Vector

Getting started

Double-clicking on the !Vector icon in the desktop starts the game in the usual way. A loading screen will appear, then after a short pause you will see the high-score tables.

From the score tables, you can use the following keys:

SPACE - start a new game from level 1
P - enter a password
L - see the results of the last game
S - change the sound options (use the arrow keys to navigate)
ESCAPE - return to desktop (at any time)

Playing the game

In Vector, you control not your position or the speed that you are moving, but the acceleration.

A line shows the direction in which you are currently accelerating. If you wish to continue at the same speed, you must reduce the line until it disappears. If you wish to slow down, you must accelerate in the opposite direction to your motion.

Getting used to the controls isn't easy, but then that's the idea of the game!

The keys that can be used during the game are:

Z - left
X - right
' - up
/ - down
P - pause game
Q - quit - lets you start the level again when you've gone wrong
SHIFT-Q - give up and lose all lives

You begin the game with five lives.

The object of the game

The aim in each level is to extinguish all of the illuminated tiles. In the first level there is one red tile. Simply move onto it to complete the level.

In later levels, there are green tiles which must be touched twice to switch them off. You must move onto the tile once, then move away from it, then onto it a second time.

Similarly, blue tiles must be touched three times.

Every time you complete a level, you will receive a password so that in the future you can start from the next level instead of from level 1. Although you receive a score for completing a level, the real aim of the game is to complete all 100 levels - and they are all possible!

Time limits and penalties

As you attempt a level, a green bar moves across the screen from the left.

If you either

1. go off the edge of the screen or
2. move onto a wall or block (in later levels)

a buzzer sounds and a red bar will appear from the right of the screen, usually considerably faster than the green one!

If the green and red bars meet, you will explode and must start the level again.

When a level first appears, and before you start moving, two numbers are displayed at the bottom of the screen. These indicate how quickly the two bars will move across the screen (low number = slow bar; high number = fast bar). You should take notice of these as they may influence how you go about the level.

Special tiles

In addition to the 1-, 2- and 3-hit tiles, there are a number of special tiles...

• Some tiles have an exclamation mark on them. If you move back onto such a tile when you have already turned it off, it will switch on again.
• Red, green and blue crosses will switch back on 1, 2 or 3 tiles if you touch them.
• Yellow sticky pads will stop you dead, so are usually very useful.
• White bouncy tiles make you bounce away in the opposite direction if you hit them.
• Some tiles are numbered. These can only be switched off in reverse order, i.e. 4,3,2,1.
• Finally, some levels contain teleporters. Green arrows show where you may enter a teleporter and red arrows show where you will emerge. If there is more than one teleporter in a level, you will have to discover which are connected for yourself!

As I've already mentioned, Vector isn't the easiest game to get into. But if I can play it, hardened gamers shouldn't have too much trouble! I'd be interested to hear how other people get on!

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