Summer Games [Model 08519R]

Summer Games © 1987 Epyx, Incorporated.

SUMMER GAMES is a series of seven exciting competitive events. Up to eight players can enter this international contest, choosing a single 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. Events vary from head-to-head races like hurdles, sprints, swimming and rowing, to solo events like skeet and gymnastics. Win an event either by scoring a faster time or by piling up more points than your opponent. The nation that wins the most events takes home the gold medal!

HURDLES: The object of this event is to jump all the hurdles as fast as you can. Press the FIRE BUTTON to begin READY/SET/GO sequence. There is an overhead view of the track in the center of the screen showing which runner is ahead. At GO push the joystick to the right and hold it there until you near the first hurdle. Jump hurdles by "tapping" the joystick UP as your runner approaches each hurdle (holding the joystick up for too long slows your man down). Push the joystick right to sprint again once you've cleared the hurdle. Just as in live competition, crashing into hurdles costs valuable time. And the harder you crash, the more 'get-up' time you're docked. First one to the finish live wins.

SWIMMING: Like the hurdling event, swimming begins with a READY/SET/GO sequence when you press the FIRE BUTTON. Anticipate the gun (GO) and press the joystick to the right early to get a good start (but not too early or you'll fault). Gain speed by hitting the FIRE BUTTON on each down stroke, just as your swimmer's arm reaches the water. Turn quickly at the pool's end by tapping the joystick left before you hit the wall. Time the strokes and the turns well and splash home to victory. The first swimmer to finish his laps wins.

SKEET SHOOTING: Targets are launched from the right or the left of the firing range when you press the FIRE BUTTON. Move the joystick left or right, up, or down to sight the target and shoot by pressing the FIRE BUTTON. Shoot at either one or two targets from each of the eight shooting posts. Adjust your aim carefully and quickly before you fire (keep in mind that there is a slight gravitational pull on your sight as you aim). The shooter with the most hits out of 25 wins the medal.

100-YARD DASH: The 100-yard dash is a speed event. Runners line up on two parallel tracks, as in the Hurdles event. Press the FIRE BUTTON to start. At GO (but not before) move the joystick as fast as you can in any direction to make your runner sprint. Keep the joystick moving in all directions as fast as you can until your runner reaches the finish line. The fastest time wins.

SWIMMING RELAY: Three-man teams compete against one another in this extended version of the Swimming competition. Press the FIRE BUTTON to start the READY/SET/GO sequence. As in the swimming event, anticipate the gun (GO) and press the joystick right early to get a good start. Press the FIRE BUTTON just as the swimmer's arm reaches the water on the down stroke to gain speed. As he nears the right side of the pool, tap the joystick to the left before he hits the wall to turn him around. Remember that each member of your relay team swims two laps; as the first swimmer nears the left side of the pool, anticipate his arrival and the tap the joystick right. Be careful not to tap the joystick too early or you will lose time! Follow the same sequence for each swimmer on your team. The first team to finish wins.

GYMNASTICS: In this event, only one athlete competes at a time. The winner is determined by points gained in special maneuvers during his routine. The initial screen shows your gymnast ready to start his run at the pommel horse. Press the FIRE BUTTON to start your man running toward the horse; press it again as he nears it to initiate a mount. Once mounted, your gymnast holds the pommel horse bar and circles the horse's axis in a rhythmic motion. Points are give for mounting and dismounting correctly (0.5 each), for traversing the horse (0.5), and for each 360 degree spin the gymnast makes (.005). Points are subtracted for incorrect hand placement (0.1), for moving in the wrong direction (.1), for falling off the end of the horse (1.0 - automatic disqualification), and for faulty dismounts (1.0).

The upper screen shows your gymnast in motion on the pommel horse. The lower screen shows your gymnast's hand position by a pair of dots that follow his motion up and down the horse. Increase his speed as he revolves about the horse's axis by pushing the joystick left just before he moves across the bottom of the pommel horse. Push it to the right as he approaches the top of the horse. If you're quick, you can increase speed faster by pushing the joystick right (or left) more than once. Your athlete will slow down if you fail to press the joystick right and left, but he'll keep on the horse and in motion. Move the joystick up to move him to the top of the horse, move it down for your gymnast to reach the 'south' end. (Up-to-down or down-to-up is a full transversal). Remember he can fall off the end and be disqualified! Watch the hand and body movements of your gymnast to determine when to push the joystick up or down. (If he's moving to the bottom of the horse, and his hands are close together, then the bottom one should be moved...) Remember that you can only move the hand that is in the air (the smaller dot) so you must time your movements carefully. There is a one-minute time limit with a maximum of 10 points to be earned. When it is time to dismount, you'll hear a warning bell. Good Luck!