MOUNTAIN KING
BY CBS ELECTRONICS
SETTING UP YOUR VIDEO CONSOLE
1. Hook up your video game system, following the manufacturer's
instructions.
2. With the power OFF, plug in the video game cartridge.
3. Turn power ON. If no image appears, check the connection of your
game system to the TV, then repeat steps 1-3.
4. Plug a 5200 Controller firmly into controller jack 1.
5. Keypad overlays are provided for your convenience. If you
desire, slip an overlay onto your controller's keypad.
6. The game will automatically start on Level 1. To select a higher
level, press the Skill Level square (the # key) on your keypad
and then select the desired level number, 2 through 8.
7. Press the START key or one of the two bottom red buttons on the
side of your controller. If you have not used the Skill Level
key, your Explorer will appear on the screen and dance across
the mountaintop. At the end of the dance, play begins on Level
1. To bypass the dance, press the START key again. If you have
used the Skill Level key, pressing the START key will
automatically begin the game at the level selected.
Note: Never remove your video game cartridge from the console unless
the power is turned OFF.
Deep inside a long-lost diamond mine is the secret Temple Chamber of
a forgotten civilization. There, a priceless Golden Crown sits high
on a pedestal, vulnerable to plundering explorers seeking to control
its power. But this treasure is jealously guarded by the denizens of
the mountain, and whoever has the daring and courage to challenge
them, seize the Crown, and escape to the mountaintop with it will
become MOUNTAIN KING!
OBJECT OF THE GAME
The object of MOUNTAIN KING is to capture the Golden Crown of the
Temple and carry it safely to the top of the mountain. You will
attempt to do this as many tims as you can and on as many levels as
possible before your time expires and/or you are destroyed.
THE EXPLORER
Watch carefully as your Explorer does his dance at the beginning of
Level 1. You'll see all the different ways he can move and you'll
also get a glimpse of the Perpetual Flame (where you must eventually
take the Golden Crown). You'll also hear the theme music for the
game.
Use the joystick of your controller to make the Explorer run to the
left or right. To jump from plateau to plateau, push the joystick
away from you at a 45-degree angle to the left or right; he'll leap
in the respective direction. If you jump or fall to a lower plateau,
you won't be hurt. But, if you fall too far, you'll be momentarily
stunned and unable to proceed for a few seconds. To climb ladders,
push the joystick away from you. Pull it towards you to go down
ladders or to kneel.
You must kneel in order to claim the Flame Spirit, open Treasure
Chests and gain entry to the Temple.
Your Explorer is equipped with a flashlight used to find treasure
chests and to confirm the location of the Flame Spirit. To activate
the flashlight, press one of the two bottom red buttons on the sides
of your controller. The upper side buttons have no function in this
game. The flashlight may only shine in the direction in which your
Explorer is headed. It cannot shine up or down.
DIAMONDS & THE FLAME SPIRIT
In order to gain entry to the Temple, you must first be in possession
of the Flame Spirit. To qualify for possession, you must collect
1,000 points worth of diamonds. Diamonds are embedded in the cavern
walls throughout the mountain. Merely pass over them to pick them
up. Each cluster of three diamonds is worth 10 points. Once you
have successfully collected 1,000 or more diamond points, a dancing
flame will appear at the bottom of your screen indicating that the
Flame Spirit is now available for capture.
LOOK FOR: a very brief flame flicker. This marks the location of the
Flame Spirit. The Flame Spirit itself is only fully visible with the
flashlight on it.
LISTEN FOR: the theme music. The louder the music, the closer you
are to the Flame Spirit. On levels 2 through 8, the theme music will
only play two verses. If you fail to capture the flame spirit before
the music ends, it will disappear again and leave a perpetually
burning flame in its place.
Before the Flame Spirit becomes available again, you'll have to
collect another 1,000 diamond points.
The Flame Spirit is randomly hidden within the mountain and is not
likely to pop up in the same position more than once.
Once you have successfully located the Flame Spirit, position your
Explorer directly on top of it and pull the joystick towards you to
kneel down and pick it up. The Explorer will then be surrounded by a
glittering halo. Quickly proceed to the Temple.
Note: Some players may find locating the Flame Spirit to be the
hardest part of the game. For them we have prepared some notes
designed to ease the frustration of this quest. These notes are
located in the back of this manual.
BATS
Two kinds of bats inhabit the caves of the mountain. Black Bats can
only be seen with your flashlight. But have no fear' they're
harmless. Gray Bats, however, are always visible and serve to
protect both the Temple and its Golden Crown. On Levels 2 through 8,
Gray Bats will try to steal the Flame Spirit from you before you make
it into the Temple. On all levels, they'll try to steal back the
Golden Crown before you're able to get it to the mountaintop.
THE GIANT SPIDER
Lurking at the bottom of the mine is a Giant Spider waiting to wind
your Explorer in its web. If you get caught, you'll be able to
escape the web by rapidly moving the joystick forward and back. You
must do this quickly; if the Spider returns to find you still
struggling, he will eat you and end the game. The Spider will also
steal back the Golden Crown should you possess it when caught and,
on Levels 2 through 8, will take back the Flame Spirit as well.
On Level 8, both the Spider and its web are invisible. On all
levels, you may escape the Spider altogether by leaping over him or
jumping to a ladder or higher plateau.
TREASURE CHESTS
Randomly hidden throughout the depths of the mountain are 10 Treasure
Chests. They contain either Gray Bats or diamonds, but you won't
know what's in any particular Treasure Chest until you open it. If
it contains diamonds, a short fanfare will sound and 250 diamond
points will be added to your point total.
To open a Treasure Chest, position your Explorer directly on top of
it and pull the joystick towards you. A new Treasure Chest will
always be hidden for every one opened, except for chests opened
while the Flame Spirit is available.
A flashing white light at a Treasure Chest location indicates that
the chest has been emptied, but has not yet been closed. Pass right
over it to close it and pick up an extra 10 points.
One more point: Treasure Chests can only be seen using a flashlight!
THE SKULL SPIRIT
Guarding the entrance to the Temple is the ominous Skull Spirit,
visible only with your flashlight. Offer him the Flame Spirit and he
will grant you entrance to the Temple. To do this, position your
Explorer directly under the entranceway and pull the joystick
towards you. The Skull Spirit will take the Flame Spirit and become
visible only long enough for you to dash into the Temple. Be fast;
if the Skull Spirit disappears before you enter, you'll have to bring
him the Flame Spirit again.
THE GOLDEN CROWN
Once inside the Temple, you must scale the walls to get to the Golden
Crown. Move the joystick forward to place it on your head and then
pull it towards you to remove both you and the Crown from the
pedestal.
ESCAPING
Once the Golden Crown is on your head, you'll hear a brief fanfare
and then you must get out. Drop to the floor of the Temple and back
out into the mine. Your challenge now is to get to the top of the
mountain where the Perpetual Flame burns before time runs out or
before the Bats steal the Crown from you. If you make it to the
mountaintop, you'll receive bonus points based on how much time you
have left and then play will automatically continue at the next
highest level.
The Temple Chamber
The secret resting place of the Golden Crown has remained untouched
for centuries. Now, its discovery has left it vulnerable to intrepid
treasure seekers.
SPECIAL FEATURES
Ladders
Use these to go up and down. Your Explorer cannot jump from the top
of a ladder.
Flashlight
Your flashlight has inexhaustible power. Use it to see the Flame
Spirit, Skull Spirit and Treasure Chests. You cannot use it and pick
up diamonds at the same time, nor will it work when you are caught
in the Spider's web or are in possession of the Flame Spirit or
Golden Crown.
Flames
Perpetual flames burn at the top of the mountain and around the
Temple. Also, if you fail to capture the Flame Spirit in the alotted
time, it will leave a flame in its location. If your Explorer runs
into a flame, he will be burnt to a crisp and the game will end.
If you manage to jump over one of the flames guarding the Temple,
thereby gaining illegal entry, you will not be able to take the
Crown without first having gained possession of the Flame Spirit.
Scoring Display
The score display at the bottom of your screen indicates three
things. At the top is your total score. At the bottom left is the
amount of time remaining to complete your quest. At the bottom right
is the number of diamond points needed before the Flame Spirit
becomes available for capture. When the Flame Spirit does become
available, this number will turn white and display the bonus you'll
receive upon capture. The quicker you get the Flame Spirit, the
larger the bonus.
Pause and Reset
To pause the game at any point, press the PAUSE key on your
controller. To resume the game, press this key again. Pressing the
RESET key will return the game to the title screen,
MUSIC AND SOUNDS
Music is one of the most critical and exciting elements of MOUNTAIN
KING. At the beginning of the game, listen carefully to the theme
music. You'll hear this theme again when the Flame Spirit becomes
available. The closer you are to the Flame Spirit, the louder the
music will be. Similarly, the faster the music is playing, the less
time you have left to capture the Flame Spirit. Once you get the
Golden Crown and leave the Temple, you'll hear the theme music again.
As you attempt to escape, the music will get faster and faster. Just
as before, the faster the music, the less time available to get to
the mountaintop.
Among the assorted sounds heard throughout the game, one to remember
is the sound of the oncoming Giant Spider. If you stay alert to this
sound, you just may have enough time to get out of the way before the
Spider snares you. This will come in handy on higher levels where
the Spider is harder to see.
TIME
Time is another critical element. Depending on the level you're
playing, you have a limited amount of time to complete your mission.
At 1:59 left to play, the time display turns yellow. With only :59
left, it turns red and flashes. At this time, the mountain will
begin to rebel and small fires will appear throughout the mine making
it increasingly more difficult for you to maneuver.
BONUSES
There are several bonuses you can pick up as you play:
* When you capture the Flame Spirit, you'll be given one additional
minute of playing time at your current level.
* Also, for capturing the Flame Spirit, you'll receive bonus points
depending on how long it took you to do so.
* For escaping the Temple with the Golden Crown, you'll receive
5,000 points.
* For reaching the mountaintop with the Golden Crown, you will
receive up to 20,000 points depending on how long it took you to
get there and how much time is left in the game.
* If you happen to be standing on top of the mountain when time
expires, you will be given a once-only bonus of one minute.
SKILL LEVEL DISTINCTIONS
Point Range
of bonus Time to Time to
Total for finding find reach
Level Time Flame Spirit Spirit Mountaintop
1 8:00 3000/10 Unlimited 45 sec.
2 6:00 3500/1440 40 sec. 40 sec.
3 5:00 4000/3220 35 sec. 30 sec.
4 4:00 4500/3020 30 sec. 30 sec.
5 3:00 5000/3710 25 sec. 30 sec.
6 3:00 5500/4410 22 sec. 30 sec.
7 3:00 6000/4910 22 sec. 30 sec.
8 3:00 6500/5600 20 sec. 30 sec.
END OF GAME
The game ends when your intrepid Explorer is burned to a crisp,
becomes lunch for the Spider or runs out of time.
When the game ends, the final score display will show:
* Total points scored.
* Last Skill Level played.
* The numer of times the Flame Spirit was captured.
* The numer of times the Golden Crown was removed from the Temple.
If the Level display is flashing, it indicates that the Explorer
perished with less than one minute remaining.
WHO TURNED OUT THE LIGHTS? OPTION
If you're looking for more challenge, try this version... When you
start the game, press the Skill Level square, choose a level and then
press the keypad square marked Challenge! The plateaus of the mine
will turn invisible. Oh, they'll still be there (and you'll be able
to see them with your flashlight) but it does make getting around
them a little trickier.
STRATEGY HINTS
1. Practice maneuvering the Explorer to become familiar with the way
he moves and how he jumps. You'll need to be both fast and agile
when you're trying to escape with the Crown.
2. Listen carefully to the sounds and the music. They let you know
when the Spider is approaching, how close you are to the Flame
Spirit and how much time you have left to reach the mountaintop.
3. Don't open Treasure Chests while the Flame Spirit is available.
They won't be replaced and you might need fresh ones later on
when you're running out of time and diamonds. Try to remember
where they are and come back for them.
MOUNTAIN KING SKILL CLINIC
Finding the Flame Spirit
While the object of MOUNTAIN KING is to capture the Golden Crown and
get it to the top of the mountain, new players find that the most
challenging and, at times, frustrating element of the game is finding
the Flame Spirit. The following additional hints and reminders have
been prepared to assist you in this quest:
a. Remember that the dancing flame that appears at the bottom of the
screen when you have collected 1,000 diamond points indicates that
the Flame Spirit is available for capture.
b. The key to success in finding the Flame Spirit is in using the
musical score as your guide to its location. When you come to the
point where you feel the melody is loudest, STOP! Look around the
screen and THEN concentrate on finding a flash of golden light.
That flash is the flickering Flame Spirit and as you become more
experienced with the game, you'll have an easier time spotting
if. If you move up to it and shine your flashlight on it, you'll
see it more readily.
c. Once you have located the Flame Spirit, you must position your
Explorer directly on top of it and pull the joystick towards you
to gain possession of it.
END
Typed by Keita Iida
Used with permission from Atari Gaming Headquarters
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