THE MAIN MENU BOARD 1. Enter the names of up to four players (only two at a time can play). If you made a typing mistake, use the Backspace key to correct it. Press Return to move on to the next slot without entering a name. You must cycle through all four prompts for player names before you can choose the game you want to play. 2. To choose a game after entering names, press the joystick forward until you see the first game square change color. Use the joystick to move the highlight left or right to select the game you wish to play. At the top of the Main Menu Board, the bowling, darts and air hockey icons form the game menu. The middle of the Main Menu Board gives the victory totals of each competitor in columns under each game icon. At the bottom of the Main Menu Board, a variety of choices can be made that will be discussed later, but the first thing you must do is enter the name of each competitor. ENTERING NAMES When the Main Menu Board first appears, the first competitor is prompted to enter a name at the bottom of the screen. As many as four names can be entered, although only two players can play each game at a time. Use the keyboard to type each name. Only letters are accepted. Names can be as long as six letters. When a sixth letter is entered, you automatically will be prompted for the next competitor's name. If the name contains fewer than six letters, you will need to press Return to go on to the next name. If there are fewer than four players, simply press the Return key without entering a name to skip past the extra players. You must cycle through all four prompts for competitors' names before you can choose the game you want to play. SPECIFYING THE COMPETITORS WHO WILL PLAY OR CHANGING THE ORDER OF COMPETITION: When you have finished entering names, each name appears at the bottom of the Main Menu Board along with the word RESET. The first competitor's name always appears in red and the second competitor's name always appears in green. To change this order or to specify new competitors from the player names that have been entered, first make sure that a name or RESET is flashing at the bottom of the Main Menu Board. If this is not the case, pull back on the joystick to toggle from the game menu at the top of the screen to the names at the bottom. Mow move the joystick to the left or right until the name of the new player who is to compete first flashes. Press the fire button. This player's name now appears in red to indicate that the player will be the first competitor. At this point, the name of the competitor who currently competes second (in green) will flash. Move the joystick to the left or right until the name of the new player who is to compete second flashes. Press the fire button. This player's name now appears in green to indicate that the player will be the second competitor. CHOOSING A GAME To select bowling, darts or air hockey after players' names have been entered, first push the joystick forware to activate the game menu (represented by the three game icons) at the top of the Main Menu Board. (Note: if RESET is flashing at the bottom of the screen, push the joystick to the left before you push forward.) Notice that when you push the joystick forward, the bowling icon at the top of the Main Menu Board "lights up." If you want to select bowling, simply press the fire button at this point. To select darts or air hockey, push the joystick to the right until the icon for the game you want lights up, then press the fire button. Each game takes a short time to load. HIGH-SCORE TABLES The top five scores for each game can be viewed by using the joystick to highlight either the Bowling, Darts or Air Hockey icon on the Main Menu Board, then pushing the joystick forward to see the SportTime Hi-Score table, pull back on the joystick. Note: for Air Hockey, only the top five scores of one-player games played at the COMPETITOR or SUPERSTAR computer skill levels qualify for the Hi-Score table. SAVING HIGH SCORES To save scores in the Hi-Score tables to your disk so that they will still be listed the next time you load INDOOR SPORTS, man euver the joystick so that RESET flashes on the Main Menu Board and press the fire button. SCORES, NAMES, and EXIT will appear at the bottom of the screen. Push the joystick to the left until SCORES flashes, then press the fire button again. Now, SAVE, ERASE, and EXIT appear on the screen, with SAVE flashing. To save the scores, press the fire button while SAVE is flashing. The screen will turn solid blue for a few seconds. When the Main Menu Board returns to the screen, the word EXIT will be flashing at the bottom Press the fire button while EXIT flashes. CLEARING NAMES AND SCORES Be forewarned that clearing the names of all competitors also clears the accumulated victory totals of each player that appear in the middle of the Main Menu Board. To clear the names, first make sure that a name or RESET is flashing at the bottom of the Main Menu Board. If this is not the case, pull back on the joystick to toggle from the game menu at the top of the screen to the names at the bottom. Now push the joystick to the right until RESET flashes, then press the fire button. Notice that now SCORES, NAMES and EXIT appear at the bottom of the screen. If you change your mind about clearing the names, press the fire button while EXIT flashes, and the original names will be restored to the bottom of the screen. Otherwise, to clear the names, push the joystick to the left until NAMES flashes, then press the fire button. Follow the steps outlined previously in "Entering names" on page 11 to enter new names. To clear the scores from the Hi-Score tables, maneuver the joystick until RESET flashes on the Main Menu Board. Press the fire button. SCORES, NAMES and EXIT will appear at the bottom of the screen. Push the joystick to the left until SCORES flashes. Now, SAVE, ERASE and EXIT appear on the screen. If you change your mind about clearing the scores, move the joystick to the right until EXIT flashes, then press the fire button. Otherwise, to clear scores, move the joystick to the left or right until ERASE flashes and press the fire button. (Note: Erasing score does not erase scores saved to the disk. It only erases scores in the computer's memory. Scores saved to the disk are erased only when new scores are saved over them.) BOWLING A number of options are available to you before you take to the lanes (renting shoes is not one of them, however). Choose the number of players, the weight of your ball, the number of games to play and the computer's skill level if you plan to play against the computer. Each of these options is discussed below. THE BOWLING OPTION SCREEN NUMBER OF PLAYERS: You can play a solo game with no competition, a one-player game against the computer, a two-player game, or if you select DEMO, you can watch the computer play against itself. Just move the white arrow with the joystick until the arrow is positioned over your choice of SOLO, ONE PLAYER, TWO PLAYER or DEMO. then press the fire button to select it. WEIGHT OF BALL AND ALLEY SLICKNESS: You can adjust the weight of the ball between 8 and 16 pounds. To change the ball weight, use the joystick to position the arrow over the number next to WEIGHT OF BALL. Press the fire button to increase this number by one pound. Continue to press the fire button until the desired weight is reached. To lower the ball weight, press the button until the ball weight reaches 16 pounds, then press the button again. Notice that the ball weight has changed from 16 pounds to 8 pounds. Continue to press the button until the desired weight is reached. Note that alley slickness cannot be changed. It is randomly assigned a value between 0 and 9 by the computer before each match. The higher the value, the slicker the alley is. Ball weight and alley slickness, combined with the curve you put on the ball, determine how much and how soon a ball will curve as it rolls down the lane. In general, with higher alley slickness, a ball will slide and not start its curve right away. A heavier ball does not curve as much as a lighter ball. A low alley slickness and a low ball weight make possible the fastest-breaking and most severe curve. NUMBER OF GAMES PER SERIES: you can play one-, two- or three-game (regulation) series. Move the arrow wo it's positioned over your choice, then press the fire button to select it. COMPUTER SKILL LEVEL: Four choices of computer skill are available: BEGINNER, AVERAGE, COMPETITOR and SUPERSTAR. The computer's skill level determines its abilities as an opponent. Move the arrow so it's positioned over your choice, then press the fire button. START SERIES: When you are ready to bowl after selecting your options, select START SERIES at the bottom of the option screen and press the fire button. PLAYING THE GAME WHAT YOU WILL SEE: You view your bowler and the bowling lane from the right side. The two bowlers, you'll note, are dressed in different colors. In the upper left and upper right corners of the screen, the game score for each bowler will appear after each game series. The middle of the screen at the top shows the pins that are standing. Large circles represent standing pins, while smaller circles represent pins that have been knocked down. The triangular figures to the left or right below these pins indicate whether you are taking your first or second shot during a frame. If only the triange on the left is visible, it's your first shot in the current frame. If both the left and right triangles are visible, it's your second shot. At the bottom of the screen, you will see a frame by frame tally of each bowler's score, just as you would see it on the overhead projectors at bowling alleys - except that INDOOR SPORTS keeps track of the score for you! Your point of view changes to a head-on closeup of the pins at the end of the lane after a bowler releases the ball. From this perspective, scores from each of the last five frames can be seen in the upper left-hand corner of the screen, and your bowler's facial reaction to the results of a shot can be seen in the upper right-hand corner. GETTING THE BALL ROLLING: Four actions are involved in sending the ball on its way: positioning the bowler with the joystick, aiming the ball with the fire button, controlling the curve of the ball with the joystick, and releasing the ball from the bowler's hand with the fire button. These actions are interrelated, so experimentation will be necessary. It is advisable to start with a solo game to give yourself a chance to practice. Each of the four actions you need to understand to start knocking down a few pins is described in the following paragraphs. STEP 1 - POSITIONING THE BOWLER: You control your bowler's position on the lane by pushing the joystick forward to move him to his left, or pulling the joystick back to move him to his right. STEP 2 - AIMING THE BALL: Once the bowler is positioned where you want him, you will use the "Aiming Arrow" to select the place on the lane where the ball will hit when the bowler first releases it. This is a no-turning-back selection, because as soon as the selection is made, the bowler begins his approach to the foul line. Activate the Aiming Arrow by pressing the fire button and holding it down. An arrow will appear at the left-most part of the lane (toward the top of the screen) just beyond the foul line on the right side of the screen. As long as you hold the fire button down, the arrow will travel from the left of the lane toward the right of the lane. Let go of the fire button when the arrow reaches the spot where you want the ball to begin its path toward the pins. If the arrow passes the spot, continue to hold down the fire button. Whenever the arrow reaches the right side of the lane while the fire button is depressed, it returns to the left side of the lane and begins its downward path again. STEP 3 - CONTROLLING THE BALL'S CURVE: As soon as you have released the fire button to take aim, the bowler automatically will approach the foul line. During the approach, you should establish the curve of the ball with the joystick. You control the severity of the curve with the joystick rather than the direction of the curve. Both bowlers are right-handed, and the curve of the ball is always from right to left unless you select to have no curve by pushing the joystick straight forward. Moving counterclockwise from a forward joystick position which puts no curve on the bal), each of the remaining seven joystick positions puts progressively more curve in the ball's path. For example, pushing the joystick up and to the left produces very little curve, whereas pushing the joystick up and to the right produces maximum curve. Pulling the joystick straight back would produce a medium curve. Also, keep in mind that alley slickness and ball weight, discussed on page 15, also affect the ball's path. Another important consideration is that the ball curves from an imaginary straight line connecting the starting position that you chose and the spot on the lane that you chose with the Aiming Arrow. For example, if your bowler started at the extreme right of the lane and you selected a spot at the center of the lane with the Aiming Arrow, then chose to put no curve on the ball, your ball would go straight into the left-hand gutter if you released it properly. If, on the other hand, you had started your bowler on the left hand side of the lane with the Aiming Arrow set to the center of the lane and put a lot of curve on the ball, you would be more likely to meet with satisfying results. You must continue to hold the joystick in the position you have selected for the ball's curve as you execute the last step - releasing the ball. STEP 4 - RELEASING THE BALL: As the bowler nears the end of his approach, he begins to swing the ball. You must decide at what point in the swing the bowler releases the ball. The bowler will release the ball as soon as you press the fire button. Remember that you need to continue to press the joystick in the direction you have chosen to establish the severity of the ball;s curve as you release the ball. Timing of the release is critical. If you release the ball too soon, you are likely to hit yourself in the leg; if you let go too late, you may slide face first down the lane. After you release the ball, all you need to do is sit back and watch your ball roll down the lane - or gutter! Once you have seen the results, the side-perspective screen automatically reappears and you or your competitor will be able to start the next shot. DARTS A number of options are available to you before you play darts. Choose the number of players, double on and double off, game length, the computer's skill level if you plan to play against the computer, and the overall speed of the game. Each of these options is discussed below. THE DARTS OPTION SCREEN NUMBER OF PLAYERS: you can play a solo game with no competiton, one-player game against the computer, a two-player game, or, if you select DEMO, you can watch the computer play against itself. Just move the arrow until it's positioned over your choice SOLO, ONE PLAYER, TWO PLAYER or DEMO, then press the fire button. DOUBLE ON/DOUBLE OFF: When DOUBLE ON is set to YES, a player must throw a dart so that it lands within the thin, colored, outer ring on the dart board before points from any of that player's throws are counted toward the score. When a dart lands in this outer ring, the throw is called a "double." When you throw your first "double," you score twice the point value for that section of the board, and from then on any points you earn from your throws will be credited to your score. Until the player throws a double, all throws earn zero points. DOUBLE ON YES is part of regulation rules in darts. COUBLE ON NO means that a player need not throw a double before points are counted. All earned points will be credited to the player's score starting with the first throw. DOUBLE OFF YES means that a player must throw a double that perfectly reduces the player's point total to zero to end the match. In other words, if you have 14 points remining near the end of a match, you must throw a double seven to lower your score to zero. Throwing a single 14, for example, would not win the match for you. DOUBLE OFF YES is part of regulation rules in darts. DOUBLE OFF NO means that a player need not throw a double to reduce the player's score to zero to win match. You can set DOUBLE ON and DOUBLE OFF for each player. To change DOUBLE ON or DOUBLE OFF, position the arrow over YES or NO next to DOUBLE ON or DOUBLE OFF, whichever you want to change, in the PLAYER 1 or PLAYER 2 (or COMPUTER) column. Pressing the fire button toggles between YES and NO. As a beginner, you will find it easier to play darts if you set both DOUBLE ON and DOUBLE OFF to NO. Once your skill increases, you can try regulation rules by setting DOUBLE ON and DOUBLE OFF back to YES. GAME LENGTH: Game length can be set for each player. In darts, points earned from your throws are deducted from a starting total. The player who reaches zero first wins the game. You can set this starting total to 301, 501 or 701 points. COMPUTER SKILL LEVEL: Four choices of computer skill are available: BEGINNER, AVERAGE, COMPETITOR and SUPERSTAR. Your selection determines how formidable the computer will be as an opponent! OVERALL GAME SPEED: Game speed affects the rate at which the Aiming Dart, Angle Meter and Power Meter travel as you try to aim your throw. The faster you set the game speed, the harder it will be to line up your throw. Move the arrow to BEGINNER, NORMAL or HYPERDRIVE and press the fire button. START MATCH: When you are ready to play darts after selecting your options, select START MATCH at the bottom of the option screen and press the fire button. PLAYING THE GAME GENERAL RULES AND SCORING: Each player gets three throws per turn. Points are awarded according to what section of the board you hit with the dart. These points are then subtracted from the starting total, which you set on the option screen. The first player to reduce this point total to zero wins the game. When one player reaches zero, the other player will continue to be given the opportunity to reach zero unless you manually exit the game accoring to the instructions on the Reference Card. The winning player's scores will still register on the Hi-Score table (if they qualify among the top five) even if the second player doesn't finish the game. The total length of time you take to aim and throw your darts and the total number of throws it takes you to reach zero determine your score for the match. A timer for each player counts down, starting from 999, while the player lines up the throw. The faster you can accurately aim and throw the dart, the better your score will be. If, at the end of a match, your timer score qualifies among the top five, it will appear in the darts Hi-Score table. Note that the timer runs fastest when a player starts with 301 points. It runs slower with 501 starting points, and slower still with 701 starting points. this is done to even out the scoring with regard to the darts Hi-Score table. The total number of throws for the five players who require the fewest number of throws to reach zero also appears in the Hi-Score table. When you throw a dart within the thin, colored outer ring of the dart board, you are awarded twice the point value for that section of the board. This is called a "double." If DOUBLE ON is set to YES on the option screen, you need to throw a double or a bullseye before your starting total can be reduced. If DOUBLE OFF is set to YES on the option screen, you need to throw a double that reduces your score to zero at the end of the game in order to win. The thin, colored inner ring on the board is called the triple ring. If your dart lands within this ring, you will be awarded three times the point value for that section of the board. In the board's center, a bullseye that lands in the outer portion is worth 25 points and a bullseye that lands in the inner portion is worth 50 points. WHAT YOU WILL SEE: The first screen you will see is a closeup of the dart board itself. From this screen, you will aim the dart, select the angle (arc) of your throw, and decide how much power you put into the throw. On either side of the dart board are "chalkboards" for each player. The timers play an important role in scoring. The three vertical columns at the bottom of the screen on the left side form the Power Meter. Use of the Power Meter is explained under "How to throw a dart", as is the use of the Angle Meter, the thing that looks like a piece of pie at the lower right. The large dart on the lower portion of the screen is the Aiming Dart, also explained under "How to throw a dart." After you have aimed the dart and made your angle and power selections, the scene switches to a nice, cozy room. You'll be able to watch your player throw the dart with the placement, angle and power that you specified. You'll also see your opponent's throw. HOW TO THROW A DART: There are three steps involved in throwing the dart: using the Aiming Dart to select the area on the left side, right side or center of the board in which the dart will land, setting the Angle Meter to establish the arc of your throw, and setting the Power Meter to determine how hard you throw. The combination of angle and power determine whether the dart lands high, low or in the middle of the dart board. Experiment to find the combination of angle and power that works best for you. These three steps occur in a continuous combination of joystick and fire button movements, so once you start the first step, be prepared for the second and third steps, which follow immediately with no break. STEP 1 - AIMING THE DART: The Aiming Dart appears at the bottom of the screen. The computer randomly places it on either the left side or the right side before each throw. To aim the dart, move it with the joystick to the left or right until it is aligned with the area on the dart board for which you are aiming. To make things a little tougher on you, the Aiming Dart "homes" on its original starting position. If you let the joystick return to its center position, the Aiming Dart will travel back toward its starting point. The rate at which the Aiming Dart homes is determined by the OVERALL GAME SPEED selection on the darts option screen. When the Aiming Dart is where you want it, press and hold down the fire button. Pressing and holding the fire button will lock the Aiming Dart into position. STEP 2 - SETTING THE ANGLE METER: The Angel Meter, the pie-shaped figure in the lower right portion of the screen, begins to operate as soon as you press and hold the fire button to aim the dart. The Angle Meter is set as soon as you release the fire button, so don't let go until you have it where you want it. The Angle Meter fills the pie-shaped figure with color while it operates. The more color that appears in the meter, the greater the arc of your throw. Don't worry if the Angle Meter passes by the level you want to set it for. When it reaches the end of its cycle, it automatically starts over at the beginning. The rate at which the Angle Meter fills is determined by the OVERALL GAME SPEED selection on the darts option screen. The faster the game speed, the harder it is to accurately set the Angle Meter. When the Angle Meter is in the desired position, release the fire button. The Angle Meter will lock into position. STEP 3 - SETTING THE POWER METER: The three vertical columns made up of rectangles at the lower left side of the screen form the Power Meter. Once you have set the Angle Meter, the Power Meter automatically begins to operate. One at a time, each rectangle in the Power Meter will change colore, staring with the bottom rectangle of the left column and moving upward through each column. If you press the fire button when each rectangle in all three column is colored, your throw will have maximum power. The fewer colored rectangles there are when you press the fire button, the softer the throw will be. The rate at which the rectangles of the Power Meter change color is determined by the OVERALL GAME SPEED selection on the darts option screen. The faster the game speed, the harder it is to accurately set the Power Meter. When the Power Meter reaches the end of its cycle, it automatically starts over at the beginning. To select a power setting, press the fire button when the meter reaches the desired setting. The Power Meter will lock into place. Once the Power Meter is set, all you need to do is sit back and watch the result of your throw. Sometimes, a dart will hit a metal wire on the dart board and fall to the floor. But don't worry, the computer is very forgiving about hitting the floor and walls. After you have viewed the throw, the first screen automatically reappears so that you or your opponent can start the next throw. Options for viewing previous throws and interrupting or exiting the game are explained on the Reference Card. AIR HOCKEY A number of options are available to you before you begin to play air hockey. Choose the number of players, the computer's skill level if you plan to play against the computer, whether or not to alternate sides of the table after each game, the overall speed of the game, and the number of games to play in each playoff match. Each of these options is discussed below. THE AIR HOCKEY OPTION SCREEN NUMBER OF PLAYERS: You can play a solo game with no competition, a one-player game against the computer, a two-player game, or if you select DEMO, you can watch the computer play against itself. Just move the white arrow with the joystick until the arrow is positioned over your choice of SOLO, ONE PLAYER, TWO PLAYER or DEMO. then press the fire button to select it. COMPUTER SKILL LEVEL: Four choices of computer skill are available: BEGINNER, AVERAGE, COMPETITOR and SUPERSTAR. The computer's skill level determines its abilities as an opponent. Move the arrow so it's positioned over your choice, then press the fire button to select it. (Note: Only one-player games against the computer at the COMPETITOR or SUPERSTAR skill levels will qualify for the air hockey Hi-Score table.) ALTERNATE SIDES: If you select YES for ALTERNATE SIDES, you and your opponent will switch sides of the table after each game. If you decide to alternate sides, you will hear a "flutter" to indicate that players have switched sides of the table between games. OVERALL GAME SPEED: You can set the game speed to BEGINNER, NORMAL, WORKOUT or HYPERDRIVE. Move the arrow so it's positioned over your choice, then press the fire button. NUMBER OF GAMES PER PLAYOFF: You can play a one-, two-(best of three), three-(best of five) or four-(best of seven) game playoff. Move the arrow so it's positioned over your choice, then press the fire button. When a playoff is set for more than one game, you will hear a "flutter" to indicate that one game has ended and another game is about to start. START PLAYOFFS: When you are ready to play air hockey after selecting your options, position the arrow over START PLAYOFFS at the bottom of the option screen and press the fire button. PLAYING THE GAME GENERAL RULES AND SCORING: A game ends when one player scores 12 goals or when time runs out. The game time limit is 15 minutes. Time remaining is displayed on the screen. If time runs out, the player who has scored the most goals wins the game. If the score is tied when time runs out, a sudden death overtime begins. The timer will flash to indicate the start of sudden death, and the first player to score a goal wins the game. WHAT YOU WILL SEE: The names of the two players will appear at the top and bottom of the table. The number to the left of either name represents the number of games won in the current playoff by that player. The number to the right of either name indicates the total number of goals scored by that player in the current playoff. Above the name at the bottom of the screen, a counter indicates the time remaining in the game. The shapes at either rnd of the table tell you how many goals each player has scored in the current game. Starting on the left, one whape will change color each time the player on the corresponding side of the table scores a goal. The total number of shapes that have changed color indicates the total number of goals scored by that player. HOW TO PLAY: Use the joystick to move your "hitter" to block the puck from entering your own goal, and to shoot it toward your opponent's goal. You can move the hitter in eight directions. IF YOU PRESS THE FIRE BUTTON AND HOLD IT DOWN, YOUR HITTER WILL MOVE FASTER. The puck never stops moving. It continually "floats" on the air. The puck can be hit in 32 different directions and is capable of moving at 40 different speeds. After each goal is scored, a new puck automatically appears on the table. Each game starts automatically in a multiple-game playoff.