SINK OR SWIM SCENARIO The SS Lucifer, complete with a cargo of Dim Passengers, has been badly holed by an Iceberg off the east coast of Greenland. Hearing the news on his small isolated Sea Rescue Station just north of Iceland, Rork Storm springs into action and climbs into his Explorer Class Submersible equipped for a daring rescue mission. As the red glow of the emergency lighting bathes the ship in an eerie glow Rork knows he has got problems - in fact a whole shipload of them! Dim Passengers are invading the engine room, fleeing the numerous fires raging throughout the ship. Pistons in the Engine Room have gone haywire and pipes have burst, sending torrents of scalding steam everywhere...and, oh yes, the small matter of 70,000 gallons of ice cold sea water pouring into the hull faster than the pumps can handle. Of course Rork could run for it - but he isn't that sort of hero... CODED LEVEL ENTRY Once Sink or Swim has loaded, current High Scores and credits are displayed. If higher levels of the game have been reached at previous attempts, earlier levels can be skipped by pressing the "SPACE" bar and entering the playing Code Word as given on successful completion of a level. Use the keyboard to enter the Code Word and press ENTER to gain acceptance. LEVEL PAUSE AND EXIT The following keys are used within Amiga Sink or Swim to Pause and Quit the present playing level: "ESCAPE" - Loose one life and begin the level from the start "P" - Pause Level "Q" - Quits Level INFORMATIONAL PANEL Once the game has been started by pressing Fire on the High Score and credits screen, the main playing level is displayed. At the bottom of this screen, the informational panel is displayed which is used throughout the rescue to provide Rork Storm with essential information. RORK STORM'S LIVES RS begins the game with Three Lives, and this meter indicates the Number of Lives Remaining. AIR SUPPLY Rork has a compressed air supply held in tanks on his back. This allows him a certain amount of time to swim under water to complete essential tasks. The figures indicate remaining supply levels. BOMB FUSE INDICATOR The bombs used to blast their way through the SS Lucifer have variable length fuses. Pressing and holding Fire when dropping a bomb increases the length of the fuse as indicated on this panel. SCORE Current score based on Dim Passengers rescued and their method of escape. TARGET RESCUE The number of Dim Passengers required to open Rork Storm's escape hatch is given at the start of the level, and counts down as Passengers reach the Level Exit. HEAD COUNT METER This meter gives the current numbers of Dim Passengers still present in this portion of the SS Lucifer. SAFE PASSENGERS This figure gives the exact number of Dim Passengers rescued from the level by Rork Storm. RESCUE THOSE DIM PASSENGERS! The Cargo of Dim Passengers are released into the sealed compartments of the SS Lucifer via Escape Chutes. Although the Passengers are in a blind panic because of the frightening rise in water levels, they have a strong safety instinct and will attempt to climb away from the water at every available opportunity. Rork Storm must quickly assess the situation existing in this section of the hold, and use all of his considerable abilities to help the Passengers reach their Escape Hatch. DIM PASSENGERS' ESCAPE HATCH Once the target number of Passengers have escaped from the present Ship Compartment, an escape hatch opens for Rork Storm to leave the level. Alternatively, he may stay on the screen in an attempt to rescue more Passengers for Bonus Points. LIFE AND DEATH Dim Passengers that fall from platforms into the freezing water filling the hold become "Drowners". It is essential that they are rescued before they succumb to the cold and are transformed into "Angels" and depart from this Earthy Plane. Dim Passengers are unable to rescue themselves, so Rork has to put into action two major "Drowner" rescue alternatives: JET PACKS Conveniently placed throughout the SS Lucifer in case of emergencies such as this, the Packs are retrieved by smashing the glass whilst pulling down on the Joystick and pressing Fire. The Jet Packs then fall into the water through the action of gravity and are picked up by the "Drowners" who blast off the level to safety. RESCUE DINGHY When the level goes horribly wrong, the Rescue Dinghy can be launched to save all of the "Drowners" currently in the water. The Dinghy is activated by pressing the "SPACE" bar (R-PC) and only one is available to Rork on every level. If close enough to the "Drowners" they climb aboard the Dinghy and jump out at the first sight of any dry land. Although not as definite a rescue as the Jet Packs, the Dinghy gives the Dim Passengers another opportunity to escape the transformation to "Angels". BURST STEAM PIPES The Dim Passengers are blundering everywhere in a state of total panic, and these burst pipes hold steam at over 2,000 oF! That's enough to vaporise a Dim Passenger, or even Rork Storm, in their tracks! RS is able to plaster over these cracks by climbing up and along the pipework pressing Fire to seal off the blasting jets of steam. CRUSHERS Crushers are to be avoided at all cost - they make pancakes out of everything without showing any signs of remorse. CONVEYOR BELTS These moving platforms can be used to contain Passengers, or transport them to different sections of the ship. The belts move to the left and to the right via switches found on the ship's walls. Pressing Fire whilst next to these switches reverses the direction of the moving platform. Beware - some switches are inactive and have no effect on the Conveyor Belt's movements. BOMBS Rork Storm is equipped with a number of bombs that are activated by pulling down on the Joystick and pressing Fire. The longer the Fire button is held down, the longer the fuse used for timed detonations. The length of fuse is indicated on the score panel at the bottom of the screen. Bombs are ideal for blasting difficult items such as Crates and Bulkheads into oblivion, and revealing what lies behind some of these large obstacles. BULKHEADS The Bulkheads placed within the SS Lucifer can withstand pressures of up to 20,000 pounds per square inch. However, they do become difficult obstacles when the water is around the Dim Passengers' ankles and they are stuck behind one! A carefully placed bomb however can soon eradicate the problem for good. CARGO Cargo is unique in Sink or Swim as it can be used to both aid and hinder the rescue progress. Bombs can blast the Cargo out of the path of escaping Passengers, or be moved by mechanical devices to form bridges or platforms. MAGNETIC HOIST Magnetic Hoists are found in cargo storage areas of the ship, and can be used to manoeuvre Cargo boxes. The Magnetic Hoist has its own control station, marked with a diagonal switch. To operate the hoist, Rork Storm should be positioned beside the diagonal switch and the fire button pressed and held down. The hoist can then be raised and lowered as well as moved left and right via the Joystick. POWER FAILURES Not so much a hazard, more an irritation. With water, ice and fire getting everywhere, there are certain to be short circuits and blackouts replaced by the red glow of emergency lights. If the number of Dim Passengers required to complete the level falls below the number not yet converted to "Angels", the lighting dims on the level indicating that a successful rescue is no longer possible. SWINGING CHAINS Inaccessible ledges and previously impossible sections of the ship can be reached with a couple of Tarzan-like swings. It isn't easy though, so be careful to avoid any unexpected obstacles! HYDRAULIC BRIDGES Hydraulic Bridges were originally used to seal off sections of the SS Lucifer's Hold. They cover gaps whilst activated by wall switches. CREW LIFTS Crew Lifts can be utilised by Rork Storm to raise Dim Passengers to different ship levels on their way to the escape hatch. Whilst the switch is in the Off position, the Lift beds make useful platforms to bridge areas of the ship. When switched On, the lifts are activated by body pressure raising the Lift bed to higher levels. ELECTRIC FIELDS Faulty Earths and water logged generators have caused Electric Fields to arise around certain pieces of electric equipment and powered doors. These are deadly to both Rork Storm and the Dim Passengers. ADDITIONAL NOTES Rork Storm has periods of invincibility which are indicated by circling stars around his body. Passwords are given at the end of every level which should be noted on successful rescue of the Dim Passengers. These Passwords can be entered by pressing "Space" on the opening screen, thus avoiding the need to play the earlier levels every time the game is loaded. Care should be taken around fires, RS has no protective garments that shield him from the flames. Ice sections on the ship are very slippery and make walkways treacherous to traverse. If a particular rescue approach just isn't working, go back to the Drawing Board and think again - it may be easier than you think! Program: Andrew Drake & Ian Copeland Graphics: Anthony Gallop & David Taylor Graphic Design: Steven Wannell Level Design: Andrew Drake, Anthony Gallop, Steven Wannell and Robert Tucker Sound FX: Alex Aldroyd & Neil Crossley Made in UK