Montezuma�s Revenge Featuring Panama Joe
By  Parker Brothers
For the Atari 2600 & Compatible Systems
Typed by Paul Vidro

MONTEZUMA�S REVENGE

PANAMA JOE, That�s what they call him �round these parts; though no one knows his real name or where he comes from.  But one thing�s for sure,  PANAMA JOE�s a daredevil from the word �go!�  No risk�s too great if the reward�s large enough.  Winning.  That�s what�s the most important to him.  And more times than not, that�s exactly what he does.  Because he�s tough, clever � resourceful.  And sometimes, downright pig-headed!  Though occasionally (ah-hum), he�s been known to get in over his head.  Luckily, he�s got a knack for getting himself out of hot water as quickly as he gets into it!  Let�s hope MONTEZUMA�S REVENGE is one of those times.

OBJECT

To help PANAMA JOE safely reach Montezuma�s fantastic treasure by guiding him through a maze of death-dealing chambers within the emperor�s fortress.  Along the way, PANAMA JOE must avoid an array of deadly creatures while he collects valuables and tools which can aid him in mastering the evils of the fortress and eventually, escaping with the  loot!

SETTING THE CONTROLS
1.        Place the cartridge firmly into the cartridge slot.
2.        Turn the ON/OFF switch to ON.
3.        The first screen to appear will feature PANAMA JOE in the center of the first chamber.  Now, you�re ready to start the action.

THE JOYSTICK
Because this is a one-player game, plug the joystick firmly into the LEFT jack only.

Use your joystick to move PANAMA JOE through the emperor�s fortress.  To make PANAMA JOE walk left or right, move the joystick in those directions.  To make him climb up a ladder or chain, push forward on the joystick; to climb down, pull backwards on the joystick.

NOTE:  you�ll discover that a combination of left/right and backwards/forwards joystick movements will make guiding PANAMA JOE on and off ladders and chains easier 

THE FIRE BUTTON
Press the FIRE button any time you want PANAMA JOE to jump.  If PANAMA JOE is standing still, he will jump straight up and down, if he is moving left or right, PANAMA JOE will leap in that direction.

SCREEN DISPLAYS
At the top, center portion of the screen there are 5 hats representing your remaining number of PANAMA JOEs.  Each time you lose a PANAMA JOE, one hat disappears.  You�ll begin the game with 6 PANAMA JOEs, including the one on screen.

In the space directly beneath the 5 hats is a box called the INVENTORY WINDOW.  Each time PANAMA JOE collects a special tool (e.g., a sword, torch, or a key), that tool is displayed in the Inventory Window until he finishes using it.

In the space over the 5 hats is the SCORE BOX.

Throughout the game, points will be accumulated and your score will be displayed in this space (see SCORING section).

PLAYING
Once you start this game, your are PANAMA JOE-winding your way through MONTEZUMA�S fortress!  That means you�ve got to be ready to handle lots of action.  Like climbing ladders and chains.  Jumping over (and under) deadly creatures.  And grabbing precious jewels and special tools along the way.  No sweat, right?  You�ll be ready for anything because, like PANAMA JOE, you thrive on the spirit of adventure and exploration.  Maybe you�ll need to backtrack through certain chambers.  Or perhaps forge ahead blindly.  Even test you memory to remember the location of a room you fought through earlier.  Just be sure to keep a cool head.  Use your special tools wisely.  And please � try not to let greed blind you as you snatch up MONTEZUMA�s fabulous treasures.  Happy hunting, PANAMA JOE!

INSIDE MONTEZUMA�S FORTRESS
As you guide PANAMA JOE through Montezuma�s fortress, you�ll encounter 3 major groups of elements.  They are:

�         Room Fixtures
�         Killer Creatures
�         Special Tools & Rewards

Various combinations of these elements are found in all the chambers throughout the fortress.  Each is described as follows:

ROOM FIXTURES

LASER GATES  Destructive laser gates intermittently appear and disappear in various parts of a chamber.  PANAMA JOE must avoid these laser gates, and pass through ONLY when they disappear.  IF PANAMA JOE HITS A LASER GATE, YOU LOSE HIM.

CONVEYOR BELTS  Conveyor belts force PANAMA JOE to speed up or slow down, depending upon the direction in which he is moving.  In general, if you move the joystick IN THE DIRECTION OPPOSITE to which the conveyor is moving, PANAMA JOE will slow down while moving against the conveyor.  If PANAMA JOE is heading in the SAME DIRECTION as the conveyor, he will speed across to the other side where, at times, you must safely jump him off.  IF PANAMA JOE MISSES JUMPING ONTO OR OFF OF A CONVEYOR BELT, YOU LOSE HIM.

DISAPPEARING FLOORS  in the same chambers, there are certain sections of the floor which look different from the rest.  These sections intermittently appear and disappear.  You must time PANAMA JOE�s crossing of these sections just right or�IF HE FALLS TOO FAR, OR FALLS INTO A FIRE PIT, YOU LOSE THAT PANAMA JOE.

DOORS  Throughout the fortress you�ll encounter yellow or blue doors.  These doors can ONLY be opened when PANAMA JOE approaches them with a key (displayed in the Inventory Window).  YOU GAIN 300 POINTS FOR OPENING ANY DOOR.

FIRE PITS  Occasionally, PANAMA JOE will come across a blazing fire pit as he maneuvers through a chamber.  Fire pits must be avoided at all costs!  Time your crossing carefully, OR YOU�LL LOSE PANAMA JOE TO A PUFF OF SMOKE 

LADDERS  Ladders allow PANAMA JOE to travel up to, or down from one level to the next.  Simply move the joystick in the appropriate direction.

CHAINS  Much like ladders, chains offer PANAMA JOE a way to travel from on level to the next.  Simply jump PANAMA JOE onto a chain and guide him up or down by using your joystick.

KILLER CREATURES

SKULLS  In his travels, PANAMA JOE will come across bouncing and rolling skulls.  He must jump over the rolling skulls, and walk under the bouncing ones.  IF PANAMA JOE IS HIT BY A SKULL, YOU LOSE HIM.  But, if he has a sword (displayed in the Inventory Window), PANAMA JOE can eliminate a skull by simply walking through it.  YOU GAIN 2000 POINTS FOR ELIMINATING A SKULL.

SNAKES  Watch out for the snakes!  Though they don�t move, they have a deadly bite.  Whenever PANAMA JOE meets up with one, he must jump over it.  Not even a sword will eliminate a snake.  IF PANAMA JOE IS BITTEN, YOU LOSE HIM.

SPIDERS  Unlike snakes, spiders do get around.  IF ONE BITES PANAMA JOE, YOU LOSE HIM.  So PANAMA JOE must either jump over spiders, or slay them with a sword (displayed in the Inventory Window).  YOU�LL GAIN 3000 POINTS FOR SLAYING A SPIDER.

SPECIAL TOOLS & REWARDS
As PANAMA JOE works his way through the fortress, he�ll encounter special tools and rewards � all there for his taking.  When possible, PANAMA JOE should jump up and grab a special item, which will then be displayed in the Inventory Window until it is used.  The Inventory Window can only hold 4 items at a time.  Once it is filled, PANAMA JOE cannot collect any more special items.

The 5 special tools and rewards are:

AMULET  This hammer shaped object helps PANAMA JOE evade killer creatures.  Whenever he grabs the amulet, all killer creatures are disabled for several seconds � allowing PANAMA JOE to safely walk through them.  He can even travel into another chamber during this time.  Once this time is up, the amulet will disappear from the Inventory Window and the killer creatures will return to their nasty, normal � colored selves.  COLLECTING AN AMULET IS WORTH 200 POINTS.

JEWELS  These dazzling beauties are worth 1000 points apiece!  PANAMA JOE simply jumps up and plucks them as he goes by.  However, if the Inventory Window contains 4 items, PANAMA JOE cannot collect more jewels � even though jewels are not displayed in the Window.

KEYS  To every door in the fortress � there�s a key.  And the only way to get these keys is by helping PANAMA JOE grab them along the way.  Keys will be displayed in the Inventory Window until used.  YOU GAIN 100 POINTS FOR GRABBING A KEY AND 300 POINTS FOR OPENING A DOOR.

SWORD  A SWORD IN THE HAND IS WORTH 100 POINTS � so be sure not to pass it up along the way.  More important, a sword enables PANAMA JOE to eliminate a spider or a skull on contact.

TORCH  Don�t underestimate the necessity of a torch.  As PANAMA JOE travels deeper into the fortress, he may encounter dark chambers.  Only with the torch can he illuminate these hazardous rooms.  Once PANAMA JOE has the torch, he keeps it throughout the current game level.  Without the torch, there is no light at all � and you must rely on your memory to guide PANAMA JOE safely through these chambers.  GRABBING A TORCH EARNS YOU 300 POINTS.

THE TREASURE ROOM
If PANAMA JOE safely navigates through all of the chambers in the fortress, he�ll eventually reach his ultimate goal � the Treasure Chamber.  Herein lies the fabulous treasure of the emperor, Montezuma!

Once inside, PANAMA JOE will see the infamous jewels flashing.  In just several seconds, he must collect as many jewels as possible.  When this time is up, you�ll automatically advance to the next Difficulty Level.

END OF GAME
The game ends when you�ve lost all of you PANAMA JOEs.  When this happens, PANAMA JOE will disappear and all action on the screen will stop. 

To play again, simply press the RESET switch, or the FIRE button on the joystick controller.

SCORING

COLLECTING SPECIAL TOOLS & REWARDS
KEYS�����������.100 POINTS EACH
SWORDS����������100 POINTS EACH
AMULETS���������..200 POINTS EACH
JEWELS����������.1000 POINTS EACH
TORCHES���������..3000 POINTS EACH 

ELIMINATING KILLER CREATURES
SKULLS����������..2000 POINTS EACH
SPIDERS����������.3000 POINTS EACH 

ROOM FIXTURES
OPENING DOORS�������300 POINTS EACH

BONUS PANAMA JOES
You�ll gain an extra PANAMA JOE for every 10,000 points scored.  NOTE: the maximum number of PANAMA JOEs you can have at any one time is 6.

DIFFICULTY LEVELS
In this game, there are 3 Difficulty Levels.  Each time you successfully complete one Difficulty Level, and have a remaining PANAMA JOE, you�ll automatically advance to the next Difficulty Level.