STAR STRIKE

Cartridge Instructions

(For 1 Player)


YOUR MISSION: Destroy the alien station BEFORE Earth passes directly

over the launch trench! Shoot down the alien defenders stalking you.

Bomb 5 Hot Targets, or Earth will be destroyed! Good luck...and good

hunting!


OBJECT OF THE GAME

Get a high score by quickly bombing five red targets, and by hitting

as many alien spacecraft as you can. You must hit all red targets

before "Planet Earth" moves directly over the green trench. The first

red target that you fail to hit when Earth is in alignment will become

a missile that blows up Earth. If this happens, the game is over.

Avoid hits by alien spaceships to keep controls and lasers working.


EXAMINE YOUR CONTROLS


KEYPAD 1 - 5: Skill Level / Flying Speed

UPPER SIDE KEYS: Fire Air-To-Air Laser

LOWER SIDE KEYS: Drop Bomb

DISC: Flying Control


GET READY!


Start by setting the skill level:


Press * (Keypad 3) to play at Level 1 (best for learning the game).

Press ** (Keypad 2) to play at Level 2.

Press *** (Keypad 1) to play at Level 3.

Press DISC to play at Level 4.

Press ***** (Keypad 4) to play at Level 5.

Press ****** (Keypad 5) to play at Level 6 (miss once -- game's over).


NOTE: The higher the skill level, the more difficult it will be to fight

the alien defenders...and the less time you'll have to bomb all 5 red

targets.


FLYING CONTROL

Press the edge of the Disc in the direction you want to go. DON'T LET

YOUR SPACESHIP CRASH...IT'S THE ONLY ONE YOU HAVE! If you crash

into any part of the green space station, you lose! Watch your

spaceship's shadow. It helps you gauge your altitude and shows the

spot directly beneath your spaceship.


TO CHANGE YOUR FLYING SPEED: Press one of the "WARP" Keys.

WARP 1 (Keypad 1) is "Standard" (and is your flying speed at game

start), WARP 2 (Keypad 2) is "Fast" and WARP 3 (Keypad 3) is "Super

Fast." We recommend WARP 1 while you're learning the game.


WATCH OUT! YOU'RE BEING FOLLOWED!

Pairs of defending alien ships will appear behind your spaceship.

They pause briefly before attacking, then overtake your ship. When

they get within range, they start to fire. If any of their white lasers

hit you, there's a brief flash of flame. Your ship is out of control while

it's on fire!


Press the top of the Disc to gain altitude. Take evasive action to avoid

further hits. Then, FIGHT BACK!


Either TOP action button on your Hand Controller is your air-to-air

laser trigger. When an alien passes your spaceship, its color changes

to light blue. When an alien is in front of your spaceship, you can hit

it.


All air-to-air lasers go toward this "vanishing point," roughly at the

center of the trench. Bear this perspective in mind when firing at

alien ships.


IF YOU ARE HIT...

Damage to your spaceship gets more severe every time you're hit.

These serious problems will occur (in random order): You won't be

able to climb as fast....you'll have slower movement left or right....you

won't be able to descend quickly....you won't be able to change flying

speed....your air-to-air laser will misfire (making a noise like

static)....you lose your targeting radar signal....your ship is out of

control longer after being hit.


EVEN IF ALL THESE MISFORTUNES OCCUR, DON'T GIVE UP...YOU CAN

STILL

SAVE THE DAY-- IF YOU'RE FAST ENOUGH!


YOU HAVE 5 TARGETS...

You get score points for shooting down alien spaceships, but it will all

be in vain, unless you successfully bomb 5 red targets before the

Planet Earth moves over the center of the trench. If any unbombed

(red) targets get past you at that point, the game is over. At the two

highest skill levels, you have to hit all the red targets the first time

they appear.


To release a bomb, press either lower action button. A beeping radar

warning alarm will give you a signal just before each target comes

over the horizon. If your bomb hits a red target, the picture shakes

from the concussion, and that target turns black. The concussion

effect increases every time you hit a red target. When you bomb the

5th target, you'll destroy the enemy star completely and "save the

Earth" -- and your score. At Level 6, the number of targets is

limitless!


SCORING...

At the start of the game, you have 8,000 points. This score decreases

rapidly with every second that passes, until you have bombed the

5th (and final) target. Every time you hit an alien spaceship, 250

points are added to your score total. The highest level game (******)

starts at zero and scores 50 points for each alien and 100 for targets.

At Level 6, you must hit every target!


STRATEGY TIPS


* When engaged in air-to-air combat, remember that whoever is

behind another spaceship has the shooting position. When the aliens

pass you, they turn light blue. Then you're in position to shoot them

down.


* Part of the aliens' strategy is to draw your ship away from the

trench where it is harder to hit them and, of course, where you are

way out of bombing position. Try to stay near the center target area

as much as you can.


* Keep track of the number of targets you have bombed. The targets

always appear in the same sequence. If you remember that the next

one is black (already hit), you won't have to fly in the vulnerable

bombing position, and can concentrate on shooting down aliens for

more score points.


* The best bombing position is low altitude, in the center of the

trench. Your bombs fall too slowly for high-altitude precision. Also,

you cannot fire your laser while a bomb is falling.

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�1981, 1998 Intellivision Productions, Inc.