List of interactive Code Wheels 0

Star Control Star Control is a combination of a strategy game and real-time one-on-one ship combat game. The ship combat is based on the classic game Spacewar!, while the turn-based strategy is inspired by Paul Reiche III's 1983 g...

The Secret of Monkey Island - Dial A Pirate The Secret of Monkey Island - Online Interactive Code Wheel. Dial-A-Pirate Code Wheel is form of copy protection from original The Secret of Monkey Island Retail boxed game developed by LucasFilm Games in 1990...

Monkey Island 2 - Mix N Mojo Mix 'n' Mojo Voodoo Ingredient Proportion Dial online. Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge Interactive Code Wheel is form of copy protection for original Monkey Island 2 game, developed by LucasFilm Games in 1991...

Night Shift - IML Security Decoder Night Shift IML Security Decoder - Online Interactive Code Wheel - copy protection from original version of Night Shift retail boxed game, developed by Attention to Detail and distributed by Lucasfilm Games in 1990...

Rocket Ranger (UK) - Secret Decoder Wheel Rocket Ranger (Amiga UK - PAL version) - Online Interactive Code Wheel. Secret Decoder Wheel is form of copy protection from original Rocket Ranger game - Amiga (PAL) version developed by Cinemaware Corporation in 198...

Rocket Ranger (US) - Secret Decoder Wheel Rocket Ranger (Commodore 64 - USA version) - Online Interactive Code Wheel. Secret Decoder Wheel is form of copy protection from original Rocket Ranger game - Commodore 64 USA release, developed by Cinemaware Corporat...

Another World Another World - Online Interactive Code Wheel. This Code Wheel is form of copy protection from original Another World / Out of this World - Retail boxed game developed by Eric Chahi in 1991 on Amiga 500...

Cruise for a Corpse Cruise for a Corpse (orig. Croisière pour un cadavre) is an adventure game from Delphine Software International, made for the Amiga, Atari ST and IBM PC in 1991. The game is designed as a murder investigation. The pl...

Pool of Radiance - Translation Wheel Pool of Radiance - Online Interactive Code Wheel. This Translation Code Wheel is form of copy protection from original Pool of Radiance - Retail boxed game developed by Strategic Simulations, Inc. 1988 on IBM PC, Atar...

Hillsfar - Translation Wheel Hillsfar Translation Wheel - Online Interactive Code Wheel - form of copy protection from original Hillsfar retail boxed game developed by Westwood Studios and distributed by Strategic Simulations, Inc. in 1989 for IB...

Curse of the Azure Bonds - Translation Wheel Curse of the Azure Bonds Translation Wheel - Online Interactive Code Wheel - form of copy protection from original Golbox: Curse of the Azure Bonds retail boxed game developed and distributed by Strategic Simulations,...

Elvira 2: The Jaws of Cerberus Elvira 2: The Jaws of Cerberus - Online Interactive Code Wheel - form of copy protection from original Elvira 2 retail boxed game developed by Horrorsoft and distributed by Accolade, Inc. in 1991 for IBM PC, Amiga, At...

Waxworks Waxworks - Online Interactive Code Wheel - form of copy protection from original Waxworks retail boxed game developed by Horrorsoft and distributed by Accolade in 1992 for IBM PC and Amiga. Like in the previous game E...

Hero Quest 2: Legacy of Sorasil Hero Quest 2: Legacy of Sorasil - Online Interactive Code Wheel - form of copy protection from original Legacy of Sorasil retail boxed game developed and distributed by Gremlin Graphics Software in 1993 for Amiga. The...

Disposable Hero Disposable Hero - Online Interactive Code Wheel - form of copy protection from original Disposable Hero retail boxed game developed by Euphoria and distributed by Gremlin Graphics in 1993 for Amiga...

Starflight - Interstel Security Access Starflight - Interstel Security Access - Online Interactive Code Wheel - form of copy protection from original Starflight retail boxed game developed by Binary Systems and distributed by Electronic Arts in 1986 for I...

Legacy of the Ancients Legacy of the Ancients: Galactic Museum Access Codes - Online Interactive Code Wheel - copy protection from original Commodore 64 version of LotA retail boxed game, developed by Quest Software, Inc. and distributed by...

Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis - Action Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis: The Action Game - Online Interactive Code Wheel. This Code Wheel is form of copy protection from original Indiana Jones 4 Action - Retail boxed game developed by ADL/LucasArts i...

Amnesia: The X-Street Indexer Amnesia - Online Interactive Code Wheel. The X-Street Indexer: Compliments of The Sunderland Hotel is form of copy protection from original Amnesia game - Commodore 64 release, published by Electronic Arts in 1987...

Cybercon III Cybercon III is a fun futuristic shooter that features a vast array of high-tech gadgets despite a hackneyed plot. Player must destroy the Cybercon III, an intelligent AI gone awry that predates System Shock's Shodan ...

Pipe Dream Pipe Mania is a puzzle game developed in 1989 by The Assembly Line for the Amiga. It was ported to several other platforms by LucasFilm Games, who gave it the name Pipe Dream. Using a variety of pipe pieces presented ...

Neuromancer - PAX Verification Code Wheel Neuromancer is a point-and-click adventure game based loosely on the William Gibson novel of the same name, Neuromancer, and takes place in both the `real world` and the extensively realized and detailed world of cybe...

HardBall III - Code Wheel HardBall III is a multiplatform baseball video game developed by MindSpan and published by Accolade between 1992 and 1994 for the Sega Genesis, Super Nintendo Entertainment System and DOS platforms. The game is licens...

Bard's Tale 3: Thief of Fate The Bard's Tale III is a computer fantasy role-playing video game created by Interplay Productions in 1988 on Amiga, Apple II, Commodore 64, and MS-DOS. It was designed by Bill Heineman, Bruce Schlickbernd, and Micha...

Demon Stalkers Demon Stalkers: The Raid on Doomfane is a top-down action, role-playing video game. It was released in 1987 for the Commodore 64 and in 1989 for IBM PC compatibles. It's a dungeon crawler based on killing monsters dur...

Desert Strike: Return to the Gulf Desert Strike: Return to the Gulf - Online Interactive Code Wheel - form of copy protection from original Desert Strike retail boxed game developed by Electronic Arts and distributed by Gremlin Interactive Limited in ...

The Games: Winter Challenge The Games: Winter Challenge - Online Interactive Code Wheel - form of copy protection from original Winter Challenge retail boxed game developed by MindSpan and distributed by Accolade, Inc. in 1991 for PC DOS. The Ga...

Classic Video Game Copy Protection Code Wheels Digitised and Accessible Online

On this little retrogamer's sub-project website you can find our digitalized collection of different code wheels for original boxed Old Games accessible online, all of which spinning independently with a Mouse click & drag or press keyboard Arrow keys, supported by all modern internet browsers. Several code wheels contain two or three independent layers and you can choose which ones to rotate. On the each codewheel page, we bring interesting information about particular copy protection or detailed instructions about its usage while playing the game. We are still looking for gamers/collectors/contributors willing to provide scans of their original physical copy of any interesting code wheel...

About Code Wheels
A code wheel is a type of copy protection used on older computer games, often those published in the late 1980s and early 1990s. It evolved from the original "manual protection" system in which the program would require the user to enter a specific word from the manual before the game would start up or continue beyond a certain point. This system was popular because it allowed the actual media to be backed up and replaced freely while retaining security, but with the increased availability of photocopiers, those wishing to distribute the games simply started copying their manuals as well to defeat the measure.
Although whole code wheels could not be directly photocopied, the component wheels could be disassembled and individually photocopied; these components could then be crafted together into a duplicate wheel. The contents of code wheels could also be copied onto paper and the user of an unlicensed copy could simply apply a mathematical formula to the presented challenges to calculate the correct response. Once a suitable formula was found, code wheels actually made the process of copying easier since the amount of information they could contain was low compared to a manual of potentially unlimited size. Thus, code wheels were rapidly phased out in favor of regular manual protection and protection based around color, as public access to color photocopying at the time was expensive and uncommon. This was itself made obsolete by a return to protection based on the game media itself, when CD-ROMs were introduced.
Code wheel forms
A code wheel itself is a physical object consisting of several circular sheets of paper or card of different sizes, fastened in the center, creating a set of concentric circles. The game issues the user with a set of challenges (symbols, words, or other identifiers), which instruct the user in how to manipulate the wheel in order to reveal a response, a single symbol or word that the user must enter in order to start the game. Entering anything other than the expected response would result in the game halting or performing other behaviour associated with unauthorised usage of the software (for example, the game Starflight would send unbeatable "police ships" to destroy the player's spaceship).