Climber 5 is a port by Dennis Debro of an Atari 8-bit computer game that originally appeared in COMPUTE! magazine back in 1987. In Climber you play the role of a baseball player. The baseball has been hit to the upper rafters of a building under construction. Your job is to climb the ladders and retrieve the ball. Of course, there are obstacles along the way that you need to avoid or you lose a life and must start over at the bottom right corner. Once you successfully retrieve the ball, the level changes and becomes more difficult. You can view a screenshot from the original Atari 8-bit version (which you can see here) and can read the original COMPUTE! article here.

AtariAge and Dennis Debro are sponsoring a contest to create original label artwork for Climber 5. This label artwork will appear on all copies of Climber 5, which will make its debut at the Austin Gaming Expo on July 26, 2003. This artwork will also be used on the cover of the manual created for Climber 5. Dennis Debro has released a public version of Climber 5, which you can download here. The version released at AGE will be enhanced beyond this version, but this binary will allow you to get a feel for the game as you scheme up label ideas.

Here are Dennis' thoughts on a Climber 5 label,

"As for label art, anything goes. I am partial to the silver label types used on Gravitar (big name with Atari2600 in the upper right hand corner). I also like the picture look of the Donkey Kong manual and Alfred's Challenge. I think something like that depicting the climber avoiding a girder would be nice. Again, I'm open to any creativity though."

The winner of the contest will receive an autographed copy of Climber 5, as well as his or her name in the credits as listed in the manual. The contest will run until Midnight (CST), Sunday, June 22nd, 2003. All submissions must be received by this time! After the contest has ended, Dennis Debro will select one of the entries as the label to be used for Climber 5.

Both a main label and an end label must be included with your submission. For your label to be considered, please understand these guidelines and conditions. Any questions may be directed to [email protected]:

• Artwork - This is the most important aspect of the main label. There are no restrictions for the artwork so you are free to create anything your imagination (and artistic skills) can conjure up. This artwork will also appear in the manual created for Climber 5.
• Climber 5 - The game's title must appear on main label and end label.
• Copyright © 2003 Dennis Debro - This text must appear on the main label.
• Clearly Legible Text - All text on the label must be clearly legible at the size the label will be printed. Please keep this important consideration in mind while you are designing your label.
• Multiple Submissions - While we will gladly accept multiple submissions, we ask that each label be unique from your any previous submissions in some significant fashion. We reserve the right to reject labels that differ only in color or some other minor attribute from previous entries. We will gladly replace previous submissions with new entries if you so request.
• Use of Copyrighted Images - If you use any copyrighted images, you must seek permission from the copyright holder before using that image as part of your label. Likewise, any labels that use artwork from a previously submitted label will be rejected.
• Permission to Reprint - By submitting an entry (or entries) to this contest, you agree to allow AtariAge and/or Dennis Debro to reproduce your submission(s) without your having to grant permission or receiving compensation for the right to do so.

Labels should be saved in a non-lossy image format such as PNG, TIFF, PCX, or BMP. If you need to save your image using JPEG for some reason, please use a minimal amount of compression. In order for the label to look good when printed, it should be saved at at 200dpi or better. If you are concerned about large file sizes you can drop us a line before mailing the file, but generally anything under 10MB will not be a problem.

Please take care to make sure your label is proportioned correctly. You may download these graphics to assist in this effort:

• Main Label Template
• End Label Template

Please do not send your labels already attached to these templates, they are provided only to help you properly frame your label. We will shrink and crop your label to the correct size and place it on the templates for inclusion on this page where others may view them. The original, high-resolution submissions will be sent to Dennis Debro when the contest is complete.

Label submissions and questions about the contest must be sent to [email protected]. We will post submissions publicly on this page as we receive them. The contest may also be discussed in our Contests Forum. For some examples of labels submitted in our last 2600 label contests, please visit the Qb Label Contest Page, Gunfight Label Contest Page and Mental Kombat Label Contest Page.

Remember, the contest ends at Midnight (CST), Sunday, June 22nd, 2003!