There are from two to five caverns to invade before reaching the Martian Headquarters. The number of caverns depends upon the skill level at which you are playing. Once you reach headquarters (also called the Base), you must activate the fusion bomb and retrace your path to the surface. If you reach the surface before the bomb explodes, you are placed at the cavern entrance to begin another invasion. You can invade the headquarters and escape to the surface a maximum of five times. However, if the bomb explodes before you reach the top of the caverns, your mission is over.
Your mission is not as easy as it may look; there are limits imposed on your spaceship. You are given a limited amount of fuel for each life. You lose one life whenever your fuel supply runs out. Crashing into a cavern wall or a Martian object will also cost you one life. If you are invading a cavern when you lose a life, your spaceship is placed at the beginning of the cavern where you lost that life. If, on your descent, you lose all your lives, the GAME OVER display appears on the screen.
Selecting A Skill Level
Before beginning a game, choose a skill level. Press the SELECT button on your ATARI®Flashback II(TM) Classic Game Console one or more times until the desired skill level is displayed at the bottom of the screen.
There are four skill levels from which to choose: NOVICE, PILOT, WARRIOR, and COMMANDER. Each successive level increases in difficulty by adding a new cavern:
NOVICE | Caverns 1, 2, Base |
PILOT | Caverns 1, 2, 3, Base |
WARRIOR | Caverns 1, 2, 3, 4, Base |
COMMANDER | Caverns 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, Base |
Begin with the NOVICE level to acquaint yourself with the game and get used to maneuvering your spaceship. Once you have mastered the NOVICE level, go on to the more difficult levels.
On successive escapes, the cavern display moves faster making it more difficult for you to maneuver your space fighter. This is true at all skill levels.
Scoring
You score points for every Martian object destroyed and for the distance you travel through each cavern. At the end of the game both your score and the high score are shown.
The Martian objects in Caverns 1 through 5 are divided into two color groups: red and white. Each color group has a different value as shown below:
White Objects | Worth 200 Points |
Creon Rocket |
|
Radar Transmitter |
|
Space Mine |
|
Red Objects | Worth 150 Points |
Fuel Tank |
|
Pyxias Rocket |
|
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