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ASTERIX AND THE MAGIC CAULDRON(c)1986 Melbourne House and Dargaud S. A.Characters from the Asterix comic strips by Goscinny and Uderzo--------------------------------Preliminary Note:This game was published only in Europe. In the US the game"Ardok the Barbarian" was published instead, with different

sprites such that the copyrights held in France for thecharacters were not violated... Naturally this last game hasn'thad the success expected in the US...

THE OBJECT OF THE GAME

Gaul is divided into three parts... No, four, for one smallGaulish village in Armorica (Western part of now France) stillholds out against the invaders. Fortified by their magic potion,they still successfully resist the romans. However, the druidGetafix's magic cauldron in which the potion was brewed has been

accidentally shattered into seven pieces as a result of agigantic explosion in one of Getafix's experiments, and thepieces were spread all over the countryside. These pieces mustbe recovered and safely returned to the village by our heroesAsterix and Obelix...

The object of the game is then to collect these seven pieces sothat the magic cauldron can be rebuilt. If it doesn't getrebuilt the Gauls won't be able to brew any more magic strengthpotions, and the Romans will overpower them.

Controls: Joystick in port 2, one player only.

GAMEPLAY

Basically the gameplay is a matter of exploring thoroughly inorder to find the cauldron pieces. (A map is provided to makethis rather boring part of the game much easier.) Obelix willfollow Asterix anywhere, but he must be kept nourished with hisfavourite food: wild boars. Asterix has 5 roasted boars withhim (how does he carry them?? Obelix must be carrying them...)and one disappears each time Asterix and Obelix get hungry.

When they are all gone, Asterix has to find and fight a boar.

the fight sequences take place in windows that zoom out of themain screen. Stamina bars for each combatant appear on the sideof the windows. Defeating a boar adds it to the food tally.If Asterix loses the fight he is kicked out of the window and heloses a life. The same system is used when fighting the Romansoldiers and when Asterix picks up useful objects along the way.

Asterix starts with five lives and a single phial of magicpotion, which can only be used once when he (you) is in extremetrouble. The pieces of the cauldron are shown at the top of thescreen when they have been collected. Keys can also be picked upto get Asterix and Obelix into certain areas.

THE DISPLAY

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The playing screen is divided into 2 main sections: The top ofthe screen holds information about the player, and the lower80 % of the area contains a picture of the player's currentlocation.

The status line (top of the screen) contains information abouthow the game is progressing. Basically, it contains a number of

icons which indicate how many remaining lives, how the foodis going, if there is a key or potion phial, and what thecurrent score is. Any of these icons will be flashing beforethey are about to reduce in number.

a. The Roasted Boar (a ham?)---------------------------This icon is at the top of the left screen, and is alwayspresent. The number beside it shows how many roasted boarsAsterix is carrying. The boars encountered in the countrysideare used as a food source. If there is no food, Obelix willnot follow Asterix and the game is over.

When Asterix or Obelix gets hungry, the ham icon will flash asa roasted boar is being eaten.

Note that Asterix loses a life if he is hungry and there isno food. To obtain extra roasted boars, defeat a boar in afight. The dead boar will then turn into a ham, which can becollected.

b. The Cauldron---------------This icon is a picture of the intact cauldron, and is alwayspresent. The number beside it shows how many pieces of the

cauldron have been found.

Remember, there are seven pieces of Getafix's cauldron to befound, and they must be returnded to the village to completethe game. Pieces of the magic cauldron are easy to identify,because they pulse with magic force.

c. The Phial of Potion----------------------This icon is always present on the status line. It is a pictureof the phial (small gourd) of potion given to Asterix byGetafix on the start of the mission. When Asterix drinks thepotion (press fire twice rapidly), the icon will flash untilthe effect of the potion wears off. The potion gives Asterixsuperhuman strength, but it only lasts for a limited time.The potion may only be used once during the game, so use itwisely. After it has been finished, the icon will disappear.

d. The Key----------This icon is a picture of a key, and is NOT always present.When Asterix has a key in his possession, it will be displayed.The key allows Asterix and Obelix to go through locked doorsinto rooms that they otherwise would not be able to enter.

e. Asterix----------This icon is a picture of Asterix's head and is always present.

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The number beside it shows how many lives he has remaining.When this becomes zero the game ends. The player starts thegame with 5 lives.

f. The Score------------This indicates what the player's current score is. Various

points are awarded to Asterix during the course of the game forvarious actions.

g. The Screen Location-----------------------This title gives the player a general idea of where he is inoccupied Gaul. It is vital to make a map of the countryside tohelp you remember routes from location to location. (A map isavailable with these instructions - without it the game wouldbe extremely difficult as there is no "save game" feature.)Also, at the end of the game, "game over" is displayed here.

DURING THE GAME

There are two modes of control in the game. You will havedifferent movements controlled by the joystick in the twodifferent modes:

1. Walking----------For the most part the player is in the walking mode and thejoystick controls Asterix's movements as he searches thecountryside.

2. Fighting-----------Pressing the fire button puts you in the fight mode, whichevokes a group of movements different from when in walkingmode, controlled also with the joystick. Note that it is notpossible to drink the potion when in fighting mode.

Asterix is in fight mode when displayed in a large box. Thisis the fight box, and it uses enlarged sprites so thecharacters may be easily seen. The stamina of bothparticipants in the fight is displayed on the sides of thefight box. Stamina is influenced by blows received, food eatenand magic potion. When any creature's stamina runs out, thecreature dies.

Thus, to win a fight, bash your opponent until he or it hasrun out of stamina. If you are the one that gets bashed, youcan run away from the fight by moving off the sides of thefight box. Hold the joystick in that direction for a coupleof seconds, and you should be able to escape from the fight.

The fight mode is invoked during a meeting between Asterix andsome other inhabitants in the game (such as a Roman soldier ora boar), or whenever Asterix or Obelix approach such objectsas gold, keys, and pieces of the magic cauldron.

To gather these objects, when the fight box appears, moveAsterix (or the following Obelix) on top of the object, and it

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will be gathered up automatically.

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