Dragon's Lair ------------- OBJECT OF THE GAME ------------------ You, Dirk the Darking, are on a quest to rescue the fair Princess Daphne who has been kidnapped and is being held captive by Singe the Evil Dragon. To do this you must survive a perilous journey and defeat all your adversaries. Make your way through the castle and caverns below by using the controlle to move and the "B" button to wield your sword. Beware of your foes as they are numerous! You must use your wit and reflexes to avoid the obstacles of each scene. These rooms will require many attempts to master. In general, flashing items will indicate either danger (when on a creature) or the direction to move (when on an object). Remember: The timing of your moves is critical. Reacting too early or too late may end your quest abruptly. PLAYING DRAGON'S LAIR --------------------- You do not control all of Dirk's actions, rather you control his reactions to the events that happen around him. As you watch the animations, you must decide in which direction Dirk should move on the screen and when. To finish a scene successfully, you must make a move or press the "B" button when Dirk is in danger. Timing is very critical and often you make the correct move but at the wrong time. Also, many scenes require more than one move. If you are having trouble, watch the animation carefully and move Dirk in the safest direction, or if no direction is safe, press the "B" button to use Dirk's sword. If you're sure you have made the correct move, make the move a little sooner or a little later. Don't be surprised if Dirk doesn't react immediately after you have made a move. You must wait for the animation to finish, and if you have made the correct move(s), you will continue onto the next scene. The game will end if you lose all of your lives or when you reach the Dragon's Lair and defeat the Dragon himself. There you will find Princess Daphne who is very happy to be rescued... CONTROLS -------- The "B" button will begin the game and once the game has begun, the "PAUSE" button can be used to pause the scene. Press "PAUSE" again to resume play. Dirk's sword or "FIRE" is controlled by the "B" button on your control pad. The directions you will need are UP (top button), DOWN (botton button), LEFT (left side button) and RIGHT (right side button) on your directional pad. STARTING THE GAME ----------------- After the CD has been inserted, the demo mode will automatically begin. To start playing the game, simply press the "B" button on the controller. You will know the game has started when you see Dirk walking across a drawbridge in front of the castle. The bridge has a hole in it and several purple tentacles will appear. As the tentacles begin to move towards Dirk, press the "B" button once. Dirk will draw his sword and slay the tentacles. Next press the UP direction and Dirk will climb back through the hole and run into the castle. HINTS ----- Note: Scenes will not necessarily appear in the following order. (But now they are :) Drawbridge Dirk will walk across the bridge and fall through a hole. Several purple tentacles will appear. As the tentacles begin to move towards Dirk, press the "FIRE" button once. Dirk will draw and swing his sword. Halfway through the swing, press UP once; Dirk will put his sword away, climb onto the bridge and run into the castle. End if Corridor Dirk stands at the end of a corridor in front of three doors. As he looks around, the roof starts to cave in and the floor to his left begins to crumble away. Dirk must move right to exit out the remaining doors as the floor crumbles away and the roof caves in. Tentacles from Ceiling As Dirk enters the room, a green tentacle will slither out of the ceiling. Dirk must chop the tentacle in half. Various objects will flash in the room and Dirk must move in the direction of the flashing objects. Snake Room Snakes slither out of the ceiling and walls. Dirk must chop the snakes. A skeleton head drops from the ceiling and flashes. Pull the skull and exit through the ceiling. Swinging Ropes of Fire The brave knight enters a champer filled with rising flames. The door behind Dirk slams shut and the small stone patforms he is standing on begins to slide into the wall. Dirk must reach out for the swinging ropes to open the door on the other side of the chamber. Pool of Water Dirk approaches the small pool of water. The floor and ceiling start to crumble. Dirk should follow the stone path and roll to avoid the daggers shooting out of the wall. Jump into the pool and avoid the water snakes. Once out of the pool, beware of the crumbling floors and ceilings. A big hairy spider will drop from the ceiling. Dirk should chop the spider and run out the door. Bubbling Ooze in Kettle After Dirk enters the room, bubbling green ooze will start to pour out of the kettle. Dirk must chop the Ooze Monster in half before it tries to eat him. Dirk must then face the Smoke Monster that comes out of the kettle. One quick slash will destroy him! The Goons Emerging in a stairwell, Dirk is attacked by small purple goons. He can slay the first but must climb the stairs and slay two more goons before exiting. Sliding Stairs Dirk starts down the stairs. They become slippery and he must keep from sliding into the pit. Purple tentacles come out of the pit at the bottom of the stairs. Dirk must slash and then avoid the tentacles. A chain hanging from the ceiling won't help him. Go to the hole and exit. The Smithy Dirk enters the forge room and is attacked by a magic flying sword. A flying mace will also come at him. He must jump aside to avoid the anvil and parry a glowing spear. As Dirk jumps to the forge, he must battle the stone statue who magically comes to life! Giant Spinning Batons As Dirk approaches these, he must pick the right moment to try and run through them. Once past them, he is confronted by a Cloaked Spectre. Dirk must jump towards him and them must use his sword to defeat the Spectre. Avoid the growing vines on the side of the pathway. The Wind Room The wind swirls all around Dirk. There is a hole in the wall with a diamond in it, but don't go for the diamond! Dirk must leave throught the flashing door. Closing Wall As the wall closes up around Dirk, the door ahead of him will flash. Dirk must jump towards the flashing door. Room of Fire Dirk must avoid the fire and lightning being flung at him from all sides. Look behind the bench to escape. Metallic Flying Horse Dirk finds a room with a metal horse sitting in its center. As Dirk sits in the saddle reaching up for the gem on the horse's head, he awakens the sleeping mount. The horse rears up and carries the knight straight towards pillars and a wall which Dirk must avoid. Watch out for curtains of fire! Checkered Floor Knight As Dirk enters the room the Black Knight will materialize. The Knight will bang his sword against the floor causing electricity to flow along the checkered tiles, but don't be shocked! Dirk must jump to the tiles surrounding him that are not covered by electricity. Once past this, Dirk must defeat the Knight and exit the room. Haunted Hallway Dirk is attacked by clattering skulls and a giant skeleton claw that emerge from the doorways. Black ooze will pour out of the door on both sides as a second skeleton claw approaches Dirk. More black ooze slimes out of the doorways and must be avoided. Dirk should jump out the door into the crypt. He is attacked by skeleton ghosts that can be destroyed in one slash! Large Wooden Platforms As Dirk walks along a wooden platform suspended above the castle's dark interior, the wood planks begin to break away. He must jump to the remaining section of the platform and them climb the rope back into the castle spire. Bats As Dirk walks down the stairs, bats will try to attack him as the section ahead crumbles away. Dirk must avoid the bats by jumping across the hole. He must destroy the giant bat! Falling Platform Dirk steps on a round wooden platform. The platform starts to fall through a circular shaft. It stops intermittently at rocky ledges for Dirk to jump off. Timing is everything in jumping off this falling platform! The Lizard King Dirk is confronted by a large walking lizard dressed in royal robes. As Dirk draws his sword to battle the Lizard King, a pot of gold flies past and takes the knight's sword with it. Dirk must follow the pot in order to retrieve his sword and battle the Lizard. Drink Me As Dirk walks into the room, a sign on the north wall will flash. Shortly after the door will flash. Dirk should not drink the potion, he should exit the room. Checkerboard Corridor The floor beneath Dirk's feet starts to flash and the checkerboard section begins to fall away. Dirk must jump to the parts of the floor that remain and then out one of the doors. Magnetic Ball As Dirk approaches the magnetic ball, his helmet and sword are drawn away from him by the electicity. The pulsating electricity then starts to cover the floor. Dirk must jump to the safe parts to end up sitting in the throne. The throne revolves it another part of the castle, but the electricity follows. Dirk must again dodge the electricity. Rapids / Whirlpools RAPIDS: Dirk must paddle into the safe current in the rapids and then straight into the tunnel at the end of the channel. WHIRLPOOLS: As Dirk approached a whirlpool, he must paddle around the swirling water. Dirk must be sure to grap the chain and swing in the door as the boat smashes. Lava Field of the Mudmen Dirk walks across a field of lava and is attacked by the Mudmen who live there. Realizing his sword would be useless, Dirk must jump over several geysers, avoid the Mudmen, and run along a stone bridge before finally escaping through a hole in the cavern wall. Phantom Knight Dirk must avoid the charging Knight while also avoiding the giant thorns pushing up through the earth. Dirk should jump into the small cave to finally escape. Rolling Balls After Dirk enters the room, a large black ball will appear rolling up from behind him. Ahead of Dirk down the tunnel, smaller balls are rolling up and down the walls. Dirk must wait for a smaller ball to roll by before moving away from the larger black ball. The Round Cage The case of the cage surround Dirk and starts to glow. Dirk must jump through the crashing doors and follow the stairs up to cross a bridge. To cross this bridge though, Dirk must evade the gushing geyser shooting up through the bridge. The Dragon's Lair Dirk is now inside the Dragon's Lair, but beware! Singe the Dragon is asleep and should not be awakened. Throughout the room there are balancing dishes and some of them are about to fall. If a column of balancing dishes flashes, Dirk should catch it, otherwise move away from the dishes. Eventually the Princess will Dirk what he should do. Listen very carefully and follow her instructions. Singe the Dragon is awake and he knows where you're hiding! As Singe reaches around the column to grab him, Dirk must duck and run away. Singe will swing his tail trying to flatten Dirk; Dirk must dodge the tail. Dirk should pull the magic sword out of the large gem. Singe turns around exposing his soft belly; Dirk can now slay the Dragon and save the Princess!