In 1985, nearly a year after its release, 15 year old Matthew Woodley became the first person in the world to finish the puzzle that was the videogame Eureka.
Eureka was a text adventure game written and designed by Ian Livingstone CBE that offered players a unique opportunity – complete the game to win £25,000.
Released by UK games company Domark, Eureka was greatly inspired by the success of Kit Williams’ Masquerade – a 1979 childrens’ picture book that was also a real-life treasure hunt.
Instead of making players search the English countryside to dig up treasure, however, Eureka challenged players to five levels of puzzling play, set across world history. From Prehistoric Europe to Arthurian Britain and Ancient Rome, players had to complete four different levels to unlock a fifth and final level – that of the Modern Caribbean – at least back then in the 80s. It was at the very end of this final, locked level that a telephone number would appear.
Woodley admitted that it took him three attempts just to work up the courage to actually call the number to claim his prize. In a twist worthy of this treasure hunt tale, Woodley ended up working in the games industry as an adult, and even started his career at Domark.