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Dragon's Lair - ReadySoft - Atari Jaguar     HTML Manual   

Dragon's Lair Manual
Dragon's Lair
-------------

OBJECT OF THE GAME
------------------

You, Dirk the Darking, are on a quest to rescue the fair Princess Daphne who 
has been kidnapped and is being held captive by Singe the Evil Dragon. To do 
this you must survive a perilous journey and defeat all your adversaries. Make 
your way through the castle and caverns below by using the controlle to move 
and the "B" button to wield your sword. Beware of your foes as they are 
numerous!

You must use your wit and reflexes to avoid the obstacles of each scene. These 
rooms will require many attempts to master. In general, flashing items will 
indicate either danger (when on a creature) or the direction to move (when on 
an object).

Remember: The timing of your moves is critical. Reacting too early or too late 
          may end your quest abruptly.


PLAYING DRAGON'S LAIR
---------------------

You do not control all of Dirk's actions, rather you control his reactions to 
the events that happen around him. As you watch the animations, you must decide 
in which direction Dirk should move on the screen and when.

To finish a scene successfully, you must make a move or press the "B" button 
when Dirk is in danger. Timing is very critical and often you make the correct 
move but at the wrong time. Also, many scenes require more than one move. If 
you are having trouble, watch the animation carefully and move Dirk in the 
safest direction, or if no direction is safe, press the "B" button to use 
Dirk's sword.

If you're sure you have made the correct move, make the move a little sooner or 
a little later. Don't be surprised if Dirk doesn't react immediately after you 
have made a move. You must wait for the animation to finish, and if you have 
made the correct move(s), you will continue onto the next scene.

The game will end if you lose all of your lives or when you reach the Dragon's
Lair and defeat the Dragon himself. There you will find Princess Daphne who is 
very happy to be rescued...


CONTROLS
--------

The "B" button will begin the game and once the game has begun, the "PAUSE" 
button can be used to pause the scene. Press "PAUSE" again to resume play. 
Dirk's sword or "FIRE" is controlled by the "B" button on your control pad. The 
directions you will need are UP (top button), DOWN (botton button), LEFT (left 
side button) and RIGHT (right side button) on your directional pad.


STARTING THE GAME
-----------------

After the CD has been inserted, the demo mode will automatically begin. To 
start playing the game, simply press the "B" button on the controller. You will 
know the game has started when you see Dirk walking across a drawbridge in 
front of the castle. The bridge has a hole in it and several purple tentacles 
will appear. As the tentacles begin to move towards Dirk, press the "B" button 
once. Dirk will draw his sword and slay the tentacles. Next press the UP 
direction and Dirk will climb back through the hole and run into the castle.


HINTS
-----

Note: Scenes will not necessarily appear in the following order.
(But now they are :)

Drawbridge

Dirk will walk across the bridge and fall through a hole. Several purple 
tentacles will appear. As the tentacles begin to move towards Dirk, press the 
"FIRE" button once. Dirk will draw and swing his sword. Halfway through the 
swing, press UP once; Dirk will put his sword away, climb onto the bridge and 
run into the castle.

End if Corridor

Dirk stands at the end of a corridor in front of three doors. As he looks 
around, the roof starts to cave in and the floor to his left begins to crumble 
away. Dirk must move right to exit out the remaining doors as the floor 
crumbles away and the roof caves in.

Tentacles from Ceiling

As Dirk enters the room, a green tentacle will slither out of the ceiling. Dirk 
must chop the tentacle in half. Various objects will flash in the room and Dirk 
must move in the direction of the flashing objects.

Snake Room

Snakes slither out of the ceiling and walls. Dirk must chop the snakes. A 
skeleton head drops from the ceiling and flashes. Pull the skull and exit 
through the ceiling.

Swinging Ropes of Fire

The brave knight enters a champer filled with rising flames. The door behind 
Dirk slams shut and the small stone patforms he is standing on begins to slide 
into the wall. Dirk must reach out for the swinging ropes to open the door on 
the other side of the chamber.

Pool of Water

Dirk approaches the small pool of water. The floor and ceiling start to 
crumble. Dirk should follow the stone path and roll to avoid the daggers 
shooting out of the wall. Jump into the pool and avoid the water snakes. Once 
out of the pool, beware of the crumbling floors and ceilings. A big hairy 
spider will drop from the ceiling. Dirk should chop the spider and run out the 
door.

Bubbling Ooze in Kettle

After Dirk enters the room, bubbling green ooze will start to pour out of the 
kettle. Dirk must chop the Ooze Monster in half before it tries to eat him. 
Dirk must then face the Smoke Monster that comes out of the kettle. One quick 
slash will destroy him!

The Goons

Emerging in a stairwell, Dirk is attacked by small purple goons. He can slay 
the first but must climb the stairs and slay two more goons before exiting.

Sliding Stairs

Dirk starts down the stairs. They become slippery and he must keep from sliding 
into the pit. Purple tentacles come out of the pit at the bottom of the stairs. 
Dirk must slash and then avoid the tentacles. A chain hanging from the ceiling 
won't help him. Go to the hole and exit.

The Smithy

Dirk enters the forge room and is attacked by a magic flying sword. A flying 
mace will also come at him. He must jump aside to avoid the anvil and parry a 
glowing spear. As Dirk jumps to the forge, he must battle the stone statue who 
magically comes to life!

Giant Spinning Batons

As Dirk approaches these, he must pick the right moment to try and run through 
them. Once past them, he is confronted by a Cloaked Spectre. Dirk must jump 
towards him and them must use his sword to defeat the Spectre. Avoid the 
growing vines on the side of the pathway.

The Wind Room

The wind swirls all around Dirk. There is a hole in the wall with a diamond in 
it, but don't go for the diamond! Dirk must leave throught the flashing door.

Closing Wall

As the wall closes up around Dirk, the door ahead of him will flash. Dirk must 
jump towards the flashing door.

Room of Fire

Dirk must avoid the fire and lightning being flung at him from all sides. Look 
behind the bench to escape.

Metallic Flying Horse

Dirk finds a room with a metal horse sitting in its center. As Dirk sits in the 
saddle reaching up for the gem on the horse's head, he awakens the sleeping 
mount. The horse rears up and carries the knight straight towards pillars and a 
wall which Dirk must avoid. Watch out for curtains of fire!

Checkered Floor Knight

As Dirk enters the room the Black Knight will materialize. The Knight will bang 
his sword against the floor causing electricity to flow along the checkered 
tiles, but don't be shocked! Dirk must jump to the tiles surrounding him that 
are not covered by electricity. Once past this, Dirk must defeat the Knight and 
exit the room.

Haunted Hallway

Dirk is attacked by clattering skulls and a giant skeleton claw that emerge 
from the doorways. Black ooze will pour out of the door on both sides as a 
second skeleton claw approaches Dirk. More black ooze slimes out of the 
doorways and must be avoided. Dirk should jump out the door into the crypt. He 
is attacked by skeleton ghosts that can be destroyed in one slash!

Large Wooden Platforms
          
As Dirk walks along a wooden platform suspended above the castle's dark 
interior, the wood planks begin to break away. He must jump to the remaining 
section of the platform and them climb the rope back into the castle spire.

Bats

As Dirk walks down the stairs, bats will try to attack him as the section ahead 
crumbles away. Dirk must avoid the bats by jumping across the hole. He must 
destroy the giant bat!

Falling Platform

Dirk steps on a round wooden platform. The platform starts to fall through a 
circular shaft. It stops intermittently at rocky ledges for Dirk to jump off. 
Timing is everything in jumping off this falling platform!

The Lizard King

Dirk is confronted by a large walking lizard dressed in royal robes. As Dirk 
draws his sword to battle the Lizard King, a pot of gold flies past and takes 
the knight's sword with it. Dirk must follow the pot in order to retrieve his 
sword and battle the Lizard.

Drink Me

As Dirk walks into the room, a sign on the north wall will flash. Shortly after 
the door will flash. Dirk should not drink the potion, he should exit the room.

Checkerboard Corridor

The floor beneath Dirk's feet starts to flash and the checkerboard section 
begins to fall away. Dirk must jump to the parts of the floor that remain and 
then out one of the doors.

Magnetic Ball

As Dirk approaches the magnetic ball, his helmet and sword are drawn away from 
him by the electicity. The pulsating electricity then starts to cover the 
floor. Dirk must jump to the safe parts to end up sitting in the throne. The 
throne revolves it another part of the castle, but the electricity follows. 
Dirk must again dodge the electricity.

Rapids / Whirlpools

RAPIDS: Dirk must paddle into the safe current in the rapids and then straight 
        into the tunnel at the end of the channel.
WHIRLPOOLS: As Dirk approached a whirlpool, he must paddle around the swirling 
            water. Dirk must be sure to grap the chain and swing in the door as 
            the boat smashes.

Lava Field of the Mudmen

Dirk walks across a field of lava and is attacked by the Mudmen who live there. 
Realizing his sword would be useless, Dirk must jump over several geysers, 
avoid the Mudmen, and run along a stone bridge before finally escaping through 
a hole in the cavern wall.

Phantom Knight

Dirk must avoid the charging Knight while also avoiding the giant thorns 
pushing up through the earth. Dirk should jump into the small cave to finally 
escape.

Rolling Balls

After Dirk enters the room, a large black ball will appear rolling up from 
behind him. Ahead of Dirk down the tunnel, smaller balls are rolling up and 
down the walls. Dirk must wait for a smaller ball to roll by before moving away 
from the larger black ball.

The Round Cage

The case of the cage surround Dirk and starts to glow. Dirk must jump through 
the crashing doors and follow the stairs up to cross a bridge. To cross this 
bridge though, Dirk must evade the gushing geyser shooting up through the 
bridge.

The Dragon's Lair

Dirk is now inside the Dragon's Lair, but beware! Singe the Dragon is asleep 
and should not be awakened. Throughout the room there are balancing dishes and 
some of them are about to fall. If a column of balancing dishes flashes, Dirk 
should catch it, otherwise move away from the dishes. Eventually the Princess 
will Dirk what he should do. Listen very carefully and follow her instructions.

Singe the Dragon is awake and he knows where you're hiding! As Singe reaches 
around the column to grab him, Dirk must duck and run away. Singe will swing 
his tail trying to flatten Dirk; Dirk must dodge the tail. Dirk should pull the 
magic sword out of the large gem. Singe turns around exposing his soft belly; 
Dirk can now slay the Dragon and save the Princess!