Winter Games [Model 08919R]

Winter Games © 1987 Epyx, Incorporated.

WINTER GAMES is a series of seven exciting competitive events. Up to eight players can enter this international contest, each choosing a country for which to compete (no two players can choose the same nation to represent).

The object is to see your country come out on top. You'll compete in pure speed events like skating and in speed-and-control events like slalom, biathlon, bobsled and luge. You'll test your skill against competitors in distance and style events like ski jumping and hot dog skiing. You'll win by scoring the fastest time or by earning the most points. And the nation that wins the most events takes home the gold medal!

SLALOM
In SLALOM, the object is to make the best time down the course while skiing through the gates (marked by a pair of flags). The FIRE BUTTON sets your skier on his way. You control his motion by moving the joystick left or right. Turning will help you to slow down. There's a three-second penalty each time you miss one of the 36 gates on the course and a warning sound lets you know you missed. Avoid hitting any object or person on your way down the slope because they will slow you down considerably! Penalty seconds are added to your time when you complete the run.

BOBSLED
In the two-man bobsled event, the object is to finish in record time. Press the FIRE BUTTON to start. Try to complete the winding course as quickly as you can -- keeping the sled under control on the banked turns. Push the joystick left or right to control the bobsled's direction. Steer into the turns (try to stay off the walls or you'll lose speed and control of the sled). And remember there aren't any brakes on your sled! To speed up the sled, 'bob' the joystick up and down in rhythm, keeping in mind that high speed makes banking on the turns a real challenge. You can monitor sled speed by the speed indicator at the bottom of the screen (the wider the bar, the faster you are going). Each team is allowed three tries to finish this event. Good Luck!

SKI JUMP
This challenging distance event demands your fullest concentration. When you see your jumper at the gate, press the FIRE BUTTON and he'll begin his run down the slope. When he passes the yellow flag near the bottom of the take-off run, press the FIRE BUTTON to launch him. The longer you wait to press the FIRE BUTTON the farther you will go, but be careful not to press it too late!

A split-screen will show your jumper's position and the hill below. You'll get the most distance by maintaining a stable diagonal position throughout the 'flight'. During flight: move the joystick forward to raise his ski tips, back to drop them. Push the joystick left and right to maintain your jumper's body position. Maintain control of both jumper and his skis to extend his flight -- and to land him safely. Each jumper has three attempts to out-distance his opponents. Distance jumped will appear on the screen when he's landed safely.

BIATHLON
This combination skiing-and-shooting event begins with cross-country skiing down a hill. Press the FIRE BUTTON to start and move the joystick left and right in rhythm. Keep pace with the red heart at the bottom of the screen for fastest skiing. When you finish the skiing course, a shooting range replaces the ski slope. There are five targets in each set. Cock your rifle by moving the joystick down, then up. Sight your target and press the FIRE BUTTON to shoot. Remember you're participating in an event where time is important so shoot quickly, but carefully (there is a 5-second penalty for each target missed).

When you are finished on the rifle range, the skiing screen returns and you must ski back up the course. At the top of the course you'll shoot again at the rifle range. Ski downhill again and return for a final try at the rifle range. Ski to the rifle range and shoot each target (three sets of five targets for a total of 15 targets) as quickly as possible. The competitor with the fewest number of misses wins the event.

SPEED SKATING
In this event, the first skater to reach the finish line will earn the best score. At the start you will have the READY/SET/GO sequence. Move the joystick left and right in rhythm to gain speed. Your time will be displayed in the center of the screen on the time indicators.

Notes:
SKATING has a computer opponent when played alone. The left joystick controls the top player and the right joystick controls the bottom player.

HOT DOG
In this ski acrobatics event, jumpers compete one at a time. The aim is to pile up points by performing as many tricks as possible in the time allotted. Press the FIRE BUTTON to start down the slope. Unlike the SKI JUMP event, you don't need to press the FIRE BUTTON again to jump. Choose your jumper's tricks by moving the joystick in one of the four possible directions: forward for a "daffy"; right for a forward flip; back for a 'swan'; left for a backward flip. Press the FIRE BUTTON to turn your jumper around but remember to press the FIRE BUTTON again before landing. Each trick has its own point score, based on the degree of difficulty, and the points accumulate as each trick is successfully performed. You also earn points, and a greater cumulative score, for each flip or turn (backward or forward) you perform while in flight.

Your jumper must land facing forward, right side up -- or he crashes and faults. After landing, you may press the FIRE BUTTON upon passing the yellow flag -- and get 1.0 for a standing daffy (but you might not want to take the risk!). Each jumper has three tries to earn the best score.

LUGE
LUGE is similar to the BOBSLED event. The central difference in this speed event is that you won't have a partner to help you steer your sled down the chute. One man takes the luge down a special luge chute designed for speed. Zip along the track, braking as you go by pressing the FIRE BUTTON. (The 'bobbing' option doesn't exist in luge.) Use the same left-right motions on the joystick as in the bobsled event to choose the direction of your turn. You will have three tries to make it quickly, and safely down the chute.