STAR WARS RETURN OF THE JEDI: DEATH STAR BATTLE c1983 by Parker Brothers OBJECT ------ Your ultimate goal is to destroy the sinister DEATH STAR before the EMPIRE completes its construction! But reaching this powerful space station won't be easy. First, shoot down a relentless swarm of TIE INTERCEPTORS as they pursue your ship. Then, with split-second timing, slip through one of the random openings in the DEATH STAR's energy shield! Blast as much of the space station away with your lasers as possible--while avoiding the destructive, heat-seeking DEATH RAY. Then, one quick shot to the DEATH STAR's energy core and POW! The DEATH STAR turns into an incredible burning mass, bursting into hundreds of blazing fireballs. And the heat's not off until you escape their fury! But if you do, then you're ready for another round with the infamous DEATH STAR! SETTING THE CONSOLE CONTROLS ---------------------------- 1. Since this a one-player game, plug the joystick controller firmly into the LEFT controller jack. 2. To select a game number (see GAME SELECTION box), press down the GAME SELECT switch on the console. The game number will appear at the bottom, right-hand side of the screen. 3. Set the DIFFICULTY switches: LEFT DIFFICULTY switch Position A (Expert): Your MILLENNIUM FALCON will explode when it collides with TIE INTERCEPTORS. Position B (Novice): Your MILLENNIUM FALCON will not collide with TIE INTERCEPTORS. RIGHT DIFFICULTY switch Position A: The DEATH RAY moves across the entire length of the screen. Position B: The DEATH RAY only moves from one side of the DEATH STAR to the other. 4. Press down the "FIRE" button on the joystick and you're ready to start the action. THE JOYSTICK ------------ Hold the joystick in your hand so that the red "FIRE" button is in the top, left-hand corner. The joystick moves left, right, up, down, and diagonally. These are the directions in which you may glide your ship. THE "FIRE" BUTTON ----------------- To fire your lasers, simply press down the red "FIRE" button on the joystick. Each time you press this button, your ship will fire one laser shot. To achieve rapid fire succession, hold down the "FIRE" button. [Image of the joystick. The fire button is identified in the upper left hand corner] PAUSE MODE ---------- If, at any time during play, you wish to "freeze" the action, press down the GAME SELECT switch once. The screen images will disappear. To restore the game, simply press down the "Fire" button once or move the joystick. NOTE: If you press the GAME SELECT switch while a tune is playing, you will hear a continuous sound. When possible, wait until the music has ended before activating the PAUSE MODE. THE GAME WILL AUTOMATICALLY ENTER THE PAUSE MODE IF NOT PLAYED FOR MORE THAN 4 MINUTES. PLAYING ------- Before pressing down the "FIRE" button to begin the game, you'll notice that the TIE INTERCEPTORS are flying away from your ship. They're heading back to the DEATH STAR in order to regroup for the forthcoming battle. When you press the "FIRE" button, your first of six MILLENNIUM FALCONS will appear in the lower, center portion of the screen. The remaining MILLENNIUM FALCONS are shown at the bottom of the screen. [Image of the playing screen. The first Millennium Falcon is the ship that you can move. The score is the number present. The remaining Falcons are the ships lined up at the bottom of the screen.] Try to shoot down as many TIE INTERCEPTORS as possible before they blast you with their lasers, or speed off and circle back for another attack. And keep a look out for the ever-searching DEATH RAY! Eliminate a number of TIE INTERCEPTORS and you'll notice random openings appearing in the DEATH STAR's energy shield. When the shield's outermost gray energy band is deactivated, and there is an opening in the shield, guide your ship through it. Upon penetrating this opening, you'll enter into hyperspace and arrive at the DEATH STAR. Fire your lasers at the DEATH STAR in order to knock out pieces of its outer wall. But beware of the DEATH RAY! It will track your every move, trying to destroy your ship. Eliminate as much of the DEATH STAR as possible (to maximize your bonus points), before you finally aim and fire on the energy core. When you hit it, be ready to outrun the explosion of fireballs before they reach your ship! THE DEATH STAR -------------- As the game begins, you'll see that the DEATH STAR is rebuilding itself piece by piece. If it is completed, all will be lost. The Death Ray will become fully operational and will destroy all of your remaining MILLENNIUM FALCONS. TIE INTERCEPTORS ---------------- Out-flying and out-shooting these IMPERIAL warriors is no small task. They approach your ship in droves, firing their lasers one after the other. If your ship is hit by their fire, you lose it. But if you blast them with yours, you gain 50 points for each one you shoot down. When the game is over, the TIE INTERCEPTORS head back to the DEATH STAR to regroup. THE ENERGY SHIELD ----------------- This is what stands between you and the DEATH STAR! But penetrating it is not impossible--just tricky. You'll notice that at the edge of this shield there is a thin gray band of energy. The band will intermittently appear and disappear. When it does disappear, and there is a black hole in the energy shield, guide your ship to the opening and slip through it. Beware! If you hit the gray band while it is activated, you'll lose your ship. THE IMPERIAL SHUTTLE -------------------- Aboard this shuttle rides a well known figure--THE DARK LORD! Eliminating this transporter won't be easy. But with the right moves and good aim, you can beat it at its own game! Randomly throughout the battle, you'll hear a "warning" sound. This means that the IMPERIAL SHUTTLE is approaching. If it collides with your MILLENNIUM FALCON, your ship is destroyed. But one well placed laser shot to its upper body and you'll vaporize this SHUTTLE in its tracks! YOU GAIN 3000 BONUS POINTS! THE DEATH RAY ------------- Always be on the lookout for the DEATH RAY! It's that small green shape that's continually moving about the DEATH STAR. While you're busy fighting off TIE INTERCEPTORS outside the energy shield, or knocking out pieces of the DEATH STAR itself, the DEATH RAY ruthlessly tracks you. If this evil ray strikes your ship, you're a goner! HYPERSPACE ---------- Hold on tight! Once you make it through an opening in the energy shield, your ship streaks across the galaxy to the DEATH STAR--now many times larger than it looked before! DESTROYING THE DEATH STAR ------------------------- Finally, your chance to rid the galaxy of the evil fortress! But keep your wits about you. There are still TIE INTERCEPTORS pursuing your ship. And there's the IMPERIAL SHUTTLE, too. Fire your lasers at the DEATH STAR's walls, knocking out as many pieces of it as you can. For each piece you hit, you gain 20 points. The more you knock out before you hit the energy core, the more points you gain when the fireballs start flying. Knock out all of the pieces, except the core, and you gain an extra MILLENNIUM FALCON. Hit the core and the DEATH STAR becomes a glowing red mass with fireballs spewing out in all directions. FIREBALLS --------- These fireballs are more than hot--they're DEADLY! It only takes one to blow your ship apart. But the trick is to avoid them for as long as possible. The longer you do, the higher your bonus points. ROUND PROGRESSION ----------------- As you progress from round to round, the following will occur after each 10,000 points are scored: A. TIE INTERCEPTORS will fire more often. B. The DEATH RAY will seek more rapidly. C. The rate of construction of the DEATH STAR will increase. D. The number of openings in the energy shield will decrease. END OF GAME ----------- The game ends when you have lost all of your MILLENNIUM FALCONS. Begin another round by pressing the "Fire" button. GAME SELECTION BOX ------------------ ____________________________________ | | | | Game Number | Difficulty Level | |_______________|____________________| | | | | 1 | Beginner | |_______________|____________________| | | | | 2 | Advanced | |_______________|____________________| NOTE: In Games 1 and 2, the difficulty level is automatically increased every 10,000 points scored and you are awarder a bonus MILLENNIUM FALCON at that time. And of course, this game was made by Parker Brothers in 1983. This game manual was typed in by me! Who am I? I am Eddie Beiles. I can be reached at beiles@lambada.oit.unc.edu if you have any questions about this game manual. Or you can email me and thank me for typing it in. Anyway, enjoy the game and this wonderfully typed in manual. ------------------------------------------------------------------ This file was downloaded from, the Classic Cartridge Web page at: http://www.cet.com/~steverd ------------------------------------------------------------------