                        PROPHECY 1 - THE VIKING CHILD

Typed by MERKWooD.  Edited by PARASITE.


Welcome to Odin's world. A land full of good and evil, within which you
must
become Brian, The Viking Child, whose heroics have been foretold by the
prophets and recorded in the oracle of the gods.

But there's trouble in the land that you live in... Your family and
friends
are being held on the astral plane, imprisoned by the forces of darkness
in
an effort to foil the prophecy and install chaos throughout the land.

As Brian, your adventure will take you through many beautiful but
dangerous
places, where you will encounter great adversaries. Amongst these will be
the
eight apprentices of evil, slaves to the Dark Lord Loki, who will force
you
to fight or question your purpose under threat of punishment or penalty.
Friendly shopkeepers will sell you items of worth, that will aid you on
your
quest. However, these magical fashion accessories alone cannot defeat
your
enemies. You must use all your skill to leap through the sixteen magical
lands
that lie before you in order to save your loved ones.

Finally, as your great quest comes to a close you must confront Loki
himself
and vanquish the evil son of Odin forever... Succeed and the gods will
reward
you; Fail and you will never see your family again!

JOYSTIC
1) Plug your joystick into Port 2.
2) Control of Brian is achieved mainly by joystick
        Right - Moves Right
        Left  - Moves Left
        Up    - Jumps
        Down  - Fires Selected Special Weapon

KEYBOARD
       SPACE  - Select Special Weapon
       RETURN - Enter Door
       F1     - Enable Music
       F2     - Enable SOund FX
       F3     - Mute
       F9     - Quit
       F10    - 50hz/60hz Toggle
       P      - Pause Game

WEAPONS
BOMBS - The cheapest of the five special weapons. When used they are
thrown up
into the air above Brian. As with all the weapons these can be thrown
whilst
Brian is in mid leap. For the best effect, these should be used on flying
creatures overhead.

BOLAS - The Bolas are thrown left or right by Brian depending on which
way he
is facing at the time. For the best effect these should be used in rapid
succession on adversaries travelling horizontally.

FIRESPRITES - This is a most effective weapon when battling against more
than
one adversary, or an enemy who is tricky to catch. These can be released
anytime or when an unfriendly creature is near and homes into its evil
aura.

STUNS - One of the most expensive weapons, the magical stun hits all of
the
creatures on the screen at once thus depleting their energy and making
them
easier to bash. These are best used against many small enemies.

POTIONS - The most powerful and deadly of all the magical weapons, the
potion
bottle once broken will destroy all of the enemies on the screen.
However, do
not expect it to be so strong against the apprentices of evil or the Dark
Lord
himself.

EASILY ACCESSIBLE ACCESSORIES
SPEED - When Brian wears these boots he will whizz around the land at
twice
the normal speed. However, he's got to be careful as their magic only
lasts
for a limited time. The Boots of Speed are most useful on levels where
Brian's
enemies move faster than him.

CLOAK - The cloak of invincibilty allows Brian to walk right through his
many
adversaries. Whilst the magic lasts he will not be harmed by any of the
creatures that may attack him.

GLIDE - When Brian dons these magical fashion acessories he will be able
to
leap with nearly no limit. The Winged Boots add distance to his bounds,
but
their magic will not last forever.

ACE ARMOURY FOR BETTER BATTLING-
SWORDS - Brian starts out his quest with a small dagger, but this can be
exchanged along with money for greater and longer swords to help you in
the
many battles that you will have.

SHIELDS - Brian can also buy different shields to protect him from
missiles
that his evil adversaries may throw at him. However, Brian better be
careful
as the shield doesn't stop his enemies from getting him themselves.

IMPORTANT ITEMS OF INTEREST-
SINGLE HEART - Singel hearts can be purchased from shops to aid recovery.

HEART STACK - Buying the Heart Stack will fully replenish Brian's energy.

EXTRA LIFE - Buy another Brian to help you get through the levels!

MONEY - Get the magical moola to buy your weapons, accessories, and other
purchasable items. There are two types of coin, one is worth fifteen
credits
and the other gives twenty.

GEM - Pick up the gems for extra points! Both the diamond and the ruby
gives
Brian one hundred and fifty points.

TRY THESE TEACHING TIPS-
1) Try to remember where all the secret bonuses are within the level.
   These are very handy for increasing Brian's score and money!
2) Use all your special weapons sparingly. You never know when you might
   really need them!
3) Always enter every shop, otherwise you may miss something!
4) Remember that the platforms are puzzles and they always try to trick!
5) If at first you don't succeed, we won't need to tell you to try again!

End.
