                                GODS

Typed by Flux.  Edited by PARASITE.


THE STORY
A city lost in legend
An unconquered warrior seeking reward
A challenge laid down by the Gods
The greatest prize of all - immortality
4 great events combine to bring forth a burning legend.
Re-live that legend.

Who would have thought that a man would be so foolish or so daring as to
accept a challenge set down by the Gods? And yet one came forward to claim
the right to test his skills and strengths against a city so legendary its
name alone struck fear in the hearts of all who heard it spoken.

Firstly, let us talk of this city.

None can be sure that the city even exists for no-one has ever seen it. It
was built by the Gods, a plaything, great temples, hidden underworlds,
fiendish labyrinths and soaring towers. It is a city stolen by the forces
of darkness, the abode of nightmare hosts, the dwelling of fearsome
killers, the dominion of four great guardians.

Secondly, who is the hero?

Has anyone matched him in battle? No. Has he ever turned aside from his
sole quest? Never. Is he not therefore a hero among heroes? Undoubtedly.

In his travels our warrior has become skilled in all the weapons of war; he
is strong and he is unflinching, what of all the prizes of the world does
he seek? He wishes to join all those fickle masters of the human race - the
Gods themselves.

Thirdly I shall recount the challenge of the Gods.

Were the Gods only joking when they laid their challenge? Uncaring and
unthinking on Mount Olympus they thought that no-one would hear their rash
words:

Any man may earn through skill and courage a single favour of the Gods if
he will face the fear of the ancient city and slay the four great guardians
who have stolen our citadel from us.

Through their contempt for man did they not bring about their own undoing?
For never before had such an untamed reward been offered to the mortals.
But who from the ranks of man would face destruction at such odds? Surely
none.

Only One.

Finally, what did the hero ask of the Gods?

Immortality breeds contempt and the Gods, so long uncaring for the events
of man, know nothing of the exploits of our hero. He stands before them
showing neither fear nor disdain and asks the Gods that shall he return,
fulfilling completely their quest, he will join them as an equal and a
brother.

The horror, the impertinence the mistake realized too late, the gateway
lies open to their domain where no mortal man ever trod before.

But the words of the Gods may not be broken and only the hope of the hero's
failure comforts them as the warrior departs for the City of Legends,
preparing to carve one more story on its walls...

INSTRUCTIONS
Gods is a game of exploration, combat and adventure. You assume the role of
a classical hero who has taken up the challenge of the Gods. In order to
gain the ultimate prize of immortality you must slay the four guardians of
the city and return to Mount Olympus.

The four guardians rule over an ancient city full of chaotic beasts. The
city was once the citadel of the Gods and consists of four levels each
protected by one of the guardians and their many minions. The levels are:
the city, the temple, the labyrinth and the underworld.
Each level is split into three sections referred to as 'worlds'.

COMBAT
In order to fulfill your quest you must venture through the levels of the
city, these are now the home of chaotic hordes of monsters which must be
overcome, to do this you must fight. Scattered throughout the city are many
weapons, some of these will be powerful and others weak, these weapons are
essential if you are to defeat the creatures you will face. As well as
weapons that you may find, it is possible to purchase others at shops
located within each level.

Different weapons have different strengths and qualities. Discovering the
nature of each weapon will help you succeed.

Collecting several of the same weapon will make your shots more effective.

Several weapons may be used at the same time, find out which are compatible
for ultimate fighting ability.

MONSTERS
Over the years since the Gods abandoned it, the city has become the home of
many chaotic beasts, these are ruled by four gigantic guardians who use
them to protect their fortunes. The monsters you will meet are by no means
stupid; some will be more deadly, but all are united in their cause to
thwart your quest. Some of the inhabitants are able to avoid your attempts
to kill them and then strike with precision. Whatever monster you meet it
is wise to study its behaviour and from this knowledge learn the nature of
all your adversaries.

Within the first level the monsters you will meet will have only one aim -
to kill you.
As you progress into the temple and beyond you will meet creatures who will
try to steal the few precious items to be found.

The physical appearance of a monster indicates its nature and its
objectives.

KILLER
Their objective is to kill you, if these are very intelligent they will
pursue you throughout the level in order to achieve this.

FLIER
As well as tring to kill you, these monsters are able to avoid your shots,
the more intelligent ones will prove very elusive.

THIEF
These monsters try to steal objects or protect them from your clutches, if
there is no treasure available they will try to kill you. Because of this
tendancy it is possible to delay them by leaving treasure scattered
throughout the world.

KEYS
In order to protect the city from unwelcome visitors, the Gods placed many
doors to block their progress. These doors are extremely strong and can
resist all attempts to demolish them. To open them it is often necessary to
have the correct key in your inventory.

As well as doors the inhabitants have entrusted their valuables to locked
chests. These containers may be only opened by using the correct key. These
are smaller than the keys used to open doors are coloured to correspond
with the chest they open. Like their larger relatives, these keys are not
easy to attain and are usually well protected by monsters, traps and
puzzles. The treasure within the chests may be used to purchase weapons or
potions at the shops that are found throughout the city.

When a key has been used it will be discarded automatically.

Doors can lead to rooms, teleport you to new locations, or allow you to
progress along passages.

Special gems are also able to teleport you.

To open a chest, collect the key and walk past the chest.

The colour of a chest and its corresponding key are indicative of the value
of its contents:

Gold chests - greatest value
Bronze chests - normal value
Iron chests - lowest value

MONEY AND SHOPPING
The city is fabled to be rich in treasure and gold, though no-one has ever
returned to confirm it. In order to stand the best chance of success you
will need to collect as much of this treasure as possible, the money can
then be used to buy weapons, potions and health in the shops dotted
throughout the levels. These shops are reached by walking over a special
token which calls on the shopkeeper to escort you to his store.

The description of the item and price are displayed in a window below the
arches. Your cash is displayed to the left of the screen. To leave the shop
press on the arch labeled exit. All the items you have purchased will be
available as soon as you leave the shop.

If you buy a weapon that replaces one you are already carrying half the value
if the lost weapon will be added to your cash.

Treasure may be revealed by killing monsters or solving puzzles.

Shops appear at the halfway and at the end of each level.

Shields and starbursts will be removed when you confront the guardian at the
end of each level.

Potions can be collected either by finding them in the city or buying them in
the shop. If a potion is collected it takes immediate effect. Certain of the
potions that can be bought in the shop can be carried and only take effect if
they are dropped from your inventory.

A GUIDE TO WEAPONS AND POTIONS

WEAPONS
Dagger    - this is one of the weakest weapons you may come across.
Shurikans - stronger then daggers, they also travel through aliens.
Fireballs - these can be used at the same time as a conventional weapon such
            as a dagger or shurikan.
Spears    - these pass through aliens and platforms to cause great damage.

POTIONS
Attract*     - causes all aliens to attack you.
Large Shied  - this can be bought or collected, it lasts for the whole of the
               current world and reduces your damage by half.
Small Shield*- can be collected or bought, it lasts for 15 seconds and
               protects you from all damage as well killing any aliens who
               run into it.
Wideshot     - one of three shot directing tokens, wideshot spreads the shot
               for maximum effect against flying aliens.
Food         - this comes in several forms, it replaces lost energy but is
               no as powerful as the health potions.
Shop         - this token brings on one of the traders.

  *  these potions can be bought and then dropped when needed.

TRAPS AND PUZZLES
One of the most cunning methods that has been employed by the dwellers of the
city has been the devising of puzzles and traps. Some of the puzzles are
simple requiring only the throwinf of a switch to advance further, others are
much more complex involving collecting objects, finding keys, and acquiring
special weapons. Traps take several forms but most are lethal, spiked flails
causing death unless you can escape them quickly.

The puzzles that you will face are many and varied. All puzzles are one of
two types, progression puzzles and reward puzzles. Progression puzzles need
to be solved in order to complete the world or progress. Reward puzzles are
not essential to the compleation of the game, these puzzles can take the form
of extra treasure, shortcuts, or other benefits.

Hidden rooms are a typical example of a reward puzzle, the entrance to a
hidden room may be found by examining the background. There may be a platform
that cannot normally be reached or passage blocked by a wall.

As reward puzzles are not essential they may involve a considerable amount of
danger. Particularly strong monsters may protect the route that leads to the
reward.

Progression puzzles are usually simpler in nature then reward puzzles,
however these puzzles may contain certain traps if they are not solved
correctly. Progression puzzles  often require the player to recover an item
such as a key or teleport gem. These items will then allow the player into
the next section of the world.

Puzzles may be simple, requiring only one action to solve them, others
require combinations of one or more events to trigger them. These actions
include: throwing switches, completing sections within a limited time or
finding and returning objects to a specific location.

As well as puzzles there are also many hidden bonuses, these will provide
rewards at certain points if they have completed a section in good time, or
lost minimal energy or lives. These bonuses take the form of treasure or
potions that will make completing the next stage easier.

Once a puzzle has been completed the objects used to solve it will be removed
from your inventory.

CLUES
In order to assist you there are many clues that can be picked up, these take
the form of special tokens, collecting these will print a message or clue
along the bottom of the screen. These clues may help define the quest for the
level, provide a hint or a solution to a puzzle or reveal the location of an
object.

All clue messages will be displayed when you collect the token, they cannot
be redisplayed so take careful note of there contents.

THE FOUR GREAT LEVELS
The city is composed of four levels, the city, temple, labyrinth, and
underworld, each level is split into three worlds. At the end of each world
is an enormous guardian. These are the monsters you have been sent to
destroy, all the minions and treasure belong to these fearsome creatures and
each is determined to retain their power.

SCORING
As well as completing this great quest there may also be some honour in
having achieved a good score, you will recieve points for killing monsters,
collecting treasure, and solving puzzles.

At the end of each worls a bonus is added to your score, this bonus is
affected by the number of lives remaining and health.

At the end of the game your score will be placed into the 'hall of fame'
which is saved to disk.

Input your name using the joystick to select the letters

Bonus lives will be awarded for 'landmark' scores.

DYING AND RESTARTING
You have three lives in which to complete the game. Each world consists of
several zones, when you lose a life you return to the start of the zone in
which you died, you retain all your weapons and potions.

PASSWORDS
Whenever the game is over, you are provided with a password, this will allow
you to re-enter the game at the beginning of the level in which you died. You
will restart the game inside the shop in order to allow you to purchase some
weapons and potions.

CONTROLS
Your actions are totally controlled by the joystick.

        Joystick Movement       Platforms               Ladders

        Up                      Face Wall               Climb
        Down                    Crouch                  Descend
        Left                    Walk Left               N/A
        Right                   Walk Right              N/A
        Up Left                 Jump Left               Jump Off
        Up Right                Jump Right              Jump Off
        Down Left               N/A                     Get Off
        Down Right              N/A                     Get Off
        Fire                    Fire                    N/A

INVENTORY
You may carry three objects in your inventory.

PICK UP OBJECT
1. Stand by object and crouch
2. Fire to reveal inventory
3. Select empty box then stand up (Keep 'down' held plus fire)

DROP OBJECT
1. Crouch and fire
2. Select object to drop
3. Stand up

SWITCH, LEVER OR BUTTON
1. Face Switch, Lever or Button
2. Press Fire

End.
