the game is essentially a folk tale, and because I am not familiar with the culture, I am unfamiliar with the story. And without knowing the story, I cannot become the character named after me.

So is this a problem that can be solved? Can a beginning gamer learn the story well enough to navigate within it? Can it be done alone, or is there background information that must be aquired away from the television set the Nintendo 64 is connected to? The answer to my questions can be found in one simple, relatively cheap bound copy of BradyGAMES’ The Legend of Zelda Majora’s Mask™ Official Strategy Guide. When my mother loaned me the game, she loaned me the guide. And without it, this first-time player would have been completely lost.

What is a strategy guide you ask? A strategy guide (at least those published by BradyGAMES and the like) is an in-depth look at the game you are trying to play and need help (or hints, or tips, depending on your self-esteem) with. These books usually come in paperback, and boast "3-D maps" or "multiplayer strategy" or "secrets and bonuses," or all-of-the-above. Yes, it is a gamer’s dream come true, or is it? Do these guides take away the "point" of the games—explaining the narrative away from the game itself? After the necessity of exploration is removed, all that remains is a test of hand-eye coordination. The narrative is gone; or do the guides published by BradyGAMES actually do what they advertise: "take your game further™"? Do the guides actually make the story more complex? Do they provide enough information to stand on their own as narratives?

Recently I decided to test the idea that strategy guides could stand on their own as pieces of literature. I read the guide for Resident Evil 3: Nemesis, a game that I have never played (or heard of, for that matter). The guide began with a description of the history of the game itself, letting readers know that it was the third in the series of three (so far, at the time of writing) Resident Evil games. The history of the story line, however, is very detailed and lets the player know exactly what had happened in the past five months, leading up to the present of the game (October 1998).

In the second chapter of the guide, I found descriptions and pictures of all of the characters, weapons, and enemies found in the game. This "list of characters" made it possible to read the remainder of the guide without feeling like I was missing something (I am assuming that these characters were also found in the first two games). After twenty-some pages of character-type description, I was given five pages entitled "Strategies." This chapter did not relate to the story line as much as the introduction to the characters; it focused on the physical aspects of playing the game itself. Without this chapter, the guide would not do its job of helping the player through the game.

The next eighty-nine pages of the guide focus on the missions that take place throughout the game. The beginning of each mission highlight contains a list of the items in the area the character is supposed to pick up while playing the game. The remainder of the section is a brief outline of the story in which your character is acting. Using first names and explicit details, this section of the mission description contains the actual story that takes place in the game. Mixed in with instructions (i.e.: "head to the area under the platform to the northwest . . . go to the locker with the green lighter at the back and search . . .") and pictures taken from the game itself is the actual plot of the game.

After this detailed narrative section, the guide once again shows its true colors: the strategy behind the story. Two chapters of the guide remain: "Secrets and Bonuses," and "Items and Files." Neither really affected the way in which I interpreted what happened in the plot driven chapters of the guide, but as a gamer I can understand why these chapters would be important to the narrative of the game. The "Secrets and Bonuses" chapter almost provided me with another narrative, but this time it was like watching a DVD with the director’s commentary turned on. I had already "seen" all of the scenes this chapter was describing for me, but I had failed to see them in the same light without the walkthrough instructions. I got another meaning altogether from this chapter of the guide.

Without any knowledge of the game before reading this guide, I feel like I understand the story that is taking place. Dan Birlew, the author of the strategy guide, uses clear, concise sentence structure that is both easy to understand (important for those reading while playing) and in-depth enough to convey the plot to a person without the game in front of her. Reading this guide was similar to listening to a television show without watching the screen—I knew I was missing some things, but not enough to keep me from understanding the show.

Relating to the games they represent is one of the goals that BradyGAMES strives to meet. According to their web site (www.bradygames.com) their "guides are created for the most anticipated games and each takes on the unique look and feel of the game it supports while providing every piece of essential information." I feel that this goal is met in the guides that I have used to play games. This is important to the user because it makes the transition form printed text to action narrative easier and quicker to make. If the written guide was prepared in a "language" that the game was not using, the jump between media would be difficult and risky. It is because the transition is so smooth that the guides are so helpful.

So can a strategy guide stand on its own as a piece of literature? I would say not only can it, but it does. The purpose behind the guides is to help the player to better understand the game he/she is becoming a character in. BradyGAMES states that its "talented team of authors and editors cover every aspect of the game to provide the most detailed information possible," thus allowing the player to completely understand the world he/she is entering. Each guide retells the story originated in the game, but adds to it in order to make it clearer. Therefore, I conclude that the story found in the guide is more detailed and better written than the original game narrative.