The Hunt (2007)
Sponsor: Volvo
May 4, 2007 through May 30,2007

Overview:
In 2006 Volvo launched the first version of The Hunt which was inspired by the Disney movie “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest”. In 2007 Disney was set to release the third movie in the series, “Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End”, and Volvo decided to launch a sequel of their own. Like most sequels this return to The Hunt was bigger and more elaborate than the first, but in some areas it fell short of the original. This time around Vovlo sunk a treasure chest filled with $50,000 in gold and the keys to a new Volvo XC90. A teaser commercial aired on TV showed the chest sinking to the ocean floor with the voice over once again saying “find it, and it's yours.” Bigger than before, there were 22 puzzles planned, and residents of 22 different countries could participate. To register a participant was required to get a unique code from their Volvo dealership, like before, but this time the code came on a map that could be folded to reveal codes that were needed in the online game. The first participant from each country to solve the 21st puzzle correctly became finalists and were able to compete online for the grand prize in one final puzzle. Amusingly none of the finalists solved the final puzzle correctly, so Volvo released an additional puzzle for the finalists. The final winner, Alena Zvereva of Russia, was set to retrieve the prize with the help of Odyssey, a deep sea recovery company, when Odyssey discovered a huge treasure from a shipwreck and were blockaded in port during legal disputes over the find with Spain. Instead of retrieving the treasure, Volvo delivered a vehicle and check for the prize directly to the winner. The gold still sits on the ocean floor. Over 32,000 people participated in this online contest.

Puzzles:
The puzzles from this version of The Hunt followed a similar path to those of the previous year, with the answer to each puzzle being the longitude and latitude coordinates of the next destination and puzzle. Following this pattern participants were taken on a virtual journey across the oceans to World's End. A few of the puzzles were based on an extremely clever map that participants received from their Volvo dealership. The map could be folded in certain ways to reveal the answers to a few puzzles. The visual and audio quality of the puzzles was once again stunning. One memorable puzzle in particular involved a tattooed man lying on a floating plank. Down each arm and on his chest were the numbers 0-9 written in different languages, with a few extra numbers that were the solution to the puzzle. This man became a Rosetta Stone for translating the numbers in future puzzles. While the puzzles were enjoyable, they lacked some of the structure of the first Hunt. In the first hunt you had to identify the numbers, and then identify the sequence of the numbers. In this case you just had to find the numbers, and there were sometimes many ways of interpreting a puzzle into different numbers. While in the first Hunt you usually knew when you had the right answer, the only way to be sure in this sequel was to test your answer and see if it was correct. The puzzle at World's End which determined the finalists had at least 3 plausible ways of interpreting the answer, frustrating many users, while none of the finalists solved the final puzzle correctly, requiring a rematch with a new puzzle.

Highlights:
The physical map was ingenious and a creative way to work offline and online together. The graphic quality of the Hunt was first rate, and the familiar music and settings were welcome. The increase in prize value was generous as was including money to cover the winner's tax burden. Having the World's End puzzle, which determined the finalists, launch at the same time for all countries was an improvement over the first Hunt. This series of contests is top notch, and set a standard for entertainment and creativity that are difficult to match.

Room for Improvement:
While not including the live hunt in this contest is understandable, it is also disappointing. Live treasure hunts are entertaining to participate in and to watch.
The artistic quality of the puzzles was high, but many of them were easy to interpret in a variety of different ways. While the original Hunt had a clear pattern that provided clear solutions, this version had participants counting all sorts of items within the scene and testing each to see if it was the answer. The formula used for the puzzles in the original Hunt was superior.

Winner:
Alena Zvereva of RussiaFinalists:
Andreas Aigner, Austria
Konstantin Popov, Bulgaria
Erin Chock, Canada
Dennis Leifheit, Germany
Cheuk Fung Leung, Hong Kong
Andreas, Indonesia
Yukio Takai, Japan
Siew Hang Teh, Malaysia
Patricia Gabriela Medrano Picon, Mexico
Liss Johansen, Norway
Aaron Joseph N. David, Philippines
Jarosaw Nowakowski, Poland
Ciprian Constantin Grosu, Romania
Alena Zvereva, Russia
Wilson Teo, Singapore
Jungtae Ahn, South Korea
Maria Qvick Faxa, Sweden
Shih-En Chen, Taiwan
Geranun Jiraboonyanon, Thailand
Karyn Burgess, United Kingdom
Deborah LaValley, United States

Prize:
One 2007 Volvo XC90, a 5 night trip for 2 to retrieve the treasure, $50,000 in gold coins, and $37,500 in cash to help with the prize taxes. Total Approximate Retail Value = $143,575.

Links:
Commercial
Official Blog
Contest Site (contains video about the final, and puzzles are still playable)
HitContests.com Site