PERIL IS MY MIDDLE NAME

"Roderick Hero here (R. Hero to my associates), President and Chief Executive Officer of H.E.R.O., Inc., inviting you to join me in tackling a tricky maze of mine shafts rife with the kind of danger we daring types only dream of. Until now, that is! "Think of it: miners trapped in a mountain bubbling with lava rivers and magma deposits, mine shafts crawling with vile vermin, all lethal to the touch. Oh, it's just too awful ----- and too exciting! "I'm armed with equipment of my own invention. My Prop-pack carries me to even deeper depths, while I zap creepy critters with my Microlaser Beam. Dynamite demolishes walls that get in my way. If my supply lasts, that is. And my power. "Did I mention the terrible tentacles that loom up out of lava? Or the massive walls that can crush me? What about the raft I ride on? Oh, never mind. Come along, and make yourself useful."
 

H.E.R.O.
GAME PROGRAM INSTRUCTIONS
 

DUTY CALLS!

Roderick Hero, at you service. Please, call me R.Hero. Everyone does, I wish to address myself to fledgling Heroes and All-Round Good Guys everywhere. A crisis is afoot, affording me an ideal opportunity to share a few of the finer points of heroic endeavor with you. Do pay attention. Volcanic activity has trapped miners in mineshafts in Mount Leone. I shall use equipment (some think it rather nifty) of my own invention to help miners no mere mortal can reach. It would give me great pleasure to have
your help.  The object of this undertaking is to rescue all the miners possible
before running out of lives.
 

MAKING READY!

Do follow these simple instructions. There's a good fellow.

* Insert cartridge. Turn power ON.

* Plug in the Left Joystick controller (see "Essentials" for use).

* Select one of five one-player games with the game select switch.  The higher the game number, the deeper within the mine one begins and the more advanced the challenge. (See "Rescue Challenge Chart".)

* To start, press game reset. Note how Yours Truly hovers in a mineshaft, ready to go once the power gauge turns completely yellow. One need only move the Joystick to begin.

* Reserves. I embark with four opportunities ---- very well then "Lives"---- one in use, three in reserve. One acquires an additional life, to a maximum of six in reserve, for every 20,000 points earned.

* Power Gauge. One hears and sees the power gauge fill at the start of each level. Power begins to diminish when the Joystick is moved at the beginning of each level or after a reserve life appears on the screen.  If power runs out and a reserve life remains, one reappears at the top of that level.

* Game ends when one runs out of lives, of course.

SOME ESSENTIALS

"Must haves" for the rescuer in the know.

Prop-Pack. My greatest inspiration, to which I'm very attached. This propeller pack allows one to fly where one wishes.
* To fly up: Push joystick forward.
* To run or fly left or right: Move joystick left or right.
* To hover: Tap joystick forward.
* To fly down a shaft: Step off the ledge. Gravity does the rest!

Microlaser Beam. The helmet comes equipped with a Microlaser Beam. With it one can blast vile vermin. The Beam can also slice through walls, but this takes time and time costs precious power.
* To fire: Press Joystick button.
* For continuous fire: Press and hold button.

Dynamite. One begins each game and every mineshaft level with six sticks of dynamite, each of which can demolish a small wall.
* Land and move near a wall.
* To place and ignite dynamite: Pull joystick toward you. Then move fast or be blown up! I, R.Hero, cannot stress this enough.

Raft. A heat-resistant raft floats on certain stretches of the lava river.  If it can carry R.Hero across the river when he lands on it (it can), it can carry you. A word to the wise: Getting off isn't always easy!
 

PLANNING THE PERFECT OUTING

One should make it a point to be as familiar with the details of a rescue operation as with guests in one's home.

Meet the mineshaft. Mineshafts extend vertically and horizontally deep into Mount Leone. Some dead end; others are blocked by walls. Some walls and surfaces glow red; these contain magma deposits, molten lava behind the rock.  Like lava rivers, magma deposits cost one a life should one be careless enough to touch them. Oh yes, before I forget Lanterns light these murky mineshafts. Touch or shoot one and that section of the mine will go dark.  Most unpleasant.

Hello to Hazards. The shafts, you will note, are alive with various vermin:  Springing spiders, shaft bats, mine moths and nesting snakes. Do avoid them, or blast the loathsome little beggars with the Microlaser Beam. In addition a tentacle traces one's every move over certain parts of the lava river. As one cannot shoot it, practice caution. Touching any of these hazards results in a loss of life, alas.

How Low Can One Go? One must locate a miner on each level before moving lower in the mine. The deeper one goes, the faster things move, the more dangerous and numerous the challenges become and the harder it is to find the miner. The current level number appears in place of the score at the beginning of each level. To tackle tougher tunnels right away, one may start the rescue mission at deeper levels.
 

RESCUE CHALLENGE CHART

Game Number Starting Level

1            1
2            5
3            9
4           13
5           17*

*Game 5 starts on level 17, but all following levels are random. No level number appears during game 5.

In games 1 to 4, the word PRO appears in place of the level number after level 20. My highest accolade, you can be sure!
 

SCORING

* Shoot a critter  50 points
* Each dynamite stick remaining when miner is rescued  50 points
* Dynamite a wall  75 points
* Rescue miner  1000 points

One earns additional points for every unit of power remaining when a miner is rescued. The higher the level number, the more each unit of power is worth.

The day has been saved when the score reaches 1,000,000. The rescue operation ceases. Can you say what else happens? R.Hero, of course, knows........
 

H.E.R.O. HINTS FOR THE HEARTY HERO
Tips from John Van Ryzin

(John Van Ryzin collects cameras. He golfs. He camps, and goes canoeing. In addition, he's from New Jersey. But what you must understand about John is, he loves his work. He thrives on it. As proof of this, he belongs to almost every Activision club. No mean feat, that.)

"The mineshafts of Mount Leone present many challenges to a rescuer. I recommend you watch the opening sequence before playing the game. It'll give you a feel for the terrain and help you recognize some of the dangers ahead. Also, the more you play, the better you'll learn your way around the different mineshafts. Since speed in locating miners earns you more points, you'll want to move as quickly and efficiently as possible. Here are a few tips I think you might find useful.

* The dynamite R.Hero carries is potent. He doesn't need to be right next to a wall in order to blow it up.

* If R.Hero runs out of dynamite, he can burn through walls with the Microlaser Beam. The closer he stands to the wall, the faster he'll break through.

* If a lantern goes out, find mineshafts by looking at the rough edges along the bottom of the screen.

* When flying above the river, ride the ceiling by pushing up as well as to the left or right.

* Ride rafts whenever possible since it is easier than trying to go under a lava ceiling.

* A word about tentacles: They don't move too fast, so try to outrun them.

Hope that helps some. You'll discover your own techniques as you plumb the depths of the mine. Let me hear what they are when you emerge from `down under'."

John Van Ryzin