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Alien - 20th Century Fox - Atari 2600    Manual Scan icon HTML Manual   

Alien
                           A L I E N
                       20th Century Fox
                     Games of the Century
              (picture of the ALIEN movie poster)
             "In space no one can hear you scream"
                       Game Instructions
                        Fox Video Games


                           A L I E N

TO SET UP: Set up your video computer system and left joystick controller as
instructed in your manufacturer owner's manual.  Move the Color/B-W lever to
the correct setting.  Turn the power OFF and insert the Alien game cartridge.


(Screen shot of the ALIEN maze setup: Alien, Alien Egg, Human, Pulsar and
Play Level-demo mode only)


TO BEGIN: Turn the power ON.  Use the Game Select lever and Difficulty
Switches to choose a play level.  Press the Game Reset lever and get ready
to run for your life.

THE OBJECTIVE: Your job is to run through the hallways of your space ship
and crush all the Alien Eggs which have been placed there.  You must also
avoid or destroy the adult Aliens and snatch up as many prizes as possible.

THE CONTROLS: Tilt the joystick forward, backward, left and right to
maneuver through the hallways.  To smash Eggs, simply run over them.  You
may travel off one side of the maze and back into the other using the
"Hyperwarp Passage."  Each Human is equipped with a Flame Thrower that is
activated by the joystick button (see below).

SCREEN DISPLAY: The Play Level and Humans allowed per Play Level are
displayed in the bottom left corner of the screen when Alien is not in play.
During the game, the current score and Humans remaining are shown there.

LEVELS OF PLAY/DIFFICULTY SWITCHES/BONUS ROUNDS: Each game of Alien lasts
until you run out of Humans.  If you can clear all of the Eggs out of a
playing screen, you get the chance to earn extra points in a "Bonus Round"
and then are returned to a new and more difficult playing screen.  All
points and Humans remaining are carried over to the new screens.

Bonus Rounds: The object of the Bonus Round is to travel STRAIGHT UP to the
top of the screen and grab the prize shown there.  You have only eight
seconds to do so.  You do not lose a human if you fail, but you earn the
point value of the prize if you succeed.

Left Difficulty Switch A: Aliens travel in random order about the screen.

Left Difficulty Switch B: Aliend travel in fixed patterns about the screen.

Right Difficult Switch B: Capturing a Pulsar has standard effect on the Aliens.

Right Difficulty Switch A: Capturing a Pulsar has no effect on the Aliens.


(Screen shot of ALIEN maze: Flame Thrower, Prize, Hyperwarp Passages, Humans
Remaining and Current Score)


LEVEL 1 - NORMAL GAME PLAY: You begin with three Humans and receive a bonus
Human after successfully clearing the second screen.  Prizes appear in chart
order.

LEVEL 2 - ADVANCED GAME PLAY: You begin with two Humans and receive no bonus
Humans.  Prizes appear in chart order.

LEVEL 3 - FOR EXPERTS ONLY: You begin with three Humans and receive no bonus
Human after clearing the first screen.  All Prizes in Level 3 are Saturns.

LEVEL 4 - EASY PRACTICE GAME: You begin with six Humans and receive 1 bonus
Human after clearing the first sceen.  All Prizes in Level 4 are also Saturns.

OBJECTS/SCORING: Each time an Alien catches you, one Human is lost.  You
score points for smashing Eggs and frying Aliens with the aid of your Flame
Thrower or Pulsar.  In addition, you can gain points for picking up Prizes.
Be sure to record your high scores on the back of this booklet!

(Screen shot of the bonus round with the human at the bottom of the screen,
the prize at the top of the screen and the horizontal moving Aliens in the
centre portion -- similar to the road portion of Frogger.)

FLAME THROWER - 1 PER HUMAN: A spurt of flam from this contraption cause
Aliens to turn away from you or become immobilized for a short period of
time.  Use the Throwers carefully.  Each has only four secons of flame and
the Thrower will not operate in the extreme left or right areas of the
screen.  You can also use the Flame Thrower to run over a Pulsar without
picking it up, allowing you to save the Pulsar to use at a later time.

PULSARS - 3 PER MAZE: Capturing a Pulsar causes the Aliens to weaken and
turn blue.  Then, for a short period of time, you can destroy them by
running over and touching them.  The instant the Aliens return to their
original colr, however, they once again become deadly.

PRIZES - 2 PER MAZE: Prizes appear in all levels of play and in the Bonus
Rounds.

POINT CHART:

OBJECT                  POINTS  PRIZES          POINTS
Eggs                            10              Rocket          500
Pulsar                  100             Saturn          1,000
1st Alien                       500             Star Ship               2,000
2nd Alien                       1,000   1st Surprise            2,000-3,000
3rd Alien                       2,000   2nd Surprise    3,000
Completed Screen                1               3rd Surprise            5,000


HINTS FROM DALLAS NORTH...
A good playing strategy is to crush all of the Eggs in one area at a time,
keeping within easy readh of a Pulsar.  The best way to destroy Aliens is to
sit near a Pulsar until the Aliens are almost upon you.  Then grab that
Pulsar and go get 'em !

Use the Hyperwarp Passage to ditch Aliens.  Many times they won't follow you in.

If you're having trouble with the Bonus Rounds, try going between the Alien
pairs rather than around them.

SUPER SMASHERS (a place to enter your high scores)
Name                            Level           Score

                                


This document obtained from the History of Home Video Games Homepage, �1997-1998 by Greg Chance