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In Search of the Golden Skull
In Search of the Golden Skull was supposed to be a huge action/adventure game the likes of which the 2600 has never seen. Mattel tapped Videosoft (makers of the Color Bar Generator) to do Golden Skull instead of their normal 2600 contractor APH. Why Mattel went with the relatively obscure Videosoft is unknown, but they did a heck of a job on the game. The game starts out outside the mansion in the courtyard maze. You must carefully make your way towards the mansion while avoiding the lion which roams the maze (why is a lion in the front yard?). If you see the lion heading your way you can temporarily hide behind one of the bushes, but doing so is rather tricky. If you manage to make it to the mansion doors, the real fun begins.  In Search of the Golden Skull was never completed, and only a playable demo was produced. The game was cancelled because it would have required the use of a 16K ROM and 2K RAM cartridge, and was a 2600 product only (no Intellivision tie-in). Mattel didn't want spend that kind of money for only one version of the game so it was quietly killed off. Although the demo has some control issues making it tough to get past some areas (such as the courtyard maze), it was quite large and is very playable. The rom file for this prototype has not been publicly distributed due to copyright issues. |
