Atari 2600 Game Manual: Spike's Peak (by Xonox)
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You are Spike, climbing against time. Rather than following the safer way
of the path, you may decide to climb the cliff instead... but such a
decision will change your speed and your technique. Completing 5 different
screens will take you to the top of the mountain, but beware of diving
eagles, and hungry bears that hide in darkened caves. You must also watch
for rock slides and slippery ice patches... they may send you sliding, perhaps
into poisonous mountain cactus. The higher you climb, the colder you'll get
So hurry... before you freeze!
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Get Ready to Play Spike's Peak
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1. Hook up your video game system. Follow the manufacturer's directions.
2. With the power "OFF", plug in game cartridge. The XONOX Double-Ender --
with Spike's Peak and Ghost Manor -- gives you twice the fun with two
totally separate games. To play Spike's Peak, insert the end of the
cartridge labeled "Spike's Peak" into your video game system.
3. To prolong the life of your XONOX Double-Ender, you may want to use
the dust cover provided to protect the game end not in use.
[Note: The _what_? Never seen such an item, and it wasn't in my box. -VSP]
4. Now turn the power on. If no picture appears, check connection of your
game console to TV; then repeat steps 1, 2 and 4.
5. Plug in left joystick controller. One player at a time only. Hold
joystick with the red button in the upper left position.
6. Set both difficulty switches to "B to begin with (see game instructions
for advanced difficulty settings).
7. To begin or to start a new game, press "GAME RESET."
NOTE: Always turn the console power switch "OFF" when inserting or removing
a XONOX cartridge. This will protect the electronic components and
help prolong the life of your XONOX games.
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SPIKE'S PEAK
Video Game
--
You control SPIKE on a climb to reach the peak of the mountain. Start on
the path that leads up through the meadows, crosses rocky ledges and advances
through an icy snow field. But watch out for the bear, waterfalls, the
eagle, falling rocks and the abominable snowman. Collect points as you go
higher, and find gold nuggets and ice diamonds. But watch your body
temperature; do not freeze before you reach the top -- you only have 3 lives!
1. Object of the Game: To reach the top of the mountain before you freeze,
collecting as many points as possible -- highest score wins.
2. Controls: Play with the LEFT JOYSTICK and FIRE BUTTON.
One player at a time only.
3. Score Display: a) Row of digits is your SCORE points.
b) Line under score is indication of body temperature.
Shrinks as you get colder and you will freeze when
it's gone.
4. Difficulty SWITCHES: There are 4 difficulty levels.
Difficulty Level Left Switch Right Switch
1 - easy B - novice B - novice
2 - medium A - expert B - novice
3 - hard B - novice A - expert
4 - hardest A - expert A - expert
Difficulty switch settings have different effects on each screen:
Screen Difficulty Switch affects:
1 a) delays your jumping ability
b) speed of Spike's movement
c) Eagle warning sound begins earlier
2 a) delays your jumping ability
b) boulder may knock Spike off at lower levels
3 no difficulty switch effect in this screen
NOTE: The boulder will continue to appear at lower levels but it will not
knock out Spike in the easier difficulty level settings.
NOTE: To owners of Sears Telegames Video Arcade, difficulty is called 'skill'.
--
Game Layout:
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1. MOUNTAIN -- screen 1 [Mountain in distance, with flags in foreground]
Flags indicate number of lives remaining. (A blinking dot on the
mountain indicates your previous advancement.) Move joystick to the
right to begin your journey.
2. MEADOWS -- screen 2 [zig-zag path starting at lower right]
Ascending up the path through the meadows. Safety in brown canyons
and empty black caves without bears (you'll see their eyes). Be
careful of the muddy water slides, eagles, and bears (in and out
of caves).
3. ROCKY LEDGE -- screen 3 [more zig-zags, more horizontal, and broken in
pieces]
Hazardous ledges to cross with rockslides and boulders falling, plus
cactus to sting you. Collect piton for protection and gold nuggets
for extra points.
4. ICE CAP -- screen 4 [another long continuous zig-zag]
Be careful through the snowy icy path, avalanches fall and an
abominable snowman tries to kill you. Pick up ice axe for help and
collect ice diamonds for additional points plus energy.
5. TOP OF THE MOUNTAIN -- screen 5 [uh, well, a mountain-top. Duh.]
Plant the flag at the top and you've conquered the mountain.
You're very tired!
--
PLAY ACTION -- Screen 1 Starting up the MOUNTAIN
--
The blinking dot indicates last altitude reached.
The number of flags indicates number of lives remaining.
Ascend up the path until next screen appears by pushing joystick to the right.
--
PLAY ACTION -- Screen 2 Climbing the MEADOWS
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Follow the path up the hill and hide from the EAGLES and the BEARS. Listen
for the screech of the Eagle before it attacks.
Your objective is to reach the top of the mountain path and then climb
screen 3, the rocky ledge.
Get in the cave [dark rectangle] or canyon [lighter rectangle] to hide.
Push the joystick DOWN to get in the canyons and UP to get in the caves.
Use the fire button to jump over the water [vertical obstacle in path] and
to get out of the cave or canyon.
Don't stay in the cave or canyon too long or your body temperature will fall
and you will freeze and die.
POINT SCORING in Screen 2:
This part of the mountain is 4,000 feet high. You will collect 1,000 points
for every 1,000 feet of altitude you climb. (Each turn in the path
represents 1,000 feet.)
WAYS TO LOSE LIVES in Screen 2:
* killed by Bear or Eagle
* freezing to death
* caught in water slide
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PLAY ACTION -- Screen 3 Balancing on the ROCKY LEDGE
--
Be careful on the rocky ledge. Walk over the DRIVING PITON [vertical line]
and use the fire button to drive it into the hill while advancing with the
joystick.
Do not fall between the ledges or you will fall down the holes. Use the fire
button to jump from ledge to ledge.
BODY TEMPERATURE will only fluctuate.
Grab GOLD NUGGETS [squares] for extra points by walking over to them.
CACTUS [looks vaguely like a pinwheel] block the path and will give you
quite a twirl. You can jump over them by using the fire button.
Watch out for the FALLING ROCKSLIDE [bunch o' dots]; it will knock you down
and give you negative points. Don't let the FLYING ROCK [big boulder] hit
you; it will knock you toward the holes between the ledges. Use the fire
button to protect yourself.
Spike is a talented climber. He does not have to walk along the ledge. He
can climb straight up or even diagonally but without the support of the
ledges, climbing progress is slower and it may take longer to get to the top.
However. some climbers think the shortest distance route is the quickest.
Your objective is to reach the top of the rocky ledge (gathering as many
gold nuggets as you can), and then climb screen 4, the ice cap.
You can enter the ice cap screen by either gathering the gold nugget at
the top left of the Rocky Ledge screen or by climbing over the stairway
looking ledge ["stairway looking ledge?"] on the top right of the rocky
ledge screen.
POINT SCORING in Screen 3:
This part of the mountain is 3,000 feet high. You will collect 2,000 points
for each 1,000 feet of altitude you climb (each level of ledges represents
1,000 feet).
OTHER POINT SCORING in Screen 3:
Gold nuggets are worth 3,000 points each.
WAYS TO LOSE POINTS in Screen 3:
If you are knocked down by falling rocks you will lose 150 points each time
you fall backwards.
WAYS TO LOSE LIVES in Screen 3:
* falling between or off a ledge
* getting hit by a boulder if it knocks you off a ledge
--
PLAY ACTION -- Screen 4 Passing the ICE CAP
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Avoid the AVALANCHE [flying wedges], it will slide you back. If you have the
ice axe you can avoid it by pressing the fire button and push the joystick
IN ANY DIRECTION. This plants the ice axe in the ice and prevents you
from falling too far.
Advance through the icy snow by first getting the ICE AXE and using it with
the joystick to advance yourself.
Don't get too cold, your BODY TEMPERATURE [line under score] decreases faster
as you increase in altitude.
Walk over to the ICE DIAMONDS [floating blocks] and touch them for
extra points.
Don't let the ABOMINABLE SNOWMAN grab you; he will kill you. Kill him
and get extra points by pressing the fire button with the joystick in the
NEUTRAL position. This throws the axe at the snowman. Also moving Spike
just off the path allows you to avoid the Abominable Snowman.
As in Screen 3, Spike can climb in all directions. He does not have to stay
on the path, although Spike moves slower if off the path.
Your objective is to reach the top of the ice cap and then climb Screen 5, to
the top of the mountain, to plant the flag... all before you freeze!
POINT SCORING in Screen 4:
This part of the mountain is 4,000 feet high. You will collect 2,000 points
for every 1,000 feet of altitude you can climb (each turn in the path
represents 1,000 feet).
OTHER POINT SCORING in Screen 4:
Collecting the Ice Diamonds are worth 5,000 points each. If you can kill
the Abominable Snowmen, you will get 2,000 points for each Snowman killed.
WAYS TO LOSE POINTS in Screen 4:
If you are knocked down by an avalanche, you will lose 250 points each time
you are knocked down.
WAYS TO LOSE LIVES in Screen 4:
* Getting killed by an abominable snowman
* Freezing to death
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PLAY ACTION -- Screen 5 TOP OF THE MOUNTAIN
--
Peace at last, but you must climb to the very top and plant your flag before
your body temperature freezes. Take a rest for completing such a mission!
POINT SCORING in Screen 5:
When you have reached the top of the peak you will be awarded 10,000
bonus points!
Also, if you have more lives remaining, you will scurry down the mountain
to climb again, after you have had a brief rest.
WAYS TO LOSE LIVES in Screen 5:
* Freezing to death
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GAME ENDING
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LOSING A LIFE:
You will lose a life because of several possibilities:
Screen 2 -- Bear, Eagle or Water Slide may capture you. Also your body
temperature may get too low.
Screen 3 -- Falling in between the ledges in the holes.
Screen 4 -- Abominable snowman catches you, or your body temperature
gets too low.
[They forgot Screen 5 -- freezing to death! Hah.]
If you lose a life you will flash back to the beginning of the mountain to
check your last position and how many lives you have left. To resume your
climb from the screen at which you left off, move joystick to the right.
WINNING THE GAME:
You will win the game if you plant your flag at the very top of the mountain.
If you still have lives left, you can get more points. To resume play,
press the fire button.
BONUS LIVES:
If you reach 100,000 points you will receive another life for Spike. For each
100,000 point level you reach you will receive an additional life, but you
will never have more than 3 lives total at any one time.
LOSING THE GAME:
If you lose all 3 of Spike's lives without reaching the top of the mountain,
you will return to the base of the mountain and see that there are no more
flags remaining because you have no more lives. The game is over. To replay
again from this screen just move the joystick in any direction or press
GAME RESET and the game will restart.
GOOD LUCK!
[Climber's Log: places to record high scores]
typed by vsp@netaxs.com. comments, more manuals, and Vectrex overlays welcomed.
This document obtained from the History of Home Video Games Homepage,
©1997-1998 by Greg Chance