MYTH Introduction System 3 Software have created a new era in home and personal computer entertainment software. This has been achieved by combining the excitement of dynamic arcade action, breathtaking graphics and thrilling original music. With an established insight into the gameplayers' needs, we aim to bring you products that continue to set new standards for innovative design and give good value for your money. Having again achieved that goal, we are proud to present to you our new game . . . MYTH. This atmospheric platform adventure through the mythological eras of time, casts you, the game's player, as the hero, settting the history books straight and stopping the spread of the mighty evil dameron. We hope you get as much enjoyment from playing this exciting new product as we had in creating it and we look forward to entertaining you long into the future . . . MYTH STORY Magical tales of intrigue and mystery were spawned thousands of years ago, as the world's civilisations believed that mythological gods and demons carved out the way of the world. They were said to have dealt their own hand in the epic game of life and ruled their domains with cast iron law and powerful sorcery, not known to mere mortals. The subsequent fear of which enabled the gods to mould their own world, like an elaborate game of chess, and pre-ordain the fate and destiny of their minions. The combination of ruling bodies kept the world in balance and laid the foundations of our history. Only a mortal can attempt to change the eras of time. An everyday lad lounges at his desk fully submerged in an article he reads aloud in his complex mind, about Medusa, the terrifying snakes that entwine her scalp, and shivering coldness of her black-eyed stare as she turns courageous men to solid stone. The lad seems arrogantly amused with what he reads and curls his upper lip in an aggrieved sneer, signaling his resentment at the brash, uninformed way in which his favorite daydreams had been handled. "This guy's a jerk", rolls off his silver tongue as he hurls the trash magazine into an overused bin. It seems near bursting with a hive of knowledgeable mythological drawings, screwed up and scribbed out, that weren't quite good enough or didn't depict how a certain fable was meant to annihilate all who dared challenge it or who didn't respect its vital role in the strategic game of life and history. He would spend hours thumbing through books and sketching the theories as he understood them, believing that mythology was for real, believing everything was there for a reason, believing that Titanic gods watched his every move and even played some of them for him so as to ensure that foreseen destiny would indeed take its course. This guy was hooked, at times he wore blinkers to everyday life, or upset school teachers with his hankering on about myths and how they were the only history any of us need learn if we were to ensure the future turns of the world were in the right direction. Maybe he seemed a little confused, strange to some teachers, but everyone warmed to him. He wore the right trainers, the right jeans, he hung out with the right guys, danced to the right music. His cockiness and arrogance was a lure to all the best girls in school and his contempt for those who wouldn't listen to him, shielded him, and gave him bigger following than the school football captain. This guy was a happening, a hero to younger kids, a thorn in the side of history teachers and a real worry to his parents who had seen his obsession grow from a passing interest to the only supporting crutch his life seemed to be leaning on. This obsession wooed him to sleep at night and led him through everyday life with hypnotic effect. He couldn't wait to get home and lose himself in mythological literature, to draw his favourite characters and dream of long-fought battles through time itself. If only he knew. Word of his undying loyalty to mythology had not only spanned the length and breadth of the school playing fields and formed major points of discussion over school dinners, but had astonishingly penetrated the heavens. The last remaining good Titans had been casting a hopeful net over our planet for some time, a global search that had them clammering for a mortal with character, cunning, and most of all, belief. These great universal dictators had swallowed their pride and had finally succumbed to the fact that their means of rulership was now rapidly becoming a laughing stock. Strong, steadfast beings who aggressively ruled the heavens, the seas, the land, were now in a state of panic. The evil god Dameron had become a self-appointed leader, turning the skies black with rage and the seas red with the blood of many a god who dared question his tyranny. Bloodbaths arose in the heavens, death was meeting those who refused to control their part of history in his way and the once seemingly solid temple of this history was now being severely rocked to its very foundations. The law stated that the great gods could not interfere directly with the destiny of modern history, but that the world's future lay with its past and therefore by changing the past, Dameron will conquer the future and forever destroy mortal life. An encouraging fire engulfed the era of time as they found who they were looking for and with the discovery of a mortal with such a belief they breathed tentative, if not premature, sighs of relief into the soul of our hopeful history. They were to visit him in his sleep and bargain with mortality, convince him that his relentless pursuit of mythology was to be rewarded by actually meeting the gods he dreamt of by battling the demons he scribbled on pieces of old paper, by solving the life and death riddles of ancient leaders. He must confront the twisted power of Dameron and struggle through all the cornerstones of time, putting right the evil god's wrong doing and setting the wheels of our history in motion once again in the right direction. They were to take him through all mythological eras of time, including Roman, Greek, Norse, Viking and Egyptian. Then onwards towards the greatest challenge for no mere mortal, except this one, Dameron. The world's future is at stake and must be brought back to tranquil normality. He must remember his arrogance, he must have faith in the prophecies he tried to enforce upon others. He must believe that this is HISTORY IN THE MAKING! LOADING INSTRUCTIONS Set up your COMPUTER system as detailed in your user manual. Ensure that all non-essential peripherals - such as cartridges, printers, etc. are DISCONNECTED. Failure to do so may cause loading DIFFICULTIES. 1 If you are using your Commodgre 64/128 with the cassette version of MYTH . . . Connect your data cassette player and switch your computer and TV/monitor on. C128 owners should now select C64 mode by typing G064, pressing RETURN then Y, then RETURN again. Insert the MYTH cassette into the data cassette player, ensuring that it is fully rewound. Hold down the SHIFT and RUN/STOP keys on the computer together. Then press the PLAY key on the data cassette player. The game should then load. 2 If you are using your Commodore 64/128 with the disk version of MYTH . . . Connect your disk drive to your computer and switch the disk drive, computer and TV/monitor on. C128 owners should now select C64 mode by typing G064, pressing RETURN, then Y, then RETURN again, Insert the MYTH disk into the disk drive, label side up. Now type LOAD"*",8,1 and hit RETURN. The game should then load. 3 If you are using your Amstrad CPC 464, 664 or 6128 with the cassette version of MYTH . . . Switch your TV/monitor and computer ON. If your computer has a built-in disk drive you should now connect a compatible cassette player to your computer. Then type '|' symbol, press the SHIFT key and @ key together. Insert the MYTH cassette into the tape player. Ensure that the cassette label marked side one is facing upwards and that the cassette is fully rewound. Press the CTRL and small ENTER keys together, then press the PLAY button on your cassette player. The game should then load. 4 If you are using your Amstrad CPC 464, 664 or 6128 with the diskette version of MYTH . . . If your computer has a built-in cassette player, first switch your computer OFF and connect a compatible disk drive to your computer. Now switch the disk drive and the computer ON. Then type ""disk and hit RETURN. Now your computer will be ready to load data from disk. To obtain the '|' symbol, press the SHIFT key and '@' together. Insert the MYTH diskette into your disk drive, label side up. Type RUN"DISC then hit the ENTER key. 5 If you are using your ZX Spectrum, Spectrum+, Spectrum 48K, Spectrum 128K, Spectrum +2 with the cassette version of MYTH . . . Connect your cassette player to your Spectrum as advised in the user manual. If you are using a joystick then insert the necessary interfaces NOW. Switch your TV/monitor, cassette player and computer ON. If your Spectrum now displays a menu screen you may select with 48K or 128K Basic. Insert the MYTH cassette into the cassette player, with the cassette label marked "side one" facing upwards. Ensure that the cassette is fully rewound. Type LOAD" " and then hit the ENTER key. Now press the PLAY button on your cassette player. The game should now load. 6 If you are using your Atari ST, Amiga or Spectrum +3 with the diskette version of MYTH . . . Connect your disk drive to your computer - if your computer features a built-in disk drive you will not have to do this. Insert the MYTH diskette into the disk drive, label side up. Switch your TV/monitor, computer and disk drive ON. For ST and Amiga users the game will now load automatically. Spectrum +3 users should then press RETURN and the game will load automatically. MULTI-LOAD INSTRUCTIONS MYTH is a multi-load game. Each level will be loaded as you complete the previous one. This means that to enjoy continuous play you MUST keep your MYTH cassette in your data cassette player, or your MYTH disk in your disk drive, at all times during a session with the game. On screen, prompts will appear when you complete a level, telling you what to do next. When loading cassette versions of the game you will be prompted to turn over the tape, rewind fully and load the next level. KEYBOARD CONTROLS For C64, Amiga and Atari ST owners Greater than/less than (on . and ,)- cycle through icons in window. Space bar - Select weapon to use from middle window. - Press at beginning of each level to continue with weapon. P - Pause the game. The game can only be played on these formats with a joystick. For Spectrum and Amstrad owners Space bar - Cycle through and select icon in window. - Press again outwards to get back in the game. Q - Left. W - Right. I - Up. J - Down/small jump. O - Fire. H - Pause game. If these keys prove unsuitable to some games players, there is an option to define the keys at the beginning of the game. BASIC MOVEMENT For Commodore 64, Amiga and Atari ST owners HOP JUMP (CONTROLLABLE) IN CONJUNCTION ^ IN CONJUNCTION WITH RUNNING | WITH RUNNING = RUNNING JUMP | = RUNNING JUMP < | > \ | / \ | / RUN <------- WITHOUT -------> RUN LEFT FIRE RIGHT | | | | | v FORWARD LEAP FIGHTING MOVEMENTS For Commodore 64, Amiga and Atari ST owners MUST WAIT, THEN PUSH BUTTON TO JUMP THROW DAGGERS JUMP KICK ^ HIGH PUNCH (PULLED | OR OPPOSITE | WEAPON TO FACING) < | > BLOW \ | / \ | / KICK (PULLED <------ WITH FIRE ------> MIDDLE PUNCH OPPOSITE OR STAB TO FACING) | WITH WEAPON | | |-----> LOWEST PUNCH | OR STAB v KNEEL & ICON PICK-UP NOTE: DIrections are for facing right. When facingleft, reverse all directions. NOTE: Some weapons have to be worked with fire button in conjunction with joystick movement. BASIC MOVEMENT For Spectrum and Amstrad owners JUMP IN DIRECTION YOU ARE FACING ^ | | | | | RUN LEFT <------- WITHOUT -------> RUN RIGHT FIRE | | | | | v SMALL VERTICAL JUMP FIGHTING MOVEMENTS For Spectrum and Amstrad owners PUNCH (DURING COMBAT) OR SWIPE ^ | | | | | CROUCH DOWN <------ WITH FIRE | | NOTE: Collect icons by | walking over them. | | v KICK (IN COMBAT) OR SHIELD GENERAL TIPS The first aspects of the game you should MASTER are the JOYSTICK controls. The highly interactive nature of the game is required because of some of the COMPLEX MOVES the main character has to perform. A high level of competence at the controls will enhance your game play CONSIDERABLY. Because of the adventure elements, our second suggestion is that you should get into the habit of RECORDING what happens on each screen. This will enable you to obtain HIGHER SCORES with repeated play. The last point is, NEVER take anything FOR GRANTED - some things are not as they appear. Be curious, nosey, etc. and examine everything. STATUS AREA DEFINITIONS For Spectrum and Amstrad owners STATUS AREA --------------- --------------- --------------- | SCORE | | AMOUNT | | ENERGY | --------------- --------------- --------------- --------------- --------------- --------------- | LIVES | | COLLECTED | | TELEPORT | | | | ITEMS | | CONS | --------------- --------------- --------------- LIVES - Amount of lives (up to six). SCORE - Current score. AMOUNT - Shows the number of times the currently selected item can be used. ITEMS - Shows what you are holding. Press space to select them, and left and right to move. ENERGY - Shows your energy. When energy is low the man will pulse colours. When energy reaches zero a life is lost and energy reset to maximum. TELEPORT ICONS - The amount of these you have collected so far. When all have been collected they will flash continuously to confirm that the master icon is on the map. For Commodore 64, Amiga and Atari ST owners STATUS AREA ----------- ------ ------ ------ ---------- --------- | SCORE | | COLLECTED ITEMS | | ENERGY | | LIVES | ----------- | | | | | | ---------- --------- ------ ------ ------ SCORE - Current score. ITEMS - Shows what have been collected, "greater than" and "less than" keys cycle through them. Space bar selects item in middle window to use. ENERGY - Shows you energy as beads which change colour as it is drained. Resets to maximum once life is lost and game restarted. LIFES - Appear in number form (up to nine). The following are clues to some of the objects and hazards you may come across in your travels, and are not necessarily the order in which you have to find them. In the spirit of all good adventures . . .WE HAVE NOT TOLD YOU THE WHOLE STORY . . . CLUES For Spectrum and Amstrad owners Collect all the "TELEPORT ICONS" to reveal a "MASTER ICON". This is then used on the "TELEPORT PAD" to get results. CHEST Treasure what you may find. VASES Take a welcome break and your quest could prove fruitful. GEMS Just what the doctor ordered. HEART Conserve your strength and realise your ITEM limitations. DOVE Be flightly and cause a major coo! SKULLS A burning desire brings out the devil in you. MEDUSA Head off in the right direction and open your eyes to all around you. TRIDENT Be a kill joy, two's company but three's a crowd. SACK As you journey onwards, remember you have certain statutory rights. BOLTS It all adds up to a lot, so save some for a rainy day. CLUES For Commodore 64, Amiga and Atari ST owners SWORD Don't make any bones about the job in hand. FIRE No need to harp on about it, just make BOLTS them green with envy. TRIDENT Bring out the demon by killing the skeleton and knocking his skull in the flames. Once out, kill the demon with collected firebolts, these are limited, so use them wisely. The trident can only be used once, so be sure! NYMPH If she beckons approach with caution, you should come out a stronger player than before. SHIELD Once you have brought the Greeks to heel, their idols are brought crashing down to earth. CHIMERA Be a kill joy, two's company but three's a crowd. MEDUSA Head off in the right direction and open your eyes to all around you. FIREBRAND Alter yourself accordingly and give it some stick. HEADDRESS Useful when mummy's around, but if you get it wrong, tut, tut, tut. CANOPIC JARS You must retain order if you are to continue. LOADING DIFFICULTIES We are always seeking to improve the quality of our product range, and have developed high standards of quality control to bring you this product. If you experience any difficulties whilst loading, it is likely to be a fault other than the product itself. We therefore suggest that you switch your computer off and repeat the loading instructions carefully, checking that you are using the correct set of instructions for your computer and software. If you still have problems, consult the User handbook that accompanied your computer or consult your software dealer for advice. In the case of continued difficulty and you have checked all of your hardware for possible faults, may we suggest that you return the game to the place of purchase. Customer Enquiries/Technical Support 01-886-5692 System 3 Software Limited Blenheim House, 1 Ash Hill Drive, Pinner, Middlesex HA5 2AG Copyright 1989 System 3 Software Limited