r^ NEW IV INCLUDES

SUPER
UDFS
^
^ ^
^EXPANDED .

'
EDITION
:
10 NEW
GAMESi

The FIRST and MOST COMPREHENSIVE guide to

the hidden codes, passwords and strategies
needed to master America's #1 videogame system!

Jeff Rovin
UNOFFICIAL GUIDE-NOT ENDORSED BY NINTENDO®
iO
 —

MASTER THE GAMES THAT

CANT BE BEAT!
The ultimate home entertainment system, the
Nintendo system is an unrivaled source of excite-
ment and challenge. The key to winning is discov-
ering the codes, strategies and maneuvers that are
players' most closely guarded secrets. Packed with
vital information — like training tips, layout of the
screen, how how you can move How
to score, to
Win at Nintendo Games will put you at the top of
your form!

This special expanded and updated edition of How

to Win Nintendo Games contains 10 all-new
at
—
games to beat including Super Mario Bros, and
Super Mario Bros. 2!

HOW TO WIN AT NINTENDO®

GAMES
THE SPECIAL EDITION
 St Martin's Press Mass Market titles

by Jeff Rovin

HOW TO WIN AT NINTENDO GAMES

HOW TO WIN AT NINTENDO GAMES II

(coming in November)
 HOW TO

AT ®

GAMES
UPDATED AND EXPANDED
EDITION

Jeff Rovin

ST MARTIN'S PRESS/NEW YORK

St. Martin's Press are available at quantity discounts for sales promo-
titles

tions, premiums or fund raising. Special books or book excerpts can also
be created to fit specific needs. For information write to special sales man-
ager, St Martin's Press, 175 Fiftti Avenue. New York, N.Y. 10010.

How to Win at Nintendo!^ Games Is an unofficial guide, not en-

dorsed by Nintendo.®

Nintendo is a registered trademark of Nintendo of America, Inc.

HOW TO WIN AT NINTENDO GAMES

Copyright © 1988, 1989 by Jeff Rovln.

reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced

All rights
inany manner whatsoever without written permission except In the
case of brief quotations emtxxlied In critical articles or reviews. For
Information address St. Martin's Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New Yorit,
N.Y. 10010.

ISBN: 0-312-92018-0 Can. ISBN: 0-312-92019-9

Printed In the United States of An^rica

First St. Martin's Press mass martlet edition/November 1988

St Martin's Press revised mass market edition/ May 1989

10 9 8 7 6
 Acknowledgments

Special thanks to the following for sharing their

Nintendo John Rorick, Todd Schroeder, Joey
expertise:
Osnoss, Chris Maher, Danny Kelieher, and Chris,
Victor, and Roseanne DiFate. Most of all, thanks to
Michael and Sam, who played long, long hours and died
many horrible deaths . . . but found out countless
secrets.
Twenty-One
 INTRODUCTION
- In just three years, the Nintendo Entertainment System has
become the most popular toy in the country.
—
Toy? Did I say toy? Well technically, it is. But for those of
us who have been locked in combat with Mike Tyson, heard
leather slap and bone crunch (usually his leather and our
bone), we know that the NES
more. It's an arcade in our
is

living room, a source of challenge and excitement unlike any-

thing else in entertainment history!
It's also a status symbol. Code words, strategies, and special

maneuvers are more highly coveted than Willy Wonka's

Golden Tickets. How many times have friends refused to
share secrets with you? No matter how much you begged and
pleaded, they wouldn't tell you a thing. (Or they'd tell you the
wrong thing, just to make you suffer!)
Well, you'll never have that problem again!
Now, you can be top dog. This book will teach you every-
thing you need to know about becoming a MAN: a Master At
Nintendo games.
What follows are strategies on how to win at the 30 most
popular Nintendo games games that can be played with
. . .

the basic Nintendo unit, the console and a controller.

Each game section is broken down into 20 categories.
These are:
Type: What kind of game it is, such as aerial combat, mar-
tial arts, sword-and-sorcery quest.
Objective: A brief summary of the storyline.
Layout: A verbal map of what the screen looks like.
Scroll: How you move (side to side, up and down).
Hero 's Powers: What you can do to your enemies.

IX
 Hero 's Weaknesses: What your enemies can do to you.
About Your Enemies: The names and specific powers of
each of your foes.
Menu: What kind of game variations there are.
Timer: What you're playing against (clock, running out of
energy, a specific number of foes, etc.).
Scoring: What you have to decimate, defeat, or discover to
earn points.
Patterns: Whether any scenery, obstacles, or characters re-
peat.
Beginner's Strategy: What the new player should know in
order to become an advanced player.
Advanced What the advanced player needs to
Strategy:
know win or improve her/his score.
to
Par: What the average player should be able to achieve.
NES Advantage: How the Nintendo super-joystick affects
play. Note: We haven't bothered with an entry for the
mega-controller, the NES Max. That one makes things
too darn easy!
Training Tips: Things you can do to improve your perfor-
mance overall.
Rating: How good is the game, anyway? Just in case you
don't have any of the cartridges we talk about, our ratings
willhelp you decide whether or not it's one you might
want to purchase. We've used an A, B, C, D, and F scale
to rate them in the following areas:

Challenge: Are you going to master the game quickly,

and, if going to give you a thrill?
so, is it still
Graphics: Are they state-of-the-art, or can you do better
with an Etch-A-Sketch?
Sound Effects: When someone gets punched, do they
moan like they mean it?

You'll find that many of the strategies that apply to these

games can be used games not covered in this book
in other
(for example: you master Mike Tyson's Punch-Out^ Ring
if

King isn't going to give you much trouble. The same is true
for Kung Fu and Karate Champ). At the same time, we're not
going to give away every secret to eve/y game: If we did,
there'd be no reason for you to play it. (This book would also
weigh more than a herd of Gleeoks.) In most cases, once you
get in-tune with the kinds of tricks and traps the designers
have put into the programs, you'll be able to figure out the
rest.
Naturally, the further you get in each game, the better your
hand-eye coordination and reflexes will become. And whatever
the game, those are the most important skills of all.
Enjoy!

XI
 CHAPTER ONE

ALPHA MISSION

Type: Space war.

Objective; Seven star systems in the Tetranova galaxy have
waged devastating war upon one another. Exhausted, they
fonn a temporary truce to seek out a fresh world on which
to continue their battle. Naturally, they select Earth. All
that stands between the alien starships, their fighters, their
monsters, and victory, is you and your little SYD fighter-
that-could.
Layout: You view the ship from overhead as it passes over the
invaders' battlecruisers.
Scroll: SYD moves toward the top of the screen and can also
dart from side to side and retreat slightly though the
. . .

screen scrolls inexorably toward the bottom.

Hero's Powers: Each player gets 3 SYDs per game. At the
start, your vessel has tiny Laser guns, small Missiles, and
moderate speed. As you fly over alien ships, youH spot small
Pyramids: Blasting these with Missiles uncovers letters,

which, you fly over them, increase your powers. The first
if

L you nab gives you a double-Laser, the second a super-

Laser (subsequent L's do nothing); the first and second M*s
boost your Missile strength, and S's increase your speed. If
you grab a K, your ship not only jumps to the top power
level, but your next SYD will start out with the powers of
your present ship. Other letters: W
will warp your ship
ahead; F will open all Pyramids for approximately 15 sec-
onds; and E boosts your energy by 2 units (up to 24 units).
SYD also has a potent Arsenal. These are displayed on a
 special screen, which can be accessed when you reach 8 or
more energy and which can be used one at a time.
units,
The Arsenal is always equipped, to start, with Octo power
(the ability to fire powerful bullets in 8 directions) and a
Sheeld (it protects you from bullets and collisions). As you
pass over the alien vessels, you'll see red spaceship silhou-
ettes:snatch these and you add to the Arsenal. (Note: Grab-
bing them doesn't give you those powers, it puts the powers
in your Arsenal so you can use them later. Also: Powers are
added to your Arsenal as you achieve certain plateaus in
combat. By the time you reach the end of the second level,
you will have everything there is to get. Alas, Arsenal sup-
plies can only be used one at a time.) The other powers in
the Arsenal are: Homing, a barrage that blasts open every
Pyramid on the screen; Fire, a flamethrower that bums bul-
lets, ships. Turrets on the ships, and Pyramids; Paralyser,
which serves basically the same function; Nuclear Missiles,
which blow the feathers off most enemies; and the awe-
inspiring Thunder, which eliminates anything (including
monsters) from the screen. There's also a ? symbol, which is
like those mystery packages novelty companies always want
to sell us: ya pays yer money and takes yer chances. For the
most part the game is very generous to those who collect ?'s,
most frequently giving you a full tank of E.
Hero's Weaknesses: Bullets from ships or Turrets destroy you,
as do collisions. Time saps Octo, Canon (sic), Fire, and
Paralyser. You lose 2 energy units for each hit your Sheeld
takes, sacrifice 4 for each Nuclear Missile, and a whopping
8 for Thunder. Certain Pyramids also contain obstacles you
will want to avoid: A
backward K drains all your onboard
weaponry, a backward E costs you 4 units of energy, and a
C deprives you of both weaponry and energy. At times an R
can be useful or destructive: It automatically throws you
back, forcing you to refight battles you've already won. This
is good if: you need more E or points or whatever; it's dicey

because, though the terrain is the same as whatever you just

crossed, what's inside the Pyramids often changes. It's defi-
 nitely no fun you have no desire to fight
in later stages, if

squadrons you barely escaped the first time around.

About Your Enemies: There are 9 different kinds of enemy

fighters: Koros 114, Ammon 006, Yakuuto 551 (missiles; a
real pain to duck), 845 (it splits into 3 separate missiles),
Novo 133 (approaches from behind), Metta 028 (a zigzag-
ger), Varis, Tagami 633, and Folfu 545, The trilobite-
shaped Montgande attacks alone, spitting missiles, as does
the serpentine Obanon. At the end of each level you'll fight
increasingly more powerful monsters: Hekaterian, Ha-
nomaszui, Shariputra, and Bonbonera. Be warned, however,
that if you don't obliterate a monster within 1 5 seconds, it
will begin spitting heat-seeking fireballs at your ship. These
are tough to avoid. The fighters and monsters (except for
Hanomaszui) must be hit with Lasers or Arsenal weapons.
The Turrets and Pyramids can only be destroyed with Mis-
siles.

Menu: There is just the one-player game.

Timer: None. When you lose your 3 SYDS, the game ends.
Scoring: You earn points for everything you shoot. The squad-
rons of ships —those that attack in waves —earn from 50 to
300 points each. The Montgande and the Obanon net you
600 points, while the deadlier creatures are worth from
2000 to 6000 points. Pyramids and Turrets net you a measly
50 points each.
Patterns: The scenery is always the same, as are the order of
arrival of monsters and alien ships, as well as their forma-
tions. But the location of some Pyramids, and their con-
tents, occasionally varies. For example, a Canon usually
appears in the opening moments of the first round; some-
times it does not. Sometimes you'll find an L halfway
through the first screen, on the right; sometimes an S and
an L. More important, now and then a Pyramid will contain
something you want and the next time it'll dish up
. . .

something you don *t want. Only on level one is it safe to

grab everything (unless you don't want the R).
Beginner's Strategy: Believe it or not, once you master the
first level, you'll get quite far in the game. To open, keep
your SYD dead-center, shooting Missiles ahead. This will
open the Pyramid, an F. Fall back to the bottom of the
first

screen as you shoot the alien ships that attack. When the
last one is defeated, rush ahead and grab the F. Dart right
and take the S, left and scoop up the L, then lay some
destruction on the Turrets ahead of you. An E Pyramid will
come up on the left; approach it slowly, since the Turret in
the middle (with the Canon usually beside it) will be shoot-
ing at you. Grab it, destroy the Turret, snatch the red ship
silhouette, then be ready to grab the 2 or 3 E's that lie
ahead, slightly to the right. If there are 3, they will be
separated by a backward E: Rush ahead to the one on the
right, then duck under the backward E and take the others.
Hurry to the left then and capture the M, then hasten to
the right and get the L or S and L which are there. By this
time you will have full Laser power. (Don't worry: if you
miss any of the L's, there are more on this level.) If you
don't have more than 16 units of E by the time you reach
the end of this phase, go to the R (the left-most Pyramid of
the screen: it stands alone, or is the left-most of a pair) and
head back to get more. You should have a full 24 energy
units before meeting Hekaterian. To this point there has
been no reason to go to your Arsenal. Although there's a
Montgande at this level, near the end, it's easily destroyed
with a hit to the head using your powered-up Laser; or you
can simply fly around it and stay behind the Tetranovan
while it spews bullets at you. (Note: If you don 't have the
—
full-powered Laser ^the fat bullets — go to the R and re-
turn. You'll need this to fight Hekaterian.) Upon reaching
the end of the level, access the Arsenal and get the Sheeld.
Go to the center of the screen and start shooting your high-
powered Lasers toward the top. When Hekaterian anives,
keep firing as you back down. Upon reaching the bottom of
the screen, slide from side to side, ducking bullets and
shooting into the creature's underbelly. It will die after 5
solid hits. Retain your Sheeld as you head into the second
level. Move to the left: shoot the Pyramid on the bottom
(S) and then the one above it (F). (Note: Avoid, at all costs,
opening the one in the center. This is a C, and you may
 accidentally scoot over it when the enemy
arrives.) Yakuuto
—^homing —
missiles descend almost at once, but are
^will

easily dispatched with your full-power Laser and some fancy

dancing. You can also avoid them by getting above them
. . though this will cause you to miss some important
.

Pyramids. Once F opens the other Pyramids, concentrate

on getting as much E as possible. At the end of the level, go
to Arsenal, take up Thunder (the Sheeld will automatically
return to the Arsenal, for use later), and use it to reduce
Hanomaszui to quarks. (If you don't have Thunder in your
Arsenal, the monster can also be skin by Nuclear Missiles.
This is a tough one, though: 4 direct hits on its mouth are
—
required to kill it ^and you have 6 shots at the most. Posi-
tion yourself at the top of the screen, center, and launch the
first as soon as the extraterrestrial appears. Then go into a

counterclockwise circling motion, orbiting the monster, fir-

ing as you come below it.
Advanced Strategy: The third level opens with the first W
Pyramid (the second one, on the right), and you may want
to avoid it if you're hunting for points. In any case, this is a
good time to go to the Paralyser in your Arsenal. It's ex-
tremely useful against the Montgandes, which arrive one
after the other. Homing Missiles are also valuable here: If
all tell you which
the Pyramids are open, a quick glance will
ones you want while you concentrate on blasting enemy
ships. And concentrate you will, since the waves come fast
and furious now. It's also a good idea to pick up the ? you'll
encounter here. As a rule, always go back for Thunder be-
fore you tackle the end-of-level monsters. It's the surest way
to survive.
Par: 20,000 points per roundis considered a modest score.

NES Advantage: Unless you feel that the joystick makes the
ship more maneuverable (most players do), or you want to
slow down the game to observe it, the Advantage does did-
dly.
Training Tips: To improve your piloting skills, concentrate on
getting as far as you can without using Lasers as you fly over
the battlecruisers. Just hit the Pyramids and collect E for
 the monster fight, avoiding the enemy ships without shoot-
ing them.
Rating: Requiring both strategy and dexterity, this is arguably
the finest blast-the-enemy game you can buy.
Challenge: A
Graphics: B-h
Sound Effects: B-h
 —

CHAPTER TOO

ARKANOID
Type: Ball-and-paddle.
Objective: The survivors of an alien invasion board the pho-
ton starship Arkanoid to find a new home. Instead, they're
trapped by the invaders inside a huge space fortress. In
order to get out, the beleaguered refugees steal the Vaus, a
ship that looks suspiciously like a Ping-Pong paddle laid on
its side, and use it to bat an "Energy Ball" a dead ringer
for a —
Ping-Pong ball ^back and forth against the walls of
the fortress, knocking them out a brick at a time.
Layout: The ship is on the bottom of the screen. The walls are
above it, filling various parts of the screen.
Scroll: The Vans moves from side to side. The ball bounces in
all vertical and diagonal directions, but never horizontally.

Hero's Powers: Many of the alien bricks contain different-

colored capsules. If the ship catches these as they fall, it

obtains different powers: the ability to slow the movement

of the ball (orange; a vital attributeon those levels where
the ball hits certain bricks and speeds up); to catch, hold,
and release the ball for better positioning (yellow/green); to
splitthe Energy Ball into 3 separate balls (light blue); to flee
one round for the next (pink); to acquire dual laser beams
for blasting the bricks (red); to obtain an extra Vaus (gray);
and to double the width of the ship (navy blue).
Hero's Weaknesses: Missing the ball as it comes back down
causes the ship to be destroyed.
About the Characters: The bricks come in 10 different colors,
 —
ananged in rows of the same
color. All require just one hit
to destroy — which can't be shattered; and
^save for gold,
silver, which requires from 2 to 5 strikes each, depending
upon the level. Obviously, it isn't necessary to destroy a gold
brick to move on to the next round. They're there to make
your life miserable (see Beginner's Strategy, below). There
are also bits of debris from the destroyed world which drop
from the top of the screen. These are easily destroyed by
hits —
from the Energy Ball ^though they also deflect the
projectiles, making it difficult when you're trying to bop out
the last remaining bricks on a given screen. The debris con-
sists of conical Konerds, pyramidal Pyradoks, 3-orb Tri-
Spheres, and square Opopos.
Menu: The fortress walls appear in a variety of shapes. The
wall on the 6 rows of 1 1 bricks each; the second
first level is

is a staircase, 1 1 rows building from 1 brick on the right to

1 1 bricks on the left; the third is 8 rows of 1 1 bricks; the

fourth is 2 blocks that are 14 bricks high and 14 bricks

across; the fifth is a spiderlike shape; the sixth is 2 columns
6 bricks wide, 1 1 bricks tall, with a 7-brick bridge in the
middle; the seventh is an oval 12 rows tall and 7 bricks wide
in the center; the eighth has a central column 7 bricks tall
with 24 impenetrable bricks scattered about (making it diffi-
cult to shatter the bricks above them); the ninth is 3 sepa-
rate blocks of bricks, also with impenetrable bricks
protecting many of them; and so on. There are 33 separate
levels in all. The last is the enemy stronghold which fires at
you while you shoot back at it (reminiscent of Space Invad-
ers),

Timer: None.
Scoring: Different points are awarded for breaking different-
colored bricks. —
White bricks ^always the lowest row offer —
—
the least amount of points. Yellow ^always the top row
offer the most. As you move on to higher levels, the silver
bricks are worth more points. Capturing capsules gives you
points as well as powers, as does demolishing falling debris.
Patterns: Apart from the designs of the walls, which never
change, there are no patterns. The capsules always fall from
different bricks, in no particular order; likewise the debris.

8
Beginner's Strategy: The key to breaking down walls is to do
as little vertical shooting as possible. Always hit the ball off
the ends of your Vaus ship: diagonal shots take longer to
reach the ground, giving you more time to get to them. It's
also important to take out the bricks on the sides of the
screen first. You can then your Energy Ball into that
slip

hole: This will cause down along

the ball to bounce up and
the length and breadth of the screen, between the top of
the screen and the top row. This not only bashes a slew of
bricks, but it's the high-point bricks that are destroyed.
Mastering this through-the-slot technique is particularly im-
portant in order to get past those levels where there are
rows of unbreakable golden bricks. On certain levels such —
as level 8 —
it is imperative that you obtain laser power to

succeed. Note: Whenever you throw the Energy Ball

against the side wall, it's going to bounce away at the same
angle. In early rounds this is the best way to blast isolated
bricks. Not only will you be able to calculate your trajectory,
but the Energy Ball will hit the brick, continue on toward
the ceiling, then hit a side wall, giving you plenty of time to
get to it.

Advanced Strategy: In order to win on later levels,

it's impos-

sible to slideyour Vaus ship to where the Energy Ball is

headed and just sit and wait for it. Not only will debris and
bullets be raining down on you, keeping you hopping, but
you'll be scooting after capsules for points and power. To
succeed, you must master the use of English: dashing over
to the Energy Ball at the last possible moment with a spin
of the controller, slicing the Energy Ball rather than stop-
ping to hit it, then rushing off to take care of the other
business. In higher rounds, when is coming
the Energy Ball
back at you and faster, you can't possibly survive with-
faster
out this skill. Those who have earned their stripes by play-
ing courrtless games of Arkanoid should be aware of the
following: if you lose at one of the higher levels, and don't
want to have to go back to the beginning, wait until the
menu comes up, then tap the select button 5 times while
pressing down on both the A and B buttons of controller
one. Then hit the Start button. Voil^! You'll be back where
 you left off! Also, ifyou want to jump ahead to the next
level, push the Start button and the A button on controller
one.
Par: 700,000 points is a decent score for one trip through all

33 levels.
NES Advantage: Arkanoid comes with its own joystick. Using
the Advantage allows you to skip ahead to screens without
having to beat the one(s) before it. It also enables you to
slow down the action.
Training Tips: Most players tend to grip the controller be-
tween their thumb and index finger. Don't! Practice mov-
ing the controller with the fingertips, like a safecracker.
Fingertip control allows you to fine tune your movements.
Rating: This is the simplest Nintendo game to learn, though
it requires great precision and hand-eye coordination to

master. It is very much like one of the first of the old Atari
2600 games, Breakout^ though the different brick layouts
make it much more challenging. Visually, there's nothing
here to write home about.
Challenge: B-\-
Graphics: C—
Sound Effects: C

10
 CHAPTER THREE

BALLOON FIGHT

Type: Pursue and destroy.

Objective: In the one- and two-player games you are on an
eerie world where Rock Islands float in the sky, evil Balloon-
istsperch upon them, and a monster dwells in the lake.
Your mission: to don a Balloon and pop those of the enemy,
along with the Giant Bubbles that drift by. There are also
bonus rounds where pipes spit Balloons into the air, and all
you have to do is pop as many as you can before they leave
the top of the screen. In Balloon Trip you must fly through
the skies, popping Balloons while avoiding lightning.
Layout: Your perch and that of your opponent/partner are
located on the ground, on opposite sides of the screen. The
lake is between you. The Rock Islands are of all different
shapes and hover at different places on each screen.
Scroll: In the one-and two-player games the screen is station-
ary. However, players can leave the left side of the screen
and return to the screen on the right, or vice versa. (Note:
On some picture tubes, usually those 19 inches and under,
there may be a moment's delay as the Balloonists go out one
side of the screen and enter the other. If an enemy goes out
with you, your Balloonist may be broadsided while you're
blind. Make sure no one's nearby when you do this side-to-
side maneuver. Conversely, it's a great time to clobber the
other player.) In Balloon Trip, you move from right to left.
Hero's Powers: In all games, the player moves from side to
side or up and down by using the Control Button. Propul-

11
 sion is provided by rapid taps on Button A. You pop Giant

Bubbles by colliding with them; likewise with Parachutes

and Balloons, but only if you are slightly above your oppo-
nent. If you are equal with them, you bounce back. If you're
lower . . .

Hero's Weaknesses: If you're lower, or if they hit you from a

slightly higher position, you're goin' down.
About the Characters: Only Lightning and the Fish appear in
both games. Lightning drifts about the screen, vaporizing
your Balloon on contact. It also is destroyed when it hits the
water in all 3 games. The Fish is unpredictable: it can leap
up and grab you as you fly over the lake, or it may ignore
you, even if you're completely submerged. (Meaning don't
give up just because you go down! Keep punching away at
Button A, with your Control Button on Up.) In the one-
and two-player game the Enemy Balloonists have Balloons
and Parachutes: even if you pop their balloons, they can
pull a ripcord and reach a Rock Island or one of the lake
shores. This gives them a chance to pump up a new Balloon
and attack. To make sure they're dead, you must strike the
Balloon, then hit them again, this time destroying their
Parachute. (If they land in the water, they're goners; the
Fish'll get 'em.) The Giant Bubbles are innocuous, and
Lightning cannot be destroyed. The Propeller spins on se-
lect levels, causing any airborne character who hits it to be
batted off into left field.
Menu: The one- and two-player games (same screens in each),
and the Balloon Trip screen.
Timer: None.
Scoring: You earn different points for popping the Balloons in
any of the three games. In the one- and two-player games
you also get points for ripping up Parachutes, slaughtering
Bubbles, and for kicking Enemy Balloonists before they've
had a chance to pump up a Balloon.
Patterns: In the one- and two-player games the Rock Islands
and Enemy same place on their
Balloonists are always in the
respective screens; that is, level one is always the same, as is
level two, and so on. On all levels you can perform certain
maneuvers that are certain to attract Enemy Balloonists

12
 bonus round the
(see Beginner's Strategies, below). In the
Balloons come out though there are
in a different order,
always the same number. The Balloons and Lightning are
always in the same place in Balloon Trip.
Beginner's Strategy: For the one- and two-player games: In
general, the best attack is to either perch on a Rock Island
or hover —and drop. Not only do you above danger, but
stay
you drop steady
at a — rate when you have
^whereas, rising,

to pump Button A over and over, causing you to ascend in a

series of small but comparatively imprecise jerks.
On the opening level in a one-player game, go right for
the island in the middle and take out 2 of the 3 Enemy
Balloonists. Keep destroying the Balloon of the third; hover
right above while allowing it to regenerate, then destroy it
again . and again. Abandon this only when the Light-
. .

ning has gotten too thick and you're at risk. Then go in for
the kill and move on to the next screen.
There are two schools of thought about opening strate-
gies in two-player games. Some players go right for the Bal-
loons of their adversaries, some for the Enemy Balloonists.
The wise player will concentrate exclusively on killing their
foe: Not only does it eliminate the competition, it earns
points. However, it's a waste of time attacking one another
in the bonus rounds. Your opponent regenerates too quickly
to make it worth the bother.
Whether playing alone or with someone else, if you sit
your Balloonist on a perch and stay there, you'll draw the
Enemy Balloonists. For instance, on level 3, if you immedi-
ately kill the Enemy Balloonist on the Rock Island in the
lower left of the screen, then just sit there, the Enemy
Balloonist from the lowest Rock Island in the middle will
come right to you. As for the Propeller, avoid it, if possible.
In Balloon Trip: Propel yourself with repeated sets of 3
gentle taps of Button A. This will make for a slow, cautious
passage. Stick to just below the middle of the course as
much as possible, since coasting is generally the clearest
here.
Advanced Strategy: For the one- and two-player games, one

13
 of the great strategies of this adventure, and one very few
players use, is throwing yourself against the Rock Islands
and ricocheting into another player or an Enemy Balloonist.

It takes a bit of practice to get the angles right, but it's

particularly rewarding, especially when someone thinks

they've got you on the run. Also be sure to take advantage
of the pinballing effect:When there's a group of Enemy
Balloonists, come at them from above, and you'll bounce
from Balloon to Balloon, popping them all. The Propeller
can be particularly useful in swatting you where you want to
go, before enemies have a chance to disburse. In Balloon
Trip speed ahead and get in front of as many Balloons as
possible. Then, go back and pick them off while ke€;ping an
eye on what's scrolling in from the left. Make these dashes
ahead whenever possible: it's much more effective than try-
ing to pick off the Balloons and dodging the Lightning as
they both approach from the left.
Par: In a one-player game you should go into the first bonus

round with at least 25,000 points. By the end of the fourth

round a good average is 45,000 points. As you progress, your
scores should increase exponentially. Obviously, scores in a
two-player will vary, depending upon how good your
game
opponent and whether they attack you or your mutual
is

enemies. In Balloon Trip, if you get through the first wave

with less than 6000 points, you oughta be grounded! Hit
the reset button and start again.
NES Advantage: Frankly, most players find the Control But-
ton on the standard controller more responsive than the
Advantage joystick.
Training Tips: A terrific practice routine is to play the two-
player game with one player. Not only will you be attacking
the enemy, but you must also prevent the second Balloonist
from being hit. This will improve your speed and maneuver-
ability, since you may have to race from the nether regions
of the screen to save the grounded flier.

Rating: Balloon Fight is similar to the old arcade game /oust

but improves on the theme with the bouncing Balloons,
self-repairing Enemy Balloonists, Lightning, Fish, Propel-

14
lers,and so forth. Great fun alone or with a partner, with
something to offer all ages and skill levels.
Challenge: B (one-player game), B-h (two-player game), B
(Balloon Trip)
Graphics: C
Sound Effects: C

15
 CHAPTER FOUR

BREAKTHRU
Type: Military search-and-destroy.
Objective: The enemy has stolen your nation's top-secret
PK430 jet fighter. You are given a super-jeep (see Hero's
Powers, below) to retrieve it, and must blaze your way
through the enemy to the Airfield.
Layout: The jeep passes through 5 enemy territories: Moun-
and the Airfield.
tains, Bridges, Prairies, Cities,
Scroll: Your vehicle is on the left and drives to the right.
Though you always point ahead, you can play any part of
the screen vertically.
Hero's Powers: Not only does your jeep shoot bullets, it has
the capacity to make grand leaps over enemy trucks, bombs,
landslides, water, and other obstacles. The distance and di-
rection of a jump depends upon your speed and the position
of the controller, respectively (that is, you can make broad
diagonal jumps). The jeep also has the power to crush al-

most any enemy on which it lands — ^with the exception of

Tanks, Bunkers, and, of course, Mines. Now and then a
vehicle will come floating down on a parachute. Catch it
and you acquire an extra life.

Hero's Weaknesses: Colliding with a Mine, Rock, Tank, or

Bunker will revoke your license permanently.
. . .

About Your Enemies: You must face 1 1 different kinds of live

enemies. Nine of these can be shot and destroyed: Infan-
trymen, Armored Buggies, Jeeps, Armored Cars, Firemo-

16
 biles, Missile Armored Cars, Radar Cars, Trucks, and
Tanks. Two cannot be hurt: Helicopters, and any Infan-
trymen who are in windows. The latter fire a triangular
spray of bullets; the former shoot bullets and homing mis-
siles, which not only head right toward you, wherever you

are, but if you manage to elude them, they turn and come
back at you, once. There are also 10 weapons lying in wait.
The ones you can shoot and eliminate are Ammunition
Boxes, Drum Cans, Land Mines, Rocks that drop from
cliffs. Fuel Barrels, and multi-gun Bunkers. Those that

come drifting down or rocketing in at you and can only be

ducked, not destroyed, are Missiles, which arrive in sets of 2
or 4, and 3 kinds of parachute-driven Power Barrels which
shoot at you for varying lengths of time.
Menu: One player or two on alternating turns can
players
battle the computer-driven enemy. The game can be con-
tinued after you've lost your ration of 3 jeeps, though your
score will not be saved.
Timer: None. There is no fuel or bullet limit.
Scoring: Points range from 100 for Ammunition Boxes,
Rocks, and Mines, to 200 for Infantrymen, to 600 for
Trucks and Tanks, to 1000 for Bunkers. You are awarded
the same number of points for crushing an opponent as for
shooting it.

Patterns: Everything repeats, from the scenery to the position

of the Infantrymen, Trucks, arrival of Missiles, etc.
Beginner's Strategy: Basically, in the Mountains and Prairie
stage, if you stick to the bottom of the screen, you'll be
safer. (Indeed, you can make it nearly to the lake in the
Prairie without firing a shot!) The Mountains are relatively
easy to get through: the Infantrymen don't shoot at you in
the early stages here. Seven Rocks will fall, and then you'll

reach the landslide. Jump it and go to the middle, moving

slowly, firing at the vehicle that will soon appear ahead. A
Power Barrel will be dropping you remain at
at this stage; if

a crawl, it'll miss you. When you reach the second land-
slide, take it at the bottom and keep your foot on the gas:
Missiles will be greeting you on the otber side. Avoid them

17
by scooting quickly along the cliff at the bottom and then
cutting upward. Immediately afterward, line yourself up be-
tween the two Infantrymen at the bottom of the screen.
Pick them off, if you want; more important, get the Truck
that will soon appear between them. When you reach the
Tunnel, remain just above the center of the screen and keep
firing. You'll get some of the vehicles inside and will also be

lined up to blast the Bunker at the other end. At the Bridge

stage, stay on top. A total of 3 vehicles will appear before
the first break in the span. When you reach it, immediately
hop the divider to the lower lane. Land on the topmost
vehicle, if you can; if not, land between them and keep up a
steady fire. An enemy vehicle will soon appear between
them. After you deep-six it, speed up. There's nothing be-
tween you and the next break in the bridge. Once you jump
it, slow down: a Truck and Infantryman will have to be

destroyed before you can pass. The bridge curves upward

then and brings you to a line of Infantrymen. A combina-
tion of shooting and running them over will work best.
When you reach the Helicopter you'll have to jump the
homing missiles (unless you want to try slipping around
them (see Advanced Strategy, below). After passing the
chopper and reaching the tunnel, place your bottom wheels
dead-center and keep firing constantly. Send the first 2 vehi-
cles back to Detroit in pieces, then go to the bottom and
shoot the third. Then it's back to the middle for the fourth
vehicle. Remain there for the fifth, go to the top and take
out the sixth (steering clear of the seventh, which will be
shooting up from below). Then drop back to the center to
show the Tank who's boss. The Prairie is easy enough until
you have to leap the lake to a small island. Drive to the top
and take out the Bunker by the pier (otherwise, you won't
get near the lake); slow down and wait for the 4 Missiles to
pass, then hit the dock running. Pull back in mid-leap so
you won't overshoot the island (adjusting your course with
an up or down tap on the controller so you don't land on
the Mine there). When you hop off the island, come down
on the bottom of the opposite shore, so you won't be shot
by the Bunker. Be prepared to jump the fence that lies dead

18
 ahead. You'll soon encounter another chopper: Make a diag-
onal beeline to the bottom right of the screen and the rock-
ets will miss you. When you encounter the next Helicopter,
you can either jump the rockets or use the maneuver cited
in Advanced Strategies. In the City, stay in the top lane,
then drop to the bottom after destroying the second vehi-
cle. Go slowly now to avoid the Infantryman in the window.

After his first wave of fire (that is, the first cone of bullets),
speed up to avoid the second. Keep shooting all the while,
since there are vehicles beyond. The second half of the City
is a piece of cake: just go slowly, shooting and dodging.

When you reach the proceed at a crawl to avoid

Airfield,
Missiles. Also, take the walls with short hops rather than
energetic vaults, or you'll collide with vehicles on the other
side. You can either race past or vault the rockets of the last
2 Helicopters.
Advanced Strategy: If you fancy yourself a MAN, you'll try

the following to beat the first Helicopter. Place your wheels

on the center divider and slow down, so your jeep is almost
all the way to the left of the screen. When the first 2 hom-

ing missiles are fired, hop them, then come right back down
onto the rail to avoid them as they double back. Nudge your
jeep up again to avoid the next rocket, then down again,
then speed ahead to avoid bullets the chopper will be firing.
Par: If you don't score at least 12,000 points per terrain, you
should have been 4F.
NES Advantage: Jumping is definitely easier with the joy-
stick; everything else is the same.
Tiaining Tips: Don't use the jumping ability to leap the en-
emy. Use it only for broken bridges, fences, landslides, etc.
That'll sharpen your shooting skills. Also, play against a stop
watch. Try to shave seconds off your time without sacrific-
ing points.
Rating: This game is fun, though not for the seasoned player.
Itbecomes tedious in places once you've learned the layout
and the location of the enemy. A timer would have made it
more exciting, forcing you to go as quickly as possible.
Challenge: C-

19
Graphics: B (The jets in the hangars at the Airfield are
knockouts; the landslide and bridge graphics are also very
impressive. When you win, the takeoff of the PK430 is
fun to watch.)
Sound Effects: B—

20
 CHAPTER FIVE

CASTLEVANIA
Type: Horror search-and-destroy.
Objective: Because you're one brave soul, you've decided to
enter the monster-infested Castlevania and slay the Evil
Count. There are 6 different floors: Do you have the cour-
age (and skill) to make your way through them all?

Layout: The eerie estate is recreated in all its dusty detail,

from the main floor to the watery dungeons to the monster-
infested grounds.
Scroll: The hero searches from left to right, with a limited
amount of top-to-bottom play.
Hero's Powers: When you enter the creaking gates, you have
only a whip, 16 power units, and modest jumping and duck-
ing ability. As you travel along, you can obtain other weap-
ons and defenses ... all of which consume Hearts as they
operate (see below); each new weapon you collect replaces
the one you got before it. Concealed inside creatures, Can-
dles, and/or stones, are: a Dagger (the first weapon you'll
find ... in a brazier, before you enter the house); a
Boomerang; a Cross, which kills every monster on the
screen; Invisibility Potion, which protects you from harm
for 5 seconds; a Star-Mace, which boosts the power of your
whip; bottled Fire Bombs; an Axe; a Watch, which freezes
the enemy for 5 seconds (at one Heart per second); a Pork
Chop, which adds some of the power you may have lost;
Magic Crystals (obtainable only from the final creature on
each floor), which restore all the power you lost; Double

21
 Shots (II) and Triple Shots (III), which boost the effective-
ness of your weapons.
Players begin the game with 10 Hearts; as you travel, you
nab Small and Large Hearts, which provide 1 and 5 extra
shots with each weapon, respectively. Once they're uncov-
ered, all objects remain on the screen for 5 seconds. Don't
forget to grab the Magic Crystal left behind when each
end-of-level monster dies (see About Your Enemies, below).
As noted earlier, these replenish all your lost power units.
Hero's Weaknesses: Getting struck by enemies robs the hero
of one or more of his 16 power units. When they're aU
drained, he's dead. He also dies when he's knocked or falls
off a ledge.
About Your Enemies: The house full of them. At the
is chock
end of each more powerful foes:
level there are increasingly
the Phantom Bat, Queen Medusa (these are the only two
who can be affected by a Watch; see Hero's Powers, above).
The Mummy Men (they fling lethal wrappings your way),
the Frankenstein Monster (and Igor, who climbs from the
Monster's shoulder and attacks you separately), the Grim
Reaper (it hurls a rain of scythes), and, finally, the Evil
Count Each floor is also inhabited by lesser de-
himself.
mons, such Zombies, Black Leopards, Fish Men who spit
as
fire, flying Medusae, Ravens, Bats, Eagles who drop rocks

on you. Skeletons that hurl deadly bones your way. Ghosts,

Hunchbacks, Axe Men, Skele-Dragons, and others. All rob
the hero of endurance points; most can be slain with just a
crack of the Whip, though more powerful weapons work
better.
Menu: There's only the one game.
Timer The clock, counting down in real-time, gives you more
time for the more difficult levels: that is, 300 seconds for
the first floor, 400 for the second, and so on.
Scoring: You earn points for killing monsters, for example: 100^
for the Zombies (which are the first creatures you face), 300
for the Fish Men, 3000 Phantom Bat and Mummy
for the
Man, 5000 for Frankenstein, for the Grim Reaper,
7000
and a sanguinary 50,000 for the Count himself. Extra points
are awarded if you slaughter 2 creatures with one use of a

22
 weapon example, 2 Zombies with one snap of your
(for
whip). You also get points for finding Money Bags, Treasure
Chests, Crowns, and other glowing objects located inside
floors, stones, or monsters.
Patterns: The house hasn't changed for centuries; it won't
change from game to game. Nor will the coming of the
creatures or the location of most of the weapons and goods
they have to offer.
Beginner's Strategy: Whip the braziers outside the mansion:
the last one will give you a Dagger. Don't go right inside
the castle; jump over the door, to its right, and a bulging
Money Bag will appear behind you. Get it and go in. Upon
entering, kill the Zombies and watch out for the Panthers
on the upper level. Whip the last block of the Panther
staircase: a Money Bag is there. Before going downstairs
(the steps are on the far left, set in the floor; you'll know to
go there when you can't leap the gap in the above-ground
staircase), head to the ground level and crack the bottom 2
blocks on the thick wall to the far right: a Pork Chop is
interred there. (Be alert: a Bat will attack when you go to
get it. If you whip it too soon, anything it's carrying will be
frozen in the stones.) Going below, don't dawdle: the Fish
Men hop from the waters quickly and in increasing num-
bers. If you let them
collect, their fireballs will knock you
into the water. If one of them does unleash his flaming
halitosis, duck and whip him from a crouching position!
Your Whip is sufficient to slay these beasts. While you're
down there, you may wish to drop to the second-lowest level
of blocks, on the right. Whip the block of the ledge you
last
were on: a Money Bag is hidden there. Drop down to the
lowest block to claim it, but watch out: Fish Men will also
be spilling off the ledge onto the block. Going back upstairs,
make sure you obtain 2 items: the Axe (located in the Can-
dle at the end of the last staircase, just before the Phantom
Bat's room), and the Double Shot (inside the Bat room: go
to the 2 blocks on the right, leap over them, and whip the
one on the right). When the bat arrives, fling Axes at it: 3
shots plus a final fare-thee-well crack of the whip will send
the monster down in flames.

23
 —
On the second flcx)rwhip the Candle just above you to
get the Boomerang. Climb the first staircase, stop on the
ledge, hop up, and the Black Knight with the Boomer-
kill

ang. Then whip the wall, and claim the Crown.

face right,
Continue, and when you see a Knight standing on a ledge
below you, hop onto the stone on his left, break the top
block directly to your right to expose a Double Shot. Hop
back up and get it. As you press on, Medusa Heads wiL
attack in their oscilloscope-wave motion. Proceed normally
—but don't hesitate to back up, whip them, or duck if
you're going to collide. Two and one step back
steps ahead
isn't bad for this phase. If you're tired of your Boomerang,
whip the Candle in the last window to get a Dagger. Use it,
or your Whip, to kill the Knight(s) on the other side.
(Three lashes will do it, 2 Daggers, or 1 toss of a Boomer-
ang.) Go slowly, though, for a Treasure Chest may appear
behind you, below the window.
When you ascend, you'll be besieged from the right by
more Medusae. These creatures you'll have to whip; wait
until one is waist high, whip it to death, then jump. Wait,
whip the next one, then jump. When you reach the two
Knights, make sure you stop at the topmost pair of rocks;
there's another Pork Chop there. There's also a Watch in
the Candle to the right of the first moving ledge; get it.
Later, when you pass through the door on the far left you'll
find another Pork Chop buried in the brick on the left side
of the ledge you're on. Upon reaching the trio of Presses
(the moving ceilings), Watch to freeze them, and
use the
run through; don't run so fast, though, that you pass up the
Double Shot on the other side, in the bottom brick on the
left. When you come to the Cannons, approach them by

whipping their fireballs and inching forward until you can

whip the stone heads themselves.
Venture to the top ledge the lair of Queen Medusa.
. . .

The best thing to do when she arrives is to use the Watch

to stop her, tihen use your Whip on her. It will take 16
lashes to destroy her. As you start across the third floor, you
can get the Fire Bombs hidden right at the beginning
though, frankly, your Whip works just as well. If you need

24
 it, also grab the Pork Chop in the second of the stone
ledges overhead. Whenever you defeat a Skeleton, pass over
the defeated monster posthaste; this bony breed has a nasty
habit of rising, almost at once, from their own bone heap.
Following the first Skeleton attack, you'll find an Axe in one
of the Candles; don't pass it up, as it'll come in handy for
the Mummies. When you finally do face the moldering
monsters, take a hit if necessary, but get them to stand on
the same side of the ledge. It's much easier to kill them
together.
Advanced Strategy: As you start the fourth floor, you'll find
just what you were yearning for: more Fish Men. Kill them
as before, then get on the raft. Don't let down your guard
here; those stalactites aren't just for decoration. If you don't
duck, they'll club you and send you for a fatal dip in the
swamp. When you reach land, the Eagles won't give you
much trouble; not so the Skele-Dragons. In order to beat
them (there are 3 in succession), you must act quickly: As
soon as the monster's neck bends into a shape, jump into V
the bottom of the V. The neck actually bends slightly lower
than the floor, so, in essence, you'll be standing on stone,
not vertebrae. Leap up at once (before the neck rises), turn
and strike the creature repeatedly behind the head to kill it.
In case you're power hungry, you'll find a Pork Chop in the
stone where the second monster's neck was rooted. After
you kill the third Skele-Dragon, you'll face Frankenstein's
Monster. Keep attacking the lumbering Monster while
ducking Igor and his fireballs. When the Monster dies, his
manic aide perishes as well.
The fifth level is far more
than any of the others.
difficult
Get the Fire Bombs
— at the onset —
works best against
this
the Axe Men ^then kill or pass underneath the leaping
Hunchbacks. Look for the Triple Shot seal in the first Axe
Men room, and also for the Pork Chop in the stones just
before the big red gate. There's also a Pork Chop in the far
right wall just before you ascend to the Grim Reaper level.
When you face the Royal Axe Men (they're in the red-
draped room, attending the Grim Reaper), you'll also be
attacked by Medusa Heads. By this time you will have re-

•25
 placed the Fire Bombs with a Boomerang (found under a
Dragon Skull Cannon among the Red Skeletons). Move
slowly here, in spurts, firing at the Axe Men while avoiding
Medusa Heads. Many of your throws will hit the Heads and
Axes instead of the Axe Men. Don't worry, there are
Double and Triple Shots to be found in these. When you
get to the Reaper's room, go to the center and, jumping,
immediately begin throwing your Boomerang to the right.
The Reaper will descend from the ceiling on that side. Get
as many hits in before the monster starts tossing scythes
. . and you have to start ducking and dodging. Marshal-
.

ing all of the skills you've acquired to this point, head up to

the sixth floor and your confrontation with the
. . .

Count.
Par: Racking up 30,000 points per floor is a good day's exor-
cism.
NES Advantage: Being able to keep the button depressed for
rapid whipping is convenient, though not significantly ad-

vantageous.
Training Tips: You'll learn to master your hero's powers easily
enough. The key to winning is knowing where you can find
all the power boosters, Money Bags, and the like. Make

your way through the house using the "Continue" mode,

paying little attention to the time, just trying to uncover
weapons and treasure.
Rating: Apart from being fun and challenging, and fraught
with things to explore and discover, the game has incredible
atmosphere and memorable monsters, as well as a chilling
musical score. Some creaky sound effects would have been
nice, though.
Challenge: A
Graphics: A
Sound Effects: B

26
 CHAPTER SIX

conriANDO

Type: Military search-and-destroy.

Objective: Super Joe's the name, and super-soldiering's the
game. Hehcoptered into hostile territory, your task is to kill
enemy soldiers, free your comrades along the way, and col-
lect valuable goods. And killing the foe is a tall order in-
deed, since they swarm, literally, like ants at a picnic.
Layout: The principal areas of combat are jungles, bridges,
bunkers, an airfield, and 33 Underground Shelters.
Scroll: Joe battles his way vertically while the player watches
from overhead.
Hero's Powers: only packing a gun, 5 hand
Initially you're
grenades, and 3 (Notes about the bullets: You have
lives.

unlimited firepower, though the bullets can't go through

objects such as trees and bunkers
—
^neither can those of

your enemy —
and only have a range of roughly one third of
the screen, as compared to two thirds for your foes. Joe's
gunfire will not harm his own comrades.) Scattered along
the way are Ammunition Boxes, which replenish the gre-
nade supply the first, 4 for the second, and so on); a
(3 for
Life Badge, a medal that adds another Joe to your bench;
Super Grenades (awesomely powerful, they kill everything
on the screen, but can only be used once); a Flashlight (the
screen goes dark and the enemy is blind, but Joe can see); a
Wireless Remote Radio, which kills everyone on the screen
and gets you a chopper lift to the next level; a Medal of
Honor, which bestows an extra life; Binoculars, which re-

27
 veal where the Underground Shelters are; and a Bullet-
Proof Jacket which can repel 10 bullets or 2 hand grenades.
Also, rescuing captured soldiers can be rewarding: If Joe
saves all 7 of his comrades in a specific Shelter, his grenades
automatically become more powerful; if he rescues one
from a different subterranean prison, hismachine gun gains
firepower; and he liberates a special captive from an un-
if

derground jail, one who holds up a grenade sign instead of a

point value, his grenade supply will be limitless.
Hero's Weaknesses: Getting shot, hit by a vehicle, or tum-
bling into a trench or pond will leave Super Joe super-dead.
About Your Enemies: Many swine lurk in the killing fields.
There are Foot Soldiers, Water Soldiers, Trench Soldiers,
Knife Soldiers, Shield Soldiers (no you can't shoot
. . .

them from behind, either), Motorcycle Soldiers, Mortar

Soldiers, Machinegun Soldiers, Bazooka Soldiers (hit *em
from the side), Watchtower Soldiers (ice them with a gre-
nade). Commanders, the Leader, and Trucks, Jeeps, and
Cannon Bunkers. Just to make things even more miserable,
there are Snakes slithering about.
Menu: There are games for one player, for two players on
alternating screens (each playing their own game), and for
continuing from your last screen.
Timer: Only Super Joe's death, or completing each of the 4
levels 4 times, will stop the game.
Scoring: You get different points for killing different soldiers
(starting at 1 50 points), for finding any power items along
the way (see Hero's Powers, above), for freeing captured
(1000 is your base reward; be warned, however, that
soldiers
once any captive is escorted by the enemy off the top of the
gone for good), and also for picking up a Money
screen, he's
Bag (which appears when you kill using grenades), K-Ra-
tions (when you kill a sergeant by grenade). Corporal
Stripes (for killing a corporal underground). Lieutenant
Stripes (ditto for a lieutenant), and Gasoline Cans. You get
extra points for completing a level or freeing a prisoner. See
also the final note in Advanced Strategy, below.
Patterns: The screens and soldiers' approach are always the
same, as are the location of Ammunition Boxes, captives,

28
 and Underground Shelters. However, other items come and
go at random.
Beginner's Strategy: As you play, make a map of where every
prisoner or Underground Shelter lies. For example, the first
Ammunition Boxes will lie dead ahead. The first entrance
to an Underground Shelter is behind the first wall. There's
more Ammunition just behind the thicket of trees that
stretch from the left, halfway across the screen; your first
prisoner is being hog-tied by enemy thugs in the next clump
of trees you'll encounter on your left. You'll find other Shel-
ters in the right-hand wall of the first overpass, and across
the third gray bridge, just beyond the wall. Ammunition is
scattered at 3 points among the enemy barracks (behind the
third one up, behind the first trench on the right, and be-
hind the last building on the left). Note: Underground Shel-
ters can only be accessed by tossing grenades behind walls,
bridges, and the like. Whatever you do, once you start the
second level, watch out for traffic! You will immediately be
greeted by a vehicle coming down at you, followed by an-
other rolling across the screen. Move first to the left, then
up, to avoid them both. When you reach the barracks,
stand beside it and cut down the soldiers as they emerge.
Also, make sure you go under each overpass with your gun
blazing. Wait until the Motorcycle Soldier has passed (or
else he'll plug you with a grenade), then run ahead firing at
the creeps on the other side.
Advanced Strategy: Several alleged pros advocate the spin-
and-spray approach —
constantly turning as you proceed,
and random, putting lead into everything that
firing at
bleeds. However, this is for wimps. Constantly move ahead,
watching for groups of soldiers to appear; shoot any clusters
or soldiers in a row before turning on individuals. A tip for
the worthy warrior: when you come to Underground Shel-
ters where there are poles, fire at the poles. You may find an
artifact worth 10,000 points!
Par: Cumulative scores for each level should be at least 60,000
(first), 90,000 (second), 120,000 (third), 200,000 (fourth),
and so on. By the end of the sixteenth screen, you should be
close to one million points.

29
 —
NES Advantage: The Turbo factor is considerable: 2 bullets
fire in with the normal control-
succession, instead of just 1

ler, and they also reach halfway across the screen.

Training Tips: Run through the game without shooting, fust

practice dodging and using the rocks, trees, and bunkers for
protection. When you play a real game, these skills should
be second nature.
Rating: Okay, so Commando glorifies wholesale carnage. But
the good news is, if you get it all out of your system here
and you will —
you'll be one peaceful dude in real life. Com-
mando is different enough from Ikari Warriors so that you'll
want to own both.
Challenge: B-h
Graphics: C-h
Sound Eifects: C

30
 CHAPTER SEVEN

CONTRA
Type: Military search-and-destroy.
Objective: In 1957 a UFO plowed into the Amazon basin.
Today, terrified natives report that an evil entity has taken
over the region. The creature — ^the Red Falcon — is using
the conquest of Earth as the first step in a plan to take over
the universe. Hoping to wipe the invader out, the Pentagon
sends soldiers Lance (a.k.a. Scorpion) and Bill (a.k.a. Mad
Dog) south into the grotesque, alien jaws of danger.
. . .

Layout: The heroes battle their way through the space mon-
ster's 8 lines of defense: a Jungle, Base 1, a Waterfall, Base
2, the Snow Field, the Energy Zone, the Hangar Zone, and,
ultimately, the Alien's Lair.
ScioU: The screen moves from side to side in all but the Bases.
Here, the view is from over the soldiers' shoulders as they
muscle through.
Hero's Powers: Each soldier begins with a rifle, jumping and
running ability, and 3 lives; he earns a new life each time he
successfully negotiates a defense zone. Soldiers can shoot
Flying Capsules, Pill some cases. Red
Box Sensors, or, in
Guards, all of which These Falcons do not
release Falcons.
disappear until the hero has moved ahead and the screen
has scrolled past them. (Even if you lose a life, the birds
remain perched where they are.) Each Falcon is labeled
and, when snatched, bestows either big-bullet Machine
Gun power (M), Laser power (L), Fire Ball power (F),
Rapid-Fire ability (R), the fan-of-death Spread Gun ability

31
 (S), aForce Field (B), and Mass Destruction (it glows and
killseverything in sight; sadly, it can't be stored, but ex-
plodes on contact). R, L, M, and F can't be employed si-
multaneously. Combined, R and S are the fighters' most
formidable weapon.
Heroes Weaknesses: Getting hit with enemy projectiles,
whether lead, explosives, rings of fire, etc., will end the
game. Colliding with the enemy also will cause instant
death, whether you're running, standing still, lying down, or
jumping. Finally, the soldiers perish if they fall from a cliff
(in all but the Jungle, where it's okay to go for a swim).
About Your Enemies: With the exception of the head alien
and the red-garbed Royal Guard, none of the characters
have names. However, you can call them deadly.
"official"
Among the many monsters and foes you'll fight are the elite
soldiers in the Jungle and Base 1; at the end of the Water-
fall, a horrible statue guards the entrance to Base 2. The

bug-faced monster spits circles of fire from its mouth and

from the tips of its 2 twining tentacles. There are more
soldiers and Royal Guards in Base 2. In the 9th chamber of
Base 2 you'll meet the Heads, creatures that divide and spit
deadly homing bubbles; also ready to stomp you there are
Samurai and Winged Bears, the latter of which swoop
down Hardware takes over in the Snow Field as you
at you.
battle murderous artillery as well as crushing Battletanks
with spikes on the front. However, all of these and other
foes pale before the menace of the Red Falcon and its ugly
larvae and living viscera, all of which must be destroyed.
Menu: Contra can be played by one or two warriors. (In the
latter game, both players fight on-screen at the same time.)
Timer: None. The game is over when Lance and/or Bill buys
the farm.
Scoring: You collect points for every alien emissary you slay.
The game does not specify point values nor does it display
the score on the action-screen. You can see what you've
earned after each defense zone has been crossed.
Patterns:The scenery, location of Falcons, and approach of
the enemy is always the same.
Beginner's Strategy: To win at Contra you must be extremely

32
adept dropping to your belly in an instant, and, b)
at: a)

shifting from shooting straight ahead to firing down and up

(see Training Tips, below). To start, run ahead, shoot the
enemy coming at you, then leap into the water. Blow away
the soldier on the bottom ledge, shoot the Pill Box Sensor,
then run up and grab the M—
also blasting the Flying Cap-
sule that passes. This will give you an R. The next symbol
will be an S, which you should grab and hold onto (passing
up remaining Falcons). When you reach the facade of Base
1 (the silver wall on the right), shoot the soldier on top,

then the guns in the middle, and finally blast the bottom.
Throughout the rooms you'll find herein, your tactic is sim-
ple: get to your belly when soldiers appear; kill them; rise to
shoot the enemy guns; and drop again when more soldiers
appear. // you're lying flat on your belly^ their bullets can't
hurt you! Whatever you do, don't touch the laser beams
sizzling in front of you. Those will leave you momentarily
paralyzed.
Moving ahead, stay to the left side of the Waterfall. The
ledges here are almost like steps and you can literally pin-

wheel your way to the middle of the peak. Just before you
reach the flaming bridge, shoot the two Flying Capsules
that will appear. Grab the Force Field; it will last you nearly
to the top. Before the tentacled statue materializes, position
yourself two inches ftom the left of the screen and start
firingoverhead. You've got to shoot 3 things: the red tips of
the 2 tentacles, and the monster's mouth. This will take
care of the tentacle on the left. Move to the one on the
right, hitting it rapid fire when the tip is close above your
head. This will Iwth fteeze and destroy it. Move to the
center and shoot at the mouth, hopping to one side or the
other to avoid the middle fire-ring of the 3 it spews.
When the statue has been destroyed, move on through
the 8 rooms of Base 2. The strategy here is the same as in
Base 1, though you must also shoot deadly canisters as they
roll toward you. This is easy: just lie on your belly and fire.

At the same time, you must watch out for explosives being
tossed at you. It is necessary to shift slightly ftom side to
side to avoid these. Red Guards will appear in these rooms

33
 from time to time: If you've lost a soldier, and need to
power-up your weapon, shoot the crimson rats and watch to
see which Falcon flies from them. Don't just grab any Fal-
con; for example, the Fire Ball Falcon is to be avoided. It
isn't nearly as useful as the Spread Gun Falcon.
When it comes time to face the Heads and Winged
Bears, as well as their various armaments, again start shoot-
ing from the left. Move to the right, taking out the glowing
red orb set in the wall, as well as the Samurai. Blast or
simply dodge the Bears (they vanish upon reaching the
floor), then concentrate on the Heads. This won't be easy:
You can't just run and shoot. You also have to leap to avoid
the fiery rings and Homing Bubbles. The latter stinkers
come down at you and, scudding along the floor, rise again.
At least you can shoot the Bubbles and destroy them; be-
tween waves of rings, position yourself under the point
where the Heads unite. Stand there, blast the Bubbles, and
wait for the Heads to align. It doesn't take many shots to
kill them; the trick is getting quickly into position between

ring falls to get those salvos off.

Advanced Strategy: For the Snow

Field and beyond, nothing
but lightning-quick reflexes will enable you to triumph. En-
emy soldiers come at you from the front, back, above, and
below, while, from hiding, cowards fling explosives at you.
There's heavy artillery here as well (lie on your belly and
shoot repeatedly at the guns to destroy them), and when
you reach the icy pipes, the Battletanks will try to mash you
with their spiked plates. When these juggernauts appear,
stand one inch from the left; tank gunfire won't reach you
there. Keep firing; the armored death machine will let you
know it's just about had it by turning color shortly before it
explodes. Be certain to go for the Flying Capsules and Pill
Box Sensors in this defense zone: TTie glowing Mass De-
struction Falcons begin appearing on this level, and are tres
useful. In the Energy Zone, climb around or roll under the
electric beams, since you can't zap them. When you face
the hopping robot, simply shoot it repeatedly. In the Han-
gar phase, avoid the trident arms by advancing, stopping,
advancing, and so on. Take advantage of the carts, lying or

34
 —
standing. When
it's time to face the Red Falcon itself,

shoot it mouth, blasting the embryo aliens and other

in the
killers. When, at last, you face the Falcon's heart, shoot the

Scorpions which attack, jumping up and shooting the heart

between blasts. In this phase, make sure you have more
than just your rifle. Otherwise, shut off the machine and
save yourself the mortification of a fast demise. If all else

fails, do the following when the title-screen is on-move the

joystick up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, then hit
button B, button A, and finally Start. This will give you an
—
army of 30 count 'em 30 men!
Par: Tough players will earn 40,000 by the time they reach the
Waterfall, 95,000 by the Snow Field, and so on; you should
have roughly 350,000 points by game's end.
NES Advantage: The rapid-fire function here can be a life-
saver. With the regular controller you have to keep pressing
the button to fire. Slow motion is also useful for studying
the terrain ... or collecting your wits when facing the
Red Falcon.
Training Tips: Since enemies will not begin to attack until
you pass the point where the upper ledge meets the one
below it, stand on the first ledge and practice your moves,
especially jumping and hitting the dirt while firing.
Rating: Though the title of the game is misleading ^the —
soldiers are American, and the menace extraterrestrial the —
game is total war in a box. There isn't a game on the market
that requires more dexterity and blink-and-you're-dog-meat
concentration. The graphics are a knockout — ^particularly

the monster statue at the Waterfall and the alien ruler itself
— ^though the audio is uninspired.
Challenge: A
Graphics: A
Sound Effects: C

35
 CHAPTER EIGHT

DEADLY TOIilERS

Type: Fantasy quest.

Objective: Young Prince Myer of the realm of Willner has a
problem: The
Prince of Darkness, Rubas, has erected a pal-
ace to the north and is making ready to invade. First, how-
ever, he must toll his Magic and summon hordes of
Bells
evil monsters. To Myer must go to
prevent the incursion,
Rubas's castle, enter each of the seven towers in turn, and
burn them to the ground.
Layout: The game allows players to journey to each of the 10
dungeons (with roughly 200 rooms in each!), as well as to
various shops and the towers themselves.
Scroll: Myer moves in all directions as he goes from chamber
to chamber and tower to tower.
Hero's Powers: When he sets out, Myer has only the power to
fire small, moderately powerful Short Swords at his adver-

saries; he cannot shoot a new sword until the previous one

has struck its target or left the screen. As he explores, Myer
can acquire 3 increasingly powerful Blades; 3 different
Gloves; 3 kinds of Helmet; 3 varieties of Armor; and various
other weapons, potions, keys, boots, necklaces (for invinci-
bility and great strength), crystals, scrolls, and chalices.
These are detailed in the game instructions. Myer also gath-
ers Hearts and Ludder (see Scoring, below).
Hero's Weaknesses: Every time a creature hits Myer, he loses
power. Lose too much, and he's dead. Different creatures
sap different amounts of energy. Be wary, above all, of get-

36
 ting too close to where the ledges are broken. If a monster
brushes by you while you're there, you'll go spinning off,
regardless of how many hit points you have!
About Your Enemies: In addition to the Prince of Darkness,
there are 13 (natch!) evil races: Bounders, Fire Beings,
Slime Beings, Rat Beings, Devils, Fish Beings, Insect Be-
ings, Snakes, Ghosts, Clones, Dragons, Humanoid Mon-
sters, —
and Tower Bosses. The lowest-level creatures such as
Fire and Slime —are killed with just a few shots. However,
it takes 20 shots from your Short Sword to kill a Dragon,

Bounder, and so forth. The game instructions describe the

many creatures in detail.
Menu: There is just the one quest.
Timer: None. The trek is finished when Myer runs out of
power.
Scoring: There are no points, per se. By acquiring Hearts,
Myer increases his hit points (up to 299); by finding Lud-
der, the prince can make purchases of weapons, magic, etc.,
at the shops.These objects only appear when Myer slays
monsters. However, they do not always appear, and the
same monsters don't necessarily leave behind the same
goods. When booty does appear, it remains on the screen
for only 10 seconds.
Patterns: The location of rooms and their layout never
changes, and creatures are always in the same places.
Beginner's Strategy: First and foremost, remember that all
creatures can be slain by repeatedly firing your sword at
them. Stand as close as you can when you slash, so you can
deliver the blows faster. Keep in mind, too, that while you
— —
can slay monsters including Tower Bosses ^with your ba-
sic sword, it's a good idea to get as many enchanted accou-
trements as possible. Journeywise, it would take volumes to
map the entire realm. However, here are directions you'll
need to get to the various shops to purchase goods. What
follows is not the only route you can take. But it'll familiar-
ize you with the realm, and, moreover, its landmarks must
be familiar to you if you're to find your way to the Towers.
1. Go right. Shoot the Fire creatures there, collect the

booty, then double back and go through the door.

37
 .

2. Shoot the demons there, collecting more power and

money (you can venture to the sides if you want). Head
right and enter the door (not the door that was above you
when you first entered this catacomb).
3. In the next room go to the wall in the back. You will be

magically transported to the shop. Buy whatever you can

afford. (To get more potion, leave the room and reenter; the
table will be restocked.) At this point you should have at
least 250 hit points.
4. Return to the previous room. Go to the next door on
the left and enter. Go left.
5. Enter the door on the far left (it's the second door

you'll see): Kill the Dragon there, shooting while entering

and continuing to you stop, the Dragon will inciner-
fire. If

ate you. Proceed to the room behind the dead monster.

6. Go right. (Beware the Fire creatures, particularly the
one that appears as you are dealing with the 3 Bounders.
Bounders take an enormous number of sword hits to slay.
Keep shooting at the last one; your swords will also stop the
Fire creature here.) Also make sure the Sparks don't nudge
you off the broken ledges here.
7. Turn into the door on the far right. In the new room
head left. Go to the door on the top, left. (Don't overshoot
it; if you stand beside the left wall, you'D be whisked away

into a most uninviting chamber.)

8. Travel right in the new room, to the door on the upper
right.
9. Go right in the new room until you reach the stone
bridge. Cross it.

10. Make a right, enter the door, and kill the Black Bux
you'll find there (employing the same tactic as you used for
the Dragon).
1 1 Upon the monster's death, stroll over to the right wall
and enter the shop. Buy the Shield, Jewel, and Potion.
12. Return to the Bux room, slay it anew, and enter the
new room.
13. Go left. At this point go to the third shop. This will
change the adventure considerably, though, because you
can't return to the point of departure (which is near the

38
 —
Towers; see Advanced Strategies, below) except by traveling
through numerous rooms. However, it's a heck of an adven-
ture, so: there's a mystic passage beside a door in the back
wall. Simply face the wall to the left of the door and you'll
be transported to a chamber with a Black Bounder. Exit on
the right, stand on the symbol in the center of the room,
— —
and voila! ^you're in another shop.
Advanced Strategy: If you're daring (or suicidal), start the
game by heading due right. After you kill the fourth Fire
monster, face the far comer of the room and you'll be tele-
ported to some very dangerous terrain. A more sensible
player who is interested in a thrill will take a route to the
shop in the fourth dungeon, as follows:
1. Go right, up into the door.
2. Pass the creatures here and continue up, through the
top door.
3. Travel left, to the end of the chamber, and turn up
into the door.
4. Kill the Dragon and go through. Cross the room to the

top comer and you will be spirited, by magic, to the fourth

Dungeon a room with 4 Black Bounders.
5. Go
up, into the next chamber. Then travel 5 rooms to
the Here you will find a symbol on the floor. Stand on
left.

it and you will be teleported to a most important shop. Do

some buying there, then make (and map) your way back to
the room beyond the Black Bux (see Beginner's Strategy,
above). When you reach it, go to the door on the far left.
This will take you into a green room. Go left. Here you will
find tower entrances. As you climb the stairs, you'll notice
that the monsters are far more plentiful and determined
than in the horizontal chambers. Shoot ahead of you as you
climb. Make sure, however, that you don't incinerate any
Tower without first exploring it thoroughly. You never know
what booty will be destroyed in a conflagration!
Par: Inapplicable, since there are countless ways to approach
the game and various methods of winning.
NES Advantage: Save your Ludder, it's no help.
—
Training Tips: What you'll need most apart from some
—
good maps is the knack for shooting the fast-moving mon-

39
 sters. When
you enter a room, if you can't fire quickly and
accurately, you'llbe drained of hit-points in an instant.
Don't play for gain early on, just enter rooms and practice
stabbing creatures to death.
Rating: The most complicated of Nintendo games. Deadly
all

Towers will provide months of entertainment . and

. .

frustration. It's very easy to die in this game. Though the

graphics are weak, the musical themes for each level are
entrancing!
Challenge: A
Graphics: D-f-
Sound Effects: A

40
 CHAPTER NINE

DOUBLE DRIBBLE

Type: Basketball game.

Objective: With 5 players on each team, and 4 periods of
play, you must score more buckets than your opponent.
Layout: The screen is a full-court basketball arena, complete
with cheering crowd, half-time "entertainment," team mas-
cots, an organist, and even "The Star-Spangled Banner."
Scroll: The screen moves from side to side, as the players do.
Hero's Powers: Your players have all the abilities of a real
hoopster: dribbling, passing, jumpshots, and stealing the
ball —not to mention dunks, such as a standard dunk, back
dunk, and one-hander. (You can only do these when you go
in for a lay-up, unopposed.) Moreover, each team has its
specialties. The Boston Frogs (green) make precision jump-
shots and are demons on offense. The Los Angeles Breakers
(blue) display TNTeamwork. The Chicago Ox (red) are ex-
tremely aggressive — they'll steal —
you blind ^and tend to hit
shots from the comers. And the New York Eagles (white)
are fast as well as accurate, sinking 3-pointers more often
than the other teams.
Hero's Weaknesses: Having the ball stolen, missing a shot,
stepping out-of-bounds or throwing the ball away, fouling
another player (pushing or blocking), traveling (jumping
without releasing the ball), failing to inbound the ball
within 24 seconds, not getting the ball across the midcourt
line in 10 seconds, and holding the ball for 5 seconds with-
out dribbling. Your players can also run into the backboard,

41
 and though they won't be hurt, they sure as spit won't make
the shot. Another problem area is pressing the B button
from beyond midcourt. Not only is it unlikely that you'll
make the basket, but it's very difficult for a teammate to
retrieve the ball.
About Your Enemies: If you're playing the computer team,
CPU (Central Processing Unit), they are naggingly adept at
stealing and making baskets. The higher the level, the more
skilled they become.
Menu: A player can challenge the computer on easy, medium,
and difficult levels, or players can battle one another. In any
case, you can select your team (except for Boston when you
tackle the CPU), as well as the time limit for each period.
Timer: You can choose 5, 10, 20, or 30minute periods. Time
in the game is half that of real time; that is, the 5-minute
period is only 2 1/2 minutes.
Scoring: You earn 3 points for every shot taken outside the
3-point line, and 2 points for shots from inside. Note: If you
take a 3-point jumpshot but don't release the ball until your
feet have crossed the line, you're only going to get 2 points
for the bucket. Nor are there extra points for beautifully
executed dunks.
Patterns: The players return to their positions after each pe-
under their own backboard when the other
riod; get the ball
team and always take the ball out from a few points
scores;
near where it went out of bounds.
Beginner's Strategy: For starters, don't be the first one up in
the center circle for the jump ball. Jump a moment after
your adversary (including the computer), and you'll get the
ball. As a rule, it may not be slick, but it works: on defense,
keep slapping the A and B buttons simultaneously. The B
button ensures that the player nearest the ball will be eligi-
ble to steal it, while the A button enables him to do so. Be
sure, though, to lift your finger from the B button as soon as
you have the ball. Otherwise you'll automatically throw it.
Again, on defense, as soon as the opposing player crosses
the midcourt line, start moving one of your players toward
him, from under the basket. This leaves you vulnerable to a
pass, but it also forces your opponent to both make that

42
 pass and shoot quickly. Better that than letting him get
under the hoop: the game doesn't let you stuff your oppo-
nent as well as you might like. Be alert, too, to whoever is

flashing the other team takes the ball in. If you steal it
when
this close to your opponent's basket, it's an easy 2 points.
When you 're inbounding the ball, switch flashing players at
the last second to keep your adversary off-balance. On of-
fense shoot from the X markers on the court whenever
possible. If you're taking a 3-point shot, release the B but-
ton when the player is on the way down. You'll get more
distance that way. On the dunks, shooting close to the bas-
ket will let you make a standard, 2-handed dunk; jumping
higher allows you to do a 1 -bander; and actually getting just
under the basket produce a back dunk. Pay close atten-
will
tion to the sounds: a swish, and you can rest easy. A clang
means the ball has hit the rim and you'd better be prepared
to get the rebound. Also be ready to go in for the rebound
after the second of any free throws (yours as well as that of
—
your opponent). As for passing ^again, it isn't like real life,
but it works. When you have the ball, keep the A button
down, and the controller pointed toward the basket. You'll
literaUy rocket the ball ahead. Even if your opponent is
watching for this, there's little anyone can do to stop you.
Keep an eye on the timer; you can use it to your advantage.
If you're far ahead, eat up tfie clock by passing, dribbling, or
waiting until the last possible moment to take the ball in.

As the warning buzzer sounds, meaning that the period is

about to end, race toward the basket and shoot from wher-
ever you are. Better to try and get the bucket than to eat
the ball. Finally, make sure you are in position, under the
basket, to get the rebounds.
Advanced Strategy: When playing the computer especially —
—
on level three ^watch for the steals. The CPUs are pros.
Keep the ball moving, passing to any player who isn't near
one of the CPU players. If you hold onto the ball, or if you
let your opponent run up beside you, you're gonna lose it.
Among teams that you can use against CPU, Chicago will
give you the surest chance of victory.
Par: Winning. In all fairness to the average player, if you

43
 come within 10 points of the computer on level three,
you're doing very well.
NES Advantage: The joystick is better than the controller for
the precise movement of players.
Training Tips: Play a 2-player game with just one team. That
will allow you to study positions and to try out your own
shots. With practice, hitting 3-pointers is actually as easy as
doing a lay-up. Also, challenge the computer on the third
level. You'll be blanked for a while, but you'll accomplish
two things (apart from learning humility): you'll see what
kinds of moves win a game, and you'll practice shooting and
passing under extreme pressure. Also, try various teams
against CPU to polish different skills.

Rating: Not only is the game fun

for the family, but the
graphics and sound effects are spectacular. Particularly note-
worthy: the squeaking of the sneakers, and the way the
screen cuts to a beautifully realized closeup whenever a
player goes in for a dunk. (By the way: just how involving is
the game? Notice that when players go for 3-pointers, they
tilt the controller in the direction of the basket, as though

that'll help the ball travel farther. .) . .

Challenge: A
Graphics: A
Sound Eifects: A-h

44
 CHAPTER TEN

EXCITEBIKE
Type: Motocross race and obstacle course.
Objective: Welcome to the most treacherous set of race
courses in the world! Alone, or against 4 other bikers, you
must leap Hurdles, avoid Mud, and make it to the finish
line.

Layout: The —
4-lane course and its obstacles ^as well as an
isolated —
camera operator ^are all you see as you speed past.
Scroll: The rider moves from left to right, with limited up and
down mobility.
Hero's Powers: The biker is able to steer, to accelerate, to use
a Turbo-boost, to switch lanes, and to shift the bike in mid-
jump in order to take a landing on the back or front wheel.
There are also "Cool Zone" marks (they resemble officer's
stripes) which take the heat off your Turbo (see Hero's
Weaknesses).
Hero's Weaknesses: The biker cannot shift lanes in the mid-
dle of a jump, can be totaled by a bad landing or going too
quickly over a roadbump, and can be upended by another
racer. What's more, overuse of Turbo will cause the player's
engine to overheat and will result in a 4-second trip to the
sidelines to chill out. Mud (the circular patches, or big
stretches between sections of track) will slow the racer
down considerably.
About Your Enemies: There are 12 different Hurdles, ranging
from roadbumps to massive, 2-tier obstacles. You'll also find
that 4 lanes suddenly become 2 or end abruptly in a long

45
 stretch of Mud. Mud also appears as small patches on alter-
nating lanes.
Menu: There are 5 courses of increasing difficulty, which you
can race alone or with other bikers, all of which are con-
trolled by the computer. (Though 3 other racers are with
you at the starting line, a few dozen have joined the fray by
the time you reach the second obstacle!) There is also a
blank course which you can populate with any obstacles you
wish, in any order you desire.
Timer: The clock times your run in real time. (The worst
possible time is 9 minutes.)
Scoring: There are no points, merely time-penalties for over-
heating or taking a spill. Regarding the latter: it takes longer
for you to get back on, depending upon how fast you were
going at the time of your demise (the average time elapsed
is 2 seconds to crash and one second to get back up to

speed). Also, if you fall on your way up an obstacle, your

bike keeps rolling until you reach the ground. That can eat
as much as 3 seconds more!
Patterns: The courses, as well as the location and types of
obstacles, are always the same from game to game. In the
multibike games, the actions of the other riders always var-
ies.

Beginner's Strategy: To start each course, shift from the lane

you're in to the following lanes in order to avoid Mud pud-
dles or to hit ramps precisely: 1) second lane up, 2) third
lane up (to clear the Mud puddles), 3) second lane up (so
you can weave around the speed bumps), 4) third or fourth
lane up (in order to reach the upper ramp), and 5) third
lane up (to avoid the Mud). As a rule, if you come out of a
leap with your front tire pointing past the five o'clock posi-
tion, you're going to take a spill. Conversely, since you slow
when you pull back,push your bike to the five o'clock posi-
tion until the last possible moment, then put on the brakes.
After taking a jump, you also have the option of immedi-
ately going into a back-wheel-down mode. That will keep
you safe, but it will really take the wind out of your sails. In
either case, hit the ramps and hurdles at top speed. Beware,
though, when there are 4 hurdles in a row. Hit the first fuU-

46
 throttle, but then jerk back so that you land on the down
slope of the second hurdle. E)on*t take your finger off the
accelerator: as soon as you land, throw the controller for-
ward and roar up the last pair of obstacles.
Advanced Strategy: The most difficult hurdles in any of the
courses are the 2-tier monoliths and the second-story ramps.
To get up the former, come at it fast, land on the top level
with your back wheel, then rocket off, pulling out of the
dive when your front wheel reaches that five o'clock posi-
tion. For the second-story ramps, getting up is no problem.
When you're up there, though, give a burst of gas and then
get up on your back tire for the jump. Otherwise, your
speed and angle of descent will be so severe that you're
certain to wreck upon landing.
Par: Courses 1 and 2 can be completed in approximately 50
seconds. Course 3 should take one minute, and courses 4
and 5 no more than one minute 5 seconds. If you're racing
with other bikers, courses 1 and 2 shouldn't take any longer;
add 5 seconds for 3 and 10 seconds to 4 and 5.
NES Advantage: To tell you the road-rippin' truth. Advan-
tage is a cfwadvantage in this game. It's much easier to
control your bike your thumb across the controller
if you lay
and use it to nurse your wheels into and out of jumps.
Training Tips: Clearly, the build-your-own race course mode
is ideal for practicing jumps, weaving between Mud pud-

dles, and gauging what kind of distance Turbo adds to your

leaps.
Rating: This is a relatively easy and uncomplicated game for
seasoned players. However, it's ideal for young video gamers
or novices.
Challenge: B—
Graphics: B
Sound Effects: B—

47
 CHAPTER ELEVEN

GHOSTS
•N GOBLINS
Type: Horror search-and-destroy.
Objective: Your name is Arthur and you're a knight. Whilst
you are picnicking with the Princess, a demon swoops from
the sky and spirits her away. Hurrying after them, you must
pass through 7 Gates and fight the Devil himself in order to
save her.
Layout: The screen shows each of the 7 stages through which
Arthur must pass: the Graveyard and Woods, the Ghost
Town, the Underground Route to the Castle, the Castle,
the Underworld, and Lucifer's Chamber.
ScroU: Arthur moves from side to side or up and down, de-
pending upon the phase of gameplay.
Hero's Powers: Arthur comes equipped with Armor, a weapon
and the ability to leap or crouch.
(usually a Javelin), 3 lives,
(If he jumps from atop a tombstone in the first level, he'll
go farther.) As he travels, Arthur can exchange his weapon
for any other one he finds. (If you don't want to make the
swap, simply jump over the weapon.) These arms are Jave-
lins, Swords (faster than Javelins), Axes, Crosses (they halt

any attack pronto), arwi Torches, which not only burn what-
ever they touch, but also temporarily create a wall of fire).

Many monsters also cart along Jars which, if slain, they

leave behind; in them may be Armor, a Helmet (a.k.a. Ex-
tend, which adds a life), and a dark Time Disc (it increases
one's lifespan). Finally, whenever Arthur slays a gatekeeper,
a Key falls from the sky. Retrieve it and it restores Armor

48
 Arthur may have lost, and also allows him to proceed to the
next level.

Hero's Weaknesses: Being touched by a foe or projectile will

cost Arthur his Armor; being touched or hit a second time
costs a life. Falling from a cliff or ledge, just once, will kill
the knight. He can also become a frog (see About Your
Enemies). An object that Arthur must avoid is the light
Time Disc (it decreases his lifespan).
About Your Enemies: There are countless demons, including
Zombies, Ravens, Green Monsters that spit fireballs, Flying
Knights, Forest Ghosts with their spears, and others. The
toughest of the monsters are the Red Devils, which fly and
breathe balls of flame; the towering, hopping Unicom (ac-
tually a Cyclops); the Big Men; the Dragon; Satan; and the
two-mouthed Devil, each mouth exhaling death. Also found
in numerous places are the Magician and the Frog King,
both of whom will turn Arthur into a Frog, whose sole
power is hopping. (If you happen to toss fire on the second
tombstone of the first level, the Magician will usually ap-
pear.) The Frog will become Arthur again after 10 seconds,
or when hit by a monster.
Menu: There are one- and two-player games (separate games
for alternating players).
Timer: The player has 2 minutes to get through the Grave-
yard, 2 to pass through the Woods, 2 to negotiate the first
part of the Ghost Town, 3 to make it through the building
of the Big Men, and so on. The more difficult the level of
play, the more time you have.
Scoring: Arthur earns points for killing monsters, from 100 for
Ravens to 10,000 for the Devil. Points are also awarded for
finding the Magician and also the Yashichi, a disklike object
worth a substantial 5000 points.
Patterns: The landscape is always the same, though the mon-
sters vary. For instance. Green Monsters, Ravens, and Fly-
ing Knights are always in the same place; Zombies and
Forest Ghosts pop up in the same general area, but in differ-
ent places. Weapons are found all over the place.
Beginner's Strategy: To begin with, if you open the game
with a Torch, start over. It may not be sporting, but it's

49
practical: compared to cold steel, fire is slow and useless. In
general, follow this rule: whatever the level, keep moving
ahead as swiftly as possible, turning to kill monsters behind
you only when they're about to strike. Stopping and pre-
senting your back to the enemies in front will only invite
—
them to cluster ^meaning that you have more foes to fight
when you continue ahead. The one exception are the Zom-
bies. It's easy enough to turn and shoot the one undead who
is usually lumbering up behind you. If you can't, just outrun

it: Zombies quickly sink back into the earth. Climb the

ladder to the upper level and kill the Green Monster. (If
you've climbed too slowly, it'll adjust its aim and shoot at
you. Jump Keep firing. You'll blast the Raven
its bullets.)

while it's still As soon as you jump the third

offscreen.
tombstone on the ridge, shoot the second Green Monster.
Don't bother climbing down; if there are no Zombies be-
low, just jump. (If you elected to stay below, you can avoid
the projectiles of the first Green Monster by hugging the
tombstone while you shoot Zombies. Keep in mind,
though, that any time you crouch, the headstone may bkxik
your shot. It does not, however, impede monsters.) When
you see the Red Devil, shoot it. When it rises, plug the
Raven behind it. Hurry to the left so the Devil will miss you
when it dives. When it rises, rush to the right. The Devil
will then sweep along the ground at you —
^briefly, but giving

you enough time to shoot it. It should take no more than 3

shots to destroy the beast.
After you cross the water and reach the woods, 2 or 3
waves of Flying Knights will come at you. Though you can
kill them from behind (their shields protect them in front),

it's best to avoid them altogether. Do so thusly: when you

arrive, crouch at once in the middle of the tree right before

the ledge. The Knights will fly by without hurting you (turn
and shoot one or two, if you wish). Rise at once, cross the
small island, and crouch again in the clearing between the
trees. The next wave will also pass you by. Hurry ahead. If a
third wave comes, crouch at the next tree in front of you.
When the Knights are gone, race ahead, shooting. That will
take care of the Green Monster. After its death, Forest

50
Ghosts wiD materialize. As with the Zombies, continue
ahead as fast as possible, shooting the specters in front,
turning to fire at low-flying ones if they're on your tail.
(When you get good, you can jump and shoot them, front
and back. But this slows you down and invites more than
the deadly clustering: the latter Ghosts start chucking
spears boA vertically and horizontally.)
When you reach the Unicom, shoot at it instantly. The
big guy wiD toss fireballs and leap high into the air. Duck
the flaming death, run under the Unicorn's feet, stand at
the far rigjit and fire to your left. The giant will die rela-
tively quickly. Catch the Key when it falls. When you go
through the Gate, wait until the Blue Demon appears on
the right. Hop up (not onto the next ledge; just jump in
place), shoot it, then go to the far right of the ledge you're
on. Face left, and when the next Blue Demon drops down
at you, shoot it. Jump to the second ledge, then the third. If
you run at once to the moving platform, you can get to it
before the Green Monster above you begins to fire. If you
choose, instead, to turn to the left to shoot the third Blue
Demon before leaping onto the moving platform, you'fl
have to dodge one or two shots from the Green Monster
above. Ride the platform up, kill the Green beast, then take
a mighty leap onto the second of the moving platforms. You
must jump as far as possible onto the right side of this
pktform. It wiU descend very quickly, and, if you haven't
jumped to shore, will carry you into the water . . and
.

your death.
Upon reaching the first building of the Ghost Town, wait
a second (the time it takes to fire two shots of your weapon).
There are Petite Devils ahead, who will come at you from
the windows; the delay throws them off, allowing Arthur to
pass unscathed most of the time. Again, get through quickly
or you'll have a mess o' demons to fight. Leap the water and
hurry up the ladder. In this phase you must follow a very
precise pattern in order to get over and around the walls
that block each floor. Shoot the Raven (it usually ap-
proaches from the right), then move an inch to the right
and kill the Big Man there by firing at him repeatedly.

51
(Note: If you move more than an inch to the right, the Big
Man on the level above will drop debris square on your
noggin.) At this point do one of two things. You can run to
the wall on the far right, wait until the Big Man on the
other side arrives, then shoot him through the wall (he can't
reach you, obviously), then scurry up the ladder and shoot
the Big Man on the other side of that wall. (Don't start
shooting and then abort before either monster is dead; it
will hurl debris at you, which can pass through the wall!)
The advantage to this tack is that when you get to the right
side of the mansion, it will be The bad news is
ogre-free.
that you have to fight your way through the Big Men who
will have used the time to herd to your left. Thus, I favor a
different approach.
After climbing the first ladder and killing the Big Man to
your right, go past him to the last ladder before the wall.
Ascend, go left, and climb the first ladder you encounter.
You're now on the fourth floor. Go right. You will have had
to fight two Big Men along the way, but your ascent will
have been so rapid, they won't have had time to get too
close. Thus, you'll have more than enough time to kill
them. On the fourth floor, turn right. Go down the last
and kill the Big Man here. He,
ladder, to the third floor,
and the next one you must face, are the monsters you would
have killed had you shot through the walls when you first
arrived. However, dispatching them is so easy, that killing
them first simply isn't worth all the other trouble it brings.
There's plenty of time to shoot the Big Man here (be pre-
pared, though, for a Raven attack). If, however, the giant is
waiting for you at the foot of the ladder, simply pace the
floor above, tothe ends of the screen if necessary, until he
detects your presence and is lured away. After you've killed
this Big Man, descend the ladder to the second floor. Re-
peat the procedure, if necessary (again, watching out for a
Raven).
There is no monster on the first floor, leaving you free to
continue. Nail the Raven(s) that attack as you head for the
moving walkways. The key to getting through this phase is

to jump as soon as you reach the platforms. For example, if

52
 you don't get on the of walkways before they rise
initial set

for the first time, you'll have Ravens to battle. Don't think;
just jump as soon as you get there, and jump off just as
quickly. Don't be afraid, you can leap as far down as you
want, as long as you land on solid ground. When you get
skillful at this level, you can actually leap over the second of

the two walkways in each set. Upon reaching the twin Uni-
corns that guard the next gate, shoot at the first of them,
then get under its feet when it jumps. Face left and kill it,
ducking the fireballs of the second (who is to your right).
When the first dies, shoot the second at once, before he
leaps. If you can't, get under it when it jumps, face left and
destroy it.

Advanced Strategy: When

you enter the next level. Bats will
descend from right to left. Shoot the first three
in a wave,
on the right, move into the space they vacated, and shoot
the ones on the left (also blasting Zombies). Go to the
upper ledge (less blue-ball-breathing mountains here), fire
repeatedly at the mountain you do encounter as soon as it
appears on the right side (6 shots will do the trick), then put
a pair of shots into the Red Devil on the steps. As soon as
you fire at him, dart to the left, jump down to the lower
step, and, when the Devil passes overhead, run to the right.
Turn left and, jumping before it swoops down at you, blow

it to crimson atoms. Don't even bother with the next Forest

Ghost that chases you (it won't touch you). When you
reach the next ball-breathing mountain, stop in the middle
of the step below it. Hop up, pump 2 shots into it, wait for
the blue ball to pass overhead won't drop down on you),
(it

jump again, shoot the Forest if it's emerged, and

Ghost
keep firing until the mountain explodes. Deal with the next
Red Devil by shooting twice, racing under it to the right,
turning and blasting it. Continue along the stone staircase,
watching out for the Petite Devils which will attack when
you reach the Money Bags. (Note: Though there are many
ways to proceed, you will face Red Devils on every route.
The best way to go is to ascend the second ladder you
encounter; there's one less Red Devil along this path.)
When you reach the top of the cliff, jump all the way
53
down. Kill the Red Devils there (they are easier to slay than
their brethren) and
battle the Dragon. Blast its stinging tail
segments before turning on its head. Do this by jumping up
and shooting, then running under it as it sweeps from one
side to the other. When only the head is left, you may have
to leap it rather than run beneath it, since it'll be quite low
by this point.
The fourth level is much simpler. Faced with the moving
Eyeball Clouds, ascend, using them like ladders; don't be
distracted by the fact that they're shifting from side to side.
Battle the Red Devil on the rope bridge (a cinch; you've got
plenty of level ground on which to maneuver), watch out
for the frog spell and ignore the bulk of the Blue Demons as
you forge ahead, otherwise you'll run smack into sprays of
bubbling lava. When you encounter the second Red Devil,
stay to the left and keep shooting at it. When you face the
Dragon, deal with it as you did on the previous level. Your
next stop will find you facing bullet-spitting Blue Devils:
These you can 't ignore, or they'll kill you. Shoot them, and
also plug the Skullson the ground. If you leave them there,
they'll grow into hopping (and hopping mad!) Skeletons.
Climb the last ladder on the left, go up the ladder to your
immediate left, head left and jump the gap, continue left,
and scurry up the ladder at the extreme left. Go right now
and kill the Red Devil. (Note: An Axe often materializes on
slow-moving, but powerful.) Extra Armor usu-
this level. It's
ally appears at the top ledge —
^by which time you'll need it.

Satan appears here, and unless you're both an ace with your
weapons and very lucky, you're gonna die.
Getting through this level, you'll find yourself in a real
toughie. Once more you have to climb despite the. . .

fact that some very strong enemies have a different idea.

Shoot the Skulls again, then head up to the Unicom. Stay
on the right; if you keep up a relentiess barrage, he usually
will not venture toward you. If he does, you can slide under
him when he hops ... though he'll jump back to the left
When the Unicorn vaporizes, climb and face
very quickly.
your most hideous foe to date, the most powerful Dragon of
them all. The creature lies coiled on an upper ledge and

54
 awakes when you're below it. Fight it as you did the others,
though you'll have to determine which vantage point is best
for you: you can jump up into the highest niche on the far
right side, 2 levels below it, and shoot from there (danger-
ous); you can climb to the level below it, rush to the right,
then dash to the left when it passes over you, repeating this
process several times until just the head remains, then
jumping the head while shooting it (this works best); or you
can climb the ladder beneath the monster, speed up when it

uncoils, and fight it while ascending (this one's fun . . .

but difficult).
In any case, when you finally get past Lucifer's many
guards and face the honcho, you're in for a surprise. Unless
you have the Cross, you're going to have to attack him
(futilely) with whatever's at hand. After just a few shots, the
beast will appear to die. In fact, he is not dead; he was just
an illusion. And you, hearty Knight, will be flung right back
to the beginning of the game.
Par: This tends to be a relatively low-scoring game, especially
if you choose to race ahead of Zombies, Forest Ghosts,
A moderate killing
Petite Devils, etc., without killing them.
spree will earn you 7000 to 10,000 points per stage (that is.
Graveyard, Woods, Blue Devil Ghost Town, Big Men
Building, etc.).
NES Advantage: The turboing of your weapon is very useful.
Training Tips: Believe it or not, most of the basic skills you'll
need can be honed in just the Graveyard and Forest levels.
Stay there and take chances; learn what Arthur can do. Go
to the Forest Ghosts and let them haunt you en masse. If
you can shoot them all down, you're going to give the Devil
a run for his money. If you have the Advantage, go through
the game at least once in Slow. If you're really ambitious,
hop right to the later levels and try your skills there. You can
do this by manipulating the controls as follows: when the
title screen comes on at the beginning, jab the B button 3

times while simultaneously pressing the controller to the

right. Tap the controller on the up side, let it go, then hit
the B button 3 more times. Press the controller left, lift

your finger, hit B 3 times, press the controller down, lift

55
 your finger, hit B 3 more times, then tap Start. After the
life-number indicator appears, the screen will read Stage 1
A. Use the A
button to advance to the phase of play you
want. you go too far, back up using the B button. (Note:
If
This code has been published elsewhere with erroneous di-
rections. This is the correct way to input it.)

Rating: An extremely game, requiring unprecedented

difficult
coordination, Ghosts TV Goblins is not for beginners. At
—
times ^like the 900th time you try to get through the Big
Men Building — it's as much fun as having your gums tat-

tooed. But you can't say you don't get your money's
worth. . . .

Challenge: A-h
Graphics: B-h
Sound Effects: B

56
 CHAPTER ThlELVE

GRADIUS
Type: Space war.
Objective: The nefarious extraterrestrial Bacterions have de-
clared war on the peaceful world of Gradius. Aboard the
fleet spaceship Warp Rattler, you must fly to the Bacterion
superfortress Xaerous and destroy the enemy.
Layout: There are 7 different "Stages" through which you
must pass before reaching the superfortress. These are:
Open Space, in which you battle alien ships; the Volcanic
Stage, where you dodge huge, red-hot stones flung from the
twin craters; the Stonehenge Stage, a fighter base built from
asteroids; the Inverted Volcano Stage, where up and down
have been switched; the Moai Stage, where Easter Island-
like heads conceal ion guns; the Antennoid Stage (see
About the Characters, below); the Amoeboid Stage (see
About the Characters); and, finally, the Superfortress Stage.
ScroU: Left to right.
Hero's Powers: Your Warp Rattler can move in any direction
and can speed up or slow down at will. It fires projectiles
from a nose cannon; these armaments can be abetted each
time you capture one of the enemy's golden Power Cap-
sules, which are all that's left after you obliterate an enemy
squadron or important ship. The "power boosts" you can
make as you gather Capsules are: greater speed (for one
Capsule); missiles (for two Capsules; these are bombs that
fall and rocket along the ground); double projectiles (for
three; projectiles that fire diagonally, each time you use the

57
 nose cannon); laser blasts (for four; these replace the nose
projectiles and have a greater range and speed); the creation
of up to two "options" or "ghost ships" (for five; they fly
beside your ship and do everything you do); and a ? or force
field/shield (for six). There are dso very rare blue Power
Capsules. Snatch one and every alien ship on the screen
with you automatically becomes history.
Hero's Weaknesses: Hits from Bacterion projectiles and colli-
sions with enemy ships —
^with the rocks that line the top of
the screen, with the ground, or with any of the asteroids you
usually notice after you've plowed into them.
About the Characters: The only hving creatures on display are
the Antennoids and the Amoeboids. The Antennoids are
huge, tentacled orbs that drift through space and shoot poi-
son pellets. The Amoeboids are relentless, bloblike carni-
vores. As for the Bacterions (never shown), they aren't
terribly good pilots. However, their sheer force of numbers
more than compensates for their predictable flight patterns.
There are many kinds of Bacterion ships and automatons in
the game: the Fan (a patrol ship), the Rugurr (a fighter), the
Garrun (a pursuit ship), the Dakker (ground-based cannon),
the Jumper (a leaping, ground-based robot), the Dai #01 (a
more powerful Dakker), the Zab (a mine), the Foss (a
cruiser), the Rashe (a fighter formation), the Venus (a re-
connaissance ship), the Uska (a communications ship), the
Tild (a "midget" ship), the Mazar (a "mid-sized" ship), the
Dagoom (a hangar), and the monstrously huge Big Core
Fighter.
Menu: One-player game, two-player game. No variations.
Timer: None.
Scoring: Each ship or creature has a different point value.
Patterns: Every vessel and being has its own distinctive mo-
tion. For example, the Fans always travel in squadrons of 4,
moving in a line and peeling off at your Warp Rattler. The
Jumpers hop up from behind mountains. However, after
the Open Space stage of the game, when multiple attacks
commence, patterns are of no value. A Big Core Fighter
always appears after the Volcanic Stage.
Beginner's Strategy: The game commences with waves of

58
 —
Fans followed by Rugurrs and other lesser ships. Your prin-
cipal objective shouldbe to destroy all of the Fans and
gather Power Capsules. Do this by leaving the control but-
ton alone/ Don't budge, don't slow, don't speed up, don't
move up or down . . . just go straight ahead, shooting, and
everything you need will come to you. By the time you face
the first Dakker (on the top of the screen, crawling upside
down on some rocks), you should have armed yourself with
a laser (first), missiles (second), and double projectiles

(third). (Note: only the diagonal projectiles will fire. The

cannon cannot be used with the nose cannon.)
laser
Now you must start moving around, since the enemy will
begin firing at you. The key to avoiding alien fire is to stay
away from the the screen. If they pin you
far left side of
against the edge and send a diagonal barrage your way,
they're going to sweep you into the comer and end your
not-so-illustrious career. When you reach the mountains
that have tunnels bored through them, go over the peaks.
Ignore them. Though they tempt you with a lot of points
and Power Capsules, it's a sucker's move, a poison apple.
More often than not, as soon as you're inside, Bacterion
ships descend on the mountain. You have no mobility up
and down and no way to escape once they start firing at
you. If your ship is destroyed, you lose your power boosts
and, thus, will be unable to get through the Volcanic Stage.
(If you do decide to dare these tunnels, and a mass of ships
attack, depress the left side of the control button, slowing
down as the ships descend. This will give you a little more
time to vaporize them.) While you're in this final portion of
the Open Space stage, make a point of collecting enough
Power Capsules to get the "ghost ship." That, and the laser
cannon, are the principal tools you'll need to blast the vol-
canic rocks.
When you have them, don't go into the volcano field.

Stay in the lower left-hand comer of the screen, your can-

non level with the top of the nearest volcano. As soon as the
rocks begin spitting out, just hover in place and blast them
as they emerge from the crater. Don't try to get through
the volcanoes using just a force field. That's certain obliv-

59
 ion. You'll face a Big Core Fighter next, which is easy to
defeat if you stay on the far-left side of the screen and fire
into its heart.
Advanced Strategy: The shield is virtually indispensable if

you're going to survive the Stonehenge Stage. Once you've

become dodging the Bacterion ships and their
proficient at
projectiles, positionyour Warp Rattler on the right- hand
side of the screen. You'U have less time to react, since the
Bacterion vessels are coming from the right. However, this
gives you plenty of room to back up and either dodge pro-
jectiles or shoot Dakkers, Dai #01, or any other enemy
arms you want to attack. Two clues for advanced battles:
when the tentacled monsters come at you, keep shooting at
their orange heads. And when you finally meet the evil
brain, don't be intimidated by the purely decorative bolts of
electricity. Stay on the left, midway up the screen, and keep
firing. The brain dies easy! There is also an option that only

true pros deserve to know, one of which allows you to begin

the game with missiles, two ghost ships, and a force field.
To access this, begin the game, and as soon as your ship
appears, push Start (pause). Then move the controller up,
up, down, down, to the left, to the right, left again, right
again, then press button B, button A, and deactivate pause.
You'll be armed to the teeth and ready to kick some Bac-
side.
Par: A good player will be scoring 30,000 points in Open
Space within an hour. A total of 90,000 points after com-
pleting the Stonehenge Stage is good, and an overall tally of
250,000 for one complete eight-round game is average.
NES Advantage: The Slow mode helps a great deal, especially
when you have to negotiate through a mass of enemy vehi-
cles, need to pick your way through the Stonehenge level,
and so forth. Turbo gives you a faster spray of cannon fire.
In fact, using the Advantage, you don't have to do a thing
to get through the Open Space phase of the game! Just hold
down the trigger button and the conttoller does the rest.
Training Tips: This is a game that should not be played with
the thumb working the buttons. Hold the conttoller as you
would a flat camera, with your middle finger on button A

60
 (the trigger) and your index finger on button B (the "power
booster"). You must be able to hit button B quickly to add
—
the missiles, laser, etc., to your arsenal ^but you can't afford
to take your finger off the trigger to do it.
Rating: It'll be a warm day on Pluto before youVe completely
mastered the intricacies of Gradius. Though it isn't much
of an improvement visually over old video games like De-
fender and Zaxxon^ you'll be too busy ducking and acceler-
ating to notice. The music is slightly more atmospheric
than in most games.
Challenge: A-h
Graphics: B
Sound Effects: C-^-

61
 CHAPTER THIRTEEN

IKARI lilARRIORS

Type: Military search-and-destroy.

Objective: Soldiers Paul and Vince (Rambo?) fly into enslaved

Ikari with orders to invade, kill, and ultimately, destroy the

enemy leader and free the country.
Layout: The heroes begin their battle in the jungles, moving
to lakes, bridges, and past smaller fortresses to the steel and
brick enemy stronghold. There, they must scurry along
pipes to defeat the despot in-the-flesh.
Scroll:The view is from above as the heroes move vertically,
from the bottom of the screen to the top.
Hero's Powers: The basic warrior comes equipped with a gun
and 100 bullets, plus 50 hand grenades. Along the way he
can acquire a Tank and a Helicopter, as well as the follow-
ing material, which is indicated by large symbols or letters
lying on the ground: extra bullets (a gun symbol), super-
powerful bullets (F), long-range bullets (L), rapid-fire bullets
(S), more grenades (grenade symbol), more powerful gre-
nades (B), a knife (knife symbol), death to all foes who are
on the screen (except for submerged soldiers) (K), energy
for the Tanks or the hero (a gas-tank symbol), super-fuel
that lasts longer (H), super-speed walking ability (SS), buck-
shot that fires in 3 different directions at once (a 3-pellet
symbol), and Hearts, which allow you to retain your muni-
tions even if you die (heart symbol). (Note: The Heart does
not work if your third fighter dies and you choose to resume
the game.) In phase one of the war (which lasts through the

62
 7-gate fortress), you will only encounter the grenades, bul-
lets, fuel can, knife, and F, L, S, K, B. Many of these items
will be found by killing Red Soldiers or destroying Tochikas
— ^the installations with the skull on top. Green Soldiers
have only one power to offer, but it's a good one: they're a
veritable K mart.
Hero's Weaknesses: Our heroes can be slain by bullets, gre-
nades, Tanks, cannon, Mines, Sensors, flamethrowers,
soldiers, and insects (see About Your Enemies).
About Your Enemies: The most important thing to know is
that you've got a ton of adversaries. (See Beginner's Strategy
and Advanced Strategy for specifics.)
Menu: There are two versions: one player controls 3 soldiers,
or two players control one soldier each, simultaneously. If
one player's soldier dies, another will replace it as long
. . .

as the other soldier is still alive. The layout is the same for
each version.
Timer: None. The only thing that'll stop the game is if your
bare-chested juggernauts die or run out of ammunition.
Scoring: Depending upon which soldiers you kill, you earn
from 100 to 1000 points (the big sums are for Macho Man,
Task Force Soldiers, and Oil Drum Soldiers). Insects net
you 200 points, while Fortresses, Gates, Walls, and Tanks
earn from 200 to 1000. Each time you pick up armaments
of any kind, you earn 200 points. There are also little-known
objects that give you moderate to huge sums: a Golden
Heart earns you 200, a Radio gets 1000, a Watch is 2000,
the dancing girl Little Athena nets 2500, and the Silver and
Gold bars each get you 5000 points.
Patterns: The terrain and location of Soldiers, power sources,
strongholds. Gates, etc., are always the same.
Beginner's Strategy: It's a cinch to mow down Blue Soldiers,
Bazooka Soldiers, Red Soldiers, Diving Soldiers, Green
Soldiers, Flamethrower Soldiers, Explosive Soldiers, and
Guided Bazooka them will fall before bul-
Soldiers. All of
lets, grenades, and/or the Tank (in the Tank, shooting

them or running them down will do the trick). Note: Since

Flamethrower Soldiers can only shoot ahead, approach
them from the side. Tougher to deal with are the club-

63
swinging Macho Men and Oil Drum Soldier (one grenade
will kill them), the Insects (one grenade each though
. . .

they move quickly and are less than anxious to go to bug

heaven), the shield-carrying Task Force Soldiers (two gre-
nades are required), vehicles. Rock Faces (stone citadels
that spit arrows at you). Gates, Walls (one grenade apiece),
and Heavy Tanks (two grenades). Helicopters look intimi-
dating, firing salvos of 3 shells each, but they are vulnerable
to a single grenade. Each shell from your own Tank packs
roughly the same wallop as a grenade. Mines (boxes with an
X in the middle) and Sensors (squares with a red orb) are
indestructible. The only effective tactic is to run from
them.
As you begin your trek, watch for the following land-
marks: the small Tochika immediately to the left will pro-
vide you with grenades. When you reach the enemy Tank
to the right of the 3 rocks, destroy it for 2 cans of fuel. The
Tochika before the first vertical bridge conceals a gun;
the vehicle after the bridge has more bullets and grenades.
The first Gate will provide you with grenades and more

bullets, and the Tank just beyond it contains 2 cans of fuel.

Note: When you reach a Gate, there will be Snipers on the
walls.To defeat them, line yourself up with each one and
treat them, in turn, to one of your grenades. Only when
they're dead should you blow up the Gate. Make your own
map of what other supplies can be found where. Keep in
mind, though, that if your own Tank is running low on fuel,
and you come upon another, you can switch Tanks. If
you're well-fueled, use artillery to destroy your extra Tank:
Enemies in the immediate vicinity will be torn to pieces.
In the first phase of play the only real problem areas
come after you cross the lake. There's a Gate guarded by a
pair of Rock Faces. They're situated on opposite sides in
such a way that if you run through, there's no avoiding their
arrows. Walk past the first Rock Face (located on the left)
and stop between the flow of arrows. Wait until there's a
gap in the stream of arrows from the head on the right
before darting ahead. When you reach the final fortress
with its multitude of Gates, make sure you're packing as

64
 many grenades as possible. The Gates are staggered as you
move to each succeeding wall —^located to the left, to the
right, and so on— ^and there are Snipers guarding all of them
(there are 7 on the last wall alone). You'll have to stop and
kill them all before you can get through.

Special strategy for a two-player game: If you come across

one of your own Tanks, put both Paul and Vince in the
machine, simultaneously hit the A button on each control-
ler, and each man will have a Tank! Also, if you're in a Tank

that is about to explode (it turns a sickly gray), you don't

necessarily have to die with it. Simply press down the A and
B buttons simultaneously and you'll survive.
Advanced Strategy: The second phase is more difficult,
largely because there are so many more soldiers. Tanks are
essential here. Things to watch out for: there are a pair of
Snipers on either side of the open field which lies between
the 4 bombed-out buildings and the Tochika; 2 Helicopters
await you after the second of the 2 small vertical bridges;
you can get bullets and grenades by destroying the Tochika
just beyond the lake; there are 7 Snipers hidden in the 3-
Gate complex that lies beyond the second lake; a Knife and
Heart can be found in the complex just after the small river;
and the first Macho Man is waiting for you right beyond
the complex Gate. There are 2 more Macho Men in the
field before the long vertical bridge (watch for them after
you pass the Tochika nestled to the left of a large rock). As
for the hidden treasures, when you go through the first
Gate, turn left: There are Bars on the left side of the Wall
(the one you just passed through, not the Wall in front of
you). A Watch can be found smack in the center of the first
narrow river, and two more are located on the first Wall at
the maze of Walls, on the left and right sides; additional
Bars are in the pyramid-shaped Rock behind the center of
the fourth Wall; Little Athena is doing her belly dance on
the right side of the second Wall beyond the Gold; and the
Radio is in the second maze of Walls, hidden in the Wall to
the right of and just beyond the second Sensor.
If at any time you bite the bullet, you can continue a

game at the same stage where you left off (though without

65
 whatever supplies youVe gathered) simply by pushing A, B,
B, A on the controller before "Game Over" flashes on the
screen. There's also another trick, although you have to be
the Flash to make it work: plug in the game cartridge, and
while the two soldiers are firing (before the menu appears)
rapidly input the following code using the controller and
the A and B buttons: up, down, A, A, B, left, right, A, B,
up. A, down, right, right, left, B, up, left, A, right, B, left,
right. A, left, up, A, down. A, right, left, B, Select. That will
allow you to access any stage you wish . . provided you
.

can punch in the entire sequence in 5 seconds! When all is

said and done, however, the best strategy of all is to become
Fort Bragg with legs: arm yourself with everything you can
and forge ahead!
Par: You should have 12,000 points by the time you reach the
first horizontal bridge, and 45,000 points when you come

upon the Helicopter. After crossing the second vertical

bridge, you should have a score of at least 75,000. At the
end of phase one, 100,000 is average. A Stallone Jr. should
be able to rack up a quarter of a million points in a game.
NES Advantage: No help here.
Training Tips: Ignore scoring points for a few rounds. Get
into a tank, and later, a Helicopter, and stay out of jeopardy
so that you can map Ikari.
Rating: The game's a real odyssey, and there are always plenty
of things to shoot. Unfortunately, the graphics leave a lot to
be desired, and precision shooting is often difficult because
of that.
Challenge: B-j-
Graphics: D
Sound Effects: C

66
 CHAPTER FOURTEEN

KARNOV
Type: Fantasy search-and-destroy.
Objective: When the foul Dragon Ryu steals the Treasure of
Babylon from the small town of Creamina, the hearty Rus-
sian hero Jinborov Kamovski (a.k.a. Karnov, a former circus
strongman) agrees to go and get it. But before he can face
Ryu and recover the Treasure, he must cross 9 deadly lands
and face an army of vile foes.
Layout: On-screen are the various realms through which Kar-
nov must pass.
The picture moves from side to side, for
Scroll: the most part,
though when Karnov ascends a peak or dives underwater, it

moves up and down. Note: In most cases, once the screen

has moved behind Karnov, he can't return to it. There are a
few exceptions, however, as when he travels underwater.
Hero's Powers: At the ^nset of his argosy, Karnov has the
power to shoot fireballs, to jump, and to crouch. (Be
warned, though, shooting while he walks slows him down.)
He also has 3 lives and the ability to take 2 hits before he
dies. (He turns sickly gray after the first hit, though his
abilities are undiminished.) As he moves along, he can col-
lect double- and triple-fireball power by picking up red orbs;
an orb will also restore Kamov's natural hue if he's taken a
hit and is in his gray stage. (If it does this, however, it will
not boost him to the next fireball level.)
There are many other power Options Karnov can add to
his arsenal, indicated by symbols in small boxes that lie

67
 around the terrain, hang in the air or underwater, etc.
These are Jumping Boots, which double Kamov*s leaping
ability; Bombs, for limited-range destruction; Ladders, for
climbing; K's, 50 of which will give Kamov an extra life
(you can't store these: at 50, the life is automatically
granted and you must begin collecting anew); Boomerangs,
which are powerful but must be caught when they return or
are forfeited; Clappers, to clear the screen of enemies (ex-
cept the titans at the end of each level); Glasses, which
permit him to see concealed Options; Wings for flight; a
Swimming Mask, which increases Kamov's speed underwa-
ter; and a Shield, which gives Kamov added invulnerability.
Jumping Boots and Wings last for approximately 15 sec-
onds each. Most of these powers can be stockpiled; many
players also don't realize that one Ladder can be stored for
later use by climbing down, rather than by taking the easy
way and leaping down. Note: Your collected powers are dis-
played at the bottom of the screen and are accessed by
hitting Start, moving the controller until the Option you
want is flashing, then pressing Select. However, many pow-
ers are not accessible until the computer causes them to
flash. Fortunately, this happens at the right time; for exam-
ple, the Wings can be used when you face the Snake
Woman.
Hero's Weaknesses: Being hit by monsters or their projectiles,
or running out of time, will terminate a life.
About Your Enemies: The big terrors await Kamov at the end
of each land. Among them: the Fish Monster, which shoots
projectiles and leaps up and down; the Lion Keeper, who
tosses knives if you have the good fortune to kill its bullet-
spitting Lion; the Tyrannosaums, which breathes firebafls;
the Snake Woman, who also exhales death as she slithers
toward you, and who gets stronger with every passing mo-
ment; another Tyrannosaums, which is even tougher than
the first; Gidora, a two-headed winged serpent that belches
twin fireballs; and Ryu, which is roughest of all. Among the
lesser (but no less deadly) monsters are Chicken Bones, vul-
tures that wait in trees and spit fire; Rock Men, who toss
boulders at the hero; Stone Men, who shoot bullets; Bound-

68
 ers, acrobats that cluster and pounce on Kamov; Bats; Killer

Clams; Volcanoes; the Golden Knight, who splits into a

spray of deadly balls; the Invisible Knights, who toss daggers
as they approach from both sides; spear-tossing Merpeople;
Air Serpents that come when you reuse your Ladder; Sea
Serpents; Piranhas; Floaters, green ogres that drift toward
you; Biters, which come from the sky in swarms; Killer
Balls,which zip through the skies; and Pteranodons. (Note:
Not all of these names are "officially sanctioned." However,
neither the instructions nor the game provide a dramatis
personae.)
Menu: There is only the one-player odyssey.
Timer: You have 250 seconds (the timer functions in real-
time) to clear each level.
Scoring: Kamov collects points as he travels. Most monsters
earn from 30 to 100 points; the end-of-level varmints start
at 300, Options get you 50, and glowing red orbs are 100.
The total is displayed as the hero finishes a level.

Patterns: The location of the monsters and the landscape are

almost always the same. (Exceptions are rare. For example,
on rare occasion Biters will attack when you land on the
ledge of the Killer Balls in level three. Bounders usually
pounce before you climb the peak that leads to the Volca-
noes; now and then, they stay away.) Options are always
found in the same places. Occasionally, though, some Op-
tions will pop up as a bonus. For instance, at the end of the
first level Wings will sometimes show up on the face of the

building before you must battle the Fish Monster; now and
then a Ladder can be found at the bottom of the sea. How-
ever, these are merely icing on the cake. The Options you
will rely on, and need, are always in the same place.
Beginner's Strategy: First and foremost, Kamov is won by
getting as many Options as possible. Don't pass up any-
thing, if you don't have to. To begin, hop onto the pillars,
get the glowing red ball, hop down to get the Ladder, go
down and back to the columns, extend the Ladder and get
the Jumping Boots. Collect the K next, then go down and
to the right . . jumping up and shooting the Rock Man
.

while leaping the boulder he threw. (You can also kill him

69
by standing on the column, jumping to the one on the
last
left to bring him jumping back onto the last
into view, then
column and shooting down. This is actually safer, since the
rocks can't touch you here.) Get the Bomb, continue on-
—
ward crouching and spinning from side to side as soon as
the first puffs of smoke appear (indicating the arrival of
Chicken Bone's soldiers). Take them out, then hop up and
blast Chicken Bone itself. It won't start shooting at you
until it descends. Grab the glowing red ball behind its tree.
You now have triple-fireball power and should breeze
through this level. Collect the K's that lie ahead . stay-
. .

ing at midscreen and shooting the monsters that approach.

Make sure you stop short of the water. If you fall in, you'll
perish. Backtrack when you have all the K's, then climb the
stairs. When you reach the end of the cityscape (there's a

desert beyond), raise your Ladder and get the Boomerang,

which is out of view, to the right of the last building. Move
ahead cautiously. As soon as the Fish Monster materializes,
crouch and shoot your fireballs. When the amphibian leaps,
slide over to the right, spin, shoot, and send it to an early
grave.
You'll be transported now to the second level. Here you'll
immediately face 3 stone heads that spit bullets. Watch the
right: as soon as the first one shows its profile, jump up and
blast it. If the bullets come down at you, crouch to avoid
them. It takes 3 shots to disintegrate the stone. Hurry to
the column on which it was resting. Leap up and shoot the
second head, ducking behind the column for protection.
When the second statue is destroyed, jump up to the far
right side of the first column. Hop up, blasting the third
head and ducking as necessary. Ascend to the third column,
jump to the ledge and get the Wings, turn quickly and
jump back to the column to avoid the Rock Man's boulder
(it will fall harmlessly to the ground). Move ahead. When
you reach the ledge, don't leap into the pit, simply slide
down the steps. (A jump would carry you into a fireball shot
from the stone head on the right.) When you reach the
bottom, a Golden Knight will appear on the right; crouch
and start shooting when you get halfway across. The crea-

70
ture will die before it can split. Hurry up the stairs, shooting

the Bounders. The longer it takes you to get to and up the

steps, the more Bounders there will be. Ascend quickly,
crossing the ledge while you leap fireballs from the stone
face on the left (if you get to the ledge fast, you can take
the flamers in one jump, leaping up and left). Hurry to the
right and wait by the electrified fence: Monster birds will
arrive in 2 rows. Shooting rapidly to the left, you'll clip their
wings before they can break rank and attack you. Next up,
atop the staircase, is a monster canine. Wait on the last
step; hop up, shoot it, and duck down, using the step as
protection until the creature is dead. Moving to the right,
you will face the knife-throwing Invisibles. Again, as soon as
they begin to materialize, crouch and fire from side to side.
Continue on, picking up the extra pair of Boots. The Lion
Tamer and his chained feline will arrive, then: crouch and
shoot as soon as they show their sneering kissers. If you still
have triple-fireball power, they will die before they reach
you. If not, put on your Jumping Boots and try to get be-
hind them when they approach, so you can continue shoot-
ing. There is no passing to another level simply by going to
the right; you've got to score against these professors of evil
to be promoted.
The third level begins with a Chicken Bone. Kill it by
jumping up before it can fly down and start exhaling projec-
tiles. Once you grab the red ball and climb the
are past it,

tree. At the and simultaneously press the

top, face right
jump button and push the controller to the right. You'll
land on a ledge. Fire as you drop, in case Biters arrive. If
not, move ahead and stand still as the Deadly Balls begin to
form. Wait to see which way this string of killer-spheres
moves, then move in that direction. They will double back
at you; when they do, blast away, continuing to shoot until
the last one disintegrates. Use your Ladder to climb and get
the Jumping Boots, then go back to the left edge of the cliff
to Ladder-up and get both the glowing orb and the Swim-
ming Mask. Biters will arrive as you set up your Ladder;
keep shooting to the right. An Air Serpent will certainly
show up now. Blast it behind the head; 4 hits will do the

71
 trick (it glows when struck). You must get rid of this mon-
ster, or itkeep chasing you. Climb down, and use short
will
hops to clear the small pits. Enter the last jump shooting,
since there will be Stone Men and other vermin waiting on
the other side. At this point you will also have a chance to
drop into a pit and pick up a fortune in K's. Do it: Above,
you will have to face Fish Monsters, among other net-
tlesome beasts. As soon as you land on the bottom, start
shooting; a Golden Knight will soon appear. Gather the K's,
enter the last part of the tunnel firing in case another
Knight appears, climb, and continue. You'll face several
Rock Men and other menaces on a series of steps, which
can be dealt with using a hop-shoot-hop routine. Above the
edge of the last cliff, there will be a Shield; get it, use it,
jump down, and face Mr. Rex. You can't jump over him
very well, so it will be necessary to start hitting him as soon
ashe shows. All it takes to make him extinct are 3 shots to
the head, requiring a total of 3 leaps with triple-fireball
power. And you, my friend, are off to the ice world. Note:
Bombs are plentiful, but they're weak and a waste of time.
Better to shoot foes rather than waste time by pausing and
accessing your inventory.
Advanced Strategy: The fourth level is actually easier than
the second or third, largely because powerful weapons are
here and they're plentiful. (Surprisingly, for an ice world,
the footing is Enter shooting the Biters, which
just fine.)
will roll down the on the right. Hop up and kill the first
cliff

Chicken Bone, climb, then bound up to shoot the second

Bone as soon as it appears. When you reach the Glasses, get
them and climb up one more step. Go to the extreme right
of that step so the Rock Man will appear above and to the
right. Immediately raise your Ladder, climb to the Clapper,
and, while you're on the Ladder—above Rock Man's rolling
stones —
plug him. Press on. When you reach the Rock
Man on a flat rock (it's the one slightly higher than the rock
to the left of it), stand on that left-side rock and shoot him.
You won't be hurt.As soon as he dies, rush across the plain
in great leaps, and when you reach the mountain, climb.
Bounders will show up on the plain, but if you're quick,

72
they won't bother you. Kill the Rock Man on top using hop-
shoot-hop, then climb down the other side. Wait for the
volcanic craters to spew; as soon as they both fall silent, race
over them. The tunnels here are easy to negotiate by shoot-
ing and running. When you find the Wings, seize them.
(Note: After you face the Bounders, you'll have a chance to
go down a ladder and gather K's. Don't take it unless you
already have Wings. Even then, an extra pair wouldn't hurt.
If you go down, you'll return to the surface on the ledge
with the Snake Woman. That won't give you much time to
prepare to fight her.) At the edge of the vast pit take flight,
head to the top center of the screen, and start blasting away
to the right. When the Snake Woman drops from above,
you'll be hitting her square in the face. Descend with her,
shooting triple fireballs all the while. By the time she
reaches the ledge she'll be dead.
You'll find yourself at the Sea World now. Leap off the
cliff and don your Swimming Mask as soon as it flashes.

You'll face 2 waves of Piranhas, after which a Sea Serpent

will attack from the left. Swim toward it. When it's ahead
of you, shoot it behind the head. When it dies, another may
come immediately, so be alert! Blast the bullet-spitting
weeds on the ledge, descend and gather K's (shooting the
Monster Clam), and watch out for the Merpeople. Their
spears not only travel horizontally, but vertically. Since
there are Clappers underwater, don't hesitate to use any you
have stockpiled to kill the Merpeople. You can swim under
the land masses and/or cross them; do both. You'll gather
K's below, and armaments above.
When you face the next Tyrannosaurus, you can do sev-
eral things; the best is either to whip out a Boomerang (one
hit in the head will kill it), or use the Ladder to get above it,

chucking fireballs to (Note, by the way, that on

destroy it.

this and future levels, you can be done-in for want of a

Ladder or Jumping Boots; there are many objects in the sky
which only they can get to. Kamov is spirited next to a field
where he is set upon by knife-tossing Knights. Duck and use
your spin-and-shoot technique. Monsters will float at you;
jump their bullets while you shoot them, then climb the

73
building (take a huge jump to get onto the first ladder; it
will get you away from the clustering monsters). Fish Men i

will attack from the right; climb fast to avoid their projec-
tiles, simultaneously shooting at them. Get the Crystal on
'

the other side of the skyscraper. Every other Chicken Bone

roosting here will attack you, after which you'll face another |
Snake Woman. Grab the Shield you'll find, and shoot her. ]

She's much easier to slay than her predecessor.

|

The next site opens with 3 more stone heads . and a

. .
;

passel of Bounders. Shoot the latter as you go forward, and

kill the statues as before. Climb the Pyramid and drop

down the pit bordered by the two Clappers. (You could

have gone straight at the base of the Pyramid, but then you
wouldn't have gotten this weapon.) Go all the way to the
bottom and kill the Mummy there (rapid shots accompa-
nied by leaping the projectiles it throws). Get the Crystal
and climb until you reach the room of the Golden Door.
Use your Ladder to reach it, and enter. That will cause a
stone path and a Mummy to appear. Leap the Mummy and
jump down, fold up your Ladder, move it to the left, climb
and crouch on the top, and kill the Mummy. Go to the last
stone on the left; the floor will give way beneath you. In
short order you'll reach Gidora, the two-headed winged ser-
pent. Stand as far to the right as you can, and, with a Shield
for protection, begin shooting at the monster's heads. Back
up as you fire; it will perish before you do.
You will now be whisked to the next-to-last level Wings
will appear above you; get them, then fly to the base of the
bullet-spitting statue. Get the Shield and a second pair of
'

Wings there, fly up, and, with the Shield, block the statue's
bullets while shooting at eye. This will kill it. Fly up, get
its

the Crystal, and then through the passage over the stat-
fly

ue's head. Your Wings will run out by now, and donning
another pair, shoot the second statue in the eye. (You can
squeeze through the passage over it's head while it's shoot-
ing .. but touching the statue will turn you blue.) Right
.

past the second head you'll see a Crystal in a wall. Alight on

the left side of the wall and use bombs to blow it down. \

(It'll take 3 explosions to get through.) Get the Wings

74
 there, fly past the Chicken Bones, and leap from pillar to

pillar when your Wings expire. When you come to a preci-

pice, make a leap-of-faith: There's a ledge off-screen, and
you'll land on it. (Obviously, if you still have Wings, use
'em!) Kill the Gidora here as you did the last one, and,
voil^! You'll find yourself at the incredible ninth level,
where you will face virtually every lesser monster you bat-
tled on previous levels.
Upon arriving, use the Ladder to collect all the goodies
overhead. As it turns out, in this level all roads lead to Ryu;
whichever way you walk, you'll reach a wall that will magi-
cally vanish and let you into a room with 3 windows and a
stone dragon's head. Ryu's own three heads will emerge
from the windows and, using all your weapons, you'll be in
for the fight of your life! Make sure you jump up, so you're
over the windows, when you battle the vicious serpent.
Par: You should be able to finish each level with an average of
30,000 points (earlier levels will be less, circa 8000 points;
later levels more).
NES Advantage: With the regular controller it's a pain to
keep pressing the button to fire. Holding down the Advan-
tage button allows you to spew continuous death.
Training Tips: Most of the skills you'll need can be polished
on the first level. Stay here, shooting, crouching, jumping
and, most important, learning to hit the Select button with-
out looking down, so you can pause the action to access
your Options. On the other hand, if you're restless for some
real action, you can hop ahead to any level you wish as
follows. Wait until the title screen comes on. When it does,
—
on controller one, hold down ^at the same time the A —
and B buttons, the Select button, and simultaneously push
the controller to the right. While you're doing this use the
A button on the second controller to advance to the stage
you want. (You'll have to count, since nothing but the title
willbe displayed on the screen. To make things even more
confusing, you'll have to press the A button one less time
than the level you want. For example, if you want to start
on level 8, press the button 7 times.) When you've reached

75
 the level you want, push Start on controller one. You'll auto-
matically begin on the level you wish. j

Rating: After maybe a dozen times you'll get the hang of what
you need to fight whom, and the hop-shoot-hop rhythm will
be second nature. After that it's fun to try and beat your
time, and also to find new ways of killing the monsters (for
example, using the Boomerang instead of triple fireballs).
Challenge: B
Graphics: B
Sound Effects: B—

76
 CHAPTER FIFTEEN

KID ICARUS

Type: Fantasy quest.

Objective: As the youthful angel, Kid Icarus (also known as
Pit), you're a tad overwhelmed by the task you're given:
Sent from Angel Land, you must pass through the Under-
world, the Overworld, and the Skyworld, to reach the Pal-
ace in the Sky. There, you must duke it out with the
nefarious Medusa and rescue the precious Princess of Light,
Palutena.
Layout: The hero enters a series of rooms and can move in
any direction. Each world has four distinct "areas" through
which the hero must venture.
Scroll:The screen moves from side to side or up and down,
depending upon which way Icarus travels.
Hero's Powers: When he sets out, poor Icarus can do nothing
more than jump, duck, come to sudden stops, and shoot
arrows. As he forges ahead he can win Angel Feathers to
break his falls; Holly Bows to boost the power of his arrows;
Light Arrows, which are extremely potent; a Crystal, which
preserves him from harm; the Water of Life, which replen-
ishes Icarus' strength; the Water Barrel for storing extra
Water; a Mirror Shield, for defense; Fire, which enlarges
the Kid's arrows; a Big Hammer, which packs far more
wallop than an arrow; a Harp, to transform his foes into
those very useful Big Hammers; Pegasus' Wings, for flight;
a Credit Card for charging things in shops (obtained by
triumphing against every foe and target in the Treasure

77
 Room); and a Check Sheet, Torch, and Pencil, which en-
able him to see exactly where he is in any area. Goods can
be purchased; many can also be found in the special rooms
that dot the landscape (see Beginner*s Strategies, below).
Hero's Weaknesses: If Icarus is blasted or pounced upon by
monsters (see About Your Enemies), falls from a ledge, or
tumbles into any trap, the Princess is going to grow old in
captivity.
About Your Enemies: Kid Icarus is a veritable museum of
monsters. There are over forty in all, among them: the ten-
tacled orb Monoeye; the snaking Kobil; the flaming
McGoo; the Pac-Man-hke Minos; the beaked Nettler;
Girin, which spits bullets from its mouth; Specknose (be-
lieve or not, he looks like those funny glasses with a false
it

nose and moustache); Mick, a pair of ravaging teeth; Snow-

man, who flings iceballs at Icarus; the Eggplant Wizard,
who transforms you into the vaunted food staple; the
Reaper and Reapettes, whose touch is death; Keron, a flying
toad; Rokman, who pounds the hero with his stony body;
Tamambo, a biting brass ball; Hewdraw, a huge serpent;
and the lumbering quadruped Twinbellows.
Menu: There is only the one great adventure.

Timen None.
Scoring: You get points making your way through the
for
worlds. Also, as you travel you wiD be gathering Currency
Units, which you need to buy things. These appear when-
ever Icarus is victorious against an adversary; the monster
transforms into a Heart. (You might say the baddies have a
change of heart. .) A Small Heart gives him one unit, a
. .

Half-Heart 5, and a Big Heart 10.

Patterns: The rooms, shops, and appearance of the monsters
are always the same.
Begimier's Strategy: The most important aspect of any quest
game is knowing the terrain and how to negotiate it. In this
case, the Underworld begins with ledges haunted by the
serpentine Kobils. On the fourth level up you'll find God's
Room. Fill your quiver, then continue up the ledges. On
the second of the staircases that leads to the left, beware of
Monoeyes. Let them near, then shoot them. Mount the

78
 thin steps carefully, then climb the seven gray stone ledges.
A Treasure Rcx)m awaits on the platform above. you When
reach the second area of the Underworld, proceed with cau-
tion; the ledges are covered with ice. Be ready to press the
controller in the direction opposite that of your skid, or else
dig in your heels by tapping the controller up.
Along the way keep notes about what treasures are hid-
den where, and in what sequence. For example, in the Trea-
sure Room of the first area of the Underworld, go to the
upper left and get the goods in that Pitcher first. Descend
and get the treasure below it next. If both of these are
Hearts, retrieve what's in the Pitcher in the lower right. If

it's Hammer, go
a to the bottom and get the treasure
left

there, then move to the middle ledge on the right and

gather the goods there. Save the top right ledge last. How-
Heart in the lower right, get the treasure
ever: If there's a
on the top right and middle right (in that order) before
heading to the Pitcher in the lower left. If the upper and
middle left ledges both contain Hammers, go next to the
treasure on the ledge in the middle; if they were a Hammer
and Heart, respectively, hie thee to the middle ledge on the
right. As for the Shops, it's always useful to try and bargain
with merchants. This can be done by tapping the A and B
button of the second controller concurrently. More often
than not the merchant will come back with lower prices for
goods. (Alas, one in five times haggling will only make him
grumpier and he'll raise the price.)
Make sure you know how to get to the Hot Spring Room
to nurse your wounds before meeting Twinbellows at the
end of the Underworld. When you enter the fourth area,
head left 2 rooms, down 2 rooms, then left one room. Also,
note how to reach the Hospital in case you've been trans-
formed into an Eggplant. Upon reaching the fourth area, go
right 3 rooms, then up one. There's another Hot Spring
Room a short distance into the Overworld, and another not
far beyond it, in area two.
Advanced Strategy: If you've mastered the ins and outs of
moving through the early areas, the latter realms are diffi-
cult largely because of the monsters you'll encounter. Some

79
 important strategies are as follows. Lesser demons are easily
beaten: the Reaper, for instance, by shooting it in the back
(this is no time for fair play!), the Snowman by shooting
from below, and the Eggplant Wizard by firing between the
flurries of eggplants. Destroying the evil Bosses of each
world is somewhat more difficult. When you tackle
Twinbellows in the last room of the Underworld, secret
yourself in back of a column (thus protecting you from pro-
jectiles) and, as the beast approaches, hit it with rapid-fire
bursts. Hurry to the other side and repeat. When you face
Hewdraw at the end of the Overworld, continuously leap
over the leviathan and shoot at its head. As for Medusa, you
can't battle the head Boss unless you've obtained the Light
Arrow, Mirror Shield, and Pegasus' Wings. When you
reach your nemesis, your best approach is to go to the top
left side of the screen and come right a few taps (just under
one third the length of the screen). Keep facing to the right
so Medusa's beams can't hurt you. When the Snake slithers
by, drop down so you can shoot Medusa's pupil, skewer it,
then continue to descend. When the Snake goes by, rise,
blast the monster's pupil again, and continue to ascend.
Continue this pattern over and over until the creature is
"stone dead."
Par: 25,000 is a good point tally for each area of every world.
NES Advantage: The joystick makes it a great deal easier to
move Icarus with precision.
Training Tips: Practice your jumping, especially the jump fol-
lowed by a crouch. Unless this is second nature to you, you
won't be able to move and duck and also fire when it comes
time to battle your adversaries.
Rating: Although Kid Icarus doesn't have quite the same
sense of wonder as Solomon's Key, or the exotic look of
Mega Man, it is innovative in its various pitfalls (the ice is

great), sense of humor, and in the hero's powers.

Challenge: A—
Graphics: B
Sound Effects: B

80
 CHAPTER SIXTEEN

KID-NIKI
Type: Fantasy search-and-destroy.
Objective: You are Kid-Niki, the "Radical Ninja," and your
beloved Princess Margo has been abducted by the un-
beloved Stone Wizard You hasten to rescue her, undaunted
by the many monsters that lie in wait.
Layout: The screen shows each of the 7 realms Niki must
cross to save his girlfriend.
Scroll:The hero moves from left to right, with limited mobil-
ity from top to bottom.
Hero's Powers: The Kid begins with 3 lives and a Spinning
Sword, which he whirls like a billyclub to kill anyone who
comes near. As he proceeds, he slays creatures or enters
hidden rooms to gain weapons and/or points. Hie arms are
a Golden Bell, whose chime slays from a distance; a Silver
Bell, which creates an impenetrable shield of sound around
Niki; a Mini-Niki, which bestows an extra life; and a Mini-
Princess, which averts one death. These weapons (except
for the final 2) last for an average of 15 seconds.
Hero's Weaknesses: Getting touched by a monster or any-
thing it emits (which may include something as innocuous-
looking as Bubbles), falling off a ledge or cliff, or running
out of time, will kill Niki.
About Your Enemies: The rottenest foes are the Big Bosses
Niki must fight at the end of each land. These are: Death
Breath; Spike, the Stone Buddha; the Horned Witch; the
Green Grub; the Mad Monk; the Samurai Guard; and the

81
 —
Stone Wizard himself. Numerous lesser monsters inhabit
each land. Each of these is a small bounding or flying crea-
ture. Be aware that everything that moves is an enemy
including sweet-looking birdies. (See Beginner's Strategy
and Advanced Strategy for details on several creatures.)
Menu: There is only the one game.
Timer: Niki has 6 minutes to cross each land (the clock moves
in real time).
Scoring: Niki earns points for each creature he slays, as well as
bonus points for Coins he collects and for the amount of
time that remains on the clock when he finishes each land.
Patterns: The realms, as well as the approach and location of
the monsters therein, are always the same.
Beginner's Strategy: In general, whenever you kill a Big Boss,
make sure you jump up and grab the Scroll they leave be-
hind; you will be rewarded. There's nothing to give you
much trouble on the first level. Kill the stationary birds with
a high jump-knife combination and dispatch other foes with
easy blows. When you reach the platform of land at approx-
imately the 5:05 mark, stand at the edge and hit the B
button; you'll be spirited to a secret chamber with its hid-
den goods. When you confront Death Breath, stay on the
left, leap when he does, and stab him under his bloated

cheek. He will die after 5 such hits. (Note: You will lose
your sword with each strike against him and other Big
Bosses. Run over and grab it quickly.)
On the second level, if you kill every one of the Blue
Birds that attacks, you will get a weapon. Climb the first
tree you encounter after the clearing (the sixth tree on this
level): There's another secret chamber there. When you
face Spike, leap over him and let him move to the left.
WTien he reaches either side, he stops swinging his mace for
just a moment; that's when you move in and stab him.
After the first wound Spike will move back to the right,
swinging again; leap him, stab him when he reaches the
right side, and repeat. He will die after 5 stabs.
On level three don't be afraid of the precipice you en-
counter: You can walk on the Clouds. Make sure that you
jump on the moving Cloud when it's dowiy it'll carry you

82
 past the bird, which, otherwise, you'd have hit. Upon reach-
ing the bridge, touch the Balloon, it'll give you a weapon.
The Horned Witch is a unique foe, in that she divides into
two smaller Witches each time she's hit (ditto each of the
smaller Witches). There's nothing you can do here but to
keep on stabbing her diminutive clones.
On the fourth level, wait while the Frogs uncoil their
death tongues; attack the instant they're withdrawn. Avoid
the Bubbles over the water and jump toward the moving
Rock when it's submerged. It'll rise by the time you get

there. If you jump when it's raised, it'll go under before you
can vacate. When you face the Grub, it'll take at least 8 hits
to kill it: Strike its green midsection and head as it passes.
Whenever it burrows underground, wait there, your blade
spinning, so you'll smack it as soon as it emerges. Don't
bother with the tail.
Advanced Strategy: The course becomes considerably more
dangerous when you reach the fifth level. As you drop into
the fog bank you'll have to establish a jump-and-kick
rhythm to defeat the dive-bombing Birds. You must strike
each one on your way up in a jump, otherwise one of the
oncoming Birds is almost certain to kill you. You can try
jumping them all, though this is extremely difficult due to
the fog and the sheer numbers of birds behind and in front
of you. When you reach the Buddha, stand in its lap and
wait for the Bee to attack; if you descend, you'll not only
have to deal with it buzzing around, but with the Chubbies
as well. When you reach the Monk you'll find him the
easiest to slay of all the Big Bosses. Rush to the left base of
the pedestal. Stand there, and the Monk will leap off, to the
right. Hop onto the platform and kick him in the head,
then bolt back to the base. Repeat this procedure several
times and the Monk will be destroyed.
The course of the sixth land is relatively easy for the first
To begin with, stab all the Red Birds to get a weapon.
half.
As you move along, ripping up the Kites is easy enough.
The Bouncers are a little trickier: It's a good idea to let
them stack, then kill several at once. (If you want to plug

83
 them one at a time, that's okay ... as long as they don't
leapfrog onto your head. Whatever you do, don't let them
push you to the left. If you do, and they hop at you, you
won't have room to avoid them.) Survival becomes a bit
more difficult when you come to the wall and the Bubble-
Blowing Baby Monsters. Stab them if you can ... or just
wait. Their pudgy little fingers can't hold onto the ledges
for very long and they regularly slip back down the wall.
Without a doubt the Golden Samurai is the most danger-
ous Big Boss to date. He's easy enough to disarm with a
jumping stab, but that won't kill him. What you must do is
stay to his immediate left and, when he bends to stab you
with his staff, leap up. Come down squarely on the point
where his staff and head intersect. (Be careful not to jump
too soon or you'll skewer your head on his blade.) Several
such hits will be required to kill the armored Boss. Impor-
tant: If the Samurai forces you to the left, you're doomed.
He will charge you before you can recover your sword. If he
gets as far over as midscreen, simply disarm him. He'll have
to chase his weapon to the right. Use the distraction to grab
your sword and run to the right. This will give you more
room to maneuver.
On the seventh level you will require all of your jumping
and stabbing skills to defeat the Stone Wizard. Suffice to
say it would be wise to have a Mini Princess in your arsenal
before tackling him.
Par Players should be able to get an average of 35,000 points
for each round.
NES Advantage: This is very useful in crowded screens (such
as 5), when creatures such as the Bouncers must be hit
rapid fire.

Training Tips: As with so many games, once you master the

basic skills, you won't have any problem. Stay on the low
levels untiljumping and stabbing (alone and in tandem) are
second nature to you. If you have the Advantage, study the
later screens using Slow; being aware of who's coming from
where will help you to plan a strategy.
Rating: Kid-Niki \s a charming and modesdy challenging

84
game, with gobs of Oriental atmosphere. The monsters are
wonderfully designed and quite innovative.
Challenge: B
Graphics: B+
Sound Effects: B

85
 CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

KUNGFU
Type: Martial arts combat.
Objective: The venomous gang leader Mr. X has kidnapped
fair Sylvia and lashed her to a chair deep in his ornate
estate. As the bold Thomas, you must go from floor to floor,
using your martial arts skills to dispatch Mr. X and his
dangerous henchfolk in an effort to free the captive.
Layout: There are five floors to the estate. You ascend by
reaching the staircase on the side toward which the screen
is scrolling. There are no shortcuts; the only way to reach

them is by fighting your way through the villains. After

you've freed Sylvia, the game starts again — ^with the villains
appearing at an increasingly faster pace.
ScroU: Right to left on floors 1,3, and 5; left to right on 2 and
4.
Hero's Powers: Thomas has six abilities: the "foot sweep," a
low kick; the punch to the jaw; the kick to the chin; the
jump kick; the jump punch; and the hug.
Hero's Weaknesses: A power bar on top of the screen keeps
track of Thomas's vitality. A knife drains roughly a quarter
of his strength, an encounter with a stick takes just over a
third. Lose three Thomases, and Sylvia never sees daylight
again.
About the Bad Guys: Vanquished foes simply fall off the
screen. The Grippers are easy-to-beat thugs with no special
powers; the Knife Throwers fling daggers; and the Stick
Fighter wields a club (2 blows send Thomas to oblivion). All

86
 of these appear on the The second floor offers
first floor.

these, as well as Dragon each of which falls from the

Balls,
ceiling and erupts into a Dragon when it hits the ground;
Snake Baskets, which fall and become serpents; and Con-
fetti Balls, which drop and fire shrapnel in all directions.
The Tom Tom Brothers also appear on this level, somer-
saulting midgets who vault onto your head. The Giant
makes his debut on the third floor. The fourth floor in-
troduces Poisonous Moths, which fly in through the win-
dows, and the Black Magician, who regenerates lost body
parts and throws fireballs. Sometimes the fireballs are duds;
sometimes they explode and become Snakes or Dragons.
Mr. X only appears on the fifth floor. Grippers appear on
each floor, as do Knife Throwers.
M&m: One Player A, one Player B, two Players A, two Players
B. The principal difference between the A and B games is
that there are more enemies on the screen at most times in
the B game.
Timer: You must get Thomas across each floor before the
—
2000 time units run out ^the equivalent of one minute 48.8
—
seconds or before his strength runs out.
Scoring: Different types of kicks or punches are scored differ-
ently, as are foes. After you complete each floor your re-
maining time and strength earns you extra points. Note: It's
a little-known fact, but Thomas will earn a wealth of addi-
tional points with two maneuvers. If he can destroy a
Dragon before it breathes fire, he will receive 2000 extra
points. And if he knocks out his twelfth opponent with a
jump kick, he'll reap an additional 5000 points! (But be-
ware: If the twelfth opponent is a Knife Thrower or Tom
Tom, they don't count and you're out of luck. Also, you
have to have done away with the first 11 enemies using
kicks or punches, but no foot sweeps.)
Patterns: On the first floor of the estate the Grippers tend to
arrive in four groups of three, usually from the left. (Occa-
sionally two will come from the left, one from the right.)
The first Knife Thrower is either the thirteenth or four-
teenth enemy to appear. Knife Throwers almost always
throw their knives high on the you don't attack
first toss. If

87
 them, they wait an average of 3 seconds between knife
throws. If you attack, they can throw as many as one every
second. Boomerang Throwers also throw high on their ini-
tial attack.
Beginner's Strategy: The key
to winning the game is to keep
moving to the Don't stand still and wait for enemies to
left.

arrive. When they approach from the right, don't turn to

meet them immediately. That wastes time. Keep heading
left, waiting until they're close before you turn to fight

them. Stick mostly to foot sweeps to dispatch your enemies.

You won't get as many points, but they're quick, easy, and
effective. Kicks can be used, but only against Grippers.
When they are bunched together in a group of three, a
—
jump kick squarely to the chin of the lead Gripper will —
knock them all down. When you tackle the Stick Man, use
a foot sweep to take him out. This keeps your head out of
range of his club. Don't bother with foot sweeps on the
Giant: You're going to need a jump kick to get him. If there
are enemies behind you, deal with them first; after you
jump kick the Giant, you're going to have to back up to get
out of range in case the one blow doesn't finish him. Watch
for Mr. X to appear immediately after you've passed the
small cornice which looks like a stack of black pancakes on a
white field. Defeat Mr. X using a foot sweep, which, again,
is the easiest. If you beat him, don't stop! Enemies will

continue to attack until you reach Sylvia.

Advanced Strategy: When you engage the Stick Fighter,
move Thomas close and hug him. The stick is ineffective at
close range. When you hear the sound of the club you'll
—
have a second before he swings again enough time to slide
back and do him in with repeated foot sweeps; or, if
Thomas has a minimum of half his power, try for high-
pointjump kicks. Mr. X is most vulnerable to a jump kick.
Weaken him with a flurry of foot sweeps, then fell him with
a single jumper.
Par: First floor, 700 time units; second floor, 700; third floor,

900; fourth floor, 600; and fifth floor, 900. A good point
tally for all five floors is 160,000 points (this is computed

88
 using the number of foes you've killed, how you've killed
them, and how much energy Thomas has left).
NES Advantage: Use of Slow gives you time to analyze an
attack and plan your response. This is best when, for exam-
ple, you are faced with Knife Throwers coming from oppo-
site sides of the screen. The use of Turbo allows you to pivot
rapidly from left to right and to deliver a continuous rain of
kicks or punches just by holding down the button. Turbo is
of no advantage on the jump maneuvers.
Training Tips: Play with the sound turned off. Nifty as the
grunts and shouts are, they can be distracting.
Rating: You'll master this one quickly, though it's fun to let
out your frustrations by beating up Mr. X and his unctuous
allies.

Challenge: C
Graphics: C
Sound Effects: B-h

89
 CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

THE LEGEND
OF KAGE
Type: Martial arts search-and-destroy.
Objective: When the lovely Princess Kiri, daughter of a pow-
erful Shogun, is abducted while strolling through the
woods, the Ninja Kage sets out to rescue her.
Layout: Kage slashes his way through 4 terrains: the Forest,
the Passage, the Fortress, and the Castle. When he finishes,
he starts all over again, though his foes are more relentless.
Scroll: The hero moves primarily from side to side in the
Forest (though he can jump quite high, and the screen will
scroll with him); right to left in the Passage; and primarily
bottom to top in the Fortress and Castle.
Hero's Powers: As he gets under way, Kage has 3 lives, climb-
ing ability, awesome leaping powers, can throw small Star
Knives, and swings a wicked Sword. (Note: When Kage is
— —
on the bark of a tree ^not its limbs ^he is unable to jump.)
Whenever Kage grabs a Crystal Ball or one of the Forest
Denizens that overhead, he earns special powers such as
flits

splitting into two invulnerable Kages (though each man

does exactly the same as the other), obtaining larger Star
Knives, gaining the ability to toss 2 Star Knives in succes-
sion or in all directions at once, and being able to take a hit

from an enemy without dying (a power signified by Kage's

wardrobe turning a different color). If he jumps up and gets
a Scroll, dead enemies literally rain from the skies. Note:
Though Kage can return to an area through which he's

90
 already passed, once his enemies (or Forest Denizens) van-
ish ofF-screen, they're gone.
Hero's Weaknesses: Getting struck by enemy blades or projec-
tiles are the only things that will kill Kage.
About Your Enemies: Kage and blue
fights Shinobis, the red
Ninjas; Yobos, the firebreathing Magic Monks; Genbos, the
fiery twins; the 2-sworded Yuki, a Samurai; and the leader of
the others, the Samurai Yoshi. Before he begins the second
Forest level (that is, after he rescues Kiri and she's kid-
napped again), there's a special Forest phase in which Kage
must battle invincible White Ninjas. The only way to re-
move their invulnerability is to slay the Butterfly that passes
overhead.
Menu: There is a one-player version, and a two-player version
in which Kages fight their own battleson alternating turns.
Timer: None.
Scoring: Points are awarded for obtaining powers and also for
killing enemies. These are carefully explained in the game
instructions. Overall, remember that how you kill an enemy
determines how many points you receive: Sword kills earn
you more than the safer Star Knife kills.
Patterns: The different areas always look the same. Though
Kage's enemies arrive in a slightly different manner and
order each time (influenced, also, by what Kage does), they
usually come in the same numbers and from roughly the
same direction.
Beginner's Strategy: Don't stick around and don't go up into
the trees: Simply fire your Star Knives to the left and follow
them. The only time you should stop is when you are at-
tacked from the right or need to jump to obtain a Crystal
Ball or Forest Denizen. When you reach the Passage level,
stay in the water and keep slashing; that will get you safely
through (though it will be excruciatingly boring!). Follow
the black arrow in the Fortress stage, climb the steps, and
save the Princess. The easiest way to get through both of
the latter levels with the Star Knives.
is

Advanced There are a pair of fun and challenging

Strategy:
ways to earn points in the Forest phase. First: Climb the
first tree halfway, and, while jockeying the controller in all

91
 on every side. Second: Go to the
directions, attack foes
an inch from the edge, and jump up
right side of the screen,
and down, slaughtering enemies as they enter from that
side.
Par: 50,000 points for all 4 levels is a good score for someone

who on without dallying too long in one spot and

presses
who uses mostly Star Knives to kill. Remember, though;
Kage can really rack up points simply by staying at the early
stage of the Forest and killing opponents, especially if he
uses his sword.
NES Advantage: A big difference will be found by players
using the Advantage. Hold down the A button and you're
practically invincible, your whirling sword stopping every
blade of everyone who approaches. (It won't protect you
from fireballs, though.)
Training Tips: Beginners should run through all 4 levels using
their Star Knives. They're effective and will allow you to see
all the screens. Knowing what you're up against, you can

start over and use your blade for more points. For Advanced
players, because jumps cover so much ground, leaping with
precision is difficult. Practice this in the early phase of the
Forest. Also kill using just your blade, without Star Knives
or extra powers. If you do well with just your basic Kage,
when you acquire other weapons.
you'll excel
Rating: Though the game is relatively easy, it's quite enjoyable
. . . and there's nothing else quite like it on the market.
Challenge: B
Graphics: B
Sound Effects: B

92
 CHAPTER NINETEEN

MEGA MAN

Type: Science fiction quest.

Objective: In a futuristic world, in the realm known as Mon-
steropolis, the benign Dr. Wright and his aide, Dr. Wily,
constructed the Humanoid robot Mega Man to serve hu-
mankind. They also built 6 other Humanoids. Unfortu-
nately, Dr. Wily reprograms them to serve him in a mad
effort to take over the world. Only the incorruptible Mega
Man stands between Wily and his goal. To win, the
superhero must enter the 6 different Empires of Monstero-
polis, each of which is governed by a Humanoid and pro-
tected by various lackeys. Only by defeating the Humanoids
canMega Man proceed to the seventh Empire for a show-
down with Dr. Wily.
Layout: Each of the 7 Empires has its own look, in accor-
dance with the nature of its ruler (snowy and white for
Iceman, fiery and red for Fireman, etc.). However, they all
have in common a sleek design consisting of vertical and
horizontal tunnels, pits, ladders, rooftops, and rooms.
Scroll: Mega Man can move from side to side or up and down
as he picks his way through the sprawling Empires.
Hero's Powers: Mega Manbegins his quest with the ability to
jump and to low-potency projectiles. As he vanquishes
fire

Humanoids, he acquires their powers (see About Your Ene-

mies, below). He can also collect various Bonuses along the
way, which increase his energy or weapon effectiveness.
Most important among these are a Magnet Beam genera-

93
 tor, which allows Mega Man to create steps in thin air; and
Mega Man likenesses that give the player an extra life.

Note: When you obtain boosters, you can channel the boost
into any power you may have acquired; for example, replen-
ishing your Magnet Beam, blades stolen from Cutman, and
so forth.
Hero's Weaknesses: Shots from or collisions with enemies will
sap the hero's powers. Falling down shaftways onto spikes or
other nasty objects are fatal.

About Your Enemies: The 6 Humanoids each has a particular

power: Cutman throws deadly blades, Gutsman heaves and
can smash heavy objects, Bombman tosses explosives. Fire-
man flings fireballs, Elecman discharges electric bolts, and
Iceman fires deadly wedges of ice. Dr. Wily has a flying
saucer equipped with destructive weapons. There are also
many robots and thugs who haunt the Empires and lash out
at Mega Man. These are: Bladers, Fleas, Octopus Batteries,
Screw Bombers, Watchers, Pengs, Killer Bullets, Flying
Shells, Beaks, Bombombs, Foot Holders, and Big Eyes.
Most of these foes inhabit more than one Empire (for ex-
ample, Beaks can be found in the Cutman, Bombman, and
Dr. Wily stages; see game instructions for specific distribu-
tion). In the Bombman Empire you1l also face Sniper Joe;
in Iceman's domain, you'll battle Crazy Razy; and on the
Gutsman stage you'll have to duck the flying picks of the
Picket Man. These 3^ characters all carry shields for protec-
tion and are only vulnerable when they move the shields
aside (see Beginner's Strategy, below). There is also a fan-
like Yashichi that appears now and then and serves no pur-
pose other than to give the player extra points.
Menu: The player can choose to battle the 6 Humanoids in
any order, one- or two-player options. In the one-player
mode, at game's end you can start all over or you can con-
tinue at the Empire where you died, without losing any
powers you may have acquired from previous forays. In the
two-player mode, the players can continue one another's
game or play individual games on alternating turns.
Timer: None. Mega Man can only be stopped when his En-

94
 ergy Meter runs dry. There are a total of 28 power units in
each full Energy Meter. Hits from most of the low-level
enemies cost only 2 power units. Hits from more powerful
figures sap from 4 to 8 units. A player gets 3 Mega Man
figures at the beginning of each game.
Scoring: Each foe earns the player a different point total. The
low-level flunkies range from 200 to 800 points each; tough-
earn more, such as Sniper Joe (5000 points) and
to-kill sorts

Big Eye (10,000); the Humanoids all fall in the 50,000 to

100,000 point range; and killing Dr. Wily nets you 200,000
points.
Patterns: Nothing changes. The Empires always have the
same layout, and your foes always arrive in the same order
and in the same numbers. Note: If you reach certain thresh-
olds in each Empire and you die there, your next Mega
Man will not be sent back to the beginning of the Empire
but will begin at a point not far from where you perished.
Beginner's Strategy: The key to winning at Mega Man is to
take the Empires in the following order: Gutsman (you'll

need his strength), Bombman, Cutman, Iceman (you'll

need Fireman, and then Elecman. You

his ice for Fireman),
can also start by going from Bombman to Cutman to
Gutsman, if you wish, since Cutman's blades come in
handy and he can be beaten with help from Bombman's
bombs. However, you're going to need the Magnet Beam to
succeed in Dr. Wily's domain, and when it appears (inside a
wall) you'll want Gutsman's powers to get to it.
As for your foes, many of the lesser lackeys can only be
killed with a shot in the head or eye. Don't waste fire, for
example, on Beaks whose shells are shut. Likewise, don't
squander bombs on Spines. They tend to move out of the
way too quickly; it's better to use blades. (The one excep-
tion is when Spines are diagonal from one another. If you
drop the bomb in the right spot, it will neutralize both
Spines.) Unless you're really battle-hardened and point hun-
gry, run under the hopping Big Eyes . and keep on
. .

running. They'll stomp the inexperienced player flat. In any

level, if you find energy boosters lying about, gather them,

95
 leave the screen, then duck back in; more boosters will be
waiting for you. This is the best way to stock up on power
before meeting one of the Humanoids. Knowing the boost-
ers are ahead will also allow bit more daring
you to be a
when battling the lesser lackeys. Be careful when jumping
from Foot Holder to Foot Holder. Just because one of them
pulls up beside you, it doesn't mean you should hop right
on. For instance, on the Iceman level, if you go right from
the second Foot Holder to the third, the one you just left

will blast you. Wait until the third Foot Holder comes by
for its next pass. Pay careful attention, too, to the pattern in
which the disappearing steps appear in Iceman's Empire. In
the first pit, you'll get out by going up, then diagonally up
to the left, followed by a diagonal jump down to the right, a
diagonal hop up to the right, a move straight across to the
left, a diagonal climb up to the right, a diagonal leap up to

the then out to the left. In the second pit you'll only
left,

need the 11 steps: take 3 diagonal jumps up to the

5 of
right, a leap straight up, then a hop to the left, and you're
out. In the Bombman Empire you can escape the shrapnel
of Bombombs by tucking yourself into the corner formed by
the tower and the platform you're on. In the Fireman Em-
pire a very important maneuver is the use of ice to get past
the 3 shooting columns of flame. Stand at the foot of the
first pillar and shoot it and the one beyond it when they're

low. Hop on top of the frozen fire, shoot the third, and
continue on. (You can also hit the first column, then tackle
the next two with one blast.) In the Gutsman Empire,
when you meet Picket Man, shoot him immediately, just
once, and then jump back to avoid his first throw. Whether

facing Picket Man or Sniper Joe, keep up a steady barrage.

When they get tired of standing around, they'll move the
shield to attack you and there will be no avoiding your
shots.
Advanced Strategies: A few clues on beating the Humanoids.
To defeat Gutsman, stand on the crack between the ledge
(on the far left) and the rock next to it. That's your best
vantage point for escaping his attack and launching your

96
 own. To battle Fireman, use a jump-shoot, jump-shoot pat-
tern. To tackle Cutman, go to the lower level, where he's
easier to hit. When he hops up, run under him; when he
goes in one direction and you go under him in the other
direction, that gives you more time to turn and fire at him.
If you have a full Energy Meter when you battle Cutman,
just take the cuts he has to give and keep shooting. He'll die
before you do. When facing Bombman: his bombs can only
hurt you if they're an inch away. Otherwise, he's useless, an
easy target if you just keep jumping and firing. When you
meet Elecman, stay on the top level of his chamber. It's
easier to jump over his bolts from there. Of all the weapons
in your arsenal, he is particularly vulnerable to blades. To
deal with Iceman: his ice wedges come in threes. In order to
them all, jump up between the
clear first and second. You'll
come down after the third. And be ready to do it again as
the next wave approaches. In Wily's domain, you'll need to
create steps.Take high jumps before laying in a Magnet
Beam step, or you'll run out of energy before reaching the
top. When you face the robot, jump its flying body parts
while shooting electricity at its eye.
Par: You should earn 200,000 points per empire.
NES Advantage: Slow isn't much help in this game, but the
Advantage is extremely useful because it gives your stripped-
down Mega Man more and faster bullets.
Training Tips: Most players find the precision jumping most
difficult; that is, from Foot Holder to Foot Holder, from
disappearing step to step, or hopping up and coming down
again when moving you into the
platforms try to dump
ether. When you reach these regions of the Empires, stay
there and practice your skills. Also, work on shooting those
wicked Big Eyes with just your Mega Man gun. It'll
sharpen your marksmanship for any and all other foes.
Rating: This game is exciting for a while, and there's a great
deal of terrain to explore. However, once you learn the lay
of the land and its ins and outs, the game becomes some-
—
thing of a chore particularly when you have to wade
through the easier foes to get back to more difficult ones.

97
The visuals of the Empires are excellent, and the animation
of the creatures is superb.
Challenge: B
Graphics: A
Sound Eifects: C

98
 CHAPTER TWENTY

riETROID

Type: Science fiction quest.

Objective: the year 2005, half a decade after a cosmic
It's

congress known as the Galactic Federation has been estab-

hshed. Peace and contentment reign —
^until space pirates

steal the only known specimen of a Metroid, a life form

newly discovered on the world SR388 ... a creature be-
lieved to have wiped out all other life forms on that planet.
Fearing that the pirates are going to cause the monster to
multiply and send it against the worlds of the Federation,
Federation Police dispatch space hunter Samus Aran, a
powerful cyborg, to the pirates' planet, Zebes. There,
Samus must penetrate the mazes inside the world, avoid
monsters and pitfalls, collect various power sources, defeat
the Mini-Bosses and Mother Brain, and destroy Metroids.
Layout: The planet's interior is a dark world of caverns and
metaUic corridors, floating platforms, fiery lava pits, and
creatures that flit about or lie in wait. The 5 sections of the
alien headquarters are Tourian, Brinstar, Norfair, Mini-Boss
Hideout 1, and Mini-Boss Hideout 2.
Scroll: The image moves from side to side or up and down as
Samus barrels his way through Zebes.
Hero's Powers: At the start, Samus has just a blaster and the
ability to make powerful jumps. Along the way he collects
the following weapons and/or power boosters: Mam Man,
which enables him to become a ball and roll through tight
spots; the Long Beam, which boosts the range of his gun;

99
 Missiles, which pack far more firepower than his measly
laser gun (there are 5 Missiles in each Missile site you cap-
ture); an Energy Tank, which allows Samus to store extra
energy; Bombs; an Ice Beam, which freezes objects; a Wave
Beam, which radiates in several directions at once; High
Jump, winged boots that boost the cyborg's leaping capacity
by 150 percent; the Screw Attack, a buzzsawlike attribute
that allows Samus to spin and slash; and Varia, which di-
minishes by fifty percent any power loss Samus may suffer.
Dead enemies can also provide power or Missile boosts (see
About Your Enemies).
Hero's Weaknesses: Contact with anything but the walls,
floors, and ceiling costs Samus power.
About Your Enemies: Metroid may well be the most thickly
populated video game in history. The monsters are Mel-
lows, Zebs, Zoomers, the Skree, Rios, Rippers, Wavers,
Memus, Geegas, Zeelas, Side-Hoppers, Mellas, Novae
(which are covered with fire-resistant wool!), Gamets, Rip-
per lis (tougher than their cousins). Dragons, Violas, Mul-
tiviolas, Holtzes, and Dessgeegas. These enemies are all
insect- or batlike . . . flying, hopping, or slithering about
the caverns. When these enemies die, they may leave be-
hind purple power which Samus can col-
balls or Missiles,
lect and add to hisarsenal. These remain on the screen for
10 seconds before vanishing. There are also the Mini-Bosses
Kraid and Ridley. Kraid fires Missiles from his belly, Ridley
spits flame. And, of course, there's the awesome Mother
Brain and the Metroids. The latter have the ability to latch
on to Samus's body and quickly drain his power.
Menu: There is only the one quest, although you can choose
which way you wish to send Samus.
Timer: None. The only way the game will end is when Samus
runs out of juice.
Scoring: There is no scoring, only the coUection of all-

important power units. with 30 units and can

Samus starts

collect up to 99. With Energy Tanks he can add another

100 per Tank. Samus is permitted to collect just 6 Tanks.
(The other item with a cap on it are the Missiles; you can
have no more than 255 at any given time.)

100
Patterns: The layout never changes, and the monsters are al-

ways located in the same places. A few, such as the

Zoomers, move in straight lines, unaffected by your pres-
ence. Some, like the Rios, have it in for you personally and
will attack.
Beginner's Strategy: To get under way, keep in mind that the
Zoomers won't bother you if you don't bump into them,
and that to avoid the Skree, simply become a ball (see be-
low) and roll past them (contact with these enemies will
cost you 8 power units; dead, the creatures leave behind
purple orbs worth 5 power units). When you encounter
Rios,jump up (over them, if they're low enough). When
Samus jumps, Rios automatically rise; it's easy, then, to get
under them and blast them to atoms (4 shots will do the
trick). Don't forget that you can also shoot while you jump.
This is especially useful when you're simultaneously leaping
lava flows and trying to fight Wavers.
Before you do any serious Metroid hunting, you're going
to have to roam the underground world to acquire power
boosters. You should try to collect them in this order: Mam
Mari, Missiles, the Long Beam, an Energy Tank, Bombs,
the Ice Beam, more Missiles, another Energy Tank, and
Varia. Gathering them in this sequence will give you the
firepower you need to negotiate ihe tunnels and passage-
ways. Naturally, you would be wise to sketch out a map as
you move through the maze. (Remember, too, that bombs
aren't just for killing, but can also blow holes in walls and
floors so that you can make your own doors; and that not
only does the Ice Beam paralyze creatures like the Rippers,
which cannot be killed, but it can also freeze enemy rays,
such as Ridley's firebafls. You can then use these enemy
icicles as stepladders, if you wish.) The Maru Mari is almost
immediately to your left. After you get it, head right until
you reach a vertical blue passage. Ascend to the door on the
right, go through, and drop down the vertical gold passage.
At the bottom, head right to the Missiles. Backtrack up the
gold passage, go left through the door, back to the blue
passage, head up, and at the top go left to obtain the Long
Beam. Then it's back again to the gold passage. This time,

101
 however, you'll be crossing it horizontally to reach the door
on the other side. Go through and continue along the pas-
sage, to the right, until you reach the Energy Tank. Get it,
then keep going right, where you'll come to another gold
passage. Climb, go through the door on the left, and press
onward until you reach the Bombs. At this point return to
where you found the Energy Tank. Continue to the left and
go through the door. There, descend to the gold passage,
head left, and continue until you get the Ice Beam. Back-
track all the way to the gold passage you entered when
gameplay began (on the left), ascend, enter the top door on
the right, continue right to more Missiles and another En-
ergy Tank, then double back. You'll pass under one set of
bricks, then another. When you reach this second set, fire
up and blast a hole into the level above you. (Note: When
you shoot through bricks, you have to jump up through the
hole and jockey to the left or right ... or you'll fall right
back down. However, if you have trouble doing this, just
keep jumping straight up; eventually the bricks repair them-
selves and will close beneath you.) Once you're up, move to
the left and collect Varia. You're now armed to the teeth.
As for the other weapons, the High Jump is located in
Norfair. Head to the vertical purple passage to the far right,
enter the sixth door down from the top, and head left. The
Wave Beam is also in Norfair, in the second tunnel from
the bottom, halfway between the vertical center of Norfair
and the far-left side. The Screw Attack can be found in
Norfair on the far left side of the sixth tunnel from the
bottom. In all, there are 19 spots to find Missiles, 6 to find
Energy Tanks, and 2 to find Ice Beams.
After you've obtained all of the armaments, head to Brin-
star for a showdown with Kraid. Make sure you write down
the code that will appear when and if Samus dies; if you
punch it into the game when you start over, you'll begin
where you left off. Finally, be aware that while it only takes
a few blaster shots to get tiirough a blue door, 5 Missiles are
required to shoot through a red door.
Advanced Strategy: Once you know the layout of Zebes, the
key strategies are defeating the tougher enemies. The best

102
 way to fight Metroids is to use the Ice Beam to paralyze
them, then kill them with 5 Missiles. If a Metroid grabs
you, the best thing to do is to become a ball and leave
Bombs. Another problem is getting into Tourian. Actually,
there are two shortcuts. After you've beaten the Mini-
Bosses, all you have to do is find the pair of statues in
Brinstar (top level, far-left side of the tunnel) and hit them
with a laser blast. They will grow and allow you to climb to
Tourian. The second shortcut: there's a Rio in the chamber
adjoining that of the statues. Lure it to just below the statue
platform, freeze it, and leap onto its head. Become a ball,
drop a bomb, and hop off as the monster explodes. There's
a door to the left; go through it and you're in Tourian. It's
also possible to boost your gunfire at any point by depress-
ing the B button and the Select button at the same time,
and to make a high jump without High Jump by becoming
a ball, dropping a bomb, hitting the A button to become
full-sized again, and being blasted into the air. As soon as
you're launched, do a jump and you'll really go flying. An-
other neat trick is being able to climb up sheer walls over
doors. Open a door, move into the frame, and let the door
shut on you. Simultaneously hold down the A button and
quickly tap on the control button. You'll hop right up the
wall. (To do this with NES Advantage: depress the A but-
ton and turn up the Turbo.)
As for Ridley, a quick way to get rid of the fiend is to
note which way he's unleashing fireballs. If they're going
up, then down, use your ice to freeze them, then hop onto
the flaming projectiles and blast Ridley using Missiles. If
the fireballs are angling down and away, position yourself as
close as you can to the platform on which he's standing and
bbw him away. Another tactic that works against Ridley is
to go into the chamber and position yourself over the rock
that's under the blue gate. Open the gate by shooting it,
then jump in as it begins to shut. Not only will Samus be
protected from Ridley, but he can use Missiles to end the
Mini-Boss's murderous career.
Par: Not applicable.
NES Advantage: The Advantage allows your basic gun unit to
103
 fire more rapidly. Otherwise, it isn't a dramatic improve-
ment.
Training Tips: Apart from your shooting skills ^which you —
can polish by staying near the starting point and plugging
—
Zoomers, Rios, and the Skree ^you'll need to become profi-
cient at jumping up and down in the vertical passages. Prac-
tice this by clearing a passageway of monsters and then just
hopping from ledge to ledge. For descents, you should be
skimming the ends of ledges as you drop, barely landing on
each.
Rating: This game is trulyan adventure. There's a lot to dis-
cover, a lot to shoot, and a lot that tries to terminate you.
Challenge: A
Graphics: B (The scenery is stark, but the animation is

nifty.)
Sound Effects: B

104
 CHAPTER TlilENTY-ONE

MIKE TYSON'S
PUNCH-OUT
Type: Boxing.
Objective: You are the scrappy Little Mac and you're gunning
for the heavyweight crown. To get it, you must beat Mike
Tyson in the ring. Before reaching Mighty Mike, however,
you must battle a series of powerful pugilists in the Minor
Circuit, the Major Circuit, and, finally, in the World Cir-
cuit.

Layout: The screen shows the ring, the fighters, the ref, and
the cheering crowd. Between rounds Mac's trainer, Doc
Louis, is seen rubbing the fighter's shoulder and whispering
tips, while Mac's adversary flings taunts.

Scroll: None. The fighters have a limited amount of mobility

on their respective sides of the ring.
Hero's Powers: Mac has the ability to punch left and right to
the face or body, throw an uppercut, dodge to the right or
left, block blows, or duck. If Mac goes down, jabbing the B

button quickly will help him get up faster. If the Select

button is pressed repeatedly between rounds, Mac's stamina
will increase. Mac accumulates Stars (displayed in the upper
left corner of the screen) each time he connects with a
punch. These enable Mac to throw devastating uppercuts.
Hero's Weaknesses: Getting socked drains his power; each hit
also causes him and he surrenders them all if
to lose a Star,
he's sent to the canvas. If Mac
turns red from having taken
a beating, he cannot punch, he can only duck, dodge, and
block until he recoups his strength. Mac or his opponent

105
 will lose if he: falls 3 times in a round (some lose with 2
falls), up from the canvas before the count
or does not get
of 10. In the event that both fighters go the distance, the
loser is the one judged to have fought a lesser fight (this
does not apply to all fighters, however and is blatantly
. . .

unfair when you're in another man's hometown).

About Your Enemies: Each of your adversaries has one or
more specialties. Glass Joe and Von Kaiser go right down.
Piston Honda is tougher, with a deadly Piston Punch as well
as left jabs, squatting left and right uppercuts, kneeling up-
percuts, and a right hook. Don Flamenco has a tough up-
percut known as the Flamenco Punch, plus dazzling right
hooks. King Hippo hits harder than those who came before,
punching straight ahead or down. Great Tiger has a dizzy-
ing Magic Punch, not to mention a left jab and squatting
left and right uppercuts. Bald Bull goes to the top of the
ring and charges with all his might (which is considerable),
also relying on quick, rolling jabs, an uppercut, and a right
hook. Mr. Sandman strops you with a Razor Uppercut ^a —
series of hard, fast blows —
and also packs left and right
hooks and jabs. Soda Popinski is known for his speedy jabs,
plus left and right uppercuts and hooks. Super Macho Man
is famous for his Super Spin Punch, a bone-crunching up-

percut. And Mike Tyson is renowned for everything: speed,

feints, and power.
The boxers are easiest to beat in the early trials. As you
get closer to the title bout, they get tougher: protecting

themselves better, punching more frequently and harder,

and displaying much more stamina. (For instance. Fla-
menco unveils an eye-closing left jab in the World Circuit.)
Menu: There is only the one-fighter game, in which he faces

each foe in turn.

Timer: One minute of game time equals 20 real seconds. Each
round is 3 game-minutes; there are 3 rounds per bout.
Scoring: Mac gets 10 points per punch, 100 points when he
causes his opponent to see stars, and 1000 points when a foe
is knocked to the canvas.

Patterns: The fighters always appear in the same order. Obvi-

ously, how you conduct yourself will determine how they

106
 punch and whether you get a rematch, are down-ranked,
etc.
Beginner's Strategy: The instruction booklet provides basic
video-boxing strategies. Thus, we'll concentrate on dealing
with the individual fighters.
Glass /oe: A series of punches to the jaw, and he's down.
Von Kaiser: Virtually any combination will do him in,
although his gut can take more punishment than his face.
Uppercuts are especially effective. Regardless of what you
use, keep on punching.
Piston Honda: Strong as he is. Piston telegraphs his hay-
makers by twitching his eyebrows first. Still them with a
punch to the head. Also, when he comes down at you after
his little side-to-side dance (he shifts 4 times), he'll always
throw an uppercut. Dodge and counterpunch with a rap in
the mouth.
Don Flamenco: If you punch him outright, he'll block it
and counterpunch. Regardless of who gets things cooking,
dodge his big opening uppercut (you'll usually have to go to
the left), then introduce his face to a left-right flurry. Re-

peat as needed to put the rube away. (Early on in the cir-

cuit, Don's second trip to the mat will be his last.)
Important: Ignore Don's taunts for you to attack him! He'U
only greet you with his Flamenco Punch. In later rounds
he'll open with jabs, then wait for you to attack. Do so, but
be ready to block or dodge his counterpunch.
King Hippo: When he opens his mouth and raises his big
fist, bash him in the His pants will fall, and when he
face.
tries to pick them up, greet him with a flurry of blows to his
weakest spot: his navel. Repeat the process and he'll go
down.
Advanced Strategy: A general tip: On the World Circuit you
can throw super-fast punches after a dodge. Press the con-
troller in the direction opposite the way you dodged. Throw
your punch, and it'll be faster than usual.
Great Tiger: He always starts with a series of jabs: Watch
for them! They begin immediately after his ruby shines!
Whenever his left glove (on your right) is extended, hit him
with a left to the face. Do the same when he's hunched

107
over, his hands at his belly. As for the Magic Punch —
if he's
going to use it at all appear in the last
in the first round, it'll

40 seconds. (He always opens with it in the second round.)

Do nothing offensive: simply use a block against it. He'll
usually come at you 5 times in succession, and will be dizzy
from all the spinning. When he's dazed, unleash a series of
left-right blows to his face.
Bald Bull: Whenever he moves his hands quickly up and
down, you know a hook is coming. Dodge, and, when his
left glove is extended, hit him in the face with a right.
When he lets loose a right uppercut, respond with 3 lefts to
the face. When he charges you, don't bother dodging (he'll
only try again). Instead, give him a left to the stomach on
the third of his 3 quick hops. When you face him on the
World Circuit level, an uppercut is the most successful way
to bringhim down.
Mr. Sandman: He always moves his hands rapidly up and
down before he throws a hook, and pauses for a lengthy
spellbefore tossing 4 of his numbing uppercuts. Against
these and other punches in his arsenal, respond with a
smack to the face followed by a series of body punches.
Soda Popinski: You'll know that Soda is about to throw
one to 3 jabs when his feet start to move quickly back and
forth. When he throws his punch(es) ^left or right dodge — —
or block, then go to his face with your right. You'll be able
to land up to a half-dozen blows.
Super Macho Man: When he starts throwing punches,
duck to the left and hit him with 4 quick jabs to the face.
Reeling, he'll rely on a Super Spin. Go left again, then come
back at him, battering him in the face. Be on guard,
though, since he'll throw anywhere from one to a dozen
Spins during a bout. If he serves you an uppercut, wait until
his arm is on the way back, then go for 2 quick jabs to the
gut or one to the face. This will usually earn you a Star.
Mike Tyson: Tyson will come at you with his fast flurries,
against which your best defense (and subsequent offense) is
to dodge left, then quickly answer with a pair of blows to
the face. Deal with his feint hooks the same way. You've got
to work on tiring him out for the first 2 rounds; this will

108
 enable you to score a TKO (though not a knockout) in the
third.
Par: You should be able to polish off the first 2 fighters in
under a minute, and the other Minor Circuit fighters in
under 2 rounds. Most of the Major Circuit figures will usu-
ally require just over 2 rounds. Everyone else will take the
full 3 rounds to beat.

NES Advantage: No help here; better to wear brass knuckles

under your glove.
Training Tips: Go right to Tyson to hone your skills. Do this
by punching in the code 007 373 5963.
Rating: The game is entertaining, with a challenge for players
of every skill level. The characters and their idiosyncrasies
would be amusing ... if their blows weren't so debilitat-
ing!
Challenge: A
Graphics: B
Sound Effects: B

109
 CHAPTER TlilENTY-TUO

PRO lilRESTLING

Type: Hand-to-hand (and sometimes head-to-canvas) fighting.

Objective: You're one of 6 mighty wrestlers in the Video
Wrestling Association, each of whom has several special
abilities. Your task is to beat the other 5 fighters so that you

can meet the awesome Great Puma for the VWA crown.
To win, you must pin the other players for a count of three,
or fling them from the ring and keep them out for 20 sec-
onds.
Layout: There's a ring, a referee, the two wrestlers, and a
cheering crowd in the background.
Scroll: The
picture moves from side to side as the fighters
pursue one another. When one of them is heaved from the
ring, the screen scrolls in that direction.
Hero's Powers: The 6 rasslers are Fighter Hayabusa, Starman,
Kin Corn Kam, Giant Panther, the Amazon, and King
Slender. Each has the same 12 basic wrestling moves; each
also possesses one patented move of his own. (See game pak
instructions for a listing.) They also move in 8 directions,
can climb into and out of the ring, can pin an adversary,
can try to get out from under a pin, can climb onto the
corner post and jump down, and even (if you're slightly
daft) help a dazed opponent back into the ring.
Hero's Weaknesses: Getting outmaneuvered and clobbered.
An alarm sounds when you're halfway to exhaustion; an-
other blares when you're about to run entirely out of steam.
About Your Enemies: Whoever you are, your common foe is

110
 the Great Puma, who has all the abilities of the other fight-
ers .. and then some.
.

Menu: You can fight another opponent or the computer. The

rules and gameplay are the same, regardless of which fighter
you choose to be.
Timer: Each game against a human foe lasts until one of the
fighters falls on his face. Each game against the computer
lasts a maximum The clock counts down in
of 5 minutes.
real time. Note: No
matter how much you may bash your
computer enemy, if the clock runs out before he does, the
game ends in a draw.
Scoring: There are no points, per se. Opponents weaken as
they beat the tar from each other.
Patterns:The fighters always start in diagonally opposite cor-
ners (left on top, right on bottom).
Beginner's Strategy: When you get knocked down, you'll rise
and stand panting and immobile for several seconds. Push
your controller on the side opposite from where your adver-
sary is standing; you'll want to get the hell out as soon as
you can move again. When you get your opponent down,
press on the B button; that will force him to get back onto
his feet Whenever possible, use the comer post and jump
onto a downed foe. It'll drain him more than simply pin-
ning him. Keep in mind, though, that if you stand poised
on the post for more than 5 seconds, you'll be slapped with
a technical foul and lose. Also, don't do this until your
opponent is really ragged. Otherwise, it's easy for him to roll

out of the way. Hurl yourself against the ropes whenever

possible, for added clout when you strike a foe. However,
never be backed against the ropes. Your fighter
let yourself
won't have enough room to do any kicking.
Advanced Strategy: There's one sure-fire way to win: select
Fighter Hayabusa, fell your opponent with a Back Brain
Kick, and pin them. When you both rise, give the controller
two taps so Hayabusa is back up, then tap it again and move
in, give your hated foe another Back Brain Kick, pin them
once more and repeat. After 15 of these, you're the champ.
Even the computer falls for this tack. As for the Great
Puma, the big, golden, two-legged feline will not be brought

111
 down by repeated Back Brain Kicks. In fact, nothing short
of a laser from Gradius will hurt him. Your best chance of
winning is to toss him from the ring and carry the fight out
there. Remember: All you need to do is keep him out there
for 20 seconds.
Par: Most players can beat the 5 other wrestlers, but whipping
Puma is no day at the beach. A good player should be able
to end a normal match in 2:10. It will take a relentless
minimum of 4 minutes to tire Puma.
fighter a
NES Advantage: Most players find the joystick easier to use
than the basic controller. Otherwise, there are no advan-
tages.
Training Tips: Play the two-player game alone, practicing ma-
neuvers with each wrestler.
Rating: This one's a lot of fun. What's more, depending upon
who your opponent is, it's always different. It would have
been nice if the scenery could have changed, or if there
were more than just one specialty per fighter. Still, this is a
great party cartridge.
Challenge: B+
Graphics: B
Sound Effects: B

112
CHAPTER TUENTY-THREE

RAD RACER

Type: Auto race.

Objective: It's a Cannonball Run, of sorts, as you tear through
8 different locales: Stage 1 is ''Sunset Coastline"; Stage 2,
"San Francisco Highway" (at night); Stage 3, "Grand Can-
yon"; Stage 4, "Ruins of Athens"; Stage 5, "Los Angeles
Night Way"; Stage 6, "Snow White Line" in the Rockies;
Stage 7, "Seaway in Typhoon"; and Stage 8, "Last Seaside
Running."
Layout: The point-of-view is from behind the car you're driv-
ing.
The picture moves toward you. As you
Scroll: steer, the lanes
and horizon move from side to side.
Hero's Powers: In addition to accelerating, braking, and steer-
ing, players can engage Turbo-speed by pushing the control-
ler ahead once 100 Km/h has been achieved. This enables
you to reach a maximum speed of 255 Km/h. Careful driv-
ers can also nudge other cars aside and use them for a sling-
shot maneuver (see Advanced Strategy, below).
Hero's Weaknesses: Crashing into obstacles on the side of the
road, or into the rear ends of cars while going at top speed
(especially on later levels, such as Stage 5), will total your
vehicle, costing precious time while another is brought in (5
seconds are wasted when you're wrecked; 3 seconds more go
by as you get back to 100). Other cars can butt you to the
side and off the road.
About Your Enemies: Traffic gets pushier as the levels change.

113
 Moreover, in each stage there are bothersome standouts. In
Stage 1 you face very manageable Volkswagen bugs; Stage
2, a Corvette; Stage 3, a Citroen; Stage 4, a Mercedes;
Stage 5, a Lamborghini that doesn 't want you to pass; Stage
6, a Lotus; Stage 7, a Porsche; and Stage 8, a road-hog
Testarossa.
Menu: You can select either a 328 Twin Turbo or FL There's
no difference between the cars, save for their appearance.
Selecting a car also changes the look (though not the pat-
terns) of the other vehicles you'll encounter.
Timer: Each initial round lasts 45 seconds, counting down in

real time. The time on bonus rounds depends upon how far
you got on the previous round (see Scoring).
Scoring: You earn points for each kilometer you pass. Gamer
enough points and the clock is reset. (That's the only way
you'll be able to complete any of the courses.)
Patterns: Though each course is different from the next, the
roads are always the same from game to game, as are the
order in which the cars appear (obviously, your own interac-
tion with traffic —
slowing, passing, crashing — ^will change
the latter to a degree).
Beginner's Strategy: The cornerstone to winning is passing,
and passing is achieved by pushing the brake lightly when
you're behind the car you want to pass, pacing it for a
moment, then zooming around it. (You can also stay behind
the other car for a few moments, letting it lead you through
traffic. Stay behind it, though, and you lose time.) This

brake-and-dart tactic is especially important when cars are

traveling abreast and blocking the road. You'll need the
braking delay to see which one's going to pull ahead and
give you an opening. On any curve, don't slow completely:
Tap the brake just enough to hold the turn, then bum mb-
ber. Things to watch out for on the early courses are as
follows:
Stage 1: The cars are not terribly aggressive here. All you
have to watch out for are curves, which occur mainly at the
beginning and toward the end. To get under way, keep the
accelerator down so you'll shoot down the road; when you
reach 100, bring Turbo to bear and go to the left. Weave

114
 through the first 2 cars you encounter; don't slow until you
pass through the next 2 cars. They'll be on either side as you
enter a curve. Brake to approximately 200, slip through the
cars as you take the curve, and continue ahead.
Stage 2: The first 3 cars you see will be blocking you in.

Go to the left; brake-and-dart to the left of the car in the

middle. Get into the center lane, in front of it, and remain
there to get past the next cars.
Stage 3: This one opens easy — ^but watch out for a hair-
pin curve (at approximately 29 on the Timer, assuming
Turbo speed). Be careful of riding on the shoulder, since the
rocks are not as visible as the trees, signs, etc., in other
stages.
Stage 4: Traffic is sparse to start, and the curves are rela-

tively smooth in the beginning. Toward the end, however,

there are 8 maddening curves in a row! Shift rapidly from
side to side as you take these.
Advanced Strategy: Overall, there's a way to take curves at
top speed, but it's a precision move that'll cost you a lot of
cars before you get it down. To turn righty tag the left side
of the fender of a car in front of you, using the right side of
your fender. That'll nudge you around. To go left, hit your
front left fender against the other driver's rear right side. As
for specific courses:
Stage S: The Lamborghini is a very pushy car. It does not
want you to pass, and will push you to the side of the road
whenever possible. A good bet is to tailgate the Lambor-
ghini and dart around it whenever the road straightens.
There are some serious curves toward the middle and the
end of this course.
Stage 6: The road is very empty to start but then . . .

the cars (and curves) come up quickly. Toward the end

there are a pair of right-angle turns that will send you into a
snowbank if you don't take them slowly.
Stage 7: For such a late stage, this is surprisingly mild.
Though the road is serpentine, the cars aren't as pushy as in
Stage 5.

Stage 8: The Testarossa is the archetypical road hog. Af-

115
 go by it on the left),
ter passing your first car (the blue one;
as with the Lamborghini, tailgate, then brake-and-dart.
Par; In Stage 1 you must be in no more than 3 crashes to get
all the way through; 2 crashes in Stage 2; one in Stage 3;

and none in any others. Most drivers are able to make it

through Stage 4.
NES Advantage: The joystick is considerably better than the
controller, allowing you to make more precise shifts in your
course. Since the joystick is more like a stick shift, many
players also find this more "realistic."
Training Tips: Watch the display screens of every stage, and
also practice your skills on the toughest levels. How do you
get there without making it through the early phases? Sim-
ple. When the car-selection screen appears, press Start.
Look at the tachometer (the bars above the distance-cov-
ered indicator). Tap the B button; you will add 2 bars with
each tap. Each successive set of 2 bars indicates the next
successive stage. When youVe got the stage you want, push
the controller up and to the right, then press Start. You will
automatically hop to that level. If you lose and want to
remain at that level, wait until the display screen returns
(not the course screen). Press A and hold it down when you
push Start. (Note: To get to the entertaining finale of the
game, use the tachometer procedure only hit the B
. . .

button 63 times before shifting the controller.)

—
Rating: Knockout graphics Frisco and L.A. at night are mir-
acles!— responsive controls, your choice of music (!), and
breakneck pace make this a delight. The 3-D mode is just
okay, though; you have to turn the brightness way up, and
even then, the only real depth you get is between the road
and the horizon. There's practically no dimension to the
cars or obstacles, and the L.A. skyline is totally dim. None-
theless, the 2-D Rad Racer is a classic!
Challenge: A
Graphics: A-f
Sound Ejfects: A

116
 CHAPTER Tli)ENTY-FOUR

RUSH 'N ATTACK

Type: Military search-and-destroy.

Objective: Inside a fortified military base are American
POWs. A crackerjack soldier, you (and an ally, if you
cboose) must penetrate 5 theaters of combat before you can
storm the Enemy Base.
Layout: The you cover is the Iron Bridge and Missile
terrain
Base, the Airport, the Harbor, the Forest and Hangar, the
Warehouse, and finally, the Base.
ScToU: The hero(es) move from left to right.
Hero's Powers: You get under way with 5 lives (you collect
more power to leap, and the ability to
as points accrue), the
stab while standing up or lying on your belly. (Even if
you're on the ground and stab a foe in the foot, he dies.)
Every time you draw upon a new life, you have a second of
invincibility, and each time you kill a reclining yellow sol-
dier (even after he's gotten up and run at you), you acquire
either a 3-shot Bazooka, 3 Hand Grenades (they don't kill
everyone on the screen, just enemies in their immediate
vicinity), a Pistol with unlimited ammo (unfortunately, it

vanishes after 1 5 seconds), or an Invincibility Shield (which

lasts for 10 seconds). Each new acquisition supplants the
one you gathered before it, even if you haven't used it.
When you move from one level to another, you automati-
cally lose your weapon.
Hero's Wealcnesses: Touching an enemy, being shot, or step-
ping on a Mine wiU put you in a body bag.

117
About Your Enemies: There are 9 general types of enemies:
Foot Soldiers (several varieties), Jumping Soldiers, Pistol
Machine Gun Soldiers, Paratroopers (they become
Soldiers,
Machine Gun Soldiers when they land). Artillerymen,
Rocket Men, Autogyro Pilots, and Dogs. Most just run off
—
the screen; a few ^such as yellow Foot Soldiers (which first

appear in the Airport level) follow you around.

Menu: One- and two-player versions.
Timer: None.
Scoring:You receive a minimum of 100 points (for capturing
a weapon), 200 to 300 points for killing Foot Soldiers, 1000
points for Jumping Soldiers, 2000 for Rocket Men, and so
on. You earn the same amount of points regardless of the
weapon you use to kill; nor does it make any difference
whether you are standing or are on your belly.
Patterns: The terrain and arrival of the soldiers is always iden-
tical (though if you climb to the top of a structure, more
soldiers will descend on that tier than if you had remained
on the ground). Likewise, the location and number of re-
clining soldiers and their weapons caches are identical in
both the one- and two-player games.
Beginner's Strategy: In general, you can kill Jumping Soldiers
by leaping up when they do and stabbing them in midair.
Just make sure there isn't a Mine on the other side of them.
Watch out for any soldiers when you cross a Minefield:
since they can't be killed by Mines, you could be in mid-
hop and come down right in the arms of an enemy. When
you start out, stay on the ground level; you'll need to get the
Bazooka. You can use it to blast the 3 Mines, if you like: lie
down as close as possible to the first Mine, shoot over it,
then get up fast and run. If you hustle, causing the screen to
scroll quickly, your Bazooka shell will detonate all 3 Mines.
As you proceed past the Missile Launchers, use your knife
to kill enemies on your level; meanwhile, jump up and fire
Bazooka shells at the Jumping Soldiers atop the missile
launchers. The second reclining soldier on ihis level also
packs a Bazooka. When the siren sounds (as you reach the
sixth cannon after the missile launchers), head to the left of
the screen and face right. You will face 3 waves of soldiers:

118
 Use the second Bazooka to blast each wave as the lead
is almost upon you.
soldier
On the Airport level the first reclining soldier will provide
you with a Bazooka, the second with Grenades. Things get
a bit tricky when you reach the 5 guard towers before the
end of the airstrip. You should mount trucks, first, and use
the Bazooka to kill the first 2 gunners up there. Otherwise
you'll have a tough time dodging bullets and fighting Jump-
ing Soldiers. Be careful, though, when you leap off trucks: If
an enemy is nearby and scoots over, and you land on him,
you lose a life. When the siren sounds. Rocket Men de-
scend. You can jump up and kill them or you can go to the
lower left-hand comer of the screen: the airborne attackers
can't get you there. You will, however, have to stab anyone
on the ground who tries to kill you (especially from the left).
Advanced Strategy: On the third level the reclining soldiers
give you a Star, a Gun, and Grenades, in that order. The
Grenades are particularly useful when you reach the end of
one stack of bins and are about to cross to the front of
another. Hurl them ahead of you, since things tend to be
particularly crowded at these junctures. When you hear the
siren, lie down in the middle of the screen, shooting right.
A half-dozen Dogs will rush at you from this direction, fol-
lowed by 6 from the left, 6 more from the right, 6 from the
left, and finally 3 from both directions (one right, one left,

one right, one left, etc.). Just keep punching that "stab"
button or you're Puppy Chow.
—
On the fourth level and, indeed, on all subsequent
levels —
strategy isn't as important as rapid reflexes, since
enemies of all kinds hail from every direction. The Para-
troopers arrive now, drifting to and fro and shooting at you
as they descend . . . while you must still deal with soldiers
on the ground. When the Autogyros swoop in, wait until
theycome low, then jump up and stab them as you did the
Rocket Men. Note: Make sure you use your Bazooka to
detonate the Mines in front of the fence at the mountains
on the fourth level. There's an underground complex you'll
want to enter. Also: Play the two-player version with one
player. Let soldier number 2 die right away; if your man

119
 dies, then, he will not start as far back as if you were playing
in the one-player mode.
Par: You should be averaging 60,000 points for each level,
more densely populated later
especially in the higher-point,
levels.
NES Advantage: The Advantage capacity for rapid-fire stab-
bing comes in handy especially with the Dogs.
. . .

Training Tips: Stabbing is easy; jumping and stabbing to-

gether, with precision, takes practice. Work on this, remain-
ing on the first level —
where attacks are moderately spaced
— ^and moving ahead only when no more soldiers come to
attack. By the time you get to the crowded third level, you'll
be glad you mastered these skills.
Rating: The game offers solid, if unsurprising, adventure.
Challenge: B
Graphics: B
Sound Effects: C-h

120
 CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

SOLOMON'S KEY

Type: Fantasy quest.

Objective: Solomon*s Key is a bcx)k written ages ago by the
ruler and great mage. Having developed a formula to rid the
world of devils and evil, he put it in the book which . . .

he hid. Alas, a curious monk found the volume and released

many of the demons. Now, under orders from King Yutra of
the fairy realm Lyrac, the wizard Dana must find Solomon *s
Key and restore peace and beauty to the world. To do this,
he must race from room to room—obtaining a Key in each
and using it to unlock the door to the next.
The screen is a succession of chambers, with Hidden
Layout:
Rooms accessed by grabbing the Constellation Symbol in
every fourth chamber.
Scroll: The plucky wizard can move any way he wishes inside
a room.
Hero's Powers: Your hero starts out with 3 lives, the ability to
jump One Block-length in any direction (including over the
head of an oncoming demon), fall any distance without
being hurt, smash golden Blocks with his wand (or, if
they're above, by "butting" them repeatedly with his head),
create Blocks with the wand, and also hover. (This is not
mentioned in the instruction booklet: you can levitate,
by jumping up and quickly tapping the A button.
briefly,
You can also levitate dowiiy slowly, by jumping and simulta-
neously using the wand to create a vertical wall of bricks.

121
 This is particularly useful, for example, if you wish to hold
back the Ghost in the third room.)
As Dana roves about, he can acquire: a Mamda jar, which
allows him to let loose a Fireball that will travel the length
of the screen and kill almost anything; the larger Jar of
Magadora, which permits him to fire a Superfireball (and

will kill not just the first creature it strikes, but will continue
rolling, slaying others); the Scroll of Lyra, which permits
Dana to stockpile Fireballs beyond normal limits; the Crys-
tal of Rad (a rad crystal indeed!), which extends the reach

of Fireballs; the Hourglass of Norm, which adds time to

Dana's life; the Medicine of Meltona, which kills every foe
on the screen; the Medicine of Edlem, which boosts Dana's
strength; the Medicine of Mapros, which gives Dana an
extra life; and the incredible Bells of Lyrac, which call Fair-
ies, who bestow an extra life. Dana has the ability (also not
revealed in the instructions) to strike a Jewel with his wand,
which will change it into a succession of other objects, al-
lowing him to select whichever one he needs.
Hero's Weaknesses: Getting hit by a monster or its flames will
make Dana a late wizard.
About Your Enemies: The creatures Dana must face are
Demonsheads, monstrous faces which roam about (and are
destroyed by collisions with Blocks); Goblins, which can't
march down Blocks, only across them; Saramandors and
Dragons, flame breathers; Gargoils (sic), whose fire can pen-
etrate Blocks (but who die when dropped onto Blocks);
Ghosts, which only move from side to side and die when
they hit a Block; Neuls, batlike Ghosts that move up and
down; Sparkling Balls, which slither along Blocks up, —
—
down, under, and over Burns, the living fire; and Panel
Monsters, gargoyles that spit Fireballs.
Menu: There is only the one quest, and it'll take you longer to

solve than it took Odysseus to return to Ithaca. Even a very

good player will require at least 3 months to pick through
the rooms and secrets of Solomon *s Key.
Timer: In each room, Dana has 10,000 time units to complete
his chores. In real time, this is 3 minutes.
Scoring: You build your score by coDecting Coins, Treasure

122
 Bags, and Jewels. Monsters turn into lucre when they die by
means other than falling from a Block.
Patterns: All of the demons, goods, and Blocks are in the same
place in each room every time you enter it. However, as you
begin building Blocks and killing foes, things change.
Beginner's Strategy:Most beginners make the doomed-to-fail
enor of trying to outrun monsters. Not only is this bad
math — an infestation of them, and just one of you
there's
but you'llrun out of time. It's better to observe and out-
think them. An overview of how to survive the first 5 rooms
follows. Once you get the hang of it, getting farther will be
relatively easy. Bear in mind that these are not the only
ways to win . just among the safest. Warning: Don't
. .

accidentally Fireball the Fairy. She's as vulnerable as your

enemies!
Room One: Hit the Block to the right, then the next
Block over. Your foe will fall to its death, after which you
can ascend one side of the upper room capturing the —
—
goods behind the Blocks midway up ^build a bridge across
5ie room to the Bell, and descend the other side ^again, —
collecting powers from the Blocks —
^before going to the Key
room. After grabbing it, go down and out.
Room Two: You begin on the bottom platform. Go up 2
levels, hit the first brick on top to get powers, then continue
to the Key. Build a platform to the Bell, cut out a Block and
drop down to third level, hit the first Block in the row (on
the left) Medicine of Meltona, and kill every
to obtain the
Demonshead on the Get rich and head for the door.
screen.
(Note: In the beginning, Demonsheads will stalk you. Don't
forget, though, tfiey're not homing monsters; they move in
one direction only. Just stay out of their way or vault over
them!)
Room Three: Wait until the Panel Monster fires. When
the FirebaD has passed, put a Block in the right-hand cor-
ner. Levitate and whack the Block on the right, go through
to the next room, and wait until the Sparkling Balls are at
the 7:00 and 9:00 position before scurrying through. De-
stroy the Bkx;k on the far right, drop, and hit the Blocks on
the bottom left to get the goods therein. Go through the

123
 —
corridor and enter the next room when the Ghost is on the
left.(You can drop or you can levitate down, as described in
Hero's Powers, above.) As the Ghost heads right, quickly
build a diagonal bridge to the Key, go back down, then hit
—
your way through the row of gold Blocks jumping back
onto your platform when the Sparkling Ball emerges from
its dank little pit. Continue on, Fireballing the Goblin, us-

ing your head to butt the Block and the monster on top of
it, getting the Bell, and building a bridge diagonally to the
right. Wait until the 2 firebreathers are superimposed, then
zap them with a single Fireball and head for the door.
Room Four: Erect a bridge diagonally to the top of the
room, get the Constellation Symbol (your "key" to the Hid-
den Room), then hop to one of the permanent stones below
and fall straight to the bottom (if you can grab the Key as
you plummet, so much the better). Build a bridge up to-
ward the Block, just below center, with the Sparkling Ball
on it, staggering the bottom 2 Blocks as you ascend, then
plugging a Block under the permanent Block: This will di-
vert the monster to the right, so it won't bother you. Come
back and butt the Block just above the floor on the left
(otherwise, the demon there will trouble you when you
build your bridge), then go back up, get the Key, and make
yourself a platform toward the 4 permanent Blocks that lie
beneath the door. Where a fifth Block would be, on the
right, leave a pit. Duck into it when the Goblin heads in
your direction. When he turns and shambles to the left, run
like the blazes for the door. You'll be borne, by the power of
the Constellation, to the Hidden Room. Make sure you
smash as many Blocks as possible. Otherwise, you're going
to become toast in
Room chamber can be easy, or it can be hell
Five: This
. . . Because the Panel Monsters are in staggered
literally.

rows, one or the other will charbroil you as you ascend. If

you got the Jar of Magadora in the Hidden Room, send a
Superfireball screaming up one side. An entire wall of Panel
Monsters will perish, and it's a cinch, then, to build a
bridge and climb. If you didn 't get the Jar, you'll have to use
Fireballs to destroy one monster, make a Block and climb,

124
 destroy a demon on the opposite wall, climb, and so on.
Your timing must be precise or you'll never make it.
Once you've made it through these rooms you'll be well
on your way to mastering the first half of the game. A few
tricks you'll want to remember: Against Burns, you can
stand on the edge of a Block, facing the monster, and not
be hurt. This is useful in a room such as 10, where you must
leap one to get the key. Also: Standing on the edge of a
Block, facing outward, you can cast a Block farther than
normal, a full 2 Block-lengths away.
jAdvanced Strategy: By the time you reach the later rooms
you'll be relying heavily on Blocks to imprison monsters or
protect yourself. For example, you could use a Superfireball
to kill the Sparkling Balls in the central nook in room 1 1
Better, however, to release them and hide yourself in a
small, walled-in area you'll have built below. In room 17
you'll want to use bricks to divert them, sending them off to
the left so you can leave the right-hand corner. (In case you
need a Superfireball, by the way, you'll find one in room 14,
second row from the top, third Block from the left.) It's
wise to save your weapons for those demons that can dis-
integrate Blocks. Again, there are numerous ways to go
through each room. Whatever route you map, the key to
winning the game is to snatch the Stars of David (that is,
Solomon's Seal) which are hidden in rooms 9, 13, 17, 19,
21, 29, 46, and 47; and, also, the jewels in rooms 20 and 44.
Obtaining these will allow you to get a look at the en-
chanted book and triumph with a minimum of suffering.
Par: Scores vary wildly, because some players get through mul-
tiple rooms with one Dana while many will require all 3
Danae to survive the first chamber. Suffice to say it should
take no more than 2000 time units for a good player to clear
rooms one through 10 of goods and escape. For rooms 11
through 23, 3000 per chamber is a very good time. For the
last half of the game, anyone who keeps half their life time
is doing just fine.

NES Advantage: The big plus with the Advantage is being

able to hold down the A button and create Blocks rapid fire.

125
 That's particularly valuable if you're facing a Block-busting
monster and need to delay it while you look for a way out.
Tiaining Tips: Don't bother studying the map that comes
with the game: You can't see much, and many of the mon-
sters aren't pictured. When you reach each new screen,
take a moment to look at the monsters and see how they
move. Then hit the Pause button and study the terrain;
map out the best route to the Key and the door.
Rating: This is a difficult but ultimately fulfilling epic, beauti-
fully made with an entrancing air of mysticism and magic.
Challenge: A
Graphics: A
Sound Effects: A

126
 CHAPTER TlilENTY-SIX

SPY HUNTER

Type: Race and shoot.

Objective: As the CIA's greatest secret agent, you have a
most important assignment: to stay alive. At the wheel of
—
your sports car and, later, slapping waves with your motor-
—
boat ^you must outrace and outshoot the enemy.
Layout: The terrain changes from roads that wind through
trees and rivers to the open sea as you elude countless assas-
sins.

Scroll: The player watches from above as the car moves verti-
cally.

Hero's Powers: To your car has speed, brakes, maneuver-

start,
ability, and has super-reinforced sides to butt
bullets. It also
other cars off the road. However, each time you drive into
the back of a passing Weapon Van, you can acquire Oil to
create oil slicks; Smoke for smoke screens; and Missiles to

shoot down enemy Helicopters. The contents of each Van

aremarked on the roof. (These powers are limited, so use
them sparingly!) Extra cars are awarded as often as you need
them before time runs out. If you reach a score of 10,000
before the clock ticks off, you are awarded an extra car;
extra vehicles are thereafter given at 30,000 point plateaus.
You can earn up to 5 spare cars. On the water your G-6155
Interceptor equipped with whatever weapons you were
is

carrying on your car when you drove into the boathouse.

Note: Weapons can be stockpiled. To access different arma-
ments, use the Select button.

127
Hero's Weaknesses: Your spying days are over if you get shot,
knocked off the road, or collide with another car or a piece
of scenery (though you can drive on road shoulders, which
only slow you down).
About Your Enemies: On the road you must face Tire Slash-
ers, blue cars whose 4 wheels sprout whirling blades (they
don't emerge until the car has been on the screen for 5
seconds ... so you have time to accelerate and race
around them); Limousines, whose passengers spray your car
with gunfire; Bulletproof Bullies, whose armor makes them
impervious to your guns; and Helicopters, which dog you
like pesky mosquitoes and drop bombs. Even if the bombs
miss you, they leave craters: if you or any other car runs into
these, it's beddy-bye. Craters can be hit more than once, so
watch out! There are also motorcyclists, red cars, and pale
blue cars. These mere motorists offer no threat, unless you
happen to collide with them. The road itself is often a
hazard, serving up puddles that displace you slightly to one
side or the other and ice that causes you to skid. On the
high seas you must deal with Speed Boats, which toss oil
barrels into the water and explode on contact; and Cruise
Boats, which have a pair of torpedo tubes in the rear and in
the front.
Menu: There is only the one race game for one player.
Timer: The clock starts at 999 and ticks down. In real time,
that's one minute 7 seconds.
Scoring: You drive along to collect as many miles as possible.
While the timer remains constant, regardless of your speed,
the miles you accrue add up faster the faster you go. Thus,
if you crawl along, you won't reach the 10,0()0 point level

before time runs out. That's fine ... as long as you don't
lose the car you're driving.
Patterns: The road is always the same (see Advanced Strategy,
below), and both the Weapon Vans and Helicopters usually
arrive atthe same time and place. For example, the
Weapon Van with Smoke is always on the right side of the
first fork, the Oil Van on the left. The Helicopter usually

arrives as you cross the first bridge after the second fork. A
Missile truck usually arrives just before or after you face the

128
 first chopper. The passes in a pattern, though
traffic also

you you
disrupt that as soon as get on the road. With the
exception of Weapon Vans, vehicles that pass you and leave
off the top of the screen are gone. You won't see them there
when you speed up. However, vehicles you pass have a nasty
habit of sneaking up behind you (which is why God in-
vented Oil slicks).
Beginner's Strategy: The key to winning this game is to watch
not your car, but the top of the screen, right by the mileage
counter. That's where the cars are coming from, and it will
give you time to adjust your course (you don't have to be
watching your car for that, all you need to do is move the
controller). Apart from this, there are several things to re-
member. Whenyou wreck your car, a van comes along and
gives you a new one —
^always dropping you on the right side
of the road. When you pull away, make sure your left side is
clear! Many good but hasty spies are done in by these colli-
sions. Also: When you enter a Weapon Van, do so on the
right side of the road. Otherwise, the Van will waste pre-
cious seconds driving over to that side.
As for self-defense, apart from weaving and dodging as

you drive, there are basic tips to avoiding enemies.

some
Never let a car remain ahead of you as you enter a section
where the road nanows. Bulletproof Bullies go faster, for
instance, than red cars. If a Bully is on the left and you're

on the you may well be boxed-in when a red car

right,
suddenly appears in front. There won't be time to shoot it,
and the rear-ender will be fatal. Also, don't use your guns
until you earn your first extra car. It slows you down and you
may not reach that 10,000 point plateau in time. When you
face a Bulletproof Bully, feint to the side that has the least
amount of room between the car and the shoulder. The
Bully will skew in that direction, at which point you dart
around it in the opposite direction. When a Slasher ap-
pears, just speed up and go around it. It won't do anything
until the blades pop out. As for the Limousines, their bul-
letshave a limited range; simply keep your distance when
passing.The Helicopters are a problem, since they hover
above you. When the first one appears, pour on the juice

129
 and then brake when it catches up to you. It1l drop a bomb, 1
you'll dash around the crater, and that will be that. Later
birds can't be shaken so easily, and the best thing to do is to
hang back, wait until they drop a bomb, dash around them,
then wait again. While you're waiting for them to unload
on the road, keep your guns blazing to shoot any cars that
may be ahead of you. You'll want the coast to be clear for
your impending departure. Be advised that if you crash
when a chopper is just arriving, it usually leaves. Lastly,
don't forget that you can use your Smoke to protect your
sides as well as your rear. As you pass a vehicle, give a squirt
Smoke will fan out and push your enemy off the road.
Advanced Strategy: Macho drivers dispute this scenario, but
it's more or less guaranteed to get you to the boats and

beyond. Race like hell in the early phase, until you get your
first extra car. When you do, take it very slowly. Since time
is no longer a factor, and since you no longer have an unlim-
ited supply of cars, use your guns liberally now to blast cars
in front of you, instead of trying to race around them. With
2 cars, a careful player will reach those 30,000 point levels
and get the full complement of vehicles. Also, don 't go into
a Weapon Van when it first arrives. If you go in, it disap-
pears. If you don't, it'll stay on the road, close by, forcing
other cars aside. Ultimately even get testy and try to
it'll

knock you off the road. That's when you accept its weapon.
Or, go into the Van when the chopper arrives. You can't be
hurt when you're inside.
As you play, you'll notice that the road forks many times.
Most routes will get you to the boat level. However, 5
routes will bring you back to earlier points in the game.
Take any road to the second river. When you've passed
over, stay to the left of whatever road you're on. That will
bring you to a narrow road that cuts off sharply to the upper
right. This road leads directly to the boathouse. The most
direct route from the starting point is to take the first 4 left
forks. The road to the right wiH appear immediately after
you take the fourth fork. When you reach the waterways,
your guns will be much more important than they were on
—
the road it's important, obviously, to sink your enemy be-

130
 fore they can use theirown weapons. Finally, the most im-
portant aspect of the game is this: wait 15 seconds at the
beginning, leaving your car sitting on the side of the road.
That way, the bloody "Peter Gunn" music will stop playing
and you won't lose your mind. (No, you can't just turn
down the volume. If you do, you won't hear the sound of
the Helicopter approaching.)
Par: You should have earned your first extra vehicle by the
time you reach the first bridge.
NES Advantage: Without question, the joystick is more re-
sponsive than the controller. Unfortunately, Slow doesn't
work on this game.
Training Tips: This one's neat. When the van drops you off at
the beginning of the game, don't race off; stay behind it,
allowing it to run block for you as you get a look at the road.
It's a terrific way to map the terrain.

Rating: This is a fast, difficult game. Warning: Don't play it

and then get into your car. You don't get another car when
you crash into real obstacles.
Challenge: A
Graphics: A
Sound Effects: D

131
CHAPTER TlilENTY-SEVEN

TOP GUN

Type: Flight combat simulation.

Objective: When an unnamed enemy threatens U.S. forces
—
near "vital oil fields," you ^as an Air Force lieutenant ^are —
ordered to take up your squadron of F-14s and stop the foe
on the land, sea, air . and even in space! You must also
. .

land your fighter safely on the aircraft carrier USS Enter-

prise, and beginning with phase 2, you must also refuel in
midflight.
Layout: The screen shows the terrain and enemy hardware as
seen from the cockpit of your plane. Displayed at the bot-
tom of the screen are an altimeter, air speed indicator, fuel
meter, artificial horizon, damage indicator, radar, ammuni-
tion counter, and missile sight.
Scroll: The on-screen elements come toward you.
Hero's Powers: Each of the 3 planes you can select is ex-
tremely maneuverable and fires an unlimited supply of bul-
lets. All have a damage-indicator to show how many bullets

have struck you; an altimeter; a gunsight; radar (planes are

dots, ships are circles); a fuel meter; an airspeed indicator; a
missile-counter; and a horizon indicator. How many missiles
you have, and their potency, depends upon the aircraft: the
T-11 carries 40 relatively low-power projectiles; the T-22
stocks 20 missiles that pack twice the punch; and the T-33
carries 10 missiles with 4 times the zing.
Hero's Weaknesses: Getting shot 12 times with bullets, hit
with a missile, running out of fuel (for example, missing

132
 your refuel linkup), or failing to land squarely on the deck of
your carrier, will send you down in flames. Lose 3 planes
and the game is over.
About Your Enemies: In different phases you must face 5
kinds of enemy airplanes, an attack chopper, 3 seagoing
vessels, a submarine, a tank, trucks, artillery and missile
launchers, and finally, a space shuttle. Each fires projectiles
of one kind or another.
Menu: There is only a one-player game with 4 missions. These

must be tackled in turn; there's no jumping ahead.

Timen None.
Scoring: You earn points for each enemy plane, ship, missile,
or vehicle you reduce to a mound oi twisted metal (see Par,
below).
Patterns: The planes, ships, etc., always come at you in the
same sequence, along the same patterns. Most planes come
at you in groups of 3.
Beginner's Strategy: There are two keys to getting through
the combat phase of the game: being able to duck enemy
fire, and learning to read your radar. Ducking is simply a
matter of dropping low, climbing, or sliding left or right so
that a missile passes off the screen. The trick to using the
radar effectively is to rise when blips are in front of you and
to descend when blips are behind you. In the latter case,
when you drop, they'll pass over you; when the blips are just
in front of your jet, shoot up and you'll be right on their
tails. As for enemies coming up behind you, these are easily

shaken by jockeying all the way to one side, then to the

other, then back again. Like magic, the enemy will be gone.
When using the T-1 1 (which you should, on the first 2
missions), keep in mind that one missile will destroy every-
thing but the Battle Cruisers on mission 2. They require 2
strikes each. Also be aware that submarines always fire 3
missiles in a row. Get rid of those sharks before they have a
chance to attack! When it comes to landing, the most im-
portant aspect is to keep your speed within a 20 mph range
of 300. If you are in that 280 to 320 mph window, and
follow the "left," "right," "down," etc. instructions of your
on-board computer, you'll land with no trouble. Note: The

133
 refueling stage willbe necessary at roughly 4 minutes into
the second mission. Hit the Start button to summon the
tanker plane. You will have just under one minute to dock:
Keep your speed and your nose up (regardless of what the
computer says), pay attention to the ''left, right" instruc-
tions, and get the pipe as low as you can on your radar
screen. Docking replenishes your missiles as well as your
fuel.
Advanced Strategy: Instead of getting out of the way of mis-
siles, blast them. It takes nerves of steel, but a few bullets
will do the trick. One missile is easy enough; go from top to
bottom or vice versa when there's 3 (if you miss the one on
the end, you can always dodge it). Don't try to take out
missiles with missiles, since there isn't time to sight and
launch. The trick to dealing with the fighters —the planes
that slash diagonally across your screen — is to push your
controller in the direction they're traveling, track them for
just a moment, and release a missile. On mission 3 you'll
need 16 missiles to destroy the missile silo, while on mission
4 you must knock out the chopper at once. Otherwise it will
stay on your tail, firing all the while. Your final target, the
shuttle, requires a score of missiles to destroy.
Par:A good score is 12,000 for knocking out enemies, plus
another 10,000 for landing safely and 50,000 for a successful
refueling.
NES Advantage: You can hold the A or B button down to
accelerate or decelerate but so what? Most players
. . .

prefer the controller to the Advantage joystick.

Training Tips: Keep going back through the first mission until
not a single plane gets past you. Otherwise you really won't
be ready for the later missions especially the third and
. . .

fourth. Note: There is no way to jump ahead to those

tougher battles. You simply have to slog your way through.
Rating: This visual treat creates a real sensation of flight. The
combat situations are entertaining, though there isn't a
whole lot of variety.
Challenge: B
Graphics: A
Sound Effects: A
134
CHAPTER TUENTY-EIGHT

URBAN CHAMPION

Type: Hand-to-hand combat.

Objective: You're being picked on by the neighborhood bully.
The two of you engage in spirited fisticuffs. The winner is
the one who manages to drive the other back the length of
three city blocks and into the open manhole at the end of
his side of the screen. Meanwhile, both of you have to
dodge the flower pots irate apartment dwellers occasionally
heave down at you.
Layout: There are four screens: the block in the center where
the fight begins (the Snack Bar), a block to the right of it
(the Bookstore), and another to the right of that (the Bar-
ber Shop), which ends in an open manhole. To the immedi-
ate left of the Snack Bar is the Discount Shop, and to the
left of that a Restaurant, which also ends with an open
manhole.
Scroll: Side to side.
Hero's Powers: You have four different kinds of punches: slow
but strong to the face or belly, and fast but weaker to the
face or belly. Defensively you can use your hands to protect
your face or belly; you can also "dodge," ducking your body
backward to avoid blows. Obviously, the combatants can
walk from side to side.
Hero's Weaknesses: Every punch you give or take robs you of
stamina; a flower pot not only weakens you, but leaves you
dazed. During this time your adversary can sneak in a
punch.

135
About Your Enemies: Your opponent has the same powers
and weaknesses as you.
Menu: You can thug (on the
fight the computer-controlled
right), or you can battle another player.
Timer: A fight on each block can last a maximum of 100 time
units (3 minutes 28 seconds).
Scoring: Each player starts with 3 "lives," each possessing 200
stamina points. These are replenished each time a life is lost
(that is, the fight moves onto a new block). They are
drained according to the blow used: the fast punch costs
you 1 point to deliver, 4 to take; and the hard blow costs 2
points to give and 10 to take. A hit from a flower pot costs 5
points, plus whatever damage your opponent does while
you're watching the birdies (there's only enough time to
toss one punch). If no one has won when time runs out, a
police car takes away the fighter with the lowest stamina
count.
Patterns: The player on the left only gets knocked to the left,
and vice versa. There is no pattern to the dropping of the
flower pots.
Beginner's Strategy: Although there is no advantage
pointwise, most players tend to throw (and expect) punches
to the head. Thus, a body-blow strategy, with occasional
shots to the face, tends to throw other players off. Overall,
always use a 1-2 tactic: a hard shot followed by a soft shot.
Players who have just taken a punch tend to go into a de-
fensive mode; don't waste the stamina on throwing a power
punch, which in all likelihood will be blocked. When play-
ing the computer, it can usually be lured under a flower pot
if you duck.

Advanced Strategy: Work out combinations. For example,

most players will move
on you if you duck back. They'll
in
get confident you then duck back again. They'll move in,
if

and when they do, prepared to strike, they'll be unpro-

tected. Thus, use a duck, duck, hard-blow combination.
Most players also anticipate that opponents will use 2-1
blows: 2 shots to the head or belly, then switch. A 4-1 flurry
usually catches them oflF-guard. On the defensive, try to rely
on ducking. If you're in close and lower your guard to throw

136
 a punch, chances are better you'll get clocked. If you're out
of range, there's nothing your opponent can do except take
a step forward — in which case you'll greet them with a
knuckle sandwich to the gut.
Par:A good fighter will use just 70 stamina points against the
computer and slightly under 40 time units for each bout.
NES Advantage: No help.
Training Tips: Play a two-player game with one player. Set up
the opposing fighter in different positions — face protected,
belly protected, etc. —and practice adjusting quickly from
facial punches to belly blows. Also in this mode, don't even
bother with the other pugilist; just go over your own moves
— especially the combinations.
Rating: This game isn't nearly as cathartic as Kung Fu or
other hand-to-hand matches. There simply aren't enough
options. Because of that, it also won't take you long to
master. If flower pots fell more quickly than one or 2 per
block, the game would have been much more exciting.
Challenge: C
Graphics: C
Sound Effects: C

137
 CHAPTER TUENTY-NINE

UORLDRUNNER
Type: Science fiction quest.
Objective: The 8 worlds of solar system number 517 are being
bullied by Grax and his vile Serpentbeast brothers. You are
the hero who must run from world to world, blasting the
invaders as well as the indigenous killers. Apart from mon-
sters, the main obstacles in your adventure are huge, rectan-
gular pits that cover the entire screen from left to right and
must be leaped. These vary in width and in the distances
between them.
Layout: Each of the 8 worlds is different and exotic. The
horizon of each never changes as you run toward it (unless
you shift from side to side). The ground rolls toward you, as
do the huge pits and many monsters. The 8 worlds are Uno,
Toro, Cavemo, Quanto, Temero, Aquo, Invinso, and Fino.
Scroll: Your vantage point is from just over the runner's shoul-
der. The terrain unfolds at you; you can move from side to
side.
Hero's Powers: Your hero begins the game with 3 lives. At the
start he has nothing more than the ability to run, slow
down, and make modest-sized jumps. However, as he ac-
quires certain objects (which are either lying about or are
hidden inside silvery columns), his talents increase: Laser
Missiles allow you to fire destructive blasts; Power Potions
enable you to survive one impact with an enemy; Atomic
Power makes you invulnerable .but just for 5 seconds;
. .

Hearts give you an extra life; Cosmic Clocks replenish your

138
 power supply; Junior Jumpers give your leaps added boost;
and Super Jumpers allow you to vault even farther. Though
powers can be layered one on top of the other for exam-—
ple, you can have Laser Missiles and Atomic Power at the
—
same time they are not cumulative. Even if you've gath-
ered three Laser Missiles, that doesn't increase your fire-
power. Also, although a Power Potion will save you if you
are hit by an enemy, the collision will cost you any other
powers you've acquired.
Hero's Weaknesses: Colliding with most enemies, or falling
into a pit, costs you a life. The exception is hitting a Hand
Man (see About Your Enemies), which prevents you from
moving ahead and thus drains you of strength. Also, re-
peated collisions with columns saps the hero's powers. Your
runner has the ability to slow, but not to stop.
About Your Enemies: Instead of concealing Laser Missiles or
Atomic Power, some columns contain Magic Mushrooms.
These are instantly fatal. The roaming creatures you must
face in turn are: Menacing Meanies, green orbs that roll
toward you and from side to side; the White Willies, which
do that and also bounce; the Robot Heads, which are faster,
more plentiful versions of the meanies; the Towering Infer-
nos, pillars of fire that don't move, but tend to appear right
smack in your way when you're coming down on the other
side of a pit; the Hand Men, which shift from side to side
and leap to keep you back; Venus Die Traps, lethal roving
flowers; Sea Shells; hero-eating Calamitous Clams; hero-
seeking Spinners; the invincible Dog Face; the small but
toxic Vapor Clouds; the winged Mean TV; and the inde-
structible Diamond Demons. Upon reaching the end of
each world, you'll face one or more Serpentbeasts, depend-
ing upon how far along you are in the game. These slither
and writhe from the horizon, their awesome jaws ready to
devour you. The most formidable of these monsters, Grax,
lurks on the eighth world. Lastly, there are the pits, which
appear in every world and vary in width and proximity to
one another.
Menu: There are 2-D and 3-D modes, which are exactly the

139
 same game. Players can switch from one to the other at any
point in a game.
Timer: There no timer; the hero must reach certain thresh-
is

power runs out.

olds before his
Scoring: Each time you defeat an enemy or scoop up a Star,
you are awarded points. Any time you collect power-
enhancers (Laser Missiles, Potions, etc.), you get points
starting with the second one you grab in any given row.
(This does not apply when you break up the collection. For
example, if you find a row of columns where there are Laser
Missiles, and you get only one Missile, you don't get points
for the next Missile or Potion you nab in a different row.)
There are also Warp Balloons floating about. Grabbing
these carries the hero to another dimension, where he is

allowed to roam menace-free for a time, collecting power

boosters, Hearts, and so on.
Patterns: The scenery and approach of enemies and pits is the
same each time you play the game. For example, on world
number one, Uno, there are always Laser Missiles in the
first row of columns. Power Potions in the second row, and

Magic Mushrooms in the third. Moreover, there are 4 of

each in every row. The first Warp Balloon can be found
after the first 4 Stars (3 Hearts in a straight line, then one
diagonally to the right). If you grab it, then follow the Stars

in the new dimension, encounter columns containing,

you'll
first, a Power Potion, and next, a Heart. Among your ene-

mies, the Clams move in circles.

Beginner's Strategy: To begin with, as soon as your runner
appears, line him up with the seam between the two build-
ings on the horizon. You'll run right into a Laser Missile
column. Hit it twice, the first time to get the Missile, the
second time to bounce back so you can shift left and hit
another column to get another Missile. You should collect a
total of 4 Missiles in this fashion. Slide around the last of
the columns and repeat this procedure with the Potion col-
umns. (Hitting the columns costs you power, but the game
will replenish it before you really need it.) When you run
for the first pit, push the controller to the left. Since the
runner goes forward by himself, this maneuver will carry

140
 you diagonally on the path that will give you the most
Meanies to kill.
On any level be especially careful when jumping pits.
Some of them have only narrow bands of land between
them. A hefty jump will not only carry you over the pit, but
over the land as well and send you plunging to your death in
the next pit. If you're in the midcfie of a jump and you see
land approaching rapidly, shift the controller to the left so
you'll move diagonally. This will bum up most of the extra
inertia and keep you on land. Also use this maneuver to
avoid a Towering Inferno or Robot Head that may be wait-
ing for you. On Toro you'll find that you won't be running
and jumping, per se, but hopping over the closely-spaced
pits. When racing through the White Willies, get between

two columns of them and dart from side to side, plugging

them. If you run directly toward them, chances are you'll
get mashed. When you reach the Serpentbeast on any level,
dash to the sides when it nears and keep blasting its head.
For bigshot invaders, they're not as tough as you'd think.
(Note: You don't need Lasers to kill them. You are armed
automatically as soon as they approach.) When you reach
Hand Men, begin your attack by taking long, high leaps
diagonally to the left. This will enable you to clear them.
When that no longer works, follow the Stars through the
Hands (the Hands don't go near them). Whenever there
are no Stars, run near, or even better, between the Towering
Infernos. The Hands don't go near these either. In general,
each time you leap a pit, you should land with your Laser
Missiles blazing. You never know what may creep up sud-
denly. Scattershooting is actually recommended after a
jump, since chances are good you won't have time to aim
before you have to get ready to leap the next pit. Don't pass
up any chance to get a Laser Missile: You'll need them!
Also, be aware that if you reach one of the later worlds and
lose your last life, you needn't go back to the first world.
Just hold down button A and tap Start. The game will
resume on the world where you left off (though you will be
score-naked).
Advanced Strategy: Starting with Caverno, things really be-

141
 gin to heat up. As soon as you arrive, use the controller to
scroll the horizon from side to side until you see the 2 huge
flowers bending toward each other. Line up your runner
between these. When you reach Junior Jumpers (either on
the land or in the pits), take your hands off the controller
and let the Jumpers hurl you from one to the other. The
only adjustments you'll need to make are when Towering
Infernos appear. When these loom, simply hop to the row
on the left or right. After the Inferno passes, get back in
line with the two flowers: This is the row with the fewest
number of Towering Infernos. Halfway through the world
you'll begin reaching massive pits that have no Junior
Jumpers until halfway across. To reach these, you'll have to
use your controller to jump when you reach the pit, then
use it again when you land on the Jumper. Together they'll
give you a leap sufficient to reach land.
Par: To begin with, you should start the game with 3000
points just from collecting all the Laser Missiles and Power
Potions. An average of 90,000 points on each world is good.
(This tally is slightly misleading, however, since even a sub-
par player can get it on Uno and a few other worlds. When
you second life, you don't lose your score.
lose your first or
You go back to the beginning and, thus, get another shot at
—
the Warp Balloon ^which gives you access to hundreds of
additional points.)
NES Advantage: Since the jumps require precision maneuver-
ing, the joystick is a distinct advantage. The game has prob-
lems holding the image with slow motion. (Note: With
either controller, when you press Pause, the runner sits
down, facing you, and starts breathing heavily. A nice
touch!)
Training Tips: Go through the game without collecting any
powers; just practice jumping the pits and dodging enemies.
Those skills will serve you better than firing (since many
monsters come at you from the sides, where your laser fire is
useless).
Rating: Not only isn't the 3-D version effective, it's often
—
extremely distracting especially when the two separate im-
ages don't quite come together and you feel like you're

142
fighting doubles of every enemy! Stick to the 2-D version,
which is excellent Even after you've learned the patterns,
getting all the Super Stars and shooting every Willy or
Robot Head is a task and a half.
Challenge: A-h
Graphics: B (Though the scenery rolls by nicely, and the
animation of the runner is impressive, there's a lot of
image breakup; the animation of the Serpentbeasts, as
well as the eerie terrains each inhabits, is nearly worth
the price of admission.)
Sound Effects: C—(Not much, apart from the music
though the Serpentbeast sounds are neat.)

143
 CHAPTER THIRTY
ZELDAII
-THE ADVENTURE
OF LINK
Type: Fantasy quest.
—
Objective: In the world of long ago. Link ^young hero of The
Legend of Zelda —is now a strapping sixteen years old. And

once again he sets out on a great adventure: this time to

liberate Princess Zelda from an enchantment cast by his old
nemesis, the heartless Prince of Darkness, Ganon. To ac-
complish this he must collect Keys placed in enchanted
Crystals in the heads of the Stone Statues which lie in the
depths of 6 dreary Palaces.
Layout: Pictured are the fields, swamps, mountains, ruins, for-
ests, towns, dungeons, palaces, and labyrinths through
which Link must travel.
There are a few places in which Link goes up and
Scroll:
down. For the bulk of the game, however, Link moves from
side to side.
Hero's Powers: Once again setting out with modest abilities
in the categories of Attack, Magic, and Life, Link can boost
these strengths by picking up Thun-
a Shield, Fire, Spells,
der, Jumping Ability, Reflections to cause spells to hurt
whoever cast them, extra Life, Fairies who bestow wings, a
Power Glove for breaking stone, a Magic Candle to see
concealed objects, a Raft, Magic Boots, and an Enchanted
Recorder whose notes funnel powers to Link by causing
rifts in the realm.
Hero's Weaknesses: Link loses units of Life by being shot or

144
 stabbed by monsters, falling off collapsing bridges, being hit
on the head with crumbling stone, and so forth.
About Your Enemies: Each step of the way is haunted by
dangerous types. Among the most intimidating are the dog-
faced, spear-wielding Molblin (who is much stronger now
than in the previous game); the horse-headed Mazura and
his mace; the not-very-good knight Rebonack and his iron
steed; the helmeted Jermafenser; and, most iniquitous of all,
the giant blue goblin Ganon.
Menu: There is only the one mission.
Timer: None. The game continues until Link cannot.
Scoring: Link obtains additional powers for objects he uncov-
ers.

Patterns: Hyrule and environs, and most of the objects

therein, are the same in every game.
Beginner's Strategy: Before you reach any palaces, as well as
during your journey, you should tour a bit, going to villages
and engaging people in conversation. Don't take what they
say at face value. Sometimes people need to be questioned
more than once before they'll part with the truth! For in-
stance: Since you will be heading to the northern desert
first, to enter Parapa, stop in Rauru and chat with an elderly

gentleman to learn the Spell of the Shield. Afterward, to

begin the quest proper, you must journey to the western
regions of Hyrule, where you will obtain Heart Containers
and Magic Jars. These are needed to help you survive your
quest. The first Palace — —
Parapa is located in the northeast
comer of the kingdom and is especially rich in goods. To get
around therein, descend after the first 4 columns, then head
left. After you pass 6 columns and a ledge, a Key will be at

the second ledge. At the other end of this level you'D find a
Fairy. Backing up, past the column to your left, you'll be
able to ascend to a level where you'll find another Key on
the far right. Returning to the passage up and heading back
to the second level, go left to the next passage. Descend and
go left. At the very end of the corridor is a Candle. (Be
careful: the bridge that lies between the stairs and the Can-
dle is fragile. If you don't cross in a hurry, it'll crumble, and
you're doomed.) When you have the Candle, go right. Re-

145
 turn to the second level, head for the passage, and descend
one level. On the right (past Mazura, who will greet you by

the columns), the Stone Statue where you must place a

is

Crystal. When you meet Mazura, stay to the far left of the
screen, duck to avoid his crunching mace, then leap and
strike at his head. Finished here, head to the western cen-
tral portion of the kingdom to find the Palace of Midoro.

Upon arriving, walk to the down-passage, beyond the col-

umns, descend one level, travel all the way to the left, go
down another level, and head right. Get the Fairy here,
then go left; the Power Glove is at the far end. You'll need
it to smash the Blocks that rain down in this Palace. Return

to the passage, climb to the second level, head for the stair-
well on the right, and go down to the third level. Obtain
the Key on the far left, then go back to the passage. Ven-
ture down another level, get the Key on the far right, then
retrace your steps to the passage on the left. Go down to the
fourth level and head right. Beneath a ledge is a passage to
the bottom level. There, beyond the columns (and
Jermafenser) is the second Stone Statue. Jermafenser can be
defeated . . but only after you've jumped and used your
.

sword to swat off his helmet.

Advanced Strategy: Next on your agenda is the Island Palace,
located in the southeasternmost corner of Hyrule. (Get
there by going, first, to the village of Mido to learn the
route to the isle . . . and also to find a fencing master who
will teach you the Underthrust manner of fighting, a skill

you'll need to take on Rebonack and also to shatter the

stones that surround the Keys.) This Palace is the least com-
plex of all. Go right, descend through the passage, then go
right again. A Key is at the end. Double back; the down-
ward passage lies beneath the thin ledge to the left of the
bust. Go down, head all the way to the left to get the next
Key, go to the far right to get the Raft, then go left again to
the passage that leads below (to the right of the bust). The
Stone Statue (guarded by Rebonack) is at the far right.
Ironnack can be approached (assuming you have the Shield)
and slain if you kneel and push Link's blade through his

146
 throat. To battle Rebonack, you must first unseat him using
the Underthnist move, employing it while leaping.
Par: Clearing the first 3 Palaces is a good day's work.
NES Advantage: The big help here is rapid thrusts of your
sword, and other weapons, by holding down the button.
Training Tips: It goes without saying that you should make a
map of Hyrule and each edifice you enter. Spend time ex-
ploring the kingdom before entering the Palaces.
Rating: This is a strong sequel to the original classic. Despite

the familiarity of the characters and the weakness of the

visuals (which are much too bright and cartoonlike for an
adventure), the odyssey is exciting ... the more so if you
never played the first game.
Challenge: A
Graphics: C
Sound Effects: B

147
 CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

BUBBLE BOBBLE

Type: Maze chase.

Objective: Bub and Bob are a pair of happy-go-lucky dinosaurs
who learn, to their chagrin, that the evil Baron von Blubba
has dinonapped two of their brontosaurus friends. The cre-
taceous duo set out through the Baron's "evil forest" to
rescue them, encountering many monsters along the way.
The monsters can only be destroyed when Bub or Bob
blows a bubble around them, thus trapping them, then pops
it.

Layout: The game consists of a variety of mazes, some of

which have the center; you can enter these, but the
cells in

monsters can't escape. After completing each screen that —

is, popping every beast —
you're magically transported to the
next.
Hero's Powers: Your dinosaur has the innate ability to run,
jump, blow Bubbles, and also to ride those Bubbles into the
air or into otherwise impenetrable cells. As you fight your
way through the mazes, you'll also encounter 14 different
kinds of power-boosters (all of which are described in the
game instructions). Bubble-letters also float by; spell ex-
tend, and you instantly float to the next level (not a great
idea, if it's points you're after).
About Your Enemies: Scattered thoughout the mazes are Be-
luga, the easy-to-trap whale; the fire-breathing Incendo;
Super Sprocket, who spits projectiles; the wraithlike Stoner;
the hopping Coiley; the self-explanatory Bubble Buster;

148
 Hullaballoon; Willy Whistle; and the titanic Crumple
Grommit, who sprays out an arc of deadly Bubbles (though
if you come into contact with Crumple itself, you usually

survive). Finally, there is the Baron himself. If you spend

too long fighting the monsters on any given level, the Baron
comes to kill you and he can 't be trapped in a Bubble.
. . .

By the time you reach screens in the eighties, you have only
ten seconds to clear the screen before the czar of terror
No wonder the dinosaurs became extinct!
arrives.
Menu: One or two players can participate simultaneously.
There are 226 levels in all plus some surprises (see
. . .

Advanced Strategy).
Scoring: You earn from 10 to 64,000 points for every Bubble
and/or monster you pop. There are also 31 different kinds
of goodies that appear in the mazes now and then; when
nabbed, these provide bonus points. (Came instructions
show pictures of each.)
Beginner's Strategy: Since it would take an encyclopedia to
review the layout of each screen, here are general strategies,
as well as afew specific tips. First of all, the game is divided
into two sets of 1 1 3 screens: however, the early screens of
the second set are as easy as the early screens of the first set.
For the most part, do not always charge the monsters. For
example, on screen 34 you should go to the center of the
bottom floor at once, then shoot toward the left while you
inch in that direction, blasting the Stoners as they swarm
toward you. Another general hint. When monsters are in-
side cells, you can, of course, jump up or ride a Bubble up,
go inside, and mix it up within the confines of the cell. Bad
idea: it's a tight fit in most of these! You will die at least half
the time you try this. Better to position yourself under one
of the walls of the cell, face the monster, and either jump
up or Bubble-up. When you're directly opposite the crea-
ture,blow a Bubble and trap them. (Alas, you can't blow
Bubbles up and snare monsters. It has to be side to side.)
Here are a few specific patterns to get you going: on
screen 10, go to the uppermost left. On 12, head for the
hole on the left side, lean halfway over, and keep blasting.
On 21, the third step on the top left is a good position from
149
 which to release a rapid-fire barrage of Bubbles when the
creatures come from their cells. On 27, hop up to the sec-
ond level, go to the far right of the tunnel, shoot to the left,
rise on Bubbles to get the goody, then go all the way to the ^

top to kill the Beluga up there. Screen 28's a cinch: head to

the left and just keep firing. On 32, go up the ladder on the
left, get the goody on the top left, then move along the top

of the cage and blast whatever comes out; when there are
only three monsters left inside, jump down and finish them
off. (If youVe gotten this far. Bubble-wrangling a mere

three monsters should be no sweat.) On 43, wait on the

bottom, facing right, and kill the two monsters that attack;
ride Bubbles up the left side while facing right, and kill the
Beluga. (Don't waste time climbing the stairs to the Beluga:
by this screen, the Baron doesn't give you much time to
make an appearance.) Don't go into the middle column on
top: float down its left side on the outside, settle in on the
bottom entranceway, and shoot to the left to kill the mon-
sters that have already emerged from it. Then hop off to the
left, pop them, go off the bottom of the screen (you will

reemerge on the top), all the while jockeying your dinosaur

toward the right. Enter the last column and descend cau-
tiously, Bubblizing the monsters as you go.
Advanced Strategy: A
few tips for later screens. On 65, go up
to the second level and stay in the corner, shooting to the
right, until all the monsters are dead. Then rise and stand
on the top-left column to shoot at the creatures inside. On
89, ride the Bubbles up at once in order to destroy the
monsters before they begin disgorging projectiles horizon-
tally (these are murder once they're unleashed!). On 95,
Bubble-up, stand on top of the little vertical projection on
the left until you've picked off most of the monsters, then
slide to the right and Bubble the rest. Note: go right to 99
(gejfj) and win for a vital clue!
However, if you really want to impress your friends, go
straight to higher levels: password bibeg will get you to level
2, screen 4; bjebj to 9; becij to 14; ghccb will bring you
face to face with the Grommit at C6, hbgbd with the one
at E6. If you want to face the most fearsome of the Bubble

150
I
 blowers . . . simply enter the password hjfab and you'll
pass to the murderous F5 level. You'll have a few moments
before the giant Crumple Grommit becomes active: quickly
run up the left side, grab the Drug of Thunder, drop all the
way to the ground, then scoot along the ground from left to
right and back again (pausing to make stop-and-go adjust-
ments if the monster is in your way), shooting at the creep.
Make sure, when you're on either side, that you're tucked in
the corner: fewer of the Grommit's projectiles will hit you

there. Your Thunder will also protect you from these red
balls, incidentally, causing them to explode before they
strike you. Don't give up hope: it'll take what seems like a
googolplex hits to destroy the fiend, but eventually it'll be
encased in a Bubble, turn blue, and get out of your hair. Of
course, then you get whipped over to the painful B2 level
... for more fun. (Or go right to B2 by inputting eecjj.)
Note: when you climb on any screen, you'll get a success-
ful toehold if even just the tip of your dinosaur's tail touches
the ledge. This is important in later levels, like F5, when
you have to rush to climb.
Par: A beginning player shouldn't have much trouble getting
as far as screen 43, the first really tough one. Good players
shouldn't have their Bubble burst until screen 96, which
inaugurates a new level of misery.
Training Tips: Frankly, the best way to get in shape for this
game is to play on some of the tougher levels. Here are a
few passwords to bring you to a few advanced screens: iiib
32, lEjjj 43, jCEBj 66, CAjFi 89, and ggjbi 96. One of the key
skills to master is Bubble riding: not just being able to hitch

a ride on one, but blowing 'em so they'll be just where you

want them. Practice this skill on the early screens. You'll
need it later. Also important is being able to turn and fire
rapidly.There are many screens where creatures will be
coming you from both sides. If you can't let out a barrage
at
to the right or left, turn, and repeat on the other side,
you're going to suffer a world of pain — especially when
waves of Stoners are descending on you. As for shooting
monsters in cells, the best screen to try this is the relatively
easy 22.

151
Rating: This is an absolutely terrific game for the entire fam-
ily. Though there tends to be a bit of graphic breakup when
there's too much on the screen, and the sounds are pretty
bland, these don't detract from the challenging gameplay.
Challenge: A—
Graphics: B—
Sound Effects: C

152
 CHAPTER THIRTY-TUO

JACKAL

Type: Military search-and-destroy.

Objective: Because the recalcitrant Vietnamese are still hold-
ing American POWs, the U.S. choppers-in four tough
soldiers and their armed-and-armored all-terrain jeep to res-

cue them. You must blast the Barracks in which they are
being held, wait while they board, and then bring the
POWs to prearranged points for Helicopters to pick them
up . .though the four soldiers themselves won't be leav-
.

ing until the job is through!

Layout: There are 6 different battlegrounds, each of which
scrolls vertically though there is some latitude for hor-
. . .

izontal movement. The 6 are: Alpha, Baker, Charlie, Delta,

Tango, and Zulu.
Hero's Powers: Stripped-down, your super-jeep. Trigger,
comes equipped with the ability to drive in any direction
and to fire a stream of bullets or single Grenades. (Not only
are the Grenades more destructive, they can be flung over
impasses such as rocks and walls. However, while bullets can
be fired from any side of Trigger, Grenades ^and Bazookas, —
—
which you'll get later can only be launched straight
ahead). Trigger can also run down foot soldiers. As you
chew up the enemy, you can acquire Bazookas, which are
more powerful. Multiple-direction fire is also available for
these (see Beginner's Strategy for further details). Finally,
you can earn extra lives as you reach various plateaus.
About Your Enemies: Apart from foot soldiers (some of

153
 whom pack Bazookas), you must face 1 1 different vehicles
as well as 6 super-menaces: 4 clustered tanks at the end of
Alpha, 4 Statue Heads that fire Heat-Seeking Missiles at the
conclusions of Baker (before which, you'll have to dodge
some crumbling ruins), a huge Submarine with 6 Turrets at
the cHmax of Charlie (there's also a dangerous train on the
loose in Charlie), also. Choppers that unleash hordes of
soldiers at the wind-up of Delta, an electrified wall with
heavily reinforced garages containing tough Tanks at the
finish of Tango, and, most dangerous of all, a Super Tank in
the Zulu showdown.
Menu: There is a one-player game, or two players can fight
the enemy simultaneously, either using one vehicle one —
player controlling gunfire, another jeep direction—or two
jeeps.
Scoring: You get points for killing enemies and destroying
enemy materiel, and also for rescuing POWs. The lows are
100 per foot soldier, to 300 per Bunker, to 800 per Stone
Head, etc.
Beginner's Strategy: To begin with, keep in mind that there
are from 2 to 4 POWs per Barracks. Don't hang around
waiting for a fifth . . . and get your gas shot away in the
process!
There is nothing terribly complex about any of the ter-

rains: whichever way you go, there are going to be enemies

galore. Your basic tactic, thus, is to keep moving and dodg-
ing. However, there are some things to watch out for.
Alpha: use a Grenade on the POW Barracks and
first

pick up (that POW who emerges. You'll get

is run over) the

a Bazooka. The second POW you save gives you a Bazooka

that fires in two directions (side and side). The third pris-
oner you free gives you a Bazooka that fires in four direc-
tions. When you reach the bridge, go onto it and, without
stopping, twist so your gun is diagonal, at approximately the
10:00 position. A boat witi appear momentarily, and you
must deep-six it before it gets you. By the time you cross the
bridge and blast the Barracks there, you should have ac-
quired four-way Bazookafire (unless you've lost a hfe or two

and everything you've accumulated—except POWs, many

154
of whom can be reclaimed). When you hear the siren, you'll
know you've reached the end of the level (the siren sounds
at the end of all levels). Brace yourself for a rip-snorting
fightwith the 4 Tanks. These Tanks always emerge from
the part of the screen nearest you. Each needs to be hit
twice to be destroyed (they turn brown when hit once).
Keep on the move, and maneuver around the trees to block
them.
Baker: starting on this level, you can't always just sit and

collect or leave off your prisoners. Baddies will still be com-

ing at you (though more doggedly in later levels). Keep an
eye out for them, and briefly abort the pickup or drop-off
until you've dealt with the threat. In this section, full of the
ruins of ancient temples, you can shoot the falling columns
for points. Also, when you reach the gray-floored temple,
get out (to the left) when you can: straight ahead is a dead-
end. Be sure to take out the 3 Turrets just before you reach
the landing area here (where your Helicopter is waiting).
Otherwise, they'll chew you up. When you reach the end,
destroy the 2 Turrets before dealing with the 4 Statue
Heads. It takes 3 shots to destroy each head, and these shots
must be fired when the front of Trigger is up on the hedge
which lies between you and the busts. Otherwise, your Ba-
zooka won't be effective. Having said that, you won't be
able to settle in on the hedges and fire, since the mouths
will be spitting Heat-Seeking Missiles. Just get in a shot or
two, retreat, aim at the Missile and shoot it down, then
move back in and repeat this process for each Head.
. . .

It's best to take out the first and third Heads (the first one

being on the far left). The more space you leave between
the two surviving Heads, the farther the distance their Mis-
siles have to travel and the more time you have to
. . .

deal with them.

Charlie: remember, first, that you can shoot over the
Crates with your Grenades. When you reach the two
bridges, take the one on the right. The one on the left has
less enemy activity on it . . . but is a longer route to a key
piece of equipment. Watch out for the shadow of a Subma-
rine (blast it!) and/or for the arrival of a Gun Boat. Now: at

155
 the end of the bridge, go to the right around the gate. Look
for the gray enemy vehicles parked above you. Beneath the
second you'll find a white star on a brown field. Grab that,
and you acquire the four-way Bazookas. Farther along you'll
face Laser-Guns. Watch where the beam of the first goes^^
nose up to it, wait till it fires, then scoot across. Wait by the
second, repeat, by the third, repeat, and so on, inching your
way through. When you reach the huge Submarine at the
end, don't bother using your Grenades or Bazooka on it;
rely on plain old bullets, which travel faster. You have to hjM
fast: you can only destroy the 6 Turrets when the hatchci^

are open. When they open, pump a steady stream of fire

into them. They are relatively easy to destroy.
Advanced Strategy: Delta: go through the lakes by using the
isthmus on the right. Then continue through the lake at the
—
top ^shoot at the bubbles to destroy the enemy lurking
below the surface. (If you go on land, the submerged foe
will end your mission in a hurry!) Back on land after the
lake, stay to the far left to avoid being crushed by falling
rocks . .though shoot them, if you can, for points. On
.

you can't collect all the POWs at any

this level, for certain,
given point in one big gulp. Take them aboard one or two
at a time, deal with the enemy, then come back for more.
When you reach the railroad tracks, get on them: when the
Train comes up behind you, don't shoot it, but shoot the
tracks. This will cause the Train to derail, and get you a slew
of points. Immediately get off the track and head to the far
right: that's the only way you can get past the Mobile Mis-
sile Launcher that will be waiting for you. When you reach

the end, shoot the two Tanks quickly so that you can deal
with the Choppers and their soldiers when they land. Use
Grenades against the Choppers but not up close. The
. . .

smoke from your weapons will obscure the gunfire from the
Helicopter. Attack with jablike movements of Trigger.
Tango: At the big stone wall, go all the way to the right
to go around. It's the safest way. When you get between
the two stone walls, beware: there's a path heading up . . .

and there are 3 Turrets waiting for you. Above all, don't fall
for the "sucker" Barracks. When you cross the bridge, blast

156
 through the first blue gate, head left and travel through the
wall, and encounter the first gray Barracks on the left . . .

it doesn't contain POWs, but a Super-Tank. Avoid or fight

it . .but just don't forget that it's there! At the next

.

bridge, watch out for yellow Land Mines; these pop up

—
suddenly like when you're just about to roll over them!
When you reach the end of the level, shoot each of the
machine guns on the top of the wall, then wait by each of
the garage-type doors until they open. Immediately shoot
Missiles into their dark maws, lest you be attacked by en-
emy Tanks. When the four minihangars have been de-
stroyed, the power to the electrified wall is immediately cut
and you can go through.
Zulu: go left around the jets when you reach the first

airfield. narrow, but there's enough room for you to

It's

wriggle around the bullets. And, overall, it's the safest route.
(Admittedly, you won't get as many points sneaking
—
through here ^but you will survive!) At the second moving
ramp, take out the guns on the left top, then right top,
before trying to cross. However, if you're feeling bold, you
can rush through without getting hit. Except for the thrill
of it, you would be safer (and point-richer) tackling the
Turrets. When you reach the end, you have the fight of
your life on your hands. It's simple enough to blow away the
2 giant Turrets, then fire a dozen shots (that's what it
takes!) at the green installation between them. However,
the whole shebang then metamorphoses into an enormous
Super-Tank, which requires very deft handling. You must
shoot at it from the steps in the center of the screen in
order for your shots to be effective. So that you don't fall
victim to its fire, start at one side of the steps, fire, withdraw
in a quick but wide U motion to the other side (in other
words, arc from the steps to the bottom of the screen —
to a
place that would mark the midpoint of the steps —
then
hurry ahead to the other side of the steps). Otherwise,
you're likely to end up a dead Jackal!
Par: Scores vary widely, since some players like to go for big
points, shooting everything in sight, while others like to
execute the mission with as little confrontation as possible.

157
 Average scores tend to run approximately 60,000 points per
level.
Training Tips: If there's a key to winning Jackal ^ it's being
able to move Trigger quickly and maneuver it through tight
spots. Compared to that, aiming and shooting (especially
with heavier firepower) is a cinch. So: stay in the Alpha
level and practice your driving until you have it down pat!
Rating: you like CommandOy Ikari Warriors, and others
If

with an overhead view, this game is as good as those. Chal-

lengewise, it's tougher than Commando but easier than the
adventures of Paul and Vince. Regardless, it does provide
some new action twists (like the Super-Tank) which neither
of the other games has.
Challenge: B
Graphics: B-h
Sound Effects: B

158
 CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

JOUST

Type: Aerial combat.

Objective: Riding your Space Ostrich, you must joust with
and destroy skyriding aliens in hyperspace.
Layout: Each Wave consists of a different arrangement of
platforms, from 7 down to 3. There is only the one screen
per level, and the characters can move anywhere on it
including out one side and in the other.
Hero's Powers: You are a Knight of Hyperspace, and you have
complete control over your Space Ostrich. The bird has the
ability to fly, hover, walk, run, and carom off the sides of
platforms with a great deal of rebound. You kill your ene-
mies by dropping down on them, or by being slightly above
them when you collide face to face. If you're exactly as high
as they are when you crash (head to head, head to rear, or
rear to rear), both of you will bounce away from one an-
other. There are no additional powers to be obtained,
though you do receive additional lives at various levels.
—
About Your Enemies: The aliens ^a.k.a. the Buzzard Riders
—come in 4 varieties. Three are mounted warriors like
yourself: theBounder, the Hunter, and the Shadow Lord.
Each is more tenacious and faster than the last. If you have
retained one life for 20 seconds without clearing a given
Wave, a Pterodactyl will arrive (more than one if you're
further along in the game). These move inexorably from
side to side, also rebounding off ledge-edges when they
strike (something that can cause them to change direction

159
 —
suddenly, so watch out!) If these winged terrors peck you,
you die. Keep in mind that the Pterodactyl vanishes when
you lose a However, it doesn't automatically vanish
life.

after you nab the last Buzzard Egg. It will remain on the
screen, and very dangerous, until it flies off one side or
the other. There's also a Troll that dwells in the Lava Pit at
the bottom of each screen. Occasionally the monster will
reach up and indiscriminately grab you or your opponent.
When any Buzzard Rider dies, it becomes an Egg, falls
to the ledge below it, and slowly regenerates. You must
destroy it before it hatches anew. If it lands in the Lava,
though, it is destroyed. (Note: on rare occasions. Eggs that
fall in the Lava will roll back into play through the top of

the screen.)
Menu: There is only the same game. Wave after Wave, al-
though Egg Waves appear at Waves 5, 10, etc. Only the
arrangement of the ledges and the numbers and types of
enemy changes. Unlike the arcade version of the game, this
one is just one player against the computer.
Scoring: Players receive points for beating enemies: 250 for
clobbering a Buzzard Rider before it takes wing; 250 for
nabbing a stationary Egg; 500 for winning an aerial joust;
500 for catching an Egg in the air, and so on.
Beginner's Strategy: To begin with, contrary to what the
game instructions say. Pterodactyls can be killed. You get no
points, and it's
—
dangerous ^but then, a Knight is supposed
to be brave. You can kill it by stabbing it under the throat,
—
and also though this only works sometimes ^by lancing it —
in the back. Other tidbits: on Egg Waves you have 1 5 sec-
onds to clear away all 7 Eggs before they begin to hatch.
Likewise, if you kill a Buzzard and fail to coUect its Egg, it
will hatch 1 5 seconds later. Finally, if you flap furiously, you
can escape Troll.
Now ^ few specifics. In a way, the earlier Waves are
tougher than the later Waves, since there are more plat-
forms. By the time you reach Wave 7, even though you're
fighting a flock of 8 Buzzards, you have much more room to
maneuver, since there are only 3 ledges. Sadly, there's no
pattern in which the Buzzards emerge from their Launch

160
 Pads onto the screen. Thus, players who choose to hover
over the Pads and decimate Buzzards as they emerge are
more or less rolling the dice: Pads that give you 4 birds one
game may give you zippo the next. Still, there are Pads that
usually produce a few birds, and these are as follows:
Wave One: top platform. Wave 2: bottom platform
(meaning the ground); even if they don't come out here,
this is a great place to hover for up to 10 seconds because
there's a ledge directly above you, protecting your top.
When Buzzards fly down, which they usually will, all you
have to do is drop on them. Wave 3: top platform (note: the
Lava burns up most of the bottom platform on this Wave
... so don't be perching on it!). Wave 4: don't hover over
a ledge, but wait at the top of the screen and zip back and
forth while you descend, picking the Buzzards off before
they really take wing. Wave 5 is an Egg Wave: start at the
top and clear them from side to side, allowing yourself to
race off one side of the screen and into the other, rather
than trying to change direction. It saves time. Wave 6: bot-
tom platform (more often than not, 4 Buzzards will appear).
Wave 7: left or right ledge—or you can start at the top and
just swoop down at the Buzzards in a wide V
shape. Wave
8: same as 7. Wave 9: hover in the middle, not over any
Launch Pad. Wave 10: Egg Wave. You get the picture. As
the layouts repeat, follow the same tactics as above. How-
ever, if you do use the Launch Pad hovering strategy, make
absolutely sure you hover. If you stand on a platform, the
emerging enemy will kill you!
Advanced One of the aspects of this game which is
Strategy:
a lot of fun the rebound facet of the ledge-edges. You can
is

be going full-tilt in one direction, across the top of the

screen, and if you want to change direction and/or get be-
low, use these edges.
There's very little to say about the later Waves that's
differentfrom Beginner's Strategy, since the game remains
more or less the same. AfterWave 1 1 you probably won't
want to gather Eggs as soon as you pluck a Buzzard; note
where they are, but there are so many Buzzards that if you
make the Egg(s) your sole objective, you're likely to get

161
 picked off. When
you go for a Buzzard near the fallen Egg
(there's bound be one or more at any given time), pick
to
up the orb after the joust (then you'll have 2 Eggs to
gather). Just be sure you do so before the 15 seconds ex-
pires.
Also, if you choose to hover over a Buzzard Launch Pad

at the beginning of a Wave, in order to pick them off as

they're born, don't fly away simply because none or just one
emerges and they start coming up elsewhere. One or more
may still bud from the one below you. Remember, though:
you get fewer points for picking them off here than if
they're airborne.
Par: Since the numbers of birds varies; and since many players
prefer to allow Eggs to hatch again in early, uncrowded
rounds in order to collect more points, scores vary widely. In
general 5000 points per Wave is good.
Training Tips: Stay on Wave One and keep practicing your
flying skills. Don't kill Buzzards: hone your dodging and
maneuvering abilities, even allowing the Pterodactyl to ar-

rive. You can't possibly get anywhere in this game unless

you can fly right!

Rating: This is a game that really requires very precise hand-

eye coordination. Many players prefer Balloon Fight be-
cause of the two-player option, but that's a simpler cartridge
by far in the one-player mode. If you enjoy a solo challenge,
this one's for you.
Challenge: A
Graphics: B
Sound Effects: C

162
 CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

LIFE FORCE

Type: Space shoot'em-up.

— —
Objective: This game a sequel to Gradius puts you at the
control of Vic Viper as you battle the ace pilots and various
weapons of the evil Deltoid tyrant Zelos.
Layout: The game alternates between horizontal and vertical
play as you venture through 6 different levels: Cell Stage 1,
Volcanic Stage, Prominence Stage, Cell Stage 2, Temple
Stage, and Mechanical City Stage.
Hero's Powers: Your Vic ship has 6 kinds of weapons at its
disposal (acquired by scooping up Power Pods deposited by
some vanquished enemies). These are: Speed, Missiles, La-
sers, Ripple Lasers (circles of destructive power, rather than
bullets), a Force Field, and Option — ^a Ghost Ship, which

essentially doubles whichever of the other powers you're

using. Note: if your ship is destroyed, the Ghost Ship will
flit away. However, if you catch it before it leaves the screen

(or if your partner grabs it), you will regain whatever power
you had when you were blown to cosmic dust. (All other
powers you may have stored will be lost, though.) Be aware
that the abandoned Ghost drifts to the left on levels one, 3,
and and to the right on the others. Also note: when your
5,
ship is destroyed on a vertical level, the next one always
materializes in the lower-left comer. On any level, when
you get your next ship, you also get a free ride through
whatever destroyed the previous ond
About Your Enemies: There are plenty, most of which are

163
 described in the instruction booklet. The bigshots you'll
Golem, Intruder,
face at the end of each level are, in turn,
Cruiser Tetron, Giga, Tutankhamanattack, and Zelos.
Menu: One or two players can enjoy Life Force simultane-
ously, one at the controls of Vic, the other piloting the
Road British Space Destroyer.
Scoring: You get points and add to your power for blasting the
enemy and collecting Power Pods, respectively.
Beginner^s Strategy: A general observation: this is not a game
for compulsives. Chances are good you won't be able to
shoot every ship or grab every Pod; don't hesitate to leave
them behind. As in the stock market, it's safer to be a bear
than a pig. You can always find Pods but you don't . . .

want to lose a life. On to actual gameplay!

Cell Stage 1 isn't too difficult. The first series of fighters
come in neat, little rows: start close to the right, nearly
halfway up, and shoot the first row; move up a bit and
clobber the second; move down and collect the Pod left by
the first row (you only get a Pod for killing every ship in
each row), and so on for all the rows. Shift to the top and
blast the orange spot of the Death Hand as it appears. This
is the tentacle's only vulnerable area. Swing down and up to

get past the Growing Mountain then hurry ahead to

. . .

pass the next Mountain before it, too, grows. There will be
a handful of enemy ships approaching you in this sector:
when you shoot them, try to nail them close to the vertical
center of the screen. Too close to either the top or bottom,
and the Mountain may grow right over the Pod! Slip
through the next pair of Death Hands (just hang back and
time your move conectly), kill at least one of the next two
Death Hands (together, they'll effectively block your pro-
gress),and stay to the top of the island. If you haven't
powered up by now, choose Missiles to take care of the
land-based and/or mobile rocket launchers that will attack.
When you reach the gnashing Belbeims, go over the first,
under the second, stay to the left and pass through the next
two when they are apart, then get through the next set of
Growing Mountains before they grow shut. Once they're
closed, you aren't going to be able to open them! Zip

164
quickly past the White Tendrils here; they won't become
dislodged for a few seconds, which is more than enough
time to get through. If you're too slow negotiating this sec-
tion, put on speed: the Tendrils only move vertically, and
you can still elude them. Now then: there's a Web beyond,
with blue Asteroids strung among the strands. You can blast
the strands, but you want to stay clear of the rocks. The
best thing to do is fly roughly one quarter of the way up
from the bottom of the screen. Just shoot ahead and move
slowly and you'll make it. Once you're inside the Web, if

you move more than a fraction of an inch vertically, you're

space dust. Continuing on, move carefully by the Growing
Mountain here, shoot the Death Hand, and then rather
than going up or down, drill through the wall. Shoot and
move at a good pace, otherwise the wall will fill in behind
you and destroy you. (If you're after points, try for the
launchers and ships above and below. But don't do it with-
out Missiles.) Dig through the next two walls, and then
you're home-free. Except, that is, for Golem. Actually, the
ugly sot looks tougher than he/she/it is. Stay to the left,

then orbit the beast counterclockwise and avoid its grasp

until it opens its eye. Then plant yourself in front of it,
shoot the orb, and it's bye-bye Golem.
Having reached the Volcanic stage, you'll spend the first
half just shooting and dodging what Zelos tosses at you.
There are Volcanoes here as well: if you've got enough fire-
power, you can weld 'em shut. Or you can blast their ejecta.
Or you can try to go wide around them. Of all the options,
the second is the most practical. The objects you must
avoid, though, are the blue Asteroids (not the blue Nebulae
in the middle, which just sit there). These split in all direc-
tions: the way to avoid them is to race past when they
appear. Things may not have been relaxing till now, but
they really get busy at the end. You'll come to a light brown
wall. Eat through it, either far left or right. When you
emerge, shoot the Guns on the wall. If you don't, they'll
surely nail you when you go past. The reason? Because you
can't go past them far: there's a Machine in your way, one
that spits deadly Bubbles. First, shoot the three horizontal

165
 bars that protect the central Big Bubble. Snuggle into the
gap left by the Bars and blast the Big B. (You may have to
vacate the premises once in a while to avoid the Bubbles
coming from the Big Bubbles on the left and right. This is
no big deal.) Next, destroy the two Bubble makers on the
sides. So doing, fly through to your confrontation with the
Intruder. (Note: don't be a wise guy. You can't just kill one
Big Bubble and try to pass through the Machine. All three
must be popped!) The Intruder is actually pretty easy to
destroy, once you get the hang of it. Go at once to the far
right. Wait until the monster's slow, circling movement car-
ries it down. Go up and over it; at the 12:00 position, drop
down, positioning yourself at the fulcrum of one of the
monster's four arms. Orbit the core clockwise, shooting into
the opening on the bottom as you pass. Drop quickly to the
lower Repeat. It'll take maybe a dozen passes like this,
left.

but the safest way to destroy the Intruder. Once you've

it's

shot out the three horizontal bars and blasted its core, the
space kingpin explodes.
Advanced Strategy: Try not to be distracted by the awesome
beauty of the visuals on the Prominence level. Otherwise,
you'll die with your mouth hanging open. At the start,
things aren't much different than in Cell Stage 1. You
Shoot Phoenixes. Be careful, though: while the first flocks
die with one blast per bird, later Phoenixes don't! They take
3 hits to kill. The big killers here are the Prominences or
Lashes, solar flares that whip out and toast you. In and of
themselves, they're easy enough to handle. If you see one

start to bud to the right, get to the one erupts toward

left. If

the middle, rush ahead. If you can't get away, drop or rise so
that you're within its screen-girdling arc. As for the reason

—
you might not be able to get away ^you'll be busy ducking
fiery Spit Balls. They are easy enough to blast, but not if
you're ducking Lashes. And fighting Phoenixes. Your best
bet is to stay to the left as much as possible so you can see
what's coming. Another menace on this level is the omi-
nous-looking but easy-to-plug Balangis, a fire-breathing
snake. Go past the monster to the right, get inside the coil,
and move in tandem with the head while you shoot at it.

166
It's a deadly dance that's painless ... for you. When
you're finished with all these extraterrestrial ne'er-do-wells,
you'll face the dragon Cruiser Tetron. Again, this is a mon-
ster that's more bark than bite. Go nearly to the top of the
screen and stay there. Shift up or down slightly to avoid its
fire, all the while shooting at its head.
Cell Stage 2 isn 't as easy as the last phase. Once again,
you're on a vertical journey. Only time the screen gets
this
so mobbed with aliens, you won't believe your eyes. To
begin with, play from one half to two thirds of the way up,
guns blazing. You can always drop back to shoot what you
missed, but if you stay low on the screen, you're going to be
backed into a corner: the Bamudas and their companions
are very good at this. After tackling the onslaught, a novel
challenge awaits: an Acceleration Zone, in which your ship
will be thrust upward at a maddening pace. Go to the right
for this ride: there are a plethora of Pods there! More
daunting, even, than that, though, is the Electrical Mesh
stage. Get to the bottom, left, and keep shooting ahead.

Position yourself between the hundreds and thousands

numbers of your score: this is a small but relatively safe
window. Having said that, there are Meshes toward the end
that shut down for a few moments (only the purple core
remains), and then turn on. If you're still passing by when
they come back on, you're fried. So: as soon as one shuts
down, zoom ahead. Now you must face Giga, the most
difficult foe thus far. You'll know you've arrived when you
pass over its rib cage. Do this on the left side, close to the
bottom, jockeying from spine to the far left of the screen to
shoot and avoid the debris raining down on you. Limit your
horizontal movements to just this half of the screen, how-
ever. It makes life a whole lot simpler. When you face the
face itself, you need patience. Get right up to Giga's chin
and shoot. When the monster spits projectiles, go to the
right or left and then up to roughly Giga's cheeks: the pro-
jectiles won't get up this high. Then drop back to the chin
and shoot some more. Repeat until the monster's Eyes leave
its head and begin their own floating attack. Shoot them,

and Giga's through.

167
 It's on to the Temple Stage, which is similar to the other
horizontal Terror Zones except that the enemy is
. . .

more The ships approach in ranks, still, but

sophisticated.
break and can move quickly backward once you've passed.
You can deal with them, but you'll have to be quick and,
preferably, armed with some heavy artillery. When you ap-
proach the blue Asteroid on the right, immediately shoot
the launching pad in the center, before it can spit ships at
you. Shift quickly to the top of the screen, blast the vessels
there, and go around the Asteroid. Do some dogfighting
here, then stay back, above your score, halfway up the
screen: blue Rocks will begin raining from above. Shoot
them, and make small horizontal adjustments in your
course, and you'll survive. Next up is a trio of ships, one
atop the other, firing from the right. Move two thirds of the
way to the right, shoot them in the mouths, sliding up or
down to avoid the clear Bubbles that emerge, but blasting
the Fireballs: Power Pods can be found inside these. When
these are destroyed and you face the moving Columns,
don't try going up and down and weaving around them:
sbw down up as they open, and try to pass straight
or speed
ahead. There's chance of a fatal collision this way.
less
When you confront Tutankhamanattack shortly thereafter,
hit the dastardly chap in the face and asp to get rid of him.
The Mechanical City Stage, Zelos' own fortress, is tough
to describe and tough to negotiate. Suffice to say you
. . .
\

should go in with Plutonic Laser, Option, and Force Field

. . and hope you have those weapons when you face big
.

Zelos in the "flesh."

Par. As in many games, scores vary depending upon whether
the player's goal is to fight all comers or get through with as
little conflict as possible. Most players should be able to get
midway through the third level. The game really toughens
up at Cell Stage 2.
Training Tips: What need to do to get a leg up on
you really
the game is get a good kwk at
the screens and your enemies.
How? Simple. When the title screen is on, simply move
your joystick or control pad in the following manner: up, up,
down, down, left, right, left, right, then hit B, then A. Press

168
 Start and you'll have a stockpile of 30 ships! And if you
press "continue" after you've lost all 30, you get 30 more.
Then 30 more after that. Unfortunately, 90 is all you get.
Then the game automatically dumps you back to the begin-
ning of the first 1 wMi "just" 30 more ships.
Cell Stage
Rating: This game more nerve-wracking than Gradius. The
is

alternating horizontal-vertical play, compounded by the

sheer number of foes, makes it a doozy! On top of that, it's
more spectacular, visually, than just about any other car-
tridge on the market. The graphics in the Prominence
Stage are simply not to be believed!
Challenge: A
Graphics: A
Sound Effects: A—

169
 —

CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

METAL GEAR

Type: Military role-playing.

Objective: The mad Colonel Vermon CaTaffy (subtle, huh?)
has been hard at work as a terrorist in his African haven
known as Outer Heaven. U.S. spy Grey Fox has been cap-
tured there, shortly after radioing back about a secret new
weapon known only as Metal Gear. Your mission? As agent
Solid Snake, you must infiltrate Outer Heaven, rescue the
Grey Fox and other prisoners, and destroy Metal Gear.
Layout: The screen scrolls both vertically and horizontally.
—
The game consists of various kinds of terrain ^Woods, Des-
—
ert, etc. ^as well as five different Buildings with from one

to three floors in each.

Hero's Powers: You begin the game with a Radio, Cigarettes,
and a good pair of fists. As you proceed, you collect 33
additional weapons or pieces of equipment.
About Your Enemies: You battle the soldiers and vehicles of
Colonel CaTaffy (see bebw for specific details on some; all
are detailed in the instruction booklet).
Menu: There is only the one-player game; a code allows you to
continue games at a later date.
Scoring: You cdlect gear, and gain or bse Kfe force. You also
earn Stars, one fw every five prisoners you liberate. (By the
same token, ice prisoners in haste and it'll cost you rank.)
Beginner's Strategy: Okay. So you know, by now, how to get
to the Main Gate. No? Go right, right and down, down
—
you have to go through the Dogs down (run fast, and this

170
 —
pooch won't get you), down, down stop in the Truck
down, down (punch that hound!), and voila! You also know
what's in the Trucks you hit before the Main Gate. (You
don't? The first Truck you see has Binoculars. Then, at the
Main Gate, the middle Truck takes you to the north side of
Building One. The lowest Truck canies you to the south
side. And the uppermost Truck on the right at said south
side brings you to Building 3's south side. There are 4
—
Trucks there: the second one from the right ^located just
—
below the Truck on the far right ^will spirit you to a point
between Buildings One and 2.) But do you how to make
your way through the game's two Woods mazes? If not,
here's how.
To go from Building 3 to Building 5, head down until
you come to two left exits. Take the one on the bottom.
Next screen: stay on the bottom, heading left. Next: repeat.
Next: swing under and around the foliage in the middle and
head up. Next: go left on the bottom, then up, and you're
there. To go from Building 2 to Building 4: head left, left,
left on top, and left yet again. By the way: the front door to
Building 3 is accessible from the back door of Building 2
(see below), by traveling straight up through a desert and
then a field.

While you're taking these routes, be on the lookout for

supply Trucks. To the right of the Woods leading to Build-
ing 4
is a Truck of Rations. Well below that Truck, to the

left, the top-left truck of 3 contains Plastic Explosives. Be

alert, though: as you travel from Building 2 to 4, you're
going to pass a narrow region between two installations.
There's a Tank here, and it must be blown up or you aren't
going any further. Don't hit this region without Landmines!
Advanced Strategy: As you've no doubt discovered, one of the
biggest headaches in the game is beating the enemies who
are guarding the items you need to wage your one-man war.
Thus, here's apartial listing of who to watch out for as you
travel,and how to teach them not to mess with you.
Building One, first floor, gives you a chance to fight Shot
Gunner. You've just escaped from jail, and you have to get
your gear. When you enter the room, head right and get

171
the weapons (they're in the door to the right). Shot Gunner
will be on the opposite wall, firing at you. Snake your way
toward him, along the crates, then dart behind them to the
upper-right comer of the room. When he comes after you,
punch him out if you want ... or simply let him have it
with a Grenade.
Building 2, second floor, pits you against the Machine
Gun Kid. Stay on the bottom and get behind one of the
barriers . preferably, the one on the right. Since he'll
. .

echo your movements, you know where he's going to end

up! Lead him to the far left and when he's in the
. . .

clear, away from the barrier there (or the one in the mid-
dle), nail him. You may have to lure him back and forth a
few times, but patience pays off. Here's a tip on how to get
a handy weapon in this building: the Rocket Launcher. Get
Card 5 from the roof, 6 from the cellar (so you'll have
access to the Rocket Launcher room), and while you're at it,
save the prisoners in Building 2. On the second floor rev up
the radio and give your ally Jennifer a call. With her help,
you'll get the weapon as well as a Compass. Card 7 is also in
this Building: you'll need it to get out the back door of
Building 2 and into Building 3! (All that's required to get
into Building 2 is a stolen Uniform.) Unfortunately, to get
the Card, you'll have to beat up a pair of Arnolds (strong
dudes ... as in Arnold Schwarzenegger!). Deflate 'em
with the Rocket Launcher.
Building 3, first floor, serves up the formidable Bull Tank.
The only thing that will stop this juggernaut is 5 direct hits

with Grenades. To achieve this, get into the room and im-
mediately open fire. If you need more time, get out, come
back and resume your attack.
in,
Building 4, first floor, pits you against Fire Trooper. You
have to be able to fire diagonally at him: keep this in mind
when you choose your weapon! To win: creep along the wall
to the top; head to the left, still hugging the wall; then
swing into the alcove where he's hiding, aim toward the
upper left, and end his fiery career. If he's faster than your
weapon, duck back to avoid his flame and try again.
Ultimately, if you don't want to bother building an arse-

172
 nal but would prefer to just fight with every weapon and
piece of equipment, here's the code you need: 5ZZZJ
UZZJG 1C03U UYRZR RPRZF. You'll end the reign of
CaTaffy in short order!
Par: This isn't a game measured in scores or levels, like other
games. Suffice to say a good player should be able to learn
and win the game ... in roughly 30 hours.
Training Tips: Sneaking up on and punching enemy soldiers
is the only skill you'll have for a while, and it serves you well

even when you have a well-stocked arsenal. Stalk the

grounds outside of the main gate, practicing your sneaking
abilities, and uppercut on soldiers and dogs. Note: unlike
many games, where you can move your character diago-
nally. Solid Snake moves only from side to side or up and
down. Practice these moves on the first Dog screen. When
you can get through without being nipped, you're in good
shape to continue!
Rating: Fans of traditional shoot 'em-ups like Contra will
probably be disappointed in this slower, more intellect-in-
tensive game. Fans of "quest"-type games will enjoy it, even
minus the fantasy elements. As that type of experience
goes, you get your money's worth from Metal Gearl
Challenge: A
Graphics: B—
Sound Effects: B

173
 CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

MICKEY
MOUSECAPADE
Type: Fantasyland quest.
Objective; Mickey and Minnie are out on an adventure,
searching for a friend who is in the clutches of the evil
witch Maleficent.
Layout: Most of the action takes place horizontally, although
the anthropomorphic mice do a fair share of climbing. The
realms they must traverse are: the Fun House, the Ocean,
the Woods, the Pirate Ship, and the Castle.
Hero's Powers: The player controls Mickey; Minnie tags
along of her own accord (though sometimes she will wander
off, and you'll have to send Mickey after her). In any danger

situation, only Mickey can be hurt; monsters and projectiles

pass through Minnie. Her only nemesis is the Crow, which
appears magically and spirits her away (see below). Your
basic Mickey comes with the ability to walk, climb, and
jump. After he finds the chest with the Star Shooter, he can
fire deadly Stars. Find Minnie's chest — —
so to speak ^and he
can fire double Stars. There are also keys to locate, which
unlock various doors. Scattered about are other powers:
Cake, which restores any power Mickey has lost due to
collisions with Enemies (note: you can only horde up to 10
Energy points); One-up Mickeys, which provide an extra
life; Guardian Angels, which accompany you for 10 seconds

and make Mickey invulnerable during that time; and Dia-

monds, which destroy every foe on the screen. Cake and
some Diamonds are found inside Lamps, which Mickey

174
 must shoot to open. One-up Mickeys, Guardian Angels,
and other Diamonds are invisible. You uncover these by
firing around a room; if your Stars strike something invisi-
ble, keep firing (8 to 16 shots), and whatever is there will
become visible. Watch out, though: once in a while it'll be
the Crow!
About Your Enemies: In addition to the plucky Crow,
Mickey and Minnie face several major foes: the fireball-
tossing Wizard, the Crocodile, the dagger-tossing Peg Leg
Pete, and Maleficent. Just one touch from any of these and
you —
(Though their projectiles ^like most other foes
die.
sap just one of your 10 Energy markers per hit.) Minor
enemies include Snakes, Cats, Projectile-Firing Cats (which
can only be killed from behind, though your Stars cancel
out their bullets). Falling Chandeliers, Walking Brooms,
Bombdropping Owls, Egg-flinging Birds, Flying Fish, Jelly-
Spiders, Poison Plants, and Hoppers: creatures
fish, Pirates,

that bounce up and down and block your path.

Menu: There is only the one-player game.
Scoring: You earn points for every Enemy you bean. By the
same token, you lose Energy for every Enemy who bops
you.
Beginner's Strategy: What's good about Mickey Mousecapade
is that most of the skills you'll use to get
through the Fun
House and Ocean levels will provide you with all the talents
you'll need to get through the entire game.
The key to winning the Fun House level is knowing the
layout. There are 22 rooms, and you must pass through
them all at some point. To begin with, go up 3 green rooms,

then turn right into the blue room. This is where you'll find
Mickey's Star power. (You'll also find a Falling Chandelier.
Trip it by stq)ping beneath it slightly, then dodging back,
to the
Angd
left, so n
miss you when it falls). The Guardian
is most of the time, so take the time to
also here
shoot around you. When you get the Star chest, go left,
back into the green room, then rise 2 more green floors (in
other words, you're in the fifth level of green rooms). Go to
the blue room to the right, get the One-up Mickey that's

175
usually hiding in the window, continue to the right into the
next blue room, and get the Key on the fight.
Go left from the room, back through the blue room next
to it, back into the green room on the left, then ascend to

another green room. Go left into a blue room (beware: the

Crow is usually hiding, invisibly, here), go right to the
brown room (you can't get through the door unless you
have the Key), then go right into the next brown room. Go
down 2 brown levels, then left to a brown room, and left
again into another brown room. Claim the chest, then re-
trace your steps to the right, back into the brown room,
then right into the next brown room. Go down a flight,
again into a brown room, then to the brown room on the
left, then the brown room below that, the brown below

and then the brown to the right. The Wizard is in

that, too,
the brown room above you. (Is that enough brown for you?)
To beat the Wizard, leap the fireballs (or take the hits, if
you want; it doesn't much matter, since Cake abounds in
this level). The Wizard travels in an t. pattern. Wait until
the rotten mage is in the corner of the L (that is, the point
closest to the chest behind him), then leap over the Wiz-
ard's head. You'll land on the chest and automatically claim
the Key that you out of the Fun House. Wait until the
lets
Wizard moves back into that same position, then leap him
again.
Retrace your steps back to the first room. (To recap in
reverse, skipping rooms you need not enter on the way out),
you go: down, left, up, up, right, up, up, up, left, left, left,
down, down, down, down, and down. All you have to do
now is go to the door on the right and you're out. Impor-
tant: if you want Minnie to have throwing Stars —
so you
—
can fight back to back ^her chest is in the room above
Mickey's chest. You can't just climb to it, but it's easy
enough to get to. However: don't get her Stars first. If you
do . well, just don't. Take our word for it. The news
. .

won't be good.
When
it comes to dealing with the foes you'll meet here,

keep mind that Spiders descend and Hoppers only be-

in
come active when you are within one column's width of

176
 them marked by the columns, which are on the wall-
(as
paper). The
Spiders can only be killed once they drop. The
Hoppers can't be shot when they're on the ground, inert, or
when you're on the ground and they're leaping. They can
only be killed by having Mickey hop along beside them,
shooting away. Brooms can only be slain if you shoot the
handles. Do this by hopping or, preferably, by standing on a
ladder and shooting them. Ladders are also useful for gun-
ning down the Lamps. You get no points for shooting
Lamps.
When you reach the Ocean phase, hdk for a Guardian
Angel in the clouds just a few jumps in. It'll help you get
past the pesky sea life. If you fail to get the Angel's help
. when you start leaping from land mass to land mass in
. .

the Ocean, the biggest threat you'll face are the waves that
fling lethal Jellyfish at you. Time your jumps
to clear the
waves, and you can get past them. Don't be afraid to back
up a bit if the wave is already too high. Better to wait for it
to pass than to collide with it. If you run low on
Energy
early in the going, there's also a power-restoring
invisible
Diamond in the air just a few islands in. Keep shooting the
skies and watching for your Stars to strike it.
Also: go into
your sixth leap with Stars blazing. It gets pretty crowded
with birds as soon as you alight! When you face the
bubble-
spitting Crocodile, keep hopping it so that you can stay
behind it and fire.

Advanced Strategy: Apart from the rocking of the Pirate

Ship, which will make you seasick, the skills you'll
need here
are no different than before. The biggest problem you'll
face is that the farther along you travel, the more
Minnie
tends to wander. This is particularly nettlesome in
the Cas-
tle, since you have to
do a lot of leaping from ledge to ledge.
If she's not with you, you have to go and collect her.
The way to do this is to jump Minnie onto a ledge ahead
of you. Stand in front of a ledge, so that Mickey
is beneath
It,Minnie behind him. Hop so she'll get on (Mickey will hit
his head on the underside). Then back up just enough so
that Minnie doesn't fall back down and
Mickey has just
enough nose room to clear the ledge—then, jump!

177
 A few quick tips: on the Pirate Ship, in order to beat the
very fast-moving Pirates, stay on ladders wherever possible,
leap down when the away, shoot, then hop back up
Pirate is

in a hurry. It takes a while to fire all the multiple hits

needed to kill a Pirate, but have patience! It's better than
dying. In the Castle, when you meet Peg Leg Pete for an
encore match, simply jump over him if you don't feel like
fighting. Also: make sure you take the time to break all the
windows you see.
See Training Tips for one final, special secret.
Par: Even a beginning player should get through the Fun
House (with 8000 points being good). A good player will
have amassed 25,000 points by the end of the Ocean,
40,000 after the Woods, 60,000 by the time you're finished
with Peg Leg, and 80,000 by game's end.
Training Tips: The most important vital ability is not Star
shooting--from one to 3 bursts will kill any minor foe ^but —
jumping. You'll need that to get over the Wizard, to move
from island to island in the ocean (perfectly-timed leaps are
needed to get over the pesky waves) and to duck Peg Leg's
daggers, for example. It's a good idea to practice this skill in
the first two rooms of the Fun House by leaping over the
Snakes and Cats (before you've acquired Star power). It
may not be exciting, but it's better to work at this rather
than go a long way only to die.
For the player who wishes to go right to each different
level in order to get practice in that realm, here's all you
have to do: when the title screen of the game comes on,
press down move the joystick to the right
the Select button,
if you want to go to the Ocean, down for the Pirate Ship,

left for the Woods, or up for the Castle (repeat: just move it
in one direction). Hold the joystick in that position. While
you're doing that, and still pressing down Select, press the
Start button. You will begin your game at the level you
chose. Again: it's necessary to hold down Select, to hold the
joystick in the right direction, and to press Start in that
order . . . until you're doing all three.
Rating: This is a charming game, with a relatively easy level
for kids . . . and four tougher ones for older players. (It

178
may be tough to take sweet little birds seriously as enemies
. . . until they knock you in a Pit in the Woods!)
Challenge: A
Graphics: B
Sound Effects: C

179
 CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN

SPELUNKER
Type: Quest that leads you through deeper and deeper levels
of a danger-fraught cave.
Objective: To make your way through danger-laden caves, col-
lecting Gold Coins and Keys in order to get inside a pyra-
mid laden with treasure.
Layout: The caves are horizontal, with an occasional sloping
floor —
^and a few very unpleasant vertical drops.
Hero's Powers: You are an intrepid explorer who descends by
elevator into a labyrinth of caves. You have no special pow-
ers. Inside the caves, though, you can use the Bombs,
Flares, Keys, extra Energy, Mining Carts, Ropes, Ladders,
Stairs, Elevators, and even the Miracles you find there.
About Your Enemies: Bats, which flit overhead and drop
deadly Guano; Volcanoes; Floods; Rocks (to trip you); and a
Ghost (a.k.a. the Goblin), which is preceded by eerie strains
of music.
Menu: There are four screens in the game. After you've con-
quered all four, they repeat in order, though with a greater
level of difficulty (see Advanced Strategy).
Scoring: Your success is measured by the amount of treasure

you acquire. You have an energy limit that can be replen-

ished by finding Energy columns; you can also store Flares
and extra lives.
Beginner's Strategy: The fundamental thing to remember in
this game is to stay on your feetl If you fall or even stumble,
just a little, your spelunking days are through.

180
 Apart from that, there is one big skill you need to master:
the art of jumping from Rope to Rope, or Rope to ground.
They're the only way to cross most of the chasms, so you
can't just skip the Ropes. In order to make a successful
transfer, or to jump from a Rope to a ledge, you must press
both buttons (or the button and joystick if you have the
NES Advantage) at the same time. Keep in mind that the
higher you're hanging on the Rope, the farther in you'll
land on the ledge you're trying to reach. Also remember
that you don't have to be facing the direction you want to
jump; the control pad doesn't know the difference! Finally,
if you land in a pit when you jump, and are stuck halfway

up the side, try to make a jump at the nearest rim. That

works more than half the time.
A point about jumping to and from the Elevators: cross-
ing from one moving up to another moving down is easy
enough (you wait until the one you're leaving is just a bit
higher than the one you're going to). It's a little trickier to
go from an Elevator to a ledge. Most of the time you can
casually stroll from one to the other. But the few times you
can't will kill you . .literally! Look before you disem-
.

bark, and make sure a little jump isn't necessary to go from

one to the other.
After you've mastered the techniques of jumping and us-
ing the Ropes (see Training Tips), the key to winning at
Spelunker being able to stop your enemies.
is

The Flares are your blinding cure-alls. Unfortunately,

they work only if you're standing on terra firma, and not on
a Rope or elsewhere. Fortunately, they don't have to be
aimed. One shot takes care of the side of the screen you're
facing. As for the Volcanoes, all you need to do is cap them
by detonating a bomb making sure, of course, that
. . .

you're out of range before the explosive goes off!

The layout of the caves is relatively straightforward.
Screen One consists of 10 horizontal levels and an elevator
shaft, on the left, which rises from the top to the bottom.
Screen 2 is comprised of 9 horizontal levels and a vertical
chasm on the left, which descends from level 3 to the bot-
tom.

181
 There are a few key areas of confrontation on each
screen. In Screen One, the first time you face a Bat (fifth
level, almost dead center of Screen One), simply go to the
bwest part of the nearby Rope and leap to the ledge. The
Bat can't get you, but you can Flare it (having obtained a
Flare on the first level, right after the first elevator).
The Mine Cart journey will present some initial prob-
lems on the eighth level of Screen One. There are stalactite-
like blockages here which move up and down (and which, if
they hit you, will kill you). Get past them in increments:
inch under the first; wait for the second to move, then scoot
under it; then take the third and fourth in a single bound.
Move past the fifth and sixth one Going the other
at a time.
way, take 6 and 5 together, handle 4 and 3 one at a time,
then take 2 and one in a single sweep.
On screen 2 there are a few problem areas. The easiest of
the two is on the sixth level. To the left of the Ladder are a
Volcano and a Bat. To take care of both, simply position
yourself with the Ladder to your right, the Volcano to your
left. A heartbeat after the Volcano has blown its top, use a

Flare to blind the Bat (never mind that Bats are nearly
blind to begin with; these nasties aren *t). The Volcano will
start erupting again while the Flare has the Bat at bay; the
instant tlie spewing stops, you'll have just enough time to
hop over it before the Flare dies (along with you).
The next trouble spot spans the seventh and eighth
levels, center screen. There are 10 Ropes here, and you've
got to jump 'em. Not so bad . . . except for the fact that
there's a low sloping ceiling on which it's easy to hit your
head! Take your time positioning yourself very low down on
each Rope before you jump. And that means very low down,
till there's no more than a fist-sized length on the bottom.

Careful, though: slip from that tenuous handhold, and

you're a goner!
Advanced Strategy: The layout for the last two screens is as
follows: Screen 3 is comprised of 12 horizontal levels, with a
verticalcolumn on the left side which reaches from level 2
through level 9, Screen 4 is made up of 14 horizontal levels
with vertical drops on the left (levels one through 5), right

182
(2 through 6), and right (11 through 14). Screen 4 has many
other vertical abysses which stretch over two or three levels.
Screen 3 has a 6 Rope trouble spot that slopes down from
the fifth to the sixth level, on the right. You have no choice
but to go vine-swinging here, since there's a flood raging
beneath you. If you survived the Ropes on Screen 2, you'll
do okay here. More worrisome is the Rock/Volcano duo on
level 3, left side. Deal with it thusly: leap the Volcano when
it's dormant, go to the rock, and leave a Bomb on it the

moment the Volcano acts up. Head back to the Volcano at

once and jump it (the magma fireworks will have stopped by
the time you arrive). You'll be gone and safe from the explo-
sion.
Also annoying on this screen is a staircase that spans from
level 5 to 6 in the middle of the screen. What's the prob-
lem? A Bat, which will nail you before you can make it up
or down the steps. A Flare will take care of it long enough
for you to run up, but when you want to get back down, to
the Rope, you have to be a little more cautious. Wait on the

second step from the top, and when the Bat slips away from
— —
the third step and only then take the rest of the steps.
Blind the Bat then, and you'll make it safely to the Rope.
Screen 4 is a killer, largely because of the precision jump-
ing you'll need to do. This is true at two spots in particular.
At the first, you must jump from a Ladder to a ledge to
obtain a Key; the Bat there has other ideas. Flares won't
help you, since they don't bum long enough for you to
execute the maneuver. What you must do is wait on the
Ladder so that your head is roughly level with the ledge:
when you leap, that will place you on the very edge of the
Key ledge. Wait until the Bat is all the way to the right,
make your jump, grab the Key, and run like a Spelunker out
of hell to get back to the Ladder before the Bat flaps over.
The last and arguably most dangerous maneuver comes
when you're nearly at the end of the journey. In the middle
of Screen 4 you have to jump from Ladder to ledge in a very
tight spot. You're certain to hit your head unless you jump
with precision. What you must do is climb the Ladder as
far to the left as you can (this will give you the best position

183
 up top). Do this by approaching the ladder from the left
and stopping the moment you have a hold on it. Climb
until your chin is about level with the ledge. A jump that's
even a hair too high will cause you to hit your head. A hair
too low, and you'll plummet to your death.
When you've completed the fourth screen, you'll shoot
back to the beginning of the game with whatever goodies
and you still had at the end of Screen 4 (plus an extra
lives
life for having finished that torture chamber). But watch
out: the Keys are invisft)le this time around! (Though
they're in the same places they were in the first game.)
Par: An average player should be able to complete the first two
screens with little trouble.
Training Tips: First and foremost, work on being able to si-
multaneously hit the two buttons you need to jump from
Rope to Rope, or Rope to ledge. These Tarzan swings are
your most important asset; if you don't master the skill, you
won't get far at all. Also, practice jumping so that you don 't
hit your head. If you do, beware: you'll get more than just a
headache. It's also wise to make a map of each Screen and
mark down where everything is. The floors aren't terribly
tricky or complicated, but it's nice to be able to check
where and when you'll be facing a Bat/Volcano combina-
tion!
Rating: Although this isn't as exotic, spectacular, or well-ani-
mated as some of the fantasy games, that doesn't make it

any less fun or challenging. This is a good cartridge for the

beginning videogamer.
Challenge: B
Graphics: B—
Sound Effects: B-

184
 CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT

SUPER MARIO
BROS.
Type: Quest through a cartoon fantasyland.
Objective: You are Mario, a citizen of the Mushroom King-
dom ... a realm that has been invaded by the Koopas, a
horde of insidious turtles. Led by King Bowser, the Koopa
have turned all the Mushroom people (except Mario, of
and
course!) into such unpleasant objects as plants, stones,
bricks.What's more, they've abducted Princess Toadstool.
She alone has the power to undo the evil spells wrought on
her subjects.
Layout: Mario travels horizontally across the screen, with oc-
casional vertical drops into different horizontal regions. The
Mushroom Kingdom is comprised of eight separate realms,
each of which has four different levels.

Hero's Powers: Mario is an ordinary kinda guy — until he

snacks on Power Boosters. Power Booster Mushrooms turn
him into Super Mario, a larger version of himself, which
can leap high . . . and thus obtain the Fire Flower that
will turn him into Fiery Mario, with the ability to shoot
Fireballs. Finally, there is the Starman. If Mario catches
one, he becomes Invincible Mario for a full half-minute.
Note: Mario can become Invincible Mario without having
first become Super Mario. There are also One-Up Mush-
rooms, which bestow an extra and collecting enough
life;

Coins (100 of them) will also reward you with another Ma-
rio in the stockpile. Finally, there's an Axe which, if Mario

185
 touches it, opens the bridge and dumps Bowser into some
pretty hot lava.
About Your Enemies: Boy, are there enemies! In addition to
King Bowser and the Koopas, Mario must face Koopa Para-
troopas, which drop from the skies; the Hammer Brothers,
who fling lethal Hammers at Mario; the traitorous Little
Goombas, which are flattened without much trouble; the
Bloopers, jellyfishlike creatures that live underwater; Buzzy
an armored turtle; Fire Bars, which are huge Tenta-
Beetle,
Podoboos, or burning, airborne rocks; Lakitus,
cles of flame;
which drop eggs from the skies eggs that become
. . .

deadly, thomed Spinys (vulnerable only to Mario's Fire-

Cheep-Cheeps, amphibious pests; Piranha Flowers,
balls);
which dwell in Pipes and eat Marios; and Bullet Bill, a very
potent projectile.
Menu: There's a one- or two-player game, with both players
participating alternately (one as Mario, the other as his
brother Luigi).
Scoring: Mario gets points for every one of Bowser's monsters
he slays. Keep in mind that Mario is racing against the
clock, so don't dawdle!
Beginner's Strategy: When you start, after pouncing some
Goombas into the ground, you're going to encounter seven
Blocks overhead. You bust these by jumping up and hitting
them with your head. The first one you encounter, as well
as the fifthand upper one (the Blocks decorated with a *?")
all contain Coins; the second, fourth, and sixth are solid

(unmarked) and have nothing; the third is a Power Booster.

More Goombas stalk ahead of you, and are easily dis-
patched. Reaching the Pipes, you can get to a Coin Room
by entering the fourth Pipe. However, if you go this way,
you'll miss quite a bit of action (die Coin Room lets you out
near the end of the level!). On the other hand, you'D also
save bunches of time. If you don 't go this way, jump on tfie
sixth Block after the Pipe and you'H be rewarded with a
One-Up Mushroom. Pressing on, you'H leap a Pit and come
to another set of Blocks. Jump up and bop the middle one
for a Power Booster. Leap the next Pit, get a Coin from the
last Block on the upper row .and get a Ten Coin trea-
. .

186
sure by breaking the Block hovering under it. When you
reach the next set of Blocks, hit the second one to unleash a
Starman (all the while fighting the Goombas and Koopa
Troopas as they appear). There are now 4 separate Blocks
overhead: the bottom 3 contain Coins, the one on top a
Power Booster. Moving ahead, you'll come to a pyramidlike
wallon the right. Above you, in the highest wall, you'll find
Coins in the 2 center Blocks. Crossing over the walls and
leaping the Pits, you'll reach the Pipe that is the exit from
the Coin Room. Ahead and overhead there's a Coin in the
third Block over . .and Goombas below. You're now just
.

a short walk from the end of the level.

Next level: down the Pipe you go, into an underground
world. The first Blocks conceal, in order, a Power Booster,
then Coins. Hop and fight Goombas as you proceed; when
you reach the columns, you'll find a Block hovering between
the sixth and seventh column: crack it for Ten Coins. Move
to the right, and in the W-shaped mass of Blocks overhead,
the Block on the top right contains a Starman. Negotiating
the rest of this level isn't difficult; the goodies are to be
found as follows: you'll come to a 4 Coin ledge, then a one
Coin ledge. The Block to the right of the Coin has a Power
Booster. The Block next to that has a Ten Coin reward in
the bottom right. When you come to a Pit, there's a ledge
with 6 Coins. Get them . but also stand on the last
. .

Block on the right and jump for a One-Up Mushroom.

When you reach the first Pipe, go down into a Coin Room.
Make sure you look at the Block to the left of the exit:
there's a Ten Coin cache there! The only other reward in
this level is Power Booster. Climb another pyramidal wall,
to the first yellow Elevator beyond. Cross, and there's a
Power Booster in the last Block on the right. What's more:
ride the Lift to the ride, and you'll be spirited to the Warp
Zone . . Pipes that give you access (from the left) to
.

realms 4, 3, and 2.
By this time you've got the hang of moving and stomping
through the kingdom. Thus, we'll just go over some of the
high points of the remaining levels. In level 3 the Block
after the Elevator has a Power Booster in it. The only new

187
challenge here that the Elevators after the Block move
is ^

from side to side. Obviously you jump while the two are still I

coming toward one another and are quite close together. ,

On the fourth level, when you come to the first flaming

Tentacle, wait until it's in the 8:00 position. Jump onto its
ledge, "A" up into the Block, grab the Power Booster, and
run ahead. The Tentacle is moving counterclockwise, so you
have to be quick. (You may have problems with the jump to
the Block if you're just regular, small Mario.) The next set
of 3 Tentacles are easy to take: stop, wait for the first to
move, walk past it, wait for the next to move, and so on.
Then hop, hop, and run past the next 3. Next up is King
Bowser: either Fireball him to a cinder, run under him
(that's a toughie!), or jump onto the Elevator, grab the Axe,
and give him a magma bath.
You're now
in the second realm, first level. In the middle
of the group of Blocks is a Power Booster. While deal-
first

ing with the Troops beneath the following set of Blocks,

stay just to the left of the Blocks, jump up, and nab a Coin.
Jump higher and get a One-Up. In the next bunch of
Blocks, all are Coins except for the one on the lower left,

which is a Power Booster. In the next group jump up to the

highest set of Blocks and you'll find a Starman. The fifth set

of Blocks is all Coins —though

you knock the Blocks up
if

into the Blocks overhead, they will unveil a Beanstalkwhich

will allow you to climb and gather Coins! Back on Tena
FirMario, the first Pipe leads to a Coin Room. It lets you
out just on the other side of a Pit. Now you'll encounter 3
Pipes, the left side of the Blocks over the Pipes contains a
Power Booster. There's a Coin in the next "?" Block, and a
Power Booster in the Block to the right of that.
Having reached the end of the first level, you're now
going for a swim. Lucky for you. Fireballs work underwater!
Nothing much happens (except for Blooper fights) until you
reach the first Drain (with 3 Coins floating on top). The
pull here is if you have the NES Advantage,
horrendous;
good: just hold down A
with Turbo and you'll get by. Oth-
erwise, you're going to have to pump that A button like

188
mad! Aside from the 3 Drains on this level, it's pretty un-
eventful.
The second realm's third level introduces the Flying
Cheep-Cheeps, which, optimally, you'll sizzle with Fire-
balls. Another problem spot is the short Bridge segments

toward the end: don't take them in 4 leaps, but get to each,
stop, jump for the Coins above, go to the next little Bridge,
collect the Coins, and so on. The fourth level gives you the
dubious pleasure of avoiding Podoboos. (You can't beat 'em,
and you definitely don't want to join 'em. So jump
. . .

and dodge them!) As for goodies: the first "?" Power

is a
Booster. Due to the monsters, it's best to approach from
the right side of the Blocks. Next up are the nanow Eleva-
tors:be sure you're on the very edge to successfully jump
from one to the other. Again, kill Bowser with the Axe.
The third realm has one all-important secret. At the end
of the first level you'll reach another pyramidal wall, with a
Koopa marching down at you. Carefully leap onto the left
side of its shell: and each time you
this will pin the monster,
pounce on him you'll be rewarded with a One-Up! But
beware: if you collect more than 100 lives, the cartridge is
programmed to kill them all. End of game! So don't . . .

be a hog! Otherwise, conquering the third realm requires

more or less the same skills you used before. The "?" Blocks
contain, in the order you'll encounter them: Coin, Coin,
Power Booster, Coin, Power Booster, Coin and Coin (one
upper, one lower). Coin (upper) and Power Booster (lower),
and finally a Power Booster. Note: shortly after you pass the
second upper/lower set, you'll see a row of Blocks in the
sky. The second Block in contains 10 Coins. The next pair
of stacked Blocks in the sky aren't marked, but they contain
a Starman above and 10 Coins below. Obtain the Starman
first to help you survive the Troopas on the ground. You'll

be facing a lot of monsters here, and quite frankly, the best

way to deal with them is to flee!
The third realm's third level is low on rewards but high
on challenges. There's a Power Booster early on, but the big
deal here is the Elevator that drops when Mario steps on it.
Get off it fast, or you're goin' down with the ship! An even

189
 bigger deal is the "scale" Elevator. Jump onto the left one,

let the right side ascend, use your controller to pour on the
speed, then hop to the other side and, from there, to . . .

the top of the Flagpole at the end of the level. (See below
for explanation of Flagpoles.) The fourth level offers only 3
rewards: a Coin, Power Booster, and Coin, all in one row of
Blocks. The twist on this level is that the fiery Tentacles
swing in different directions. They're not tough to get
through . but you'd better take a moment to watch
. .

them move before you try.

The trip through the Mushroom Kingdom will continue
in Advanced Strategy. But first, a tip for the beginner: if

you're a Super Mario and are having trouble with a mon-

ster, let your Super Mario perish. The Mario that remains
will be invulnerable for 5 seconds. Another tip: at the end
of each level is a Flagpole. Hit it when the last number on
the timer is and you'll be showered with
a one, 3, or 6,
fireworks .and points! And a final hint: if you run out
. .

of lives, and don't want to start back at the beginning of the

game, the good news is that all you need do is press start
and the A button simultaneously ^you'll automatically start —
at the first level of the last world you were in. The bad
news: you'll only have 3 Marios.
Advanced Strategy: If you've gotten to the fourth realm, you
already understand the ins and outs of the game, as well as
the means of obtaining the Coins, Power Boosters, etc.
Thus, let's concentrate on the surprises that await you, as

well as the hidden rewards. A tip before you begin: if you're

brave and allow bopped enemies to revive, you can kill them
again for more points!
Beginning with the first level of the fourth realm: fight
the Lakitu at the second set of "?" Blocks by jumping to the
very top of the Blocks and leaping down on the monster. At
the third set of '?" Blocks, after you get the Coins, there's a
One-Up Mushroom in the third Block. In the Coin Room
(down the second Pipe), the Bkx;k over the exit is a Power
Booster. Second level: in the underground room (down the
first Pipe), there's a Power Booster in the uppermost Block

on the right, over the Coins. In the narrow portion of the

190
tunnel you're passing through, Ten Coins are secreted in
the ceiling, 5 Blocks from the end. Immediately after the
Elevator Pit, there's a Block overhead; beneath it is a verita-
ble treasure trove! You must jump carefully, though, at the
unseen delights: jump at the far-right edge of the Block,
then go in to the left a bit and jump there, scoot to the far
right (yes, toward the edge of the Pit!), hit the far-left area
beneath the Block, then leap onto the Block and pound the
—
one on the left side ^you'll unleash a Beanstalk which will
spirit you elsewhere! For the record, a fourth batch of Coins
is in the area right below the Block you hit to unleash the

Beanstalk. When you reach the underground Pipes, there is

a Block on either side of the second Pipe from the left: Ten
Coins are in the left one, Starman in the right. There are 3
more Elevator Pits: after the third is a row of Coins in a
tunnel. A Power Booster is located in the left-most Block
beneath them. The third level is more a balancing act than
anything else, as you face scalelike Elevator after Elevator.
There's only one "?". On the fourth level there are two
tunnels, upper and lower: stay on top until you reach the
narrow gap between two walls. Go down briefly, hop up the
step Blocks to the right, and when you reach the first mini-
Pit, go down. Backtrack to the left, to another mini-Pit,
then stay on the bottom until the very end. Bowser is there,
for you to defeat as before.
In the fifth realm, level one, when you reach the first set
of Blocks above, hit the middle one for a Starman. When
you reach the second floating Block (behind the wall), you'll
find a One-Up Mushroom between them but only if
. . .

you haven't been hurt prior to reaching the area. The Pipe
beyond leads to a Coin Room, and there's a Ten Coin Bbck
hidden right on top of the exit When you emerge, watch
out for Bullet Bill! In level two there's a Power Booster in
the far-right Block of the upper row of the first sky-hi^
rows you encounter. Upon encountering the Hammer
Brothers shortly thereafter, be aware that they can't be
beaten when their paths cross and they are superimposed.
Go down the Pipe for a wealth of Coins. Upon emerging,
there's another two-row set of sky Blocks: a Starman is hid-

191
den on the top row, all the way to the right. If you didn't
descend, here's a better deal: when you reach the row of "?"
Blocks, collect the booty and go to the right of the row.
There's an unseen Coin above. Get it, then go up and slam
the Block above on its farthest left side. A Beanstalk will
appear, and, like Jack, you're off to a sky realm for Coins! In
the next row of floating Blocks (there are just two Blocks)
you'll find Ten Coins on theand a Power Booster on
left

the right. Crossing the and shortly after fighting

Pit,
Troopas, you'll come to a Block (right before the Pit and
Pipe beyond). It contains a Power Booster.
Realm 5, level 3, has no hidden treasure: it will require all
your skill just to collect the Coins and one '?" (Power
Booster) that's there! On level 4 the problem is a super-long
Tentacle and more of the normal ones than before.
. . .

The name of the game here is timing. If you want the '?"
(Power Booster) above the long Tentacle, don 't stop, but hit
it while you leap across.

In the sixth realm, level one, when you reach the second
floating Block set (above the steps), there's a Power Booster
in the left Block. In the next set, just after, there're Ten
Coins Block on the right. After you reach the vertical
in
wall that's 3 Blocks thick (and looks remarkably like the
Sears Tower), you'll step onto the "diving board" section to
the right, fight Lakitus, then hop down to the floating
Blocks below. There's a One-Up here, though it usually
won't materialize if you've been hurt before this point. Af-
Coin con-
ter the Pipe you'll reach pyramid-steps: there's a
cealed at the base. After the 2 Block "?" set, there's a
narrow Pit, then another set of pyramid steps. On the other
side are 3 floating Block sets forming steps down. Ten Coins
will be found in the center one, to the right. Level 2: the
first Pipe leads to a Coin Room. When you emerge, the
third Pipe to the right takes you to a rich Underwater
Room. However, if you take it, you miss the following: go 4
Pipes beyond the exit from the Coin Room. Between it and
the next Pipe is an unseen Coin Block. Bash it, jump up,
and hit the far-right Block of the row floating overhead.
This will unleash another Beanstalk and a sky realm of

192
Coins. If you choose to go underwater or simply stay on dry
land (avoiding the sky realm), look for the following. As you
emerge from the Underwater Room (or reach the Pipe exit
— it's the one after the third floating Pipe of the level),

you'll face a slew of Buzzys. Don't bother tackling them:

simply hop from the exit Pipe to the left, onto the ledge of
the floating Pipe, then to the Block above on the right, then
to the row of Blocks, and finally down to the other side of
the Pit You'll find 2 Pipes here: after the second, climb to
the floating Block and smack the one above it to the right
to get a Starman. Whichever of the 3 routes you took,
watch for the next floating Pipe. The second one after it

the left-most and shortest of a trio of Pipes — ^leads to a Coin

Room.
Level 3 of realm 6 has no hidden treats. In level 4, after
you make it through the Tentacle tunnel ^best negotiated —
in sets of two, by leaping when the Tentacle on the bottom
is headed toward you, the one on top away ^you'll reach a —
k)ng depression in the ground. There are 6 Coins here.
Defeat Bowser, and it's on to the seventh realm. The sec-
ond Pipe here leads to a Coin Room. (Before that, you'll
face the Hammer Brothers: dart beneath them when they
go up.) Upon emerging from the Coin Room, you'll eventu-
ally come to another Pipe. Climb the wall beyond it, and
you'll see 3 floating the top one has a Power
Blocks:
Booster. In Level 2, you're back underwater; there are no
concealed treasures here. Ditto levels 3 and 4. The thing
about 4, though, is that you must follow a specific path or
you won't get out. After the Elevators, go through the lower
tunnel, then hop up and walk between the thin layers of
Blocks. Then hop to the upper tunnel, then down onto the
ledge and up again, pass the Tentacle (and two Pits), hop its

the next Pit to the floating ledge, drop down, double back
to the left on the lower ledge, go under it, hop up and pass
between the two thin rows of Blocks, hop up to the Blocks
on the right, then down to the lower Blocks, go left, drop to
the bottom, head right, then jump up to the upper tunnel.
After this, the trip is straightforward . . . right to Bowser.
Your safest route to the Axe is under the infernal creature.

193
 You're now in the final world, the eighth realm. A general
word of caution: Power Boosters are as scarce as kindly acts
by Bowser. Try not to squander your energies! Level one: if
you reach the second and third Pipes without being hurt,
there's usually a One-Up between them, third Block from
the left. Two Pipes beyond—that Pipe of the
is, the fifth

level — ^leads to a Coin Room. Whichever way you

go, the
first row of floating Blocks contains rewards. Go over the

wall, jump under the Block that is 5 in from the left, and
get a Coin. Mount that unseen Block, jump, and there are
Ten Coins above. The next floating row has a Starman in
the third Block from the left. Level 2: there's a Power
Booster in the Block hovering above the second Turtle Can-
non (the home of Bullet Bill). There are Ten Coins located
a little farther on, on the right side of the floating Blocks
with the Turtle Cannon on top. Three Pipes beyond that
you'll find a Coin Room. Level 3: when you come to the
first pair of floating Block rows, the second Block from the
right, below, has a Power Booster. Go for it only if the
Hammer Brothers are on a sabbatical. Otherwise, it's a
fool's errand! The
next pair of floating Block rows contains
a Power Booster in the upper row, two Blocks in from the
left. Moving on, you will come to two massive walls (with a

Pipe between them). At the far right edge of the second,

second Block from the right, you'll find Ten Coins. Lastly,
on level 4, don't go into the second Pipe. It'll hurl you right
back to the first. The third Pipe, however, will kick you
ahead a considerable distance and is well worth taking.
(This is no time to be macho! You want to get to the end of
the odyssey!) When you reach the floating Pipe, stand 2
Blocks to its left and reap the concealed Coin. That hidden
cache is also your stepping-stone into the Pipe, which will
zap you even farther ahead. When you emerge, go 3 Pipes
over and descend —
if you dare
—
^to an Underwater Realm

and its multitude of Tentacles. In any case, stay out of Pipes

for the rest of the journey: the one after the Underwater
Realm will fling you well back in the level. However, this
Pipe is useful. The lip is a great vantage point from which
to study the Hammer Brothers and plan your run through

194
 that region to the game's last Bowser. At long last, Princess
Toadstool is yours!
But if you think you know it all, you're wrong! If you
want a real challenge, head back to the second level of the
first realm. When you reach the Pipe at the end, try break-

ing a few Blocks there. (Oh, all right. The second and third
to the left of the Pipe.) Go through the Pipe and you'll be
able to walk through the wall! (It doesn't happen all the
time, but most times Mario will be able to do this.) There
are Pipes there: enter the first or third, and you'll find your-
self in an Underwater Realm: World -1! That's the good
news. The bad news? There's no way out. Still, it's a nifty
place to explore.
Far: Since you now know the secret of how to obtain up to 99
Marios, you dam well better make it to the end of the
game!
Training Tips: As in so many games, most of the skills you'll
need can be acquired in the early levels of play. We haven't
dwelled much on slaying monsters: this is something that
you can achieve only with practice. Never forget, though,
that since Super Mario Bros, is a race against time, hopping
over and running from tough monsters is just as important
as sending them to that great Mushroom Kingdom in the
sky. Practice these skills dutifully.
Rating:The game's a classic, and even if it isn't as exciting as
some, it is the rare cartridge with universal appeal and truly
unique gameplay.
Challenge: A
Graphics: B-h
Sound Effects: B

195
 CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE

SUPER MARIO
BROS. 5
Type: Sequel to the quest through cartoon fairyland.
Objective: This time around, it isn't the Mushroom Kingdom
in jeopardy, but Subcon: the World of Dreams, which has
been subjugated by the tyrannical Wart.
Layout: The game scrolls horizontally, with a few vertical pas-
sageways. There are seven realms in all, with three levels in
each. These are discussed in Beginner's Strategy and Ad-
vanced Strategy.
Hero's Powers: Mario and Luigi are back, only they'll be rely-
ing less on jumping on and kicking enemies, more on pick-
ing them up and hurling them, as well as throwing objects
at them! Also among the heroes you can select are Toad and
Princess Toadstool. Each offers its own benefits: Mario has
so-so jumping ability, which diminishes even further when
he's holding something; Luigi is a better jumper, but also
gets weaker than Mario if he's carrying anything; Toad is a
crummy leaper, but at least he doesn't get crummier at it
when he's holding something; and the Princess has the abil-
ity to levitate for a little over a second. There are also 16
different Power Boosters/Weapons you can uncover, each
of which helps the heroes: a Sprout stops enemies; Vegeta-
bles also halt foes, and every fifth one you find brings forth a
Stopwatch, which freezes foes so you can plug 'em; Cherries
release a Starman; a Starman and One-Up Mushroom work
as in the first game; a Mushroom Block can bop an antago-
nist or be used as building blocks so you can get over an

196
 impasse; Magic Potion sends you to Subspace; Shells skim
the ground and disable a nemesis; Keys not only open doors,
but can be thrown at baddies; Bombs level walls; Hearts
replenish your Life meter; Pows generate earthquakes;
Rockets carry you elsewhere; Mushrooms give you power;
and Coins are for use in the Bonus Rounds, which come
after you beat the heavyweight monsters and allow you to
play a slot-machine-like game in order to win various bo-
nuses.
\bout Your Enemies: There are 25 of them: Ostro, Albatross,
Autobomb, Shyguy, Snifit, Birdo, Beezo, Pidgit, Trouter,
Flurry, Pokey, Spark, Phanto, Hoopster, Ninji, Panser,
Fryguy, Cobrat, Spark, Tweeter, Tryclyde, Porcupo, Bob-
omb, Clawgrip and Wart. All this, not to mention
. . .

Quicksand, Waterfalls, and other natural impediments!

Menu: There's just the one-player adventure.
Scoring: You're playing for extra lives; that's it!
Beginner's Strategy: First, like skimming a rock on water,
learn to use thrown objects to bop from one enemy to an-
other. It's effective and fun. Second, for the first 3
. . .

levels it's best to have Luigi and his jumping ability.

On the first level, climb the first Tree you encounter,
remove any Veggie but the one on the right, and clobber
the Shyguy. Go back to the one on the right, pluck the
Potion and enter Subspace; collect the Coins and Mush-
room there (you only have a few seconds!). Note: if you take
the Potion first and have to jump from the ledge, you'll still
have it . . but you will waste precious time climbing
.

back up the Tree to get to the Subspace ledge! Veggies and

Sprouts abound as you proceed, so let's concentrate on the
other objects buried here. After you cross the two Water-
falls, climb down: there's a One-Up Mushroom atop the

next Mountain (it's three-tiered). Descending, you'll find a

Bomb at its base and a Shell to the right. At the next
Waterfall, hop up (easy for Luigi) ... or enter the door
you'll see on the right. On the second tier of the Mountain,
pulling the first hunk of weeds will provide you with Potion.
(If you've hopped up, collect the goodies, then go in the
—
door on top ^then out again, so you can collect 'em anew!)

197
Inside the Mountain, if you climb the Beanstalk and cross
the Waterfall (you'll need to have a good jumper for this),
you willhop up ledges to the left. Dispose of the Shyguy,
get the Bomb(either clump of grass), toss it down the Lad-
der and blast the wall to the left. (IJF you blow it, leave the
inside of the Mountain and come back: everything will be
as it was.) Enter the door: it'll take you right to the top and
the Little Boss (Birdo) you must fight. (Well not di- . . .

rectly to Birdo. You have to climb a heckuva big wall. But

it's better than the alternate route, which follows.) If you

didn 't bother crossing the Waterfall inside the Mountain,

but are outside, go up the Beanstalk at the end of the trail:
there's nothing of worth on the Mountain you'll climb, but
up top is Birdo. The fiend will toss Eggs: jump on one and
throw it back; 3 such hits will defeat the little shot.

In level 2 you've got to hitch a ride on Pidgit's Magic

Carpet. Do its head (even off to one
that by landing atop
side of its pate is bounce the nasty away and
okay). That'll
leave you with the Carpet. Land yourself on the first of two
Jars you find: press down on the control pad or joystick and
go in for a One-Up Mushroom. To the left of the Jar is
Potion: toss it between the two Jars and enter Subspace. Go
inside the second Jar for a Key. Phanto, of course, will pur-
sue you: to get rid of the demon, simply lay the Key down
for a moment. Use the Key to enter the dooron the right;
inside the Mountain, you will find Bombs (first clump of
grass and 2 clumps after the Pit), Potion (to the right
first

of the Ladder), and another Bomb (just right of that). Use

2 Bombs on the far right to drop down into a chamber for a
trip into Subspace and a Mushroom. Kill the Birdo at
. . .

the end as you did before.

Third level: there's Potion right before the first Log
Bridge. Use it on the right side of the Bridge (that's where
the Mushroom will be). Next landmark: another Log Bridge
{not just the balanced Logs that you use to cross the Water-
falls). is the first clump under the Bridge (otherwise,
Potion
there's naught but Veggies and Sprouts here). Cross the
small Waterfall to the huge brick building. Enter and as-
cend. Go in the door on the topmost platform and obtain

198
the Key there. Go to the very bottom of this vertical cham-
ber and open the Key door. You'll find yourself in a horizon-
tal chamber. Head right. When you reach a Crystal Ball,
hop on top: the hawkface will open and admit you to the
furry presence of Mouser. It takes 3 solid hits with Bombs
to finish the rodent, best done behind the critter, on the
right; you can also throw them from the left, though you'll
need to do so hard so they'll roll to the right. (Special hint:
if you don 't enter the building, go past it to a Jar. Throw the

Potion on it, enter the door, and you'll be in Subspace.

Enter the Jar and you'll be warped ahead to the fourth
level).
You're now at level one of the second realm. The most
important thing to remember is not to stop while you're
crossing the sand. It's Quicksand, and it'll drag you under!
When you reach the yank the Cobrats from it, go
first Jar,

in, collect the Shell, and on. When you reach the
move
golden wall, go up and use the Potion (first clump) to get to
Subspace and a Mushroom. Keep in mind that Mushrooms
sink in Quicksand, so don't lose it! Nothing else extraordi-
nary here until you come to the Pyramid. Enter and de-
scend. Dig down (by pressing B), collecting Cherries as you
go (you'll need these for a Starman). At the bottom go
down the ladder, walk right, defeat Birdo, and exit this
world.
More desert awaits as we continue the journey! When
you reach the first plateau, the first clump of grass will give
you Potion. Use it at the end of the plateau for Subspace.
The next landmark is a higher plateau; at the right side is a
door. Descend, go all the way down in the right side of the
chamber, get the One-Up Mushroom, climb back up to the
next ledge, obtain a Bomb here, and blow up the wall on
the left. Enter the chamber there. Potion is the second
clump over; toss it to the left. When you leave the cham-
ber, you'll cross more desert. You'll eventually reach a red
Beanstalk on the right. Climb down, digging toward the
right, and you'll eventually reach a door. Beyond it is a
horizontal chamber ... the lair of another Birdo (if nec-
essary, use the Mushroom Blocks you'll find to reach Birdo).

199
 At the beginning of the last level of the second realm,
you're in a Pit Climb the ladder, head right, get Potion
(the first clump you find), then head left and climb the
adobe-type hill to the top left. Dump the Potion there for a
Subspace One-Up Mushroom. Leave the hill and go right.
When you reach the tall, skinny hill with the door in the
top, ride a Beezo piggyback to the top. There is another
One-Up and Coins. Press onward, to the right, until you
reach the spectacular Pyramid. Enter and descend (the left
side is less monster-populace than the right). When you hit
sand, start digging! At the bottom you'll find a door; enter
and get the Key. Dig back up and unlock the doorway. This
leads you to the final horizontal passage of the second realm
. . and to the awful Tryclyde, a three-headed serpent.
.

Use Mushroom Blocks to build a barricade against the mon-

ster's fireballs . then use those very Blocks to beat the
. .

dragon into oblivion!

Advanced Strategy: The player who has gone through Super
Mario Bros, and through the early levels of this one, will
find it relatively easy going. Here are a few things to watch
out for. The fourth realm is loaded with slippery ice, so
watch your footing. On the first level there's Potion on the
stone ledge by the first dark stone wall. The Potion clump is
on the left. Go below the ledge: there's a Rocket there. It's
your only way out of here. On the second level you'd be
wise to be the Princess, since her hovering ability will come
in useful. Go into the door you'll find on the far right: get
the Potion inside, on the third Column after the ledges. Go
to the Jar and use the Potion: it will warp you ahead to the
sixth realm! If you haven't jumped ahead, the biggest prob-
lem you'll face is on the third level: crossing the sea. The
solution is simple. When you meet Birdo, don't kill the
winged wonder. Grab an Egg and use it to ride across the
water! Another problem on this world involves Fryguy.
When you kill it, if any piece of the monster touches you,
you're supposed to be trapped. But you're not: simply pause
the game, use the second controller and push up, pressing
the A and B buttons simultaneously. This will cost you a life
... but at least you'll remain at this level of the game!

200
 Of once you're in that daunting new world, ene-
course,
mies come and furious (especially the Cobrats). Luigi is
fast
a good character to be here. In level one there's Potion in
the first Jar (just Shells in the next two). You'll also find a
slew of Jars farther on: the fifth from the end contains a Key
you'll need.
Nothing short of a nice, fat encyclopedic volume would
be enough to detail the rest of the game. Again: if you've
gotten this far, you understand the lay of the land and
should have a fun journey.
Par: Completing the first two realms is average.
Training Tips: The best thing to do is play the first level of
the first world with every character. Learn them utterly. If
you do, you'll know just who to choose to best deal with
every situation. Again: Luigi is the best for the first 3
which the Princess is good for another 3. Ei-
worlds, after
ther works well on the last. But this is also a matter of
personal preference, so play them all then decide!
. . .

Also, you do get to a warp area, it's good practice to zip

if

ahead. You may be in over your head (literally, in the Quick-

sand zones), but you'll certainly get better fast!
Rating: This is a very good game, though not quite as good as
its predecessor. Tossing the stuff around is fun, however,

and there are plenty of nifty challenges.

Challenge: B-|-
Graphics: A (the opening hawkmouth is a winner!)
Sound Effects: B

201
 CHAPTER FORTY

lilIZARDSS
WARRIORS
Type: Fantasy quest.
Objective: As Kuros, a mighty warrior, you must travel
through the kingdom of Elrond and liberate seven captive
ladies— Lucinda, Esmarelda, Galadriel, Grizelda, Penelope,
—
Candida, and your own beloved Princess ^as well as find
and destroy the wicked wizard Malkil.
Layout: The game consists of 7 realms, each of which has
both horizontal and vertical scrolling. These realms are: the
First Forest, the Blue Caves, the Fire World, the Pink
Caves, the Second Forest, and finally, Castle IronSpire,
where you must negotiate the Grounds and then the Tower.
Hero's Powers: At the onset, Kuros is armed only with his
—
blade Brightsword and with 12 Power Units ^which can be
sapped by foes in combat or simply by the strain of the
journey itself. As he travels, he can acquire more Power,
along with many other weapons and charms, which are re-
ferred to in Beginner's Strategy and Advanced Strategy
(and also in the instruction booklet).
About Your Enemies: There are 39 different kinds of mon-
sters and menaces serving Malkil, which will be discussed
below and are pictured in the instructions. The two you'U
really have to watch out for, though, are the Skdeton
Changeling and Malkil. The Skeleton grows and grows,
while Malkil teleports all over tiie place. (But you'll be able
to kill them, natch, if you read Advanced Strategy.)
Menu: There is only the single, one-player adventure.

202
Scoring: Kuros earns points for slaying monsters and rescuing
captives. He also collects gems, which he will need to bribe
various guards along the way.
Beginner's Strategy: would take a book to describe, in de-
It

tail, every move you need

to make. Here's a detailed walk
—
through the Forest followed by general directions and
goals for each succeeding realm. Above all, remember that
in addition to weapons, you must find Keys. TTiey are the
only way to get through most doors and into Chests (the
Keys are color-coded to match the items they open). Keep
in mind, too, that all of the Red Knights/Guardians are
invincible. They must be bribed. The gem total the greedy
suckers want is indicated above them.
In the Forest: drop to the ground, get the Key, skip the
blue door, go back up to the gray door, and enter. Go all the
way to the bottom to obtain the treasure. Climb up, collect-
ing Gems. Go out the door. Jump to the blue door, then to
the nest below it, and get the Key. Leap to the second
branch of the tree on the right. Jump to the leafy limb on
the right to expose the Chest. Go back down to the first
branch (below the one you jumped on), then hop right and
get the Chest that contains the Dagger of Throwing.
(Dumb name, but boy does it work!) The best way to use
this weapon —
^and, later, the Axe of Igor —
is to throw it,

leap up, and let it orbit you while you jump and move,
forming a protective swath around you.
Go in the blue door and get the Chest. Leave, jump up
to the branch with the Red Knight, then go to the left,
back to the gray door. To the left is the Chest with the
Boots of Force. Wait until the purple Potion appears (it
gives you high jumping power) and imbibe it. Jump to the
treetops on the right and get the Chest of Gems, then head
left,past the Chest, to the next tree on the left. Jump down
and, on the way down, snatch the red Key from a branch.
Return to the Red Knight. Jump to the treetop on the left,
leap over the Knight to the treetop on the right, open the
Chest, and claim the Shield of Protection. GrO back to the
open tree to the left of Sir Knight and jump into the tree.
Slide down the left side of the tree to the roots (brown area)

203
to get Chests and other goodies. Enter the door on the
bottom Fight the Demon Skull there (no sweat), get
left.

the Chest, go through the door on the right, and free Lu-
cinda (for 5000 points).
You're now in the Blue Caves. Descend left, jump to the
blue Chest, hop up to the ledge on the left, go up, then
vault onto the ledge with the Key. Go back to the Chest
and open it. Descend to the second blue Chest, go lower to
the third (with the Potion of Levitation), head up and to
the right for the Chest with the Cloak of Darkness (which
renders you invisible to monsters), then be on the lookout
for a giant H-shaped hunk of it, jump up to
rock. Finding
the right of it, jump back down to the left,
get the red Key,
then go under the H for the red Chest and its gems. De-
scend, find the red door on the left (no one's guarding it),
and exit. You're in a new cave: go up, get the Key in there,
then drop to the red Chest and claim it. Leave by the same
door through which you entered. You're back in the first
cave: climb, searching for more objects and killing monsters
as you do so. Along the way —
^above and to the left of a door
—
on the right ^you'll find the Chest containing the much-
needed Boots of Lava Walk (did someone translate these
names literally from the Japanese or something?). Leave via
the door the Red Knight had been guarding. Race through
the tunnel until you reach the end: Bats will follow you,
which is what you want. At the end of the tunnel, turn and
— ^with your back protected by the right wall ^hack at the —
monsters with Brightsword. This is preferable by far to tak-
ing them on as you trek through the tunnel. When the
Vampire Bat arrives, kill it with the Dagger of Throwing,
using the technique described above. Kill the 4 Baby Vam-
pires that spring from the dead adult, then go through the
door and save Esmarelda for 10,000 points.
Now you're in the Fire World. Jump down, walk on the
Lava with your magic boots, get the Chest on the right.
Explore, using the Lava's Bubbles for a ride through the air
as needed (simply hop on top of them though beware:
. . .

if they strike a ledge the wrong way, they'll pop). The im-

portant thing here is to get the red Key, which is lying on a

204
 ledge near the top. You can get to a ledge to the right of it
. .but then can't hop over. There are two solutions. You
.

can hang around, wait for Blue Potion, and thus acquire the
oomph you need to get over. Or (preferably) you can go to
the Lava, ride a Bubble up, and hop off when you reach the
ledge. Either way, once you have the Key, go back to the
right and open the Chest containing the Axe of Igor. De-
scending, use the same Key to obtain the Staff of Power.
Head to the red door on the right, enter, and kill Rock Face
the same way you slew the Vampire Bat. Rescue Galadriel
for 20,000 points.
Advanced Strategy: If youVe gotten this far, you've mastered
virtually all of the skills you'll need for the rest of the game.
Here's a verbal trip through the last 4 levels.
In the Pink Cave: climb, get the red Key at the top, go
around collecting the Chest of Gems. There are also a trio
of Invisible Doors in the cave (one, in a small rock chamber
at the bottom right). Go through them to collect a wealth
of Gems. Your next goal, toward the top of the cave, is a
rock that looks like a giant fist, the wrist of which will be in
the lower-left corner. There are 2 Chests diagonal to the
"fist": the potent Wand of Wonder is in the lower one. Go
to the leftbottom side of the cave, pass through the red
door, enter, and get the blue Key. Go right: on the left side
of the cave is a blue door. Enter and get the Key there.
Press on to the right, until you reach a door. On the other
side is the Evil Ghost: kill it as you iced the other big
monsters. Pass beyond it and free Grizelda for 30,000
points.
Climb up the hole you're in, collecting Gems and mur-
dering beasties, until you emerge in the Second Forest. Go
7 trees to the left, climb for the purple Key, then head back
to the right. Climb until you reach the purple door. Enter,
climb, and get the Feather of Feather Fall (the dopiest
name of all!). Also: while you're within the tree, be looking
for the red Key, on the right side. Exit the way you came in,
go to the treetops, and get the blue Key on the left. Go in
the red door you find, enter, get the Gems, then leave and
go to the blue door below the red one. Head right, vanquish

205
the Queen Spider, and earn 40,000 points by saving Penel-
ope.
You're now Climb the outside wall, head-
at the Castle.
ing to the top Get the purple Key, then enter the
left.

purple door you find nearby. Explore the Castle chamber

(feeling around for Invisible Doors). Entering a purple door,
—
obtain the red Key, then leave making sure you have at
least 60 gems. Go to the purple door on the far right. Head
right over the tops of the towers, descend, and bribe the
Guard to let you pass. Inside the Castle again, explore for
goodies, enter the blue tower via the red door, go up, left,
and up some more to get the blue Key. Journey left to the
door: go through it to the red tower. E)escend, head left,
and pass through the blue door. The very troublesome Skel-
—
eton Changeling is here ^actually a tougher foe to beat
than the wizard himself! The way to beat him is by attack-
ing with the Axe of Igor. Stand on one side, throw and
catch, leap the Skeleton, throw and catch from the other
side, leap again, and repeat. You'll have to leap high,
though, because Senor Skeleton is throwing power-sapping
bones at you. And the larger he gets, the larger the bones
become. You'll probably take a few hits during the battle;
however, using this technique, you'll definitely get in
enough blows to slay the bone-being first. Free Candida for
50,000 points.
Finally, you're off to see the wizard. You'll find yourself at
the green tower, and your foremost goal is to obtain Gems:
you'll need 100 of them to bribe the guard. If you haven't
got enough, keep killing monsters. Upon dying, many of
them will leave Gems behind. When you have enough, go
through the guarded door and fight Malkil. Teach him not
to mess with you in the following manner: in his cave, head
beneath a doughnut-shaped rock to a U-shaped slope on the
bottom (you'll recognize it by the small rock ledge over-
head, at the 2:00 position from where you'll be standing).
There aren't a lot of surfaces for the wizard to teleport to or
from here. Not only that, but it's a great defensive place,
since you have the slope of the wall to your back, and he
will always have to shoot his magic at you from aKead . . .

206
 and from behind that small rock ledge above, which is one
of the only footholds he has here. Best of
all, the few places

he can materialize are all very quickly accessible to you.

Thus you can heave the Axe at him or, even more effective,
you can kick the wizard. This weakens him in a hurry. De-
feat him and your Princess —
and a whopping 100,000
points! — ^lie ahead.
Par: Most players will complete 3 levels with no problem. (A
par score is impossible to determine, since many players
hang around chambers, slaying monsters and earning
points.)
Training Tips: Keep in mind that the route outlined herein is
only one of many you can take. It is, however, the best one
for the novice player to build her or his skills. Thus, the best
training tip we can offer is to play the game as described
herein, polishing up your weapon-wielding abilities as you
travel. It's a good idea to play with another person handy, so
that they can make a map.
Rating: Though the levels tend to be pretty redundant until
you reach the Castle, there's a lot to discover!
Challenge: B
Graphics: A—
Sound Effects: B

207
 EXTRA! SPECIAL
EDITION
ADDITIONS!
Since the first edition of How to Win at Nintendo Games was
published last year, game jocks Sam and Mike, as well as
Ryan Quirk, Brendan Begnal, John Tomlinson, Matt Dunn,
Nate Sheldon, and Joey Osnoss, have continued hammering
away at some of the old games.
Here is a collection of the new tips they've discovered to
help you through these earlier cartridges!

CASTLEVANIA Okay, okay. We didn't want to tell you how

to beat the Count (there's got to be some challenge, right?)
but here get thyself to a point as high as his head and
it is:

start pitching your Boomerang at said noggin. It's the best

way to beat him.
As for the Frankenstein Monster, a Fire Bomb or Dagger
will do the trick.

DEADLY TOWERS When the game begins, allow Prince

Meyer to die as soon as possible. Get the password, but
when you punch it back in . . . make one small change.
Substitute FE or EF for the first two letters. When the
Prince begins again, check your status chart: you'll be
armed to the teeth!

GRADIUS Need an extra ship-life? In phase one, nose up to

the right side of the floating orange asteroid when the num-
ber in the thousands digit is an even one. In the fourth

208
 phase, touch the left side of the asteroid under the same
conditions for another ship.
Want more power? Gather up 6 Capsules. You'll see a
"?" on the screen (no, you haven't warped over to Super
Mario BrosA). Grab Capsule number 7 when your score has
a zero in the thousands column (that is, the fourth from the
right). Press A and you'll have super-speed firing ability!
Yearn for more points? After gathering a half-dozen Cap-
sules (that's 6 for you math flunkouts), wait until there's a 5
in your score's thousands column. When you see the "?",
get a seventh. You'll be rewarded with 10,000 points.

MEGA MAN Want to boost the power of a single Elecman

Beam or Cutman
Blade? Shoot, and as soon as the projec-
tile strikes,pause the game with Select, let go, and pause
again . . several times rapidly. Each incremental move-
.

ment of the Beam or Blade counts as a full, potent hit!

Several players have also registered the following impres-
sions: that Cutman's Blade is the most effective weapon
against Elecman; that Elecman's Beam is the best way to
kill Iceman; that Iceman's Beam is tops when fighting Fire-

man; that Fireman's Beam will kill Bombman easily; and

that Gutsman falls best before Bombman's Bombs.

MIKE TYSON'S PUNCH-OUT Need more help against

Iron Mike?
You can make plans knowing what he's going to throw,
and there are two tipoffs. If he blinks with one eye, you
know a straight punch is on the way. If he blinks with both
eyes, you're going to be on the receiving end of several
straight punches. Defend yourself accordingly!
Also: you can nullify Mike's Dynamite Punch. If he
doesn't connect with one for half of the first round, he will
be unable to throw any more!
Finally: input the code 135 792 4680, then press Select,
A, and B all at once to reach a new level of competition!

ZELDA II: THE ADVENTURE OF LINK And finally—we

goofed! In our coverage of the game, we said the En-

209
 —
chanted Recorder teleports. It doesn't. We must've been
thinking about the teleportation recorder we keep next to
our toothbrush.
We also got a name wrong
(based on an early version of
instructions for the game, not the finished product). The
dude is Ironknuckle, not Ironnack. But you probably figured
out who we meant, right?
But we're sure of this: in Midoro, the Swamp Palace, hit
the stone statues outside. You may be lucky enough to ob-
tain magic potion. And in the Palace of Maze Island, don't
try to beat Doomknocker with just your shield. You'll need
Reflect magic. Likewise, Carock.
Also: having trouble killing a mounted foe? You can un-
seat any of them as described up front, or you can also try
leaping above their head and stabbing downward. That'll
get him off his steed. After he's dismounted, get as near as
and carve him up.
possible
You can stop tooting that Whistle, though.

BONUS!

There are many neat games we didn't cover in this book

and won't in any others: there are too many new ones to
play!
However, we've learned some tips about these, and want
to pass them along.

BIONIC COMMANDO: You may not like hearing this, but

in the final overhead battle, when the enemy boss comes
trudging out, the best thing you can do is not bother fight-

ing him. The guy can't be beaten!

NINJA KID: When you find yourself in a room full of fire,

don 't Stand and fight the inferno
flee\ and help will
. . .

magically arrive: a Ninja Girl and the Princess. Touch the

former for extra points. Approach the latter, and you'll be
able to get away.

210
RAMBO: You've probably figured out that you can't smash
the Flying Fortress without Grenades. And the chances are
good you're low on them by now. What to do?
When you're down to 2 Grenades, toss one at the Com-
mie coming at you from the left. Your stockpile will be
healthier than you've ever seen it!

TRACK & FIELD II: Foi a surefire victory in the Hammer

Throw, give a counterclockwise swing when the power is
way down (less than one quarter left). You'll start to flash:
wait until the hammer's at the 1:00 position and let it fly.
It'll seem like you did el stinko but wait'll you see the
. . .

distance you register!

As Swimming, depending upon your own
for Freestyle
skills,you may want to influence the computer-controlled
player in a one-player match. Before the meet begins, press
the joystick or controller toward the bottom. That'll force it
to use the Butterfly stroke instead of Freestyle.

ZANAC: At the beginning of the game, don't blast the trio of

Boxes that appear. Hit them and you'll get 3-way firepower!
Another potent tack is to gather 6 Blocks numbered 6, Wait
until the screen is full of foes, access "option," and every-

one will be turned to a Blue Render. Snap 'em up for One-

Ups.
Also, the first time you face Sart, fight with your All-
Range Cannon. This will transform the fiend into a Blue
Render, which you can whip to earn an extra life!

IMPORTANT! Watch for the second volume of How to Win

at Nintendo Games, on sale this November from St. Mar-
tin's Press. That volume will contain complete strategies for
beating 25 all-new games.
Accept no substitutes!
Be there!

211
 IS VIDSCBEEN VICTORY ELUDING YOU?
Be vanqi^shed no more! Jeff Rovln-the vidgame
brought you the first-ever survival
2J!!llI!!*^ guide to
l^twKJo games-- rum shovifs you mo/B games,
mo/e
wctlct, mors ways to win!

HOW TO

N
pnBno
GAIVGI'2 guide-not endorsed by Nintendo®.
rL^,l!??'''!f ' Nintendo is
trademark of Nintendo of America
tJ!S^^
Tengens Gauntlet game (not authorized
by
Inc. Contains
Nintendo®).

HOW TO WIN AT NINTENDO GAMES II

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NIN2 11/89
 LASER-BLASTED
ONCE TOO OFTEN?
the help of computer wiz Jeff Rovin.
Publisher and editor of the state-
of-the-art fanzine Video g amin g
Illustrated and long-time videogame
adept, Rovin has compiled the only
Nintendo games "survival" manual in
existence. Shatter all your scoring
records and become a master using
these tips on 40 of the most popular
Nintendo games, each broken down into
easy-to-understand sections, including:

*Type and objective of each

game
*Hero's powers and
weaknesses

I^Game and Advanced

''Beginner
variations

strategies
*And much more!

Now you can dodge the bone-crunching

Mike Tvson's Punch-Out wreak
fists of ,

havoc on Al pha Mission's alien

Hanomaszui, and deserve the crowd's
supportive cheers in Double Dribble .

And, best of all, your friends won't be

able to come near you!

9201 8

a registered trademark
of Nintendo
of America Inc.
'44903"00395

\. ^SBN D-3i2-TEDlfl-D