TIPS, TRICKS and HINTS
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For an idea of what a game is all
about, read the following CARTRIDGE REVIEW MANUAL. Cartridges are typed
according to the most pronounced characteristic when games possess more than
one type, if possible. Some cartridges will be listed more than once to better
represent the type of game.
ADVENTURE OR
RESCUE:
Aquattack, BC's Quest For Tires, BC's
Quest for Tires II - Grog's Revenge, Cabbage Patch Adventure in the Park, Congo
Bongo, Destructor, Dragon Fire, Fathom, Frantic Freddy, Frenzy, Gust Buster,
Heist, H.E.R.O., James Bond, Jungle Hunt, Kung Fu Super kicks, M*A*S*H, Miner
2049er, Pitfall, Pitfall II, Popeye, River Raid, Robin Hood, Roc 'N Rope, Sammy
Lightfoot, Sewer Sam, Sir Lancelot, Smurf Rescue, Spy Hunter, Star Trek,
Tarzan, Victory, and Wing War.
BOARD GAMES
and STYLE:
Blackjack/Poker, Juke Box, Oil's
Well, Q*Bert, Q*Bert's Qubes, and Word Feud. Since the games listed under MAZE
are single screen events, they, too, could be listed here.
CASTLE OR
Alcazar, Gateway to Apshai, Mountain
King, Quest for Quintana Roo, Tutankham, and Venture.
EDUCATIONAL:
Alphabet Zoo, Amazing Bumpman, Brain
Strainers, Campaign 84, Dr. Seuss: Fix-up the Mix-up Puzzler, Facemaker,
Fortune Builder, Learning with Leeper, Linking Logic, Logic Levels, Memory
Manor,
FLYING:
Blockade Runner, Choplifter, Cosmic
Avenger, Dam Busters, Dragon Fire, H.E.R.O., Looping, M*A*S*H, Moonsweeper, Sir
Lance lot, Super Cobra, Time Pilot, and Zaxxon.
GAME
CHALLENGE:
Boulder Dash, Burgertime, Carnival,
Centipede, Donkey Kong, Donkey Kong Jr., Flipper Slipper, Frantic Freddy,
Frogger, Frog ger II, Illusions, Jumpman Junior, Rock N' Bolt, Rolloverture,
Slither, Slurpy, Squish 'Em Sam, Strike It, Root Beer Tapper, and Yolks On You.
INTERACTIVE
GAMES:
Cabbage Patch Kids: Picture Show,
Campaign 84, Rock 'N' Roll, and Smurf Paint 'N' Play Workshop.
MAZE OR GRID
GAMES:
Cosmic Crisis, Destructor, Illusions,
Lady Bug, Mouse Trap, Mr. Do, Mr. Do's Castle, Pepper II, Space Panic, and
Zenji.
RACING OR
DRIVING GAMES:
Bump 'N Jump, Dukes of Hazzard, Fall
Guy, Motocross Racer, Pitstop, Turbo, and Up 'N Down.
SPACE
Beamrider, Blockade Runner, Buck
Rogers, Cosmic Avenger, Gyruss, Meteoric Shower, Moonsweeper, Space Fury, Super
Cross Force, Victory, and Zaxxon.
SPACE INVADER
GAMES:
Galaxian, Gorf, Omega Race, Meteoric
Shower, Sector Alpha, and Threshold.
SPORTS GAMES:
Baseball, Decathlon, Football,
One-On-One, Skiing, Soccer, Tennis, and Video Hustler.
WAR GAMES:
Artillery Duel, Choplifter, Defender,
Frontline, River Raid, Star Trek, Star Wars, Subroc, Tank Wars, War Games, and
War Room.
When playing cartridge games, many
have found secrets that may benefit the player or simply be an interesting
event that the programmer put in the game for the curious. Usually there are
some signs that point to a possible secret. Look for things like ladder flips
-- where a ladder broken in the middle prevents continuation to another level
of a maze, but with proper control may allow a secret path to another screen or
level of play. Don’t only look for
ladders, but look for vines, ropes, etc. Quite often this continuity is there
for a reason.
CENTIPEDE
- Shoot mushrooms away in a straight line up the screen to create a corridor
which, when the centipede reaches it, will fall straight down and can be easily
picked off. Since the flea doesn't appear until you eliminate most of the
mushrooms near you, it is possible to set up a shield to prevent this pest from
striking by refraining from shooting away mushrooms near your magic wand. Shoot
Centipede heads to create new heads out of the body segment left behind --
heads are worth 10 times the point value of the body segments. You can use an
Atari joystick in port one and make your game selections with a Coleco joystick
in port two. Roller controllers can be used when set to the Joystick Mode.
COSMIC
AVENGER - Get down at the level of the tanks and shoot them instead of
bombing them, or save the tanks for later and get the UFOs first since the tank
fire can hit the UFOs which are more of a threat. The Yellow Missile housings
are bad because they track you, shooting you down if you don't move fast. Try
flying low and keep the fire buttons pressed all the time.
DAM
BUSTERS - An excellent but difficult game, here are some tips to help.
First, set your engine controls by shutting down engines 1 and 3 (the ones that
catch on fire), and throttle back until the air speed indicator flashes on the
pilots console (just like in the instructions). This is cruising speed. Bomb
the topmost dam by using the navigation cursor to set a course to the center
(not bottom center) of the lake. The plane flies to the top of the cursor. Once
the cursor is aligned, move it in a straight line to the right, about an inch
from the river. Once you reach that position, move the cursor back to its
original position and turn the plane to the new heading. This will line you up
for the bombing run. Activate the aircraft altitude spotlights. Both light
spots should appear as one. Correct your altitude slowly. Activate the bomb
rotation and go to the front gunner's screen. Line up the dam in your sights
and bombs away. Note also that the altimeter is not reliable.
DESTRUCTOR
- Plays even better with the Roller Controller (with Joystick selected). You
must hold down the Upper Red Button on either side while you're rolling from
side to side, and use the #2 Controller joystick controls for forward and
reverse directions.
DONKEY
KONG - An interesting trick is to move Mario up the first broken ladder
and then bring him back down, walk him to the left so that his back is almost
touching the same broken ladder, and then move him a step or two to the right
and jump. There are two versions of Kong. With one version Mario will fall
through the bottom of the screen and land safely at the beginning of screen 2.
In the other version, Mario also falls and disappears off the screen while
barrels keep rolling down. Ten seconds later he bounces back into the picture
at the top girder right next to Donkey Kong. You then have to move fast to
climb up the last ladder. Another event that is interesting happens in the
third (elevator) screen. It should be impossible, but isn't. First you have to
get to the top right hand part of the screen to the tier where the purse is
located. Below you is a short ladder. Position Mario right above it and wiggle
the joystick up and down very quickly. Mario falls through the metal floor and
ends up on the tier right below where you were.
DONKEY
KONG JR - 1st screen - Use the fruit to knock off the Snap-Jaws, wait
until just below you. 2nd Screen - Start climbing the 3rd and 4th chains and
work over to the right side of the screen. Then go back to the 2st two chains
as the best way to score points and clear the screen. 4th Screen - As you hit
the jump board, press the jump button and be bounced up to the hanging vine.
FALL GUY
- Try to keep track of where you are by using the map. It's easy to get lost
and just drive around in circles looking for the hideout. Watch your speed so
you don't get caught speeding by the police or crash on the curves. Highway
curves can be taken at 55 MPH, but right angle corners must be taken much
slower. Slow down on gravel roads, and watch out for car ramp jumps where you
must speed UP to make it over the jump. Too fast and you will lose control on
the other side and crash. In the hideout you must position your body properly
on some jumps to make it between the obstacle and the ceiling (run, 3 clicks of
the fire button, pause, 4th click). In the second level of the game you must jump
through windows to get to the bad guy.
FORTUNE
BUILDER - Build as many lodges and ski lifts as you can, even if you
must borrow. You will quickly get your money back when big profits roll in
during the winter months. Keep the beaches filled with tourists by adding
hotels, boardwalks, and other places to go that produce a summer income.
FRENZY
- When you get killed you may have a gap in the wall behind you. If you move
back before the action starts, the Commando will run backwards. If you let Otto
chase you, not killing him, another Otto will appear. If you have not set Otto
on the feature cell to Big Otto, do it and run away very fast. On the option
screen, * or # takes you back to the title.
FRONT
LINE - Move through a wall with a hole in it by getting as far into the
hole as possible using the Heavy Tank, and rotate the turret while pushing
forward on the control stick. The tank moves through the wall to the other
side.
GALAXIAN
- When a Flagship is destroyed in flight in waves 1 through 14, the rest of the
fleet stops firing for a few seconds of mourning. This is your big chance to
get the escorts and any other warriors that you can. This may be the only time
they are not firing at you. Always have a strategical escape planned to avoid
patterns of missile attacks. Think fast and scan the screen for methods of
outsmarting the fleet. Some members of the fleet are incredibly difficult to
destroy, but with practice you can outsmart them.
HARD HAT
MACK - For unlimited lives, press the pound (#) button (or * button in
some cases) just after the game begins with screen one. Change between screens
1, 2, or 3 by pressing the number and you will instantly change to that screen.
If you drop the last block on screen 3 and immediately follow it through the
hole, you may become stuck on that level.
LOOPING
- Don't fly too close to the ground in the city because the balloons may catch
you by surprise. Don't use the accelerator in the maze. Try to shoot the green
drop before it leaves the spigot. Hold the firebutton down.
Miner
2049er - When the game displays "1 or 2 players" enter the
following code: 6453# and the screen # you wish to play. The screen number/level is from 1-9 on the
keypad, while level 10 is " * " and level 11 is "
# " on the keypad
MOUSE
TRAP - Since there is no pause feature, you can trap yourself in one of
the rooms by shutting the doors. No kitties can get you there while you take a
break.
MR. DO -
Here's a trick. Try and crush Mr. Do under an apple and he's a goner. But try
dropping 2 adjacent apples and then getting Mr. Do crushed under the first one
dropped and you will flatten him like an accordion. His power ball will remain
where it was and he will land right under where the apples land, play
continues. If he is only dropped a little bit, he can be eaten by a bad guy.
But, if he's dropped from a higher level he becomes impenetrable, but
nonresponsive to control until you restart the game.
NINJA
PRINCESS - Stage select and extra lives. During the title screen, press Up, Down, Up, Up, Down, Down, Down, Up, Up, Down, Up. This will open a menu where you can use Left
or Right to highlight Stage or Lives and Up or Down to modify the value.
NOVA
BLAST - Energy Depots will regenerate energy as long as some reserves
remain, so don't take all the energy or you won't be
able to come back for more later. Energy beamed aboard evaporates after a while
even if you don't use it. So beam energy aboard only when you need it. Use the
Surface Scanner to determine which cities are under attack and need protection.
PEPPER II
- Complete one maze at a time so you won't have to back track later. Enclose
the room by quadrants and always remember to energize first so you can freeze
the Zipper Ripper and gobble up the roaming eyes for bonus points. Close off a
corner room last so you don't have to cross in front of the eyes again.
PITFALL
- It is possible to walk through a wall by making Harry jump at the wall. Don't
stand right next to it when trying. One underground scene equals three on the
top.
POPEYE
- In round 2, set up a situation where Bluto is about to jump you and you are
next to the green spinach can. Get the spinach and follow bluto without
touching him. When he jumps on the jumping board with Whimpy on it, jump on
too. If your timing was right, Bluto will hit Whimpy while he bounces up, then
spin across the screen while you get the notes. In round 3 (the ship scene),
position Popeye on the far right (on any level) and Bluto can't get you.
SMURF
RESCUE -An interesting thing happens when you enter the scene with the
skull and Smurfette. After you enter the scene, turn around to go back out and
Smurfette will drop her dress.
SPACE
FURY - No reason to thrust on the first screen. Just concentrate on
getting rid of the alien ships. Given the choice of three motherships, dock
with the top one first. Dock with the right one second and the left one third.
Each mothership give different amounts of firepower and lets you shoot in
different directions. The above order gives the firepower needed to destroy the
aliens quickly. Always shoot out at least one of the group of four small enemy
ships as it takes four small ships to form one large enemy ship.
SPACE
PANIC - You can save oxygen by chasing after the creatures on screens
1-4. On screens 5 u try to get rid of all the red creatures first. They are the
easiest and leave you more time to concentrate on the Bosses and Dons.
SPY
HUNTER - Deciding which fork of the road to take will determine which
weapons you receive from the Spy Truck. Take the Left fork to begin so that you
will be supplied with OIL for your car. Next fork, choose the right side in
order to receive Missiles for fighting off helicopter attacks that score
higher. Slow down on the ice, and if your Spy Truck appears while you already
have OIL, allow it to block off attacks from the rear or front of you as long
as you can before entering it. When using the Speed Boat in the canal, stay to
the right side and go as fast as you can. You will avoid more attacks and be in
position to exit back to the dock and highway.
SQUISH
'EM SAM - The best feature of this game is that SAM TALKS! After you
squash a creature, head immediately for the next floor.
STAR TREK
- If enemy vessels are chasing you from behind, warp away from them and then
turn back to return fire. You won't use up shields as fast by adding this
maneuver.
SUBROC
- When you get to the Command plane, dodge everything it fires at you. Wait
until the bonus gets to 1000, then destroy it.
TARZAN
- To get rid of the crocodile, run and jump on top of him. You will also gain
extra energy for this. If you are low on energy and at the campsite, keep
punching the hunter until you are at full strength again.
TIME
PILOT - Never attack ANY enemy head on. It could be certain death.
VENTURE
- Move Winky into a room and then back out and in again. Keep doing this to see
what happens.
ZAXXON - When reaching open space for the 1st two
groups of three fighters, stay at the bottom right of the screen and move in a
horizontal position while firing. For the remaining enemy fighters, stay at the
top of the screen while firing. Best way to get through the force field is to
stay on the bottom, then come up slowly while firing in order to line up with
the opening in the force field. When encountering Zaxxon, you have to blast at
robots, then at the missile in Zaxxon's side. A quicker way is to shoot the
missile first, placing your fighter 3 levels high using the altitude indicator.