Full Instructions

The ultimate objective of Thunderball is to triumph over the opponent by depleting all of his energy reserves or alternatively by becoming the first player to obtain a full tank of fuel. This objective can only be realised in Section 3. The purpose of Sections 1 and 2 is to try and obtain ammunition pods which carry through to Section 3.

Promotion past Section 1 is by demolishing a section of the outer and inner (orange) walls on the player's own side of the screen. Once demolished, the ball is continually bounced off the inner moving wall until contact is made with one of the three acorns. The balls can move in fourteen different directions and each bat is capable of sending the ball in seven different directions.

It will be noticed that the ball will return vertically from the outer wall when the corresponding section of the inner orange wall has been erased. Erasure of the orange wall occurs when the player either tactically or accidentally allows the ball to reach the back wall. As it can be a great disadvantage not to be first to enter section 2, section 1 is a race to be the first player to make contact with the acorns.

In section 2, in place of a bat the player is in control of a laser base. The outer wall has now started to move in the opposite direction to the central conveyor. The idea now is to use the laser to breach the remaining defences surrounding the ammo pod conveyor. When that is achieved, laser bolts that make contact with the conveyor will contribute towards extending an umbilical inwards until it reaches one of the empty pods. On contact, the pod is claimed for the relevant player and will drop down the appropriate shute upon reaching the left side of the screen.

It will remain in the bottom of the shute until a further laser bolt strikes an acorn at which time the ammo pod will enter and start to bounce around the player's "ammo dump".

It will be noticed that spent ammo contributes to the size of a block of antimatter which floats around the ammo enclosure appearing directly underneath the laser base each time a bolt is fired. If this antimatter makes contact with one of the pods the pod will be annihilated.

When all the pods have been claimed from the conveyor both players will progress to Section 3.

It is in Section 3 that the battle begins! Each player starts off in the centre of his Cyclotron. It is to this point that the player must return later in the game to transfer both fuel and ammo from the secondary to the primary tanks. It is only when fuel/ammo is in the primary tank that it can be used. There is also a reserve tank for fuel only on the left side of the screen, and in fact it is normally from this tank that fuel is drained into the primary tank.

Fuel may be decremented in one of three ways. Firstly, on a time basis from the primary tank only. When this is empty, the player bounces around out of control and is a relatively easy target for the other player.

Secondly, fuel is decremented from the total when a bolt from one player hits the other. Finally, there will also be a fuel penalty (and temporary paralysis) if a player is hit by the rolling thunderball. If both players' primary tanks run out of fuel then the game is a draw.

Fuel may be gained by successfully firing at the target located on the piston against which the thunderball normally rests. A full reserve tank of fuel will win the game. Ammunition is credited to the secondary tank by colliding with one of the player's own coloured ammo pods. However, this must be transferred to the primary tank before use. Using this ammo to blast the other player and deplete his total stock of fuel will also win the game.

The score is displayed at the end of each game until one player reaches five games. At this point the score will be reset.

The Aim Of The Game

If you have not been allocated more Photon Sac Ammo Packs than your opponent in the early sections, then when the Thunderball battle to the death begins, you had better hope that the Thunderball gets him before he gets you.

Triumph over your opponent by depleting his energy reserves or being the first to get a full tank of fuel.

1. Race to demolish a section of the outer and inner walls and bounce the ball until you make contact with one of the three acorns.
2. Now use the laser to break the remaining defences around the ammo pod conveyor. Claim more pods than your opponent.
3. Let battle commence! Transfer fuel and ammo from the secondary tanks to the primary tanks. But you must keep your nerve and control. To win, you must blast your opponent and deplete his entire fuel stock.

Game Controls

Player 1: Z - Left, X - Right, S - Fire
Player 2: > - Left, ? - Right, + - Fire

Features

100% machine code, Hi-res screen mode, All available memory used by program (over 11K)