Babel fish puzzle
From IFWiki
A cascading series of puzzles, increasing in difficulty, in which a seemingly straightforward solution leads to a new and unexpected complication.
The term comes from Infocom's The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy adventure game (based on Douglas Adams' books) in which the player must arrange various items in order to catch a special fish (called the "Babel fish") by controlling its trajectory as it ricochets ludicrously around the room.
Links
- The 6 Most Absurdly Difficult Video Game Puzzles at Cracked.com. Contains spoilers for The Longest Journey; The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy; Silent Hill; King's Quest I; Gabriel Knight 3: Blood of the Sacred, Blood of the Damned; and RuneScape.