Raiders of the Lost Ark Solution

Modified from the original by BOBBO'S CREATIONS INC.

I'm going to assume you know about all the items, and where to get them.

First you need to have the following: whip, key, ankh, money, money, and the crystal. The crystal is an item not mentioned in the instructions, that can RANDOMLY be found in the baskets where the flute and parachutes are sold. Just keep walking back and forth over the baskets until you get it. (It may take five minutes, or it may take 10 seconds.)

Now use the ankh by putting the cursor on it, and pushing your action button. This will transport you to the middle of the Mesa field. Work your way down to the bottom of it, by using the hook and grapple provided. If you miss a mesa top, simply push the button on your action joystick again, and you will be saved and put back to the middle mesa. Once you reach the bottom of the field, drop the ankh with the cursor joystick, and center yourself on this mesa. Walk down to the next board.

This is the map room. Stay in the center strip, or you'll fall and die. Place the cursor on the key, and walk down the strip until the map lights up. Now VERY CAREFULLY walk to the right until you're in the center of this area, and put the joystick down. DO NOT TOUCH THIS ONE AGAIN. Place the cursor on the crystal, and wait for the sun to rise. You'll know it when you see it. Now Remember which mesa has the flashing dot on it. This is where the ark is to be found.

Now place the cursor back on the key. You can walk out to the strip, but go down to the next board, and be ready for the robbers to be there. Proceed to the lower right corner, where you'll be magically transported to the black market. There are other ways to get here, this way is easiest with my solution to the game. Drop two money bags on the sheik with the shovel, and it's yours.

Now to get back, walk to the center of the right hand side of the screen, and you should appear back at the regular market. If you appear at the robbers again, go back to the black market, and try a little higher up on the right hand side.

Now you need to have: whip, ankh, parachute, and the shovel. Use the ankh to transport you to the mesa field, and proceed to the mesa where the ark is. Drop the ankh with the cursor joystick, and place the cursor on the parachute. Walk off the top of the mesa, and use your parachute, and move to the right to hook the parachute onto the branch. This is tricky, but practice makes perfect. Immediately after you land inside the mesa, DROP the parachute before the robber gets you. Walk to the bottom, where the dirt is, and place the cursor on the shovel. Dig. You must keep walking on and off the dirt in order to use the shovel. The ark is yours.

Any additional secrets of the game would be greatly appreciated. My solution only gets the Ark, but I believe there are ways of getting a better score besides timing and number of lives used. For example, there is a second grenade at the black market, and I have experimented with it on the walls that form where the timepiece is kept (these walls only appear if you bump into a lot of the walls on the prison cell room). The hourglass does a similar affect to that of the Ankh, only if you miss a Mesa, you die. The timepiece is for timing the sunrise in the map room, and is not necessary. Neither is the gun or additional bullets if you become skilled with the whip. Enjoy the game and remember to mail me any tips or tricks you know of!

Bob Schwarzmann (schwarzm@cs.ucdavis.edu)

-- MattWalsh - 15 Mar 2002