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  • Space Shuttle by Activision (Part 1): Tips Tricks Hints and Strategies

    12:14 PM PST, 3/6/2018

    The minimum score required in Space Shuttle by Activision for the Atari 2600 to earn a patch was: for the PILOT Patch -- dock 5 times with greater than 4,500 units of fuel remaining. For the COMMANDER Patch -- dock 6 times with greater than 7,500 units of fuel remaining. The best advice in Space Shuttle is to read the manual, so that you know all of the nuances of the game. The manual gives some really good tips. Make sure both difficulty switches are set to B. Space Shuttle is one of the hardest and most complex games made by Activision. Space Shuttle offers an entire different level of gaming experience. This rather intricate game is made to make you feel like an astronaut, with all the stress included. There is really so much to say about this game that it can be overwhelming, lengthy, and perhaps boring to the ones who really don't understand the command of flight. But it is a very entertaining and fun game once you get the hang of how to fly and guide the shuttle. The controls are color/bw switch is for primary engines, left difficulty switch is for the back-up engines, right difficulty switch is for the cargo doors and landing gear. And the game select switch is for the status. The game reset initiates the countdown. The joystick controls are left and right which guide the planes (A & Y axis). While the red button is pressed, up or down will control the Z axis. There are many things that are needed to be a pilot in this game. You contend with all sorts of details: Flight Preparation, Equipment Check, Flight Selection, Flight Evaluation, and then the Ranking. All of these factor in the level of difficulty that is ahead of you and you will need to know all of them very very well. The objective of this game is to launch the space shuttle into space, rendezvous and dock with the orbiting satellite station the greatest number of times that you can while expending the least possible amount of fuel. Then pilot the shuttle back to Earth. Each time you do this the orbiting satellite becomes more and more unstable. So getting the hang of this is a must in the latter part of docking. There are three flight selections to choose from. 1 & 2 are the training modes, which you must learn before attempting number 3, which is a full blown flight with no assistance. Your ranking at the end records all of the details on how the flight progressed. You will be shown and graded on just how well you did with the ranking description. Each game starts off with a lovely blue window with clouds outside. You are on the launch pad at Cape Canaveral. It is evening and time to begin the mission. The space company, NASA, appears in the center of the console. But once started that changes to MET "Main Engine Cut-Out". Above NASA or MET are "C & T" which stand for Computer and Thrust. When you are at launch position you'll have 15 seconds to engage all of your check list before launch. As you start to fly you'll see indicators that move with all of your responses. As the game proceeds, the spot that says MET changes as your flight progresses with each modification that you make. It will change to "ALT for altitude" to "Fuel", "Y & A axis", "Z axis", "RNG" which is your landing. The green screen of your computer below indicates which selection that you are viewing that will correspond with all the above changes, so that you can compensate for its variances. Continued in Part 2... And when you've earned your patch, just visit http://www.ActivisionPatches.com
  • Sky Jinks by Activision: Tips Tricks Hints and Strategies

    10:29 AM PST, 2/24/2018

    The minimum score required in Sky Jinks by Activision for the Atari 2600 to earn a patch was: less than 37 seconds in game 1. The best advice in Sky Jinks is to read the manual, so that you know all of the nuances of the game. The manual gives some really good tips. Make sure both difficulty switches are set to B. Activision Sky Jinks is one of those games that make you feel like you are actually flying. It is also considered a nail biter because of the sharp banks that you will have to perform in making a perfect run. The controls are simply moving the joystick to the left or to the right for banking the plane in either direction. By pressing the button you control the speed of how fast the plane flies. The difficulty buttons make a huge difference in strategy as you fly your plane. When choosing difficulty "A" for your course selection, you'll have randomly placed trees throughout the flight path, making your performance much more difficult. If you choose difficulty "B", the trees are removed from your flight path making it so much easier to attain a faster time. Start each game by pressing the button then you're off for a day of slaloming your plane around the marker pylons. There are two distinctly colored pylons; red and blue. Fly to the right of the red pylons and to the left of the blue pylons. The number of pylons remaining in the course is displayed above the game timer. The game timer shows the result of how good your progress is and the ending game time. When you hit an obstacle such as a tree or balloon or even a pylon, the plane will immediately land, thus increasing the time of the final result of the race. If you fly on the wrong side of a pylon you will be penalized three seconds for that mistake. There are five gaming selections to choose from. The first is the easiest with just 25 pylons to navigate and the hardest has 99 pylons. On game number five there are 99 pylons and a new course each time you start the game. However in game selections 1-4, the courses are always the same. Getting an idea of where the pylons are placed will give you the edge on getting the fastest end game time. By using the shadow of the plane and the pitch of the sound of the engine you can gauge how fast or slow that the plane is flying. The obstacles are a key issue in your end game performance and time. Depending on how fast or slow you go, the timing of that reflects just where the balloons are encountered, and how they will interact with the flight path. Just like in flying a real plane, there is a delay in banking when you turn either to the left or to the right. So precision and timing are important factors in getting the best result and fastest time. **TIPS Getting the feel of the lag in how the plane flies will make your performance more accurate. Making mental notes or sketching maps of the positioning of the pylons will make it easier to anticipate what is coming next. The closer you fly to the pylons the better your end time will be, since you are minimizing the movement of the plane, and shortening the overall distance traveled on the course. For the best time, there should only be one spot where you ever release the button for just a moment on course 1. When you are ready to submit a world record score for Sky Jinks by Activision, check the scoreboard here: https://www.twingalaxies.com/game/sky-jinks/atari-2600-vcs/ntsc-game-1-difficulty-b-polo-grounds/page/1 And when you've earned your patch, just visit http://www.ActivisionPatches.com
  • Skiing by Activision: Tips Tricks Hints and Strategies

    11:28 AM PST, 2/17/2018

    The minimum score required in Skiing by Activision for the Atari 2600 to earn a patch was: less than 28.2 seconds in game 3. The best advice in Skiing is to read the manual, so that you know all of the nuances of the game. The manual gives some really good tips. Make sure both difficulty switches are set to B. Activision Skiing is one of those games that will make you hate the console reset button, hence resetting is allowed using the joystick button. Although a fun game Skiing can be quite grueling. The controls in this game are only left and right. Use the button to reset the game on the "Slalom Run" selection or to jump if the "Downhill Race" is selected. To start the game just move the joystick in any direction. In each course you always start the skier at the top of the slope. It's a race to see how fast and accurately you can reach the bottom. When you tap the joystick in either direction you will notice that the very front of your skies will point in that same direction. The longer you hold the joystick in that direction, the sharper of a turning bank you will do. The more you point the skis in any direction, the slower you will become. Choosing either the A/B buttons on the right or left sides adds a level of difficulty, "A" being harder on each. There are 10 different courses to select from. The "Slalom Runs" are games 1 - 5 where you have marker flags that you must pass through ranging from 20-50 gates. The "Downhill Runs" are games 6 - 10 in which there is a race from 200-900 meters. Games 5 and 10 are random. In the Slalom Run selection you must run between all marker flags in the fastest possible time. Do not miss any marker flags, because if you do, you are penalized five seconds for each. If you hit a marker flag or a tree, just hit the button and your game is reset. This is a race for time and perfection. Memorizing the gate patterns will help you in getting the best possible time. In the Downhill Racing selection you must reach the bottom of the slope in the fastest possible time. During your race, above your elapsed time is the distance remaining of your run. There are obstacles that are in your way that you have to avoid. If you collide with any of these obstacles you will lose precious time. Anticipating what is coming and making maps of the patterns will greatly help in your success for a record time. Learning how to "tap" the joystick for minimal movement rather than holding the joystick in the direction that you want to go is the key to fast times. Remember this is a game of speed and precision. The longer you go straight down the slope, the faster your time will be. The more lateral movement you require, the slower your time will be. When you are ready to submit a world record score for Skiing by Activision, check the scoreboard here: http://www.twingalaxies.com/game/skiing/atari-2600-vcs/ntsc-game-03-difficulty-bb-fastest-time/page/1 And when you've earned your patch, just visit http://www.ActivisionPatches.com
  • Seaquest by Activision: Tips Tricks Hints and Strategies

    10:15 AM PST, 2/10/2018

    The minimum score required in Seaquest by Activision for the Atari 2600 to earn a patch was: 50,000 points. The best advice in Seaquest is to read the manual, so that you know all of the nuances of the game. The manual gives some really good tips. Make sure both difficulty switches are set to B. Game starts when you submerge the sub. The controls of this game are pretty straight forward. You steer the sub to the left, right, up, or down. The button shoots torpedoes. Holding the button down results in continual fire. Your score is shown at the top of the screen. Reserve subs are under your score. You begin with three reserve subs, but can have a maximum of six. You will receive an extra sub with every 10,000 points. You have an oxygen meter at the bottom of the screen. Once you submerge the sub the oxygen tank will continually deplete your remaining amount until it is used up or until you resurface again. If you are low on oxygen you will hear a warning sound to let you know to get moving or you will lose a sub. If you surface your sub without any divers collected you will lose a reserve sub. It is possible to keep the top of the sub out of the water which will stop the oxygen from depleting without actually surfacing. The divers that you rescue are shown below your oxygen meter. You get points for rescuing the divers. They start off with a value of 50 points each, building up to a max point value of 1000 points. Once you've rescued two sets of six divers there will be an enemy patrol sub at the surface. This enemy sub will be on the move constantly. When you go to the surface to return the divers that you have rescued, make sure that you are behind the oncoming enemy sub, otherwise you will not be able to move until all your divers are returned and your oxygen tank is replenished. A collision will result in the loss of a reserve sub. There are enemies in this game such as sharks and enemy subs which shoot back at you. Points are awarded by shooting these enemies. Every time that your sub surfaces with the allotted six divers, the point values of the enemies increase by 10. Once you reach the max value of 90 points each, this is where the game becomes really interesting. There are waves of the oncoming enemies. They start off in groups of one, then increase to sets of two, and cap with a max of three. There are always four rows of enemies. **Keep in mind there are ways of controlling the groups of these enemies and using this technique to your advantage. Getting a feel of how to navigate the waters without colliding with any sharks or subs is a must. So rather than avoiding a row of three enemies, reduce them to one per row as this will be an easier way to maneuver around them. You can use the 5,4,2,6 method where you collect five divers, surface, lose one diver, then having four divers, re-submerge, collect two more divers, and resurface with all six divers to collect much more oxygen bonus. This also works to get away from the dreaded triple enemy levels and back to the single levels. There is a small area on the surface where your sub can hide from the top layer of the enemies who are in the water who cross the screen and stay well underneath the enemy patrol sub from above. Once you get to the level where there are three enemies in a row you can shoot two of them, so only one remains per row. Then it's easier to collect the divers having only one enemy per row. Max score is 999,999 points. When you are ready to submit a world record score for Seaquest by Activision, check the scoreboard here: http://www.twingalaxies.com/seaquest/atari-2600-vcs/ntsc-game-1-difficulty-b/page/1 And when you've earned your patch, just visit http://www.ActivisionPatches.com
  • Robot Tank by Activision: Tips Tricks Hints and Strategies

    12:16 PM PST, 2/2/2018

    The minimum score required in Robot Tank by Activision for the Atari 2600 to earn a patch was: 48 tanks (Medal of Merit), 60 tanks (Cross of Excellence), 72 tanks (Star of Honor). The best advice in Robot Tank is to read the manual, so that you know all of the nuances of the game. The manual gives some really good tips. Make sure both difficulty switches are set to B. Robotank is one of those games that will make you feel like you are actually in a tank. The controls are a bit of a challenge to get accustomed to. By moving to the left or right will make the tank go to that direction. Pushing the joystick forward or back will make the tank advance or retreat. Pressing the button makes the tank fire. Holding the button down engages continual fire. For each enemy tank destroyed you will see a small black tank appear at the top of the screen. Once you've destroyed twelve enemy tanks or a "squadron", a black square with the number 12 will appear. As you start the game you have three red tanks at the bottom of the screen. These reserve tanks have a maximum number of twelve. You are awarded an extra reserve tank each time a squadron of 12 enemy tanks are destroyed. You lose a life when you are hit by enemy tanks and your screen has the effect of static on it. The days and hours are shown at the top of the screen in military time. The cross hairs are indicated by the white plus mark in the center of the screen. The damage sensors are "V" for Video, "C" for Cannons, "R" for Radar, and "T" for Tracks. If you've taken damage to any of these features, it can never be repaired. That means you must finish out the rest of the game with those handicaps or continue with them until you lose a tank. When you start again with one of the reserve tanks, all of the damages will be gone. You will be able to see all enemy tanks with an ever spinning radar scanner in the lower center of the screen. There will be a dot on the radar. The dot shows you the location of an enemy tank and its proximity to your own postition. In addition to the day and night visibility changes, there are special weather alerts that you need to be aware of, such as snow, fog, and rain. With each alert comes a special kind of difficulty. In the snow you will slide. When it is foggy the visibility is reduced. And when it rains you will move much more slowly. You must adapt to each special condition for survival in this 24 hr on-going game. You can evade enemy fire by backing up your movements to a left or right direction and once the enemy's rocket is off the screen, that rocket can no longer hit you. You can also control your own fire by using this same technique by shooting and moving while controlling the direction of your fire to hit the enemy tanks more easily. TIPS*** Your game maxes at 144 tanks (12 squadrons). It is a good idea to practice the evasion of the oncoming rockets with the backup and turning movements as these rockets will become harder and harder to evade in the advanced stages of the game. It gets really difficult after you have destroyed 59 tanks. The 5th squadron and beyond is tough! Their rockets move more quickly. And the enemies move and fire more quickly. When you are ready to submit a world record score for Robot Tank by Activision, check the scoreboard here: http://www.twingalaxies.com/robot-tank/atari-2600-vcs/ntsc-game-1-difficulty-b/page/1 And when you've earned your patch, just visit http://www.ActivisionPatches.com
  • River Raid by Activision: Tips Tricks Hints and Strategies

    11:09 AM PST, 1/27/2018

    The minimum score required in River Raid by Activision for the Atari 2600 to earn a patch was: 15,000. The best advice in River Raid is to read the manual, so that you know all of the nuances of the game. The manual gives some really good tips. Make sure both difficulty switches are set to B. River Raid is one of those fast-paced action scrolling games where you shoot, evade, and refuel. The controls for this game are up, down, left, and right. When you push the stick up you accelerate the jet. To reduce speed push down on the stick. Navigate the jet to avoid enemy attack by flying to the left or right. The button controls shots to the enemy targets. By holding the button down you engage continual fire. The difficulties are the A/B button's. "A" being the harder difficulty with missiles launching in a straight direction. With difficulty "B" you can guide the missiles to hit the targets more easily. There are two different gaming selections, one player mode and two player mode. In two player mode each player alternates turns after losing a life. You start the mission by pressing the button or moving the stick. You have three extra ships in reserve to use in the mission. The max number of extra lives in reserve is nine. You gain an extra life for each 10,000 points scored. Your score is shown at the bottom of the screen placed right above your fuel capacity. Each new game is started out with a full fuel tank. Each time you need one of your reserve jets, it starts with a full fuel tank. Scoring is made by shooting all enemy targets such as ships, helicopters, and jets. Although you can shoot the fuel tank depots, it is best not to do so in the latter part of the game as you will rely heavily on each one to refuel your jet. As you play the game you will notice that the availability of fuel will decrease the farther you progress into the game. The faster you fly the faster you can reach the next fuel depot. Once your fuel reaches 1/4 tank you will hear a warning sounds to indicate that your fuel is low. Don't run out of fuel or you will lose a jet. In the later stages of the game I highly recommend flying the straightaway sectors, that appear at every other bridge, at full speed, shooting only when necessary. Avoid shooting to prevent accidentally shooting a fuel depot. You need every one of them. This is THE KEY to maxing the score in this game! To reach each new level you shoot the bridge. If you do not do this in time and you collide with that bridge you will also lose a jet. Navigating through the islands, thin channels, and bays add to your level of difficulty. If you hit an island or the side of the river while flying, you will lose a jet. Although the game seems never ending the game will continue to play until you max the score or lose all of your extra remaining lives. TIPS** Learn the course layout, when to fly fast, and when to use your fuel depots. The game maxes at 1,000,000 points. You can keep flying and shooting beyond that point, but the score never increases further, and you never earn any more extra lives. When you are ready to submit a world record score for River Raid by Activision, check the scoreboard here: http://www.twingalaxies.com/river-raid/atari-2600-vcs/ntsc-game-1-difficulty-b/page/1 And when you've earned your patch, just visit http://www.ActivisionPatches.com
  • Private Eye by Activision: Tips Tricks Hints and Strategies

    5:50 PM PST, 1/20/2018

    The minimum score required in Private Eye by Activision for the Atari 2600 to earn a patch was: Complete Game 3. The best advice in Private Eye is to read the manual, so that you know all of the nuances of the game. The manual gives some really good tips. Make sure both difficulty switches are set to B. Private Eye is a hide and seek style of game that offers you more than you would normally expect. The sleuth "Pierre Touche" and the thief "Henri Le Fiend" are the main stars of all this action. And you are the one that's in charge of Touche's successful performance. The controls are much the same as any normal four way controlled game. Up, down, left, right, and the button to jump. The A/B difficulty buttons control the level of height your player jumps when the button is pushed, one being static and the other being dynamic. If you hold the stick to either direction left or right, the "1935 Model A" car will go faster. When the stick is released, it will go slower. There are five difficulty "levels or cases" from which you can choose. Each higher numbered case has a harder level of difficulty for you to complete, and is more complex in its number of tasks. Each case has a set amount of time to complete each objective. The first case being the easiest at three minutes to complete, and the hardest case, number 5, being twenty minutes. Each case has a theme of what that case is about. Be well informed on what the end goal is to finish that case by reading the manual to be more thorough and on time. It is ideal to make maps of where the objects of interest, buildings, and destinations are while advancing in the game. It is important to know where and when to take an "alley way" or a "short cut". This is to reduce the amount of time that it takes you to get to those specific items for completing the case. Normally there are solid colored "roadblocks" that you can jump over but then there are specially placed striped barricades "detours" that you cannot jump over. That means it's time to turn around and find another path to acquire the needed item. You start the "game" or "case" at the police station with 1000 merit points. The case that you select appears above the timer that is allocated for each case. Each item that you need to find appears on the upper right side. You gain "merits" by finding the items that are stolen and for each person of interest that is secured. You will lose points if you are hit by any of the obstacles or enemies, such as flying birds, potholes, falling bricks, and flower pots. So avoid them at all cost. All of the stolen items and evidence from each case must be found and returned to the rightful owner for inspection at their place of business. Once all the items are returned properly, only then can you capture "Le Fiend" and book him into jail at the police headquarters. When you are ready to submit a world record score for Private Eye by Activision, check the scoreboard here: http://www.twingalaxies.com/private-eye/atari-2600-vcs/ntsc-game-1-difficulty-a-b-points/page/1 And when you've earned your patch, just visit http://www.ActivisionPatches.com
  • Pressure Cooker by Activision: Tips Tricks Hints and Strategies

    9:17 AM PST, 1/12/2018

    The minimum score required in Pressure Cooker by Activision for the Atari 2600 to earn a patch was: 45,000 points. The best advice in Pressure Cooker is to read the manual, so that you know all of the nuances of the game. The manual gives some really good tips. Make sure both difficulty switches are set to B. Pressure Cooker is a simple but complex game that will have you at your wits end. It will make you understand what efficiency, patience, accuracy, and perfection are all about. Control the game by moving left, right, up, and down to line yourself up with the toppings. You can reject the unwanted toppings by pushing the button just before it touches you. Also in the wrapping room you drop the completed burger down the proper chute by pressing the button. You begin the game in the assembly room with 50 performance points. These points will increase or decrease depending on your performance as a cook. You earn 10 performance points for each 10,000 points scored. But there are a number of ways to lose these performance points. Such as if a topping is wasted, dropping a hamburger into the wrong chute, or even if you miss the wrapping chute when you drop your hamburger. There is a max of 99 performance points that you can achieve. The grille is always burning so the hamburgers are always being made. The bottom bun is dropped. The cooked hamburger is placed onto that bottom bun and then continued on the conveyor for you to complete the order. The score is shown at the top of the screen above the grille. The performance points are just to the left of the grille. Lining up the correct orders on an ever moving conveyor belt is not an easy task, in fact, it makes you feel the pressure. Being accurate is what this game is about. The orders are shown at the bottom of the screen on the order board, indicating what burgers need to be made. It also shows you the color line of each order. There are three of colors; red, green, and blue. Once an order is correctly completed that line will blink. There are several toppings that will be tossed out at you. Lettuce, tomato, onion, cheese, and the top bun. The top bun is only ejected once a hamburger is complete. If you make an order incorrectly don't worry because you can always just throw that order away. Of course that would mean sacrificing needed points that you've gained. You don't have much time as the next orders are continuously coming through. The second screen is the wrapping room. After each order is completed you go to the bottom of the screen just above the order line and you are now in the wrapping room. You drop the completed orders down the customer chutes indicated by the blinking color of the completed burger. There are three different chutes to drop the completed burgers down. But be careful as precision is a must. If you do not drop your order correctly you'll be penalized valuable points for making that mistake. Once you've collected all the correct orders, you get bonus points for these completed orders. And then it's on to the next wave of orders. A perfect amount of correct orders is twelve. So if you do not have that total amount, do not worry as your game will still continue to the next wave of orders. Your game ends when your rating goes to zero, or you have maxed out the game score. ** Tips - The max score that you can achieve in this game is 1 million, which is indicated by 6 chef hats. Turn your chef facing to the left to see the letter "K" for the designer Garry Kitchen on his chef's coat. When you are ready to submit a world record score for Pressure Cooker by Activision, check the scoreboard here: http://www.twingalaxies.com/pressure-cooker/atari-2600-vcs/ntsc-game-1-difficulty-b/page/1 And when you've earned your patch, just visit http://www.ActivisionPatches.com
  • Plaque Attack by Activision: Tips Tricks Hints and Strategies

    9:58 AM PST, 1/5/2018

    The minimum score required in Plaque Attack by Activision for the Atari 2600 to earn a patch was: 35,000 points. The best advice in Plaque Attack is to read the manual, so that you know all of the nuances of the game. The manual gives some really good tips. Make sure both difficulty switches are set to B. Plaque Attack is a shoot'em up style of game play and will have you on the edge of your seat. There are four gaming selections to choose from. One and Two player modes and the increase of difficulty and speeds depending on which you select. The controls are pretty conventional with this game. Pointing the joystick up makes you aim to the top of the mouth, and pointing down makes you aim to the bottom of the mouth. Left and right moves in those directions. Your points are scored when you shoot the attacking enemy foods. Shots are unlimited, so do not worry about how many times you fire at the on coming enemy foods. You'll also receive bonus points at the end of each wave for each tooth remaining, and for the remaining amount that is left on the tube of tooth paste (timer). Your "timer" starts off with a full tube of tooth paste. As your timer runs down, your tooth paste tube will shrink in size. This is an indication to hurry finishing up that wave of enemies. You start your game with eight teeth to defend. There are also eight waves of food that you must survive. With each new wave that you complete, the game gets harder and harder. You'll have a maximum of sixteen teeth to defend, so it's a keen idea to be aware of which are easiest to protect on the harder waves. Your tooth changes color to yellow once the tooth is decayed by contact with an enemy. You can use your tooth paste to heal that tooth by shooting the enemy in contact with the tooth. If you cannot protect it in time you will lose that tooth. For each 2000 points scored you will be rewarded with a bonus tooth that is shown below your score. These bonus teeth are awarded at the start of each new wave to fill in the empty spaces of the teeth that you lost during that level. There are food items such as French Fries, Hamburgers, Hotdogs, Candy Canes, Ice Cream Cones, Strawberries, Cherries, and others you must defend against. The game play and style is much like Megamania, but you must be agile enough to shoot in two directions rather than just up as in Megamania. Learning the movements of each attack wave and the patterns that they use to attack you is essential. It's a good idea to anticipate which enemy attacks in which style, so you can defend more efficiently without losing any teeth. It is also a good idea that when you are down to one tooth to defend just that one tooth as best you can. As you continue to score points extra teeth will be added, so do not worry because if you are close to gaining another 2000 points, you will get a replacement tooth when the bonus points are added. Your game is over once you have lost all of the teeth and have exhausted all your toothpaste (timer). When you are ready to submit a world record score for Plaque Attack by Activision, check the scoreboard here: http://www.twingalaxies.com/plaque-attack/atari-2600-vcs/ntsc-game-1-difficulty-b/page/1 And when you've earned your patch, just visit http://www.ActivisionPatches.com
  • Pitfall II by Activision: Tips Tricks Hints and Strategies

    9:27 AM PST, 12/30/2017

    The minimum score required in Pitfall II by Activision for the Atari 2600 to earn a patch was: 99,000 points. The best advice in Pitfall II is to read the manual, so that you know all of the nuances of the game. The manual gives some really good tips. Make sure both difficulty switches are set to B. Pitfall II: Lost Caverns, the sequel to the ever popular Pitfall! by Activision. You control your game in the same manner as Pitfall. Point the joystick to the right or left for your movement in that direction, and press up or down just before you climb onto a ladder. Press the button to jump. The game starts with 4000 points, and unlike its predecessor Pitfall!, there is no timer. There are other key interests in the game such as riding a balloon. You can control its movements with the direction of the joystick left and right, and up and down to increase the speed or to decrease the speed of the balloon. Much like the original this game offers similar enemy perils that you will encounter such as bats, poison frogs, albino scorpions, condors, and electric eels. There are 28 gold bars to collect and the highly sought after Stone-Aged rat. Also, there is the Raj Diamond, Pitfall Harry's niece Rhonda, and their cowardly cat Quickclaw. For a perfect score of 199,000, you must collect all of these items without falling victim to a single peril. There are deeper levels underground then in the first Pitfall, so be careful as to how many levels that you fall if that does happen. Points are subtracted if you fall, unless you land in the water. There is a red cross marker on the ground, and that would be considered your modern-day "save state". If you get hit by any of the enemies, you will be transported back to the last cross that you walked across. But please know that if you do hit one of the enemies, your points will decrease until you are brought back to that last Red Cross marker. Falling down a ladder will penalize you 100 points, if you have bad luck in this game your score will never go below zero. If you fall off of a ledge, don't worry because if you position your fall, you will land in the water below. You will not lose points. You'll just have to swim back to an overhanging ledge that you can jump on to. Also if the waves of the water splash you high enough you can grab that ladder to climb up. Also remember while swimming in the water watch out for those electric eels. The game ends when you've collected all three of these items: The Raj diamond, Quickclaw and Rhonda. To get a perfect game your score ends with a total of 199,000 points. This also requires collecting the 28 gold bars and the rat. ** Tips Making maps will help, as in many Activison titles that have multiple screens. Mapping the area will help you find the better route in the game, so that you can finish with less deductions in your score and having faced the fewest possible enemies. When you are ready to submit a world record score for Pitfall II by Activision, check the scoreboard here: http://www.twingalaxies.com/game_detail.php?gameid=4081&platformid=5&scores=3833&page=1 And when you've earned your patch, just visit http://www.ActivisionPatches.com