RIDDLE OF THE SPHINX (Imagic – Atari VCS)
In Game Variation 1, the Prince of Egypt – your counterpart – has no objective
but to travel northward until he reaches the Temple of Ra. Passage beyond each
building along the way is automatically granted. The score’s a mere formality
in every variant, as the correct items can repeatedly be found and offered, and
the Temple of Ra accepts treasures indefinitely. The game ends whenever you
choose; it’s most enjoyable as a scavenger hunt. Another potential goal,
however, is to reach the Temple as quickly as possible; to see the timer in
place of your score (or in place of your “inner strength,” to be precise), set
the Right Difficulty Switch to “A.” It’s very easy to stay alive; first, drink
from every oasis you encounter. This alone will keep thirst from perilously
diminishing your walking speed and rock-slinging distance. If you grow
unsettlingly sluggish without an oasis in sight, you can use up the water jug
that’s recurrently supplied by the nomad traders – as all non-treasures are –
or drink from the inexhaustible goblet, if you’ve obtained that treasure. Both
items are pictured here, to the left of the selector box (items are never
visible outside your inventory). In addition to averting dehydration, steer
clear of the wicked god Anubis, the scorpions, the thieves and the rocks hurled
by the latter. Finally, touch the friendly goddess Isis whenever she appears.
For the sake of clarity, the three southern structures – the Phoenix and the
Temples of Isis and Anubis – are here referred to as separate buildings from
the pyramids (and from the far-northern Sphinx and Temple of Ra, of course). In
Game 2, only the Sphinx requires an offering: one of the tablets. Each pyramid
contains all three of these, but yields them only one at a time. The Temple of
Ra accepts them all as treasures, and they’re even attainable in Game 1, in
which you don’t have to surrender one to the Sphinx. Pictured here is the first
pyramid north of your starting point. You receive the universal key to the
pyramids upon giving any southern structure its required item. Three such
offerings should be made in Game 2 or 3; the key disappears each time it’s
used, and it’s helpful to be armed with all three tablets upon approaching the
Sphinx, whose preference is randomly determined when you start the game (but
stays the same throughout). No matter which structure you get it from, the key
will unlock any pyramid, which will provide a tablet if you don’t already have
all three. In Game 2 or 3, if you’d like to arrive at the Temple of Ra with all
of the tablets, you’ll have to acquire the key a fourth time, after the Sphinx
has been appeased. The key is most easily reclaimed from the structure south of
the Sphinx (the Temple of Anubis); you’ll find a pyramid along the way. Once
granted, passage beyond the Sphinx or any southern structure is only withdrawn
if you give the passage-specific object to the preceding structure. Obtaining
or using the key has no such effect.
Items are individually selected from your inventory with the second controller,
used with its fire button, and dropped with its fire button in conjunction with
its downward direction. Normal objects (non-treasures) are furnished by
traders; treasures are found either by digging with the spade or touching Isis
(seen here). As your treasures build up, she becomes less likely to give you
new ones; but she heals your wounds and slakes your thirst every time.
Characters arrive randomly as new terrain scrolls into view; Isis can therefore
be conjured by repeatedly walking a short distance to the north and south.
She’ll occasionally appear more than once on the same screen, as Anubis will;
nonetheless, they both turn up less frequently than the other characters.
Approach Isis carefully, as you’ll want to keep her in view by moving southward
immediately after making contact; if you’re already holding a few treasures,
you’ll probably have to touch her two or three times to receive another. This
isn’t always possible, but it works often enough to be worth attempting.
Digging is the cumbersome way to find treasures, especially considering that
you’re denied the speed provided by the scepter (see below) while the spade’s
selected. It’s recommended only when you’re carrying less than three treasures,
as you’ll dig up another before long; otherwise, spare yourself the slow gait
and seek the goddess.
Your most prevalent enemies are thieves and scorpions; one of each is pictured
here, and a trader stands to their south. More than one of any character type
can be in view. Hitting Isis, Anubis or a trader with a rock will reduce your
score, but only the latter will die. You’ll also be penalized for colliding
with Anubis or a scorpion. The final way to lose points is to offer any
building an item that it doesn’t accept; this includes trying to unlock a
pyramid with anything but the key. Regarding the physical dangers posed by the
characters: Anubis, scorpions and thieves’ rocks will wound you; thieves will
wound and steal simultaneously; and traders will steal or do nothing, but only
as less likely alternatives to giving you normal objects. If a trader isn’t
being generous, the odds favor his thieving tendencies if he’s done nothing
upon earlier contact, you’re carrying numerous items, or you’ve been given
something within the previous few seconds (by the same trader or a different
one). Therefore, while the typical trader is capable of supplying more than one
object, it’s best not to make contact a second time. Keep these neutrals’
traits in mind, as you’ll need a few things from them; each of the three
southern structures accepts only two specific items. Traders won’t filch the
key, tablets or Staff of Ra, but thieves aren’t so considerate. In any case,
the stolen item isn’t necessarily the currently selected one.
Unless you’re playing Game 1, in which you’re not required to hold the Staff of
Ra while submitting treasures to the like-named Temple, begin by walking
southward. You set out with one normal object. In Game 1 or 2, it’s the shield;
acquire the spade from a trader. You already have this in Game 3. As you walk,
hold down the fire button on the second controller – while the spade’s
selected, of course – to dig. (It only works while you’re moving northward or
southward.) You’ll find one of the treasures almost immediately, as you
currently possess none of them. You’re advised to keep restarting the game
until you’ve unearthed the scepter (pictured in this inventory), which will increase
your speed while selected, making the imminent exploration much more pleasant.
The resets are especially recommended in Game 3, as you don’t have to seek the
spade each time. While the scepter also keeps thirst from slowing you down, you
should stay hydrated anyway, as you’ll obviously have to select something else
on occasion. You’ll grow thirstier even as you speed along, and you won’t
notice until you move the selector box off the scepter. For that matter, you’ll
still receive wounds, and die from the usual amount without having slowed a
bit. You can still determine your thirst and wounds, however: If you notice
that you’re not slinging rocks all the way to the northern border – they should
reach the top of the screen even while you’re zooming northward – it’s time to
drink some water (or heal yourself, if you’ve recently collided with multiple
rocks or harmful characters). Being injured close to death will reduce your
slinging distance by half, whereas maximum thirst, while not fatal in itself, will
halt your rocks directly in front of you. In the latter case, your speed
without the scepter will be so low that you’ll be unable to dodge anything or
anyone; unless a remedy’s within reach, you’ll quickly be killed. So it’s
important to drink from each oasis along your route, at the least.
Whenever you’re traveling southward, remain far to the west, deviating only to
sidestep obstructing trees; along the opposite border, a trader can appear
directly in your path, when you might be disinclined to risk his latent greed.
It’s useful to keep three things in mind: Characters always come into view from
the north, only emerging from the south when you’re going that way; they never
move northward; and you can keep them away (perhaps to safely take time to move
the selector square) by standing in place, as long as you’re the only character
on the screen. Others won’t appear until you walk to the north or south. Your
thirst level will continue to rise during this “pause,” however. Once you’ve
reached the oasis seen here – the only one south of your starting point – drink
from it; you’ll find the Staff of Ra. This is pictured here as well, to the
right of the scepter. (The Staff’s headpiece is very far away, in the game Raiders
of the Lost Ark.) We’ll drop these things for now, just to simplify the
references to our illustrative game.
Now head to the north, making contact with two or three traders on your way to
the first southern structure, the Phoenix. Keep whatever they give you, as it
will probably be required later. Should you be wounded by Anubis (depicted
here) or a scorpion, thief or rock, bear in mind that the Tannis Leaf will be
consumed if you heal yourself with it, whereas the Disc of Ra (seen to the
extreme left in this inventory) – like its thirst-quenching counterpart, the
goblet – will not vanish upon use. These cures can be disregarded if you’re
speeding along with the scepter; simply avoid being injured too often within a
short period, and go out of your way to make contact with Isis whenever she’s
in view. You’ll be killed by nine rocks, five to nine scorpion stings, three
collisions with Anubis, or a corresponding combination. Wounds will gradually
diminish, but at a much slower rate than they can be received. Treasures never
disappear when used; the normal objects that do are the Tannis Leaf and water
jug. The spade, another normal object, will endure until you dig something up,
and the scroll has no use, except as an offering. The shield, which is the last
non-treasure, will protect you from rocks, but not from character collisions.
The tenth rock destroys it, whereas the necklace will repel rocks indefinitely
(both items are also pictured here). The treasures that function only as
offerings are the crown, tablets and Ankh-like figure. Take into account that
whenever the Sphinx or any southern structure is given a correct item, your
wounds and thirst are fully alleviated. (These impairments are gauged if the TV
Type switch is set to “Black and White,” no matter where the Difficulty Switches
are positioned. For the record, the Left Difficulty Switch controls the
collective speed of all non-player characters.)
The Phoenix lets you continue northward after it receives a normal object, and
it provides the key in exchange for another normal object. Each of the other
two southern structures – the Temples of Isis and Anubis – allows you to
proceed after receiving a normal object, and trades the key for a treasure.
These are all particular items. While each passage-specific offering south of
the Sphinx is only essential in Game 3, it can be made for points in any
variant (as many times as you like; every item in the game can be found
repeatedly). No points are awarded for unlocking a pyramid or attaining the
Staff of Ra. When you arrive at the Phoenix, touch it from the south (as with
every building) while the Tannis Leaf is selected. Your northward progress has
been granted. Back away, select the scroll, and make contact again. Now that
you have the key, unlock the pyramid found to the south – you’ve obviously
passed it on your way here – to obtain the first tablet. This is the only
pyramid to which you’ll have to backtrack; the other two are located more
conveniently. Pictured in this inventory are the Tannis Leaf, scroll and key.
Return northward from the first pyramid, continuing past the Phoenix until you
reach the Temple of Isis. The water jug grants passage; the crown yields the
key. Beside the scepter and Staff of Ra in this inventory are the first tablet,
the water jug and the crown. The second pyramid is found north of here; beyond
it stands the last of the southern structures.
The Temple of Anubis requires the shield for northward advancement, and the
unidentified, Ankh-like treasure (which is shaped like a doll without legs) for
the key. Both items are pictured here, next to the first two tablets. The final
pyramid and the Sphinx stand to the north.
If the Sphinx doesn’t accept the first tablet you offer, back away, select
another, and try again. Incidentally, the tablets portray a bird, scarab and
lion; you attain them in that order, so a given pyramid doesn’t always yield
the same one. Just ahead is the northernmost building: the Temple of Ra.
If you’re playing Game 2 or 3, select the Staff before touching the Temple. The
Staff merely serves as a conduit; it leaves your inventory only when it’s
dropped or stolen. In Game 1, the selected item doesn’t matter. You can carry
all nine treasures to the Temple at once: the scepter, Ankh, tablets, crown,
Disc of Ra, goblet and necklace. If you’d like to acquire (or regain) every
treasure before approaching, use the scepter to zip northward and southward
until you’ve encountered Isis enough times. The Temple accepts your treasures
one by one, halting only when you break contact. If you’d like to continue
playing, prepare to back away the instant your last treasure’s handed over;
remain in place if you wish to complete the game. If you initially offer the
Temple no treasures, the game will simply end.
©2009 Chris Federico