ColecoVision Cartridge Instructions for Gyruss ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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 run- away 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 in the console. 2. Plug the joystick controllers firmly into jacks #1 and #2. For a one-player game, use jack #1. 3. Turn the ON/OFF switch to ON. The title screen will appear showing the planet Earth. 4. Press the LEFT FIRE button on the joystick control- ler. Then select a game option according to the screen directions. Games 1-4 are for one player; games 5-8 are for two players. Games 1 and 5 are the easiest; games 4 and 8 are the most difficult. Press the desired number to start the action. Any time during the game, you may press the RIGHT FIRE button to freeze the action. Press the LEFT FIRE button to restart. Also, you may press RESET to begin again, starting with the game options. THE JOYSTICK CONTROLLER The joystick controls your spaceship's circular flight pat- tern through space. Simply move the Joystick in a circular motion to do so. Press the FIRE button to rapid-fire your spaceship's ammunition. 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 first player's score in the upper left * remaining spaceships in the lower left * your 1st spaceship in the lower center * the stage number in the lower right 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 plane formations guard each planet enroute to Earth to keep out alien visitors like your- self. It takes two warps to reach Neptune and 3 warps to reach each of the subsequent planets. There will be a brief pause between each warp at which time your spaceship speeds towards the next planet . . . and its next encounter. The stage number at the bottom of the screen keeps track of the total number of warps and Chance Stages (see below) you complete during a game. Enemy plane formations Enemy formations emerge from the center of the screen where the planes band together--or from off screen where they can create a surprise attack. In either case, shoot down as many planes within the formation as you can and don't let them hit your own ship. Planes fire missiles, too . . . your only option . . . avoid them or be shot down! After the last formation appears, all the 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 There are two types of satellites. One type appears in threes--two that look like giant blue molecules on either side of a glowing orange ball. Try to shoot them down for points. Shoot the middle satellite, and your ship gains double-fire power. The ship will continue to have this power until it goes down. The other type of satellites are electromagnetic wave-emitting pairs. Shoot one down to break the wave that can catch your ship and destroy it! 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 Stage. The Chance Stage The Chance Stage occurs upon reaching a planet. During this stage, 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 maxi- mum firing accuracy. Bonus points are awarded at the end of the Chance Stage. When the Chance Stage is over, it's off to the next planet and the next barrage of warps. 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 Tocatta and Fugue in D Minor. Bonus spaceships Score 60,000 points and you're awarded with an additional spaceship. Every 100,000 points thereafter awards you another one. 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 RESET. TWO-PLAYER GAMES In a two-player game, the left player goes first; players alternate turns. Your turn ends when you lose a spaceship. SCORING Points accumulate at the top of the screen throughout your turn. Targets Points Enemy plane ....................................100 Entire formation: 1st ...........................................1000 2nd............................................1500 3rd ...........................................2000 4th ...........................................2500 Molecular satellites: 1st destroyed .................................1000 2nd destroyed .................................1500 3rd destroyed .................................2000 With double bullet fire: 1st destroyed .................................1000 2nd destroyed .................................1500 3rd destroyed .................................2000 Electromagnetic satellite ......................200 During Chance Stage: Enemy plane ....................................100 Bonus points ...................................100 x the number of planes shot down Super Bonus points for all four formations ..10,000