INTRODUCTION All the excitement of a real Fishing match and you don't have to get your feet wet... I believe Match Fishing brings a whole new meaning to computer entertainment joining up to 8 players in an atmosphere of friendly rivalry and competition. Combining the power of the computer, its memory and speed of action with the skill and excitement of Britain's most popular outdoor participation sport, Match Fishing is the first of its kind in allowing all players to participate at one and the same time. Computer enthusiasts, games players and fishing addicts alike, I'm sure you will enjoy the excitement as much as I do. Game Plan The aim of the game is to make the heaviest catch of fish as possible in a set period of time, against other playing opponents. There are many fish of many different sizes to be caught in the lake; they respond to different baits, can only be landed if the fishing line and hook sizes are appropriate and are more easily caught with the correct rod and reel, assuming you've baited at the right depth of water. Sound complicated? Well it's meant to be a challenge, but as you make the correct decisions, the excitement of making a catch is very rewarding. At the end of the period each player's catch weight is totalled and the winner declared. Game Procedure Upon loading and running, select the number of players and select the playing time. All then sit an equal distance from the keyboard. The peg from which you are fishing will be given and its swim (the area of water) conditions will be listed in order you can select your tactics and tackle. Tackle selection Rod - Pole, Float, Ledger Water - Shallow, Mid-depth, Deep Reel - Fixed spool, Centre-pin Bait - Maggot, Caster, Bread, Bloodworm, Hempseed, Worm, Boilies, Luncheon Meat, Sweetcorn Fishing line strength - 2lb, 3lb, 4lb, 6lb, 8lb, 10lb Hook size - 22, 20, 18, 16, 14, 12, 10, 8, 6, 4, 2 Casting strength - Strong, Medium, Weak Ready to play? When all players' tactics and tackle are selected, sit back and wait for a fish to take your bait. When your peg flashes, strike quick to secure your fish and the screen will then change as you've yet to land it. Not had a bite? If the fish aren't biting then you can reassess your tactics and change your tackle and bait. Change tackle - Press T See peg description - Press P Pause and restart - Press M Terminate game - Press Q Happy fishing! Turn over for a few hints from the expert. Playing Hints "Angling is Britain's most popular participation sport, with over 1.5 million enthusiasts taking to the banks. This game is the nearest possible thing to bringing the skill and excitement of this outdoor sport into your home. It can be very rewarding to enthusiasts as a single player game, but the real enjoyment is in its unique multi- player challenge. I hope you enjoy it as much as I have and to help I'd like to give you a few hints for playing." Rod Type Float - Conventional rod used by matchmen fishing for a wide range of fish with a float to indicate bites. Pole - Used for precisely controlling a float at greater distances (often 20ft in length). No reel is used as the line is fixed direct to the pole tip. To bring in the float or a fish it is necessary to dismantle the pole section by section until the line can be reached. The pole is usually selected to catch as many fish as possible quickly. Normal tackle that accompanies a pole is light and the average weight of fish hooked is low. Ledger - Normally selected to fish on the bottom of the river or pool at medium to far distances. Reel Centre-pin or Fixes Spool Normally a fixed spool is selected; some older fishermen select a centre-pin for fast running rivers. Again, if the pole rod is selected, no reel option is available. Line Strength Select the line most suited to the weight of fish being sought. The heavier the line the less likely you are to attract fish but once attracted it is unlikely a fish more than twice the line strength would be landed, so you decide between attracting many fish and landing the bigger ones. Try 3lb line to start you off if you are not sure. Hook Size Similar to line strength in operation. A smaller hook (22) will attract the most fish but as fish get heavier they have an increasing chance of not being hooked. So if you are after the really big ones a large hook is essential. Try an 18 or 16 if you are not sure. Distance of Cast / Depth of Fishing As in real life, types of fish will congregate in different parts of your swim. This is where a certain amount of skill is required in selection of distance and depth in which to fish. If you find that no bites result using the tactics selected it is always worth varying the place you are casting and the depth you are fishing to see if you can attract more fish. Each swim has a pre-determined shoal or avail- ability of fish. It could be you have caught all the fish available in your first selected place of fishing and it would then be sensible to try elsewhere or vary the bait to attract other species. Bait Certain fish prefer particular baits and will never be caught on any other baits. Maggot and Caster are generally used quite widely by real matchmen as a general purpose bait. Fish likely to be encountered. Roach particularly like Maggot, Caster Perch particularly like Worm, Caster Bream particularly like Caster, Maggot, Bread Pike particularly like Luncheon Meat, Worm Dace particularly like Maggot, Caster Gudgeon particularly like Maggot, Caster, Bloodworm Barbel particularly like Worm, Bread, Luncheon Meat, Maggot Carp particularly like Boilies, Sweetcorn, Luncheon Meat, Bread Bleak particularly like Bloodworm, Maggot, Caster