MOUNTAIN KING 

BY CBS ELECTRONICS





SETTING UP YOUR VIDEO CONSOLE 

1. Hook up your video game system, following the manufacturer's instructions. 

2. With the power OFF, plug in the video game cartridge. 

3. Turn power ON. If no image appears, check the connection of your game system to the TV, then repeat steps 1-3. 

4. Plug a 5200 Controller firmly into controller jack 1. 

5. Keypad overlays are provided for your convenience. If you desire, slip an overlay onto your controller's keypad. 

6. The game will automatically start on Level 1. To select a higher level, press the Skill Level square (the # key) on your keypad and then select the desired level number, 2 through 8. 

7. Press the START key or one of the two bottom red buttons on the side of your controller. If you have not used the Skill Level key, your Explorer will appear on the screen and dance across the mountaintop. At the end of the dance, play begins on Level 1. To bypass the dance, press the START key again. If you have used the Skill Level key, pressing the START key will automatically begin the game at the level selected. 

Note: Never remove your video game cartridge from the console unless the power is turned OFF. 

• Deep inside a long-lost diamond mine is the secret Temple Chamber of a forgotten civilization. There, a priceless Golden Crown sits high on a pedestal, vulnerable to plundering explorers seeking to control its power. But this treasure is jealously guarded by the denizens of the mountain, and whoever has the daring and courage to challenge them, seize the Crown, and escape to the mountaintop with it will become MOUNTAIN KING! 

OBJECT OF THE GAME 

• The object of MOUNTAIN KING is to capture the Golden Crown of the Temple and carry it safely to the top of the mountain. You will attempt to do this as many tims as you can and on as many levels as possible before your time expires and/or you are destroyed. 

THE EXPLORER 

• Watch carefully as your Explorer does his dance at the beginning of Level 1. You'll see all the different ways he can move and you'll also get a glimpse of the Perpetual Flame (where you must eventually take the Golden Crown). You'll also hear the theme music for the game. 

• Use the joystick of your controller to make the Explorer run to the left or right. To jump from plateau to plateau, push the joystick away from you at a 45-degree angle to the left or right; he'll leap in the respective direction. If you jump or fall to a lower plateau, you won't be hurt. But, if you fall too far, you'll be momentarily stunned and unable to proceed for a few seconds. To climb ladders, push the joystick away from you. Pull it towards you to go down ladders or to kneel. 

• You must kneel in order to claim the Flame Spirit, open Treasure Chests and gain entry to the Temple. 

• Your Explorer is equipped with a flashlight used to find treasure chests and to confirm the location of the Flame Spirit. To activate the flashlight, press one of the two bottom red buttons on the sides of your controller. The upper side buttons have no function in this game. The flashlight may only shine in the direction in which your Explorer is headed. It cannot shine up or down. 

DIAMONDS & THE FLAME SPIRIT 

• In order to gain entry to the Temple, you must first be in possession of the Flame Spirit. To qualify for possession, you must collect 1,000 points worth of diamonds. Diamonds are embedded in the cavern walls throughout the mountain. Merely pass over them to pick them up. Each cluster of three diamonds is worth 10 points. Once you have successfully collected 1,000 or more diamond points, a dancing flame will appear at the bottom of your screen indicating that the Flame Spirit is now available for capture. 

• LOOK FOR: a very brief flame flicker. This marks the location of the Flame Spirit. The Flame Spirit itself is only fully visible with the flashlight on it. 

• LISTEN FOR: the theme music. The louder the music, the closer you are to the Flame Spirit. On levels 2 through 8, the theme music will only play two verses. If you fail to capture the flame spirit before the music ends, it will disappear again and leave a perpetually burning flame in its place. 

• Before the Flame Spirit becomes available again, you'll have to collect another 1,000 diamond points. 

• The Flame Spirit is randomly hidden within the mountain and is not likely to pop up in the same position more than once. 

• Once you have successfully located the Flame Spirit, position your Explorer directly on top of it and pull the joystick towards you to kneel down and pick it up. The Explorer will then be surrounded by a glittering halo. Quickly proceed to the Temple. 

Note: Some players may find locating the Flame Spirit to be the hardest part of the game. For them we have prepared some notes designed to ease the frustration of this quest. These notes are located in the back of this manual. 

BATS 

• Two kinds of bats inhabit the caves of the mountain. Black Bats can only be seen with your flashlight. But have no fear' they're harmless. Gray Bats, however, are always visible and serve to protect both the Temple and its Golden Crown. On Levels 2 through 8, Gray Bats will try to steal the Flame Spirit from you before you make it into the Temple. On all levels, they'll try to steal back the Golden Crown before you're able to get it to the mountaintop. 

THE GIANT SPIDER 

• Lurking at the bottom of the mine is a Giant Spider waiting to wind your Explorer in its web. If you get caught, you'll be able to escape the web by rapidly moving the joystick forward and back. You must do this quickly; if the Spider returns to find you still struggling, he will eat you and end the game. The Spider will also steal back the Golden Crown should you possess it when caught and, on Levels 2 through 8, will take back the Flame Spirit as well. 

• On Level 8, both the Spider and its web are invisible. On all levels, you may escape the Spider altogether by leaping over him or jumping to a ladder or higher plateau. 

TREASURE CHESTS 

• Randomly hidden throughout the depths of the mountain are 10 Treasure Chests. They contain either Gray Bats or diamonds, but you won't know what's in any particular Treasure Chest until you open it. If it contains diamonds, a short fanfare will sound and 250 diamond points will be added to your point total. 

• To open a Treasure Chest, position your Explorer directly on top of it and pull the joystick towards you. A new Treasure Chest will always be hidden for every one opened, except for chests opened while the Flame Spirit is available. 

• A flashing white light at a Treasure Chest location indicates that the chest has been emptied, but has not yet been closed. Pass right over it to close it and pick up an extra 10 points. 

• One more point: Treasure Chests can only be seen using a flashlight! 

THE SKULL SPIRIT 

• Guarding the entrance to the Temple is the ominous Skull Spirit, visible only with your flashlight. Offer him the Flame Spirit and he will grant you entrance to the Temple. To do this, position your Explorer directly under the entranceway and pull the joystick towards you. The Skull Spirit will take the Flame Spirit and become visible only long enough for you to dash into the Temple. Be fast; if the Skull Spirit disappears before you enter, you'll have to bring him the Flame Spirit again. 

THE GOLDEN CROWN 

• Once inside the Temple, you must scale the walls to get to the Golden Crown. Move the joystick forward to place it on your head and then pull it towards you to remove both you and the Crown from the pedestal. 

ESCAPING 

• Once the Golden Crown is on your head, you'll hear a brief fanfare and then you must get out. Drop to the floor of the Temple and back out into the mine. Your challenge now is to get to the top of the mountain where the Perpetual Flame burns before time runs out or before the Bats steal the Crown from you. If you make it to the mountaintop, you'll receive bonus points based on how much time you have left and then play will automatically continue at the next highest level. 

The Temple Chamber 
• The secret resting place of the Golden Crown has remained untouched for centuries. Now, its discovery has left it vulnerable to intrepid treasure seekers. 

SPECIAL FEATURES 

Ladders
• Use these to go up and down. Your Explorer cannot jump from the top of a ladder. 

Flashlight
• Your flashlight has inexhaustible power. Use it to see the Flame Spirit, Skull Spirit and Treasure Chests. You cannot use it and pick up diamonds at the same time, nor will it work when you are caught in the Spider's web or are in possession of the Flame Spirit or Golden Crown. 

Flames
• Perpetual flames burn at the top of the mountain and around the Temple. Also, if you fail to capture the Flame Spirit in the alotted time, it will leave a flame in its location. If your Explorer runs into a flame, he will be burnt to a crisp and the game will end. 

• If you manage to jump over one of the flames guarding the Temple, thereby gaining illegal entry, you will not be able to take the Crown without first having gained possession of the Flame Spirit. 

Scoring Display
• The score display at the bottom of your screen indicates three things. At the top is your total score. At the bottom left is the amount of time remaining to complete your quest. At the bottom right is the number of diamond points needed before the Flame Spirit becomes available for capture. When the Flame Spirit does become available, this number will turn white and display the bonus you'll receive upon capture. The quicker you get the Flame Spirit, the larger the bonus. 

Pause and Reset
• To pause the game at any point, press the PAUSE key on your controller. To resume the game, press this key again. Pressing the RESET key will return the game to the title screen, 

MUSIC AND SOUNDS 

• Music is one of the most critical and exciting elements of MOUNTAIN KING. At the beginning of the game, listen carefully to the theme music. You'll hear this theme again when the Flame Spirit becomes available. The closer you are to the Flame Spirit, the louder the music will be. Similarly, the faster the music is playing, the less time you have left to capture the Flame Spirit. Once you get the Golden Crown and leave the Temple, you'll hear the theme music again. As you attempt to escape, the music will get faster and faster. Just as before, the faster the music, the less time available to get to the mountaintop. 

• Among the assorted sounds heard throughout the game, one to remember is the sound of the oncoming Giant Spider. If you stay alert to this sound, you just may have enough time to get out of the way before the Spider snares you. This will come in handy on higher levels where the Spider is harder to see. 

TIME 

• Time is another critical element. Depending on the level you're playing, you have a limited amount of time to complete your mission. At 1:59 left to play, the time display turns yellow. With only :59 left, it turns red and flashes. At this time, the mountain will begin to rebel and small fires will appear throughout the mine making it increasingly more difficult for you to maneuver. 

BONUSES 

There are several bonuses you can pick up as you play: 

* When you capture the Flame Spirit, you'll be given one additional minute of playing time at your current level.
* Also, for capturing the Flame Spirit, you'll receive bonus points depending on how long it took you to do so.
* For escaping the Temple with the Golden Crown, you'll receive 5,000 points.
* For reaching the mountaintop with the Golden Crown, you will receive up to 20,000 points depending on how long it took you to get there and how much time is left in the game.
* If you happen to be standing on top of the mountain when time expires, you will be given a once-only bonus of one minute. 

SKILL LEVEL DISTINCTIONS 


              Point Range 
               of bonus     Time to   Time to
       Total  for finding    find      reach
Level  Time   Flame Spirit  Spirit   Mountaintop
 
1      8:00    3000/10     Unlimited   45 sec.
2      6:00    3500/1440    40 sec.    40 sec.
3      5:00    4000/3220    35 sec.    30 sec.
4      4:00    4500/3020    30 sec.    30 sec.
5      3:00    5000/3710    25 sec.    30 sec.
6      3:00    5500/4410    22 sec.    30 sec.
7      3:00    6000/4910    22 sec.    30 sec.
8      3:00    6500/5600    20 sec.    30 sec.



END OF GAME 

• The game ends when your intrepid Explorer is burned to a crisp, becomes lunch for the Spider or runs out of time. 

When the game ends, the final score display will show: 

* Total points scored.
* Last Skill Level played.
* The numer of times the Flame Spirit was captured.
* The numer of times the Golden Crown was removed from the Temple. 

• If the Level display is flashing, it indicates that the Explorer perished with less than one minute remaining. 

WHO TURNED OUT THE LIGHTS? OPTION 

• If you're looking for more challenge, try this version... When you start the game, press the Skill Level square, choose a level and then press the keypad square marked Challenge! The plateaus of the mine will turn invisible. Oh, they'll still be there (and you'll be able to see them with your flashlight) but it does make getting around them a little trickier. 

STRATEGY HINTS 

1. Practice maneuvering the Explorer to become familiar with the way he moves and how he jumps. You'll need to be both fast and agile when you're trying to escape with the Crown. 

2. Listen carefully to the sounds and the music. They let you know when the Spider is approaching, how close you are to the Flame Spirit and how much time you have left to reach the mountaintop. 

3. Don't open Treasure Chests while the Flame Spirit is available. They won't be replaced and you might need fresh ones later on when you're running out of time and diamonds. Try to remember where they are and come back for them. 

MOUNTAIN KING SKILL CLINIC 

Finding the Flame Spirit
• While the object of MOUNTAIN KING is to capture the Golden Crown and get it to the top of the mountain, new players find that the most challenging and, at times, frustrating element of the game is finding the Flame Spirit. The following additional hints and reminders have been prepared to assist you in this quest: 

a. Remember that the dancing flame that appears at the bottom of the screen when you have collected 1,000 diamond points indicates that the Flame Spirit is available for capture. 

b. The key to success in finding the Flame Spirit is in using the musical score as your guide to its location. When you come to the point where you feel the melody is loudest, STOP! Look around the screen and THEN concentrate on finding a flash of golden light. That flash is the flickering Flame Spirit and as you become more experienced with the game, you'll have an easier time spotting if. If you move up to it and shine your flashlight on it, you'll see it more readily. 

c. Once you have located the Flame Spirit, you must position your Explorer directly on top of it and pull the joystick towards you to gain possession of it. 

END 

Typed by Keita Iida 