STAR WARS:
THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK

FOR ATARI & SEARS VIDEO GAME SYSTEMS
(C) Lucasfilm Ltd. (LFL) 1982/Trademark owned by Lucasfilm Ltd. (LFL) and used by Parker Brothers under authorization.
 

The Empire's revenge has begun!  Right now an army of Imperial Walkers is marching toward the Rebels' power generator on the Ice Planet Hoth.  If they reach it, the entire Rebel base will blow sky high!  To stop them, the Rebels must rely on their missile-firing Snowspeeders.  The Snowspeeders may be tiny (compared to the gigantic Imperial Walkers) but they're quick and agile.  And in the hands of a skillful commander, they can destroy the mighty Walkers!

So climb into your Snowspeeder and be prepared to meet the first of your deadly enemies!
 

OBJECT

The object of the game is to destroy as many of the Imperial Walkers as you can before they reach the power generator at the end of the battlefield - or before the Imperial Walkers destroy your fleet of Snowspeeders.
 

SETTING THE CONSOLE CONTROLS

1. To select a game number (see Game Selection Box), press down on the GAME SELECT switch.  To quickly change the number, hold down both the GAME SELECT and GAME RESET switches at the same time.  The game number will appear at the bottom of the screen.

2. Press down on the GAME RESET switch - and you're ready to start the action.

3. Set the DIFFICULTY switch:
Position A - The landing pad where you repair your snowspeeder is made smaller.
Position B - The landing pad is made larger.

In a one-player game, use the left DIFFICULTY switch.  In a two-player game, the 1st player uses the left DIFFICULTY switch and the 2nd player uses the right DIFFICULTY switch.
 

THE JOYSTICK CONTROLLERS

Make sure you plug the joystick controllers firmly into the jacks at the back of your video game system.  Use the LEFT controller jack for one-player games.

Use the Joystick to fly your Snowspeeder.  Snowspeeders can fly left, right, up, and down.  Your Snowspeeder can accelerate in all four directions, too.  To slow it down, simply change directions.  Press the red button to fire your missiles.
 

THE BATTLEFIELD

This is the battlefield on the Ice Planet Hoth.  The entire battlefield is 8 TV screens wide.  The radar band monitors the entire battlefield.
 

PLAYING

A Rebel commander recieves 5 Snowspeeders per game.  At the start of the game, the first Snowspeeder is displayed in the Ice Zone.  The remaining "on deck" Snowspeeders are displayed just under the radar band.

To start the action:
Fly your Snowspeeder down screen (move left) to meet the oncoming Imperial walkers.  The Walkers approach in a single file from left to right.  They can get bunched up one behind the other but they can never pass one another.  Although up to 5 Walkers can be seen on the battlefield at a time, only 1 Walker will appear on the TV screen at a time.

Radar Band:
Use the radar band to keep an eye on the positions of all 5 Walkers and to see which Walker you're presently battling on screen. NOTE: When your snowspeeder flies off one end of the radar band, it will reappear at the other end.

Remember:  As soon as the lead Walker reaches the right end of the radar band, it blows up the power generator and ends the game.  Just before this happens, however, you'll hear a "warning" sound, then the sky will begin flashing.
 

DESTROYING THE IMPERIAL WALKERS

It takes 48 "hits" to the body to destroy an Imperial Walker.  Each group of 8 hit weakens the Walker one stage and changes its color.  Each color change means that the Walker is walking slower, firing less often, and aiming less accurately.  An Imperial Walker may go through 5 color changes before it's finally destroyed:  From black to grey, blue, purple, red, yellow, then - POW! - it's gone!

A snowspeeder can fly around to the back of a Walker and attack it from the rear.  A Snowspeeder cannot weaken or destroy a Walker by hitting its legs.

There IS a quicker way to destroy an Imperial Walker by firing a missile into a "bomb hatch."
 

BOMB HATCHES

Bomb hatches are flashing colored squares that appear from time to time on a weakened Imperial Walker.  Bomb hatches will appear one at a time in one of three places: just above the head, just below the head, or on its back.  Hit a bomb hatch, and it's instant destruction of the Imperial Walker!

When you destroy an Imperial Walker, a new one will enter the battlefield.  Each new Walker will be even tougher than the last.  It will walk faster, fire its missiles more rapidly, and aim its fire more accurately.  So, the longer you stay in the game, the more difficult the battle becomes!
 

ATTACK OF THE IMPERIAL WALKERS

Imperial Walkers fire deadly missiles at Snowspeeders.  The even have the ability to "track" your Snowspeeder and can aim their missiles by raising or lowering their heads.  They can fire at Snowspeeders approaching them from behind as well as head on.
 

DAMAGED SNOWSPEEDERS

When a Snowspeeder is hit by a Walker's missile, it becomes "damaged."  Damage is indicated by a color change.  In a damaged state, each succeeding hit increases the chances that the Snowspeeder will be destroyed.  A Snowspeeder can take up to 5 hits before it's destroyed.  However, it can be destroyed in fewer than 5.
 

REPAIRS

Land a damaged Snowspeeder in a "valley," and within a second, it's repaired!  The Snowspeeder will change back to its original color to show that it has its full power again.  Each snowspeeder is allowed two repairs.

When your Snowspeeder is destroyed, it explodes.  The NEXT Snowspeeder will appear on screen (You can start again whenever you're ready by moving the Joystick.)  The new Snowspeeder will pick up the battle where the last one left off.  That is, Walkers will be in the same positions and will show any damage they've already recieved.

So try to stay out of the Walker's line of fire.  Or, if you can, try to shoot down the Walker's missiles.  That's right!  If you can shoot down a missile (or get very close to it without it hitting you), then the Walker's missile will explode.  But watch out!  Sometimes the explosion can backfire and damage your Snowspeeder!
 

THE FORCE

If you can keep your Snowspeeder alive for two minutes, "The Force will be with you."  Your Snowspeeder will begin flashing and you'll hear the Rebels' theme song.  The Force will be with you for 20 seconds.  during this time, your Snowspeeder is all-powerful.  It cannot be damaged; it cannot be destroyed.  So when you gain The Force, move right in on an Imperial Walker and fire away!  NOTE: If you've already had your Snowspeeder repaired, and you gain The Force, you can have your Snowspeeder repaired twice more.
 

END OF GAME

The game ends when the lead Imperial Walker reaches the power generator - or - when the last of your Snowspeeders is destroyed.
 

GAME VARIATIONS

THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK has 32 game variations.  Games 1-16 are one-player games.  Games 17-32 are two-player games.  See the Game Selection Box for game number variations.  Game variations are described as follows:

Smart Bombs.
Sometimes a bomb hatch will release a "smart bomb."  Smart bombs fly in a looping pattern and will actually follow your snowspeeder.  You can try to shoot it down for points or you can try to outfly it until it disappears from the screen.

If a smart bomb hits your Snowspeeder it will either damage or destroy the Snowspeeder.  (Smart bombs do more damage than Walker missiles.  So, if your Snowspeeder is already damaged when hit by a smart bomb, the smart bomb will probably destroy it!)

Solid Walkers.
When you play a game with Solid Walkers, you're in for some precision flying.  With Solid Walkers, you CANNOT fly your Snowspeeder into the Walker's body (although you can fly through its legs).  If you do, your Snowspeeder will blow up - but not without weakening the Walker three colors.  Fly into a Walker weakened to purple or beyond, and the Walker is destroyed!
 

TWO-PLAYER GAMES

Games 17-32 are two-player game, players alternate as Rebel Snowspeeder commanders, flying one Snowspeeder on a turn.  The left player goes first.  Each player's score is displayed throughout his or her turn.  At the end of the game, the final scores are displayed alternately.

* In a two-player game, when your lead Walker blows up the power generator, you're out of the game.  Your opponent, however, may continue to play as long as he or she can defend the power generator.

* In a two-player game, you'll start the game over again with each new Snowspeeder.  (Five Walkers will begin approacting from the left.)  In other words, unlike the one-player games, you second Snowspeeder can't pick up where the first one left off.
 

REBELS' STRATEGY HINTS

a) Remember to watch the radar band for the positions of all Walkers (especially the lead one) and to keep track of which Walker you're battling on screen.

b) Try to weaken the LEAD Walker WITHOUT DESTROYING IT.  If you do, the lead walker will slow down the walking speed of all the others.  This will give you more time to weaken and destroy the other Walkers before the lead one reaches the power generator.

Also try to weaken and slow down the LAST Imperial Walker on the radar band WITHOUT DESTROYING IT.  This will help delay the entrance of new and "tougher" Walkers that replace the ones you destroy.

c) Try to get the Walker to track your Snowspeeder in one position, then quickly move out of its line of fire and attack it from a safe position.

d) In a game with Solid Walkers, you may want to crash your Snowspeeder into the Walker's body if you know you can't destroy the Walker before it reaches the power generator.  By doing so, you score 25 points and stay in the game - if you have Snowspeeders remaining in the battle.
 

SCORING

Your score is displayed at the bottom of the screen throughout each Snowspeeder's battle.  Points accumulate with each additional Snowspeeder.  You'll recieve your final score at the end of the game.

Here's how points are scored:

Hitting Imperial Walker with missile.........1 point
Shooting down a Walker's missile in flight..10 points
Crashing Snowspeeder into Walker
without destroying Walker...................25 points
Destroying an Imperial Walker...............50 points
Hitting a bomb hatch that destroys an
Imperial Walker............................100 points
Shooting down a smart bomb.................100 points
BONUS: For every 2,000 points you score, you'll recieve one extra Snowspeeder!
 

GAME SELECTION BOX

The level of difficulty increases within each group of 4 games.  The higher the game number, the faster the Walkers approach, the more rapidly they fire their missiles, and the better they aim their fire.

Once you've selected a game number, one of these symbols will appear on screen:
..
I indicates a one-player game
..
II indicates a two-player game
 

GAME NUMBERS         GAME VARIATIONS

one-player  two-player
-------------------------------------
   1  easiest  17  No Game Variations
   2           18  No Game Variations
   3           19  No Game Variations
   4  hardest  20  No Game Variations
-------------------------------------
   5  easiest  21  Smart Bombs
   6           22  Smart Bombs
   7           23  Smart Bombs
   8  hardest  24  Smart Bombs
-------------------------------------
   9  easiest  25  Solid Walkers
  10           26  Solid Walkers
  11           27  Solid Walkers
  12  hardest  28  Solid Walkers
-------------------------------------
  13  easiest  29  Smart Bombs & Solid Walkers
  14           30  Smart Bombs & Solid Walkers
  15           31  Smart Bombs & Solid Walkers
  16  hardest  32  Smart Bombs & Solid Walkers