Castle Blast is a new game currently being developed for the Atari 5200 by Ronen Habot (aka "OldGuru"). It is loosely based on the fifth screen of the classic Centuri arcade game Phoenix, which was later ported to the Atari 2600. AtariAge is sponsoring a contest to create a label for Castle Blast. The winning label will be used for a single production run of Castle Blast carts, which Ronen is hoping to introduce at this year's Classic Gaming Expo. The winner of the contest will receive an a limited Special Edition version of Castle Blast. This Special Edition will be differentiated from the normal version as follows:

• The owner's initials and serial number will be displayed on the top of the screen when pressing *.
• The owner's initials and serial number will be displayed as a moving message at the bottom of the screen when the game is over.
• Cheat mode where the player can select the level he/she wants to start playing at.

The contest will run until Midnight (CST), Sunday, March 31st, 2002. All submissions must be received by this time! After the contest has ended, we will setup a poll that will allow users to vote for their favorite label. Ronen Habot will then select one of the top three labels as the label to be used for Castle Blast.

How To Enter

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 label. There are no restrictions or recommendations for the artwork so you are free to create anything your imagination (and artistic skills) can conjure up.
• Castle Blast - The game's title must appear on the label.
• Copyright © 2002 Ronen Habot - This text must appear on the label.
• For 1 Player - This text must appear on the 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.
• Space for Serial Number - Please reserve a small area on the label where a unique serial number for each cartridge can be printed. This does not need to be a separate box to detract from the label's appearance.
• Box and Manual Artwork - The winner of the label contest must be willing to design the manual and box artwork for Castle Blast, so you might want to keep this in mind when designing your cartridge 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. Please do not use original artwork from the Phoenix arcade game or Atari's 2600 port.
• Permission to Reprint - By submitting an entry (or entries) to this contest, you agree to allow AtariAge and/or Ronen Habot 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 the following templates to assist in this effort:

• Atari 5200 Label Template (600 pixels wide)
• Atari 5200 Label Template (200dpi)
• Atari 5200 Label Template (300dpi)

The first file is what we will display your image in on AtariAge. The second and third files are higher resolution (200dpi and 300dpi) versions of the template to assist you in creating a higher-resolution image that we can then scale down. We suggest using one of the higher resolution templates to create your label(s), as they will then look better when printed.

Please do not send your labels already attached to one of 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 first template for inclusion on this page where others may view them. The original, high-resolution submissions will be sent to Ronen Habot 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 Atari 5200 Forum. For some examples of labels submitted in our last 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, March 31st, 2002!