                          DAN DARE III - The Escape

                              (By Virgin Games)

 

                    COLONEL DAN DARE PILOT OF THE FUTURE
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Daniel MacGregor Dare, Colonel O.U.N. in the Interplanet Space Fleet, began
his adventures in the first issue of Eagle comic on the 14th April 1950.
Almost a million schoolboys all over the British Isles bought that first
copy of the Eagle and Dan Dare became a hero in the hearts of British boys.
The legend has begun. The Eagle comic was the creation of the Rev. Marcus
Morris, and was origionally intended as a Christian comic, designed to
offer an innocuous alternative to the popular American-style comics of the
day. But it was the British cartoonist and illustrator, Frank Hampson, who
was to devise the dashing Dan Dare character - famous for his
lightning-jagged eyebrows and typically British stiff upper lip. His
adventures and those of his companions were to inflame the imaginations of
the nation's youth for years to come. The publisher Edward Hulton helped
Morris and Hampson launch the ambitious new weekly comic for boys and Frank
Hampson acted as chief artist and designer. His career has been varied,
starting out as a telegraph boy for the Post Office. His first cartoon was
published in Meccaano magazine who often employed him as their joke
illustrator. He left Meccano in 1935 and, whilst pursuing a career as a
civil servant, he attended evening classes at the Southport School of Arts.
His first cartoon strips were for the Post Office magazine, The Post.
Resigning from the Post Office inn 1938 he became a full-time art student.
During the war he served as a driver in the Royal Army Service Corps and
was demobilised in 1946 with a grant to continue his art studies. By 1947
Frank was illustrating The Anvil, a religious publication published by the
Rev. Marcus Morris. It was then that they concieved the Eagle, the most
important landmark in post-war British comics. Frank set up his own studio,
employing artists, writers and models and, for ten years, Dan Dare battled
successfully against the 'terrible Treens' and the 'malevolent Mekons' each
week holding the fate of mankind in his capable hands. From 1951 - 1956 Dan
Dare's adventures amongst the stars soared through the airwaves: Horlicks
sponsored a daily radio serial on Radio Luxembourg and Dan Dare was played
by the actor Noel Johnson, already famous for his part as Dick Barton
Secret Agent. In 1960 Hultons sold out to Odhams Press and, although
Hampson had not drawn Dan Dare for some time, his style and influence
remained and his work was carried on by various artists who included Frank
Bellamy, Donald Harley, Desmond Walduck, Bruce Cornwall, Harold Johns and
Keith Watson, and by such writers as Alan Stranks, David Motton and Eric
Eden. After the take-over Clifford Makins took over the editorship, and
printing changed from colour gravure to litho, Frank Hampson left the team,
and in 1962 Dan Dare was reduced to a monochrome reproduction. In 1969 IPC
took over the Eagle but the comic was laid to rest on the 26th April of the
same year and, although Dan Dare continued his intrepid adventures,
re-lettered and re-drawn from the origionals in the Lion and Eagle comic,
by 1971 that too had gone. Dan Dare enjoyed a revival in September 1973
when the Dan Dare Annual was published and Red Moon Mystery and Safari in
Space were printed from the origional comics in their entirety and in full
colour. It was not until 1982 that the Eagle comic was properly re-launched
with Dan Dare continuing to play his important role of defending the
universe. Now you can enjoy Colonal Dare's intrepid adventures amongst the
stars not only from the printed page but in exciting computer game form,
thus opening another chapter in the history of Colonel Daniel MacGregor
Dare. The titles available are Dan Dare - Pilot of the Future; Dan Dare II
- The Mekons Revenge; and this latest game, Dan Dare III - The Escape. The
story no doubt will continue.

                            WHO'S WHO IN DAN DARE
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DAN DARE - Colonel Daniel MacGregor Dare. OUN Interplanetary Space Fleet.
Born: 5th February 1967, Manchester, England. Education: Rossal, Cambridge
and Harvard Universities. Career: 1987 Class 3 Space Pilot. 1997 Chief
Pilot of the ISF Commendations: The Order of the United Nations for
leadership in the Venus Expedition of 1996. Hobbies: cricket, fencing,
riding, painting and model-making.

SIR HUBERT - (often referred to as 'Orrible Urbert') This character was
actually modelled on Hampson's father. Marshal of Space Sir Hubert Gascoine
Guest KCB, OM, OUN, DSO, DFC. Born: 1943. Career: ex-RAF Controller of the
Interplanetary Space Fleet. A member of the crew of the first manned rocket
to the moon. Commander under Admiral Grosvenor on the first expedition to
Mars. Although well over age for active service Sir Hubert accompanied the
1998 expedition to Venus. Hobbies: swimming, riding, chess, writing
technical history of fleet organisation and structure.

DIG - (Dan's faithful companion and batman) Spaceman Class 1 Albert
Fitzwiliam Digby. Born: 1960, Wigan, England. Married with 4 children (3
girls, 1 boy). Hobbies: football, jigsaws, sleeping.

PROF - Professor Jocelyn Mable Peabody. Born: Moreton, Glos. Careers:
Honorary rank of Pilot/Captain Expert in nutrition, agriculture and botany
Attached to Venus expedition 1996 in search of food. Hobbies: skiing,
riding, netball.

HANK - Pilot Captain Henru Brennan Hogan. Born: Houston, Texas. A brilliant
pilot with a distinct dislike for 'red tape'. Hobbies: boxing, car racing,
photography, baseball.

PIERRE - Pilot/Major Pierre August Lafayette. A shrewd analytical
mathematical officer from Dijon, France. He is a close friend of Hank's.
Hobbies: gastronomy, three dimensional chess, fishing.

                          THE MEKON AND HIS MUTANTS
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The fate of all mankind hangs in the balance. The Mekon menace is back
again determined to conquer and dominate the human race. In doing so the
evil Mekon has vowed to wreak his vengeance upon his arch enemy, Colonel
Dan Dare. To further his iniquitous experiments, attempting to mutate a
variety of life-forms into an army of Treen-like creatures, servile to the
Mekon. The experiments failed, the creatures were twisted and strange. What
was needed to advance the Mekon's ungodly experiments was a human subject,
and who better than the hated Colonel Dan Dare? The Mekon issued his
orders. A gigantic scientific satellite was rapidly constructed. Manned by
an army of loyal Treens, the satellite was set on course for planet Earth.
many months passed before reaching Earth's orbit. Whilst their ship
navigated the dark recesses of the universe, the Mekon and his scientists
continued their horrific experiments. But with little success: no
Treen-like beings were created and the weird mutant creatures formed were
left to wander, at will, the corridors of the satellite. On reaching the
Earth's orbit a small army of Treens were dispatched to capture the
unsuspecting Dan Dare. Their mission was successful: siezing the Colonel,
the Treens transported their prize back to the satellite where the pitless
Mekon and his team of cruel scientists waited. But the Mekon had
underestimated our hero, while the scientists are preparing the lethal
serum, Dan breaks free from the operating table and, destroying his captors
escapes into a store chamber next to the genetic experimentation unit.
Searching the chamber he discovers a jet-pack and sets off to explore the
maze of corridors and chambers of the vast satellite. Luck is on the side
of our brave colonel. Entering a large chamber he finds an escape shuttle
powerful enough to accomplish the return journey to Earth but fuel tanks
are empty. Dan calculates that he will need exactly 50 pounds of high grade
rocket fuel to complete the journey home. Undaunted by this catastrophe,
Dan straps his jet-pack to his back and continues his search of the Mekon's
evil satellite...

                           USING THE WEAPON SYSTEM
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During his exploration of the vast satellite Dan discovers the Mekon's
armoury. From the vast arsenal Dan chooses the very latest plasma cannon.
The cannon has three shot strengths, indicated by the bar readout on the
screen; a quick tap on the fire button releases a low poer bolt of energy;
holding the fire button down until the bar readout reaches the mid-point in
the display fires off a medium power blast; keeping the fire button
depressed until the bar reaches the limit of its travel unleashes the
cannon's megablast of destructive power. You must master the cannon's
control system before embarking on the quest for Colonel Dare's freedom -
effective destruction of life-forms requires practice. Also watch out for
the recoil when you use the megablast option. Remember that the more
powerful the blast that you unleash from the plasma cannon, the longer it
takes to recharge. So, unless you are well covered, or have just activated
a smart bomb, you will leave Dan Dare defenceless against the Mekon's
mutants whilst his cannon recharges. Colonel Dare is able to log on to the
terminal found in the start location and can buy some special weapons. The
weaponry currently in use by the Colonel is displayed in a window on the
screen - to select one of the items that he is carrying, press select until
the item that you want appears in the window. Then press the fire button to
activate your choice, unless of course it is fuel or money which is useful
to have at hand.

                            MAKE GOOD YOUR ESCAPE
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The start location which is the satellite's store chamber, is the only
place where Dan can refuel his jet-pack, or buy weapons and equipment; this
is done by hacking into the Mekon's computerised stock-keeping system.
While Dan stands on the Mekon's computer terminal, press select. This
creates a menu of numbered items that Dan can buy. By pressing the
corrsponding number on the keyboard you can allow Dan to buy or use an
item. Lives can be purchased as well, but only in extreme need. Use lives
wisely. In order to escape from the Mekon's evil satellite, Dan Dare has to
collect 50 pounds of rocket fuel to power the escape shuttle for its flight
back to planet Earth. The Mekon has not underestimated Dan Dare's
abilities: before Dan Dare was kidnapped the Mekon ordered the fuel store
to be divided into five equal parts which were then hidden in five main
chambers of the scientific satellite. Dan has to search each of these
chambers to discover the hidden fuel; then Dan must find the Mekon and
blast away at the evil creature until the Mekon teleports back to his
regeneration unit to recuperate from the battle. As he leaves, the Mekon
drops the teleport key which Dan needs to teleport himself to the next
chamber. But beware, the evil Mekon has booby-trapped the key. His
intention is to blast our valiant hero into oblivion. Luckily for Dan there
is a critical design flaw in the timing mechanism of each key which allows
Dan three nanoseconds after he leaves the chamber before the chamber - and
everything in it - is destroyed. So there is no real problem for Dan unless
he has left the chamber without collecting the fuel, in which case our
intrepid hero will be stranded aboard the satellite for eternity..... Time
to hit the quit button and start the game again!

                              TIPS FOR SUCCESS
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Although brave and rugged, our hero, Colonel Dan Dare is not superhuman. He
is not indestructable. Contact with the Mekon's malevolent mutants drains
Dan's life force. Bumping into the walls to the teleport tunnels that link
the satellite's chambers damages his space suit, reducing his life force.
Keep a careful eye on the quantity of ammo and bombs that you are carrying.
Ammo can be collected from certain places in the play area but bombs have
to be purchased via the terminal in the start location. Keep track of the
jet pack fuel remaining in the tank. If you run out of fuel Colonel Dan is
effectively stranded until he loses a life and is returned to the start
location.

                                  CONTROLS
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AMIGA:-  Press 'F1' to pause the game
ŻŻŻŻŻ Press 'F2' to toggle music
   Press 'F3' to toggle sound FX
   Press 'F10' to quit game while in pause mode

   Use joystick control and pull down for SELECT


End..........
