Dominator

PENETRATE DOMINATE CONQUER

D O M I N A T O R

O P E R A T I O N M A N U A L

We at System 3 are continuing in our endeavour to provide you, the games'
player, with hours of exciting entertainment through challenging and
imaginative gameplay. And the latest product of this endeavour is now at hand
... DOMINATOR.

Dominator is a 'shoot 'em up'. But like all System 3 products, it is designed
with a difference. To create a new genre in this type of home computer
software.

A four load product, Dominator oozes dynamic arcade-style action. It has
breathtaking graphics and animated gaming zones which scroll both horizontally
and vertically.

YOU are the "Dominator"; the sole survivor of a 'crack' air fighting team,
called upon by fellow mankind to confront and destroy an horrendous threat to
Earth's existence. Duty compels you to venture inside and destroy the menace by
obliterating its vital organs.

We wish you good luck with our exciting new product and look forward to
entertaining you long into the future.

Mark Cale

Shrouded by a veil of secrecy, a latent vacuum in the cosmos was to give rise
to the dawning of a new era. The words "death" and "destruction" needed
reclassification as the gradual metamorphosis of the ultimate killing machine
spelt out the fate of whole galaxies. It had begun to move...

Millions of miles away lies Earth. A planet once wrenched into unwanted
confrontation with an amoral and hideous alien race, wanting merely to expand
its catalogue of occupied star systems. Men, women and children had fought the
unwanted visitors. Only hope fired their existence, fuelled by the bravery,
determination and sheer guts of Earth's 'crack' defence fighter pilot team.

"They pulled us through" went the cries on the streets when the 'visitors' were
eventually beaten, and beaten well. Compassionate tears flowed for these men as
Earth mourned the closest ever annihilation of its population. Bloodstained
lives entwined to rebuild with a passion and commitment never seen before.

That was then; this is now. Only one hero pilot remains alive.

He is the sole survivor of a unit that had been allowed to grow old and dwindle
back into the earth for which it had fought so proud. A false sense of security
infiltrates the star system as no new blood contemplates the rigorous training
and commitment of such a future.

This man is bitter. He shuns society for its broken promises. He yearns to lose
himself in battle once again, reminiscing friends and times that had been, and
relentlessly he polishes his beloved battle weary spacecraft with the broken
depiction "DOMINATOR" scrawled along its side. In those earlier years he was
known as the 'Dominator', a title he strived to keep whenever his vision was
blurred by nostalgia.

Warnings, S.O.S's and stories of total planet absorbtion had been banded around
a terrified solar system for some time now but had been conveniently overlooked
by spineless, bureaucratic so-called 'leaders'.

And now it was too late. This was incomprehensible. This was immense. Its vast
appetite was closing in on Earth and the putrid smell of partly digested
nations hung ominously in space above a society that had refused to believe
that its very existence would ever again be in question.

W h o c o u l d f i g h t ?

Who would dare go inside this mutant horror and battle against its bodily
defence mechanisms, to obliterate its sustaining organs, to stop its crazed
hunger stampede across the universe?

It started an enquiring whisper, mounting into a crescendo of international
hope and worship.

Mankind needs you, the 'Dominator' ... You need to fight ... IT NEEDS TO FEED
...

LOADING INSTRUCTIONS

Set up your computer system as detailed in your user manual. Ensure that all
non essential peripherals - such as cartridges, printers, etc. are
disconnected. Failure to do so may cause loading difficulties.

1) If you are using your Commodore 64/128 with the cassette version of
DOMINATOR...

Connect your data cassette player and switch your computer and TV/monitor
on. C128 owners should now select C64 mode by typing GO64, pressing RETURN
then Y, then RETURN again.

Insert the DOMINATOR cassette into the data cassette player, ensuring that
it is fully rewound.

Hold down the SHIFT and RUN/STOP keys on the computer together. Then press
the PLAY key on the data cassette player. The game should then load.

Refer to the multi-load instruction section of this Operation Manual.

2) If you are using your Commodore 64/128 with the disk version of DOMINATOR...

Connect your disk drive to your computer and switch the disk drive, computer
and TV/monitor on. C128 owners should now select C64 mode by typing GO64,
pressing RETURN, then Y, then RETURN again.

Insert the DOMINATOR disk into the disk drive, label side up. Now type
LOAD"*",8,1 and hit RETURN. The game should then load.

Refer to the multi-load instruction section of this Operation Manual.

3) If you are using your Amstrad CPC 464, 664 or 6128 with the cassette version
of DOMINATOR...

Switch your TV/monitor and computer ON.

If your computer has a built-in disk-drive you should now connect a
compatible cassette player to your computer. Then type '|'tape and hit
RETURN. Now your computer will be ready to load data from the tape. To
obtain the '|' symbol, press the SHIFT key and @ key together.

Insert the DOMINATOR cassette into the tape player. Ensure that the cassette
label marked side one is facing upwards and that the cassette is fully
rewound.

Press the CTRL and small ENTER keys together, then press the PLAY button on
your cassette player. The game should then load.

Refer to the multi-load instruction section of this Operation Manual.

4) If you are using your Amstrad CPC 464, 664 or 6128 with the diskette version
of DOMINATOR...

If your computer has a built in cassette player, first switch your computer
OFF and connect a compatible disk-drive to your computer. Now switch the
disk-drive and the computer ON. Then type "|" disc and hit RETURN. Now your
computer will be ready to load data from disk.

Insert the DOMINATOR diskette into your disk-drive, label side up.

Type RUN" DISC" then hit the ENTER key.

Refer to the multi-load instruction section of this Operation Manual.

5) If you are using your ZX Spectrum, Spectrum+, Spectrum 48K, Spectrum 128K,
Spectrum +2 with the cassette version of DOMINATOR...

Connect your cassette player to your Spectrum as advised in the user manual.

As you are using a joystick insert the necessary interfaces NOW.

Switch your TV/monitor, cassette player and computer ON. If your Spectrum
now displays a menu screen you may select with 48K or 128K Basic.

Insert the DOMINATOR cassette into the cassette player, with the cassette
label marked side one facing upwards. Ensure that the cassette is fully
rewound.

6) Type LOAD" " and then hit the ENTER key. Now press the PLAY button on your
cassette player. The game should now load.

ATTENTION ALL SPECTRUM CASSETTE USERS!
When the game is loaded, press STOP on your tape recorder. When you have
completed a load and have pressed the YES request, press PLAY on your tape
recorder.

Refer to the multi-load instruction section of this Operation Manual.

If you are using your Atari ST, Amiga or Spectrum +3 with the diskette version
of Dominator...

Connect your disk drive to your computer - if your computer features a built-in
disk drive you will not have to do this. Insert the Dominator diskette into the
disk drive, label side up. Switch your TV/monitor, computer and disk drive ON.
For ST and Amiga users the game will now load automatically. Spectrum +3 users
should then press RETURN and the game will load automatically.

Refer to the multi-load instruction section of this Operation Manual.

MULTI-LOAD INSTRUCTIONS

DOMINATOR is a multi-load game. Each level will be loaded as you complete the
previous one. This means that to enjoy continuous play you MUST keep your
DOMINATOR cassette in your data cassette player, or your DOMINATOR disk in your
disk drive, at all times during a session with the game. On screen prompts will
appear when you complete a level, telling you what to do next.

When loading cassette versions of the game you will be prompted to turn over
the tape, rewind fully and load the next level.

ATTENTION ALL CASSETTE USERS!

Because DOMINATOR is a multi-load game you may have some loading difficulties.
If these problems continue please consult System 3 Software on 01-866 5692

GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS

The movements of your spacecraft are controlled by up, down, and left and right
movements of the joystick. Use the fire button to fire your weapons.

To begin your spacecraft is equipped with a pulse canon. Weaponary may be added
to and bonus points collected by picking up or shooting at weapon/bonus icons.
Picking up or shooting weapon icons results in the addition of one item from
the following arsenal:
REAR GUNS
LASER
BLASTER CANON
AUTO FIRE
With the exception of Amiga and Atari owners each level is begun afresh i.e.
without any additional weaponary or bonus items acquired in the previous level.

FOR SPECTRUM AND AMSTRAD OWNERS

You begin Dominator with 5 lives and 0 points: the game continues until all
these lives are lost.

Weapon and bonus icons appear identically as metallic disks. Picking up or
shooting one of these disks results randomly in the acquisition of additional
weaponry listed in the GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS section or in one of the following
bonus items:
AN EXTRA LIFE
A 1000 POINT BONUS
THE ADDITION OF SMART BOMB
WEAPONARY TO YOUR SPACECRAFT
A 'CHEAT' MODE INDICATED BY YOUR
SPACECRAFT TURNING RED

FOR COMMODORE OWNERS

You begin Dominator with 4 lives and 0 points: the game continues until all
these lives are lost.

Weapon icons appear as 'gun pods'. You may also pick up or shoot one of the
following bonus items:
EXTRA SPEED appears as a T shape contained in a diamond.

EXTRA LIFE for achieving the first 20,000 points and for every
50,000 points thereafter.

500 POINT BONUS for hitting certain 'mystery' parts of the
background.

FOR AMIGA AND ST OWNERS

You begin Dominator with 4 lives and 0 points: the game continues until all
these lives are lost.

Weapon icons resemble the weapon you are picking up or shooting. Weaponary
acquired is carried throughout the game from one level to the next with the
exception of auto fire which is on a time limit and therefore needs to be
continuously reacquired.

Bonus icons resemble a question mark and when picked up or shot reward you with
one of the following:
AN EXTRA LIFE
BONUS POINTS
THE ADDITION OF SMART BOMB
WEAPONARY TO YOUR SPACE CRAFT.

(C) 1989 System Three Software Ltd. All rights reserved.