Jaws

A monstrous great white shark is terrorising the beaches of Amity Island. A grim discovery confirms the worst - he's out there and he's hungry. In a bid to save the Island's falling tourist trade, Mayor Vaughn engages a professional shark killer from the mainland. Unfortunately, en route, a fierce storm wrecks his boat, and the means of Jaws' destruction is scattered throughout the caves and chasms of a menacing sea world.

The Game

Brodie, Amity's Chief of Police, has the task of ridding the waters off the island of Jaws. He has persuaded Quint, a local fisherman, and Hooper, an oceanographic expert, to assist him. Hooper has also brought along three highly qualified divers to help with the equipment.

Unfortunately the equipment and weapon required to kill Jaws were lost in a reef off the coast, which the transporter vehicle hit and sank. Brodie's team of six has first to recover the four sections of the gun and the special bullets required to kill Jaws, from the horror-infested caverns below the reef. This achieved, one member of the party has to attempt to destroy Jaws, using the deadly weapon constructed from the parts found in the depths.

The diver will be placed in the area where Jaws is prowling. He will be limited to 80 seconds of air and four mega-bullets. Each one will flash when it is ready for firing. A hit or miss will then be indicated on the control panel.

Jaws will only be killed by your hitting him three times before your air runs out or you collide with Jaws or any sea-creatures. If this fails, there will be no second chance!

Spectrum 128K Version only: Brodie's task is further complicated by Mayor Vaughn's short-sighted attitude. His insistence that, despite the risk of attack, the beaches should be kept open for the summer tourists, causes a real dilemma. If you close too many beaches for too long, you're likely to find yourself out of a job. However, if you ignore the warning signs, and too many swimmers perish, the mainland authorities will shut the island down. Acting on local information of shark sightings, together with the island's weather reports, you must try to keep as many beaches open as possible without loss of life. You must get to know your enemy, his movements, and the way his behaviour varies with the weather. Ignore this, and success will be hard.

Underwater, things are complicated by the presence of various sea-creatures, some of which are listed below:

Flashing Sea-Creatures:
Can only be shot with Mega-Bullets.

Normal Sea-Creatures:
Can be killed by shooting them one or more times. At the start of the game, these creatures are fairly weak, but as time goes by they increase in strength and require more hits.

Some hide more deadly creatures which are released when shot.

Others hide treasures and useful pieces of equipment.

Treasure & Equipment Icons

1. Invisible
   Your underwater camera loses sight of your craft for a few seconds. However, the sea-creatures can still see you.
2. Half Speed
   Faulty powercells which cause a drain on the drive units and slow down your craft for a short while.
3. Extra Diver
   An additional crew member joins your team to assist you in your search for the gun pieces.
4. Smart Bomb
   These devices will kill any sea-creatures on screen by sending a compression wave through the water.
5. Dangerous Walls
   The walls of the caverns become dangerous for a short period of time. This will be signalled by a warning sound.
6. Air
   Your supply is continually depleting, so these give you the chance to replenish your supply and remain submerged longer.
7. Fast Bullets
   This device gives additional charge to the compressed air-gun on your craft, propelling projectiles at increased speed while the charge lasts.
8. Gun Bits
   There are four of these to be found.
9. Time Bomb
   These are faulty concussion mines which will destroy the submersible. Your only means of escape is to leave that screen before it explodes.
10. Mega-Bullets
    These are high-power compressed-air shells, which can penetrate the thick skins of otherwise invulnerable sea-creatures. Use them wisely as they are in short supply. They are needed to kill Jaws also.
11. Treasure
    These add to the collection of valuables stored on your ship.

Other dangers facing your divers:

1. colliding with a sea-creature
2. being shot by a sea-creature
3. accidentally shooting an invulnerable sea-creature
4. colliding with a deadly wall
5. colliding with Jaws
6. running out of air
7. shooting a gun part or bomb
8. being on-screen when a bomb explodes

At the start of a game divers are shielded and take more than one hit before being killed. After the shields have worn off, any of the above will kill a diver.

Game Controls

Z - Left, X - Right, K - Up, M - Down, L - Fire

P - Pause (Press Q to quit)

Spectrum 128K versions only:

Map Mode:
Left/Right - Select beach to open/close
Fire - Open/close beach
Up - Return to Surface Mode

Surface Mode:
Fire - Launch diving vessel (if still on boat)
Down - Switch to Map Mode
Space - Toggle between Surface/Undersea Mode (if diving vessel has been launched)

Underwater Mode:
Space - Toggle between Surface/Undersea Mode

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