INTRODUCTION It'sa wild. It'sa wacky. It's Sports-A-Roni! Take eight of the silliest sports ever invented. Put them in eight of Italy's liveliest locations. Then invite 18 different countries to compete. And what have you got? Some downright, old-fashioned, world-class fun! Start with a sack race in pot-holed Naples. Then pop over to Pisa to balance a precarious pile of pasta plates. Next it's on to Rome, where you'll hurl Casanova's boot with or without a bootful of water. Then try to pole vault the Arno river without ending up with your head in the sand. Scale a pole in Verona that's coated with Italy's finest olive-oil and topped with her bubbliest seltzer. And if you're really starting to climb the walls by now, Venice is the place to do it. But don't forget your hat! When you take part in a pillow fight on a wobbly gondola, someone's going to end up in the canal. Then last but not least, pogo through a field of ancient ruins bursting balloons as you go. Play as many games as you like. Against as many as six opponents. Then view your final scores and placements on a special screen at the end of each event. Sports-A-Roni. It's enough to make you a little crazy. Which is exactly what makes it so much fun! Polly Plays a Record A screen appears showing a parrot, an old phonograph, and a box of records. Use the keyboard to type your name at the bottom of the screen. Then press Return. Next, choose your country. To cycle through all 18 countries, push the joystick handle forward or backward. When the country of your choice is shown, press the fire button. Then wait for the parrot to play you a song from your country. Continue entering names and choosing countries for every player. When all the players have finished, press Return to view the game selection screen. Selecting Games You'll now see a screen with eight video monitors and a video camera in the right hand corner. Each video monitor displays the name of a game and its number. The camera displays the number of the game currently selected. To change the number, move the joystick handle forward or backward. To select one game, push the joystick handle up or down to reveal a number from 1 to 8. When the number of the game you want is selected, press the fire button. The video monitor for that game will turn on. To play multiple games, continue selecting games until the video monitors for all the games you want to play are turned on. To practice or begin the competition, push the joystick handle up or down until the number 9 appears in the camera. Then push the handle right or left to see either Practice or Compete. When the word you want is showing in the camera, press the fire button to start. Note: No scores are kept in a practice session. In multi-player games, you can select your opponent. Once a game starts, push the joystick handle up or down to highlight your opponent. Then press the fire button. To continue the game after each event, press the fire button. Note: When instructed to flip the disk or insert a new disk, do so and press the fire button to continue. ENJOYING THE GAMES: Bounce. Bounce. Bounce to the finish line. And try not to fall. But if you do, jump up again. And watch out for those manholes. Jump over 'em. Or go around 'em. Action - Joystick Moves Begin the race - Press fire button and wait for the balloon to pop. Then move the joystick handle to the right. Race forward - Jiggle handle left and right. Go around manholes - Push handle up or down. Get up if you fall - Push handle up. Jump - Press fire button. Note: When two players are competing, player 1 is at the bottom of the screen. The player who crosses the finish line with the best time wins. Pile of Plates: Whoa... Watch out! You've got a stack of plates. As many as you can carry. And you have to tread gingerly towards the finish line. Hold on to as many plates as you can. And still try to go as fast as you can. You only have 100 seconds! Action - Joystick Moves Select the number of plates - Push handle up and down. of plates. Begin walking - Press fire button and push handle up. Walk faster - Push handle up. Walk slower - Pull handle down. (But be careful! If you do it too long, you'll start walking backwards.) Move arms to balance plates - Push handle right or left. Drop a plate - Press fire button. Scoring is based on the number of plates you're carrying when you cross the finish line. You earn 3 points for each plate plus 1 point for each unused second. Boot Throwing: How far can you fling the boot? It all depends. On whether it's empty. Or full of water. And on whether you release it too soon. Or too late. It's tougher than it looks. And try not to drop the boot on your head! Action - Joystick Moves Select empty or full boot - Push handle up or down to highlight selection. Then press fire button. Begin - Press fire button. Swing the boot - Push handle left and right. (The speed indicator in the right corner tells you how much force you've built up. Try to release the boot at full speed.) Release boot - Press fire button. The farthest throw wins. River Jump: Pole vaulting is all in how you carry the pole. The ideal angle is perfectly straight. But the pole is heavy and prone to drop. So hold it steady while you run. Then let it drop at the river's edge. Action - Joystick Moves Begin running - Press fire button. Control pole angle - Push the handle up and down. (The best angle is straight, but it takes practice.) Plant pole in water - Pull handle down. Release pole, vault across river - Press fire button. The player who jumps the farthest across the river wins. Pole Climbing: Climb up, up, up to the top -- where there's a special surprise for you. It's a bottle of Italy's finest seltzer! But be careful sliding down. If you drop too fast, you'll break your precious prize. Action - Joystick Moves Begin climbing - Press fire button. Climb pole - Push handle up, press and hold fire button, and pull handle down. Release fire button. Then repeat. (Your climbing speed depends on how fast you work your joystick.) Slow down your descent - Press fire button. Note: When two players are competing, player 1 is on the left. The player who gets to the top and down again with the best time wins. Run Up the Wall: This one will drive you up a wall! Literally. Get a running start. Then be sure and grab that hat as a prankster parrot drops it from the sky. Finally, climb the wall, sticking the hat there at the very top. And remember: you can't climb the wall if you don't have the hat. Action - Joystick Moves Begin running - Push handle up. Go faster - Push handle up repeatedly. (The speed signal in the right corner tells you how much speed you've built up.) Slow down - Push handle down. Get in position to catch hat - Keep your eye on the birdie. (He'll stop three times before dropping hat. You have to get right under it.) Catch hat - Press fire button when hat is right above you. Climb wall - Press fire button on your approach. Then push handle up. Place hat on top of wall - Press fire button when you're at highest point on wall. Climb down - Pull handle left, then down. The player who places the hat on the wall and safely jumps down with the best time wins. Pillow Fight: Everyone loves a good pillow fight. Especially when the loser ends up in the water. Learn how to work the joystick for the best offensive -- and defensive -- moves. Action - Joystick Moves Hit opponent on your nearest side - Hold down fire button and push handle down. Hit opponent on your farthest side - Hold down fire button and push handle up. Defend your nearest side - Push handle down. Defend your farthest side - Push handle up. For player on the right Hit opponent from above - Hold down fire button and press handle left. Dodge a hit from above - Press handle left. For player on the left Hit opponent from above - Hold down fire button and push handle right. Dodge a hit from above - Push handle right. Note: When two players are competing, player 1 is on the left. You earn 5 points each time you hit your opponent with the pillow and 50 points if you can send him swimming. Pogo Stick: What a pogo course! Complete with stone fences, archeological ruins, and billowy balloons. Pogo through the course, bursting balloons on your way. You have ten minutes to stomp all 20 balloons. Action - Joystick Moves Begin pogoing - Push fire button. Pogo forward - Push handle up. Pogo backward - Push handle down. Move left or right - Push handle left or right. Get up if you fall - Press fire button. You earn 10 points for each balloon you pop and 1 point for each unused second. The player with the most points wins. SCORING: At the end of each event, you'll see your score. At the end of the game, you'll see a scoreboard listing all players, their countries, the number of gold, silver, and bronze medals won, and the total point score. Each gold medal is worth 5 points, silver is worth 3 points, and bronze is worth 1 point.