ROAD BLASTERS

Let Nothing Stand in Your Way!

Everyone knew the war was coming. Tensions had been building for months - not between the Superpowers as had always been thought, but between rival factions in our own government. What no one expected was the severity of the damage.

Nuclear weapons devastated the surface of the planet, released by ruthless Death Squads intent on controlling the planet. Millions perished in a sudden flash of heat more intense than a Sahara summer.

When it was all over, only a handful of decent people remained. A few good people, and thousands of Death Squad members. It was obvious that the Death Squads had planned this for years. They were ready. They had developed cities and weapons impervious to nuclear war. And vehicles. They had cars that could withstand the highest levels of radiation and the most dangerous heat. They also had huge stockpiles of food and medicine that would keep them alive until the nuclear winder ends.

Fortunately, a right-thinking scientist saw what was happening. He defected from the Death Squads and brought with him a small prototype vehicle and a few weapons capable of destroying Death Squad cars and cannon twoers. Only one person can fit in the prototype, and you were chosen.

Now, just for the amusement of Death Squad leaders, there is to be a road rally, a dangerous race for time and distance along a highway laced with deadly mines and cannon twoers. Posing as a Death Squad driver you join the rally, hoping to drive undetected into the very heart of the Death Squad territory where you will defeat their leaders. your only helper is a small, robot-powered jet that will bring you additional weapons from Headquarters. The odds are definitely against you.

The nuclear wind blows dust across the highway. Now and then the burnt skeleton of a tumbleweed blows across the once-fertile plain. The world is desolate. All hope for a decent future rests on your narrow shoulders.

Getting Started

RoadBlasters is a fast-action combat racing thriller in which speed and skill combined with a quick and accurate trigger finger will ensure a bright future for civilization. Follow the steps listed blow to start the game:

1. With your Lynx system switched off, insert the game card as described in the Lynx Owner's Manual.
Warning: Do not touch the game card connector pins. Do not expose the contacts to static or extreme heat. Do not bend, crush, or attempt to clean the game card.

2. Press ON. The RoadBlasters title screen displays.

3. Press the joypad A or B. The first wrap screen appears.

4. Press the joypad right or left and press A or B to start.

Optional Game Controls

To enhance play, the following optional game controls allow you to modify the display, and pause and restart the game:

To flip the screen 180 degrees and reverse the controls, press OPTION 2 and PAUSE at the same time.
To pause the game press PAUSE. Repeat to resume play.
To return to the title screen press OPTION 1 and PAUSE.

Playing the Game

The object of the game is to complete a 50-level road rally in Death Squad territory while blasting opponents off the road, without crashing or running out of fuel.

Use the joypad to control your prototype red battle car in the race for Truth, Justice, and all that is good. Press right to steer in the desired direction. Press up to accelerate or down to slow down. To fire your lasers. press A. When equipped with an auxiliary weapon, press B to use it.

When the race begins, your car is sitting in the middle of the road. Press up on the joypad to accelerate and begin racing. Continue to press up until the speed indicator on the dashboard shows the desired speed, then release the accelerator. The car's high-powered sensors will maintain that speed until you slow the car down, hitting something, or run out of fuel.

As you drive down he road, destroy as many cars as you can. It pays to be accurate. Shooting accuracy increases the point multiplier from its original value of 1 to as much as 10. Wild, uncontrollable shooting may be a good way to let off a little steam, but it will also decrease the multiplier. Since your score is the point value of any object destroyed times the multiplier, a higher multiplier will give you a higher score.

Of course, nobody can destroy every single car. Especially since some cars (namely, the blue cars driven by Death Squad leaders) are very difficult to destroy. The blue cars can be destroyed only with an Electro Shield, or a Cruise Missile. Pass any cars that you can't destroy. Be alert especially for cars merging onto he roadway in certain levels. Those cars don't seem to realize there's an important race going down. If your're not careful, you will rear-end one of these slow pokes, and that's not a pretty sight.

Watch the fuel gauge at all times. Your car is powered by radioactive fuel. You'll have to keep your eyes peeled for green and red fuel globes. Ramming a fuel globe bursts the globe and causes the radiation to leek out so it can be quickly absorbed by your car battery. In addition, every time you cross a rally point, your car will be zapped with enough radiation to reenergize the vehicle.

Also keep a constant watch for cannons, mines, and other hazards. You'll know them when you see them. Especially the mins: your dash-board mine sensor (every car should have one of those babies) lets you know when you are approaching a mine. Of course, at the high speeds, you may detect the mine when it is too late. Learn to listen for the sensor, then drive carefully. As for the roadside cannons, you can destroy them if you slow down enough to get a couple good shots in. Just remember: cannons shoot back.

One good thing about your car is it's pretty easy to fix. Your car is strong and cannot be destroyed in a crash. However, run out of fuel and you'll have to quit the race. Anybody who does not finish the race will be forced into slavery. If that happens to you, then there is no more hope for civilization.

From time to time the robot jet flies over your car. When it does, watch for falling weapons. Catch the special auxiliary weapons for increased power.

There are fifty race levels in all, each more difficult than the last, with new challenges waiting around every corner. After certain levels, a warp screen appears giving you a choice of the next level. If you feel like you barely survived the last level, press the joypad left and press A or B to select the next level in sequence. If you are ready for a bigger challenge, keep the level selector in the middle and press a button to skip a few levels. If you are really cocky and sure you can handle even the worst situation, press the joypad right and press a button to skip several levels for bonus points and a shortcut.

Some levels are bonus fuel levels. These levels begin when your car's computer says, "Sensors detect fuel globes." You begin these levels with less fuel than normal, but you will find more fuel globes than usual on the road. You must be on e constant lookout for globes if you want to save the world.

The Dashboard

Score and Multiplier - your score equals the multiplier times the point value of the object you destroy. Accurate shooting increases the multiplier form the beginning value of 1 to as high as 10.

Mine Sensor - flashes when you drive near mines.

Fuel Gauge - shows the amount of fuel remaining. The right half of the gauge shows the main fuel tank. The left half shows the reserve fuel tank. Reserve fuel is awarded based on your score when you cross a rally point. When you are low on fuel, the Low Fuel sensor will flash and buzz.

Weapon Bar - shows the currently enabled special auxiliary weapon and the number of times it can be used. If you do not have an auxiliary weapon, the Weapon bar displays the words "CATCH SPECIAL WEAPON."

Speed - shows your current speed.

Score - shows your current score.

Weapons

Your car comes equipped with a high-powered laser to blast opponents off the road. In addition, the robot jet will occasionally drop auxiliary weapons to increase your power. These auxiliary weapons are listed below.

U.Z. Cannon - A powerful machine gun, the U.Z. Cannon can blast a moving target into oblivion. However, U.Z. Cannon hits will neither improve nor hinder your score multiplier.
Electro Shield - The Electro Shield provides temporary protection against everything form cannon fire to collisions. However, the electro Shield will not protect your car from bad driving, especially on your own.
Cruise Missile - A powerful missile that can destroy everything for miles around, including green fuel globes. Fortunately, your vehicle and the red fuel globes are safe from this destructive (and highly useful) weapon.
Nitro Injector - The Nitro Injector was invented by scientists who wanted to get home before their dinner got cold. This useful weapon helps you cover a long distance in a very short time, as long as there's nothing in your way.

Strategy

Speed is vital. You will not have enough fuel to finish the race if you do not make it to the rally points quickly.

Don't waste your auxiliary weapons. If you can shoot your laser, do it (that helps your multiplier anyway).

Don't catch a new auxiliary weapon if you like the one you have. You can only carry one at a time.

Straddling the dotted line sometimes helps you avoid mines. Of course, that's not easy to do going around a curve at top speed. This does not always work, however; some mines are placed right on the lines.

You can earn lots of points by destroying cannons. However, it is not always worth your while to do so.

Scoring

During your game play you receive points for the objects you destroy. Your score is the point value of the object times the multiplier shown on your dashboard.

	The point values of the objects are as listed:

	Object						Point Value
	
	Green Cars ..................................... 50

	Orange Cars .................................... 50
	
	Motorcycles .................................... 50

	Rat Jeeps ...................................... 50

	Blue Cars ...................................... 100

	Cannons ........................................ 200