SwordQuest: EarthWorld, published by Atari in 1982 for Atari 2600, is an exploration-and-puzzle adventure where each room hides visual clues that, combined with a comic book included in the box, were part of a real contest: whoever solved the entire game could compete for jewelry prizes worth tens of thousands of dollars, designed specifically for the occasion. It was the first entry in a planned series of four games —EarthWorld, FireWorld, WaterWorld, and AirWorld—, though the 1983 market crash left the saga incomplete, and the final prize, the AirWorld sword, was never fully awarded. It's one of the most ambitious and strangest experiments video game marketing ever attempted during the entire Atari 2600 era.
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