Introduction Danger lurks around every bend of the treacherous Pharonna River, and you're taking it head on! With a hunger for fatal thrills, your team of bionic skiers get every chance to wipe out in shame or glory. But you have a higher purpose: you know the dardevil's greatest challenge lies in cheating death, and the greatest victory is...survival. Race the clock and the scoreboard at perilous speed. The faster you get through the obstacle course, the more running points you accumulate. Defy death with a gutsy flair, hitting every ramp, and watch your scores rise! But be warned, very few cross the finish line and leave the Pharonna alive! It's outrageous, complex, deadly and totally rad, and you'll still be learning the game after months of intense play. Scoring Running Points The Faster you get through the course, the higher you score. Speed is of the essence. Ramps Every ramp you jump earns you 10,000 points. Levels Reaching the next level earns 50,000 points. Extra Boat/Skier Earn an extra run every 200,000 points. Levels Water Ski has three levels to vex and challenge you, and you must earn the right to advance to the next level. The game beings at level one and, if you are clever and agile enough, continues to level two and finally to level three. Once you reach level two, you stay at that level until you lose your last boat/skier or advance to the final level. After a wipeout or crash, if you have skiers remaining, the next run starts at the beginning of the current level. E.g., if your third skier makes it into level two and then gets chomped by a river shark, your fourth run starts at the beginning of level two. Reaching the next level does not earn you an extra run, but the bonus 50,000 points you earn will help towards the next 200,000 points you need to get an extra run. Level One Obstacle Slalom Run--This is the first level, with the greatest number of ramps and stationary obstacles. Jump as many ramps as you can to earn bonus points, or try to avoid everything and sneak through to level two. Watch out for rocks, piers, tree stumps, out-of-control speedboats crossing your path, and hidden rocks near the unforgiving shoreline--you'll get to know them well! Level Two Shark & Alligator Main Course--This level is even more challenging than the first. Watch out for the buoys, rocks and logs, if you can! The waters of level two are infested with zig-zagging hybrid river sharks and huge alligators. They smell fresh meat and are on the move! Level Three High-speed Death Run--The emphasis here is speed, pure and simple. Crank it up and wind it out! For the high-fliers among you, there are ramps and ever-present opportunities to smash into more obstacles. Cross the finish line and join the select few who have mastered the Pharonna. Goals Water Ski has two goals: crossing the finish line at the end of level three, which ends the game, and obtaining the highest possible score. The top score, located in the top right hand corner of the screen, indicates the highest score since the machine was turned on. You have four runs to reach your goal before the game ends. The number of boat/skiers you have left are indicated on the lower left hand side of the screen. Crash a boat or skier, and you lose that run. In addition to running up the highest possible score, you want to go as far as you can with the best time possible. The elapsed time is located on the lower right hand side of the screen. If you ever make it to level three with extra skiers, remember: the game ends when you cross the finish line. Some unscrupulous, heartless master Water Skiers have been known to sacrifice a skier or two just before crossing the line, in order to maximize their point totals. Controls You have separate controls for the speedboat and the skier. Be careful, because the towrope lifeline creates a complex interaction between the two, just like in real life. Every move the boat makes affects the speed and direction of the skier, and vice versa, to a lesser degree. And often, using both controls, there are cumulative effects, where a slight tap in one direction can send your skier hurtling to its doom! It takes weeks to master the simplest high-speed maneuvers, at a terrific cost of life and limb, not to mention boat hardware. And even then, you may never see level three alive! Speedboat Moving joystick left or right directs the boat. Moving joystick forward steadily speeds up the boat, backward steadily decreases boat speed. Skier Pressing left joystick button moves skier left, right button moves skier right. Skier can move independently of boat direction, until the limits of the towrope are reached. Holding button down increases skier movement, faster and farther. You are speeding upstream. The Pharonna's current will cause you to drift and affect the interaction of the skier and speedboat. Wipeouts The skier will wipe out if it hits any object except a ramp. Jumping any ramp scores a bonus 10,000 points. The boat will crash if it hits any object on the screen. Boats will not survive hitting a ramp. If the boat or skier hits any terrain, a crash will occur and the run will be over. Caution: don't get too fancy around the shortline, beacuse of the hidden rocks and sand bars. Hints Sometimes it is necessary to speed up to avoid obstacles. Look ahead as much as possible to anticipate dangers. Remember, when you jump a ramp the skier can not change direction while in the air. Also, the skier can jump over obstacles if it his a ramp fast enough. On some obstacles, the speedboat can pass on one side and the skier pass on the other. But keep this in mind: show-offs die! Game Over The game is over when you have used up all four boat/skier runs or when you cross the finish line. Restart the game by pressing the left joystick button. Final Words It is possible: to hit every ramp; to score 1,000,000 points; to live to a very ripe old age without ever seeing level three.