JOURNEY TO THE PLANETS

Solution by Frank Walters


     This is a puzzle solving game involving a different puzzle on each 
of 7 alien planets.

STARTING:

     You are on your home planet. Move all the way to the right screen 
and pick up the pistol. Move back left to your tiny spaceship (on the 
landing pad). Your planet also has the energy recharger (far left 
screen) which should be used whenever you are destroyed and returned to 
home planet. Destruction costs 1000 energy units. Standing on your ship, 
press FIRE to board the ship and push FORWARD to thrust up thru the 
atmosphere to space.

SPACE TRAVEL:

     Each planet is color coded and there is a comet traveling through 
which you must avoid hitting.  The color bar at the top of screen 
indicates rate of speed: GREEN - SAFE, ORANGE - FAST, RED - VERY FAST. 
When landing on a planet from space, or touching down on the landing pad 
on the planet, you must insure that the color bar indicates GREEN for 
safe touchdown, otherwise, Blooey, you lose 1000 energy units and start 
over.

     Navigation in space is through a 64 square grid (8x8). Pressing 
FIRE will show a grid map in the upper left corner:

            ????????
            ????????
            ?..*..??
            ?...*...
            ??..+..*
            ??...*..
            ????????
            ????????

Question mark (?) indicates unknown territory.
Dot (.) indicates explored territory, no planets.
Asterik (*) indicates location of planet.
Plus (+) indicates your present location on the grid.

     The question marks will be replaced by a dot or asterik when you 
travel within one grid square of of uncharted space. You must avoid the 
comet while traveling in space.

PLANETS AND PUZZLES:

1. DARK BLUE/LIGHT BLUE - PRIZE: SNAKE PLANT

     Move left and shoot small rock, pick it up and move right to 
jumping
frogs. Drop rock (timed) so as to hit the small frog as it touches the 
ground. Move back left past small rock screen to screen where flying 
rock expands and contracts. Attempt to shoot rock when it is large. Pick 
up large rock and roll it at the large frog. Repeat as necessary to 
destroy frogs. Move right and avoid moving beams to pick up SNAKE PLANT 
and return to ship.

2. RED/PINK - PRIZE: ETERNAL FOUNTAIN

     Move right and shoot LARGE square. Return left and shoot large 
square 7 times minimum to push it to the left. Cross over and pick it up 
and return to room at right and drop square. Move left and shoot between 
gaps (horizontal). Avoid being shot by returning to blue door between 
shots (safe). Pick up large square, move thru door and drop square. 
Return left and get prize, avoid falling stones on return thru door. 
Drop fountain and shoot SMALL SQUARE. Pick up prize and return left to 
ship.

3. DARK GREEN/LIGHT GREEN - PRIZE: RUBY CHAIN

     Move right and shoot black rectangle and yellow bowling ball. Pick 
up black and go right and drop black next to pink square. The green 
platform will pick up the black rectangle and transform it into an 
orange surfboard. Stand next to pink box when platform returns to pick 
up the surfboard. Return left 2 screens and leave surfboard on top right 
staircase. Go back for yellow bowling ball, return and stand on 
surfboard (holding ball). Push forward on stick to slide across screen. 
Take ball left and drop it down the stairs toward the shimmering door 
between you and the ruby chain. Then get the ruby and exit thru the door 
to the left.

4. DARK GREEN/LIGHT GREEN - PRIZE: DIAMOND

     This is merely a matter of shooting all the bouncing creatures, 
clearing the way to pick up the black cannon and positioning it in the 
center of the screen with the shimmering door. Go back left and get the 
torch, touch to torch to the cannon and pick up the diamond.

5. OLIVE GREEN/YELLOW - PRIZE: CANDELABRA

     Go left up the mountain all the way until you see the candelabra 
below you and the cage on your level. Get the cage and return to the 
elevator and go down to the bottom level. Left one screen and drop the 
cage next to the gray rock on the right side of screen (lobster on 
left). Right to get the pink balloon, inflate the balloon with the pump. 
Left to the cage, which will automatically float up with the balloon. 
Shoot the balloon when it is above the lobster. Repeat the balloon part 
until the lobster is trapped in the cage. Move left past lobster, avoid 
the lasers and retrieve the candelabra and return up the elevator to 
your ship.

6. GRAY/WHITE - PRIZE: BAG OF GOLD

     This is a tricky one. Move right to room with moving colored 
squares. The right square indicates the color tools you will be working 
with. If you shoot it to change color, then all the tools will be of the 
selected color, but do not change it before the puzzle is completed. The 
LEFT block is the key to the puzzle:

GRAY    - TREASURE CHEST
ORANGE  - STICK TO BUILD BRIDGE
YELLOW  - KEY TO CHEST
VIOLET  - NOTHING

     Shoot the left block until it turns gray. Move left and pick up 
treasure chest and move it to another place on same screen and drop it. 
Back right and shoot left block until it is Orange. Left and pick up the 
falling stick, go left and stand near edge of bridge and drop stick, it 
should extend the bridge. Repeat grabbing the sticks and build the 
bridge until you can cross it and pick up the magic wand. Return to room 
with chest, leaving chest on left side and wand on right side of room. 
Go right and shoot the left block until it is Yellow. Return to room 
with chest, passing over wand (automatically picking it up) at catching 
KEY before it falls to ground. If you miss, drop the wand, leave screen 
to right and return to try again. Wand should automatically be replaced 
by key if you catch it (otherwise you cannot pick up the key). Move key 
to chest, pick up the bag of gold and return to your ship.

7. ORANGE/LIGHT ORANGE - PRIZE: ACCORDIAN

     Move off screen right, back left to pick up the stick, right to 
push bowling ball. Continue right and down the stairs, picking up the 
black thing on the way. Continue down the second staircase and drop the 
black houdihonk at the bottom. Go back up and get the second black 
houdihonk, allowing the bowling ball to drop and jam against the first 
black thing you dropped. Go down to the ball and hit the button twice to 
pick up the bowling ball and head up the 2 stairs to the screen with the 
accordian. Drop the ball thru the slot on the upper right side of 
screen, pushing the accordian to the left. Repeat 2 more times (obtain 
ball the same way as the first time). The accordian should then fall 
thru the hole in the center. Continue left and pick up the accordian as 
it falls thru the ceiling.

8. BROWN/YELLOW - HOME PLANET

     You must return here to renew energy if it gets depleted and at the 
end of your missions when the planets show 0 on the status screen at the 
top.  Go to far right where you got your pistol and pick up the candle. 
Return left to the energizer (far left screen). You will notice your 
spaceship is gone. Re-energize and your bonus points will be added and 
you will be beamed aboard your ship at the end.

HARD LANDINGS:

     This is an added difficulty game which involves various problems 
during the splashdown and liftoff phases. The puzzles do not change, 
although each game has random locations for the different planets. Some 
of the obsticles are:

LOW WINDS
HIGH WINDS (side drift)
HIGH GRAVITY
REVERSE GRAVITY
OBSTICLES (must avoid hitting)

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