| Hacker (computer Game) |
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''Hacker'' is a 1985 Computer Game by Activision . It was Designed by Steve Cartwright and was released for the Amiga , Amstrad CPC , Apple II , Atari XL/XE , Atari ST , Commodore 64 , DOS , MSX and ZX Spectrum . The game was released two years after the release of the Film '' WarGames '', when Computer Hacking and Computer Security were in the limelight. DESCRIPTION The player is a Hacker , a person experienced in breaking into "secure" Computer Systems who accidentally acquires access to a non-public system. If they can hack in, they can gain control of nifty gadgets and access to a secret global network. The game was shipped with minimal instructions to get the game going, but no information on how to play, thus building the concept that the player did hack into a system. The player must attempt to hack into the system at the beginning of the game by guessing Login identities and Password s. Though it is actually impossible to "break-in", the security system malfunctions and allows the player access to the secure system, belonging to Magma, Ltd. The player gains control of a Robot that can travel around the globe via secret Tunnel s, deep within the earth. The game's text says the robot is powered in some manner by Magma . Before getting far, the player is informed that shredded portions of a secret document containing Magma, Ltd.'s plans for world domination have been stolen. The player is instructed to retrieve the document by bargaining with the . The robot's tunnel system is extensive, but unmarked, so getting around is initially an exercise in trial and error. Throughout the globe, there are several cities where the robot can surface and interact with people, primarily the spies who want to bargain for their piece of the evidence. Initially, the player can only interact with spies in English -speaking countries. Through bargaining, the player eventually acquires a universal translator which allows him to interact with foreign-speaking agents. seen here through the extensive network of underground Tunnel s, as seen on the Apple II version of the game.]] At the various surfacing cities, the player must try to convince the agents to turn over their piece of evidence. Initially the player only has $5000 to bargain with, but his arsenal of items grows over time and bargaining. The real challenge of the game is determining what each spy wants and how to get it for them. Eventually, all the spies whims can be satisfied for all the pieces of the secret document. If this isn't enough, however, Magma Ltd. discovers the player's break-in shortly after penetration. It launches a security Satellite which, when it intersects with the player's position, questions him with information, which supposedly only a legitimate user would know. The information queried was given to the player previously in the game, but the questions will only be able to answered if the player has taken careful notes as some of the information it asks for is rather obscure. Since the game doesn't possess a save game feature, a player who fails must start again from the beginning to try to solve the game's puzzles. LEGACY This game was followed in ''. In the sequel, the player is actually recruited based upon his (assumed) success with the activities in the original game. EXTERNAL LINKS |
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