Hacker FAQ

A near solution to Hacker by Activision:

	There's a trick here somewhere.  Everyone seems to agree that the 
answer has to do with the test site in Australia.  I'm not sure if there's
a secret path, or if you are supposed to take the document there 
rather that to Washington.  The information below will get you to 
Washington but time runs out before you can hit the up button.

map:

 . +---------------------+ . . . . . . +-----------------------------+---+ . .
|. | . . . . . . . . . . | . . . . . . | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | . | . .
|. | . . . . . . . . . . +-------------N . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | . | . .
|. | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | . | . .
|. | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +---+ . +-----E-----+ . | . | . .
|. | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | . | . | . . . . . | . | . | . .
|. +-C-+-----+ . . . . . . . +-S . . . W-----+ . | . +---+-- F . | G-+ . | . .
|. . . | . . J . . . . . . . | . . . . . . . . . | . | . | . | . | . | . | . .
|. . . | . . +---------------+-----+-------------+---+ . | . | . +-P-+ . +-I .
|. . . | . . . . . . . . . . . . . | . . . . . . . . . . | . | . | . . . | . .
+------+ . +-----+ . +-------+ . . | . . A---------------+ . | . | . +---+ . .
|. . . | . | . . | . | . . . | . . | . . | . . . . . . . . . | . | . | . . . .
|. +---+---+-----+---+-------+-----+ . . | . +------------ . | . | . | . . . .
|. | . | . | . . . . | . . . . . . . . . | . | . . . . . . . | . | . | . . . .
|. +---+ . . . . . . +---+ . . . . . . . | . +-- X-----------+ . | . | . . . .
|. . . | . . . . . . . . | . . . . . . . | . . . . . . . . . . . | . | . . . .
+------+-------------+ . +---------------+-----------------------+ . +---- . .

N = NEW YORK         S = SAN FRANCISCO   F = PARIS         I = INDIA
C = CHINA            A = ?               G = ATHENS        W = WASHINGTON
J = JAPAN            E = LONDON          P = EGYPT         X = START
    note: this map is off a couple of squares in the center, so it can't
          be trusted after the lights go out.  A full map won't fit in 80 
          columns.  You'll have to redraw on graph paper for the last
          few trades.

CHART:
--------+--------------+-------------+----------------------------------------
PLACE   | OFFER        | WILL TAKE   | WON'T TAKE
--------+--------------+-------------+----------------------------------------
Paris   | chronograph  | cash        |
        | chalet       |             |
--------+--------------+-------------+----------------------------------------
London  | album        | chronograph | diamond, artifact, urn, star, lamp, jade
        | jewels       | camera      | 49er, map, doubloons, scarab, pearls 
--------+--------------+-------------+----------------------------------------
Egypt   | scarab       | chronograph | album, doubloons, jewels, diamond, 
        | statue       | chalet      | 49er, nuggets
--------+--------------+-------------+----------------------------------------
New     | stocks       | chalet      | artifact, urn, statue, album, lamp,
York    | diamond      |             | chronograph, star
--------+--------------+-------------+----------------------------------------
South   | map          | chronograph | diamond, artifact, urn, nuggets, 49er
America | doubloons    | jade        |
--------+--------------+-------------+----------------------------------------
Greece  | artifact     | scarab      | jewels, doubloons, map, diamond, star,
        | urn          | statue      | lamp, nuggets, 49er
--------+--------------+-------------+----------------------------------------
India   | star         | chronograph | artifact, urn, statue, diamond, map,
        | lamp         | scarab      | doubloons, chalet
--------+--------------+-------------+----------------------------------------
San     | nuggets      | camera      | chronograph, chalet, artifact, urn, 
Fran    | 49er         | album       | diamond, star, lamp
--------+--------------+-------------+----------------------------------------
Japan   | pearls       | stocks      | star, chronograph, chalet, vase, jade,
        | camera       |             | artifact, statue, urn, album, lamp, 
        |              |             | diamond
--------+--------------+-------------+----------------------------------------
China   | vase         | stocks      | artifact, urn, statue, album, lamp,
        | jade         | pearls      | chronograph, diamond, star, chalet,
        |              |             | 49er, nuggets
--------+--------------+-------------+----------------------------------------


Path to follow:
-----------------------------------------------------------
Place                 Give              Get
-----------------------------------------------------------
1) Paris              Cash              Chalet, Chronograph
2) Egypt              Chronograph       Scarab, Statue
3) Greece             Statue
4) India              Scarab
5) NY                 Chalet            Stocks
6) Japan              Stocks            Camera, Pearls
7) China              Pearls            Jade
   take the southern route, avoiding test site?
8) S.American         Jade                      
9) England            Camera            Beetles
10) SF                Beetles
11) Washington
-----------------------------------------------------------
this path got me all the way to Washington before the plug was pulled

Passwords:

To get into the game:
AUSTRALIA

To get past the satellites:
1) MAGMA, LTD
2) AX-03100479
3) HYDRAULIC
4) AUSTRALIA

If you do solve this, please let me know:
Jon LaCure                                                             
Bitnet  : lacurej@iubacs                 
Arpanet : lacurej@gold.bacs.indiana.edu