     
   Leander - Manual

CONTENTS

STORY            
OPTIONS         
YOUR ROLE       
CONTROLS        


THANATOS' REVENGE

It was Princess Lucanna's 18th birthday.  The whole of Honshu seemed to
be there for the celebrations.  From the moment Lucanna rose to greet
the sun she was showered with wonderful gifts.  Dragons danced for her,
magicians cast beautiful spells for her and enchanting music played from
dawn to dusk.  The princess laughed and sang her way through what she
thought would be the best day of her life.

From the filthy pit of anguish, he rose.  Towering above his one-time
prison, he breathed deep the fresh and fragrant air of the new day.

Lifting his magnificent head, Thanatos screamed his freedom at the clear
blue sky.  The chilling sound echoed eerily across the land.  Thunder 
rolled through the distant hills and the blue of the sky darkened to
a lifeless grey.  Thanatos closed his eyes and smiled... 'Free, at last`.

THANATOS' REVENGE

Drifting on an ethereal carpet of absolute evil he looked down at the pit
that had held him prisoner for so long and felt pure hatred.  They had
done this to him.  Trapped him with their tricks and lies.  Well, now
it was time for vengeance.  They would know the anguish and torment he
had endured for the last thousand years, and they would look death in
the face, and know fear!  Yes, they would know fear...

The princess's day went all too quickly and even though she prayed it
would last forever, the sun slowly began to sink towards the horizon,
signifying an end to the celebrations.  The music played more softly
through the halls of Kiromo, now.  No more dancing dragons, no more
magic spells... no more gifts.  Lucanna walked out to the garden where
the sound of music was replaced by the quiet giggling of running water
and the song of birds preparing to roost.

The little dog Lucanna had been given by Cousin Susonne snuggled close
to her neck to keep away the chill of dusk.  Lucanna sat by the stream
and thought about her day... bright colors and sounds filled her mind
as she remembered the enchantment of the previous hours.

Thanatos luxuriated in the rushing of the wind as he raced towards
the Temple of Kiromo.  Death and decay shadowed him and the earth over 
which he flew died; creatures of land, sea and air

THANATOS' REVENGE

mutated into a mockery of their former selves and deadly traps manifested
into the very ground itself.  Thanatos flew faster when he espied Honshu
on the horizon.  His mouth watered with the expectation of vengeance,
revenge would taste sweet.

Lucanna stroked her dog and watched the garden slowly fade to grey, she
hummed quietly to the animal as she unwound from the excitement of the
day.

The dog sat bolt upright, its eared pricked.  Lucanna spoke reassuringly
to her new pet but she herself felt something strange in the air.  The
cold that suddenly poured over her was intense and it felt strangely
clammy against her skin.  A sudden rush of air whipped around her, bending
trees and shrubs and uprooting flowers as it raced through the garden.
Fear clawed at Lucanna's throat.  The dog yelped and leapt from her grasp,
she tried to race after it but found the wind too strong to fight against.

'Are you sure you don't want the late duty, Leander?  I hear the princess
is in the garden.`

'Yes.  And she may want a hand controlling that vicious animal Susonne
gave her for her birthday!`

'Come on Leander, why don't you confess that you love Princess Lucanna?`

'And dream of her being your bride.`

THANATOS' REVENGE

Leander was used to the ribbing he got from his fellow guards.  It was
true that he did love Lucanna and he didn't mind his colleagues knowing
it.  However, what they did not know and must never know is that
Lucanna loved Leander as much as he loved her.  They both knew that the
match could, and should, never work - which is why it must remain a 
secret - but their feelings for each other were too strong for the couple
to deny them altogether.  But if the Emperor were to find out, it would
mean Leander's head.  Suddenly, above the noise of riotous laughter,
Leander heard the alarm bell.  Grabbing his sword and donning his helm,
he shouted to the other guards to join him.  As they raced from the guard
room, the lookout shouted that the princess was in trouble in the
garden.  Spurred by the thought of his loved one being in peril, Leander
sprinted for the garden.  The sight that greeted his eyes as he dashed 
sown the marble steps to the lawn made him stop in his tracks.  Seeing 
the fear in Lucanna's eyes quickly snapped him into action, however, and
Leander ordered his guards to attack...

The cold around Lucanna deepened, then everything around her went still.
She could see the effect of the wind racing all about her and the damage
it was doing to her beautiful garden, but she no longer felt its power.
She could see the temple guards struggling to get to her but their
efforts were useless against the strength of the wind.  Lucanna called
out as she saw Leander join the other guards, but no sound came out.
Panic overwhelmed her.

THANATOS' REVENGE

Thanatos hovered overhead, staring down at the struggling princess he
paused for a brief moment to bask in his moment of glory.  His cloud of
evil incarnate took him lower... Lucanna looked up to see his demonic
hand reaching from above to engulf her in its maleficence.  She screamed
a silent scream and stared with horrified eyes at her secret love,
Leander.  She reached out to him and tried to call his name but was
powerless.

Thanatos spat at the guards as he rose above his tempest and laughed at
their feeble efforts to harm him with their bows.  Thanatos had what he
had come for and, pausing for just a moment to look deep into Leander's
soul, flew swiftly back to his lair.  His laughter echoed menacingly
around the Temple halls for long minutes after his departure but slowly
faded to a numbing silence.

The still and quiet of the garden was oppressive.  A few guards attempted
futile shots at Thanatos as he disappeared into the night sky, but their
arrows fell way short.

Leander was gutted.  He picked up Lucanna's dog and, raising his head to
the heavens, vowed to search the entire kingdom until he found her.  A
strong hand on his shoulder brought him back down to earth.

'The Emperor wants to see you, Leander.`

A summons from Emperor Etoroshi was not a thing to take lightly.     
  
THANATOS' REVENGE

Leander ran to the Imperial Throne room.

Two magnificent golden doors silently swept open as Leander approached
the throne room.  In the flickering light, he could see, at the far
side of the room, the emperor kneeling before the ghost-like image of
a beautiful woman.  Leander looked in awe at the face of Janoon, 
mystical aid to the emperor, and he too dropped to his knees.

Janoon spoke to Etoroshi briefly before glancing at Leander.  The 
Emperor turned his head towards the Captain of the Guard and as he
did so, Janoon's image faded.

Etoroshi got to his feet and beckoned Leander to approach.  Leander 
stood and walked, head bowed, towards the emperor.

'It is a dark day for Honshu, Leander.  What Thanatos has done must be
quickly undone if we are to survive and conquer the evil that is even
now spreading across the land.  Thanatos will use Lucanna's life force
to replenish his own... she will die and he will flourish.  Then we shall
all die.`

The emperor sat on his throne and heaved a great sigh.

'Janoon has spoken to me.  She told me of your love for Lucanna...`
 
THANATOS' REVENGE

Leander looked up.

'... Do not worry, Leander; It is your destiny.  And that can never be
denied, for it is the love you feel for my daughter that will save our
land.  Your feelings for my daughter, and hers for you, will help protect
you against the evil of Thanatos.  You, Leander, must muster all your
strength and bravery to face Thanatos' challenge and free Lucanna.  
However, you will not be alone.  Janoon's three Sirens will guide you
through each of the three worlds.  Their help will be limited, I'm
afraid, but invaluable for your success.

Say nothing, Leander.  Go now, and face your destiny.  I await your
return... 

BEFORE PLAYING

Before Playing Leander

Before taking on the challenge of Leander you have a choice to make:
You make either Start the game immediately or enter the Options Menu.
Impatient ones who initially select Start will play Leander in the
default of Normal Mode (see below), however, selecting Options enables
you to customize the difficulty of Leander to suit your joystick
waggling prowess: Push your joystick up or down to select an option
and press fire to confirm your choice;

                              OPTION MENU

Joystick         You may play Leander with a single or twin fire button
                 joystick. 

Lives            You may select to have a maximum of seven (Training Mode),
                 Five (Normal Mode) or three (Hard Mode) lives.

Start World      If you know the codes (given at the successful completion
                 of the previous world) you may enter it here to
                 immediately access world two or three at start of play.

Credits          You may select a maximum of three

BEFORE PLAYING

                 credits: ie, three chances to restart the game from the
                 level on which you were last destroyed.

Difficulty       Training Mode only allows you to play the first world
                 but it does give you maximum-hit-point armour (6) and it
                 makes the enemy easy to dispatch.  Normal Mode (default)
                 lets you play all three worlds and it provides you with
                 medium-hit-point armour (3) although the enemy is
                 fairly tough.  Hard Mode lets you play all three worlds
                 but gives you minimum-hit-point armour (1) and pits you
                 against very strong enemies.
  
Title Sequence   The amazing title sequence plays through when you die,
                 unless you use this option to turn it off.
Sound Type       Use this option to choose to play Leander accompanied by
                 music or sound effects. 
Exit             Exit the Option Menu.

YOUR ROLE

Your Role As Leander

You are the Captain of the Guard.  And it is you who must face the dangers
and terrors of Thanatos' evil.  Only by fighting your way across the three
increasingly deadly worlds - each infested with mutant creatures, burly
guards, deadly traps and devious puzzles - will you be able to battle
Thanatos for the life of Princess Lucanna.

In-Game Features

Leander's Armour

Leander has some really neat armour.  Its initial strength (the number
of hit points it features) depends on the Mode you choose to play the
game.  However, there are icons throughout the game that, when picked
up, will enhance his armour's protection.  Purple armour provides the
minimum protection: one hit point, Green = two hit points, Blue = three,
Silver = four, Gold = five and Black provides six points of protection.

IN-GAME FEATURES

Icons

Chests, and some enemies, when destroyed, leave behind icons for Leander
to pick up.  These mainly consist of coinage (for that always-useful
shopping spree, armour enhancement or extra lives.  However, should
Leander discover an icon (coinage not included) and leaves it floating 
around on-screen instead of collecting it, it will change into a skull
icon.  Collecting a skull icon calls Thanatos' Ethereal Presence!

Thanatos' Ethereal Presence

Attacks if Leander collects a skull icon.  Accompanied by crashing 
thunder, dazzling lightning and torrential rain, his attack can only
be thwarted by Rune Bombs (see Weapons).  A direct hit with a Rune
Bomb will cause the Ethereal Presence to change direction.  It will
take four or five such hits to destroy it.

Weapons

Leander begins his quest with a short training sword which delivers
only one hit point to enemies.  However, a quick visit to one of the
many shops situated throughout the game could greatly enhance your
enemy-destroying capabilites - if you have the finances:

IN-GAME FEATURES

Dagger -         One hit point
Long Sword -     Two hit points
Force Blade -    Unstoppable.  Varying hit points
Tempest Blade -  2 Hit Points with each blow.
                 Leander's speed and jumping capabilities are increased
Lion Blade -     5 hit points
Suicide Weapon - Uses up one of your lives but delivers 20 hit points 
                 to any enemy in your immediate vicinity.  Won't work
                 if you only have one life remaining
Rune Bombs -     Required for the operation of Lion Blade.  Also, Rune
                 Bombs are the only weapon capable of dispatching
                 Thanatos' ethereal image

Please Note that the strength of Leander's Force Blade.  Tempest Blade
and Lion Blade may be increased by holding down the fire button on your
joystick.  The Energy Indicator Bar at the base of the screen (see What's
On Screen) displays their increase in power as you hold the fire button
down.  Release it to engage the weapon.  Leander's Suicide Weapon and
Lion Blade require a full charge of energy before they can be activated. 

IN-GAME FEATURES

The Shop:

Shop Keep
Leander's Stats
Buy Item
Information Scroll
Stock Item
Activity Icons
Shop Stock
Leave Shop

Move your joystick left and right to select an Activity Icon.  Press fire
to engage it - Shop Stock Icon requires you to push your joystick up or
down to scroll through the shop's inventory.  The Shop Keep will only 
show you weapons that you can afford.

WHAT'S ON SCREEN

What's On Screen  

Rune Bombs
Score 
Teleport Key Indicator
Lives Remaining
Current Wealth
Energy Indicator Bar
Leander
Chest
Burly Guard

THE CONTROLS

Controls

Joystick:

       (1)   (2)   (3)            (1) Proportional Jump Left
         \    |    /              (2) Proportional Jump
          \   |   /               (3) Proportional Jump Right
           \  |  /                (4) Turn/Walk Left
            -----                 (5) Turn/Walk Right
    (4)-----|   |-----(5)         (6) Crouch/Enter Shop or Cave
            |   |                 
            -----                 Fire Button - Engage Current Weapon
              |                  
              |                  
              |                
             (6)                  

To engage Force Blade, Tempest Blade or Lion Blade, hold the fire
button down.

To engage Suicide Weapon, Crouch (pull joystick down) and hold the fire
button down - Suicide Weapon won't work if you only have one life
remaining.
 
THE CONTROLS

Keys:

 ESC - Quit Current Game
   M - Music/FX Toggle 
 F10 - Pause Game 

HINTS 'N` TIPS

Hints 'n` Tips

Kill Leander's momentum by pulling the joystick in the opposite direction
to the way he's walking for a fraction of a second.  This will help him
land on small platforms and ledges and prevent him getting a spike up his
bum.

Predict the paths of fast moving platform: Jump to land on them when they
are travelling towards you.  If you jump when they're closest to you
they won't be there by the time you land... and you may have another
nasty experience with a spear.

Learn the habits of enemies; there are no random enemy paths in Leander.

Use your coinage wisely: Don't go buying funky weapons when you have 
only two-hit-point armour.  What use is a big weapon to a dead hero?

When Leander loses a life (as long as it's not his last one) he will
return to screen and flash for about 5 seconds, during this time (if
he doesn't get arrested) he is invincible to enemy blows - but those
spears can still do him a lot of painful damage!

HINTS 'N` TIPS

The Queen Spider:

To defeat the Queen Spider and collect the teleport key you will need
to destroy her head first then her tail and finally her stomach.

Giant Otter:

This creature must be hit many, many times.  However, one strike of
his claws and it's time for an expletive!

Thanatos:

You need to collect a powerful sword before you can hope to defeat 
Thanatos.
