SCENARIO: Super Cars is set in a pseudo-fantasy world with fictitious cars battling for championship supremacy on a spine chilling and perilous circuit in the middle of a desert viewed from overhead. Each track consists of tortuous turns, straights, tunnels and bends which become progressively more perilous as you speed your way through the levels. Other hazards include mud, water and oil which have a variety of effects on the speeding cars. As you progress through the game, the number of opponents you race against and the on-track hazards increase at an alarming and unnerving rate. GAMEPLAY: You start the game with a credit of 5,000 pounds. You can choose to view the specifications of the cars available, go into the sales office or start racing straight away. To select your option, use the pointer (a white hand) to click on the option of your choice and then press fire. THE SPECIFICATION SCREEN: Each car has it's own specification screen. The information includes details on engine variation, top speed, dimensions and a brief description of the cars capabilities. To view any of the screens, simply place the pointer over the relevant car and press fire. THE SALES OFFICE: The sales man will offer you a trade in price for your old car. The amount offered is dependant on its condition. You have the choice of handing over the asking price or bartering with him for a bargain. Place the pointer on the information bar at the bottom of the screen and press fire when you want to speak, and then on the line relevant to your answer to him. Be careful not to push him too far or else he might throw you out of his office altogether. If this is the case, you will have to compete in another race before being allowed entry again. To exit from the sales office, place the pointer on the exit door and press fire. THE GARAGE: You can enter the garage at the beginning of a game or at any interval in between races. This is where you make essential repairs to your cars body, engine and tyres. You can also purchase extra fuel here. To improve your on track performance and increase your chances of winning, you can also buy a range of 'optional extras' from the garage. These include: Power Steering Essential for decreasing your turning circle and allowing you faster corner taking. Turbo Charger Use this to increase your acceleration rate. This option is particularly useful when running into patches of mud which slow your car down. High speed Kit Increase your maximum speed-Invaluable on the straights. Retro Use this for faster braking. Front missile You can only buy one of these per race. Fire it (push up on joystick)when an opponent is directly in front of you to ensure a total write-Off plus a hazardous obstruction for all other cars behind. (And you on your next lap) Rear missile Blow any tail-Ender out of the race-But like the front missile, you can only buy one per race. Pull back on joystick when enemy is directly behind you). Spin Assist You will need this when your car is thrown into an uncontrollable skid caused by either oil or water. Spin assist will always point your car in the right direction. Side armour Use this to send any other car into an uncontrollable spin simply by ramming it. Other features Place the pointer on the special feature or boxes marked tyres, fuel, engine, or body that you want to buy. As the till rings up the sale the money is decreased accordingly. You can only use the extras that you buy in the following race. Anything not used will be cancelled out and you will have to buy it again for any future race. To leave the garage simply place the pointer on the exit door and press fire to begin the first stage, you select a track numbered from one to nine. Place the pointer on the track number that you want to race in and press fire. You will start the competition in a taraco neoroder turbo because you will not be able to afford a smarter set of wheels until you win some prize money. You can race the tracks in any order you want. You must however race all nine tracks before you can advance to the next level. At this point a password will appear automatically on the screen. Press fire to proceed to the next level. (Remember to take note of passwords for future use). You will have to come in the first three competitors during any race to qualify for the next round. Fourth or worse means that you've blown it. Failure of either fuel, tyres. Bodywork or engine whilst racing will also result in disqualification. PLAYING TIPS: Press (and hold down) the fire-Button to accelerate forward. Then move the joystick left or right to steer. When screeching into a bend, try taking your finger off the fire-Button but still steering. This has the effect of a hand-Brake turn. If you have to drive through an oil slick on one of the straights, make sure your car is going in a straight line to ensure a controllable slide. Always use the missiles on a straight. If you hit and immobilise a car, it will cause a massive pile-up on the next lap. SCREEN DISPLAY: The dashboard of your car constantly monitors the condition of tyres engine and bodywork. These conditions deteriorate accordingly as you race dependant on tyre screeches engine speed and damage sustained to bodywork from collisions from either course or other vehicles. Your current position and laps covered are also displayed. KEYBOARD CONTROLS: [ARROW]: Quit current game. [P]: Pause game This game is joystick control only. [Fire] - Accelerate. [Left] - Steer left. [Right] - Steer right. [Up] - Launch front missile. [Down] - Launch rear missile.