G.I. JOE: COBRA STRIKE by Parker Brothers c 1983 Defend and fire! That's your mission in this battle between the G.I. Joes and their archenemy Cobra! Cobra, an evil organization, determined to take over the world, now slithers back and forth over the G.I. Joe training camp in the form of a giant cobra snake. And that means danger for the G.I. Joe recruits running for shelter between the training building and headquarters. You see, the Cobra is trying to capture them by shooting venom from its fangs and laser beams from its eyes. If hit by venom, a recruit is "vaporized" until he materializes again...at Cobra Headquarters! And if he's hie by a laser beam, he's directly "beamed up!" But you as G.I. Joe can protect the recruits with your atomic-powered energy shield. You as G.I. Joe can destroy the Cobra with your missile-firing guns. But you must be quick with your wits and deadly with your aim. It's a mission for only a highly trained commando like G.I. Joe--and you. OBJECT ------ The object of the game depends on whose side you're on -- the G.I. Joe Special Mission Forces or Cobra. If you're playing as G.I. Joe, the object is to destroy the Cobra while protecting the G.I. Joes. If you're playing as the Cobra, the object is to capture four G.I. Joes before G.I. Joe destroys you. SETTING THE CONSOLE CONTROLS ---------------------------- 1. Select a game level number and number of players (see GAME SELECTION on back page) by pressing down on the GAME SELECT switch. The game number and number of players will appear at the top of the screen. 2. Set the DIFFICULTY switch: Position A (Expert): 1-player game. Your shield must be next to either gun turret in order to fire. 2-player cooperative game. Your shield must be next to your own gun turret in order to fire. 2-player competitive game. Your shield must be next to either gun turret in order to fire. 3-player game. You shield must be next to your own gun turret in order to fire. Position B (Novice): Your shield may be in any position in order to fire. 3. Press down the GAME RESET switch and you're ready to start the action. THE PADDLES AND JOYSTICK CONTROLLERS ------------------------------------ Plug a set of paddles firmly into the LEFT controller Jack. The paddle on the LEFT controls the red shield and red gun turret. The paddle on the RIGHT controls the blue shield and blue gun turret. In a one- player game, use the LEFT paddle. Use the paddle to maneuver your shield from LEFT to RIGHT between the two gun turrets. To fire your missiles, keep the fire button pressed down. The missile will explode automatically. To direct the missile toward your target, turn the paddle dial LEFT or RIGHT accordingly. Plug the Joystick firmly into the RIGHT controller jack. The Joystick controls the Cobra in the two-player competitive and three-player games, only. Use the Joystick to maneuver the Cobra LEFT and RIGHT. Press the fire button in order to drop venom. Move the Joystick DOWN in order to shoot a laser beam. PLAYING ------- The way in which you play the game depends on the number of players and whether you play as G.I. Joe or as the Cobra. The one-player game is indicated by "i" at the top of the screen. In this game, you're G.I. Joe; the Cobra is computer-controlled. The two-player cooperative game is indicated by "ii". In this game, both players are G.I. Joes. You play simultaneously, both trying to destroy the Cobra together. The Cobra is computer-controlled. Two- player strategy can be really exciting. As one G.I. Joe defends, the other can fire. Then you can trade roles. Or both G.I. Joes can work their own strategies--but at the same time. There are all kinds of possibilities when two G.I. Joes work together against the enemy! The two-player competitive game is indicated by "i i". In this game, one player is G.I. Joe; the other player is the Cobra. The three-player game is indicated by "iii". In this game, two players are the G.I. Joes; the third is the Cobra. PLAYING G.I. JOE ---------------- Using your shield. When playing as G.I. Joe, use your shield to block vaporizing venom being dropped onto the recruits from the Cobra's ferocious fangs. Watch the Cobra as it slithers left and right over the recruits running for shelter below. Keep your eye on the venom as it drops and try to get your shield underneath it in time. The further left or right you turn the paddle dial, the faster the shield will move. Keep this in mind in order to use your shield most effectively. [Image of the playing screen. The Recruits are the people running from right to left. The gun turrets are on the left and right and fire at the Cobra snake. The Shield is the thing that moves back and forth and can block the Cobra's venom. They look like an upside down "u".] In higher rounds of game play, the Cobra also shoots laser beams with the power to "beam up" a recruit into captivity. Just before it does so, however, you'll receive a warning. The Cobra stops moving, emits a warning sound, and turns a bright color. This tells you that in a second, the laser beam will fall. So you'd better move your shield under it fast or it could mean "capture" for any recruits in its path! [Image of the Cobra firing the laser and the shield blocking it.] Firing your missiles. To fire your missiles, keep the fire button pressed down while you turn the paddle dial left or right. Use these directions to guide the missile toward your target. Try to hit the Cobra right in either eye; a hit to the body won't count. As soon as you release the fire button, the paddle dial controls your shield once again. Each time you make a direct hit to the eyes, it's indicated at the bottom of the screen. Make eight hits to the eyes, and you've destroyed the Cobra! The Cobra will split in two and disappear from the screen. The Bonus Shot. Every so often during higher rounds of game play, you'll hear three rising notes. If you can hit the Cobra in the eyes at that moment, the Cobra is instantly destroyed and you score 10,000 bonus points! [Image of the playing screen. The number of hits is the number in the bottom center of the screen.] PLAYING THE COBRA ----------------- When playing the Cobra, try to hit all four of the G.I. Joe recruits as they run for shelter at the bottom of the screen. To do so, drop venom from your fangs by pressing the fire button on the Joystick. Or shoot a laser beam by moving the Joystick DOWN. Direct your shots by maneuvering the Cobra with your Joystick LEFT and RIGHT over the movement of the G.I. Joe beneath you. The number of recruits remaining in the game is monitored at the bottom left of the screen. Eliminate all four recruits before G.I. Joe destroys you, and you've won the game. END OF ROUND/END OF GAME ------------------------ In games in which the Cobra is computer-controlled, you'll progress from one round to the next--as long as you can destroy the Cobra before it gets all four recruits. If you do so, a Cobra of a different color will appear on screen for the next round. As you move from one round to the next, the game becomes a little more difficult: the Cobra moves faster, drops more venom, and shoots more laser beams. But if the Cobra destroys all four recruits before G.I. Joe destroys it, the game ends. In games in which the Cobra is player-controlled, you do NOT progress from one round to the next. The game simply ends when either G.I. Joe destroys the Cobra or when the Cobra destroys all four G.I. Joes. LEVELS OF DIFFICULTY -------------------- There are four levels of difficulty. Level one is the easiest; level four is the most difficult. Each level has one-player, two-player cooperative, two-player competitive, and three-player options. See the GAME SELECTION box for the level at which you wish to play. To play again at the same game level, either press the GAME RESET switch or press the fire button in the LEFT paddle controller. To play at a different game level, press the GAME RESET switch. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- GAME SELECTION -------------- ______________________________________ | | | | LEVEL | SPEED | |_________|____________________________| | | | | 1 | slow Cobra, slow shields | |_________|____________________________| | | | | 2 | fast Cobra, slow shields | |_________|____________________________| | | | | 3 | slow Cobra, fast shields | |_________|____________________________| | | | | 4 | fast Cobra, fast shields | |_________|____________________________| SCORING ------- As G.I. Joe (whether playing alone or with another player), your score is displayed at the top of the screen throughout the game. Points accumulated as follows: Each recruit reaching safety.............................. 10 points Hitting the Cobra's eyes................................. 100 points Destroying the Cobra.................................... 1000 points Making the Bonus Shot................................. 10,000 points Note: For every 10,000 points scored, you'll receive one additional recruit. In all the games, the Cobra does NOT score points. And of course, this game was made by Parker Brothers in 1983. This game manual was typed in by me! Who am I? I am Eddie Beiles. I can be reached at beiles@lambada.oit.unc.edu if you have any questions about this game manual. Or you can email me and thank me for typing it in. Anyway, enjoy the game and this wonderfully typed in manual. 4/8/95