How to Win!

at

by Ray Giguette

the Martin Press

Torrance, California
ii iii

CONTENTS
Copyright© 1981 The Martin Press
2711 Toledo Street, Suite 516, Torrance, California Page
90503 Introduction .................................. v

All rights reserved. Asteroids . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Pac·Man .................................... 5
Reproduction or translation of any part of this work
beyond that permitted by Sections 107 or 108 of the 1976
United States Copyright Act without the permission of Berzerk .................................... 13
the copyright owner is unlawful. Requests for permission
or further information should be addressed to the Battlezone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Permissions Department, The Martin Press.
Missile Command ........................... 21
ISBN 0-941018-02-4
Armor Attack ............................... 25
Printed in the United States of America
Space Invaders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
1098765432

Astro Invader . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

Phoenix .................................... 37

Galaxian . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
iv v

Introduction

Preface The video game player's score, his manner, and his
coordination all tell us something. After only a short
Ever wonder how that certain player wins 40,000 time, his talent (or lack of it) becomes apparent. As the
points at Pac-Man? 4,000 points at Space Invaders? game progresses his play may progress (or regress), he
70,000 points at Asteroids? Here are the answers. Just a may be lucky or unlucky, but it is clear almost from the
few simple tips can immediately improve your scores at moment he drops his quarter into the machine that he
these and other video games. Save money and either knows what he is doing or he doesn't
hundreds of frustrating hours. Let the experts tell you
how they win-and how you can, too. A good player has a feel for the controls. After playing
a particular game 100 to 200 times, its manipulation
becomes second nature.

A good player learns to aim, fire and maneuver

simultaneously at high speed. He plays relaxed but
alert, as if driving a car.
The less experienced player jerks his control stick
and throws his weight into every push of a button. He
often overshoots, trying to fire more rapidly than is
possible (though the expert does have the knack of
coaxing the machine to respond in emergencies).

The expert controls the game with his fingertips,

slapping rather than pushing the buttons, firing in short
bursts and wasting few shots. He may pause for no
apparent reason before feeding the last dot to his pac-
man, or before exiting the maze ahead of Evil Otto. This
lets him rest his wrist and fingers before beginning the
vi vii

next phase of the game; the better you are, the longer improve their scores. With practice, improvement can
be dramatic.
the games last.
The following pages include interviews with experts
A good player is daring and aggressive. He can who reveal their secrets for winning these ten games:
destroy a rock or missile in the last possible instant.
During an Asteroids game he will charge into an Asteroids
asteroid, firing just before the rock hits the nose of his Pac-Man
ship. He dodges bombs and bullets in order to stay with Berzerk
his targets. And despite the risk, he maneuvers in and Battlezone
around the enemy, challenging and attacking. Missile Command
Armor Attack
Perhaps the one deciding factor between a Space Invaders
mediocre player and a good one, or between a good Astro Invader
player and an expert, is the use of strategy. Phoenix
Galaxian
The expert never loses sight of what he is trying to
accomplish (i.e. gain points). He has logical priorities, For each game, a general description, an interview
risking time and points where the payoff is biggest, with a high scorer, and winners' tips are given.
attacking the enemy with the highest point value or
whose destruction will win him bonus men. He has a
game plan and he sticks to it. At any point in the game
the pieces on the screen will be neatly arranged
because the enemy is being methodically reduced.

Consistent strategy is necessary to all players,

regardless of how well they play otherwise. The
strategies in this book have been developed by expert
players after hundreds of games. And they can be
learned and used by almost anyone to immediately
ASTEROIDS
Game Description

The player's ship appears in the center of the screen,

surrounded by large, medium and small moving
asteroids and an occasional small or large flying
saucer. Controls include "warp," to move the ship
forward (though it will coast for long periods on its own
momentum}, "fire," "left," "right," and "hyperspace."
Hyperspace causes the ship to disappear, and to
reappear in another spot at random.

Asteroids, ship, and saucers all have the ability to

travel "around the world": off one edge of the screen
and on to the other. The player's ship can also fire in this
manner.

The player's ship can be destroyed either by colliding

with an asteroid or saucer, or by saucer fire. Points are
gained by destroying asteroids (large = 20 points,
medium = 50 points, small = 100 points) and saucers
(large = 200 points, small = 1,000 points).
2 Asteroids Asteroids 3

When hit, large asteroids break into two medium If you keep still, or move too slow or too straight,
asteroids, and medium asteroids split into two small the little saucer will draw a bead on you and shoot
ones. Their debris can also destroy the player's ship. you down. You have to shoot as you pass him, then
speed up again. It's hard to aim that way, and you
The player has two ships in reseive which come into have to be care{ul not to shoot down your last rock
play one at a time to replace those destroyed. For every
10,000 points, an extra ship is awarded. Another way I've seen it done is to sit your ship at
one edge of the screen and wait for the little saucer to
come out If he comes from your edge, you fire before
Interview: Tracy, age 12, from Venice. he sees you. If he comes from the opposite side, shoot
High &ore: 240,000 off the edge at him Saucers can 't do that. Ifyou miss
and he gets too close to you, move your ship to the
At the beginning of the game I keep my ship pretty other edge and shoot off it
steady in the middle of the board except to aim or get
out of the way. I might run into a rock if I warp The big saucer isn 't that dangerous. ltjust shoots at
around. I only shoot at the rocks closest to me, to random, and it comes mostly when there are more
keep from being hit rocks, in fact it runs into them a lot But you don 't get
points for that.
Fire across their path and they'll run into your
bullets. I don 't use hyperspace much because it
always seems to blow me up on an asteroid. Only
use it if you 're going to be hit for sure if you stay put

The main target is the little saucer, he's worth

1, OOO points. The fewer asteroids there are, the more
oft.en he comes. I always leave one small rock (if you
destroy all the asteroids, a new batch arrives). Then I
start moving fast, straight up, wiggling a little so that
when the saucer comes he can 't track me.
4 Asteroids 5

Playing Tips

1. Keep your ship in the center of the screen

when asteroids are abundant.
PAC-MAN
2. Fire at the most threatening asteroids first. Game Description
3. Lead the asteroids with your fire. The player guides a round yellow "pac·man" through
a maze by moving a control stick up, down, left or right.
4. Use hyperspace sparingly. A continuous trail of dots runs through the maze,
including a large "energizer" near each of the four
5. The small saucer is the game's main target. corners. In the center of the maze is a small rectangular
pen-the home of four ghostlike "monsters".
6. Destroy all but one asteroid to maximize the
number of appearances made by the small As he travels the corridors of the maze, the pac-man
saucer. eats the dots and energizers in his path. Each dot is
worth 10 points and each energizer is worth 50. When
7. Keep moving when the small saucer is all dots and energizers have been eaten, a new set
present to avoid being tracked. appears.

8. An alternate method of attacking the small The monsters exit their pen at the beginning of each
saucer is to wait at one edge of the screen phase in an attempt to intercept and eat the pac-man. A
and shoot when the saucer appears. new phase begins each time the maze is cleared of dots
and energizers or the pac-man is eaten.
9. The large saucer should be largely ignored.
Both the pac-man and the monsters can exit at one
side of the maze and appear at the opposite side by
6 Pac-Man Pac-Man 7

passing through a special corridor. Interview: Dale, age 24, from West LA.
High Score: 84, OOO
When the pac-man eats an energizer, the monsters
tum dark blue and move quickly away. For the following Save the corners with the energizers in them for as
few seconds, roles are reversed, and the pac-man may long as possible. While you're eating the other dots,
eat monsters. The first monster eaten is worth 200 you should avoid the monsters.
points, the second is worth 400 points, the third is 800
points, and the fourth 1,600 points. You can confuse them by changing direction
quickly, or sometimes by stopping. When you 're not
The monsters will flicker between blue and white moving, the monsters seem to move more randomly.
when they are about to return to the offensive. After a
monster is eaten, it appears in the pen where it must exit Watch their eyes. The monsters always move in
again. the direction they are looking. If you 're behind one,
you can actually follow him as long as he continues
The player also receives points when his pac-man to look ahead.
eats the various types of fruits as they appear near the
bottom of the monster pen. The pac-man is a little faster than the monsters, but
sometimes a monster can outrun you. If one is
One type of fruit appears twice during each set of catching up and it's about to eat you, quickly turn a
dots: cherries (100 points) appear during the first set, corner. They lose ground following you around
strawberries (300 points) appear during the second set, corners.
peaches (500 points) during the third and fourth sets,
apples (700 points) during the fifth and sixth sets. When the monsters begin to converge on you,
Beginning with the seventh set of dots, the fruits head for a corner with an energizer. Try not to eat an
increase in value to 1,000, 2,000, 3,000 and 5,000 energizer unless at least three monsters are hot on
points. your tail, because afterwards you want to eat as
many as you can.
The player begins with two pac-men in reserve, and is
awarded an additional pac-man for every 10,000 points Sometimes you have to wait for the monsters to
scored. catch up with you, but they probably won 't all arrive
8 Pac-Man Pac-Man 9

at the same time. It's better to get them to chase you.

After you eat the energizer, the monsters will run

direcUy away from you. You can fool them by
reversing your direction. If a monster is about to turn
a corner, instead of following, try to meet him head Playing Tips
on. With practice, you can make them come right to
you. 1. Monsters move in the direction they are
looking.
Eating the monsters and the fruits is more
important than eating all the dots. I've seen people 2. Turn corners if you are being chased.
who have eaten four or five sets of dots and still don't
have that many points because they're afraid of the 3. Eat an energizer when at least 3 monsters
monsters. are following close behind.

4. Don't run directly at a fleeing monster.

Change direction so he runs into you.

5. Save the energizers as long as possible.

6. Avoid the monsters until after eating an

energizer.

7. Confuse the monsters by stopping, or

changing direction.
10 Pac-Man

Note: An alternate strategy for Pac-Man is based on the

r
fact that the monsters always react the same way to the
pac-man's movements. A sophisticated manipulation
of the monsters is sometimes possible which enables
the pac-man to always be where the monsters aren't.

The following pattern, if followed without hesitation,

will lead the pac-man over the entire maze, arriving
under the monster's pen in time to eat each fruit as it
appears. In this strategy, the pac-man ignores the
monsters, even after he eats an energizer.

The player who showed me this pattern said it was

called the "apple pattern," but he didn't know why. It
only works, he said, on certain machines because some
machine owners have ways of counter-acting it.
 13

BERZERK
Game Description

The player controls a man with a pistol, standing at

the beginning of a maze.

A control stick moves the man up, down, forward or

reverse. His pistol is fired by pushing a button. The man
must be moving as t~e firing button is pushed, but he
will stop automatically as he fires. Armed robots are
stationed throughout the maze, firing continuously at
the man.

If the man remains in the maze for a certain length of

time, Evil Otto, a ball with a smiling face, bounces into
the maze after him.

If the man crosses the maze to any of three exits-

top, bottom or far right-he will enter a new maze filled
with a new set of robots, and will be awarded a new
period of grace before Evil Otto again makes his
entrance.
14 Berzerk Berzerk 15

Both the man and the robots can be destroyed four It's not too dangerous to shoot at them out in the
ways : by being shot, by touching a robot, by touching a open; their bullets travel slowly and are pretty easy to
wall, or by being bounced on by Evil Otto. Evil Otto dodge. But try not to have more than one robot
cannot be destroyed, and is able to pass through the shooting at you at a time.
inside walls of the maze.
I always try to kill every robot to win the bonus.
The player is awarded 50 points for each robot he Sometimes the last robot stays behind a wall and
destroys, plus, if he destroys all robots in a maze, a you can 't go back to get him because here comes Evil
bonus of ten times the number of robots. Generally, Otto.
each new maze that the man enters is more difficult to
cross, defended by more robots, and worth more Since Evil Otto follows you, try to maneuver so that
bonus points if cleared of robots. he has to bounce on the last robol That's easiest to
do if the robot is in line anyway, so keep that in mind:
The player has two men in reseroe, and is awarded kill the robots farthest from the center firsl
one more for every 5,000 points scored.
Always try to exit at the righl Then you will start
the next maze at the left. It's easier to kill all the robots
lnteroiew: Paul, age 22, from Santa Monica. by traveling from left. to right across the maze,
High Score: 21, OOO because the maze is rectangular, and skinniest from
top to bottom. Also, Evil Otto enters from the same
Basically, I try to encourage the robots to kill side that you enter from, and if he comes in from the
themselves. I line my man up with two of the robots top or bottom he will effectively cut the maze in two,
so that the closest gets shot by the other one. And I blocking your man 's path from one half of the maze
move around, up and down, whatever it takes to to the other.
make the robots run into each other or into a wall.

Usually about half kill themselves. To get the rest, I

stay behind walls as much as possible andjust shoot
until they walk into my line of fire.
16 Berzerk 17

Playing Tips BATTLEZONE

1. Lead the robots into walls, each other, and
their own fire. Game Description
2. Shoot from around corners whenever The player controls a tank (as if he were inside) on a
possible. plain marked by intermittent obstacles. The obstacles,
three-dimensional pyramids and cubes, can block both
3. Keep moving if you are out in the open. movement and fire.

4. Try not to have more than one robot The plain is patrolled by various enemy units whose
shooting at you at a time. point values when destroyed are as follows: tanks =
1,000 points, missiles = 2,000 points, supertanks =
5. Kill every robot in a maze to win the bonus. 3,000 points, and saucers = 5,000 points. Generally
there is only one enemy unit on the plane at a time.
6. Coax Evil Otto into bouncing on robots.
The player guides his tank with two control sticks that
7. Kill the robots furthest from the center of the allow the tank to move in any direction. The player views
maze first. the battlefield as if looking through the tank's
periscope. He is aided by a radar screen which warns
8. Always exit at the far right. him when an enemy unit is in range, and locates the
enemy in relation to the player's tank.

On the radar screen, the position of the player's tank

is represented by the apex of an angle (his field of
18 Battlezone Battlezone 19

vision). Enemy units appear as dots either inside or your tank is the corner of the angle. You want to
outside the angle. maneuver until the enemy is almost touching that
point, but is still outside the angle.
The player's tank can be destroyed by tank fire, or by
collision with missiles or saucers. When his tank has Then you turn toward the enemy. He will be
been hit, simulated cracks appear on the screen. Every turning toward you, so don 't waste time. You can
time one of his tanks is destroyed, he loses 1,000 either fire at him or run into him. The collision won 't
points. hurt your tank.

He begins the game with two tanks in reserve, and is After getting 20,000 points, the supertanks and
awarded a bonus tank at scores of 15,000 and 100,000. others arrive. Kill the supertanks as they come, then
wait behind an obstacle for a missile or saucer. I like
the cubes best because your tank can shoot over
Interview: Jim, USC student. them and still be a small target.
High Score: 151,000
The missile will fl.y at you, twisting and turning.
The trick is to get at least 20,000 points. After that, Lead it with your fire. It's best to wait until the missile
the supertanks, missiles and saucers, which are is close to you before shooting. Otherwise it's very
worth the most points, start coming in. Below 20, OOO, hard to hit.
almost all you get to shoot at are regular tanks.
You can hear the saucer when it arrives. A saucer
That means you first have to destroy 20 tanks. The is not as dangerous as a missile and is easier to
hardest way to hit an enemy tank is to fire at it destroy. But don 't get too close. It radiates a sort of
broadside while it's moving. The same goes for the destructive force field, even as it's hit.
enemy trying to shoot you. So avoid running straight
at a tank, and keep moving.

When I see an enemy tank on the radar screen, I try

to get closer without going straight at him. Keep the
enemy tank outside the angle of view. On the radar,
20 Battlezone 21

1
\ MISSILE
COMMAND
Playing Tips
Game Description
1. After 20,000 points, the supertanks,
missiles and saucers appear. The player controls three missile bases at the bottom
left, right, and center of the screen, and defends a
2. Keep moving, and never head straight for a varying number of cities located between the bases.
tank. Each base can launch 10 missiles per phase.

3. Use the radar. Position enemy units just A phase consists of a two-waved aerial attack on the
outside of the angle of view. player's bases and cities by bombers, satellites and
missiles. Certain missiles can "split" into two or more
4. Attack when the tank is right beside you. attacking units.

5. Use the obstacles for protection. To intercept attackers, the player aims his missiles
with a cross·hairs sight which is moved by spinning a
6. Shoot at missiles when they are close to you. ball-bearing control. The sight can be moved quickly to
any spot on the screen.
7. Keep your distance when you hear a saucer.
Once a missile has been launched, the sight can be
moved without changing the missile's trajectory. The
missile explodes when it reaches its target spot,
\ regardless of what is there. The explosion spreads, and
remains in effect for a short time. Enemy bombs
explode in a similar way when they hit the ground.
22 Missile Command Missile Command 23

Points are awarded at the end of each phase. Units destroyed during the next phase. It is not rare to have
destroyed are worth the following : attack missiles= 25 all your cities destroyed during a turn.
points, bombers and killer satellites = 100 points, small
missiles = 125 points. I defend my missile bases more than I defend my
cities. If your missiles are destroyed, your cities soon
In addition, the player receives 5 points for each will be.
missile remaining at the end of the phase, and 100
points for each city (multiplied by a 1 to 6 point bonus, Use up all the missiles from a base, then you don't
depending on how many phases the player has already have to defend it. Use the end bases first though,
completed). because the missiles from the center base are more
likely to be in range of the enemy.
The player is awarded a bonus city for every 10,000
points earned. The game ends when the player has no Begin by firing a saturation line of missiles (from
cities remaining after the end of a scoring phase. an end base) across the centerof the screen. This will
get the majority of the first attack wave. Then shoot at
the remaining targets, lowest ones first if they
lnteroiew: Mike, UCIA studenL threaten an active missile base.
High Score: 797, OOO
Try to hit bombers before they bomb and attack
The trick is to always have one city left. You can missiles before they split Aim at point" where the
concentrate on defending a certain city, or you can paths of attackers cross, to kill two or more birds with
collect at least 10,000 points each phase. Both one stone.
strategies get harder as the game goes on.
If you need to launch a second saturation attack,
The best way is to watch your score; try to end use the base opposite from which your first attack
each turn near a 10,000 point increment (like was launched. Otherwise you might run out of
18,000). That makes it easier to win a bonus city missiles half way across the screen.
during the next turn (you'd only need 2,000 more
points). If yougopastthe JO, OOO level (to23,000say)
and win the extra bonus city too early, it could be
•
24 Missile Command 25

Playing Tips

1. Always try to have one city left.

ARMOR
2. Don't win more cities than you need.
ATTACK
3. Defend bases more than cities. Game Description
4. Use all the missiles from a base (end bases The player controls an armed jeep in the middle of a
first) so you don't have to defend it. city. Buildings divide the city into corridors which are
patrolled by tanks (as many as three at a time) and an
5. Begin your defense with a saturation line occasional helicopter.
across the screen, then pick off the
remaining targets. The helicopters and tanks pursue the jeep, the tanks
firing continuously, the helicopters whenever they are in
6. Hit attackers as early as possible, and as range. Buildings block ground fire and certain air-to-
many as possible at one time. ground attacks.

7. If necessary, launch a second saturation Jeep, tanks and helicopters are destroyed by gunfire,
attack from the base opposite from the one and the jeep and tanks by collision. The player is
where the first attack was launched. awarded 20 points for every tank body hit Knocking out
the tank's turret as well earns 30 more points plus a
bonus. The bonus begins at zero, increasing 10 points
with every helicopter destroyed. Whenever the bonus
reaches 50 points, it is reset at zero.
 26 Armor Attack Armor Attack 27

The player begins the game with two jeeps in reserve But if you kill all the tanks, a new wave will come.
which come into play one at a time to replace those lost
in battle. He is awarded an extra jeep for every five It's very difficult for the helicopter to shoot at your
helicopters destroyed. Jeep if it's {lush up against the side of a building. The
helicopter will have to make several passes, firing,
Each time a jeep is destroyed, the screen is cleared, a then circling to attack from another angle. Fire each
new jeep appears in the center, and a new set of tanks time it flies over, and you 'Ii probably hit it before it
appears in the city corridors. The number of tanks hits you.
present increases with each phase.
Keep firing after hitting a helicopter or tank Even
after being hit, they sometimes are able to shoot.
Interview: Wayne, age 20, from Westwood.
High Score: 3,800

I go for the helicopters because they get you more

Jeeps. First, I destroy all but one tank The best way to
fight the tanks is to make them shoot each other by
driving yourJeep in between them. TheJeep is faster
and more maneuverable and can zip up behind a
tank. fire, then run away.

Hide behind buildings and keep moving.

Helicopters are the most dangerous because they
can track yourJeep and fire at it even before they fly
onto the screen.

When only one tank is left avoid it by running

from building to building. (I usually travel between
the two large central buildings). The fewer tanks
there are, the more often the helicopter will appear.
28 Armor Attack 29

SPACE
Playing Tips INVADERS
1. Helicopters are the main targets. Game Description
2. Destroy all but one tank to make the The player controls a laser base which can move left
helicopters appear more frequently. or right along the bottom of the screen. Directly above
lie three stationary blocks which act as shields. The top
3. Drive between the tanks to encourage them half of the screen contains 11 columns of five alien
to shoot at each other. invaders each.

4. Exploit the jeep's superior maneuverability. When destroyed by laser fire, the bottom two aliens in
each column are worth 10 points each; the third and
5. Do not stay out in the open. fourth aliens are worth 20 points each; and the top alien
in each column is worth 30 points. Whenever all aliens
6. Wait close beside a building for the have been destroyed, a new wave appears, beginning
helicopter to come, then shoot each time it lower on the screen than the previous wave.
passes over.
The columns of aliens move as a unit back and forth
7. Keep firing at injured tanks and helicopters across the screen. Each time the formation reaches the
until they are completely immobilized. edge of the screen, it slips downward a notch and
reverses direction.

As they move, the aliens drop bombs at the player's

laser base. The bombs also chip away at the shields.
30 Space Invaders Space Invaders 31

Occasionally a flying saucer crosses at the top of the Try to shoot from behind a shield so you 're a
screen. Saucers do not drop bombs or attack in any smaller target Sometimes I shoot a hole through the
way. Their point value when destroyed varies from 50 to middle of a shield and use it as a gun port.
300 points, and remains secret until the saucer is hit
Another reason to shoot at the edges, is to give you
The laser base can be destroyed either by alien a better shot at the saucers. The only other way is to
bombs, or by an alien reaching the bottom of the shoot around or between the columns.
screen. The player begins with two laser bases in
reserve and receives an extra base for every 1,000 Sometimes the saucers have a pattern. On some
points scored. machines, if you shoot 22 times then wait for a
saucer, it will be worth 300 points. From then on, fire
14 times and then wait for the saucer. If you shoot
Interview: Loo, age 19, from Malibu. more or less than 14 times, the saucer may be worth
High Score: 4,200 less than 300 points.

Shoot at whole columns at a time, especially the You should always shoot at the saucers because
end ones, so the army gets thinner and thinner. That they're worth more points than the aliens.
way it takes longer for them to reach the edge (and
drop lower). You have more time to destroy them, After you destroy two waves of aliens, the saucers
then. The lower they ge~ the quicker their bombs get won't be worth as much, usually 50 points. The
to you. aliens are getting pretty low by that time, too. I
usually change my strategy for the third wave,
One thing I've found is that when an alien is so paying less attention to saucers and more to the
low that he is directly above the laser base, he can 't closest aliens. I hardly ever destroy three whole
drop bombs. You can sneak beneath them and fire waves.
without their bombing you.

Othen.vise, you should never pass beneath the

aliens. Stay to one side, move under the closest
column, shoo~ then move back quickly.
 Space Invaders 33
32

ASTRD
Playing Tips INVADER
1. Destroy whole columns, especially the two
end columns. Game Description

2. When an alien is on the level directly above The player controls an armed "defense base" that
the laser base, it cannot drop bombs on the moves along the bottom of the screen. At the top of the
laser. screen, aliens disembark from a large mother ship and
are funneled into ten vertical troughs lined up across
3. Avoid passing beneath the aliens-shoot the middle of the screen.
and run.
The trough line is divided into two sections of 5
4. Fire from behind a shield when possible. troughs each, with a gap in between. The disembarking
aliens alternate, first dropping into one set of troughs,
5. On some machines the saucers with highest then the other. As new aliens disembark, the aliens at
point value arrive according to a pattern. the bottom of each trough begin dropping toward the
player's defense base.
6. Shoot at the saucers whenever possible.
Periodically, a flying saucer appears at either end of
7. After the first two waves, concentrate less the troughs or in the center gap, and descends.
on saucers and more on the aliens.
Aliens destroyed by the player's defense base are
worth 20 points if they are descending and 10 points if
still in a trough. Destroyed saucers are worth between
100 and 400 points, and their value is unknown until
34 Astro Invader Astro Invader 35

they are hit The aliens usually drop from the same side that
new ones are being loaded into by the mother ship.
The player's defense base is destroyed if an alien So when aliens are being unloaded into the right-
drops on top of it, or if a saucer reaches the bottom of hand side, you can be shooting at the aliens waiting
the screen. The player has two bases in reserve, and is in the left-hand side. When units begin channeling
awarded another base for every 10,000 points scored. into the left-hand side, you move to the right side.

The alien mother ship contains 200 aliens. Before Always avoid passing beneath aliens except to go
the troughs become empty of aliens, another ship will after a saucer.
come with 200 more. This continues throughout the
game, and a counter records the number of space
ships which have unloaded.

Interview: Lee, age 16, from Anaheim.

High Score: 32,000

You can never let a saucer touch the ground, so go

after them first. Saucers are worth more points than
aliens, anyway.

Keep in the center. Aliens can 't drop on you there,

and you 're in the best position to chase a saucer that
drops from either end. About the only moving you
should do is from the center over to a saucer, and
back

While you 're waiting for a saucer, shoot at the four

columns of waiting aliens closest to the center. Only
shoot at attacking aliens if they are going to hit you.
36 Astro Invader 37

PHOENIX
Playing Tips Game Description
1. Destroy saucers first. The player controls a spaceship that can move right
or left at the bottom of the screen. From the top of the
2. Stay in the center of the screen. screen, birds attack in a repeated 5-phase pattern.

3. Fire into the troughs nearest the center. In the first phase, a formation of birds hovers, then
breaks up as individual birds fly at the player's
4. Ignore attacking aliens unless they threaten spaceship, dropping bombs.
you.
When the screen is cleared of birds, the second
5. Attack the side that new aliens are not phase begins. It is similar to the first, except that the
disembarking into. player is able to fire more rapidly.

6. Avoid passing beneath the aliens. In phases three and four, a string of eggs intertwines,
moving back and forth. Large birds hatch from the
eggs, zig-zag sharply left and right, and drop bombs.
These birds must be hit dead center to be killed.
Winging a bird will not destroy it.

The fifth phase begins when the last of the birds have
been destroyed. A large saucer appears in the center of
38 Phoenix Phoenix 39

the screen guarded by a flock of small birds. The saucer {lock, or before they're hatched And they can't
is immobile, but can drop bombs. A ring rotates around bomb you then, either. This is the best time to shoot
the circumference of the saucer. them.

The player destroys the ship by killing its alien pilot Aim at the highest concentration ofbirds or eggs to
To get a clear shot at the pilot, the player must pierce have the best chance of hitting one For the birds,
both the ship's bottom armor and the moving ring. start shooting in the middle ofthe {lock, then move to
When the saucer is destroyed, play resumes at phase the right or left Since the birds are always moving,
one. you have to shoot ahead of them and hope that they
move into your bullets.
The player's spaceship is destroyed by bombs or by
colliding with a bird. He can surround his spaceship Take advantage of the rapid fire in the second
with a temporary force field which destroys birds and phase Send up walls of bullets. In fact a superior
bombs that come in contact with it. The force field player should be able to kill most of the birds before
remains for only a few seconds, but will not be de- they start {lying.
activated as long as a bird or bomb is touching it.
The big birds move back and forth, and pause in
The player receives points for destroying the between. Wait until one begins to move, then shoot
following: small birds in formation = 20 points, ahead of it If you wait too long to shoot you'll
attacking =40 points and up; large birds =100 to 800 probably miss and get bombed.
points, just a wing = 20 points; eggs = 50 points;
saucers = 1,000 to 9,000 points. If a bird goes off the screen, don 't wait for him right
at the edge The bird might come back low on the
The player has two spaceships in reserve which screen and run right into you.
come into play to replace those lost
Be careful with the forcefield. It always seems to
lnteroiew: Sally, age 17, from Torrance. cut out on you, or take too long to go on after you
High Score: 32,000 push the button. You can use the forcefield to kill
birds, if you wait to tum it on right before one hits
The birds are easiest to hit while they're still in a you. The important thing is to make it through all the
40 Phoenix Phoenix 41

bird attacks so you can go after the flying saucer. It 's

Playing Tips
the most points.
1. Fire at birds still in formation and before
When you attack the saucer, try to kill all but one of they hatch.
the guard birds. That way you don 't have so many
bombs falling on you. If you kill all the birds, more
2. Fire into the highest concentration of
will come. targets.

The saucer drops Lots of bombs, too. Shoot a hole 3. Lead the birds with your fire.
in the bottom of the ship, right under the pilot. Don 't
waste time shooting to the Left. or right. When the 4. Take advantage of the rapid fire capability
bombs are too thick, shoot at either end of the in phase two.
moving belt. By the time you 've broken through the
bottom of the ship, there will be Lots of holes in the
5. Don't wait at the edge for a bird that has
belt you can shoot through.
gone off the screen.

When you 're ready to shoot at the pilo~ be patient.

6. Use the forcefield as a weapon.
The bombs are really falling then, and you have to be
careful. Dodge under the hole and back again. I've
7. The saucer is the most important target.
Lost a Lot of ships trying to force my way through the
bombs.
8. Destroy all but one of the saucer' s guard
birds.

9. Shoot a hole in the ship under the pilot.

10. Shoot holes into the rotating ring when the

center of the screen is too well guarded.

11. Wait until it is safe to shoot at the pilot.

 43

.GALAXIAN
Game Description
The player controls a ship at the bottom of the
screen. A lever moves the ship left or right and a button
fires its gun. At the top of the screen are 10 columns of
from 3 to 6 alien units.

Periodically, squadrons of one, two or three ships

break from formation to dive at the player's ship. The
squadrons slant across the screen, dropping bombs.
They sometimes change direction to follow the player's
ship.

If an alien ship survives its dive-bombing run, it will

appear again in the formation for another attack When
all aliens in a formation are destroyed, a new formation
appears.

The player's ship can be destroyed by an alien bomb

or by colliding with an alien ship. The player receives
points for each alien shot down. Attacking aliens are
44 Galaxian Galaxian 45

worth more points than those still in formation. path, then fire. You can 't shoot very rapidly, so aim is
important
The bottom three aliens of each column are worth 30
points when destroyed in formation, and 60 points Always go for the flagship when it attacks. Try to
when attacking. The fourth alien in the column is worth shoot the escort first to get the maximum number of
40 and 80 points, respectively, the fifth is 50 and 100, points.
and the sixth (flagship) is 60 and 150. There are only
two flagships. Between attacks you can shoot at the waiting
ships. Aim at the end columns to compress the
When attacking with an escort, the flagship is worth formation. Usually the attacking ships come from
200 points. When accompanied by two escorts the either end and cross to the opposite edge of the
flagship is worth 300 points, and 800 points if both screen. The closer to the center that they begin their
escorts are destroyed first.
dive, the smaller the area threatened by their attack

The player begins the game with two ships in reserve

The more concentrated the alien formation, the
that come into play to replace those destroyed. A bonus
easier it is to avoid their bombing runs, and the less
ship is awarded for every ten alien formations ground you have to cover to shoot at an attacker.
destroyed.
Ideally, you'd like to kill each alien on its first
attack so that it cannot attack you again. If each alien
Interview: Amy, age 13, from Beverly Hills. is able to make two bombing runs, the number of
High Score: 24,000 aliens is effectively doubled.

Concentrate on the attacking ships; they 're worth

more points and are more dangerous. Kill them as
soon as possible, because the lower they go, the
more bombs they drop.

Space yourself between the failing bombs and

ships. Follow their slant, let the ships fly across your
46 Galaxian

Coming Soon • • •
Book #2

Playing Tips
How to Win! et

1. Destroy attacking aliens before shooting at

the formation. Video Games
2. Space your attacks within the flow of aliens
and their bombs. by Ray Giguette
3. Always attack the flagship.

4. Between alien attacks, shoot at the end

******
columns of the formation to make it thinner. Featuring
Playing Tips
5. Try to kill each attacking alien as soon as on
possible, and hopefully during its first bomb
run. 10 New Games

******
the Martin Pres.s
Torrance, California