BEDLAM ====== As a cadet in the Stellar Imperiums pilot academy, you may have thought that you were hot stuff, but the instructors had a surprise in store for you. The academy puts its trainees through one final test, the X12 fighter simulator — simply known as BEDLAM! LOADING INSTRUCTIONS SPECTRUM 128K +2 CASSETTE: Press ENTER on keyboard and select tape load option. Press PLAY on the tape recorder. When BEDLAM has loaded the title screen will be replaced by the BEDLAM logo. Press any key to commence play. Press FIRE button on your Sinclair 1 (right) joystick. If your joystick differs or you wish to use the keyboard press ENTER to access the OPTIONS menu. Keys are user definable if required. Pre-defined keys are as follows: Player 1 Player 2 LEFT W N CAPSSHIFT/P-Pause RIGHT E M CAPS SHIFT/A Abort current game. UP Q O C key-Restart where you left off in the previous game, DOWN A K FIRE R P From the menu you may select 1,2 or dual player game. GAMEPLAY There are 15 space stations and 10 moonscapes plus a special bonus formation stage. In addition the teleport entrances to 4 pinball machines are hidden in various space stations. DUAL PLAYER MODE This enables two players to play at the same time. These players cannot shoot each other but they can bounce each other around. If one player dies he cannot come back until the start of the next section or until the other player dies, whichever is sooner. Scoring and pickups are on a strictly first come, first served basis, however, the bonus for shooting an entire formation goes to the player shooting the last alien. Both players have a limited duration of invincibility. It is up to the two players entirely on whether they co-operate with each other or fight it out. SPACE STATION SURFACES These can be very perilous as some objects such as force fields are both indestructible and dangerous. Avoid these at all costs. Radar and guns can be destroyed and it is in your own interests to destroy the guns as soon as possible. Revolving guns shoot in all directions. Colliding with pyramids will not destroy you but they will bounce your ship around out of control. ALIENS Progressively formations become more complex as you go further through the game. Within these formations there are one or more safe spots from which you can shoot aliens without putting yourself directly in their path. However, this is made complicated by the surface objects of the space stations which will bounce your ship around or destroy it. Shooting entire formations is one of the major aims of BEDLAM. Not only do you receive a large bonus but you also get limited duration invincibility. It is therefore possible to remain invincible for quite a considerable time by clearing formations. MOTHERSHIP This large and threatening alien appears regularly, its weaponry increasing each time. If you manage to destroy it you will receive a large bonus and some invincibility. Occasionally the Mothership will be accompanied by formation aliens and/or homing missiles. MISSILES There are two kinds, drifting and homing. Both are represented by eyeballs which constantly look at ships when activated. The drifters aim at your ship and launch with no deviation from their course. The homing missiles, lock onto your ship and circle in toward you. PICK UPS Lying on top of well as hidden under the surface of the space stations are a variety of items which can be of great benefit to the players. To uncover the hidden items you must make sure that you shoot all the flashing diamonds until something appears. Then to pick it up you simply fly your ship over it. Watch out for diamonds that instead of releasing a pick up make another diamond appear somewhere on screen. You must be fast to keep shooting up the diamond chain so as to get to the final pick up or teleport. FIRE POWER (F): Picking up these will increase your rate of fire. INVINCIBILITY (I): This is achieved either by flying over an invincibility pick up or shooting an entire formation. The pick up will last longer. The level of invincibility you hold is indicated by how fast your ship is flashing. When it has almost stopped be careful as your invincibility is almost gone. MINE (M): Flying over this pickup will give you a mine which becomes operative as soon as you press the trigger on your joystick. It is therefore wise to manoeuvre your ship without firing until the right moment to activate the mine arises. When activated the mine will wipe out all land installations as well as aliens and homing missiles. LIFE (L): Picking this up will give you an extra life. TELEPORT (T): Passing over this will teleport you to a Pinball machine (see below). BONUS PINBALL GAMES Bedlam contains 4 Pinball machines, their entrances being hidden under certain small pyramids. Shooting these pyramids will uncover the Pinball teleports. The pinball machine acts like the real thing and is capable of adding to your score immensely. However, the major aim of playing the pinball machine is to leave it with a 2X or 10X scoring amplification factor. If you achieve this then for a limited time your score in the main game will be multiplied by the appropriate factor. Just look for the bonus flags indicated by the 2X or 10X lights and try to get the ball to knock them all down. Ball Release: hold down CAPS/SHIFT and then release. Left Flipper: any of 'I, Q, A, Z' Right Flipper: any of '0, O, K, M' Copyright ©Beam Software 1988. All rights reserved. Manufactured and distributed under licence from Beam Software by GO! Media Holdings Ltd., Units 2/3 Holford Way, Holford, Birmingham B6 7AX. Tel: 021 356 3388. Copyright subsists on this program. Unauthorised broadcasting, diffusion, public performance, copying or re-recording, hiring, leasing, renting and selling under any exchange or re-purchase scheme in any manner is strictly prohibited.