"Swordquest Earthworld" Has it really been over 26 years since I was a naive 12 year old?
Man, it's hard to believe the first title in the Swordquest series Earthworld came out way back in 1982. I was one of the suckers who poured hours and hours into a this so called adventure/puzzle game. Atari hyped up the release of this series and built a contest around each game and, had some pretty amazing prizes for the contest winner. The prize for winning the Swordquest Earthworld contest was a solid gold jewel encrusted talisman worth $25,000. It was won by a young man named Steven Bell.
Show me the clues
As with so many Atari games of that era the box art was great and the game also included a well written comic book that was tied into the game and the overall contest. On paper I think Atari had a good idea but the game play itself was boring and it had no rhyme or reason. The gameplay was based on the 12 zodiac symbols and their was one room for each symbol that was connected by doors. Their are 16 different objects that are located in various zodiac rooms. By placing the correct objects in the appropriate rooms you would have a clue pop up on the screen that point you to the page and frame number in the comic book. On that page/frame was a hidden word that you had to find. Fourth clue no where to be found!
This is where the sucker part comes in because I spent hours studying the comic book thinking that the answers to solve the game just had to be hidden in the comic book. If your a old school gamer who spent time playing Swordquest Earthworld you probably know exactly what I'm talking about. The sad thing about my experience was that even when I realized that this was not a puzzle but, an awful process of trial and error I still didn't give up. Talk about a gluten for punishment! It's like I knew the game sucked but lived in denial simply because I wanted so badly to find the fourth clue. Well, after months of trying I finally gave up but I never forgot about Swordquest Earthworld. Swordquest in the bargain bin
Fast forward to the year 2004 when I happened across a complete copy of the game (box and all) at a Goodwill store that I purchased for a grand total of $2. After buying the game it hit me like a bolt of lightning! Could the solution be somewhere online? Sure enough, it was on the first page of Yahoo. I printed it off dusted off the Atari and almost 25 years later completed my great quest. I'm glad I gave up because I would have ended up in an asylum! I don't think there is a person the planet that could have finished that nightmare.
Looking for a copy of Earthworld?
Check out the landfill in New Mexico next to ET and Pac Man
These days it's fun for a lot of people to collect these old carts and this series of games should be on every Atari fans checklist. I say this because most experts state that ET and Pacman were the the games that buried Atari. I think the Swordquest series which was really pushed hard as far as advertising and production was also one of the nails in the coffin for Atari. If you are a collector like me then this game is very common and even complete copies with the box, instructions and comic are available for reasonable prices online.
If you are interested in finding a copy of Swordquest Earthworld for collecting purposes your in luck because Ebay and Amazon always have copies available for dirt cheap prices. Now, go and complete your great Earthworld quest!
If you are interested in finding a copy of Swordquest Earthworld for collecting purposes your in luck because Ebay and Amazon always have copies available for dirt cheap prices. Now, go and complete your great Earthworld quest!
The cover to the comicbook that was packed with the game
Swordquest Earthworld History and solution! It does truly exist!
- Swordquest Earthworld Solution
- Finally!!! After all these years the solution to Swordquest Earthworld!
How long did you play Earthworld before you said I can't take it anymore!
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