Q*bert

To score as many points as possible by changing the color of the cubes on the pyramid from a starting color to a destination color. You'll do this by hopping Q*bert from cube to cube while avoiding the "nasty" characters who will try to stop him. Each time you complete a pyramid, you'll proceed to a new pyramid - or round. Try to complete as many rounds as you can. There are five game levels in all; four round per level.

1. Since this is a one-player game, plug the Joystick controller firmly into the LEFT controller jack.
2. Set the Left Difficulty switch:
Position B (Novice): This is an easy game; there are no Red Balls rolling after Q*bert.
Position A (Expert): This is a regular game. All the characters described in the following rules will appear.
3. Press down the game RESET switch and you're ready to start the action.

Hold the Joystick in your hand so that the four corners make a baseball diamond with the Fire Button at the top. The Joystick moves in the four diagonal directions. These are the directions in which Q*bert moves around the pyramid.

Q*bert
You'll start the game with four Q*berts. The first Q*bert will appear on the topmost cube as soon as you hit RESET. The remaining Q*berts are shown at the top of the screen throughout the game.

Try to hop Q*bert onto each and every cube, so that eventually, the entire pyramid becomes the destination color. The destination color is the same as the color of the remaining Q*berts and score as seen at the top of the screen.

Be careful not to hop Q*bert off the side of the pyramid or off the bottom row of cubes. If you do, he falls and you lose that Q*bert. When this happens, the next Q*bert will appear on the topmost cube ready to try again to complete the pyramid.

Red ball
When Red Ball starts rolling, get Q*bert out of its path or it will squash him! If this happens, the swear bubble lights up and the next Q*bert appears on the cube where the last one was squashed.

Purple Ball
Poses the same kind of danger as Red Ball, except that when the Purple Ball reaches the bottom of the pyramid, it hatches Coily the snake!

Coily
He's the snake with the perilous pounce! The only way to get rid of Coily is to lure him off the pyramid by hoping a flying disc.

The best way to do this is to hop Q*bert onto the exit cube. (There is only one correct exit cube for each flying disc.) Then as soon as Coily approaches the exit cube, hop Q*bert aboard the flying disc. Q*bert flies off to safety while Coily falls into space.

Flying Discs
When Q*bert's in trouble, he can board a flying disc that will whisk him off to safety at the top of the pyramid. The number of discs and their placement to the sides of the pyramid will differ, depending on the game level and round.

Just make sure Q*bert boards the flying disc from the correct exit cube or else he'll fall off the pyramid.

Sam
Even though Sam can't catch Q*bert, he's still a very crafty fellow. He changes the cubes' colors back again so Q*bert's got to retrace his tracks. If Q*bert stops him, however (by running into him), you'll earn bonus points.

Green Ball
Green Ball is the other green character that can't catch Q*bert, either. But if Q*bert catches Green Ball, all the characters except Q*bert freeze for a second. Q*bert can continue to hop, and you'll earn bonus points.

The round ends when you complete the pyramid. As long as you have a remaining Q*bert, a new pyramid will appear with a new destination color.

As you progress from round to round, Q*bert's speed, the speed of the other characters, and the frequency of the other character's appearances will increase.

The game ends when you run out of Q*berts. To play again, press RESET. The game will begin at Level 1, Round 1.

Q*bert changes cubes
to destination color ......................25 points
Q*bert catches Sam .......................300 points
Q*bert catches Green Ball ................100 points
Q*bert lures Coily off pyramid ...........500 points
Bonus points ............................3100 for
                            every round you complete
Bonus Q*berts ......one after the first five rounds;
           then one for every four rounds thereafter

The following describes Q*bert's coloring pattern in each of the five game levels.

S=Starting color I=Intermediate color D=Destination color Level 1 (Rounds 1-4) When Q*bert jumps on S, it changes to D. When he jumps on D, it stays at D.

Level 2 (Rounds 1-4) When Q*bert jumps on S, it changes to I. When he jumps on I, it changes to D. When he jumps on D, it stays D.

Level 3 (Rounds 1-4) When Q*bert jumps on S, it changes to D. When he jumps on D, it changes back to S. Q*bert's got to start again.

Level 4 (Rounds 1-4) When Q*bert jumps on S, it changes to I. When he jumps on I, it changes to D. When he jumps on D, it changes back to I. Q*bert's got to start again.

Level 5 (Rounds 1-4) When Q*bert jumps on S, it changes to I. When he jumps on I, it changes to D. When he jumps on D, it changes back to S. Q*bert's got to start again. Once you complete Level 5, Level 5 is repeated, starting with Round 1.