INSTRUCTIONS FOR VIDEOCART-10 CARTRIDGE GAMES Exclusively for use with the Fairchild Video Entertainment System ========= FAIRCHILD ========= VIDEOCART is a trademark of Fairchild Camera and Instrument Corporation On Your Mark Amaze your mouse by being the first to squeek by and puzzle your way out of the passages. Get set and go with the labyrinth of games in this Videocart cartridge. Get Set and Go Before you begin, there are a few things you ought to know. Each maze is randomly generated by the computer and no two mazes will be alike. There is always a beginning and an end to each maze. There are two mice, each with a distinctly different squeek. The left player's mouse is red and has a high-pitched squeek. The right player's mouse is blue and has a low-pitched squeek. Your mouse will squeek when it hits a wall. Before a game can be played TWO selections *must* be made: 1. The maze type: Maze, Jailbreak, Blind-Man's Bluff, or Trailblazer. 2. The mode of play: The speed of the players and whether a third computer generated object ("the cat") is present. MAZE TYPES Type 1 -- Maze. Race your mouse through the maze and be the first one out the end! But watch out for dead ends! Type 2 -- Jailbreak. Bump your mouse against the grid bars. If there is a hidden passage there, your mouse will break out. If not, he will squeek in protest! Type 3 -- Blind-Man's Bluff. Wind your way through the uncharted wilderness to the end of this invisible maze. Leave false trails for your friend to follow, or keep the secret path to yourself! MODE OF PLAY Once you have chosen your maze, you have a choice of how fast the mice will run through the maze. After the maze is on the screen, choose: Hand Controller Position 1 -- for a beginner's game. The action is slow and easy and gives you a chance to get used to the maze and how the hand controllers work. (See Hand Controller Positions below). Hand Controller Positions 2 through 4 -- for faster games. Position 4 is the fastest game and the mice really move! (See Hand Controller Positions below). Keyboard Button 1 -- for a beginner's game with a cat. Keyboard Buttons 2 through 4 -- for faster games with a cat. HOW THE HAND CONTROLLERS WORK Maze type and mode positions are as follows: 4 ^ | 2<--+-->1 | V 3 HAND CONTROLLER POSITIONS CORRESPONDING TO KEYBOARD BUTTONS Remember: Right = 1, Left = 2, Backwards = 3, Forward = 4. Note: In addition to these controls, if both players push down their hand controllers together while the maze is being drawn a special Jeopardy mode is selected. (See Paranoia and Double Paranoia). During the play of a game, the hand controllers have the following action: Push Right -- to move your mouse toward the right. Push Left -- to move your mouse toward the left. Push Backward -- to move your mouse down from top to bottom. Push Forward -- to move your mouse up from bottom to top. Twist Left or Right -- to leave a green trail wherever your mouse goes. You have to have your hand controller twisted while you are moving to leave a trail. If you stop twisting, you will stop leaving the trail. This takes a little getting used to, but you can do it! Remember: If your mouse hits a wall, it will squeek! GETTING STARTED After inserting the cartridge and hitting RESET a red G? will appear on the screen. You must select one of the four maze types by pushing one of the four keyboard buttons. After this initial maze type selection, the red G? will not reappear and subsequent maze types must be selected from the hand controller. The type of maze selected is drawn on the screen and then the computer waits for you to indicate the mode of play. For example, push either hand controller right to select a slow game without a cat. The game now starts with the hand controllers operating as described during the play of a game. When the game has ended with one mouse going out the exit, the maze will change to his color to indicate he has won, and the game will then wait for input of another maze type selection from the hand controller. The type of maze pattern selected may be the same as the previously selected type or it can be a different type. Next, a mode must be selected which may be the same or different from a previous mode. Proper selection of a type of maze and mode result in the following variations: 1. Regular Maze Two players race each other out of the maze. Speed is selected with the hand controller. 2. Cat and Mouse You against the computer. Your mouse has to puzzle his way out of the maze before the other mouse does, and at the same time has to outwit the cat. The cat is controlled by the computer. The cat starts his journey through the maze at the end on the right. The mice start at the beginning on the left. The cat sniffs his way through the maze looking for mice. If the cat meets your mouse, look out! You mouse will be eaten by the cat in a blaze of ravenous hunger, and you will be out of the game! Note: Selecting speed through the keyboard is what gives you the 'Cat and Mouse' option. If you select speed through the KEYBOARD, YOU WILL GET A CAT. If you select speed through the HAND CONTROLLER, YOU WILL NOT. The selected speed controls the speed of both the cat and the mice. Select: Push Keyboard Button 1 or 2 -- for a slow cat (corresponds to speeds 1 and 2). Push Keyboard Button 3 -- for a half fast cat (corresponds to speed 3). Push Keyboard Button 4 -- for a really fast cat (corresponds to speed 4). THE MOMENT YOU SELECT SPEED, the cat will start moving. You best start moving too! 3. Paranoia The ruthless way to play 'Cat and Mouse.' Not only does your mouse have to worry about beating the other mouse and avoiding confrontations with the cat, neither mouse can leave the maze UNTIL ONE MOUSE HAS BEEN EATEN BY THE CAT! Select your maze in the usual manner. This time, however, AT THE SAME TIME the maze is being drawn on the screen, PUSH DOWN on the hand controllers. BOTH PLAYERS MUST PUSH DOWN TOGETHER. Push down and hold down until the maze is completely drawn, then let up. This selects the 'Paranoia' option. BE CAREFUL not to push left, right, backward, or forward as you are pushing down or you will select the speed immediately after the maze is drawn without meaning to. You must then select the speed from the keyboard. 4. Double Paranoia "Double your anxiety while on the run, let NO mouse out, instead of just one!" Double Paranoia is played by selecting the Paranoia option of pushing down on the hand controllers, then selecting the speed through the hand controller, thereby eliminating the cat. Since the Paranoia option means that before any mouse can leave the maze the other must be eaten by the cat, and you have no cat, that means that nobody can EVER leave the maze. You're stuck in it! Double Paranoia can be played for practice, for a game of chase between two mice, a game of hide and seek where you paint yourself into a corner while the other mouse is not looking and see if he can find you, or for any other game or reason you can think of! WINNING Winning is the same for all games -- first mouse out wins! When the winning mouse leaves the maze, the maze will turn the same color as the mouse that won, and that mouse will squeek in relief. Remember: Left player -- red mouse with high-pitched squeek. Right player -- blue mouse with low-pitched squeek. Recap SELECTING YOUR MAZE Hit RESET and select a maze type through the keyboard. After that, you must select all maze types through the hand controller. Button 1 or Push Right -- Maze Button 2 or Push left -- Jailbreak Button 3 or Push Backward -- Blind-Man's Bluff Button 4 or Push Forward -- Trailblazer MAZE VARIATIONS 1. Regular Maze: Select speed through hand controller. Button 1 -- for a beginner's game. Button 2 through 4 -- for faster games. 2. Cat and Mouse: Select speed through the keyboard. Push Button 1 or 2 -- for a slow cat (speeds 1 and 2). Push Button 3 -- for half fast cat (speed 3). Push Button 4 -- for a fast cat (speed 4). 3. Paranoia: PUSH DOWN TOGETHER while the maze is being painted on the screen, then select speed through the keyboard as in "Cat and Mouse." 4. Double Paranoia: PUSH DOWN TOGETHER while the maze is being painted to the screen, select speed through the hand controller as in "Regular Maze." Have Fun If you have questions about this Videocart(TM)* cartridge or your Video Entertainment System, call the toll free numbers in the back of your console instruction booklet. Other exciting Videocart cartridges are available from your Fairchild dealer or, for more information, write: Fairchild Video Products 3105 Alfred Street Santa Clara, CA 95050 *VIDEOCART is a trademark of Fairchild Camera and Instrument Corporation Copyright (C) 1977 Made in Singapore Printed in U.S.A.