Dark Chambers -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ATARI (R) 7800 (TM) Game Manual Dark Chambers (TM) The Darkness Is Upon You! You're on a dangerous treasure hunt, deep in the underground world of Dark Chambers. Wraiths, wizards, and moldering skeletons surround you. As you move through this meandering maze, you are stalked by the grim reaper. The exits you see only take you deeper into the maze. If you find the strategically placed weapons, you can fend off your enemies while you search for the hidden treasure. The secret potions you find along the way will renew your strength. But watch out for hidden traps and deadly poisons. Your strength will help you outlast the weaker ghouls, but are you a match for the strongest? Enter the underground world of Dark Chambers and find out. Getting Started 1. With your Atari 7800 set up, insert the Dark Chambers cartridge into the console. Plug a controller into the left port on the front of your console; for two players, plug another controller into the right port. 2. Turn on your television, and press the [Power] key to turn on your Atari console. The Dark Chambers title screen will appear. 3. Press [Select] to choose a skill level and the number of players (one or two). Or move the left controller right or left to select the skill level; move the controller up or down to select the number of players. 4. Press the fire button or [Reset] to start the game. 5. Press [Select] at any time to return to the title screen and start a new game. 6. When a game is over, press the fire button or [Reset] to start a new game. Playing the Game You are lost in Dark Chambers. Enemies, treasures, and curses are scattered throughout all levels from A to Z. Your goal is to survive all 26 levels and maybe beyond while taking as much treasure as you can. You can descend from one level to the next only by finding the escape holes. Your enemies, the dangerous ghouls, are everywhere. At times, they'll chase you. Other times, they'll back off. Don't let this fool you, though. It's just a ploy to lead you farther from the escape holes. Use your controller to move through the chambers. Go through the escape holes on move on to the next level. (In a two-player game, you won't be able to walk any farther than you can see unless your partner goes with you.) Search each chamber for treasures and weapons. Pick them up by walking over them. The treasures and weapons you pick up will appear at the top of the screen next to your strength bar. Stay away from the curses: traps and poison. If you touch them, they'll take away some of your strength. Ghouls drain your strength by touching you. You shoot them by moving your controller in their direction and pressing the fire button. Be careful, though. You can't walk while you're shooting Ghouls will use that time to move in and touch you. Potions and food are also hidden in the chambers. When you find one, pick it up to renew your strength. A bar at the top of the screen shows you how much strength you have left. Find the hole to escape from a level and descend to the next one. As long as you have strength left, you can go through all 26 levels. If you lose all of your strength, you collapse and the game is over. In a two-player game, if one hero collapses, the other player must find a heart and shoot it. This will revive the hero who collapsed. Weapons and Treasures Use weapons, potions, keys, and holes to help you outsmart the ghouls while you search for treasure. NOTE: If you find a weapon on another level that is like one you have already acquired, shoot the weapon for bonus points. GUNS increase your shooting speed. DAGGERS make your shots more powerful. SHIELDS minimize the amount of strength you lose when an enemy touches you. Set off BOMBS to slay all ghouls and curses in the area you're in. Grab the bomb and press the right fire button. Or you can carry up to 15 bombs and detonate each one when the time is right. BE CAREFUL: You can also detonate a bomb by shooting it. Pick up POTIONS and FOOD to increase your strength. (When your strength bar is full, you don't need the potions.) The more KEYS you pick up, the more doors you can unlock to enter secret rooms. Each key unlocks one door and is worth 100 points. You can carry up to 15 keys. HOLES lead to the next level. LOCKS open secret rooms. Grab STRONGBOXES whenever you see them to earn points. Snatch the valuable jewel AMULETS to increase your score. CHALICES have been hidden throughout the chambers. Although the silver ones are worth a lot, the gold ones are the most valuable treasure of all. HEARTS are hidden throughout the chambers. But shoot a heart only when your hero friend needs it. Otherwise the heart will turn into an underground spawner. Ghouls and Curses The inhabitants of Dark Chambers drain your strength by touching you. When shot, they mutate to the next weaker form. ZOMBIES are the weakest form of ghoul. They explode when you slay them. Bone-shaking SKELETONS covet your skin. WRAITHS try to scare you to death. WIZARDS hate live heroes. They attack without mercy. GRIM REAPERS are the strongest form of ghoul. They'll slice you down if you let them get close. SPAWNERS hatch new ghouls. There are five kinds of spawners capable of producing different levels of ghouls. Shoot the spawners to mutate them to the next weaker level of spawner. Watch out, though. The underground spawner is indestructible. Watch out for deadly POISONS. They'll drain your strength. {look like potions with an X} TRAPS have been laid for you. They, too, will zap your strength. The glowing ones are the most dangerous! {squares with an X inside} Scoring Scores appear at the top of the screen, next to your strength bar. Ghouls and Curses You earn points for each ghoul and ghoul spawner you slay: Grim reaper 100 points Grim reaper spawner 100 points Wizard 60 points Wizard spawner 60 points Wraith 40 points Wraith spawner 40 points Skeleton 20 points Skeleton spawner 20 points Zombie 10 points Zombie spawner 10 points You lose valuable energy each time a trap, poison, or ghoul touches you. NOTE: You lose only half the number of energy units if you have a shield when you are touched. Glowing trap -96 energy units Trap -64 energy units Poison -32 energy units Grim reaper -16 energy units Wizard -8 energy units Wraith -6 energy units Skeleton -4 energy units Zombie -2 energy units You also lose 1 energy unit every 8 seconds as you walk around the maze. Treasures and Potions You earn points for each treasure you collect and gain energy for each potion you drink and food you eat: Gold chalice 3000 points Amulet 1000 points Silver chalice 500 points Strongbox 100 points Potion +32 energy units Food +32 energy units Atari Corporation is unable to guarantee the accuracy of printed material after the date of publication and disclaims liability for changes, errors, and omissions. Reproduction of this document or of any portion of its contents is not allowed without the specific written consent of Atari Corporation. Atari (R), the Atari logo, Dark Chambers (TM), and 7800 (TM) are trademarks or registered trademarks of Atari Corporation. Copyright (C) 1983, John Howard Palevich. All rights reserved. Copyright (C) 1988, Atari Corporation, Sunnyvale, CA 94086. All rights reserved. Printed in Hong Kong. B.T.1.1989 C300018-037 Rev. A -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This document obtained from the History of Home Video Games Homepage, ©1997-1998 by Greg Chance