A video game cartridge from PARKER BROTHERS G Y R U S S For Atari Video Computer System and Sears Video Arcade GYRUSS is a trademark of Konami Industry Co., Ltd and is used by Parker Brothers under authorization. Rules (C) 1984 Parker Brothers, Beverly, MA 01915. Printed in U.S.A. -- Three billion miles is a long way from home. But there's no shorter route from outer Neptune to Earth. As if that weren't enough... it's got to be a shoot-out all the way. You alone in your rapid-firing spaceship, swirling in a circular flight pattern... orbiting to the right... arcing to the left... trying to mow down wave after wave of enemy plane formations, rocketing meteors and runaway satellites. Stops at Uranus, Saturn, Jupiter and Mars will mark your progression towards Earth. Each one's a short visit, though. Then it's off again to the next planet - and the next wave of enemies. Reach Earth in one piece and maybe you'll think twice about leaving home. Then again... maybe not! SETTING THE CONSOLE CONTROLS ---------------------------- 1. Place the cartridge firmly into the cartridge slot on your game unit. 2. Since this is a one-player game, plug the joystick controller firmly into the LEFT controller jack. 3. Turn the ON/OFF switch to ON. You'll see the inital screen showing the planet Earth. With the GAME SELECT switch, choose a difficulty level. The easiest level is 1; the most difficult is 4. The number appears at the top of the screen. Each level gives you the option of playing with 3 spaceships or with 5 spaceships. The number of spaceships you choose is indicated by the symbols alongside the difficulty level number. 4. To begin playing, press the FIRE button on the joystick controller. At any time during the game, you may press GAME RESET to begin again at the same level. To change levels, press GAME RESET, then GAME SELECT. THE JOYSTICK CONTROLLER ----------------------- The joystick controls your spaceship's circular flight pattern through space. Simply move the joystick in a circular motion to do so. Press the FIRE button quickly to rapid-fire your spaceship's ammuntion. OBJECT ------ To make the journey from beyond Neptune to the sanctuary of Earth, defeating enemy planes, avoiding meteors and satellites, and reaching interim planets along the way. PLAYING ------- After you press the FIRE button to begin, the screen shows the number of remaining spaceships as well as the number of WARPS to go before you reach your first stop... Neptune. ("Warps" are described under REACHING A PLANET.) When the action starts, your spaceship appears at the bottom of the screen; your score at the top. Reaching a planet In order to reach a planet, you must survive a given number of warps. A warp consists of four enemy plane formations and their regrouping as described below. Enemy formations guard each planet enroute to Earth to keep out alien visitors like yourself. It takes two warps to reach Neptune and three warps to reach each of the subsequent planets. there will be a brief pause between each warp at which time your spaceship travels towards its next encounter. Also at this time, the screen will flash the number of warps to go and the number of spaceships remaining. Enemy formations Enemy formations are made up of wing-shaped planes. Planes may emerge from the center of the screen where they may band together - or from off screen where they can create a surprise attack. In either case, try to shoot down as many planes within the formation as you can and don't let them hit your own ship. Planes fire square-shaped missiles... your only option is to avoid them... or be shot down. Each of the four enemy plane formations is a different color and flies in a different pattern. After the last formation appears, a certain number of planes NOT shot down will regroup in the center and attack again. They will continue to do so until you've eliminated the last one - unless, of course, one eliminates you first! But planes are not all you need to worry about. There are swirling and deadly satellites and meteors, too. Satellites Satellites look like giant blue molecules and appear in threes. Try to shoot them down for points. SHOOT THE MIDDLE SATELLITE, AND YOUR SHIP WILL FIRE DOUBLE BULLETS. THE SHIP WILL CONTINUE TO DO SO UNTIL IT GOES DOWN. Meteors Meteors are a third type of enemy to watch out for. Meteors look like large rocks and CANNOT be destroyed. So stay clear of them! Come out alive after completing the two or three warps necessary to reach a planet, and that planet appears on screen. After a brief breather, you'll enter the Chance Round. The Chance Round The Chance Round occurs upon reaching a planet. During this round, you get a chance to rack up points. One at a time, four different enemy plane formations will appear on screen... BUT THEY HAVE NO POWER TO DESTROY YOU. So position yourself for maximum firing accuracy. Bonus points are awarded for shooting down all the planes (or satellites) in the formation and Super Bonus points for wiping out all four formations. When the Chance Round is over, it's off to the next planet and the next barrage of formations. The Planets In case you need to be reminded... the planets along your journey through our solar system appear in this order: Neptune, Uranus, Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, and Earth. The Music You're listening to Johann Sebastian Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D Minor. END OF GAME ----------- The game ends when you lose your last spaceship. If you should reach Earth with at least one remaining spaceship, you'll continue the game with Neptune as the first stop once again. To play again, press the FIRE button. Press GAME RESET and GAME SELECT to change the difficulty level. SCORING ------- Points accumulate at the top of the screen throughout the game. YOUR LAST GAME'S SCORE IS CARRIED OVER TO THE BEGINNING OF THE NEXT GAME. BY HOW MANY POINTS CAN YOU BEAT IT? TARGETS POINTS Enemy plane ................................. 100 ENTIRE FORMATION: 1st .........................................1000 2nd .........................................1500 3rd .........................................2000 4th .........................................2500 1st satellite destroyed ..................... 500 2nd satellite destroyed .....................1000 3rd satellite destroyed .....................1500 WITH DOUBLE BULLET FIRE: 1st satellite destroyed .....................1000 2nd satellite destroyed .....................1500 3rd satellite destroyed .....................2000 DURING CHANCE ROUND: Enemy plane ................................. 100 Entire formation: 1st Chance Round ............................1000 2nd Chance Round ............................1500 3rd Chance Round ............................2000 4th Chance Round ............................2500 5th Chance Round ............................3000 Subsequent Chance Rounds .................... 500 additional points Super Bonus for all four formations........10,000 cd -------------------Atari 2600 Instructions Archive-------------------