Hareraiser
Encyclopedia
Hareraiser is a computer game, originally released in 1984
in the UK
for most home computer platforms. It was released in two parts; Prelude and Finale. A prize worth £
30,000 was on offer if the game could be solved.
The game takes the form of a series of graphical screens depicting grass, sky and trees with occasional text 'clues'. The only interaction is pressing the cursor keys to follow a hare
which moves across the screen and disappears off one of the sides.
There are no hints as to how the puzzle can be solved but presumably, the position of the trees, sun, clouds etc (which are different on each screen), the movement of the hare and the text can be interpreted in some way. The solvers of Prelude would also then have to buy and solve Finale. They could then enter a competition to locate the prize, the bejewelled 18 carat
"Golden Hare" pendant
as featured on the cover.
, by the British artist Kit Williams. It had been buried at a secret location (Ampthill Park in Bedfordshire
), the object of the game being to solve the clues in the book that would lead the successful treasure-hunter to this location and the golden prize. Several sources state, erroneously, that Hareraiser is based on Masquerade - in fact, the only thing apart from the prize that the two have in common is that both feature a hare.
Haresoft was founded by the "winner" (although it is believed that he cheated, using information provided by a former girlfriend of Kit's) of Masquerade, Ken Thomas (a pseudonym - his real name was Dugald Thompson), and his business partner John Guard.
, Amstrad CPC
, BBC Micro
Model B, Commodore 64
, Commodore VIC-20
EX, Dragon 32, MSX
, Oric Atmos 48k and Sinclair ZX Spectrum
in 1984 at £8.95 for each part. Haresoft claimed the game was released in two parts "To make it fun and enable competitors of all ages to participate"
Hareraiser is a computer game, originally released in 1984
in the UK
for most home computer platforms. It was released in two parts; Prelude and Finale. A prize worth £
30,000 was on offer if the game could be solved.
The game takes the form of a series of graphical screens depicting grass, sky and trees with occasional text 'clues'. The only interaction is pressing the cursor keys to follow a hare
which moves across the screen and disappears off one of the sides.
There are no hints as to how the puzzle can be solved but presumably, the position of the trees, sun, clouds etc (which are different on each screen), the movement of the hare and the text can be interpreted in some way. The solvers of Prelude would also then have to buy and solve Finale. They could then enter a competition to locate the prize, the bejewelled 18 carat
"Golden Hare" pendant
as featured on the cover.
, by the British artist Kit Williams."Play to Win" in Retro Gamer
, Issue 17 It had been buried at a secret location (Ampthill Park in Bedfordshire
), the object of the game being to solve the clues in the book that would lead the successful treasure-hunter to this location and the golden prize. Several sources state, erroneously, that Hareraiser is based on Masquerade - in fact, the only thing apart from the prize that the two have in common is that both feature a hare.
Haresoft was founded by the "winner" (although it is believed that he cheated, using information provided by a former girlfriend of Kit's) of Masquerade, Ken Thomas (a pseudonym - his real name was Dugald Thompson), and his business partner John Guard."Masquerade & the Mysteries of Kit Williams FAQ" at bunnyears.net, accessed 3 May 2009
, Amstrad CPC
, BBC Micro
Model B, Commodore 64
, Commodore VIC-20
EX, Dragon 32, MSX
, Oric Atmos 48k and Sinclair ZX Spectrum
in 1984 at £8.95 for each part. Original advertisement for the game Haresoft claimed the game was released in two parts "To make it fun and enable competitors of all ages to participate"
Hareraiser is a computer game, originally released in 1984
in the UK
for most home computer platforms. It was released in two parts; Prelude and Finale. A prize worth £
30,000 was on offer if the game could be solved.
The game takes the form of a series of graphical screens depicting grass, sky and trees with occasional text 'clues'. The only interaction is pressing the cursor keys to follow a hare
which moves across the screen and disappears off one of the sides.
There are no hints as to how the puzzle can be solved but presumably, the position of the trees, sun, clouds etc (which are different on each screen), the movement of the hare and the text can be interpreted in some way. The solvers of Prelude would also then have to buy and solve Finale. They could then enter a competition to locate the prize, the bejewelled 18 carat
"Golden Hare" pendant
as featured on the cover.
, by the British artist Kit Williams."Play to Win" in Retro Gamer
, Issue 17 It had been buried at a secret location (Ampthill Park in Bedfordshire
), the object of the game being to solve the clues in the book that would lead the successful treasure-hunter to this location and the golden prize. Several sources state, erroneously, that Hareraiser is based on Masquerade - in fact, the only thing apart from the prize that the two have in common is that both feature a hare.
Haresoft was founded by the "winner" (although it is believed that he cheated, using information provided by a former girlfriend of Kit's) of Masquerade, Ken Thomas (a pseudonym - his real name was Dugald Thompson), and his business partner John Guard."Masquerade & the Mysteries of Kit Williams FAQ" at bunnyears.net, accessed 3 May 2009
, Amstrad CPC
, BBC Micro
Model B, Commodore 64
, Commodore VIC-20
EX, Dragon 32, MSX
, Oric Atmos 48k and Sinclair ZX Spectrum
in 1984 at £8.95 for each part. Original advertisement for the game Haresoft claimed the game was released in two parts "To make it fun and enable competitors of all ages to participate"
Hareraiser is a computer game, originally released in 1984
in the UK
for most home computer platforms. It was released in two parts; Prelude and Finale. A prize worth £
30,000 was on offer if the game could be solved.
The game takes the form of a series of graphical screens depicting grass, sky and trees with occasional text 'clues'. The only interaction is pressing the cursor keys to follow a hare
which moves across the screen and disappears off one of the sides.
There are no hints as to how the puzzle can be solved but presumably, the position of the trees, sun, clouds etc (which are different on each screen), the movement of the hare and the text can be interpreted in some way. The solvers of Prelude would also then have to buy and solve Finale. They could then enter a competition to locate the prize, the bejewelled 18 carat
"Golden Hare" pendant
as featured on the cover.
, by the British artist Kit Williams."Play to Win" in Retro Gamer
, Issue 17 It had been buried at a secret location (Ampthill Park in Bedfordshire
), the object of the game being to solve the clues in the book that would lead the successful treasure-hunter to this location and the golden prize. Several sources state, erroneously, that Hareraiser is based on Masquerade - in fact, the only thing apart from the prize that the two have in common is that both feature a hare.
Haresoft was founded by the "winner" (although it is believed that he cheated, using information provided by a former girlfriend of Kit's) of Masquerade, Ken Thomas (a pseudonym - his real name was Dugald Thompson), and his business partner John Guard."Masquerade & the Mysteries of Kit Williams FAQ" at bunnyears.net, accessed 3 May 2009
, Amstrad CPC
, BBC Micro
Model B, Commodore 64
, Commodore VIC-20
EX, Dragon 32, MSX
, Oric Atmos 48k and Sinclair ZX Spectrum
in 1984 at £8.95 for each part. Original advertisement for the game Haresoft claimed the game was released in two parts "To make it fun and enable competitors of all ages to participate"
Hareraiser is a computer game, originally released in 1984
in the UK
for most home computer platforms. It was released in two parts; Prelude and Finale. A prize worth £
30,000 was on offer if the game could be solved.
The game takes the form of a series of graphical screens depicting grass, sky and trees with occasional text 'clues'. The only interaction is pressing the cursor keys to follow a hare
which moves across the screen and disappears off one of the sides.
There are no hints as to how the puzzle can be solved but presumably, the position of the trees, sun, clouds etc (which are different on each screen), the movement of the hare and the text can be interpreted in some way. The solvers of Prelude would also then have to buy and solve Finale. They could then enter a competition to locate the prize, the bejewelled 18 carat
"Golden Hare" pendant
as featured on the cover.
, by the British artist Kit Williams."Play to Win" in Retro Gamer
, Issue 17 It had been buried at a secret location (Ampthill Park in Bedfordshire
), the object of the game being to solve the clues in the book that would lead the successful treasure-hunter to this location and the golden prize. Several sources state, erroneously, that Hareraiser is based on Masquerade - in fact, the only thing apart from the prize that the two have in common is that both feature a hare.
Haresoft was founded by the "winner" (although it is believed that he cheated, using information provided by a former girlfriend of Kit's) of Masquerade, Ken Thomas (a pseudonym - his real name was Dugald Thompson), and his business partner John Guard."Masquerade & the Mysteries of Kit Williams FAQ" at bunnyears.net, accessed 3 May 2009
, Amstrad CPC
, BBC Micro
Model B, Commodore 64
, Commodore VIC-20
EX, Dragon 32, MSX
, Oric Atmos 48k and Sinclair ZX Spectrum
in 1984 at £8.95 for each part. Original advertisement for the game Haresoft claimed the game was released in two parts "To make it fun and enable competitors of all ages to participate"
Haresoft continued to promote the game by sending 'prolific' press releases including stating that an additional clue had been revealed in Harrods
by TV personality Anneka Rice. The nature of the clue remains unknown, as does whether or not Ms. Rice was aware that she had revealed such a clue.
. Hareraiser was never solved, and the hare was sold at a Sotheby's
auction by the creditors in 1988. Although only given a guide price of £3,000-6,000,"The Masquerade Hare" in Sotheby's auction catalogue, 5 December 1988 it did in fact exceed Haresoft's stated value, selling for £31,900. Although it was rumoured to have been sold again in the early 90s, its whereabouts were unknown for over 20 years until July 2009 when an appeal was made on BBC Radio 4
. The current owner's granddaughter got in touch and Kit Williams was reunited with the hare for a BBC TV documentary."Artist reunited with golden hare" by Torin Douglas, BBC News, 20 August 2009
It is possible to download copies of some of the versions of Prelude and Finale, and play them using emulator
s. However, due to Thompson's alleged dishonesty in obtaining the hare in the first place, there is no guarantee that any solution exists, or that the game is anything more than a collection of meaningless text and graphics intended to part hopeful treasure-hunters from their money.
1984 in video gaming
-Notable releases:* May 10, King's Quest , the first animated adventure game, the first in the King's Quest series, and the first to use the AGI engine.* June 4, Nintendo releases Donkey Kong 3...
in the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
for most home computer platforms. It was released in two parts; Prelude and Finale. A prize worth £
Pound sterling
The pound sterling , commonly called the pound, is the official currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, British Antarctic Territory and Tristan da Cunha. It is subdivided into 100 pence...
30,000 was on offer if the game could be solved.
Gameplay
Hare
Hares and jackrabbits are leporids belonging to the genus Lepus. Hares less than one year old are called leverets. Four species commonly known as types of hare are classified outside of Lepus: the hispid hare , and three species known as red rock hares .Hares are very fast-moving...
which moves across the screen and disappears off one of the sides.
There are no hints as to how the puzzle can be solved but presumably, the position of the trees, sun, clouds etc (which are different on each screen), the movement of the hare and the text can be interpreted in some way. The solvers of Prelude would also then have to buy and solve Finale. They could then enter a competition to locate the prize, the bejewelled 18 carat
Carat (purity)
The karat or carat is a unit of purity for gold alloys.- Measure :Karat purity is measured as 24 times the purity by mass:where...
"Golden Hare" pendant
Pendant
A pendant is a loose-hanging piece of jewellery, generally attached by a small loop to a necklace, when the ensemble may be known as a "pendant necklace". A pendant earring is an earring with a piece hanging down. In modern French "pendant" is the gerund form of “hanging”...
as featured on the cover.
Background
The golden hare had previously been the prize for solving the book MasqueradeMasquerade (book)
Masquerade is a children’s book, written and illustrated by Kit Williams, which sparked a treasure hunt by concealing clues to the location of a jewelled golden hare, created and hidden somewhere in Britain by Williams...
, by the British artist Kit Williams. It had been buried at a secret location (Ampthill Park in Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire is a ceremonial county of historic origin in England that forms part of the East of England region.It borders Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Northamptonshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the west and Hertfordshire to the south-east....
), the object of the game being to solve the clues in the book that would lead the successful treasure-hunter to this location and the golden prize. Several sources state, erroneously, that Hareraiser is based on Masquerade - in fact, the only thing apart from the prize that the two have in common is that both feature a hare.
Haresoft was founded by the "winner" (although it is believed that he cheated, using information provided by a former girlfriend of Kit's) of Masquerade, Ken Thomas (a pseudonym - his real name was Dugald Thompson), and his business partner John Guard.
Release and critical reception
The game was released on Acorn ElectronAcorn Electron
The Acorn Electron is a budget version of the BBC Micro educational/home computer made by Acorn Computers Ltd. It has 32 kilobytes of RAM, and its ROM includes BBC BASIC along with its operating system....
, Amstrad CPC
Amstrad CPC
The Amstrad CPC is a series of 8-bit home computers produced by Amstrad between 1984 and 1990. It was designed to compete in the mid-1980s home computer market dominated by the Commodore 64 and the Sinclair ZX Spectrum, where it successfully established itself primarily in the United Kingdom,...
, BBC Micro
BBC Micro
The BBC Microcomputer System, or BBC Micro, was a series of microcomputers and associated peripherals designed and built by Acorn Computers for the BBC Computer Literacy Project, operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation...
Model B, Commodore 64
Commodore 64
The Commodore 64 is an 8-bit home computer introduced by Commodore International in January 1982.Volume production started in the spring of 1982, with machines being released on to the market in August at a price of US$595...
, Commodore VIC-20
Commodore VIC-20
The VIC-20 is an 8-bit home computer which was sold by Commodore Business Machines. The VIC-20 was announced in 1980, roughly three years after Commodore's first personal computer, the PET...
EX, Dragon 32, MSX
MSX
MSX was the name of a standardized home computer architecture in the 1980s conceived by Kazuhiko Nishi, then Vice-president at Microsoft Japan and Director at ASCII Corporation...
, Oric Atmos 48k and Sinclair ZX Spectrum
ZX Spectrum
The ZX Spectrum is an 8-bit personal home computer released in the United Kingdom in 1982 by Sinclair Research Ltd...
in 1984 at £8.95 for each part. Haresoft claimed the game was released in two parts "To make it fun and enable competitors of all ages to participate"
Hareraiser is a computer game, originally released in 1984
1984 in video gaming
-Notable releases:* May 10, King's Quest , the first animated adventure game, the first in the King's Quest series, and the first to use the AGI engine.* June 4, Nintendo releases Donkey Kong 3...
in the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
for most home computer platforms. It was released in two parts; Prelude and Finale. A prize worth £
Pound sterling
The pound sterling , commonly called the pound, is the official currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, British Antarctic Territory and Tristan da Cunha. It is subdivided into 100 pence...
30,000 was on offer if the game could be solved.
Gameplay
Hare
Hares and jackrabbits are leporids belonging to the genus Lepus. Hares less than one year old are called leverets. Four species commonly known as types of hare are classified outside of Lepus: the hispid hare , and three species known as red rock hares .Hares are very fast-moving...
which moves across the screen and disappears off one of the sides.
There are no hints as to how the puzzle can be solved but presumably, the position of the trees, sun, clouds etc (which are different on each screen), the movement of the hare and the text can be interpreted in some way. The solvers of Prelude would also then have to buy and solve Finale. They could then enter a competition to locate the prize, the bejewelled 18 carat
Carat (purity)
The karat or carat is a unit of purity for gold alloys.- Measure :Karat purity is measured as 24 times the purity by mass:where...
"Golden Hare" pendant
Pendant
A pendant is a loose-hanging piece of jewellery, generally attached by a small loop to a necklace, when the ensemble may be known as a "pendant necklace". A pendant earring is an earring with a piece hanging down. In modern French "pendant" is the gerund form of “hanging”...
as featured on the cover.
Background
The golden hare had previously been the prize for solving the book MasqueradeMasquerade (book)
Masquerade is a children’s book, written and illustrated by Kit Williams, which sparked a treasure hunt by concealing clues to the location of a jewelled golden hare, created and hidden somewhere in Britain by Williams...
, by the British artist Kit Williams."Play to Win" in Retro Gamer
Retro Gamer
Retro Gamer is a British magazine, published worldwide, covering retro video games. It was the first commercial magazine to be devoted entirely to the subject. Although launched as a quarterly publication, Retro Gamers soon became a monthly...
, Issue 17 It had been buried at a secret location (Ampthill Park in Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire is a ceremonial county of historic origin in England that forms part of the East of England region.It borders Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Northamptonshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the west and Hertfordshire to the south-east....
), the object of the game being to solve the clues in the book that would lead the successful treasure-hunter to this location and the golden prize. Several sources state, erroneously, that Hareraiser is based on Masquerade - in fact, the only thing apart from the prize that the two have in common is that both feature a hare.
Haresoft was founded by the "winner" (although it is believed that he cheated, using information provided by a former girlfriend of Kit's) of Masquerade, Ken Thomas (a pseudonym - his real name was Dugald Thompson), and his business partner John Guard."Masquerade & the Mysteries of Kit Williams FAQ" at bunnyears.net, accessed 3 May 2009
Release and critical reception
The game was released on Acorn ElectronAcorn Electron
The Acorn Electron is a budget version of the BBC Micro educational/home computer made by Acorn Computers Ltd. It has 32 kilobytes of RAM, and its ROM includes BBC BASIC along with its operating system....
, Amstrad CPC
Amstrad CPC
The Amstrad CPC is a series of 8-bit home computers produced by Amstrad between 1984 and 1990. It was designed to compete in the mid-1980s home computer market dominated by the Commodore 64 and the Sinclair ZX Spectrum, where it successfully established itself primarily in the United Kingdom,...
, BBC Micro
BBC Micro
The BBC Microcomputer System, or BBC Micro, was a series of microcomputers and associated peripherals designed and built by Acorn Computers for the BBC Computer Literacy Project, operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation...
Model B, Commodore 64
Commodore 64
The Commodore 64 is an 8-bit home computer introduced by Commodore International in January 1982.Volume production started in the spring of 1982, with machines being released on to the market in August at a price of US$595...
, Commodore VIC-20
Commodore VIC-20
The VIC-20 is an 8-bit home computer which was sold by Commodore Business Machines. The VIC-20 was announced in 1980, roughly three years after Commodore's first personal computer, the PET...
EX, Dragon 32, MSX
MSX
MSX was the name of a standardized home computer architecture in the 1980s conceived by Kazuhiko Nishi, then Vice-president at Microsoft Japan and Director at ASCII Corporation...
, Oric Atmos 48k and Sinclair ZX Spectrum
ZX Spectrum
The ZX Spectrum is an 8-bit personal home computer released in the United Kingdom in 1982 by Sinclair Research Ltd...
in 1984 at £8.95 for each part. Original advertisement for the game Haresoft claimed the game was released in two parts "To make it fun and enable competitors of all ages to participate"
Hareraiser is a computer game, originally released in 1984
1984 in video gaming
-Notable releases:* May 10, King's Quest , the first animated adventure game, the first in the King's Quest series, and the first to use the AGI engine.* June 4, Nintendo releases Donkey Kong 3...
in the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
for most home computer platforms. It was released in two parts; Prelude and Finale. A prize worth £
Pound sterling
The pound sterling , commonly called the pound, is the official currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, British Antarctic Territory and Tristan da Cunha. It is subdivided into 100 pence...
30,000 was on offer if the game could be solved.
Gameplay
Hare
Hares and jackrabbits are leporids belonging to the genus Lepus. Hares less than one year old are called leverets. Four species commonly known as types of hare are classified outside of Lepus: the hispid hare , and three species known as red rock hares .Hares are very fast-moving...
which moves across the screen and disappears off one of the sides.
There are no hints as to how the puzzle can be solved but presumably, the position of the trees, sun, clouds etc (which are different on each screen), the movement of the hare and the text can be interpreted in some way. The solvers of Prelude would also then have to buy and solve Finale. They could then enter a competition to locate the prize, the bejewelled 18 carat
Carat (purity)
The karat or carat is a unit of purity for gold alloys.- Measure :Karat purity is measured as 24 times the purity by mass:where...
"Golden Hare" pendant
Pendant
A pendant is a loose-hanging piece of jewellery, generally attached by a small loop to a necklace, when the ensemble may be known as a "pendant necklace". A pendant earring is an earring with a piece hanging down. In modern French "pendant" is the gerund form of “hanging”...
as featured on the cover.
Background
The golden hare had previously been the prize for solving the book MasqueradeMasquerade (book)
Masquerade is a children’s book, written and illustrated by Kit Williams, which sparked a treasure hunt by concealing clues to the location of a jewelled golden hare, created and hidden somewhere in Britain by Williams...
, by the British artist Kit Williams."Play to Win" in Retro Gamer
Retro Gamer
Retro Gamer is a British magazine, published worldwide, covering retro video games. It was the first commercial magazine to be devoted entirely to the subject. Although launched as a quarterly publication, Retro Gamers soon became a monthly...
, Issue 17 It had been buried at a secret location (Ampthill Park in Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire is a ceremonial county of historic origin in England that forms part of the East of England region.It borders Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Northamptonshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the west and Hertfordshire to the south-east....
), the object of the game being to solve the clues in the book that would lead the successful treasure-hunter to this location and the golden prize. Several sources state, erroneously, that Hareraiser is based on Masquerade - in fact, the only thing apart from the prize that the two have in common is that both feature a hare.
Haresoft was founded by the "winner" (although it is believed that he cheated, using information provided by a former girlfriend of Kit's) of Masquerade, Ken Thomas (a pseudonym - his real name was Dugald Thompson), and his business partner John Guard."Masquerade & the Mysteries of Kit Williams FAQ" at bunnyears.net, accessed 3 May 2009
Release and critical reception
The game was released on Acorn ElectronAcorn Electron
The Acorn Electron is a budget version of the BBC Micro educational/home computer made by Acorn Computers Ltd. It has 32 kilobytes of RAM, and its ROM includes BBC BASIC along with its operating system....
, Amstrad CPC
Amstrad CPC
The Amstrad CPC is a series of 8-bit home computers produced by Amstrad between 1984 and 1990. It was designed to compete in the mid-1980s home computer market dominated by the Commodore 64 and the Sinclair ZX Spectrum, where it successfully established itself primarily in the United Kingdom,...
, BBC Micro
BBC Micro
The BBC Microcomputer System, or BBC Micro, was a series of microcomputers and associated peripherals designed and built by Acorn Computers for the BBC Computer Literacy Project, operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation...
Model B, Commodore 64
Commodore 64
The Commodore 64 is an 8-bit home computer introduced by Commodore International in January 1982.Volume production started in the spring of 1982, with machines being released on to the market in August at a price of US$595...
, Commodore VIC-20
Commodore VIC-20
The VIC-20 is an 8-bit home computer which was sold by Commodore Business Machines. The VIC-20 was announced in 1980, roughly three years after Commodore's first personal computer, the PET...
EX, Dragon 32, MSX
MSX
MSX was the name of a standardized home computer architecture in the 1980s conceived by Kazuhiko Nishi, then Vice-president at Microsoft Japan and Director at ASCII Corporation...
, Oric Atmos 48k and Sinclair ZX Spectrum
ZX Spectrum
The ZX Spectrum is an 8-bit personal home computer released in the United Kingdom in 1982 by Sinclair Research Ltd...
in 1984 at £8.95 for each part. Original advertisement for the game Haresoft claimed the game was released in two parts "To make it fun and enable competitors of all ages to participate"
Hareraiser is a computer game, originally released in 1984
1984 in video gaming
-Notable releases:* May 10, King's Quest , the first animated adventure game, the first in the King's Quest series, and the first to use the AGI engine.* June 4, Nintendo releases Donkey Kong 3...
in the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
for most home computer platforms. It was released in two parts; Prelude and Finale. A prize worth £
Pound sterling
The pound sterling , commonly called the pound, is the official currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, British Antarctic Territory and Tristan da Cunha. It is subdivided into 100 pence...
30,000 was on offer if the game could be solved.
Gameplay
Hare
Hares and jackrabbits are leporids belonging to the genus Lepus. Hares less than one year old are called leverets. Four species commonly known as types of hare are classified outside of Lepus: the hispid hare , and three species known as red rock hares .Hares are very fast-moving...
which moves across the screen and disappears off one of the sides.
There are no hints as to how the puzzle can be solved but presumably, the position of the trees, sun, clouds etc (which are different on each screen), the movement of the hare and the text can be interpreted in some way. The solvers of Prelude would also then have to buy and solve Finale. They could then enter a competition to locate the prize, the bejewelled 18 carat
Carat (purity)
The karat or carat is a unit of purity for gold alloys.- Measure :Karat purity is measured as 24 times the purity by mass:where...
"Golden Hare" pendant
Pendant
A pendant is a loose-hanging piece of jewellery, generally attached by a small loop to a necklace, when the ensemble may be known as a "pendant necklace". A pendant earring is an earring with a piece hanging down. In modern French "pendant" is the gerund form of “hanging”...
as featured on the cover.
Background
The golden hare had previously been the prize for solving the book MasqueradeMasquerade (book)
Masquerade is a children’s book, written and illustrated by Kit Williams, which sparked a treasure hunt by concealing clues to the location of a jewelled golden hare, created and hidden somewhere in Britain by Williams...
, by the British artist Kit Williams."Play to Win" in Retro Gamer
Retro Gamer
Retro Gamer is a British magazine, published worldwide, covering retro video games. It was the first commercial magazine to be devoted entirely to the subject. Although launched as a quarterly publication, Retro Gamers soon became a monthly...
, Issue 17 It had been buried at a secret location (Ampthill Park in Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire is a ceremonial county of historic origin in England that forms part of the East of England region.It borders Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Northamptonshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the west and Hertfordshire to the south-east....
), the object of the game being to solve the clues in the book that would lead the successful treasure-hunter to this location and the golden prize. Several sources state, erroneously, that Hareraiser is based on Masquerade - in fact, the only thing apart from the prize that the two have in common is that both feature a hare.
Haresoft was founded by the "winner" (although it is believed that he cheated, using information provided by a former girlfriend of Kit's) of Masquerade, Ken Thomas (a pseudonym - his real name was Dugald Thompson), and his business partner John Guard."Masquerade & the Mysteries of Kit Williams FAQ" at bunnyears.net, accessed 3 May 2009
Release and critical reception
The game was released on Acorn ElectronAcorn Electron
The Acorn Electron is a budget version of the BBC Micro educational/home computer made by Acorn Computers Ltd. It has 32 kilobytes of RAM, and its ROM includes BBC BASIC along with its operating system....
, Amstrad CPC
Amstrad CPC
The Amstrad CPC is a series of 8-bit home computers produced by Amstrad between 1984 and 1990. It was designed to compete in the mid-1980s home computer market dominated by the Commodore 64 and the Sinclair ZX Spectrum, where it successfully established itself primarily in the United Kingdom,...
, BBC Micro
BBC Micro
The BBC Microcomputer System, or BBC Micro, was a series of microcomputers and associated peripherals designed and built by Acorn Computers for the BBC Computer Literacy Project, operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation...
Model B, Commodore 64
Commodore 64
The Commodore 64 is an 8-bit home computer introduced by Commodore International in January 1982.Volume production started in the spring of 1982, with machines being released on to the market in August at a price of US$595...
, Commodore VIC-20
Commodore VIC-20
The VIC-20 is an 8-bit home computer which was sold by Commodore Business Machines. The VIC-20 was announced in 1980, roughly three years after Commodore's first personal computer, the PET...
EX, Dragon 32, MSX
MSX
MSX was the name of a standardized home computer architecture in the 1980s conceived by Kazuhiko Nishi, then Vice-president at Microsoft Japan and Director at ASCII Corporation...
, Oric Atmos 48k and Sinclair ZX Spectrum
ZX Spectrum
The ZX Spectrum is an 8-bit personal home computer released in the United Kingdom in 1982 by Sinclair Research Ltd...
in 1984 at £8.95 for each part. Original advertisement for the game Haresoft claimed the game was released in two parts "To make it fun and enable competitors of all ages to participate"
Hareraiser is a computer game, originally released in 1984
1984 in video gaming
-Notable releases:* May 10, King's Quest , the first animated adventure game, the first in the King's Quest series, and the first to use the AGI engine.* June 4, Nintendo releases Donkey Kong 3...
in the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
for most home computer platforms. It was released in two parts; Prelude and Finale. A prize worth £
Pound sterling
The pound sterling , commonly called the pound, is the official currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, British Antarctic Territory and Tristan da Cunha. It is subdivided into 100 pence...
30,000 was on offer if the game could be solved.
Gameplay
Hare
Hares and jackrabbits are leporids belonging to the genus Lepus. Hares less than one year old are called leverets. Four species commonly known as types of hare are classified outside of Lepus: the hispid hare , and three species known as red rock hares .Hares are very fast-moving...
which moves across the screen and disappears off one of the sides.
There are no hints as to how the puzzle can be solved but presumably, the position of the trees, sun, clouds etc (which are different on each screen), the movement of the hare and the text can be interpreted in some way. The solvers of Prelude would also then have to buy and solve Finale. They could then enter a competition to locate the prize, the bejewelled 18 carat
Carat (purity)
The karat or carat is a unit of purity for gold alloys.- Measure :Karat purity is measured as 24 times the purity by mass:where...
"Golden Hare" pendant
Pendant
A pendant is a loose-hanging piece of jewellery, generally attached by a small loop to a necklace, when the ensemble may be known as a "pendant necklace". A pendant earring is an earring with a piece hanging down. In modern French "pendant" is the gerund form of “hanging”...
as featured on the cover.
Background
The golden hare had previously been the prize for solving the book MasqueradeMasquerade (book)
Masquerade is a children’s book, written and illustrated by Kit Williams, which sparked a treasure hunt by concealing clues to the location of a jewelled golden hare, created and hidden somewhere in Britain by Williams...
, by the British artist Kit Williams."Play to Win" in Retro Gamer
Retro Gamer
Retro Gamer is a British magazine, published worldwide, covering retro video games. It was the first commercial magazine to be devoted entirely to the subject. Although launched as a quarterly publication, Retro Gamers soon became a monthly...
, Issue 17 It had been buried at a secret location (Ampthill Park in Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire is a ceremonial county of historic origin in England that forms part of the East of England region.It borders Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Northamptonshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the west and Hertfordshire to the south-east....
), the object of the game being to solve the clues in the book that would lead the successful treasure-hunter to this location and the golden prize. Several sources state, erroneously, that Hareraiser is based on Masquerade - in fact, the only thing apart from the prize that the two have in common is that both feature a hare.
Haresoft was founded by the "winner" (although it is believed that he cheated, using information provided by a former girlfriend of Kit's) of Masquerade, Ken Thomas (a pseudonym - his real name was Dugald Thompson), and his business partner John Guard."Masquerade & the Mysteries of Kit Williams FAQ" at bunnyears.net, accessed 3 May 2009
Release and critical reception
The game was released on Acorn ElectronAcorn Electron
The Acorn Electron is a budget version of the BBC Micro educational/home computer made by Acorn Computers Ltd. It has 32 kilobytes of RAM, and its ROM includes BBC BASIC along with its operating system....
, Amstrad CPC
Amstrad CPC
The Amstrad CPC is a series of 8-bit home computers produced by Amstrad between 1984 and 1990. It was designed to compete in the mid-1980s home computer market dominated by the Commodore 64 and the Sinclair ZX Spectrum, where it successfully established itself primarily in the United Kingdom,...
, BBC Micro
BBC Micro
The BBC Microcomputer System, or BBC Micro, was a series of microcomputers and associated peripherals designed and built by Acorn Computers for the BBC Computer Literacy Project, operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation...
Model B, Commodore 64
Commodore 64
The Commodore 64 is an 8-bit home computer introduced by Commodore International in January 1982.Volume production started in the spring of 1982, with machines being released on to the market in August at a price of US$595...
, Commodore VIC-20
Commodore VIC-20
The VIC-20 is an 8-bit home computer which was sold by Commodore Business Machines. The VIC-20 was announced in 1980, roughly three years after Commodore's first personal computer, the PET...
EX, Dragon 32, MSX
MSX
MSX was the name of a standardized home computer architecture in the 1980s conceived by Kazuhiko Nishi, then Vice-president at Microsoft Japan and Director at ASCII Corporation...
, Oric Atmos 48k and Sinclair ZX Spectrum
ZX Spectrum
The ZX Spectrum is an 8-bit personal home computer released in the United Kingdom in 1982 by Sinclair Research Ltd...
in 1984 at £8.95 for each part. Original advertisement for the game Haresoft claimed the game was released in two parts "To make it fun and enable competitors of all ages to participate"
Haresoft continued to promote the game by sending 'prolific' press releases including stating that an additional clue had been revealed in Harrods
Harrods
Harrods is an upmarket department store located in Brompton Road in Brompton, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London. The Harrods brand also applies to other enterprises undertaken by the Harrods group of companies including Harrods Bank, Harrods Estates, Harrods Aviation and Air...
by TV personality Anneka Rice. The nature of the clue remains unknown, as does whether or not Ms. Rice was aware that she had revealed such a clue.
Legacy
The game did not sell well and Haresoft went into liquidationLiquidation
In law, liquidation is the process by which a company is brought to an end, and the assets and property of the company redistributed. Liquidation is also sometimes referred to as winding-up or dissolution, although dissolution technically refers to the last stage of liquidation...
. Hareraiser was never solved, and the hare was sold at a Sotheby's
Sotheby's
Sotheby's is the world's fourth oldest auction house in continuous operation.-History:The oldest auction house in operation is the Stockholms Auktionsverk founded in 1674, the second oldest is Göteborgs Auktionsverk founded in 1681 and third oldest being founded in 1731, all Swedish...
auction by the creditors in 1988. Although only given a guide price of £3,000-6,000,"The Masquerade Hare" in Sotheby's auction catalogue, 5 December 1988 it did in fact exceed Haresoft's stated value, selling for £31,900. Although it was rumoured to have been sold again in the early 90s, its whereabouts were unknown for over 20 years until July 2009 when an appeal was made on BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
. The current owner's granddaughter got in touch and Kit Williams was reunited with the hare for a BBC TV documentary."Artist reunited with golden hare" by Torin Douglas, BBC News, 20 August 2009
It is possible to download copies of some of the versions of Prelude and Finale, and play them using emulator
Emulator
In computing, an emulator is hardware or software or both that duplicates the functions of a first computer system in a different second computer system, so that the behavior of the second system closely resembles the behavior of the first system...
s. However, due to Thompson's alleged dishonesty in obtaining the hare in the first place, there is no guarantee that any solution exists, or that the game is anything more than a collection of meaningless text and graphics intended to part hopeful treasure-hunters from their money.
External links
- Hareraiser at Lemon 64