SPIDER FIGHTER

The object of the game is to protect your fruit orchard from insect fruit thieves, scoring points by exterminating the attackers.

1. Hook up your video game system. Follow manufacturer's instructions.
   
   
2. With power OFF, plug in game cartridge.
   
   
3. Turn power ON. If no picture appears, check connection of your game system to TV, then repeat steps 1-3.
   
   
4. Plug in left Joystick Controller. It's the only one you'll need.
   
   
5. Set both difficulty switches to a to begin.
   
   
6. Game select switch has no effect.
   
   
7. Use of Joystick Controller. Hold Joystick Controller with the red button in the upper left position. Fire poison pellet volleys by repeatedly depressing red button. Move Joystick left or right to move mobile blaster left or right across the screen.
   
   
8. To begin or start a new game. Press game reset. Action begins when the first Master Nest descends.
   
   
9. Difficulty switches.
   
   Left Difficulty
   A. Regular Game
   B. Expert Game
   
   Right Difficulty
   A. Straight Pellets
   B. Guided Pellets
   
   Left difficulty switch affects speed, fire-power and point values of insects. Right difficulty switch selects guided pellet option: in b position, pellet's can be "steered" after they've been fired.
   
   
10. Fruit Orchard. Your fruit orchard is growing oranges, grapes, strawberries and bananas. You must protect each variety of fruit from waves of insects. Four waves attack oranges, grapes and strawberries. Then, unlimited waves of insects attack your bananas. Each wave starts out with three fruit and four Master Nests.
    
    
11. Reinforcements. You begin each game with four bug blasters in reserve. If you manage to save all three fruit from an insect wave, you're awarded an additional blaster. You can only have up to four reserve blasters on the screen at one time.
    
    
12. Scoring. Each time you exterminate an attacking insect, you score points. The point values for each insect are listed below:
    
    SPIDER FIGHTER POINT SYSTEM
    
    

    Insect		Point Values
    		(Regular Game Only)
    Master Nest		100
    Stinger		50
    Spy Pod		50
    Green Widow		30

    
    In the expert game, point values for insects are multiplied when you are protecting certain fruit: insects are worth twice as much when protecting grapes, four times as much for strawberries, and eight times as the regular game point value when bananas are present.
    
    Bonus points: If you manage to save all three fruit in a wave, and you also have four bug blasters in reserve, then you will receive 500 bonus points.

The Master Nest. This is the ringleader and major fruit thief. It is protected from poison by a white band, until it releases a Spy Pod. Its sole aim is to keep you busy with bugs, so that it can slip away with your fruit. Spy Pods. These sneaky critters scout around and instruct the Master Nest to release more insects. As long as any Spy Pods remain on the screen, the Master Nest continues to release its creepy offspring. Destroy the Spy Pods and you slow infestation! Green Widows. Green Widows fly interference, protecting the Master Nest with cover-fire. They also act as living shields, sacrificing themselves by intercepting your poison pellets. Even though Green Widows are slower and dumber, by careful! They still deal a deadly bite. Stingers. The most dangerous and aggressive of the pack. Stingers track your blaster with the single-minded goal of destroying you. Warning! When you kill the Master Nest, Pods and Widows instantly transform into Stingers! Then, the mortality rate is very high.

If you score 40,000 points or more on the regular game level, you qualify for Activision's elite corp of Spider Fighters. Send us a picture of your TV screen showing your score, along with your name and address, and we'll send you an official Spider Fighters emblem.

Tips from Larry Miller, designer of Spider Fighter

Larry is the newest addition to the Activision design team. He's an experienced designer, having completed a number of games for home computers.

"As you can see, keeping a fruit orchard isn't exactly easy. Those bugs can really become a nuisance. You can never get rid of them entirely, but you can control them.

"There are various strategies you can experiment with, but one of the most effective that I have found is to first gun down the lone Spy Pod. If you can exterminate that Pod, you halt the flow of reinforcements. Afterwards, you can pick off the rest of the attackers, leaving the Master Nest for last.

"Occasionally, the Master Nest will release a continuous stream of Spy Pods, and each one you hit seems to be replaced. If this happens, you must immediately destroy the Master Nest and take your chances against a squadron full of angry Stingers. Normally, though, it is best to destroy the slower Spy Pods and Green Widows that hover near the bottom of the screen before killing the Master Nest. A low-flying Stinger is your worst enemy.

"So maintain a stiff upper lip, and send me a line in between Spider fights. I'd sure like to know how this year's fruit harvest will fare."

Larry Miller