Activision
BEAMRIDER
Video Game Cartridge Instructions

ACTIVISION BEAMRIDER BASICS

The Restrictor Shield, 99 sectors deep, now surrounds the Earth. You are the
Beamrider, thrust from your Space Station, on a mission to clear the Shield.
There you must demolish an onslaught of aliens as you dodge from beam to beam.

Insert game cartridge into your video game console with power OFF. Then, turn
power ON.

Slip game overlay onto hand controller(s).

There are four game variations:
Game 1: One player
Game 2: Two players taking turns
Game 3: Three players taking turns
Game 4: Four players taking turns

In multi-player games, an arrow at the top of the sceen will point to the left
or right, indicating which controller is in use. Select game by pressing
appropriate number, 1-4, on controller keypad. You will immediately be in the
Space Station (see #10). Its control panel displays your score, two reserve
ships, sector, number of enemy saucers and three torpedoes. To start the action,
open the Space Station's hatch doors and enter the Restrictor Shield by pressing
the controller disc.

USE OF THE CONTROLLER

Disc: To move your ship left or right, ... tap the left or right rim.

Side Buttons: Press either upper button to fire laser lariats. Press either
bottom button to launch torpedoes.

Pause control: If you're distracted in the middle of a game, you can put the
action on hold. Simply press number 1 and 9 or 3 and 7 simultaneously on the
keypad. The action will stop and the screen will go dark. To resume the game,
press any key.

Enemy Saucers: There are 15 enemy saucers in each sector. They must all be
destroyed before you can go to the next sector. Every time a saucer is hit, the
number in the upper left corner of the screen will count down by one.

Weapons: Laser lariats are only effective against certain invaders (see
"Dangerous Encounters"). Torpedoes, however, will destroy the first object they
meet on a beam. You are only given 3 torpedoes per sector. Use them sparingly
since they are your only weapon against the Sector Sentinel (see "Special
Features").

The Space Station: Whenever your ship is destroyed, or when you complete a
sector, you will return via hyperspace to the Space Station. When you're ready
to continue, press any button or the controller disc. The hatch doors will open
and you'll be on your way.

SCORING

Points are scored each time an enemy saucer, chirper ship or Sector Sentinel is
destroyed. Additionally, a 'sector bonus', added to all scores, increases as you
progress to higher sectors. The higher the sector, the higher the bonus. White
Enemy Saucers: 40 points plus sector bonus

Yellow Chirper Ships: 200 points plus sector bonus

Sector Sentinel: 300 points plus sector bonus

The exact point value for each hit appears in red, briefly replacing your score
the moment an enemy craft is destroyed.

Also, if you manage to destroy the Sector Sentinel, you'll receive the points
described above plus a bonus for each ship in your fleet (each ship will light
up and add 100 points plus a sector bonus to your score).

You begin the game with one active ship and two on reserve. The game ends when
all your ships are gone. TURN POWER OFF BEFORE REMOVING CARTRIDGE.

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SPECIAL FEATURES OF BEAMRIDER

The Sector Sentinel. When all 15 white enemy saucers have been destroyed in a
sector, their Sentinel ship will be defenseless and will cruise across the top
of the beams. Only a torpedo can destroy it.

Yellow Rejuvenators. Occasionally, yellow rejuvenators will float through the
beam matrix. Allow them to land on your deck, as each connection will add a
bonus ship your fleet. If you shoot or torpedo a rejuvenator by mistake, it will
turn red from the heated blast. Get out of the way! The wreckage will destroy
you on contact.

Drop Out Key. In a multi-player game, you can choose to drop out of the game
without interrupting the other players. When your turn begins in the space
station, simply press the zero button (0) on the controller for about 1 second.
Your score will be omitted and the sequence of play will automatically adjust to
the remaining players.

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DANGEROUS ENCOUNTERS

With the first swing of your laser lariat, the white enemy saucers approach. But
there's more. As you progress through the Restrictor Shield, a sinister
collection of aliens will materialize. A new danger is added with every other
sector, up to sector 14.

SECTOR CRAFT VULNERABLE?
1 White Enemy Saucers Yes
2 Brown Space Debris No
4 Yellow Chirper Ships Yes
6 Green Blocker Ships No
8 Green Bounce Craft No
10 Blue Chargers Yes
12 Orange Trackers No
14 Red Zig Bombs Yes

Only "vulnerable" objects are affected by laser lariats (saucers and chirpers
are destroyed; chargers and zig bombs are deflected). Everything else can only
be dodged, or in extreme cases, torpedoed.

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JOIN THE ACTIVISION "BEAMRIDERS"

Beamriders are a breed all their own. Part warrior, part astronaut and part
daredevil. If that sounds like you, and, if you've made it to sector 20 with a
score of 60,000 points or more, join the club. Send us a photo of your TV screen
showing your sector and score, along with your name and address, and we'll send
you the emblem that will identify you as an official Beamrider. Be sure to write
"Beamrider" and your score on the bottom corner of the envelope.

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HOW TO BE A "BEAMRIDER"

Tips from Dave Rolfe, designer of Beamrider

Dave Rolfe is a seasoned designer of video games, with an academic background in
engineering and computer science. In his spare time, he can be found bicycling
or listening to rock 'n roll.

Greetings from sector 26 and moving! If you want to make it to the outer
sectors, pay attention to these tips.

First of all, don't hold down the disc. Maintain precise control by learning to
TAP the disc to move a single beam at a time. And stay near the center beams so
you won't get boxed into a corner with nowhere to run.

Zap the white enemy saucers as early in their approach as possible. And check
this out: You can hit them when they're slightly off the beam, before they can
drop their missiles.

When you see a yellow rejuvenator, don't abandon all caution as you move to
catch it, or you'll likely wreck your ship. If an invulnerable object is
blocking it, you can use a torpedo to blast it out of the way. Then, catch the
rejuvenator. But remember, you only have three torpedoes and they're your only
weapon against the Sector Sentinel.

And while we're on the subject, when the Sentinel is about to approach, don't
sit on the beam you plan to shoot from. Green Blockers will swarm onto it
immediately! Instead, wait on a beam you're not going to shoot from (like the
one nearest the Sentinel's first sighting). As soon as the Blockers are 'locked'
onto that beam, zip over to an unblocked beam and torpedo the ship.

Last, but not least, take time to notice the enemy attack movements. They
generally follow a pattern of motion that allows you to anticipate many of their
moves.

With practice, you'll be in the outer sectors before long. If you get too far
out, come down to Earth for a while and drop me a line. Because reading your
letters is the next best thing to designing games.

David Rolfe

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©1983 Activision
M-005-03