LITTLE COMPUTER PEOPLE LOADING: Hold down SHIFT key and press RUN/STOP. Press PLAY on tape. Program will load and run. Working late in a computer science laboratory one night, a group of researchers stumbled across an earth-shattering discovery. Cute little humanoid creatures living inside computers! Despite extensive further research, no-one knows where these Little Computer People come from. All that is certain is that most computers have one resident, build a computer, and the chances are a Little Computer Person - or LCP as they are known - will move in as soon as you screw the casing shut. Generally, LCPs go about their business inside a computer ignoring you. The computer users tend to go on using their computer without ever coming across the LCP that lives inside it. But now, with the special House On A Tape, you can load in software that brings the LCP out of the chip and into the real world. Go on. Load the tape. Right, there's a cute little house on the screen, isn't there? It has been specially designed to lure the LCP living inside YOUR computer out into the open. Type in the current time when you see the prompt at the top of the screen, and you initialise a sequence of machine code instructions that act as an invitation to the LCP - within a few minutes he'll move in, bringing his pet dog with him. The Responsibility of Ownership In dragging your LCP out of his world and into your own environment, you assume responsibility for him. Just as if you went down to the pet shop and bought a dog, hamster or a goldfish. From now on, you are responsible for his health and welfare - he's lost contact with the world in which he used to fend for himself. Like all living creatures, LCP's (and their dogs) need food and water. Like humans, LCP's need to be entertained, kept happy and yes, loved. It's up to you to tend to your guest's needs - and in return, he'll reward you by dancing, playing music or writing you letters. Observe your new friend, watch what he does and you'll find out more and more about him. Caring for Physical Needs Press the following keys to keep your LCP's larder well stocked. (CONTROL) and F: delivers food to his front door. (CONTROL) and W: adds water to the water cooler in his kitchen. (CONTROL) and D: delivers dog food to the front door. Your LCP will feed himself and his dog - providing you don't starve him to death - but he is not always that good at waking up. Oversleeping is bad for LCP's so if your chum spends too long in bed, wake him with the alarm clock. (CONTROL) and A: rings the alarm clock. Caring For Emotional Needs So far, researchers have discovered four distinct moods in LCP's: happy, content, sad and sick. An LCP's face is the best clue as to his mood - a grinning LCP is happy, while if things are okay but not wonderful, his mouth sets in a straight line. Sad LCP's look decidedly down-in-the-mouth, and sick ones turn green from lack of food. LCP's are pretty good at entertaining themselves - they are tuneful pianists, enjoy exercising, and love playing records, watching TV, reading the paper and receiving phone calls. Now and again, though, life can get a bit lonely inside a computer, so a little intervention on your part can boost the LCP's mood with a few keypresses: (CONTROL) and C: makes the phone ring - he'll love a chat, and you'll be bemused by the strange language he speaks in. And just who is he talking to? (CONTROL) and P: strokes your LCP - like all pets (well, except goldfish then), your LCP loves being stroked. A special device is used, and he has to be sitting in his armchair for it to work, so wait until he sits down after you have pressed (CONTROL) and P once, then do it some more! (CONTROL) and R: delivers a new record to the door. (CONTROL) and B: delivers a new book to the door. Communication It is possible to 'talk' to your LCP by typing sentences at the keyboard of your computer. You can make suggestions as to what he should do - play the piano, perhaps - or you can ask him to write you a letter. No-one is quite sure how detailed the communications can be - keep trying new ideas at the keyboard and watch what happens. The Mystery No-one, but absolutely no-one has found out what the LCP's get up to when they go through that door and disappear off the screen. No, not the toilet door, the OTHER one... (c) Activision 1985