"Earthworld was the first of the four games. Its room structure was based on the signs of the zodiac.
While the basic creative direction of the game was provided by Swordquest Lead Tod Frye, the game was coded by Dan Hitchens.
Sounds from Swordquest: Earthworld were used in the 2002 film Solaris directed by Steven Soderbergh and starring George Clooney. The sounds are used to represent the spaceship breaking up.
Plot
The plot of the games revolves around a pair of twins named Tarra and Torr. Their parents were slain by King Tyrannus's guards due to a prophecy given by the king's wizard Konjuro. The twins were then raised as commoners by thieves to avoid being slain by the king. When they go to plunder Konjuro's sea keep, they accidentally reveal their identities to him. The twins then start running from a demon summoned to kill them, but it appears that the jewel they stole attracts it. After smashing the stone to avoid the demon, two of Tyrannus's old advisers come out and tell the two about the "Sword of Ultimate Sorcery" and the "Talisman of Penultimate Truth." They are then transported, by method of pit, to Earthworld.
Contest
Out of 5,000 entries, only eight people managed to find all five of the correct clues. Of those eight, Steven Bell, who was 20 and lived near Detroit at the time, took first place and won the "Talisman of Penultimate Truth."
The Talisman was made of 18K solid gold, with 12 diamonds and the birthstones of the twelve Zodiac signs embedded in it, as well as a small sword made of white gold attached to the front. At the time of the contest, the Talisman was valued at $25,000.
"
Source: Wikipedia, "Swordquest:_Earthworld," available under the CC-BY-SA License.