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Welcome to Project 64!

The goal of Project 64 is to preserve Commodore 64 related documents
in electronic text format that might otherwise cease to exist with the
rapid advancement of computer technology and declining interest in 8-
bit computers on the part of the general population.

Extensive efforts were made to preserve the contents of the original
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use the information herein you do so at your own risk.

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The Project 64 etext of the ~Shamus manual (Atari Version)~,
keyed in by Michael E. Brown <mbrown@freenet.edmonton.ab.ca>
10-Mar-1997, Retrieved from Morbid Guy's Atari 8-bit Manual Archive
http://www.best.com/~morbid/manuals/shamus.txt

Etexter's note: On my Atari 800XL I needed to run the Translator disk
before I could run Shamus.

Morbid's ed note: Regarding POD rooms, you must shoot the object in
the center of the room (through the time-hole) in order to gain
further access.

SHAMUS10.TXT, September 1997, etext #288#

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                      SHAMUS
                by William Mataga

       Shamus (c) 1983 by Synapse Software
  Atari is a registered trademark of Atari, Inc.


LOADING SHAMUS

For Cassette:
Make sure you have a least 16K of memory, and have removedd the basic
cartridge from the left hand slot.

Insert the game cassette with SIDE A facing up. (This is the side with
the label on it). Press the play button down on the cassette recorder.
Press the (START) key on your computer as you turn on the power
switch. After you hear the "beep" press (RETURN).

SHAMUS will take approximately 4-5 minutes to load.

If you should have any difficulty loading the program from SIDE a,
simply flip over the cassette, making sure to rewind it and load the
program from SIDE B.

For Disks:
Make sure that you have at least 16K of memory and that the BASIC
cartridge has been removed. Insert the SHAMUS disk and simply boot it
up.

For Cartridges:
Make sure you have 16K of memory. Plug the cartridge into the left
hand slot, close the cover and turn on the computer.

Starting the Game:
To start playing press (START) at any time after the music begins.


OBJECT OF THE GAME

The object of the game is to reach the very core of SHADOW's lair and
destroy him. This is accomplished by progressively exploring the
various colored levels of the lair and accumulating the greatest
number of points, bonuses and extra lives.

In order to overcome all of the obstacles and dangers that infest the
lair and triumph in the final battle with SHADOW you must familiarize
yourself with all 32 room of each of the colored levels and retrieve
the coreect colored keys for all of the passages. This is the only way
to gain entry from one level to another.

Unlike trxt adventure games, SHAMUS can only be mastered by a long and
arduous training perios, in which your reflexes are sharpened to a
point where you can deal with the incredible speed and viciousness of
the attacks of the SHADOW and his henchmen.


Shamus

You are the SHAMUS. You may move in any of eight directions by using
the joystick connected to JOYSTICK PORT 1. You may shoot your
ION-SHIVS in any of eith directions by pressing the TRIGGER button on
your JOYSTICK and then moving the stick in the desired direction.

ION-SHIVS (Ionic-Short High Intensity Vaporizers)
These weapons are banned in every part of the galaxy. They totally
disintegrate any life form upon contact, unless shielded by Tri-Gamma
body armor. CAUTION: You can only have TWO ION-SHIVS on the screen at
any one time.

Whirling Drones
Never underestimate the ferocity of whirling drones. They are sneaky,
and intensely sensitive to movement within the passages of the LAIR.
They are armed with molecular disruptors.

Robo-Droids
Relatively slow moving semi-mechanical androids. These droids are
methodical and never give up. They are also armed with distruptors.

Snap-Jumpers
These self-propelled annihilators, cannot "think". This feature
however makes them all the more dangerous. They are a strange mutation
who exist simultaneously, in two dimensions. They "snap" in and out of
your time-space continuum and are therefore unpredictable and because
of this quality extremely quick. Their speed makes them VERY
DANGEROUS.


The Lair

The LAIR consists of four levels of thirty two rooms each. The colors
in order of progressive difficulty are BLACK, BLUE, GREEN and RED.

As you progress from one level to the next the action increases in
speed to the insanely fast LEVEL RED. You gain extra points for
completely clearing each room of intruders.

Keys and Keyholes
Each of the colored levels of the LAIR contains various colored keys
which are paired with matching colored keyholes. These keys are picked
up by SHAMUS by touching them. As they are touched they are displayed
in the right hand bottom of the screen. When encountering a KEYHOLE of
the matching color, SHAMUS merely makes contact with the keyhole and
the wall retracts permitting you to proceed through the LAIR. If the
wall does not drop you have not obtained the correct color coded key.
You must retrace your way through the LAIR to find the key, otherwise
you will not be permitted past the KEYHOLE.

Extra Lives
The current number of lives are displayed in the upper right hand
corner of the screen. If you encounter a bubbling bottle in a room you
need merely to touch it to obtain an extra life. You may accumulate as
many extra lives as your skill allows.

Question Marks
By passing over these pulsating questions makrs you will invite either
bonuses or disaster!


The Shadow

The arch-villian himself is constantly monitoring your activities in
his LAIR (He knows when you are sleeping, he knows when you're awake,
etc.)

Be extremely careful when you hear a low pitched pulsing being. This
is a signal that SHADOW is about to enter the room. You cannot kill
SHADOW since he wears TRI-GAMMA armor. You can however, stun him. He
remains stunned only for a short time, after which you had better move
quickly.

Only in the deepest recesses of LEVEL RED will you find the answer to
this puzzle!

Pod Rooms
These rooms exist in another dimension and there is only a small time
window through which to gain entrance.

Skill Levels
There are four levels of play. These are selected by pressing the
(SELECT) button. Each level is SUBSTANTIALLY more difficult than the
last, so choose wisely.

Playing Tips

1. Observe the various characteristics of your opponents, and take
   advantage of their weaknesses.
2. Practice, practice, practice.
3. Play with a friend who can keep track of where you are in the LAIR,
   while you fight for your life.
4. Retain your sense of humor!

If anyone can overcome the SHADOW, only the SHAMUS can. Good luck!!!!


SHAMUS
Four levels on intense arcade action
Requires Atari 800 or 400 with 16K and joysticks.

You've finally made it. Your nerves and your guts tell you he's
here... and the smell. The sickeningly sweet ordor of decomposing
fruit; the SHADOW's trademark. Now all that's left... to find and
destroy him before he returns the compliment.

You didn't know it was going to be this hard. After all, it is the
21st century and your ION-SHIVS are probably the most dangerous
weapons in this part of the galaxy. They can drop a fully screened
sniffer-droid at 300 meters!

Out of the corner of your eye, a small black shape darts up to the
door and noiselessly enters the builing across the rocket pad. The
memory of your last encounter with the Shadow jolts you, like a
neuro-stunner set on max. Images of ROBO-DROIDS, that just don't know
when to quit... dark, sneaky WHIRLING DRONES from a timeslip star
system... and the lightening quick SNAP-JUMPERS, that fry you for
looking at them cross-eyed, flicker through your mind. Still you've
handled them before... The big boy himself, SHADOW, is the one you're
after!

As you silently enter the door coordinates into your teleporter, the
scanner indicates that there are four colored levels of 32 rooms each,
and every room is bristling with danger. You know it won't be a high
school prom when you transport into the Shadow's lair, but there is no
turning back. So with a grim chuckle, you reach for the bottle of
Nervo-Stim and energize the transporter.  You're ready as the Stim
slides down warmly and your biosensors click into high gear!

Tell the Shadow that SHAMUS is here!

synapse
(415) 527-7751

Shamus (c) 1983 by Synapse Software
Atari is a registered trademark of Atari, Inc.

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End Project 64 etext Shamus manual.

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