Sth-Key Pac-Man er PMC R UN ier [use Zaxxon Strategy Evolution of Space Games erCONSUMER GU [a3 Pe RUA UN ahs Learn how to turn the secret strategies of America’s best video gamesters into | your winning strategies—consistently. © Screen-by-screen strategies for beating America's top video arcade games * Expert testimonials from players who know what they're talking about + Detailed charts on the vital demographics of the games you play © Full color photos and diagrams to guide you through each pattern and strategy coro ne —- i | HOW TOWIN AT 1 1 VIDEO GANES is avail- 1 HOW TO WIN AT VIDEO GAMES combines the talents andexpertise | _ able now at your local \ over video masters nto eno teok Never before have ro many | bookstore. theyre out — | eaperis shared so many top secrets. 1 otstock you can obtain | Now you can rack up scores you never dreamed possible, at every | a copy by writing: \ game you Iry. Weil tell you not only how to play, but how to win. | | Every masterful tin has been tested and retested so you can be sure | \ theyll work—every lime. And the bald photographs and concise ilus- | voy Stik \ trations make this the easiest video-game book to understand. t 3841 W. Oakton Street | Whether you want to beat the machine, or just beat your fiends | Skokie, Illinois | HOW TO WIN AT VIDEO GAMES gives you the competitive edge. | 60076 t | | | send $3.98 per book | CONSUMIPRGLIDE ad PUBLICATIONS INIZ#NATIONAL ITB. ~avenc afin — [US 75 postage and handling. | Se el Se a Oe Os Ce uealsgalneteok |ESdeve qpe tor OB ethno SKE pe Penta, ot Treo ne Fe Senora eeehauenetin CIN oe gare Teer ) gear. are Na es en cunt or Gainer he, re ronan ran erat aN See mee persot pine ot vee: oO eon Aesoclate Pater oct ne oct oe a yerted aac om ol games! sin ne weenie skis se Set el ound wet se teen ster neler eg ree eo re sees a See fo! set es re ed MSS? Aorta po rt Dene xe and auuioetient tion wre pees Rs gettet Sur teaess, te: THE aS oution of wpace Games Maite moe ye He 20 artes es ore sone Neco oes Soe fp and Tore roast. ore iKe, at wat ‘ie fe ramon OFF c08 gos Se okies we re weet iS tenant Moen is alse. Wate, video 9 of Ana tnat> coun 1 pt mt oS ircmmusaina Foy PUBLICATION S mone poe ae2, SiozA Wem, 2084:ROBOTRON APOCALYPSE! 32 ‘The most ambitious video-gemo conoopt to date, Inoludes strategies. By Matthew White and Wayne Robert Williams, PAC-MAN: BEYOND THE NINTH KEY 37 For the experts only. Authoritative patterns from the Apples io the limitless stretch of Keys. EUGENE JARVIS The mind behind Deiender, Stargate, and Robotron discusses the fné art of video-game design. eERYonMs: aia Wa Sa THE EVOLUTION OFSPACEGAMES: HOW 8. WE GOT FROM SPACE INVADERS TO ZAXXON Includes strategies for Omega Race, Defender, and Zaxxon. VIDEO DEBUT: AREPORT ON THE AMUSE. 30 MENT OPERATOR'S EXPOSITION Scott Phillips leads you through the baffling world of video-game promotions. PAC-MANDAY at ‘The colorful world of Pac-Man is finally presented inallofts gory. TEMPEST Top stretegies for this electrifying game. PHOENIX ‘novel approach to the mos! video game. THE NEXT VOICE YOU HEAR... David and Sandy Small explain the technical Mysteries behind " Another Creature for my Amusement!" ea Yea FUTURE WAVES 4 The newest and the most biza‘re: an electronic Yo-Yo, avideo Fantasy, and abattery-operated Defender understood COMPUTER GAMES ’82 56 The wonder and magic of role-playing games. HOME VIDEO 60 Phil Wiswell separates the innovative from the imitativoin Atari intelivision, Activision, anc others. TECHNOGRACY ez The technical world as it relates to video games. Information on Tron. And a Pac-Man phone. JOYSTIK CHARTS 6a High scores and favorite games.By David Stuart YOU'VE GOT TO HAVE A GIMMICK Can you boliovo it? So- called video-geme experts said that Pac-Man was “too cute’ to be a successful game Asteroics wes slug- ‘ged “too dull—the graphics are boring.” Defender was too hard to learn: no one. vill ever teke the time to earn nowto play it” The experts predicied that all three games would be en unusual new storyine" game that sends the player through a series of adventures. Pirates kid- hap @ young girl (named Chen) from Fantasy Island. in the nine scenes that tol low, the player tries to res- cue Cheri, scoring points by defeating enomies along the way. Highights include monumental flops. So much for experts Today, video-gerie man: ufacturers are ignoring the experts and taking fresh new approaches, trying new things. The varioty of games appearing inthe ar- Cades and home-video stores's exciting, Here are a few games we finin- triguing Pears vicious pirates, coconut- throwing gorillas (a Rock Ola trademark?), deadly helicopters, hungry tigers, restless natives, attacking birds, andmore. Whew! Keepan eye out for these sloryine games. We think you will be seeing more and more of them in the future THE ELECTRIC YO-YO ‘The Electric Yo-Yo" is from Taito, the company thet gave us Space Invad- ers and Qix. The game re- volves around ayellow and re¢ yo-yo that you maneu- ver with a joystick, Earn pons by stinging out the yo-yo and erasing "blox, wrile avoiding deadly trions and bions that will destroy the yo-yo, The longer the string, the more paints earned. With avery 50,000 points, the player earns a new yo-yo. Eightdifferent fields of configurations add to the challenge of “The Electric Yo-Yo." White the comparison to Qixis inevitable, we fee! Yo-Yo offers—if not more fun for the money—more value for the money. The new yo-yo every 50,000 points could potentially keep you going for quite a while,ae DEFENDER Smart Bomb “escape but- Can "Detender'—one of ton” saves the day when all the most popular video else fais. games of all time—suc- eed as a hand-held You will have to try this one game? Entex Industries oui for yourself. We doubt hopes that consumers will thet you will ever fine the say yes. The hand-held compact game to be as version has many ofthe _—_ challenging as the arcade features that made the ar- favorite. However, it may cade gamea big hit—Alien strike another entertain- Baiters, Landers, Mutants, ment nerve. ‘Swarmers, and Pods. The JoyStik™/September 1982 CHOPPER COMMAND Command’ is en exciting new home game. Your helicopter is assigned ta escort truck convoy car- rying medical suppliss. Enemy aircraft will ry to knock you out of the sky, Fight back with laser rock- ATARI 5200 Video fans everywhere are aniously awaiting Atar'e new System X or Atari 5200 (the company tas not decided on a definite name yet). The new home video-game system will retail for about $330, and carridgos will cost from $92 to $40. Here are some of the system's features. ** auniversal controller that inckides keyboard, joystick, and paddle contiois. ® joystick that controls sp00d, as woll as fullcir- ‘cular direction * acontvoller that fits com- fortably into almost any hand and has left- and right-handed fire buttons # asingle wire that con- nedts to the television {once connectedto the set you never have to touch the back of the TV) # better graphics (an im- ets, but look out for those multi-warhead missiles that ‘are zoorning your way. Chopper Command com- bines excelent graphics with an interesting siory idea. We think you'llenjoy this one. provemant over Ataris ‘VCS 2600) + aspocial foature that pute the screen to silent black when you change car- tridges (no more raspy white noise) Atari spokesman Jeff Hofi toldvoyStik, "We'll have 13 ‘artridges for the 5200 by Christmas. These willin- clude Asteroids, Space In- vaders, Missile Command, Star Raiders, Super Break- out, Galaxian, Pac-Man, Baseball, Soccer, Football, Tank, Qix, and Centipede,” Atari's new system is & ected to compete head- to-head with Mattel's intel livision.. Pre-Christmas sales will tell which system emerges from the battle as. winner.world and shook ithard. At only 27 years old, he'sable to claim creative credit for such giant video-game targate, and Robotro”. He's part of anewbreed, no doubt: the video-game designer And if Eugene Jarvs continues to match nis past accomplishments, he will soon lead that video-game breed. Janis is known throughout the video-game community for his double-edged tal- ents. Heis both acreative game designer and acrea- five computer programmer, Seldom are both falents combined in one frame. Janvis is also, as he himself says, arebel.” Although his rebellious attitude has ‘caused probiemsin the past, he continues to “toy with i" In other words, he ‘says what he thirks. JoyStick editor Wayne Robert Wiliams talked with Janis at Vid Kida—Jarvis’ nevly founded indepen- dent company in Chicago The discussion was @ stream-of-conecousness triumph. After three hours of cerebral battle, Willi had what we wanted: a critical insight into the jrkings of Jarvs' mind. Jarvis graduated from the University of California at Berkeley with a degree in electrical engineering and ‘computer science. He's workedon pin-ball games at Atariin San Jose and on video-games at Willa Electronics in Chicago, Pobotron—although man- ufactured and distribut through Williams—is actu- ally aVid Kidz product. Jarvis has always worked in idylic environments. Both Atar’ and Willams let tne game designers do whatthey wanted—as long Wh A Sonn eer eee Benen ee UL eeuas they produced. “I think managers have reslized that most software people ‘ave slightly brain demn- : aged,” said Janis, “that they're off on their own Planets.” Vid Kidz gives Jarvis the opportunity to successfully implementhis eas— without interference. Three Qualities appear to domi- Nate Jarvis game. Those qualities are 1) ambitious- ess of design, 2) agares- siveness of game play, and 3) satistying interaction of ali game elements. ‘The games have always been ambitious. When asked what ideas led to the bith of Defender, Jarvis said: "Steve Ritchie and myselfwere sittng in a room toying with concey and game ideas. Steve. said: ‘Wouldn't be neat if you were flying over a planet on ascreen.’ And we {ried to figure out what todo with it, You could be flying ‘over the plenet, you could go.up end cownin any di. rection youwant ... | eventually said: We cant do that yet, out what wo can do's tly left and right, and soon.” Detencsor was Wiliams’ and Jarvis’ first video- game. And twas the biggest success of 1981 Robotron—Vid Kiaz frst game—was even more ambitious in concept. ‘Robotron ze orginally conceived,” said Jarvis, put you ine large world of 2 futuristic underground civzaton where there were corriders and acen tralconiroliing station—a whole elaborate scenario. JoyStik™/ September 1982 Robotro 's the dog salivating, you know. ‘You hear the bell and you're starting to sweat.” “Pm an action player. I like to be ag- gressive. | don't like to bo en the run.” One day, | realized toim- plementthat I'd spend 10 years of my ife. Id never finish it. At some point led to say: ‘How can I disill from this the essence of the idea of Robetron’’ You have to teach into your de- signer’s bagof tricks to produce the essential affect.” Aggression has beena constant theme of Jarvis’ work. “I'm an action player like to be aggressive. dont like to be on the run. | like to feel like Ihave the fates in my hands and that through my skill or lack thereof Icontrol my fate. ‘The aggressiveness is en- couraged in Jarvis’ games. When asked about the strange physical sensation given in Robotron's Brain Wave, Jarvis responded: think it's, yes, Pavlovian, I's the dog salivating, you know. You hear the bell and you're starting to sweat." The most admirable as- pects of Jarvis’ games are their interrelation. Every art of tie game—no mat- ter how complicated—is intrinsically related to the theme, "I personally object to episodic games, said Janis, “where you play one screen of Space Invaders and one screen of Break- out andone screen of Galaxian and one screen ot this andone of that. To me, that's not a game. It's just taking five bad games, put ting them together, and calling them one good game. I'm philosophically against hat." Robotron is Jarvis’ most successtul at- tempt atthis interrelation- ship. “Nobody hes really advanced to the point of putting a story beninai having a scenario associ- ated with makingmore than just a game—a whole reality behind why you are thoro. | want youto ack and answer: Why are these robots doing these things? ‘One final note concerns Jarvis’ dedication to the player. He wantsto keep you going—i you deserve it. "Games like Defender, Robotron, ard Asteroids give an extraship every 10,000, 25,000, or what have you. You never fee! like you'te out of the game. Even if you have the most miserable stert, you can always redeem yourself.” Jarvis is in the enviable position of creating the games he wants and knowing that aeople wil see them anc play them. ‘Ihave my message to de- liver and i'm communicat- ng. Ithink lust do what feellike doing and hove somebody likes it.”ie odie game one Rete teamed rarely. rae seit! (pean OR Ee cut kanya ay eR a ae RE cet i oo Po ils RE oi el a AMDT (ER ceil caus ieae by ae ee reer eet eee ere Us ae Nivea prenenenmreratt Meer onan Cb si SM ta eR ASR cul Pent tn TM AT RE PSD OS a eli ee pro ine te pape pmenimenmenpenrys iri htn ntsc eet Cis 2 a aaah pubis seen pee teria Oren een ALR Osrrnter red i eer ai ie eee eee a kL ee tia Tl /uypeio init wa temnnons Seti Pe PN RT ere a lite oh bride era tart Sn er CS eo iualuphorical Stone Age—in a pre-verbal stage—on the way tochBoeARCADE GAMES || ‘ASTEROIDS DEFENDER PHOENIX 10 Twenty years ago, in Cam bridge, Mass, an MIT en- ginoor named Steve Rus sell created a game called Spacewar tobe played on an MIT computer. Its com- ploxly served to excite his peers (including Nolan Bushnell, who would later fourd Atari), but ‘Spacewar's popularity was limited te this audience. Bustnel, inspired by Rus- sell's unique program, went onto design a con- operated version of the «game. Ho called it Com- putter Space Unfortunately, Computer Space and other games in that genre did noi catch on. Notonly were they too ‘complex for the average gamer, but antiwar senti- Tenis of the 60's and 70's, prevented mass appeal: Game players were rot yet interested in space "shoot-em-ups.” So Bushnoll scrapped his plans for the complex and Setiled for the simple. The result was a wildly suc cessful concept—Pong, For the next seven years, paddle sports and simple tank/combat gamos domi- nated the arcades. Then, along came Space Invad- ers, and that changed ev- eryihing! Space Invaders wasintro- duced in Japan in 1978 and became a phenomenal US. hitin 1979. The game ‘was simple and prodete: ble. The characters re mained the same through outthe game—with an oc- Casional high-point Mother Ship to break the monotony. The only screen-by-soreen change concermed the pace: things got fastar. The cantrols ‘were simple pushbuttons left right, and fire Asteroids and Galaxian were 1980's answer to Space Invaders. Asteroids was by far the more suc- coselul of the two—al: though Galaxan was a highly successful game: Midvway—the manufacturer of Galaxian—played i safe. They kept the concept and controls similar to Space Invaders. They did introduce, however, two strong evolutionary con- cepts: color, and—more importantly--enemies with individual personalities. Aateroide remained black: and-white and dicn’t really dive any component 2 per sonality. What they did offer was a new game con- cept anda more campit cated control panel. Both of these added to tho roalism of the game. The concept imutated actual fight. In many ways you defied ‘gravity as you flew around Sor ott—the screen These oi-screen sensa. tions—elthough primtive were tolling of the future. Asteroids was the first space gameto bieakthe boundaries of the soreen. The complicated controls simulated what real con. trols must be ike. It took awhile to figure them out ‘Once you did, however. the interaction between man and machine was intense. Missile Command was a late entry in 1980 and pro- vided the mast radical con- cept in space games. Here, you were to save actual tities from nuclear destruc- tion. Pastel colors were uti- lized successfully onthe screen. Andthe controls were new. You sull had fire” buttons—but you had three of them, for different locations onthe screen ‘And you maneuvered your missile by a Trak Ball Joy Stik""/September 1982ile Command was one ofa kind. No other arcade: game has attempted to im: itate the concept (saving Gities trom destuction). ‘One game that picked up ontherealism, howover— and took itone step further —was the most important ‘space garre to date, build ing on several af the past evolutionary steps. itwas also the most successful game of 1981—surpassing even Pac-Man. The game was, of course, Defender. Defender stretcned every Concept to its ukimate im. You want compiicated con- trols? You got them. You want color? Well give you over 250 ofthem. You want to break open the screen? ‘We'll smash it. You want realism? We'll rave you save Humanoids. You want Personality? We'll give you fight of them. And we'll ive each of them a name. The various post-Defender games were nover really on target. Defender had planted a punchthat set the industry on ts oar. One ‘commen arswer to Defen- dor was the muli-leveled game. Gorf and Phoenix are the best examples. These 1981 games would take several concepts and place them side-by-sido: one perscreen. The most satisfying aspec’ of both of these games was the color and graphics. ‘Omega Race reached deep inthe past ior its subject matter. The feel of the game was very much like Asteroics—only better. The minor evolutionary step ittook was giving a dale and storyline tothe game (the year ie 2003, An droid forces are attacking Stargate offered the ar- cades an important sequel JoyStik'*! September 1962 toDefender. Although in many ways similar, t was in many ways a belter game. New attention was given to graphies (its even worth leting yourworld blow up tosee the spellbinding graphics). Reward waves (Yilabian dog fight) were given every five screens, Unlike the abrupt wave ccnanges in such games as Phoenix and Gor, the Stargate waves were intri- calely incomorated into the concept. New technical in- novations—specifically the Inviso button—satisied Detencer junkies who wanted ever more complex control capabilites ‘Tempest, another late 1981 eniry, claims to be a space game, although we con- Sider it more electric (see the article on p. 44). We're ot quite sure what the theme of this gamo is (as traltightrope walker?). The big evolutionary steps were technological. The clean, crisp lines as a result of the use of vector graphics are some of the bestin the industry, Zaxxon wraps up—for now ‘the evolutionary process of space games. It signals, a monumental moment in the gente. The Zaxxon graphics aro simply pho omenal. Its 3D slantis spectacular. Unfortunately, the game play is not good. What does the future hold? ‘Who knows. Zaxxon will ‘make an impact. Look for more 3D games in the fu ture. The marriage of Zax- xon graphics and Defender game-play may be the nest major step. Or there may be something new and rovolutionary on the hori Zon. Only one thing is clear —space games will con- stantly evolve and improve. TEMPEST TROM: THE FUTURE OF SPACE GAMES? 1"eTeee Tees evolutionary steps are not necessarily bold displays of COPE ae eens troduced in Omega Race are ever-so-subtle. The most signi Pe CE ER ed ‘flight. Asteroids attempted to defy gravity. Omega Race suc- CCE er eee ead of the first games to back the BCL RT TCU essa may yearis 2003. Android forces are attacking the city of Komar. Iti up to Omega Fighters to save the _ city from alien attack. The method of fighting is a strange space race, where Omega Fight- ee UC RC nel sett around the enemy...OMEGA FIGHTER ELEMENTS {tig most important to understand the game ele- ments, High scores ere the rewards for thoso with top-notch reflexes, not pre- planned strategies. The elements carthe easily leamed after a few dollars of play. A. OMEGA FIGHTER. This is you. Youhave the abiity to turn at any angle —Aull circle if you wish, You move forward by means of ‘Thrust. Fire-power comes inva series of four shots each, You get new tire power once your first shots hitan oojector disintegrate Ws best to plan your shots wisely. When in doubt, however—fire FORCE-FIELD. ‘The Force-Fieldis aways tnere, but becomes visible coniy when you bump into it The Omega Fighter ounces off the Force-Field like you d bounce off a giant rubber bard. You can {ake the comers full hot tle, therefore, without worry ofa crash. Just be pre- pared to bounce Mh PHOTON MIRE ©. PHOTON MINES (350 points). ‘These triangular Mines are deposited randomly by Command Ships More and more of them appear as the game progresses. Don’t Collide with them! Shoot them! D. VAPOR MINES (500 points). ‘Treat Vepor Mines as you would Photon Mines. Just be doubly awareof them. ‘And make sure to destroy them: E. DROID SHIPS (1000 points). Droid Ships slowly and steadily track you. They cant shoot at you. Droid Shios ate easy to kill. And as long as you keep mov- ing, there's no way they'll catch you—just don'trun inte them! tlyou killa ‘Commend Ship, one of the Droid Ships will transform itself into the new Com- mand Ship. VAPOR MINE DROID SHIP F.COMMANDSHIPS AA. GUIDANCE CON- (1500 points). TROL KNOt Thisis one fast adversary. Thisrotating knob will Ittracks faster than the move your Fighter in any Droid Ships andhas the direction you wish. abil to shoot. Kill Com- mand Ships before they «BB. THRUST BUTTON. become Death Ships. Thismoves you forward. A Chase them. Command ight tapis reelly all you Ships warn you of ther need for most situations. If Death Ship metamor- you want to travel a good phosis: They start spinning distance, hold the button rapidly. down. But be careful. 's dificult to control your G. DEATH SHIPS(2500 Fighter a high speeds. points). This is typeracceleraied CC. FIRE BUTTON. attack. Ia Death Ship ap-Thisunleashes deadly pears, you mustkillit But laserrays that neutralize be carefull The Death Ship _and destroy enemy targets. ‘can shoot and maneuver —_Youshoot in a series of much faster than youcan. four. Plan your shots care- Use all of your raceway _lully so that you're never skills. Death Ships leave __eft defenseless. plenty of Photon and Vapor Minas. The faster you kill i. the better. ZX.fees Perak) err Peon} peters STRATEGY Thore aro fow soorot strategies to Omega Ri ‘The most important eration isto kill Command, Ships fast, before they turn into Death Ships. If you take too much time, you'll bbe confronted with numer- ousmine fieldsandaggres- ive aliens. You gel ar extra Fighter and bon points at a score deter rrined by the arcade ‘owner, usually 40,000 points, Some 4 on how to get that bonus givenhere. A ‘A. Thrust directionis de- ‘termined by Fighter direc- tion. Ifyou find yourself heading quickly toward enemy Droids, dor't panic. Simply tum your ship around and thrust in an- ther direction. You can control your thrusts some: what by bouncing your Fighter off of Force-Fields. I's important that you be in control of your Fighter at all times. B. Keep moving. Remem- ber, you're able torace erourd the city. You've been trained to dothis. I's importantthat you keep moving in order to battle and confuse the Androids. Aiways chase after Com- mand Ships. Kill them be- fore they become Death Ships. Death Ships may be worth more peints, butiney aren't worth the hassle soystk™RETR) coal ter oot straight at a Death Ship. Use your pow= sf movement to run cir- les around the Death Ship. When you've got a good shot att, arc your Fighter around the Death Stip, as shown, Then shoot. important that you never shoot straight at @ Death Ship. You may intact destroy i, butit will probably destroy you in the procoss. D. Clean up Mires. You a es alwayshave spare time ator an atzok nave Use a on this spare time to destroy fener ‘as many Mines as you teed ter possibly can. Those Mines are worth points! And if you don't kill them now, th sit waiting for you onthe ext screen, JoySuk™/ September 1982DEFENDERCen Cer C Retreats sign a game more difficult than Defender. If difficulty were the zenith of evolutionary Perry tema (im (t+ MarVa-8 pig C Te Tai) el tionary spot. This game broke all past rules—and broke them suc- cessfully. The limits of the video eRe Ula broken. You commanda ship through acontinuously changing TP eta eta der was the most ami video-game attempt—with over Cee BUC ir eee Mra however, was the stark realism. BO emi Rabe mored that the Air Force trains their recruits on Defender ma- chines. The shapes are basic ee US eC Ee De ada is beyond par.‘SPACESHIP ELEMENTS Asolid understanding of Defender basics is essen- tial to high scores. Spend ‘your first Defender quarters experimenting, feeling out the personalities of each of the enemies and the possible movements of your Spaceship. After you know the elements, youre ready to property defend the Humanoias. A. SPACESHIP. ‘You command this Spaceship over and under the Earth's surface. You can progress through the aimosphere at the speed you choose. You can re- Verse and you can instantly Hyperspace to another part of the world at will HuMaNoIDs. Humanoids are peaceful while they'te stil human. They often walk around the Earth's surface in groups. Don't shoot them. Protect them, If allowed to mutate. you've gotone big probern ‘on your hands. Although you'll survve an inadver- tent collision with a Humanoid, the Humanoid will die. G. LANDERS (150 points). You must destroy all the Landers on a soreen to Compiete an attackwave. A Landers basic objective is to grab Humanoids and carry them to the tcp. Theyil fre at you, but you can easily avo their fire. “There are fourto five Land- ers on a screen at most times. HUMANOID D.MUTANTS(150 points). ‘These are formed when a Lander successiully carries a Humanoid to the top of the screen. The Lander then sucks the Humanoid into his space ciaft and forms a Mutant. These are dangerous. Their main ob- jectiveis tokill you, and they never shoot straight alwaysat an angle. Ila Mutant appears, muster all your energy to kill it Ifthe Landers carry allot your Humanoidsto the top of the screen. the world explodes. This is no pretty sight, and nearly impossible to stay alive in. Our advice? Don't letyour world blow up E. BAITERS(200 points). Baitore appear noarthe end of the attack wave, to speedup the game. They wil track you closely. They can shool faster and move faster than you. Kill Baiters as soon as they ap pear, Theyre fairly larae targets. Iftoo many Baiters ‘appear, you'll probably have to use Hyperspace Baiters disappear when you've destroyed al the Landers. F.BOMBERS(250 points). Bombers are fairly passvo. They travelin groups of two tothree, leaving Mine Fields behind them. You anno’ sheot those Mines. You must avoid them. Try tokille Bombers before they leave Mines. LANDER G. MOTHER SHIPS (1000 points). Mother Ships (ak.a. Pods) are some of your worst enemies. They also yield high points, One Mother Shp appears onthe 2nd wave, threeon the 3rd, and four onthe ath, When de stroyed, five to seven Swarmers are released by the Mother Ship, anc must bekilled H.SWARMERS(150 points). Swarmers are released irom Mother Ships ater the Mcther Ship has been de- stroyed. These are no fur. They track you closaly. Some people use a Smart Bomb the instant a Mother Shp hes been killed Others skilltully and cau tiously kill the Swarmers one byane 1, SCANNER. Tivs Scanner display overview ofthe entire war zone. Your playing area is bracketed. Yourlasers cannotkill enerries pas! the playing area. This ‘Scanner shouldbe con stantly monitored. If you went areal challenge, try playing the whole game \with the Seanner only Don'tlook at the screen. It will help develop and tes your Detender skills, CONTROLS AA. JOYSTICK. is maneuvers your Spaceship up or down not across, You can =: move anywhere on the screen, even below the earth's surface. BB. THRUST. This control moves you forward at whatever pace you desire. Itheld down, youll accelerate to top speed. Ifeftalone, you'll stop. co. FIRE. You have anunlimited amount of tire. Our advice: fire constantly, Develop Defender Fingers, DD. REVERSE. There's no need io Re verse when you're learning the game. Alter you've sslered Thrust and Fire, use Reverse to eliminate the Landers as fast as possible, as keyed by the Scanne!, Reverse is also alin killing Mutants EE, HYPERSPACE. Again, there's litte need for Hyperspace when learning the garne. Hyperspace makes your Spacestip dis appear andl reapoear— anywhere, You have no control over where you'll end up. Theonly reaineed for Hyperspace Is when the Baiters appear or when your world has blown up. FF, SMART BOMBS. You begin with three of these, and earanew one very 10,000 points. Again, there's no need for Smart Bombs when you're learn ingthe game. Smart Bombs desiroy everything onthe screen. Use them only after you've scored 90,000 points, and then only when you needto. For example, when Mother Ships appear ina group, blast them sensaless with the Smart Bomb. You'll ceen top points, JoyStik"/Septomber 1982STRATEGY The key to srategy is Ship every 10,000 points. As the game pr gresses, more aggressive enemies enter the playing area. To stay alive past 30,000 point: to know now to use ea the controls. The strategies you're stil using what you've learned in strat A. You're simply adding t its depth. Remember: Your sjective isto kill all the Landers on the to complete an att wave. It's them fast, so that |1) they don’t mutate your Humar olds and (2) Baiters don't appear. A. BEGINNING STRATEGIES. There are certain oa: strategies thet must be de- veloped and leamed as nas possible. All of these strategies, once learned, will continue throughout your entire game. 4. Hit the Thrust and Fire buttons together. Consider these two butto ‘sone button, Always hit themtogether and hit tnem as fast as you "Defender Firgers.” Do stop doing this unless you're in an instant-death Situation. I's important to keep moving and to keap firing 2. Fly low. Jlany top Defender players seldom fly more than two above the Earth surtace. I's important in adequately protecting the Humanoi 3. Kill kidnapping Landers. Destroy the Landers wh thoy'ro raising your Humanoids to the top. Don'tkill your Humanoi Onee youve kil Lander, scoop up the Humanoid and return him to the Earth for extra point You earn 500 points for saving a Humanoid, ra 500 for returnin Humanoid to Earth. You also get the points for killing ‘the Lander, ih /\ Joystik™"/ September 1982B. REVERSE STRATEGY. Reverse Strategy begins on the second screen. It should be used sparingly, and only when necessary The most advantageous Reverse Strategy concerns the Mutants. Mutants ere JoySuk'*iSeptember dangerous and dificultto kill. They alsotrack your every move. A good way to kill hem is to move up toward a Mutent, reverse, and destroy itinstantly Your reversal will confuse the Mutant and stall him for aninstant ©. HYPERSPACE STRATEGY. Hyperspace becomes necessary when the score starts building, say around 30,000 points. you've ‘dawdled during an attack wave, sevaral Baiters may appear. These Baiters are fester moving and faster shootng than you are. There's no need to waste a valuable Smari Bomb on them. You might as well D. SMART BOMB STRATEGY. SinartBombs ere valuable. Use them for maximum point potential. You should be able to survive without the Smart Bombs until around 90,000 points, at which point you'll have six ofthem. Wait until several Mother Ships appear on the screen at the same time. Then Smart Bomb the whole screen for 1,000 points per Mother & ‘The only other time to use the Smart Bomb is when you have no other choice, It's best to use the Smart Bomb marly, ‘escape them with Hyp space. Just beware: You have no idea where youl end up. Be prepared to move instantly as soon as you've reappeared on the screen. Point 1 on the Fiadar Screen shows. where you might be before Hyperspace. Point 2 shows where you might wind up sefely. Point 3 shows Where you might wind up— and die. ig a ae ayeXXON Perr eres Ermer Cee EL Cat Peerage Conte RU eee CU Lh Ree CU Ut ee Sree rt eit DUOC ute Ce tL ell Pee ae Um sult is a spellbinding video envi- * Pe eee Ud that you never sagistactorily interact with. Evolutionis an ongoing process— ~, a one-step-at-a-time progression. Zaxxon’s great evolutionary leap « offers an unusual insight into the video games of the future. For Porta me ee Pee MCRL Pe cut R Le LE 'S space game. No doubt ideo-qame manufacturers are Reurtie eO te Cod Pe Uae ees UB change the look of space games in the same way 2001: A Space Odyssey changed the look of Pret Ua ac Pee ce aus PL pare OT EU Lu Tit ios a =. .at J Unlike 2001, however, Zaxxon @ Ce ect Dee ee ee Ee ian Dee eta pointed with the game play. In fact, if the graphics weren't so impressive, we wouldn't be granting Zaxxon this kind of space in JoyStik. The graphics Se he ml ee UE RCC RUC emer lg RUC Ue eee CC ein) and understood. To enjoy playing the game, you Pe ee nme kere ne OT Ce Cr ay ing Zaxxon as the turning point in space games. There’s still a CPC eh aCe Mt ace cert -tional efforts like Zaxxon, the fu- BOCA ee Da elELEMENTS The elements of Zaxxon are sinple. Once you understand your own capabilities and your enemies’ characteristics, the game becomes quite easy to master, The illus- tation at ightio an artist's condensed rendition of the ‘game. You wil never see all of these components on the screen at once. butthis rendition will help you to understand the basics of the game. A. FIGHTER SHI High scores depend on your abily to property ma~ reuver this Fighter Ship Once you grasp the basic techniques of ight, the ob stacles become reatively easy to destroy or dodge. Basic tip: fly low 90% of the time. The only time to raise youralttuce is when you fy over Walls or Forcefields, or through outer space. B. BRICK WALLS. You musttiy through the gapsat the tops of these Walls. Alvays shoot atthe Walls when approaching them, Like a bat using radar, you can then easily judge your alttude by the locaton of your fire, and adjust asnecessary. The more waves you pass through, the harder itis to pass beyond these Wells {the gaps are smaler). But ifyou're agile enough in technique to navigate the Walls through the first few waves, you'llbo able to “thread the needle" in ater waves MISSILE PASE ©. TANKS. ‘You get 300 points and can replenish your fuel eseve for blowing up Tanks. Trere's litle danger of run- ring on empty as long as you blast a Tank now and then alongthe way (they're the easiest objects io hi). D. GUNS. These are shooting enemies, and they're more agaressive on later screens pecially when fring horizontally across you path, They're fairly 2asy to destroy if you're low ‘enough. But you must avoid their fire. Guns yleld arandom aumber of points when destroyed. E. MISSILES. ‘Those arethe most con. sistently dangerous oppo- rents in Zaxxon. They also earn you 150 points. I's ‘worthwhile destroying Mis siles once they've been launched. Do not casually fly over their bases, how- ever. They have a knack for coordinating their launches. when you're just overhead. F.FORCEFIELDS. Forcefields are dangerous and cannot bedestroyed. You can easily fly over themin erly waves, But you must leam to suc- cessfully ly under them in lator waves. The tech- niques become somewhat difficult because you must lear to react immediately after passing under them cn later waves. Always be- ware of the Forcefialds, I's easy to forget about them when concentrating onthe destruction of othe! ob- jects, GUN PLANES. Grounded Planes are easy todestroy. You must fly very low. They yiold 100 points, anc should be bombed when convenient. Our advice: Never bomb a Plane when you have to contend immeciataly after ward with a Forcefield or Wall. Chances are, you'l run smack into it TANK H. RADAR TOWERS. Radar Towers are posi- tioned to make them dif- ficult to destroy However, you'll earn 1,009 points for blowing therm up. By all means, earn to fly well ‘enough to destroy them. Beware of orusning them with awingtip 1,RoBoT. ‘You must battle the Robot —the mos! dargerous ‘enemy—irom the second wave on. Itis not the Robot that you destroy, but his, Red Missile (which takes 6 shots to destroy). As soon as you're cn the hexagonal tiled surtace, level off at about 2¥2 marks on the al- timeter and start shooting atthe Missile. Once again, fire constantly to see where your shots are hitting and adjust your position ac- cordingly, ‘MISSILE, SATELLITES. Biow them up for 300 points when in outer space. ‘Thare aro two that come across the screen on each : wave. They are on the highest level that your plene can reach. ‘ CONTROLS AA. JOYSTICK. Ths realistic Joystick con: trois the altitude and lateral movement of your plane. It is equipped witha fire but- ton anda red light to signal the firing of each shot BB. FIRE BUTTONS. In addition to the Fire But- ton on the Joystck, there are two more on the panel. They all serve the same purposo. Using two at once may ensure constant fire. ‘One is located on the lef for right-handed pilots and one is on the right for southpaws.JoyStik™/ September 1982Pe Crt Pbk iely @ SEGA 1981 STRATEGY Good Zaxxon strategy means good flying abilities, A general sirategy isto siay low when you're on the Space Plattorm and change altitude often when in outer space. if you con sider Zaxxon an obstacle course, you basically 4 Understand the game. Tho following strategies will help to get you thinking ‘ about the game's design A. Youd better learn to navigate over Walls if you went to succeed at Zaxxon Although you'll probably colide with one during your first few games, a litle foresigit will ensure accu- raie and consistent pas- sage over all Walls. Always shoot at the Walls and Forcefialds to observe where your shots ara hit- ting. Adjust your position by this observation anc then fly through the gap at the top of the Wall and below the Forcefield. This gets ttickior as the game pro- gresses, but test fire should ensure safe passage. When your shots continue onpast the Wall ang the Forcefeld without explod- ing against either one, you're on course. B. Forcefields are danger us. High point targets are offen inconvenientiy placed just aftr the Forcefield ‘Therefore, you must lean tomake quick sharp turns immeciately after passing a Forcefeld in order to me rneuver into position to ht these targets. On later screers, beware of nori- zontally fring Guns, which aro designed to thwart such maneuvers JoyStk™/Septomber 1902ae ©. You must learn to sur- Vivo the dogfight in outer space without loss of your snip. ityou destroy 20, Fighter Planes, you're awar¢ed 1,000 bonus points. By all means, de- siroy the Fighter Planes. It is usually good strategy to change altitude immedi- axely after hitting one to avoid being hitb its final Shot wee 1D. Confrontation with the Robot occurs cn the sec Se ond wave, the fourth wave, and soon: Your prime oo-| EA tadebeaad jective is to destroy the Robots Cruise Missile. You ‘get 1,000 points if the Mis- sie is destroyed wrile sil inits launching site in the Robot; 200 points ifit's al- feady o¢en launched. it takes 6 shots to destroy the Cruise Missile. Start firing as soon as the Robot ap- pears, The Missile is lo- cated at a height of about 22 marks on your Altime- ter, As when negotiating safe passage over the Walls, fire constantly and ‘gauge your position by where the shots are ex- ploding against the inde- stuctible Robot. Cautio Ifthe Missite is launched, nail it. itis impossibie to avoid. You must destroy it. tyou don'tdostroy it, watch out: You're one dead ee TT astronaut! JoyStik™/September 1982 29VIDEO DEBUT: REPORT ON THE AMUSEMENT Idbeentotradeshows signs downasurpris- means aconventional _bleached blondes pass esr ee aL Ga oe sa Prt car emer et emer eco ean Teel people around. Andthen ago. Thore were two eras Pease CUS eC a) Su emu Cie mae kL rit cee a ee eet kd Se eee cul Pee eu cs Ld Pe ea ee eC Stee ee ee en Pe me Cee or co i none.So,when!heard —faresicouldsee! The _this year. Theydeservea __ bustling Midway and that the third annual Cee had Pea at seu ce RA Ce CT LC le eC ur ameo uCe Cen me Ma| eee ole a ue eee hk) ey Peete chine there stood aman —_possiblywishtoknow —_the company representa- Pete ee CU ee cL ng Pe eel ously with the controls— and 32 respectively. Pers Oar ht mee easiest eer POE Sn tae se ce Betas Cet ee ier mm od a ye a Cu am aa eae ot a eae er) Mga eed care Rc mm eC Ou en ee Ue ad eg) Preret ter yt eee keg ete ee ee) ote are Cee CML a ere | ete kt me ee ee oe | cs Pe ure mmc eet oa from my jacket, and re aa ame ka a Teta eters mae ee ter ya eee eet ae “bigboys,"Idecidedto covered wagons. The 4 Sree On acd Pe ea hue sco i PM ae a CE) Ren he ee Td ST ue) Re ae ad eh CyOPERATOR'S EXPOSITION Ta ea cts Se eae) Saba od eleanor Coleen oc) Secs eaey ice icv cnr SMELT) given my last quarter to Retr ete Pe) ce cece Puce Perera er eg mars Rect ecg a Pre ead Conan irier oi Ea oR EUR cd Saunt Rey aad ee eres ue] peered RETR nes Omer a Raced Cae eo) Peg Rie ace ERR are eed BOE eae CoCr kets Pace cence ery sain uncer Dec ee Coa Cece Cae Cag Nese era ocr) Prot ay es Deis ureas ieee rua a) Ree Pee hy rca earl eS Cs Cea ene Ce Leura eure an (obviously short for err ea h aad ea) Coe Cece Tt See ae ows teresting touch was Sd Pree eas Ree strangely mutated Ia ss meen Rene hems me een ris Py sa cae ny Pea Me Se) eee holes inthe top of it. At eo euuar inet ty (Cmca cnas their heads up, gopher emer rts Pe ey skulls in with a big, red Pacer Reet) oC SeCe eri Pouce ui) Noga eis ere wat’ yourself standi Cele rc ierns Se a Re aes rea DE a ted STM rs Coreen ae SU med Pate Dred POSE Tecra) Cees nes Ce ceed eee a eg ce Coreen erry Seer Yas aaa cee) Peas Pree a) that! had really accom- ear artes pee Ua ea’ Eien UR rc eT tuo Pues Racin Pee aa perenne eeu Rhee) Duce Dcmukcestoieene Cae ced uC ea oa EYRobotron signals anew ‘The concept is deep, very wave in both video-game deep. And takes awhile to concepts and technology. —_understand anc appreciate The concept isdeep and exactly what is going on. ambitious—and much ‘Onve you've grasped the ‘ stronger than it first ap- Robotion essentials, how- i pears (robots taking over —_ever, is too late totum: the earth). Thetechnologi- back. You're hooked, main- ' calinnovations are adopted _ lined, and sinkered. And : fromexisting computer you can only hope and By Matthew White and Ccapabilitios and utilzed— hope against hope that forthe firsttime—in video your inner coreis strong Pama Robert Willens games. The resultis, well, enough to combat Robo- Fobotron—a strangely | _tron’s irresistible lure. compelling yet righitening game The game's described on screen as a science-fiction adventure against powerful robots. You've got to save —so they say—the human Clones from the death- stomp of these dynamic machines. What isn't sad (on screen—and what is only discovered after hours of diligent play—is how you must distort and train your 5 mind to deal with these creatures. You become transformed—in avery ' shart period of ime—into a space-age Citizen Kane or Great Gatsby or Thomas Sutpen. You become seduced by power and its attributes. And you become convinced that such power isexclusively and rightfully yours fo wield. RoR adToit: Saving the Humanoids may be your responsibilty, butit is only tone of your objectives. Yout prime objectve is selt-oreservation and ad- vancement. And that means not saving the Humanoids. but exploting them. There's no room in Robotron for bleeding hearts orchaiity or human tarianism. You must first of all survive. And to sunive ataall you must constantly build your point value (power). The more points you achieve, the more your power is reinforced (anew man every 25,000 points). The capture of cloned Humanoids helps you achieve your powar re- charge. And that's that The first two Robotron Waves are deceptively easy, You will—with minor ditficulty—be able to both preserve your liveihocd and defend the helpless Humanoids. Don’t be mis ied, however. The sour battles of he tuture lay dormant within these first couple of screens. Prepare ‘or the future. Seldom again in Robotron will you play in this best of al Possible worlds. The 3d Wave initally tests your strenath of character. And the three major climactic battles will effectively test that character. The three climactic battles in Robotron concern three. archetypal battles of the human spirit. The first is, encountered during the Brain Wave—the 5th screen, Here you must compete against Brains— ‘vie most intelligent enemies in Robotron. In- stead of killing your Clones, Not allof the battles canbe with two DMA (Direct the Brains turn these won, however. Eventuzlly, Memory Access) contrcl- Clones against you— you will come crashing lers. This hardware—un- transforming thom into headirst to yourinevitable like conventional video- dangerously mutated ad- fall. And Robotronis the game hardware—allows versaries. The Breins also first videogame we know an unprecedented amount possess the powerto seek of that makes sense out of movement on the ma- you out and kil you—with of that eventual sel chine at one time. The Cruise Missiles. Yournust destruction. Your ambitions Grunt Wave—with nearly contend intelligently get the best ofyou. To die 100 Robots each moving against the intelligent intragic glory would be to individually —is a triumph Brains. And that means end your Robctronplayon _of video-game technology. saving as many the 83th Vave—Armaged- Humanoid as possible— don. f you survive through For a few of Robotron’s, but not for benevolent rea- Armageddon, prepare for a background details, see the sons You savethemto psychological depression. interview with one cf the saveyourself—tokeep You would have conquered —_designers—Eugene Jarvis Brains from turning them tho unconguorable. And —on page 6. Wo loarned a against you. your abilities will never be few of the name sources. put through a more rigo- from Ron Crouse— The second climactic battle ous test. marketing director at pits you against the super- Williams. The litle Clone powerful Tanks (7ih Wave). Hey, i's just agama. But Mikie s named after the Here youmust deal alone then The War of the Worlds President of Williams Elec- againat the brutest of brute wasjust aradio broadcast tronics, Inc. Tho Grunts— force. The Tarks are the and The Rocky Horror athough acronymed on strongestandmost active Picture Show wasjusta_ _sereen as Ground Roving enermies in Robotron. You movie. What Robotron of- Unit Network Terminators too mustbe stongand fers the dedicated game-- —are so named because must{forego conscous res- staristhecatharticoppor- basic programming work is cue ol the Clones in order tunityto testhisorher re- affectionately termed to survive. You must play actions to super power. I's "Grunt Work" at Wiliams. hardball! agame that reveals alot Enough of the baliyhoo, aboutthe gamester. But i's however, Turn the page The third and mostfright- game nonetheless. and peruse the strategic ening battle ocours on the world of 1982's most im- ‘th sereen—the Grunt Asfarastnetechnology —_ pressive new video garre: Wave. Here you battle goes, Robotron again Robotron. egainstincredble (nearly breaks new ground, impossible) odds: against Williams Electronics, Inc. an army of nearly 700 (ne manufacturers of Grunts, You are one soli- _-Robotron) have pro- tary human (with super grammed each machine power, no doubt) against a rightmarishly malicious ‘wave of indifferentand de- structive forces. This is ‘what despair is all about! Ws like fighting agzinst the army of Zombees in The ight of the Living Deed But Robotron—to ts credit —sives you alighting ‘chanee in video to defeat {he undeteatable inte. It's the toughest battle to fight, butt can be won.ea: CoD Ceo DR are ERC ee Eerie er ec STeraicn ie Tent oe Soest Sener ee ae ene eons rn caren Seana Cease seca ae cera can Pere ee ea eee mas Pan aren eco eer ane the left while shooting to Uo id betare itpro ‘on ie oy Grunt op up Pee eran eae WAVE 2: This 's your in Seton eso ac i eee Nee oa = OU eT ney PNT ee rear ecard ete eet Creer rem al nie DA ee een cme Perna d eee eee) eee ener a) eee : Co Dee ap og Ed ts a erect) enereeri nurses Pernt Pane tue tt) a4 | 2x be Peon Cena ea eee eee eae Passe eget Ree ansi eR) Petre bs sae WAVES (Brain Wave}: the single Sprercid. Don't You'll reap big pointsfor worry about tre Grunts. Kil See Se ae ene ea ee ee ae eee Coe eee og BUC ea ot points ~ Ly r ite DST lad Re une Reels a ee eae ara eee peel elie ie ieee pn be destroyed before they eas ue eee astill Quarks (blue soirals). Failing this, destroy them when they are firstde- veloping —betore they start shooting. You wont get them all, but try. WAVE 7 (Tank Wave] Tanks are not your only ad versaries on this screen, Dut ey are the most dangerous. Destroy them, ‘ possible, when they are ‘orcers. Constant fre is your bestweapon against Grunts, Electrodes, and Hulls, WAVE 9/Grunt Wave): ‘As many as 100 Grunts wil attack you. Blast your way immediately through the Grunts to any edge of the screen. Then, clear an area in which to battle the En- WAVE 7(Tank Wave cont'd): Fully formed Tanks willfire cannonballs at you. There aro two typos ‘of cannonballs: these fired rectly atyou and those OBSERVATIONS Grunts are destroyed when thay come inta contact with Electrode Blocks. You get an additional life every 25,000 points. Enforcers sometimes get “stuck” in corners. Con cemming this, Eugene Jarvis ithe game's co-designer) says, “itwas ectuelly a bug inthe program. Since itwas so interesting, we decided toleave iti Hulks are your only inde- structible enemies. And they are the only enemies capable of totally destroy- ing the Clones. Your fire can, however, push the Hulks away from helpless designed to rebound offthe wall and zap you. Stay shug against the walls— not just near them—to avoid the rebounding can- nonbells. Keep moving! FUTURE WAVES Listed below are tne most memorable Rodotron moments beyond the ninth screen WAVE 10: The second Brain Wave. All the Clones are Daddies. ' WAVE 15: The third Brain Wave. Mulitudes of Mikies. WAVE 20: Tho fourth Brain Wave. All three species of cloned Humanoids are repre- sented. Hulks conspire with the Brainsin future Brain Waves. WAVE 22: Both Tanks and Enforcers. Learn to deal with this deadly com- bination now. Youlien- counter itagain betore the 49th—and final—wave (after which you're back to Wave 1). WAVE 39: Armaged- ‘ don. When you reach this, wave, you will have ap- proximately 1,000,000 ‘ points. Survive this night- mare and you've proved your unique Rlobotron powers. After Wave 40, it startsall over again. JoyStik"*/September 1982Stovon Beswick THE WINNING Spc" By Matthow White and Wayne Robert Williams improve an already good score. If you're justlearning the game, you'll have to look elsewhere for preliminary instruction (we suggest How to Win at Pac-Man by the Editors of Consumer Guide). This article will help cnly those who've helped themselves —uwho already reach, at a minimum, the Agple screen. The patterns on these pages were developed by Bob Sofsky and Company—a group of people known throughout the Los Angeles areas “Pac-Masters.” They contacted us intially via letter, one line of which reads: “Our scores are consistently between 600,000 and 2,000,000. We consider a goodaame, 1,000,000. anc a great game 1.000.000 on the first Pac-Man." We sert one skeptical JoyStik editor, Wayne Robert Wiliams, to L.A. to verify heir claim, He came back spellbound and enthusiastic. =L et’s get one thing straight. This Pac-Man article will not teach you how to play Pac-Man. Itwill ell you how to Remember: These are notpatterns for beginners. These patterns are good from the Apple seen to the infinite limits of the keys. Our Sih-Key pattern is not only authoritatively good, but easy to describe and follaw. Ii you've been looking ‘or an honest-to-goodness Sth-Key pattern, you've found it here. In every future issue of JoyStit, this columm—The Winning Edge—will offer the bestin expert tips and strategies. Itis a column that assumes your expertise: itis designed to transform your good game into.a great game. oyto rd Key Grids One, Two, and Three ilustrate successful game play from the first Apple to the 3rd Key. Grid Oneis the starting pattern for all screans. Youmust choose sither Gnd Two or Three to complete the screen—de- pending on the location of the Monsters. Grid One: Point A Although Bashful—the light olue Morsster—will be charging at point A. don't hesitate. Simply continue tho pattern headstrong, Bashful will back off Grid One: Point B. Pluck the fruit here at poin’ B. Then stop and retreat immediately. If you goa fraction beyond the point necessary to pluck the fruit youll be thrown off the Patter. We call this “quick-pluck maneuver": stopping ona dime. Grid One, Point What you do at this point is dictated by the Monsters’ locations. If thera is no Monster below you at point C, use Grid Two te com- plete the pattern (the easiest method). If there is a Monster below you here, use Grid Three to complete the pattem. Grid Three is a bit harder to learn, but|ust {as successful. You should memorize both patterns and act ascordingy each time you play. Grid Two, Point ¢ lithere were no Monsters below you, follow this pat- tem as drawn. Itisa simple and cleanway to cearthe reons. Once you've reached the 3rd-Key screen, you'll need a new pattem (Grid Four)Grid Three, Point C la Monster was below you at point C, youll have to make extensive use of the tunnel in clearing the soreens. As drawn, go through the left tunnel to the right of ne screen, pick off the topright energizer, and then return to the right tunnel toward the left of the soreen. Once on screen left, piok up the bottom left energizer, return tothe tunne lett andgo to screen Fight, Pick off the final energizer at the bottom right. 3rd Key to Ninth Key ‘The pattem on Grid Four is used for the 3rd: to Sth-Key seroons. Itinitiates similarly tothe previous grids. But it eventually charts anew course. Grid Four, Point A Asin Grid One, the ight blue Nonsier will be ap- proaching from top. Don't be scared. Simaly continue the pattern as crawn, Grid Four, Point B instead of plucking the fruit ard retreating, as in Grid One, you continue through the Fruit and toward the tunnel. There iso need to Stop on a Dime. Grid Four, Point C Al four Monsters must be heading toward the right of the screen. And you must lure the red and pink Monsters behind you ‘through the tunnel. f they aren't behind you, lure them into the tunnel by shaking the joystick back and forth (you know how to do this). Grid Four, Point D Two energizers wll remain atthis point: One at bottom right and one at bottom let. IWthereis no Monster below you, go tothe bottom right, energizer and then over 10 the bottom left. f there is a Monster below you, slip through the tunnel, cat the dois and energizer at the boitom oft, andthen clean up the energizer and dots at the bottom right. 399th KEY PAC-MAN PATTERN inth-Key Pattern The 9th Key—and all sub- sequent keys—have stumped even the best Pac-Man players. That's because, as you know, Monsters refuse to tum blue after energized and your Pac-Man moves slower than usual. On this page isthe best and most complete 9th-Key Pattern we have ever seen. We recommendit highly and without reservation. 19 light blue Monster will lightly brash the top of Pac-Man at this point. This, is a good indication that youre right on treck. Grid Five, Point B ‘The red and pink Morsters must follow you into the tunnel. Ifyou are ahead of time on the pattem, it may be necessary to give a quick joystick jork to cet them to foliow you. tinuation of the pattern. It picks up where Grid Five left off. As you approach the energizer at point C, the red and pink Monstors will be coming out of the left tunnel. When yourit the energizer, they will retreat through the tunnel, allowing you to continue the patter: baaanans Grid Six, Point D The ight blue Monster will be approaching the last dot frombelow as Pac-Man approaches itfrom above. If he’s too close for comfort don't chanes it by playing chicken for the dots. Simply tbop around the block and get the dots from below Most ofthe time, you can get the dots from above. ETRE:ltwas only a matter offité—or maybe it was Pac-karma, Ful whatever the reaspn-it was wonderful As the foun- dation for a multimedia promotional campaign for the Pac-Man home vidso,saririege, Atari designated Apri 3, 1982 as National Pace Man Day. On that Saturday, in larger-tharviile costuines; Pac-Man and his adversary ‘Speedy (the red Monster) toured 27 major U.S. cities. They were transported via special Pac-Vans equipped vith the sounds of the Pac-Man game. In each city, they visited hospitals and donated viceo ‘computer systems afia game cartridges to the patients. ‘They attended major sporting events—and for the first time ever, a video characterthrew out the firstball at a baseball game. They also visited shopping malls and ave out T-shirts bythedozen. And prominent mayors even presented thet with Keys to their cites ‘Seem like a lot of traveling for one day? Well, foritinatels Re eed aein Phoenix, Arizona Pittsburgh, 3 Pennsylvania zy Photos by Fred Smith and Associatos JoySux"™/September 1962inDodger ium, Los Angeles, California iC*iSeptomber 1982monsters—not the odd electrical shapes that de- fine the modern Tempest machine. At alate de- velopmental stage, Atari programmers realized thatthe Tempest video screen wouldn't generate proper monster resolution. But the game cabinets had already been bull and illustrated with monsters! A fundamental change had to be made. Andmade fast. The change was made, all right. And itwas this charged electrical change that, makes Tempesta most unusual game. T he original plan called for monsters. That's «ight, Thisis one electric game. No matter what the original plan. was, the modern Tempest machina is electricity itselt. Some players may consider themselves “astral tightrope walkers” perched "atop the opening of a ‘three- dimensiona space platfom’ ...dedging and destroying ‘enemy aliens.” That's what Atari thinks you think. We tend ‘consider ourselves live wires, open ‘only to stay alive, but to define life ksett. nyhady can killaliens. But how often are you given the runity to become electricity? Tempest displays a rroc-dimersional electrical fisid charged with enemy rical shorts, You can be short-circuited (electro- 12)in avariely of ways—each of them oddly, and at 3 intricately, predictable. Yourtask as the open-circuit fry the enemies in the electrical field. Once the ‘mies are destroyed, you're sucked forcefully through vacuum tube and positioned swiftly in a new electrical 4 with a totally new 3D patton. re are sateen different electrical fields. Each one is rogrammed to appear in a preplanned order. This is a ‘main feature of Tempest's electritying design. You can choose any one of five entry-level patterns—1,3, 5,7, 0° 9. Number one is the easiest entry level and number nine is the most difficult. You prograss—if you stay alive— from your chosen entry level to pattern 16, at which poin: the electrical fields change color. Anew set of electrcal fields isthen generated, and the bonus points rise. you reach ahigh level, you cen begin your next game on that level. You simply deposit your quarter within 30 seconds after your last game. For example, if you end your frst game on le 15, you can begin your second game on level 15. 7>> lect of the game remains the same on every sci" 1! + pace speeds up, of course, and the patterns Tore intricate, The going, in other words, ‘er. But the rulesare the same. The id hhton. We'va heard reports that the original ‘are unhappy with the game, ints new form. 7 monsters. Let them stay unhappy. Weillju advantage of their magnificent error, and ent»r w/ioly into the revolutionary game-woric of electricELEMENTS A, LIVE WIRE(Open- ‘You eneraize this player through the electrical field ‘Tho trick is to keep moving. ‘You have unlimited ammu- nition. On the entry-level screens (1, 3,5, 7, oF 9). it's best to fire constantly—to fry the enemy. You'll have toplan your fire more strategically on lator screens, B. TANKERS(100 points). Inandof themselves, Tank- ers present minimal danger. They become dangerous either (1) after you jot them or (2) when they reach the top of a lane. Inetther situation, they spit inio two Flippers. And Filp- pers are dangerous. Killthe Tankors near the center of the tube. Don'tlet them get tog high. Hfyoukill them near the tube top, the Flip- pers will be on top of you. Tankers move slowly. in ‘one lane only ©. FLIPPERS(150 points). Fippers are very quick and very dangerous. They can fli from lane to lane rapidly. Spawned by the Tankers, Flippors progress quickly toward the ends of the lanes. Try to killthem ‘while they te in this pro- cess. When they've reached the top of the lanes, thay chase you with htning speee. You can kil them then, but it's tough you must fight fre with fie. Its always preferable tokill hem when they're sill inthe lanes. i. Ny D.SPINNERS(150 points). Spinners are nothing more than good-looking Missiles. They shoot quickly cut of a tube—and often outof tubes with Spikers. Avoid Spinners. they hityou, you're dead. I they miss you, they'll spin away from the electrical ied, neverto bather you again. E.SPIKERS (50 points). ‘These are slow-moving, predictable enemies that ever cross lanes. They rarely reach the top. Spik- ers have but one purpose’ to create Splkes—as long aspossible. Destroy the Spikers as quickly as you c@ or you'lihave to con- tend with longer Spikes. F. SPIKES (no points). ‘Spikes are inanimate enemies. They are rot killed; they are simply de- stroyed. Spikes cause problems atthe endot an electrical pattern—efter all the animate enemies have been dealt with. In orderto reach a new electrical pat- tein, you must travel down through a lane. If there's a Spike in the lane, you'lbe impaled—which means you're one dead wire. Spikors leave Spikes. IF you fry the Spikers fast enough, the Spikes they leave will be short. You can then Quickly chip away atthem G.FUSEBALLS (250, 500, or 750 points). Fuseballs anpeer late in the game. Theyre sow, but Unpredictable. They con- stantly change lanes, movingup and downto dodge your shots. They're aggressive, but they aren't fast, They're very clever. Destroy them atthe frst pportunity H.PULSARS (200 points). ‘These enemies attompt to short-circuitlanes within Ie electrical tied. They've completed short-circuit once they start pulsating. It impossible to cross lanes that Pulsars have effac- tively short-circuited. You must destroy them when they're in the process of crossing lanes, when they're not pulsating, If you're in alane when a Pulsar shor'-circuits it, you're dead. AA. FIRE BUTTON. You have an unimited amount of fre. At the be- ginning, fire constant, keeping your finger cown onthe button. On later soteens, when accuracy is af prime importance. its dangerous to fire con- stantly. Plan your shots for the best impact. BB, SUPER ZAPPER. You canuse the Super Zapper twice on each pat- ter. The first time that itis sed it will destroy every enemy in every lane except for Spikes. The second time that you use itthe ma- chine will choose what it considers tobe the enemy posing the most immediate threat and destroy that enemy only. Super Zap- pers aren't cumulative, You cannot buildup Super Zap- prs, If unused they aro lost forever. During your warp to the next platform the Super Zapper will recharge for use on the next pattern. C. CONTROL KNOB. This supersensitive knob willspin you rapidly around all he open anes. Learn how to control this knob precisely—to both move quickly and to enter any lane at will. You must lear to control the knob for throe situations. (1) Learn how io operate the knobaat light- hing speed. That means runing it rapidly around the electrical field, (2) Leam ascuracy. You mus be able to stop on a cimo— at wil. Stopping accurately means ihe difference be- tween high and average scores. (3) Learn to cross lanes when travelingdown thelane, to a new electrical pattern. if, when moving down alane, you witness an impaling Spike, switch lanes. You can do it. And this trick will ensure your safe journey to anew elec, trical field‘A. Move constantly. Re ‘mombor: You're a live wiro. Be constantly aware of Dart quickly to jefe enemies are. specally impor- tant when frying Flippers. it Flippers have reached the top lanes—and begin their chase—you must attack them with lightning speed. ‘And fre constant! be timid. And watch out for Spinners! B, Shoot fram the ends of ‘There are two typ patterns: Those thai allow your piece to sweep full cir- ‘le around the pattern, and those that do not allow you toswegp fullcircle, When playing the latter pattern types—un¢ teins—there are two spots to ambush Flippers ‘ose spols are on top ot the extreme (end) lanes. stay safe on top of an en¢ lane by jgaling your piece backand forth and firing constantly. The Flip peers will drop into that end Fane, becoming susceptible toyour fire. After destroying the Flippers, you can move around and kill yourre- maining enemies. Remiem- ber, always: You must both move and fre. You can't stay stil and expectto sur- vive. And make sure that end lanes are free of Spikes. JoyStk™ September 1902. Kill two Flippers with three shots. Flippers are your most persistent enemies. I's important to kill her fast, before they reach the top of the lanes. A.cimple, effective mothod of kiling them is this: Fire which will then split into two Flippers. One Flipper will immediately enter the lane tothe left of the Tanker, the ‘thor Flipperto the right. Move tothe lane at the left and shoot one Flipper. ‘Then move back wo lanes —to the one on the right— andkill the other FI ‘won't work. Ones this strategy is mastered, Flip pers can be eliminated eariy in the game, before they reach the top. D. Keep lanes free of Spikes. In order to move from one pattern to ar- other, you must move through one of the 16 lanes. This occurs once the animated enemies have been killed. Inanimate Spikes remain after the other enemies are dead. If youre atthe top ofa lane thathas a Spike—and you move through that lana to the next pattern— youll b impaled, Take all he free time you have to push spikes back. Always know where your free lanes are On unconnected patterns, its best to keep the end lanes free of Spikse. On connected pattems, leave the widest lanes free of Spikes. Once the words “Avoid Spikes” appear on the screen, you should he ableto instinctively move to /Septomber 1982Oe ea Ue ee Ue RUS Eee Cie oid Se ee Ue at tr See Ot auc tte g Ce Cees “Phoenix” etymologically means: to Defend. Le eae ce eens ee eeu oe ae Crk ee ie ured tg Waves are Birds alone, which youmust destroy Poe US aes COC een as ates Re aac ee a eed from most video games in some extraordinary ways. First of all, it’s huge: The Spaces! CC ORC ooee cur te eo) Wave of play. Secondly, this is a living SC a cae ek Cee ee ne) Pr eee RO ee om CE ue eer are Possible with the Alien, to score top points. 1 CRC ore ne Ce rad Se Cet en Senn ee Phoenix has spawned a cull. Per our research, Ce ee eee eee ete URC mT eu red eee ord eee UC me tad peels ee eee) CRU a ues re Roane martesSTRATEGY A ‘A. WARBIRD STRATEGY:SCREEN than they will Thay don't abruptly change direction too often, There will be time to pick off an reborn fying Bird, After it’ shot, itbu poitis receive a ay A pal a cy yf AAR ay Raa ® aA B A B.WARBIRD STRATEGY: SCREEN Ay fy fy JoySuk"/September 1982mere, OIL STRATEGY: SCREEN . THREE. ‘Keep your target shooting skills sharp by picking oft the lowest e across the center of the screen. Then, quickly move to the far right of the screen, The Birds will gather above you. You wil ave time to kill one bafore the first three bombs fall. Slip to the leftjust enough to avoid the bombs. Some Birds wil drift left with you. Pick one off. Then, swing back to the far right to pick off another Bird or two. ‘When mare bombs fall slide left again—just ‘enough to avoid the borrbs. Continue th ide-to-side shifting move- ment until allthe Birds are ‘destroyed. Remember these Birds are easiest to hitwhen they are at the side of the s ut so is your Laser Base. D. PHOENIX BIRDS STRATEGY: SCREEN Four. The Birds are more a gressive and they dk y as on & e. Keep alert Strategk destroy approaching Birds on contact. But the Force- Id needs time to regen rate; don't get caught with your Forcefield down, The Birds, from this screen em to regularly vol- unteer for kamikaze ms- sions when your protective Forcefield is unavailable. At these times, you must avoid the Birds and thi bombs. But don't let them trap you at the sides of the roen!E, SPACESHIP STRATEGY: SCREEN FIVE. Your goal is to. toshoot atthe Al through the Ore belly and the re Purple Band. Concentrate first on the Purple Band. It ible at the farloft and far right of the shp where the protec- tive Orange Underbelly is thinnest, Fire constantly. poking holes in the Purple Band and forth Warbirds. Warbirds will home in on your positio should you stay in one place too long. The War: birds are worth points and should be picked off wnenever possible. Those Birds will often attempt to rash into you. I's ther fore best to killhem when ear beneath the ship. You cannot shoot them when they are pro: tected by t derbelly F. SPACESHIP STRATEGY (CONT'D): CREEN FIVE. Since each volley of your hots must hit something joucan shoot wiping it out—but don't cutit to0 close. Eliminate the Orange Underbelly with constant side-t tion, the Warbirds. Beware of bombs dropped by the Alien. It becomes progr sively more difficult to cle the area the Alien as you play the ‘Spaceship screen again and again, It will ake light- ring fast refl any le Fitll ill HHH THE NEXT VOCE VOU LEAR. By David and Sandy Small Arcade games have been going through an evolu- tionary process very much tke thal of motion pictures. The first games had only Imited sound—doorbell chimes, for instance, were Uusedin pinball machines. These chimes might be compared to subiiles in old ‘motion pictures. Well, mo= tion pictures developed sound, then better-quaity sound, and movie pro- cuoers discoveredthe visceral emotionalimpact cf sound. |s there anyone in the Western World who can't identify the "dum-dum Oum-cum DUM-DUM’ from the movie Jaws? That can be compared in effect tothe beat in Space Invad- ers, steadily increasingin speed unl the defender's hands are shaking, and his oF her blood pressure is pounding ‘Then movies got Dolby SOUNG. And sixtracks. And Sensurround—remember how the movie Earthquake rattled ine move theaters’? Accads-qame manutactur- ers folowed the same evolution. Andcame up | still remember my first en- counter with the Berzerk! Machine, and hearing it distinctly say: "Desiroy the Humanoid." Vas, arcade- game makers were teach- ing the games to talk. Now the people behind the machines had more to offer than stunning visual ef- fects, and gut-wrenching sound effects. Now the machines could talk And insult. And challenge. Right row there are two basic means of generating speech. One is speech synthesis. The other to vJoystk™/ september 1982 Cigitize human speech, and replay it lator. Spooch synthesis is an oldtech- Fique—and crude. “The speech has the same quality as that of a Cylon in Battlestar Galectica—a deep, machinelike roso- nance. This was fine for some arcade cames (“De- stroy the Humanoid"), but ‘not So goad for others. For example, whatif you want a female voice? ‘The manufacturerstumed toanewertechnique, called digitizing. You'll be hearing this word more and more in arelated field, that ot record manufacturing. ‘Asone quick example, the rock group Fleetwood Mac "digitally mastered’ thelr recent album “Tusk” To understand digitzina, you must understand how Speakers work. When wo play a sound over a ‘speaker, the soundis re- produved by the speaker cone moving in and out That's all, no magic. no mystery—just e speaker cone moving in and out. Digitizing works by sub- stituting in numbers what was ore a direct repro- duction of he original sound. Instead of "saving a diroct copy of tho speaker's movement, as in records and tapes, li num- bers the location ofthat speaker—every movement 50,000 times a second, Ezch tine—50,000 times a socond—we recordwhere the speaker is at that in- stant. We siore this infor- mation as numbers (.¢., the speaker is currently in position #9, now ithas movedto #45, etc). Then, wo'll save the numbers. Why 90 to allthis trouble? Because the other method of recording suffers rom ‘rawbaoks. Magnetic tape can be erased, or stretched —it cen even break. Records can get dust caught in the grooves, and soon But digitized sound sutters from none of these faults. Numbers can'tbe stretched orget dusty. They're just numbers, Now here's something a~ cade cesigners (thought we'd noverget back to them, right?) could really sink their teeth into. Num- bers! Why, these people use computers every day. ‘And computers make child's play of numbers. tt seemed ideal The first, and major, prob- lem was saving those 50,000 digi's, per second! We can’t scrimp and save less without degrading the quality of the speech that comes out. In fact, this problem, and that of fetch- ing ane playing these num- bets that fast, have pre- vented digitzing from inex- Pensive wide use for quite some time. (Of course, the key word is inexpensive, ‘The telephone companies have been digitizing speech for years, and sending numbers down the wire rater than actual “voice.” Atthe receiving end, the numbers are con- verted backto speech You've been using digitiz- ing for years, and may not have even known.) Only in the past few years have integrated circuits been marketed that could ‘save the amount of infor- mation required to digitize AHH sounds. I's alot of data, even for a computer. The Price had to come down Grastically before arcade designers could use them: now, with very high-density chips (called ROMS for Read-Only-Memories), digitized speech has be- come very common. In summary, the oicitizing process is something ike this. The game designer wents the gameto say, “Another creature fer my amusement.” (Yes, this is a real example: go listen to "Space Fury.") The de- signer picks Up a mi: crophone, and says just that. The microphone is connected to a computer, which samples the voice 50,000 times per second The computer then writes the numbers, some 300,000 total (six seconds of speech), to ROM chips, and stcres them forever. Arcade games are on the forefront of technology. {Don't think yourarcade quarters are going to waste; they are financing one of the greatest com- puter research and de- ‘velopment operations of all time!) What's great is that all his workin the de- velopment of “audiovicusl experiences,” as an Atari public relations person might say, has offshoots that help us in other as- ects of our fe. Already check-out machines in supermarkets talk, roading off prices. And automobiles are being built that sey, "Please check the oil What's the next step? Wait until I tell you about the research boing dono into artificially producing odors...COMPUTER GAMES 82 an eoloioiapenrs e ( iAround us the enilless maze of corridors coiled, holding secrets best kept untold. Damp were the walls, and slimy to the touch. ‘On i dark. Fy twas uncomfortably quiet. Too quiet. hollow rattle told me-there was noneed to look -¥d disturbed an earlier explorer’s bones. We stopped to consult our map-the work of iy brave (yet dead) explorers. The corridors didn’t s6em to follow the map's paths, yet the rare tandmarks always showed up, Could the wall have been moved? As we stood crowded ‘around the map, felt myself violently shovedto the side. “kook out!" Tharin shouted,As | picked myselt up off the floor, I saw a slimy creature drop fram acon- esting nook in the roof to the floor where |had been standing. Tharin pulled out an old dagger and slid it into the creature. There was a hissing sound, andl when he puted tne dagger out, I saw half the blade rustand dissolve in front of my eyes. ‘Rust Mold,” he sai nonchalantly. He was 2 tall Elf, Tharin, with golden hair. Although skilled in fore and understanding, he Was as uneasy as lin this endless dungeon. Stil, the prospect of the treasure Grew us further. Despite our fears, we continued on. COMPUTER GAMES ’82 DnD We escaped the con- ceaied pits, the trapdoors, the sections of corridor where the roof would col- Japse at the slightest sound, Cain—our wizard protected us from many evil spelis. As enemies neared us, ared warning glow appeared, end we would wait until Cain had rendered them harmless. We walked for mites through the maze, cau- fiously, and then we turned acomerto find—Oros! We had surprised them, for they had their weapons sheathed, and they founged around a sputter- ing blue fre. Third class fire spell, naturally). We had no choice but to at- tack, and attack fast. | drew my sword, which flickered in the darkness, and | hissed with natred as J attacked. !heard @ bow's sharp whistle just before my sword bit into the neck of one Ore. Cain began to rapicly muttor words ina strange language We siew hraif the Orc party before they drew weapons and fought. The memories of the battle ‘ro individual, discon- nected entities to me. [saw Tharin stumble white re~ treating, parrying ahuge Orc’s swordfal. The Ore ‘moved in for the kil with a powerlul two-handed ‘sweep. | reachod for, grabbed, and threw my Iaife in one quick motion — roping that I'd judged the right location in the gloom. thad: a sword rang on the ground as the Orc fell. And nally, Cain's spellbound ‘mutter came to an end. (While wizards are handy, they ere nearly useless in battle because of the time ittakes tocasta spell). A red orange glow sur- rounded Cain, grow, and solit off from him. It stood seven feet tall, garded in flaming robes, then strode toward the nearest Ore. Ignoring the repeated stabbings of the Orc, the glow picked the Ore up and threw it into the wall with such force that dust ‘shook from the root. JoySuk"~/September 1982With the appearance of Cain's creation, the battle ended. A few Ores drop- ped their weapons to run, but Cain's creature—now white hot in ts wrath —was switer stil. Soon there was ‘no sound but our breath- ing. Cain's Shaciow was dissolved into nothingness. “Look”, said Alder. He picked up a sack from the ground and emptied it up- side down. Gold coins fell out, a few diamonds, and ‘omy surprise, three small silver rings. Immediately, & ‘ted glow of warning—the work of Cain's protective spel—giazed above the treasure. Sadly, Aderwas too swift 'o await he counterspell. He picked up agold coin, heard the siz- 2le and at the same time smeted his burned flesh. Alder dropped the coin. We were near no fre, yet anything that touched us bumed—another common protective Orc spell. A'- der's bun wasn't ioo bad (he had switly dropped the coin). {helped him wrap his hand. We were deep in the Labyrinth now, perhaps deeper than any ofits builders had ever been. A feeling of uneasiness fov- ered Overus all. We heard vague voiceless mutter- ings. And the whole co ‘rdor in front of us began to glow noon red. it grow brighter. There was ex- treme danger ahead. A heavy, deep footfall could be heard, again and again, ‘growing stronger. Cain said, “tis large, and very did; ithas grect power. / cannot disperse fi.” We all redrew our weapons. Itheaved into view, a mis- shaped head, ripping ‘muscles, a large, curved Ore-blade in one hand and amace in the other. Toour surprise, it spoke: “Go, now, before you are slain. You cannot pass.” We all glanced at each other. Clearly it would bar ‘our way. Dare we fightit? looked at the clock. Two ‘AM. | pressed SYSTEM RESET, turned my Atari machine off, and got up slifly rom the chair Id been sitting infor the past four hours. I went fo bed They have artivedin force. They are the super. sophisticated “Dungeon” games for hore com- puters. Injustihe last year, they have quickly become ‘one cominant force in the home machine market— challenging in sales even the popular arcade-style games, The games are cated “role playing” games. Instead of Passively watching some- ‘ene somewhere do some- thing—asin movies or TV —the use’ of these games actually directs thechar- acter. The user must make decisions. pick up clues, and in general assume the charactors role. Its a wondertu experience Ever since the first such ‘computer games surfaced, I've found mysaif addicted, Why? Forme, there's no- thing as frustrating as watching someonein a given situation (let's say on TV) do something idiotic. Do you, ike me, say "No, don't go down into the cei- lar!"? Ifo, then get a com- puterized game, They offer the rate feeling of complete mastery and power. Add to this the ever-present danger (a character can get killed awfully easily) and the prospects for great treasure and reward, and the game generates even moreinterest. Finally, un- like arcade games, char- acters in these fantasy games remain betwoon, sessions. Therelevant facts about the situation and the character are stored and can be recalled anytime the user wants to Play—even weekslater. Hyoudon' have the initial capital fora computer—or ityouwan' to test your interests—most cites have slores with rental options. For example, there's a computor store hors in Austin that rents out time {n their store computers. Each nigh’ the place is ‘crammed with people playing some of the more popular Apple fantesy games, such as Wizardry, Utima, and the Sword Thrust series. The store even keeps your personal disks in a specal place for repeat or continued use. (I can remember staying up night aftor night playing Moria and Labyrinth—my favorite dungeon games— on the PLATO computer system.) Perhaps the whole genre of these games—now just reaching the home market (and salting like mad— 10,000 copies of Wizardry ina year)—is derived from ‘two sources. The firstis a game called Adventure, which is to computer role- playing games what The Lord of the Rings was to the publishing industry. In Adventure, a character was directed by the user around the Colossal Cave, a place of many dangers and trea- ‘sures, With two-word com- mands ("Get Water’... “Drop Emerald”) the players would try to work their way through the Cave Itwas an extreme success and similar versions are on rrost of the computer sys- tems Ive seen—including the home machines. The second force was the \whole "Dungeons and Dragons” movement, started by TSR (it’stheir trademark, where several people would get together to explore a hideously dangerous—yet very luc- rative—area designed by the Dungeon Master (who ismore or iess the diety of the area). DnD groups ere inall major cities across the ‘country. And they have a lot of the same attributes as tho computer gamos—for instance, a character is saved between sessions. Many players have several versions available, a kind of fun, schizoid approach Look for more and more fantasy games. Look for tham to become more sephisticated, allowing the User increasing choices ‘And look for the pecple who design them tomake thom even moro fun, lifelike, anc exciting to play. I's the coming thing. ‘So putaway your starship. Quit blowing up space rocks over and over. Stoo defending the cities from the nuclear attack. Pick up a sword, a litle spelt knowledge, and come with sto explore the Labyrinth I noticed a smail section of the wall was dry, instead of damp, and seemed worn ‘smooth. | pressed into i The section of corridor that the Guardien was standing ‘on, blocking us, fell away, asdid'he creature. | quit pressing and the floor snapped back up, trap- ping te Guardian below. We could hear his blows thuddiing into the floor as we hurried across ittoward the glow from the gold and diamonds in the distance. 59