THUNDER CASTLE
Cartridge Instructions
(For 1 or 2 Players)

Guide your knight through the deadly mazes of Thunder Castle, slaying evil
dragons, sorcerers and demons as you go. Watch for gates that block your
path...magic objects that grant special powers, extra points, or extra
lives...and magic creatures that energize your knight. Complete all three mazes
-- forest, castle and dungeon -- and the game starts over at a faster speed.
Continue playing, increasing your score, until all of your knight's lives are
lost.

OBJECT OF THE GAME: To score the highest number of points by slaying the evil
guardians of each maze and collecting magic objects. The player with the highest
score at the end of the game is the winner.

PRESS THE RESET BUTTON

Game title will appear and the game will go into Demo Mode, repeating titles and
sample mazes for forest, castle and dungeon.

TO START THE GAME: Press any key. Select the number of players by pressing Key 1
or 2, then Enter, on the right hand controller.

GAME CONTROLS

One-player game -- use either hand controller. Two-player game -- player 1
(First Knight) uses the left hand controller; player 2 (Second Knight), uses the
right hand controller.

DURING GAME PLAY YOU WILL USE ONLY THE SIDE ACTION BUTTONS AND THE DIRECTION
DISC.

Press any side action button to activate a magic object after your knight picks
it up. Object can be activated only once, unless picked up again.

Press the direction Disc to move your knight. Release the Disc to stop the
knight. The Disc moves the knight in four directions:

TOP EDGE   : Knight moves up
BOTTOM EDGE: Knight moves down
RIGHT EDGE : Knight moves right
LEFT EDGE  : Knight moves left

To save time, press the Disc to turn your knight before he reaches a turn in the
maze. The knight will continue in his present direction until the turn is
possible.

GAME IN BRIEF
(see next section for game details)

1. Three dragons appear in the forest maze, one at a time. Slay all three
dragons and advance to the castle maze.

2. Six sorcerers guard the castle maze, appearing two at a time. Slay all six
sorcerers and advance to the dungeon maze.

3. Nine demons guard the dungeon maze, appearing three at a time. Slay all nine
demons and advance to the next, faster forest maze.

4. To slay a dragon, sorcerer or demon, move ENERGIZED knight on top of
guardian. If knight comes into contact with guardian while not energized, knight
will lose one life.

5. To energize knight, touch a magic creature: bat in forest, mouse in castle,
or red skull in dungeon. Energy lasts several seconds, then disappears.

6. Pick up magic objects for extra points, lives or powers. Avoid the comb. To
pick up object, move knight on top of it. Object picked up replaces any unused
object in possession. To use object, press side action button. Object disappears
after use.

7. Knight starts with four lives. Additional lives are earned by picking up
candle stick or accumulating points. Game ends for player when that player's
knight loses all lives.

8. In a two-player game, a player's turn lasts until his knight loses a life.
Game ends when both players' knights have lost all lives.

GAME DETAILS

MAZES

There are three levels to Thunder Castle -- forest, castle and dungeon. Forest
level is slowest. Dungeon level is fastest. If your knight makes it through all
three levels, game play resumes at the forest, but game speed continues to
increase.

There are several possible mazes at each level. Once a maze appears, it does not
change until the next level is reached.

WALLS AND GATES

Knights and evil guardians can move only along open passageways. Magic creatures
can move through walls and gates. All mazes have gates that randomly open and
close. Gates are invisible until they close. Gates remain closed for a few
seconds, then open again.

MAGIC CREATURES

All mazes have magic creatures that energize your knight when touched.

Forest maze : 2 bats
Castle maze : 1 mouse
Dungeon maze: 1 red skull

The knight remains energized for a few seconds, during which he flashes and
special music plays. Only while energized can the knight slay evil guardians.

EVIL GUARDIANS

All mazes have evil guardians that must be slain to advance to the next level.
Evil guardians come in three colors. Green: slower than your knight and worth
300 points when slain. Gold: almost as fast as your knight and worth 400 points
when slain. Red: faster than your knight and worth 500 points when slain.

Guardians pursue your knight when he is not energized; flee from your knight
when he is energized. If your knight touches or is touched by a guardian while
not energized, he will lose a life.

Different mazes contain different evil guardians.

* Dragons: Three in the forest maze. Dragons appear one at a time.

* Sorcerers. Six in the castle maze. Sorcerers appear two at a time, and can
move as a pair or split up and attack from different directions.

* Demons. Nine in the dungeon maze. Demons appear three at a time, and can move
together or split up and attack from different directions.

MAGIC OBJECTS

Magic objects appear at various times, in various locations throughout each
maze, remaining for several seconds before disappearing again.

To pick up a magic object, move your knight on top of it. To use the object
picked up, press any side action button.

An object's power can be used only once each time it is picked up. An object
remains in your knight's possession until it is used or replaced by a different
object. (A knight can carry only one object at a time.)

* Grail: Energizes knight
* Crown: Freezes guardian(s) for a few seconds
* Necklace: Speeds knight up for few seconds
* Lantern: Doubles knight's energy
* Key: Lets knight move through gate or wall
* Ring: Moves knight to random location in maze

The above objects also add points to your score. The first object picked up
within a maze adds 100 points. The second adds 200 points. All subsequent
objects within that maze add 300 points.

Some objects can be picked up without replacing the object already in
possession.

* Coins: Add 500 points to score
* Candlestick: Grants an extra life
* Comb: Cuts your score in half

GAME LIVES

Each knight starts with four lives, and loses one life if touched by an evil
guardian while not energized.

Additional lives can be earned by picking up a magic candlestick, and by
reaching scores of 5,000, 10,000, 20,000, 50,000 and 100,000 points. Game ends
for you when all of your knight's lives are lost.

The number of lives left, in addition to present life, appears in the upper
right corner of the screen, next to your game score.

SCORING

Slay a guardian:
* Green: 300 points
* Gold: 400 points
* Red: 500 points

Pick up magic object (except coins, candlestick and comb):
* 1st object in maze: 100 points
* 2nd object in maze: 200 points
* All other objects in maze: 300 points
* Coins: 500 points

Remember: If you pick up the comb, your score is cut in half!

Extra lives awarded when score reaches 5,000, 10,000, 20,000, 50,000 and 100,000
points.

WINNING TIPS

1. Lure an evil guardian as close as possible to your knight before touching a
magic creature. Your knight will be energized for only a few seconds and
meanwhile, the guardian is running away from you!

2. Try to anticipate gates, to trap an evil guardian in a dead end. Corners also
slow guardians down.

3. Pick up the most useful magic objects. Although all objects give points, some
are more useful than others. Exceptions: Always pick up coins and candlesticks.
The extra points and lives don't affect other magic powers.

4. Avoid touching the comb whenever possible, but don't be afraid to sacrifice
points, if the comb stands between your knight and a safe retreat.

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(c)1986, 1998 Intellivision Productions, Inc.
