* When you start the game, you will be put into a surrealistic landscape. Almost immediately, an enemy will appear on the screen. You will know this by a warning sound the machine makes plus the enemy will show up on your radar. First of all, this game will be very different because you must look through a periscope apparatus. This is to give the feeling of being confined in a tank. Get used to limited movement of your head and use your eyes to quickly take in the entire battlefield in a glance.

* You must be able to identify different sounds in this game. Sounds you need to know are :
1) The warning that an enemy is on the battlefield.
2) The sound of an incoming missile.
3) The sound of a shot being fired (by you or at you).
4) The sound of the saucer.
5) The joyous sound of actually destroying something.
6) The sound when your tank bumps into an object (enemy unit or battlefield obstacle).

* Your field of vision is approximately 45 degrees. This means you will have to learn to use your radar effectively for anything out of your field of vision. The 45 degree wedge always faces forward (your line of site). Enemies (except the saucer) will show up on your radar as a dot. Plus you will hear the beep as the radar sweep continues to cross over it.

* Be not only aware of where the enemies are, but also where the obstacles are also. There's nothing more frustrating then having the perfect shot lined up, or the perfect escape planned when you run into something. This is especially true when you are moving backwards.

* In order to line up with an enemy tank, you must turn your entire tank toward the enemy. The turret and tank are one piece versus being able to turn the turret independently of the tank.

* You can only have one shot out at a time. This can prove to be the difference between life and death since if you fire a stray shot, you must wait for that shot to hit an object or disappear into the horizon before your tank is loaded again. This can take a couple of seconds. On the same note, the enemy tanks also work under this restriction. In other words, make sure you have your target lined up before taking a shot.

* The game starts out giving you the standard tanks. These tanks move slower then your tanks so they are pretty easy to kill. After scoring 20,000 points (not including the points earned for killing the flying saucers), however, the Supertanks make their appearance. These tanks are much quicker then your tank so you have to take them out quickly.

* Tank killing isn't actually too hard once you get the rhythm of how to do it down. There are a few methods for killing tanks :

1) When the tank first appears on your radar, turn around so that you are facing it, but keep moving. The enemy tank will of course take a shot at your tank. It aims at where you are, not at where you are going. When you hear the sound of an enemy tank shooting at you, move away from the line of fire and launch an attack before the enemy tank can fire again. Never drive straight toward an enemy tank. You'll put yourself in the line of fire. Use wide arching turns or a zigzagging path.

2) Now, move backwards and turn slightly in the same direction of where the enemy tank is. In other words, if the enemy tank is slightly to your left, then go backwards while turning your own tank to the left. You may even see the enemy's tank shot appear in your field of vision. That means you have the right angle on the turn. Be cautious when backing up. You don't want to back into enemy fire.

3) At the same time you are moving backwards, the enemy tank will be moving up to engage your tank. Continue the above until the enemy tank is practically on top of your tank. Then rapidly turn left or right and hit him with a point-blank shot. Sometimes the enemy tank hits yours. Just like an obstacle, the enemy tank will back up and speed away. Turn rapidly to hit him before he can set up for a shot. Again, the Supertanks recover much quicker then the standard tanks.

4) This will work on both regular tanks and Supertanks. The difference is the fact that Supertanks close the distance much quicker than regular tanks.

5) Another way is to put an obstacle between yourself and the enemy tank. When an enemy tank hits an obstacle, they back up and move quickly away for a brief moment before they turn again to fire on your tank. If you are good, you can 'lead' the target when they are backing up or going forward and score a kill that way. Of course, this method is much more difficult. Beware : Rectangular blocks are too low to offer protection.

* Don't attempt to outrun a Supertank. They can easily catch up to you. Plus, they like to get behind your tank to blast you from the rear. Nothing like not hearing the shot that destroys your tank.

* Another battlefield hazard is the missile. The first missile is dependent on the score setting. It is an easy one that comes straight for your tank. Just sit there and blow it apart. After that, though, things aren't as easy. As with the tanks, there is a method and certain rhythm to taking out missiles.

1) The missile will come down and take a hard turn to the right (as you are facing it). Then it will take a hard turn to the left. Then another hard turn to the right to hit your tank.

2) You can stay still and just turn your tank slightly. When the missile is turning to the left, fire ahead of it and you can destroy it.

3) Move backwards and turn toward your left. That way the missile will go across your field of vision before it makes its right turn again.

4) When the missile comes, move backward and take a 'blind' shot. You may get lucky. Even if you don't, moving backwards will enable you to get another shot. However, use patience when firing at missiles. If the first 'blind' shot misses, don't fire the next shot until after the missile has travelled at least part way up the screen because it can alter its course randomly and hitting it takes time.

5) If you are really good, you can wait until it takes the last turn to the right toward your tank. Spin around and hit it like that. This is a very rough shot to execute.

6) If you mess up, sometimes you can move forward and to the right to cause the missile to miss. You also can usually cause a miss by putting tall (not the short ones you can shoot over) obstacles in your way.

7) Regardless of method, make sure there are not obstacles between you and the missile. The missile is capable of jumping all obstacles and it will also eliminate the missile's pattern. Nothing like a missile jumping over an obstacle and landing on top of your tank.

8) For multiple missiles, you will have to adjust your direction so that when the next missile lands, it will be centered in your gunsight. You can also confirm this by using your radar.

* You will usually get a missile after about five tanks. Missiles usually come in twos or threes to make your life more exciting. They appear more frequently after you've earned 10,000 points. The first missile will also appear if you don't fire a shot within the first 45 seconds of play.

* Beware of Flying Saucers! They can't attack your tank, but they can create quite a distraction. Don't forget while you're going after the high scores, the enemy tank is still aiming and firing at you.

* Saucers are a great way to earn points. They are, unfortunately, on the battlefield when other enemies are present. If you have a safe, clear shot, then go for them. If not, you can still take a pot shot at them.
This is usually when you are spinning your tank around to deal with another enemy. If a saucer happens to be in the way, take a shot at it. You don't get points, however, if an enemy tank takes out a saucer.

* If you do want to try for the big points that flying saucers bring, listen for the warning sound and try to fire while the enemy tank is waiting for its last shot to land...but make sure it doesn't land on you.

* Another great thing about this game is that you will only have to deal with one enemy at a time. For example, if the missile appears, then the tank will disappear so you can concentrate on the missile.

* After destroying an enemy tank, prepare for the worst. Although there aren't formal levels to the game, Battlezone responds to your successes by increasing the speed and ferocity of enemy attacks.