Knights on Birdback!

There are alien worlds, and then there are Alien Worlds! Who could have
predicted that you'd ever find yourself this far from home, astride an
alien ostrich under attack by bird-borne avengers!

Getting Started

1.  Insert the Joust (TM) cartridge into your Atari (R) 7800 (TM)
    Pro-System as explained in your Owner's Manual, and turn on your
    console.

2.  Plug a controller into the left controller jack for one player, and
    another into the right controller jack for two players.

3.  Move the controller handle forward or backward, or press [Select] to
    choose a one- or two-player game. In a two-player game, the Knights
    sometimes battle the opponents together, and sometimes battle both the
    opponents and each other.

4.  Move the controller handle to the left or right to choose a difficulty
    level: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced, or Expert.

5.  Use the controller handle to move your bird left and right. The longer
    you hold the handle to the side, the faster the bird moves. Press the
    controller button repeatedly to make him fly.

6.  Press [Pause] to pause a game; press it again to resume play.

Playing the Game

As a bird-borne Knight, you ride an ostrich into combat, beginning the game
with five lives. For each 20,000 points you score, you earn an extra life.

Your opponents are the Buzzard Riders. There are three types, each more
fearsome than the one before. The Bounder (least fearsome) wears red; the
Hunter wears gray; and the Shadow Lord (most fearsome) wears blue. The
Buzzard Riders attack in waves.

Both you and the Buzzard Riders materialize for the first time in the gray
spaces on top of the ledges. Until a bird and rider fully materialize,
they're protected from attack. Once moving, they become fair game for a
joust, in which one mounted Knight attacks another. The winner of a joust
is the rider whose mount is highest at the moment of contact. If the mounts
are at the same level, the joust is a draw.

If you lose a joust, you lose a life, and you materialize again (if you
have lives remaining) in a gray space. If your opponent loses, his suddenly
riderless mount lays an egg in frustration.

The egg then sails through space until it comes to rest on a ledge, or
falls into the lava and is destroyed. If it's on a ledge, pick it up
quickly, or it will hatch another opponent at the Intermediate level, and
an even more menacing opponents at the Advanced and Expert levels.

Sometimes a fast-moving Pterodactyl tries to eat you. To save yourself, you
must be quick and precise, lancing the opponent in the mouth.

Beneath the lowest ledge lives the Troll of the Lava Pits. After the second
wave of attacking Buzzard Riders, the Troll's fire burns away the bridges
that kept the jousters safe from him. Any jouster who falls into the
Lava Pits dies. If you fly too near the Pits, the Troll's hand reaches out
and draws you toward the deadly lava (except at the Beginner level). If the
Troll captures you, you may be able to escape by flying away fast and
breaking his grip.

When you've vanquished all your opponents and picked up all the eggs in a
wave, a new wave with new menaces begins. The waves are:

Survival Wave -- If you make it through this entire wave without losing a
life, you earn 3000 extra points.

Egg Wave -- All your opponents start as eggs. Eat the eggs quickly, before
they hatch.

Pterry Wave -- This wave starts with the marauding Pterodactyl on the
screen.

Team Wave (2 players) -- If neither player unseats the other, both earn
3000 points.

Gladiator Wave (2 players) -- The first player to unseat the other earns
3000 points.

Scoring

Unseating a Buzzard Rider: Bounder               500 points
                           Hunter                750 points
                           Shadow Lord          1500 points

Picking Up Eggs: First egg per round             250 points
                 Second egg per round            500 points
                 Third egg per round             750 points
                 Fourth or more eggs per round  1000 points

Egg grabbed in midair                            500 bonus points

Displaying Skill

Surviving Survival Wave                         3000 points
Cooperating in Team Wave                        3000 points
Unseating other player in Gladiator Wave        3000 points
Unseating other player at other times           2000 points
Destroying a Pterodactyl                        1000 points
Losing a life                                     50 points

You earn an extra life for every 20,000 points you score. Each player's
current score and number of lives left are shown at the bottom of the
screen, Player 1 on the left and Player 2 on the right. No more than four
lives can be shown, even if more have been earned. Final scores remain on
screen during the demonstration sequence that follows each game.

Reproduction of this document or any portion of its contents is not allowed
without the specific written permission of Atari Corp.

Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the product
documentation in this manual. However, because we are constantly improving
and updating our computer software and hardware, Atari Corp. is unable to
guarantee the accuracy of printed material after the date of publication
and disclaims liability for changes, errors, and omissions.

Atari is a registered trademark and 7800 is a trademark of Atari Corp.
Joust is a trademark of Williams Electronics, Inc., manufactured under
license from Williams Electronics, Inc.

Copyright (C) 1982, Williams Electronics, Inc.
Copyright (C) 1988, Atari Corp. Sunnyvale, CA 94086.

All rights reserved

Printed in Hong Kong

CO24857-06 Rev. B       B.T.7.1988