Sewer Software and DR.J present..... STAR RAY by Logotron Ltd The story so far ... Since the first time you saw a Star Warrior on some TV space-opera, battling valiantly against the evil Citron and Tauran empires, you have nurtured a dream... to become a StarRay pilot! Now, you've sailed past the acceptance tests, you've survived the trainer-sims, you've done the dummy runs on the ice planet Charon - at last, you've made it! The first mission is on the planet Gorbaxa. It's a place where the used Kryptium - Energy Cells from the mammoth Star Cruisers are stored. Since one of the surviving robotships from the Kryx Wars dumped unused Kryptium- Cells there 2 years ago, the place has needed a 24 hour guard- the cells are priceless and dangerous. The Watch at Gorbaxa is just your kind of mission. A few months later, you'll be on your way to Sirion. It's a holiday planet where dense impenetrable jungle is growing at such a frenzied rate, it could overgrow the hi-speed rail tracks within hours. Here, your mission is to protect the forest exterminator robots against the vicious wildlife. If you're still alive after that, the next mission is Sharlon, where the ozone layer requires your protection. And then... LOADING 1. Turn off the computer and disconnect all peripherals except monitor and joystick (and, if you have it, ST Replay). 2. Place the disk in drive A and switch on. 3. StarRay will now autoboot and enter demo mode. Note: leave write-protect tab closed if you wish to save high scores. THE GAME To commence game, press fire button. Control is by Joystick or Keyboard. Movement - Cursor (Arrow) Keys or Joystick. Fire - Alternate or Right Mouse Button. Vaporizers - Caps Lock or Left Mouse Button. Special Functions F2 - Music on/off F3 - Sound FX on/off F4 - Switches between 50 Hz and 60 Hz. Note: StarRay defaults to operating at monitor frequency 60 Hz, but some televisions may require 50 Hz - do not adjust your set, just toggle with F4. StarRay Sampled Song will play on Atari 1040 STs only. If you own an ST Replay cartridge, then; R channels song through ST Replay, M channels song through Monitor. SCREEN LAYOUT Below the play area,t you will find the Radar Scan. You are the whit dot near the center, the installations you are protecting are the off-white dots on the bottom. When these are perverted by the alien Landers, they become red. Any other objects on the radar are active and hostile. Shield Bar - signifying the energy supply to your shielding. Vaporizers Store - indicating how many are left. The Score. WHAT YOU MUST DO Your mission is always to protect the Installations on the ground. When these have gone, the game is over. Installations are different on each level - energy cells, forest robots, antigravity generators, etc. The most common aliens are the Landers, which not only fly around, they shoot at you as well, and land on the installations which they pervert. For example, in the jungles of Sirion, Landers turn the installations into Gun Emplacements. Perverted installations should be attacked. Some Landers leave a Bonus Ball when you shoot them. These should be collected (touch them). The StarRay fighter is enhanced according to the letter on the ball. A - Improved acceleration V - Maximum speed is increased T - You can fire more rapidly P - Your laser gets greater penetrating power C - Continuous fire for 100 shots I - Invulnerability for 10 seconds B - Bonus points If you hand around doing little, the vicious Blue Hunters will come for you. If you are good, you get bonus Air Buses. Shoot them down and collect the bonus objects. On your first mission at Gorbaxa, you'll encounter Krellian mother ships. These seem harmless, but when shot they break up into many small UFOs, which chase behind you in your exhaust stream. There are 7 missions in all, increasing in difficulty. Look forward to the living crystals, radar interference satellites, the silicon worms, collapsing cave passages, blood-thirsty plants, deadly guided missiles, etc., etc... THE OPTIONS SCREEN This is activated by pressing any key on the keyboard. This offers you: Resume Game - from exactly where you left it. View Game Screen - enabling screen photos and position analysis. Sound On/Off - without sound StarRay is 1.8% faster and 23% more difficult. Restart at Level - This enables you to start on any of the first 4 levels, but only on level 1 is your energy maximised. Last Game Option - Test have shown that StarRay gives pleasure to certain persons. For these there is the following problem: Those who have to get out of bed early in the morning, must actually stop playing at some time - but how, when their fingers are itching for the High Score? For these we have invented this option. Activate Last Game Option, lose, and nothing works anymore. To continue playing, one must load again - and thus there is time enough to glance at the clock and jump disgusted into bed.