INTRODUCTION: Eight opponents Digtised Speech Two Player Option Live Joystick Control Full Matchplay Scoring A Sense Of Humour Superb Playability What more is there in life? Buy it! You are now the proud owner of the one and only REAL darts game around. 180 has eight different opponents waiting to take you on, a two player option for when your friends want to join in and a practice game to help you win when they do! Against the computer you'll play in a Championship knockout (coming in at quater final stage) and to carry off the tournament you have to beat three opponents. The game selects who you'll play and in what order at random each time so that every game is different. Regardless of which of the eight characters appear and when, they will get better as you progress towards the final. Each of the players has his own style of play, with "favourite" doubles and finishing technique. Working this out early in a match can often help you win through. The practice game, which we suggest you try out first, is there to help you become more skillful at throwing the darts. There is (very) little luck in 180. To win you need to have a good eye and complete mastery of the throw. Practice is against the clock. You have to hit each number in sequence, from 20 to 1, in a limited time. Easy it is not, but it is a lot of fun and it will develop your skills for the big match! 501 And All That The main game is "standard" matchplay darts, where the two players compete to see who can score 501 first, on a best out of three basis (called sets). You can throw at any part of the board you like but you must finish by hitting a double, ie. if you need 4 to win, you aim for double two, not single four. The bullseye in the centre of the board counts as "double 25" and is thus a legal finishing shot. With the maximum possible score being the (infamous) 180 (three treble 20 hits) it follows that the highest number you can finish from is 170 (two treble 20, bullseye) and there are "preferred" (ie. easier) ways to score most of the possible winning combinations below that. To save you have to work them out in the middle of a game, we list here one such set of 'finishes'. There are, of course, alternatives to many of the suggestions, but this is how most of the professionals play it (see table). In real life, the players in a match take turns throwing first - it is called "having the darts" - and thus the advantage is shared equally between them. The player who throws first should also be first to go for the winning double, all else being equal. However, in 180 you will always get the darts first - don't waste them! Controlling The Throw Joystick is the recommended method of taking your shots, but if you use the keyboard follow the on screen instructions to define your own choice of keys, and with regard to which joystick interfaces are supported. Push up to start "your" hand into motion. You'll notice very quickly that up, down, left and right don't work! Only diagonal movements are responded to, in order to simulate the difficulty of lining up and successfully hitting the dartboard from nearly eight feet away. Push FIRE to throw. The control system feels a little odd at first, but you'll soon get used to it. Practice will make (nearly) perfect - honest! Play the tune-up game a few times! Screening And Throwing Whilst you are taking your turn at the board, the screen shows the hand holding your dart, the board itself and the automatic blackboard. Make your three shots and the score is automatically chalked up for you. At the bottom of the board is shown your opponents score. Once you've played, the screen will switch to an animated sequence as your opponent tries to defeat you! (Look out for happenings in the background!) Just as in the real world, there is nothing you can do here except watch and weep as all your well laid plans are shot to pieces... The Magnificent Eight So that you will know what, or who, to expect here is the list of experts you might be called upon to play against in 180. Depending on what stage of the competition you meet them their rating could be anything from fantastic upwards, although some are always better and play differently. But we're not going to tell you any more than that - there have to be some surprises in life after all:- Quarter and semi finals: Mega Mick, Belly Bill, Delboy Des, Devious Dave, Sure Shot Sidney, Limp Wrist Larry, Tactical Tel. Final: Jammy Jim, World Champion and ace dart player. To beat him you have to be more than just amazing. Keyboard Combinations [1] - One player 501 countdown. [2] - Two Player 501 countdown. [3] - Around the clock (Practice). Finishing Combinations No. Wanted - Dart 1 - Dart 2 - Dart 3 170 T20 T20 BULL 167 T20 T19 BULL 164 T20 T18 BULL 161 T20 T17 BULL 160 T20 T20 D20 158 T20 T20 D19 157 T10 T20 D20 156 T20 T20 D18 155 T20 T19 D19 154 T18 T20 D20 153 T20 T19 D18 152 T20 T20 D16 151 T17 T20 D17 150 T20 T18 D18 149 T20 T19 D16 148 T20 T16 D20 147 T20 T17 D18 146 T18 T20 D16 145 T15 T20 D20 144 T20 T20 D12 143 T17 T20 D16 142 T20 T14 D20 141 T19 T20 D12 140 T20 T20 D10 139 T20 T13 D20 138 T18 T20 D12 137 T19 T16 S16 136 T20 T20 D8 135 T20 T15 D15 134 T20 T14 D16 133 T20 T19 D8 132 T20 T16 D12 131 T13 T20 D16 130 T20 T18 D8 129 T11 T20 D18 128 T20 T20 D4 127 T20 T17 D8 126 T19 T11 D18 125 T19 T20 D4 124 T20 T16 D8 123 T13 T20 D12 122 T18 D18 D16 121 T19 T16 D8 120 T20 S20 D20 119 T19 T10 D16 118 T20 S18 D20 117 T19 S20 D20 116 T20 S20 D18 115 T20 S15 D20 114 T20 S14 D20 113 T20 S13 D20 112 T20 D12 D20 111 T17 S20 D20 110 T20 S18 D16 109 T20 S15 D16 108 T20 S16 D16 107 T19 S10 D20 106 T20 S14 D16 105 T20 S13 D16 104 T18 S18 D16 103 T17 S20 D16 102 T20 S10 D16 101 T17 S10 D20 100 T20 D20 - 99 T19 S10 D16 98 T20 D19 - 97 T19 D20 - 96 T20 D18 - 95 T19 D19 - 94 T18 D20 - 93 T19 D18 - 92 T20 D16 - 91 T17 D20 - 90 T18 D18 - 89 T19 D16 - 88 T16 D20 - 87 T17 D18 - 86 T18 D16 - 85 T15 D20 - 84 T20 D12 - 83 T17 D16 - 82 BULL D16 - 81 T19 D12 - 80 T20 D10 - 79 T13 D20 - 78 T18 D12 - 77 T15 D16 - 76 T20 D8 - 75 T13 D18 - 74 T14 D16 - 73 T19 D8 - 72 T16 D12 - 71 T13 D16 - 70 T10 D20 - 69 T11 D18 - 68 T20 D4 - 67 T17 D8 - 66 T10 D18 - 65 T19 D4 - 64 T16 D8 - 63 T13 D12 - 62 T14 D10 - 61 T15 D8 - 60 S20 D20 - 59 S19 D20 - 58 S18 D20 - 57 S17 D20 - 56 S16 D20 - 55 S15 D20 - 54 S14 D20 - 53 S12 D20 - 52 S20 D16 - 51 S19 D16 - 50 S18 D16 - 49 S17 D16 - 48 S16 D16 - 47 S15 D16 - 46 S14 D16 - 45 S13 D16 - 44 S12 D16 - 43 S11 D16 - 42 S10 D16 - 41 S9 D16 - 40 D20 - - 39 S7 D16 - 38 D14 - - 37 S5 D16 - 36 D18 - - 35 S3 D16 - 34 D17 - - 33 S1 D16 - 32 D16 - - 31 S15 D8 - 30 D15 - - 29 S13 D8 - 28 D14 - - 27 S11 D8 - 26 D13 - - 25 S9 D8 - 24 D14 - - 23 S7 D8 - 22 D11 - - 21 S5 D8 - 20 D10 - - 19 S3 D8 - 18 D9 - - 17 S1 D8 - 16 D8 - - 15 S7 D4 - 14 D7 - - 13 S5 D4 - 12 D6 - - 11 S3 D4 - 10 D5 - - 9 S1 D4 - 8 D4 - - 7 S3 D2 - 6 D3 - - 5 S1 D2 - 4 D2 - - 3 S1 D1 - 2 D1 - - 1 BUST! T = Treble D = Double S = Single