It was a family secret that spanned more than 15 generations. Now, one man, Ross Martin, was within reach of solving the puzzle that had eluded mankind for 300 years. It all started when a mysterious envelope appeared at his home in Sterling. He sat down with his family and read its contents. The envelope contained letters written by his grandfather's attorneys. The only problem was that his grandfather had been dead for 25 years. The letters had been held in escrow by his grandfather's attorneys in New York and mailed only when the man had reached his 40th birthday. The envelope also contained a gold key and a letter dated October 1, 1700. What could possibly be so important to his grandson now 25 years later, and of what value would it be to the man’s family?

The man’s grandfather was part of an unbroken chain of ancestors who had secretly searched the whereabouts of Captain Kidd’s buried treasure. Just months before the execution of Kidd (for the killing of one of his ship mates), one of the man’s ancestors had a short meeting with the famous pirate. To his ancestor’s surprise, Kidd provided him with clues on where at least one of his treasures was kept. Over time each ancestor got closer and closer and the man's grandfather was just steps away right before his death. The trail led him to a secret place, and now, if the man desired, he could take the clues, follow the progress and try to find the treasure.

The man took the challenge, and after one year of searching, and with no publicity or press, pulled up a large wooden chest buried deep inside the earth. The man found an incredible treasure and is now ready to share it with the world. He first used a large portion of the treasure on his family. To let others experience the thrill and excitement of Captain Kidd’s actual buried treasure, he has decided to see if others can also identify the same location of the treasure. This is really the beginning of his story and he has now reburied a small part of the treasure. Now, on the 300th Anniversary of the letter signed by Captain Kidd himself, somewhere in America, a fantastic treasure is buried and everyone who correctly solves and finds the treasure location wins the $50,000 grand prize.

The original clues from Captain Kidd himself are stored in a secret vault at a local bank. Only the family of Mr. Martin know the clues or where the treasure was found. What should be noted at this time is that there may have been many treasures hidden by Kidd or his shipmates during the years 1695-1701. If any were found, the finders may have wanted to stay anonymous for obvious reasons. Mr. Martin has decided to share this treasure location with the world once the game has reached its conclusion. The original clues took hundreds of years to decipher, but Mr. Martin changed the clues in order for anyone to reasonably find the treasure in a one year period of time. The new game consists of 100 questions and 25 clues all based now on popular movies, music, history, geography, culture, events and industry. When a participant answers all the questions, the clues will form a clearer path to the treasure. It is a wonderful family adventure and game of skill and most of the questions and clues can be found at any local library, in newspapers or in other reference materials.

And remember, when a game is played for its own sake at the behest of the vigorous play spirit that we have inherited from our ancestors -- and played wholeheartedly, it yields beneficial rewards more generously than almost any other single activity in which a person may engage...

The game starts on March 1, 2004 and continues until March 1, 2006. The Game may be purchased before the start date, but no winners can claim the grand prize before this start date. If no one finds the treasure, the profits of the Game will be given to a recognized local charitable organization.