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Atari 400/800/XL/XE/XEGS systems |
· HIDDEN MESSAGE: A secret encoded message appears on the screen after completing a level. Every completed level adds a new line of code, of which there are 9 total (picture #1). After completing 9 levels, the game ends. This was part of a contest by Penguin, and whoever solved it earned themselves a free Spy’s Demise T-shirt. From the manual: “If you think you have solved the puzzle, you will know what to do next. You’ll then be asked to submit a dossier consisting of your name, address, and the score achieved when the end of the puzzle was reached. For those who think that the secret may be found in the program code, sorry, you’ll be doomed.”. DP’s own Kristine Roper solved the puzzle, which turned out to be a simple crytograph:
First line: micewithvisualde
Second line: fectsflemingsbon
Third line: dbooksminusonest
Fourth line: atesbeginningwit
Fifth line: hkcamerafeetgolf
Sixth line: cryovertwobandit
Seventh line: armseightysixpar
Eighth line: tnereagleparfour
Ninth line: askforlsanderson
Which breaks down into the following riddles (and what we believe are the correct answers):
mice with visual defects = 3 (Three Blind Mice)
flemings bond books minus one = 12 (could also be 13)
states beginning with k = 2 (Kansas and Kentucky)
camera feet = 3 (tripod)
golf cry over two = 2 (“Four” divided by 2)
bandit arms = 1 (one-armed bandit)
eighty six partner = 99
(a reference to
the TV show, Get Smart. Agent 86’s partner was Agent 99).
eagle par four = 2 (finishing a hole 2 strokes under par
is called an eagle)
ask for l sanderson (according to the programmer, there was no "L. Sanderson"
working there. The number was to a related
company, a software distributorship named SoftCenter. They all knew what it was
about if a call came in for "Sanderson".)
The correct phone number is 312-232-1992 (also confirmed by the
programmer).
· 2 release versions exist. The cassette version has a less-detailed title screen (picture #2) than the disk version (picture #3).
