
 BUCK ROGERS: PLANET OF ZOOM

 BY SEGA

 For the ATARI 5200 Game System
 BUCK ROGERS: PLANET OF ZOOM
 Official Arcade Version

 SEGA VIDEO GAME CARTRIDGE

 It's the 25th century.  You are Buck Rogers fighting the battle of
 Planet Zoom.  This is a race against death!  Your Ultimate and most
 powerful enemy is the deadly MOTHER SHIP!

 There are five levels of increasing difficulty--each with four rounds
 of challenging space combat.  Before you meet the MOTHER SHIP, your
 pilot skills and nerve are tested against zapping ELECTRON POSTS,
 ALIEN SAUCERS and smashing SPACE HOPPERS.  This is a battle of speed,
 accuracy and endurance.  Your fuel consumption is crucial to your
 survival.  If you deplete your fuel you crash into the surface of
 Planet Zoom, destroying any one of your three battle ships.  The
 faster you fly, the less fuel you burn.  You receive a full tank of
 fuel if you destroy the MOTHER SHIP.  Be agressive but don't be
 reckless.  This is "do or die" cosmic combat and it's the MOTHER SHIP
 or YOU!

 USING YOUR CONTROLLERS

 You'll begin your battle with a fleet of three fighterships that you
 navigate one at a time above the surface of Planet Zoom and into
 space.  Use your joystick to control them.  Press the "START" key or
 fire button to start the game.

 JOYSTICK CONTROL.  Pushing your joystick forward will elevate your
 fightership.  When it has reached maximum elevation, the forward
 position will increase speed of flight.

 Pulling the joystick back brings your ship lower until it skims the
 surface of Planet Zoom.  Keeping the joystick pulled back will bring
 your ship to its minimum speed.  The minimum speed increases with each
 level of difficulty.

 Pushing your joystick to the right will turn your ship to the right.
 Pushing your joystick to the left will turn your ship to the left.  If
 the joystick is angled up or down while turning right or left, your
 ship will fly at that angle.
 Push your fire button repeatedly for rapid fire.  Keep button
 depressed for steady fire.
 Push pause button to freeze game.
 Push reset button to go to title.

 HOW TO PLAY

 The object of the game is to destroy the MOTHER SHIP before the MOTHER
 SHIP and its deadly Electron Posts, Saucers and Space Hoppers destroy
 YOU!

 THE SCREEN.  Your screen shows the view as you skim over the surface
 of Planet Zoom.  In the distance are mountain and beyond them,
 outerspace and your battle with the MOTHER SHIP.

 The upper edge of your screen shows your score.  Below your score is
 your fuel gauge.  Your fuel is depleted slower the faster your
 travel.  Your fuel gauge changes color to indicate fuel level:

         GREEN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .More than 1/3 of a tank
         YELLOW. . . . . . . . . . . . .Between 1/3 and 1/8 of a tank
         FLASHING RED. . . . . . . . . . . . .Less than 1/8 of a tank

 When your fuel is depleted, your ship will collide into the surface of
 Planet Zoom, destroying that ship.  If that was your last ship, the
 game is over.  If you run out of fuel before reaching the next round,
 you return to the first round of that level minus one ship.
 Below your fuel gauge is your enemy/obstacle display indicating the
 number of Alien Saucers or Space Hoppers to be destroyed or the number
 of Electron Posts to be passed through.

 The surface of Planet Zoom changes color as your battle takes you to
 more treacherous terrain with each level.

 GAME PLAY.  Now you are ready to do battle on Planet Zoom.  The game
 is divided into five skill levels.  Each level is made up of four
 rounds of battle.  Each round you encounter a different combination of
 enemies and aliens.  The combinations get more difficult as you
 advance through each round of every level:

 LEVEL 1:  BLUE
 ROUND 1--10 Electron Posts
 ROUND 2--15 Electron Posts and/or Alien Saucers
 ROUND 3--20 Electron Posts, Alien Saucers and/or Space Hoppers
 ROUND 4--The MOTHER SHIP and saucers

 LEVEL 2:  BLUE/YELLOW
 ROUND 1--15 Electron Posts firing forward (after round 1 Electron
          Posts fire to the outside)
 ROUND 2--20 Electron Posts and/or Alien Saucers
 ROUND 3--25 Electron Posts, Alien Saucers and/or firing Space Hoppers
 ROUND 4--The MOTHER SHIP with Alien Saucers

 LEVEL 3:  GREEN/YELLOW
 ROUND 1--20 Electron Posts
 ROUND 2--25 Electron Posts and/or Alien Saucers
 ROUND 3--30 Electron Posts, Alien Saucers and firing Space Hoppers
 ROUND 4--The MOTHER SHIP with Alien Saucers

 LEVEL 4:  NIGHT FLIGHT GRAY
 ROUND 1--25 Electron Posts with Alien Saucers
 ROUND 2--30 Electron Posts, Alien Saucers and firing Space Hoppers
 ROUND 3--35 non-friring Electron Posts, Alien Saucers and firing Space
          Hoppers
 ROUND 4--The MOTHER SHIP with Alien Saucers

 LEVEL 5:  DARK GREEN
 ROUND 1--30 Electron Posts with Alien Saucers
 ROUND 2--35 Electron Posts, Alien Saucers and firing Space Hoppers
 ROUND 3--40 Electron Posts, Alien Saucers and firing Space Hoppers
 ROUND 4--The MOTHER SHIP with Alien Saucers

 The numbers of Electron Posts, Alien Saucers and Space Hoppers
 indicates the combined total of enemies and aliens you must destroy or
 Electron Posts you must pass through.  Your screen will show no more
 than 19 enemies or aliens to be destroyed.

 ENEMIES AND ALIENS

 _|_ Electron Posts--explode on impact.  After level one they fire
 _|_ Electron Pulsars toward the outside.  With each level they are
 _|_ spaced closer together.

  ___  Alien Saucers--will explode on impact and fly by with greater
 <___> speed and frequency as levels of difficulty increase.

 [~] Space Hoppers--will explode on impact with your ship.  After round
 /|\ 1 they will fire at your ship.  As levels of difficulty increases,
 ||| Space Hoppers will appear with greater speed and frequency.

 The Mother Ship--This is your greatest challenge.  Her destruction is
 your greatest victory.  No enemy is more cunning or powerful.  The
 front is blue and the back is yellow.  The MOTHER SHIP can be
 destroyed only by hitting it dead center.  Any other shots will
 ricochet off and may destroy you!  As it approaches, the MOTHER SHIP
 will fire at you.

 SCORING

 Alien Saucers . . . . . . . . . .200 points
 Space Hopper. . . . . . . . . . .300 points
 Electron Posts. . . . . . . . . .500 points
 The MOTHER SHIPS. . . . . . . . .20,000 points plus full load of fuel
 Every 20,000 points you receive an additional fightership.

 STRATEGIC TIPS

 * Fly as fast as you can without crashing.  The faster you fly, the
   less fuel you consume.  You receive added points for added speed.
 * If you fly outside the Electron Posts after level 1, you are likely
   to be hit by Electron Pulsars.
 * You are more vulnerable to attack by Alien Saucers when flying low.
 * Saucers are more vulnerable as they fly past from behind.
 * Enemies appear in waves.  Try to determine the rhythm of the waves.
 * Be aggressive--if you're not, you'll use your fuel before you
   encounter with the MOTHER SHIP.
 * Don't be reckless--your fightership steers with super-sensitive
   response.
 * Over-steering may cause you to collide with Electron Posts, Alien
   Saucers or Space Hoppers.

 Copyright (C) 1983 SEGA ENTERPRISES INC.
 BUCK ROGERS is a trademark of The Dille Faimly Trust.
 ATARI and 5200 are trademarks of Atari, Inc.                7001-00502

 END

 Typed by Jeffry Johnston (jeffryj@azstarnet.com)

 for Atari Gaming Headquarters
