Beach Head

1. USING THE MENU

The menu screen displays four status boxes: one for the present number of players; one for the sill level; one displaying whether keyboard or joystick is selected; and finally, the largest box which displays the current keyboard selection for movement, fire, ect.Further to this list is a list of keys to press which perform various functions:

• 'S' to start;
• 'I' to go to the instructions pages;
• 'P' to change the number of players (this is a toggle putting 1 to 2 or 2 to 1);
• 'L' to change skill level (this loops through 'easy' and 'hard');
• 'K' to define the game keys - you are asked to press your key selects with the option to reselect should make an error;
• 'J' to make a joystick selection (keep pressing to loop through selections);

If the machine is loaded and left unattended the game will go into self - demonstration.

When you press 'S' to start the game you are asked to input your name, which can be up to eight character.This input routine has an erase facility using the normal Spectrum 'Delete' keys. When you are finished inputing your name press 'Enter' to start the game itself.From now on the program will refer to each player by name -a unique feature of this game.

2. THE MAP SCREEN

Guide your fleet around the aerial reconnaissance screen by using left, right, up and down. The hidden Passage is shown by the flashing square in the top left.Kuhn - Lin base is shown by the flashing square in the bottom left and the enemy fleet by the four dots in square formation.

3. THE HIDDEN PASSAGE

Use left and right to rotate direction. To accelerate use up and to decelerate use down. There are five speeds from Full Ahead to Engines Stop. Avoid all rocks, torpedoes and mines. When a ship has passed through safely it is displayed in blue on the status lines.

Skill level control the speed of the torpedoes - Skill level 'easy' is slow, skill level 'hard' is fast.

4. GENERAL QUARTERS - FIGHTERS AT 12 O'CLOCK

Planes will take off from either end of the aircraft carrier and will come towards you. When they are close enough they will launch bombs at you then swoop off. Use left and right to move your gun turrets left and right. Use up and down to alter the elevation of your gun up and down. Press fire to release a burst of anti-aircraft fire.

For each hit you recieve the damage rating will increase by one. When damage rating reaches a certain level you will lose a ship - the figure at which this occurs id dependant on the skill level.

Ten planes must be shot down to proceed to the next phase if you have gone through the hidden passage or thirty planes if you attacked the fleet head on.

5. BATTLE STATIONS

Move and fire as instructed in GENERAL QUARTERS. Use the Degree of Elevation to estimate the distance (a 1 degree change in elevation represents 200 metres distance).

Enemy ships are more accurate if you have attacked the fleet head-on. For each hit taken you lose a ship.

6. BEACH HEAD

Use up and down to move up and down. Avoid all the obstacles. Completion of this phase promotes you to the Final Battle.

7. FINAL BATTLE

Move turret and fire as in BATTLE STATIONS. Shoot each white target one after another. Once all ten targets are shot the big gun will explode and the enemy will surrender.

SCORING

Even if you destroy the fortress. Beach-head allows you to compete for high scores. Game scoring is as follows:

• Ships navigated safely
• through passage 3,000/ea
• Airplanes 400/ea
• Reconnaissance Plane 2,000/ea
• Carrier 10,000
• Other Ships 2,000/ea
• Enemy Tank 1,000/ea
• Machine Gun 400/ea
• Bunkers 800/ea
• Towers 600/ea
• Targets 2,000/ea
• Kuhn-Lin Destroyed 20,000
• Extra Ships (over 4) 2,000/ea

WINNING STRATEGY TIPS

• 1. Learn to navigate the secret passage. It is difficult to get your ships through initially, but if you take the time to learn to get your ships through it, you score will be higher in the overall game.
• 2. When the enemy fighters are approaching aim for the body of the airplane and do not use rapid fire until you zero in on the plane.
• 3. In the artillery sequence, make small changes in elevation by gently tapping the joystick.
• 4. When your tanks start down the beach, the enemy defence installations will usually lie in the only clear path to the fortress. You must anticipate where they will be to get a clear shot at them. When enemy tanks attack you they will try to stay in front of you.In order for your shell to hit them, you must stay in their line of fire until your shell is about to hit their tank before moving out of the way.
• 5. Attacking the Fortress - If there are only a few targets left on Kuhn-Lin and you have a number of tanks left, you can increase your point total by using all your tanks before destroying the fortress.Be careful, because each time a tank succeeds in reaching the fortress the following tanks have a much more difficult time.