“You have penetrated to the 1st level of the Great Pyramid of Ra. If you quit now, you will have 0 prestige points. People will always wonder if you really have the grit to see a difficult job through.”

Rick Holzgrafe’s Scarab of Ra was released for the Macintosh computer in 1988. The game is a first-person rogue-like adventure. You enter a small maze at the top of the pyramid. You must find the key to the exit door, picking up treasure along the way. Each floor grows bigger, with more hazards. Once you find the titular, randomly generated, scarab you’ll be stalked by a lethal mummy on each floor. If you find all three treasures of Ra you’ll be allowed to leave alive. It’s both difficult and addictive.

In 2022 a port was released for Mac and ios devices. It has provided me with a jolt of nostalgia. The screenshot above is taken from the Play Different channel.