(R)*

         A  T  A  R  I      V  I  D  E  O      C  U  B  E

 

* RUBIK’S CUBE ® and trade dress thereof used under license from CBS Inc.

 

(c) 1984 ATARI, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

 

Table of Contents

 

1. MARVIN THE CUBE MASTER

2. PLAYING THE GAME

3. CHANGING COLORS

4. SELECTING A GAME

5. CHOOSING A GAME

6. KEEPING SCORE

7. HELPFUL HINTS

8. GAME SELECT MATRIX

 

 

1. MARVIN THE CUBE MASTER

 

Welcome to the cubical world of Marvin the Cube Master.  Marvin can

solve the RUBIK’S CUBE puzzle in seconds flat -- 33.7 seconds, to

be exact.  That's fast, but then, he's had a lot of practice.  You

see, puzzles are Marvin’s specialty.

 

Marvin wasn't always a Cube Master -- in fact he used to live a pretty

ordinary life.  Every morning he made his breakfast, fed his dog

Ralph, and went to work.  He did have a peculiar habit, though. Marvin

loved everything that had to do with squares or angles.  For instance,

he was always sure to eat three square meals a day -- waffles for

breakfast, ravioli for lunch, and cube steaks for dinner. Marvin slept

in a perfectly square bed.  Every day he swam laps in a square

swimming pool.  And each morning, as he walked to work, Marvin was sure

to count the squares in the sidewalk beneath his feet.

 

People called Marvin a blockhead, but when they did, he always had an

answer.  Looking them squarely in the eyes, Marvin would shout,

"Squares are important!  Try playing checkers on a _round_

checkerboard.  Or try using ice _balls_ instead of ice _cubes_ in your

drinks.  Can you imagine going to New York to visit Madison _Round_

Garden?  It's just not the same.  It wouldn't work!"  And with that,

he would square his shoulders and walk off.

 

Yes, Marvin certainly had a checkered past.  But that was before the

big change in his life.  One day, while square dancing in his favorite

restaurant (the one with the checkered tablecloths), someone gave

Marvin a puzzle -- a cube puzzle.  He played it day and night, twisting

and turning it to move the colors to the proper sides.  Soon, he

started to see cubes and squares everywhere -- on the walls of his

house, inside Ralph's square water dish, and even in the mirror while

brushing his teeth.

 

Something very strange was happening to Marvin.  One morning, instead

of being in his square bed, he found himself on a strange flat

surface.  He saw immediately that everything around him was square --

he was in an entirely square world!  This transformation was a

mystery, but Marvin didn't really care.  He was... Marvin the Cube Master!

 

Marvin knew his mission in life was to teach cubists and future cubists

the best ways to play the magical cube puzzle.  He promised himself

that he would learn how to solve the magical cube faster than anyone

else in the world.  He invites you to help him with his pledge -- can

you solve the cube faster than Marvin?  Try it and see!

 

2. PLAYING THE GAME

 

Marvin’s home is a six-sided, multi-colored cube.  Each side has nine

smaller faces, colored red, blue, green, white, purple, or orange.

When you start a game, the colors are scrambled.  Your task is to

arrange the colors so that each side becomes one solid color.

 

Play RUBIK’S CUBE by moving Marvin around the cube and having him

pick up and drop colors.  Each time Marvin picks up a color, he trades

his color for the one he has picked up (see Figure 1).  You can then

make Marvin run to another face to trade for a different color.  Solve

the puzzle in the least amount of moves or time (see KEEPING SCORE).  Or, you can watch Marvin race the clock to solve the cube.

You might even get some cube-solving tips!

 

[ Figure 1 -- Dropping and Picking Up Colors: screen shot 1 - Marvin before he picks up a color.  Screen shot 2 - Marvin after he picks up a color ]

 

You can only see one side of the cube at a time, except when turning

the cube to another side.  To turn the cube, move Marvin to the edge of

any side.  The cube will rotate, (see Figure 2) and Marvin will enter

the next side.  The cube and rotate up, down, and sideways.

 

[ Figure 2 -- Marvin Rotating the Cube: Marvin can be seen here crawling

from one side of the cube to another.  During this process, the cube

assumes an edge-on view where you can see both sides at the same

time. ]

 

3. CHANGING THE COLORS

 

Use your left Joystick Controller with this ATARI Game Program

cartidge.  Be sure the controller is firmly plugged into the LEFT

CONTROLLER jack at the back of your 2600 Video Computer System game.

Hold the joystick with the red controller button to your upper left,

toward the television screen.  (See your Owner's Manual for further

details.)

 

Move Marvin around the cube with your Joystick.  He moves up, down,

right, and left in the same direction you move your Joystick.  Marvin

cannot move onto a square of the same color.  For example, if Marvin is

blue, he cannot run onto a blue square.  If you try moving Marvin onto

a square the same color as he, a warning buzzer or beep will sound.

(See SELECTING A GAME for further details.)

 

Use the red controller button to make Marvin pick up and drop colors.

Press the button once, and Marvin will pick up the color of the square

he is positioned on.  Press the button again, and Marvin will drop the

color on to the same or a different square.  Marvin can pick up, drop,

and carry colors to any square on the cube.

 

4. SELECTING A GAME

 

GAME SELECT SWITCH

 

To select a game variation, press the GAME SELECT switch.  (See

CHOOSING A GAME for more information about game

variations.)  The game number will appear at the bottom of the screen.

(See Figure 3.)

 

[ Figure 3 -- Game Variation Number: At the bottom of the screen shot

in Figure 3 are the words "GAME: 1."  An arrow pointing at the 1

indicates that it represents the Game Variation. ]

 

GAME RESET SWITCH

 

To start or restart a game, press the GAME RESET switch.  You'll enter

the CUBE SELECT mode, and can select one of 50 different cubes.  The

colors on each cube are scrambled differently.  Use your Joystick to

select a cube number.  Push up or left to increase the cube number by

tens; push down or right to increase the cube number by ones (see

Figure 4).  The number you select appears on the bottom of the screen,

beneath the magical cube (see Figure 5).

 

         + 10

 

          /|\

           |

    + 10 <---> + 1

           |

          \|/

 

          + 1

 

Figure 4 -- Selecting the Cube Number

 

[ Figure 5 -- Cube Number: At the bottom of the screen shot

in Figure 5 are the words "CUBE: 1."  An arrow pointing at the 1

indicates that it represents the Cube Number. ]

 

After you select a cube, start the game by pressing the red controller

button once.  You're ready to go!

 

TV TYPE SWITCH

 

Set this switch to COLOR if you're playing on a color television set.

Set it to B-W to play the game in black and white.

 

DIFFICULTY SWITCHES

 

If you set the LEFT DIFFICULTY switch to the A position, a buzzer will

sound each time Marvin tries to run on to a square of the same color as

he.  Set the switch to the B position to change the buzzer sound to a

"beep."

 

The RIGHT DIFFICULTY switch has no function in this game.

 

5. CHOOSING A GAME

 

RUBIK’S CUBE includes 18 game variations.

 

Games 1-10 play at normal speed, and Games 11-18 play at a faster

speed.  In Games 3, 4, 7, 8, 13, 14, 17, and 18, the cube is blacked

out unless rotating to a different side.

 

Games 5-8, and Games 15-18 are slef playing, in which Marvin shows you

how to solve the cube in the least amount of moves or time.  In these

variations, all you need to do is press the GAME RESET switch.  The

computer will take control and start the game.

 

In Games 9 and 10, Marvin's movements are restricted and he can only move in

two directions: up, or to the right.

 

Odd-numbered games (1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15, and 17) are scored by

the number of moves and the number of colors that are swapped.

Even-numbered games (2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18) are scored by the

time it takes to solve the cube.

 

6. KEEPING SCORE

 

The object of the RUBIK’S CUBE game is to get the lowest score

possible.  If you are playing an odd-numbered game, your score is

displayed as a single number on the bottom of the screen.  Each time

Marvin crosses a new square, picks up a color, or attempts to cross a

square of his own color, you score one point.  Your score is displayed

on the lower center portion of the screen, beneath the cube (see

Figure 6).

 

[ Figure 6 -- Score in Number of Moves: At the bottom of the screen

shot in Figure 6 is the number 534 above the words "CUBE: 1."  An

arrow pointing at the 534 indicates that it represents the score. ]

 

If you are playing an even-numbered game, a timer measures the amount

of time it takes to finish the game.  Games are measured in minutes,

seconds, and tenths of a second (see Figure 7).

 

[ Figure 7 -- Score in Elapsed Time: At the bottom of the screen shot is what looks like "1 = 34 - 3" above the words "CUBE:

1."  Presumably this is a representation of 1:34.3 in Atari's font.

An arrow pointing at the timer indicates that it represents the

score. ]

 

7. HELPFUL HINTS

 

o Use the center square’s color in selecting the color of a side.

 

o Try not to backtrack.  If you can pick up and deposit colors on

three or more sides without turning back, you will save valuable moves

and time.

 

o Watch the computer solve the cube a few times.  Then try using some

of the same strategies that Marvin uses to complete the cube.

 

o There is one extra square of color per game (for instance,

one extra square of blue).  This will be the _last_ square Marvin picks

up to win the game.

 

8. GAME SELECT MATRIX

 

         ____________________ Game Variation

         |  _________________ Speed ( N = Normal, F = Fast )

         |  |  ______________ Scoring ( M = Moves, T = Time )

         |  |  |   __________ Invisible Cube

         |  |  |   |   ______ Restricted Movement

         |  |  |   |   |   __ Computer Play

         |  |  |   |   |   |

         V  V  V   V   V   V

        ---------------------

         1  N  M |   |   |

        ---------|---|---|---

         2  N  T |   |   |

        ---------|---|---|---

         3  N  M | X |   |

        ---------|---|---|---

         4  N  T | X |   |

        ---------|---|---|---

         5  N  M |   |   | X

        ---------|---|---|---

         6  N  T |   |   | X

        ---------|---|---|---

         7  N  M | X |   | X

        ---------|---|---|---

         8  N  T | X |   | X

        ---------|---|---|---

         9  N  M |   | X |

        ---------|---|---|---

        10  N  T |   | X |

        ---------|---|---|---

        11  F  M |   |   |

        ---------|---|---|---

        12  F  T |   |   |

        ---------|---|---|---

        13  F  M | X |   |

        ---------|---|---|---

        14  F  T | X |   |

        ---------|---|---|---

        15  F  M |   |   | X

        ---------|---|---|---

        16  F  T |   |   | X

        ---------|---|---|---

        17  F  M | X |   | X

        ---------|---|---|---

        18  F  T | X |   | X

        ---------------------

 

CO19741-98 REV. A Model 2698

(c) 1984 ATARI, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Printed in U.S.A.