RASTER RUNNER
(Mastertronic Plus)


A Fan Speaks ...
"I mean, the likes of Barry Sheene and Eddie Kidd were bikin' heroes
back in the 20th century, but nowadays their antics, like the machines
they rode around on, are really funny, aren't they?
"After all, romping around a dirt track on a rubber-wheeled hydro-
carbon-burning antique is hardly the height of mechanical or physical
achievement is it? Compared with the race technology of today, Sheene
and Kidd might as well have been swinging through the jungle on vines
as riding 'bikes'.
"Still, from these humble beginnings did the Plasma Bike evolve. From
simple 'road racing' 'circuits', the Rasterfield was developed. So we
fans of the Raster Run shouldn't mock too much, I s'pose.
"Could even find that someone from the 20th century could get the hang
of riding a Plasma Bike. But they'd never survive against a Plasma
Pilot like Gazza P or Flathead Andy. Twenty-third-century heroes like
them'd take some beating, eh!
"Anyway, enough of this idle chatter. Gazza and Flathead are about to
ride the Rasterfield, so don't say a word until the contest's over.
Just don't interrupt, droid. Spoils me concentration, does idle
chatter."


LOADING INSTRUCTIONS
+2 Press Enter. 48K Put your machine into 48K mode.
Type LOAD"" and press Enter.
Space to start game.

Controls
Configuring the Game
1 sets Player One's controller
2 sets Player Two's controller and sets the skill level for the
computer in a one player game
Press 0 to start the contest


Riding Those Bikes

If you control your Plasma Bike with a joystick, up, down, left and
right are achieved by moving the joystick in the desired direction.
Pressing Fire activates the energy shield.
Keyboard players move up with the Q key, down with the A key, left
with the O key and right with the P key. Prod the SPACE BAR to
activate the energy shield.

Entering the Hall of Fame
Take care when committing your name to the Hall of Fame - press Fire
too soon and you'll end up anonymous, or with the wrong name! The
square cursor can be moved to the left and right, by waggling the
joystick appropriately or by pressing K or L. To cycle through the
alphabet, waggle Up and Down or press W or X. When the letter you want
appears in the cursor box, move the box along to the next position to
leave the letter in place. Only press Fire when your name is up there
in lights!
'BREAK' and 'SYMBOL SHIFT' allows you to abort a contest and reset the
game.

The Raster Runner Arena
Enter the Rasterfield and go head to head against an opponent -
contestants each have 10 lives (shown on the large digital counters in
the status area) and the Plasma Bike rider with the highest score at
the end of the game takes the accolade of "Supreme Champion". Which is
twenty-third-century-speak for 'winner'.
The object of the game is simple. Force your opponent to crash before
you do - a life is lost and a new round begins whenever a bike crashes
into a plasma trail or the boundary of the Rasterfield. Play ends when
one rider has lost all 10 lives. Depending on how play progresses, a
single game can last for ten rounds, or be thrashed out over as many
as nineteen rounds.
A central radar screen gives an overall view of the entire Raster-
field. Individual player screens reveal the immediate vicinity of the
two Plasma Bikes and should be used for local navigation. Successful
riders learn to keep an eye on all three displays.
In each round, a rider has three energy shields - three LEDs in a
rider's status area keep track of how many have been used. A prod on
the Fire button activates an energy shield for a few moments; while
the shield is active and your Plasma Bike is flashing you can cross
your own or your opponent's plasma trail without crashing. Go gently
with your shields; you only have three per round, so they are for
emergencies only; and each unused shield at the end of the round is
worth 100 points.
A porky 1,000 points is awarded to the rider who wins each round, 1
point is added to a rider's score for each second survived out on the
Rasterfield, and another whopping 1,000 points bonus is awarded for
each life left on the clock at Game Over.
Go on. Get out there, gather up the points and wow the twenty-third-
century audience!


ORIGINAL GAME DESIGNED BY
HITECH STUDIO DESIGNS

CONVERSIONS BY THE BIG RED SOFTWARE HOUSE

PRODUCED BY TERRY HAINES AND ANDREW WRIGHT

(c) Virgin Mastertronic Limited 1989