EA tells users to "try guessing" missing security key

Electronic Arts has misprinted CD keys on the manuals for Command and Conquer: Red Alert 3, leaving some consumers unable to play the game.

The CD keys should be 20 characters long, but due to a misprint, some manuals feature only 19 characters. However, the company's customer support service has suggested a simple solution – try guessing the missing digits.

"There is currently a work-around that may allow you to bypass this issue. Since you have the first 19 characters of the code already, you can basically try guessing the last character," explains the customer support site.

"To do this, simply enter your existing code, and then for the last character, try the letters A-Z, and then the numbers 0-9. You should eventually get the right combination, and be able to play the game."

The game was released in the UK on Friday and entered the charts at number 15.

"We apologise for any inconvenience this has caused," said EA of the misprint. Alternatively, users can call a customer support phone line.