Zig Zag Copyright/Publisher: Mirrorsoft, Release Year: 1987, Categorie: Space Diagonal Scroll, Number Of Players: 1 INTRODUCTION Zip at hyperspeed in your starfighter down the narrow passage ways of the MATRIX OF ZOG somewhere in the 12th dimension... The supreme star pilot is the one who can survive to locate the EIGHT CRYSTALS OF ZOG. This is the ultimate test of your mental and physcial agility, as the enemy will send its best against you. Ramps, traps and disappearing barriers are a few of the obstacles awaiting you in ZIG-ZAG Shop Zones are available at various spots and the smart pilot knows to purchase items necessary to survival and success. You might want to buy maps, shields to make you invicibla, an extra life or two or infared and x-ray vision. CONTROLS: [F1] - Allows you to enter a Save Code (Explained later) [F3] - Toggles between music and sound effects during the gameplay. [F5] - Toggles between normal and reverse controls on the joystick. In normal mode pushing up on the joystick moves the fighter up and pushing down moves the fighter down. Left and Right are unaffected by this toggle. [F7] - Toggles between BRAIN TEASER and ZAPPER modes. In ZAPPER mode, all the prisms are in place and all the passage ways are open. Use this mode to get familiar with the maze. Shoot alien while you´re at it. The BRAIN TEASER mode is the normal mode of the game. [FIRE] - Fires your weapon. Press fire twice to start the game [CBM] - Paues. When paused hit [F1] to quit. To change the forward direction of your ship, you must run into the prisms allow 90 and 180 degree turns, depending on how they are oriented. Hitting a wall always reverses your direction. At the top is... Your Score. The High Score. The amount of cash you have collected (by killing aliens). The number of the zone you are currently in. You start at 000. The number of crystals you´ve collected. All 8 are shown on screen, they are highlighted as you collect them. The number of lives you have left (not counting your current one). You begin the game with 5 lives. The elapsed game time. The state (on or off) of the next target you will encounter. The number of minutes left until the time locks close. The game begins with 144 minutes on the time locks. The extra powers you have purchased that are still available to you. To use one of the extra powers, press the space bar until that power is in the highlighted area. Then press fire to engage it. (note:using HOME JAMES will return you to the last save zone you visited) THE GAME Targets There are targets on both the floor and walls. To hit a floor target you must pass directly over it on the floor. Shoot wall targets. Hitting the targets will add or remove a wall or prism. You may or may not know the effect of hitting a target immediately. Aliens There are 7 types of aliens that will be out to get you: zigzags, homers, drifters, attracters, bouncers, corkscrews and cubse. BEWARE! Special Zones You can enter three special zones while you traverse the maze: Save Zone When you enter a Save Zone, you will be shown the opening screen. Here you will be shown a special SAVE CODE (in the box on the right side of the screen). Jot these codes down of you wish to remember them, because they are NOT saved to disk. Whrn you are at the opening screen, you may enter a save code (after you press F1) and your ship will begin the game at the Save Zone that corresponds to that code. Death Zone Enter here, and you DIE! Shop Zone When you enter into a Shop Zone, you can purchase various items to help you with your quest. They include: U-Turns These allow you to turn around without striking a wall or prism, Zapps These "Smart Bombs" destroy all the aliens currently on the screen. Maps Of the parts of the maze you have already visited. Extra Lives Missiles This one increases the rate at which your weapons fire. Shields The shield protects you from enemy fire for 5 minutes. Raisers Engage one of these and the enemy is forced up into the air where they can´t bother you, unless of course you´re up in the air with them. Infared Vision For seeing in the dark. X-Ray Vision For seeing through walls. Time Locks There are time locks in the maze that are initially set with just 144 minutes to remain open. After that time, certain passages are closed off. It is still possible to win, but MUCH harder.