Frenesis [Back of cover:] Guaranteed to bring you near to total nervous collapse! Armed with your lethal STATRON blast your way through the invading hordes of aliens in this fast and frenetic game comprising 40 unrelenting levels THE GAME Closing the door carefully behind me, I quickly crossed the room and sat down in front of the computer. Casting a furtive glance around the room I checked to make sure no one was watching before reaching into the secret compartment in my case for my copy of FRENESIS. The game, though it can hardly be described as such, loaded easily enough into the computer. Slipping the joystick lead into the side of the machine, I breathed a sigh of relief and settled more comfortably into the chair. Suddenly the room was plunged into darkness, I could feel a force around my body, it started to pull me back by the ankles and all I could do was to reach out for FRENESIS - nothing else mattered... GAMEPLAY Comprised of 40 levels, the game is fast and furious. Your aim is to prevent the invading hordes of aliens from reaching the cross, which may sound reasonably straightforward, but achieving it certainly won't be! You are armed with a STATRON, and this is your means of getting rid of the aliens, but there are various techniques you must master in order to get maximum use out of it. 1. To destroy an alien your Statron must have its pink arrows facing the alien. As an example, if an alien enters from the left hand side of the screen the arrows must be rolling to the right side. 2. Your Statron can switch from a vertical to a horizontal axis by pushing the joystick into the desired direction. So if you are facing left and wish to travel up screen, tap the joystick up and your Statron will switch axis and run vertically up and down the screen. ALIENS As long as you are facing the right direction the aliens will explode on contact with your Statron. Providing that is that they're not the "30's", a persistent type of alien who insist on coming back for more. SCORING Each alien is worth 20 points. Once you start to play the game you will notice a label called TOTAL on the status line. This shows two lots of 3 digits. The set on the left shows the running total of aliens you have managed to destroy, and the set on the right shows how many more you must destroy in order to progress to the next level. WAVE SUMMARY WAVES 1-3 STATRON FODDER (EASY!) WAVES 4-6 SMART ROUND (EASY ON THAT FIRE BUTTON) WAVES 7-9 WEAK STATRON WAVES 10-12 KILLER PLUNGES (THEY'RE MEAN!) WAVES 13-15 TIME TO WHACK UP THAT SCORE WAVES 16-17 TAKE IT EASY... WAVE 18 A TASTE OF WHAT'S TO COME WAVE 19 BLITZ TIME! WAVES 20-40 SUPER BLITZ HINTS 1. The key to fast and furious gameplay is to master flipping the axis, but this does require practice. For example, if you are on the far right side of the screen and wish to get to the far left side it is much quicker to tap the joystick down and then left. 2. On levels 4-6 you will come across the Killer Plungers. They move across the screen in steps of three and can only be destroyed on the last step. 3. Just a brief word about the "Mega Annihilating Smart Bombs". These are triggered off by pressing the fire button and can be extremely useful as they allow you extra time. You have one per wave on levels 1-3 and 7-8, and an unlimited supply on waves 4-6, 19 and 20-40. However any aliens you destroy with these bombs do not add to your total score. 4. As this game is guaranteed to bring you near to total nervous collapse, you get a top up to three lives on levels 4, 7, 10, 13, 14, 15 and 19 - you'll need them! CONTROLS Joystick Only LOADING INSTRUCTIONS Hold down SHIFT key and press RUN/STOP The program code, graphic representation and artwork are the copyright of Mastertronic and may not be reproduced, stored, hired or broadcast in any form whatsoever without the written permission of Mastertronic. All rights reserved. (c) Mastertronic Limited 1987 Made in Great Britain Design: Words & Pictures Ltd., London