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Welcome to Project 64!

The goal of Project 64 is to preserve Commodore 64 related documents
in electronic text format that might otherwise cease to exist with the
rapid advancement of computer technology and declining interest in 8-
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for these limitations, alterations, and possible omissions.

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or modification to this etext.

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The Project 64 etext of the Shadow of the Beast manual.  Converted to
etext by "Frank" Jeno E. Kontros <jeno@kontr.uzhgorod.ua>, the Non
Stop Cracker.

SHABEA10.TXT, September 1996, etext #82.

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SHADOW OF THE BEAST  (c) 1990 Psygnosis Ltd. All Rights Reserved.

Fight  your  way through many different regions in order to reach
the heart of the enemy's fort and face your ultimate adversary!


LOADING

IMPORTANT:  ENSURE THE MACHINE IS SWITCHED OFF.  NEVER ATTEMPT TO
INSERT OR REMOVE THE GAME CARTRIDGE WITH THE POWER ON.

Next  insert  the  cartridge,  with the label facing towards you,
into the cartridge port.  On the  C64 and 64C  the cartridge port
is the furthest right socket on the back of the machine.

On  successful  completion of the above instructions,  the game's
title screen should appear after a few seconds of having switched
on  your  machine.  If the title page fails to appear then switch
off the power and repeat the above procedure.


THE GAME

Many  years ago,  on  a moonless night,  a small child was stolen
away  from  its  unsuspecting  parents.  Its mysterious abductors
carried  it  far across the land to the mighty temple Necropolis.
There the child as accepted by the mages of darkness, warrior
priests of the Beast Lord.

Deep below the temple  the child was escorted,  passing through a
labyrinth of rooms and passes to the Chambers of Creation.  There
the evil mages worked their dark arts creating strange creatures,
plants  and traps to guard the Beast's stronghold.  For the child
they had a special purpose,  but first came years of preparation.
Secret  potions concocted from the blood of rare creatures slowly
transformed  his  appearance  -  turning  him from a human into a
strange creature of incredible power, agility and strength.  Deep
hypnosis caused him to erase memories of his past life completely
and become the warrior messenger of the Beast.

Many  years  passed  in  his  service to the temple as he grew to
maturity.  Then  one  day  he discovered an awful secret  --  the
horrible truth about his past ... a truth that now leads him on a
trail of total and bloody revenge against his masters.

You were that child. Now the time has come to enter the Shadow of
the Beast!


IN SEARCH OF THE BEAST

In the grounds of Necropolis all was silent and still.  The moon,
low  and  large on the horizon,  threw long dark shadows into the
corners and a cool blue light across the stony ground, disguising
the  blood-red  stains  on  the  sacrificial stone.  Not a single
creature stirred to disrupt the tranquillity, not a leaf moved on
the nearby trees.  There was not a trace of life in that sinister
place  but  for a single point of light glinting against the age-
worn face of a statue.

Up  there  in the huge arms of deity's image sat a lone creature.
In its powerful hand it clutched a Globe of Seeing which is moved
slowly from side to side examining it's reflected features. As it
did so it recalled the events of that day:  the frightened humans
being  herded into the central courtyard,  the pathetic pleas for
help  as  they  were dragged one by one to the sacrificial stone;
the final air-rending screams as the knife came down in one swift
arc and the life blood ran.

And then a tired, resigned face being pushed towards the stone, a
face that seemed of some importance to him. Yet how could that be
when the lives of these people meant nothing to him?  And, as the
gleaming  blade  struck home,  he recognized the agonized face of
his  father  and suddenly the painful memories of all he had been
came flooding back to him.

His masters had done this to him.  They had been responsible  for
all that he was, and the loss of all he might have been. Well now
they  warrior  would  stop  killing  for his masters and begin to
exact his revenge.


THE WARRIOR'S OBJECTIVE

You  must  fight  your  way  through several different regions in
order  to reach the heart of the enemy's stronghold and face your
ultimate  adversary.  Any creatures you encounter will invariably
be hostile and will cause damage when they come into contact with
you. Contact can be avoided by punching or kicking creatures away
from  you  before they get too close,  or by shooting them if you
have a weapon.

Each  time  you  are damaged your heart-rate will increase.  Your
current heart-rate is shown on the monitor in the top left corner
of the screen.  If your heart-rate gets too high your hearts will
burst, resulting in instant death.

During  your  attack  on  the  stronghold  you  will find various
artefacts which can be used to assist you on your quest.  Some of
these items,  keys for instance,  will be collected for later use
when  you move over them.  Items that you have in your possession
will  be  shown  at the top of the screen.  Other items,  such as
potions will have an instant effect which is shown on screen when
you move over the item.

There are also weapons that can be collected at certain points in
the  game.  These  are  used  instead  of punching and kicking to
destroy  your opponents.  Certain creatures can only be destroyed
by  special weapons.  It is up to you to discover the best way to
use  the  artefacts  you find and how to tackle the creatures you
encounter.


CONTROLLING THE WARRIOR

Use the joystick to control the warrior's movements.

               JUMP/UP (USE EXIT)

                      ^
                      |
                      |
      MOVE LEFT <-----+-----> MOVE RIGHT
                      |
                      |
                      |

                 CROUCH/DOWN

Press the fire button to punch,  or kick (while jumping).  If you
have  a  weapon  in your possession,  pressing fire will fire the
weapon rather than punching or kicking.

Moving the joystick up or down will normally cause the warrior to
jump  or crouch.  If,  however,  you are standing on or against a
ladder  moving  the joystick up or down will cause the warrior to
ascend or descend.

There are exits between areas.  If an exits is facing you, simply
walk into it to use it.  If an exit is to one side of you,  stand
next to it, and then push the joystick up to use it.

It is also wise to watch your step. The warrior can survive short
falls,  but  stepping  into  a pit or off a high ledge will prove
fatal.


C64 & 64C ONLY

Pressing P at any stage will pause the game. Fire the joystick to
restart. Pressing the RUN/STOP key will restart the game from any
point.

Do  not  hope  for  good  luck. Your survival will depend on your
skill and ingenuity alone.


CREDITS

(c) 1990 Psygnosis Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
Psygnosis is a registered trademark of Psygnosis Ltd.
Shadow of the Beast cover illustration is copyright (c) 1989
Psygnosis Ltd./Roger Dean.

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End of the Project 64 etext of the Shadow of the Beast manual.

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