DEATH PIT Compatible with Kempston, Protek, Interface 2, Downsway and other joysticks that read the keyboard LOADING Place cassette in tape recorder Rewind to the beginning Check that the joining lead between your Spectrum and cassette recorders connected to the EAR sockets at both ends Type the keyword LOAD followed by two sets of inverted commas (press SYMBOL SHIFT and letter P at the same time to get one set of inverted commas) Having typed LOAD "" on your Spectrum press the ENTER key, then press the PLAY or START control of the cassette recorder Wait until you see the screen display giving details of Durell's copyright and the reward for forged copies of the game Press any key to move through this until you reach the screen where you are asked to select your key or joystick controls KEY CONTROLS Generally 5..........move or dig left 6..........climb down 7..........climb up 8..........move or dig right 9..........pick up object over which man is standing NB: You will have to use the climb up and climb down keys to get past the Dragons To select objects from tent, or drop from man (not possible on ladders) 7..........view first object to pick up from tent 6..........view first object to drop from man 5 or 8.....view next object from selection 0..........collect or drop object currently on view Other controls CAPS SHIFT and SPACE........ ends current game JOYSTICK CONTROLS If you are using a Protek joystick then its movements replace the key controls above, so you do not have to redefine the keys. If you are using a Kempston joystick press J after loading, or press J after you have ended the current game with CAPS SHIFT and SPACE The Kempston joystick replaces the cursor keys 5, 6, 7 and 8 and the 0 fire key controls above If you are using an Interface 2 joystick or any other joystick that reads the keyboard, or wish to redefine the keyboard controls to your own choice, then press R after loading, or press R after you have ended the current game with CAPS SHIFT and SPACE After pressing R you must tap the key or move the joystick to the position that you wish to use for each of the controls as they are displayed to you one at a time. PLAYING INSTRUCTIONS The aim of the game is for you to collect as much gold as possible, and get it and the gem back to the tent. You will only score points for these items when they are actually dropped in the tent. NOTE that the game ends when you drop the gem in the tent, so if you want to acquire the maximum score you should leave this until the end. The cavern maze will then change slightly at the start of each new game. At the start of the game you are at the entrance to the mines, next to your tent. Press key 7 to view the first of the objects that you have in the tent. Then press keys 5 or 8 to view each of the objects in turn. To pick up the object currently displayed you must press key 0 (or the fire button on your joystick). If you wish to carry on picking up objects you must repeat this sequence by pressing key 7 again. When you have picked up the last object that you wish to take with you press key 5 to move left until you are above the entrance to the mines. Then press key 6 to climb down the hole and start your adventure. You may at any time return to the tent to change the items that you are carrying. You can also drop items on any piece of flat ground leg: not on the ladders) by pressing key 6 to view the first item on your list, followed by keys 5 and 8 to scan through your selection, and by pressing key 0 to drop another, so before dropping a second item you must first move sideways. Later on you can pick up these or any other individual items that you find in the mines by standing above them and pressing key 7. Unfortunately you are only able to carry a limited weightof items at any one time. If your load of items has reached the maximum weight allowed lie: 100 units) you will be unable to pick up any more unless you drop something else first (nb: you will get the message 'UGH!' on your screen when your load is too heavy). As you may guess, some items weigh more than others. It's up to you to work out what you should carry in one load. A number of obstacles await you in the caves. Some of these, like the green slime, the dragons, the spiders, and the doors to the giant spiders' lair are instantly fatal. Others, like the snakes, the subterranean fish, the mutant worms, and the bats (to name but a few) may be killed if you are carrying a spade when you run into them. Some of the tunnels are flooded, and you can only pass through these while you still have some oxygen in your tank (displayed on the right of the screen). You will notice that your air supply goes down steadily while you are in the water. When it reaches zero you drown. Similarly the battery of your pit lamp will be slowly discharging all the time you are in the caves, and your lamp will fade as soon as your batteries have run out. As soon as either a battery or an oxygen cylinder is empty its weight is automatically taken away from your load. If you are carrying spares, then the spare battery or oxygen cylinder will automatically take over from the dud. You will also come across piles of rubble that you have to dig through (difficult without a spade) and which will slow you down. To get past many of the obstacles, like spiders and dragons, you will have to time your movements just right. NOTE that when your 'TIME' is up (ie: when you have been playing for 9999 time units) your life expires, so don't hang around just killing the monsters, as this won't give you a very high score. OBJECTS BATTERY: these weigh 25 units and are coloured red, and will slowly run out while your pit lamp is on (Ie: when you are underground). You start off with one in your lamp, and there are four more in your tent which you can take with you, and drop in the mines for later use. When your batteries run out you will be left in the dark - be warned! SPADE: these weigh 25 units and are coloured white. They are essential for getting through the cave-ins, and for defending yourself. There are three in your tent. OXYGEN CYLINDERS: these weigh 25 units and are coloured light blue. You start off with one, and there are three more in your tent. You must have oxygen to get through the flooded passages. GOLD BARS: there are about 20 of these which weigh 50 units each. They are coloured yellow, and are scattered throughout the mine workings. THE GEM: there is only one of these which weighs 100 units and glows in many colours. Getting it back to your tent is your ultimate aim. If you are killed while carrying the diamond it will be returned to its original position in the caves. THE MONSTERS You can only kill monsters by attacking them head-on when you are carrying a spade, for which you will receive 10 points NOTE that the cavern maze will not always be exactly the same each game. Certain monsters like the dragons, cannot be killed - you have to find a way to climb past them. LIVES If you get killed all the objects you are carrying will be destroyed, except the diamond which will be returned to its original location in the caves. You get five lives per game, and at the start of each you will be given a fresh battery and fresh oxygen cylinder in addition to whatever is left in your tent. SCORE GEM (in the tent) .......................1000 GOLD BAR (in the tent) .................. 100 MONSTER (when killed) .................... 10 OTHER SPECTRUM GAMES FROM DURELL Jungle Troubleby ..........by Mike Richardson Harrier Attack ............by Mike Richardson Scuba Dive ................by Mike Richardson Combat Lynx ...............by Mike Richardson