PROGRAMMERS' DESCRIPTION

"Well, I'll just give a brief rundown on the situation so that you can appreciate how serious things are." The head of intelligence seems ill at ease, the first time you can remember his icy control wavering.

"The last two agents we sent on this mission -- well, they didn't come back, and you're the only one we have left for the job now. You know about Mr. Andreas Skarfos, alias 'Scarfinger,' of course, and I needn't dwell on the number of times we've run into him before, but this time is different.

"He's seized an island in the Mediterranean and set up a fortress there, equipped with the most sophisticated defenses. He has a number of missiles capable of delivering nuclear warheads to any part of the globe, and unless we answer his demands he will destroy us; only nine minutes are required to arm and launch the warheads.

"His installations are all but invulnerable to surface attack, but we've discovered a slim hope; a tunnel which leads under the island to the reactor which he is using for power. If one man could somehow reach the tunnel and destroy the reactor, we could stop Scarfinger yet!

"To this end, we can equip you with our latest Spycycle, a fully amphibious craft capable of being driven like a motorbike on land, a speedboat in the water, and a minisub undersea. You will have to ride along the cliff road to the island, then across the sea to the tunnel entrance, and finally penetrate the tunnel and destroy the reactor. But as soon as he detects you, Scarfinger will know what is happening, and arm the missiles -- you have only nine minutes for your mission."

As your superior looks at you, something in his glance seems to make you feel that you are the only one he could entrust this to.

"Of course, Scarfinger won't make life easy for you! The road is known to be strewn with land mines, and it is very twisty. Also, recent heavy rains has left large pools of water, and we think that some of the missiles on the island could be fired at the cliffs, causing boulders to tumble onto you.

"In the sea are more mines, and giant mechanical sharks which Scarfinger uses to protect his fortress; also there are many oil slicks from the numerous tankers he has sunk in the area, and these can foul your engines. We believe that some missiles can be used as anti- ship weapons, releasing torpedoes when they hit the water. Your cycle is equipped with a laser rifle and a torpedo launcher for use in this part of your mission.

"For the third part of your task, you will need antimatter bolts, but these are too unstable to last for long, so you will be supplied at sea by a friendly aircraft which drops pods containing the bolts -- you must pick up as many of these as possible to have any chance of destroying the reactor!

"Once in the tunnel, you will face hazards from neutron bolts from the reactor itself, and fire from gun turrets mounted on the tunnel walls -- being hit by either of these will increase your radiation level. You must also avoid the lasers along the sides of the tunnel.

"Once you reach the end of the tunnel, I'm afraid you're on your own; we know very little about how the reactor is constructed. We think there is a gate which you must open, and that within is the reactor core which you must destroy....

"To help you on your mission, we have sophisticated electronic simulators for the first three parts, which you can use as much as you wish to familiarize yourself with the controls. The last part, though, you will have to take as it comes. Good luck!"

DEVELOPMENT HISTORY

Midway through 1983, Mattel Electronics, France sent their first game prototypes to California headquarters for review: Scarfinger, Spina the Bee and IIlusions.

Scarfinger was a James Bond-inspired cartridge. The prototype was made up of a series of impressive special-effects laden screens, but no gameplay.

Marketing felt the game was way too complex to effectively produce and market, and that it would be impossible to translate to other systems. They passed.

The programmers deserve points, though, for creative writing.