Thunderbirds

Console:	Sinclair ZX Spectrum
TV Standard:	Region Not Set
Developer(s):	Grandslam
Publisher(s):	MCM Software
Release Date:	1989-01-02
Players:	1
Co-op:	No
ESRB:	Not Rated
Type:	Adventure

THUNDERBIRDS
============

You have just joined THUNDERBIRDS the famous INTERNATIONAL
RESCUE team. Can you help the Tracy Family, Brains, Lady
Penelope and Parker solve MINE MENACE, SUB CRASH, BANK
JOB and ATOMIC TERROR.

THE SCENARIO

THe year is 2063. On a remote island in the Pacific Ocean
lives retired industrialist Jeff Tracy and his sons. To
the outside world they are the 'idle rich'. The reality
is something different.

Deep under the island is an underground complex. This is
the base of International Rescue, an organisation dedicated
to the saving of lives.

Orbiting high above is Thunderbird 5, a space station
monitoring all radio signals for a hint of an emergency.
Within Tracy Island are Thunderbirds 1,2,3 and 4. All ready
at a moments notice to be launched to any point on the earth
or in space. The International Rescue organisation is headed
by Jeff Tracy and the vehicles piloted by his sons Alan,
Gordon, John, Virgil and Scott.

All the Thunderbirds craft were designed and built by a
brilliant scientist and engineer Horatio Hackenback the III,
known within Thunderbirds as 'Brains'. International Rescue
is a secret organization, and for it to continue to function
it must protect the identity of its agents and the location
of its base and craft. To help in this it uses many agents
around the world who's job it is to get information about
possible threats.

The British agents who are Thunderbirds most able team are
Lady Penelope and her butler Parker, for Penelope, being a
English aristocrat is often a useful cover. As well as having
to contend with natural disasters the Thunderbirds also have
an arch-enemy, the Hood, who has sworn to stop at nothing
until he has stolen the secret designs of all the
Thunderbirds craft.

You have joined International Rescue, it is your task to
save lives across the world and stop the evil Hood.

Jeff Tracy Esg
Tracy Island
South Pacific Ocean.

Dear Agent,

I am happy to welcome you to International Rescue. We all feel
that you will make an invaluable contribution to our effort
here. Your purpose will be to co-ordinate each mission from
the Thunderbird craft at the site. It will be your responsibility
to guide other members of your team engaged in the Mission.
They are counting on your quick thinking and insight to get
them through any tough situations. We are confident that you
are the right person for the job, good luck and F.A.B.

Jeff Tracy

P.S. Don't forgel your Thunderbirds code of honour i.e.

1. You must not use your real name or any name of other
Thunderhird agents on unencoded transmissions.

2. You must never reveal the location of International
Rescue base or any of its operatives.

3. You must never reveal any of the technology that
powers Thunderbirds vehicles.

4. Never allow yourself or any agent, or any craft to be
photographed/video recorded while involved in a mission.

5. Never give up however impossible the problem seems
that you must overcome.

6. Always remember you are part of a team - "team work
saves lives".

7. International Rescue exists to save lives, you must
do this above all else.

BASIC PLAY

The Thunderbirds computer game is in 4 parts of increasing
difficulty. The objectives of each part is detailed later
in this guide. You can control two Thunderbirds characters,
one at a time. The character which is under control can be
moved around the 'Action area' under your control to perform
certain tasks. These must be performed to solve various
problems and puzzles which block your progress to the
objective of the Mission.

Objects

To help you solve your individual tasks you can take 4 objects
from a selection of 6. Each character carries 2. The choice of
what to take is yours, experience will help you decide the
objects that are best suited for each Mission and who should
take it.

Other objects will be discovered in the Mission locations,
these can be used individually or together with another
object.

Controls

A character may drop an object which may then be picked up and
used by another.

You may control your Thunderbirds character with either the
keyboard or joystick. The following keys are used.

O — climb up or enter lift (joystick up)
K — climb down or drop/pickup object (joystick down)
Z — go left (joystick left)
X — go right (joystick right)
Return — use highlighted object (joystick fire)
Space — swap character
1 — Highlight object 1
2 — Highlight object 2
H - Help, which names the objects the character is holding.

If you wish to abort the Mission at any time you may do so by
pressing shift and Q f at the same time.

Hints

To complete Thunderbirds we recommend that you make maps of
each Mission with notes as to the location and use of objects.
All Missions are solvable within the time provided.

Screen Layout

The screen displays all the information you require. To the
top left are the character displays. These show you the
characters you are currently working with, together with a
picture of each Thunderbird are the objects they are carrying
and a health level If the health level reaches zero then that
character is unconscious and the Mission will be aborted.
If one of the objects is highlighted then this indicates that
this object is active and may be 'used'.

Text

Below the character display is a text line which shows any
words that any of the characters may say. You should read
this as sometimes it contains clues as to what you should do.

Time

In the top right of the screen is a timer, all your missions
are a race against time. The clock will begin at a maximum
of 99 and count down to zero. If it reaches zero and you have
not completed your task the Mission is aborted The later
Missions have less time to complete, so planning your moves
is vital.

Loading THUNDERBIRDS on your 8 bit Computer.

If you have a Spectrum, Amstrad CPC, MSX or C64 then follow
these loading instructions.

SPECTRUM, AMSTRAD, MSX and C64 CASSETTES

The game has four levels located on 2 tapes, a level on
each side. Place the tape containing the level you wish
to play in the tape deck and rewind the side that has that
level on it.

SPECTRUM: Enter LOAD"" and press RETURN, or if you have
a PLUS 2 or 3 use the loader option from the Main Menu.

AMSTRAD : Press CTRL and little ENTER and PLAY on cassette.

MSXEnter BLOAD "CAS:",R and press return.

C64Shift/Run-Stop and press PLAY on tape deck.

SPECTRUM AND AMSTRAD DISKS

The game has four levels located on 1 disk, two levels
on eitherb side. Place the disk in the disk drive with
the level you want facing upwards.

SPECTRUM: Use the loader option from the Main Menu.

AMSTRAD: Enter | CPM and press Return.
(NB. The | symbol is created by pressing shift and
the @ key together.)

C64 DISKS

The game has four levels located on 2 disks, a level on
each side. Place a disk into the disk drive with the
level you want facing upwards. Enter LOAD"*",8,1 and
press RETURN.

Loading THUNDERBIRDS on your 16 bit Computer.

If you have a Atari ST or Amiga then follow these
loading instructions:

Atari ST

If you have one drive. Place disk 1 in drive A and switch
on the computer. Follow instructions as when to change
disks. Users who own a second drive may place disk two
in drive B. No further disk operations will be necessary.

Amiga

If you have one drive. Place disk 1 in drive 0 and switch
on the computer. Follow instructions as when to change
disks. Users who own a second drive may place disk two
in drive 1 or drive 2. No further disk operations will
be necessary.

IBM/PC + 100% compatibles see disk for loading instructions.

MISSION 1 - MINE MENACE

An explosion has destroyed the lifting gear in the Santa
Peuablo Mine leaving 2 Miners trapped in the mine cage
deep below the surface.

Conventional rescue services will arrive in a couple of
hours - this will be too late - the mine is flooding from
a damaged valve on the mine's pumping station. Alan, Virgil
and Brains are to attempt a rescue using TB2 to pull the
cage up the shaft to safety. To do this both Alan and Brains
must reach the stricken men to attach the grab and save the
day Alan starts his journey in the control room near the
surface, while Brains is transporterd in the MOLE
underground to start his rescue.

You are presented with 6 items before the mission begins,
only two of which can be carried by each character, so
two must be left behind.

Your Characters are:
BRAINS, ALAN

The objects are:
Torch, Lamp, Laser cutting tool, Bag of gobstoppers, Klaxon,
Grease, Can

Hint

You must first use Brains to find a hammer to fix the small
winch lift and then a spanner to re-start the pump which
will stop the mine flooding. Leave Alan to his own devices
till you have done both these things.

MISSION 2 - SUB CRASH

A revolutionary new submarine, the Oceanic Star, is undergoing
sea trials when it is struck by a mine. It sinks out of
control and comes to rest on the rim of an under sea Volcano.
The crew escapes leaving only the Captain to shut down the
nuclear reactor which is going critical - he is overcome by
the radiation. The Nuclear Reactor will explode and cause
a terrible disaster to local marine animals - as well as
setting off a chain reaction of volcanic destruction. The
reactor must be shut down, but you must work quickly before
the Sub slips off the rim into the Volcano and the hull is
crushed by the pressure or melted by the heat.

Your Characters are:
GORDON, ALAN

The choice of equipment is as follows:

Two Aqualungs, Radiation Pills, Can of "Shark-away' shark
repellent, American Express card, Copy of Kine Magazine

Hint

Beware radiation! Coloured cards are used to control the
reactor, among other things.

MISSION 3 - THE BANK JOB

After the Submarine in mission two surfaces, small
fragments of a certain type of limpet mine are found
embedded in the hull. The Thunderbirds must find out who
planted it. The only problem is that the records of the
company which made this mine are in the vault of the Bank
of England. Lady Penelope and Parker must get into the Bank
of England and retrieve the document from the main vault.
They only have a limited amount of time before the Bank
opens. They start at the back of the Bank and are
immediately confronted by a guard.

You must get the document, but you must not get caught
or run out of time. Lady Penelope would not like prison
food so be careful.

Your characters are:
LADY PENELOPE, PARKER

The objects you can take are:
Clockwork Mouse, 'Snoozy' Sleep spray, Stethoscope,
Dynamite, Iron Bar, Mirror

Hint

The lift is a heavy problem.

MISSION 4 - COUNTDOWN TO TERROR

The file obtained by Thunderbirds agents in the vault
identifies the source of all the Thunderbirds problems as
their arch-enemy the Hood. (Boo Hiss). Worse than that, he
is in possession of a film taken at the sub rescue of the
Thunderbird craft. If this film is not recovered before it
can be computer analysed all Thunderbirds Secrets will be
sold to the highest bidder. Information obtained by Lady
Penelope through the World Intelligence Network points to
a small town called Dry Gulch in Arizona. Thunderbirds 1
and 2 take off immediately. While airborne the HOOD
interrupts TV broadcasts worldwide and threatens to
launch a Nuclear Missile at London if a ransom of 4
Billion dollars is not paid to him by the World Bank
within 3 hours

The primary objective is to stop the HOOD from launching
his missile but you must also find the Film.

Remember - Thunderbirds are the only people who can stop
him - his only threat. The missile must be either disarmed
or destroyed, and the Hood must be stopped.

Your characters are:
VIRGIL, SCOTT

The objects you can take are:
Two pairs of dark glasses, Tube of super glue, Yoyo, Gun,
First aid kit

Hints

Your on your own with this one. F.A.B.

Published by Grandslam Entertainments Limited

Unauthorised publication, copying or distribution
throughout the world is prohibited.