THE SPECTRUM GAMES DATABASE BC'S QUEST FOR TIRES PUBLISHER Software Projects AUTHORS Sierra On-Line/Mike Davies YEAR 1985 DESCRIPTION Horizontally-scrolling jump-over-the-obstacles game. INSTRUCTIONS You have to control the prehistoric caveman BC as he attempts to rescue his girlfriend, by jumping over rocks, avoiding boulders, and so on. CONTROLS Keyboard/Kempston/Protek/Sinclair Keys: W - Forward W+ENTER - Speed up Q - Pull back Q+ENTER - Speed down K - Jump ENTER - Start/Fire M - Duck On joystick, left/right and fire slows down/speeds up, up jumps and down ducks. INLAY CARD TEXT Can Thor save Cute Chick from the hungry dinosaur? only you can help. At first he only has to jump rocks and holes. Then comes the river. The only way Thor can get across, is to hop on the turtles' backs. These turtles sometimes get tired and submerge at the wrong moment, much to Thor's dismay! If Thor's timing is good. the Dooky Bird will help him over the lava pit. If he jumps the pit just when Dooky Bird is overhead, that prehistoric bird will pick him up and carry him across! Once over the cliff, Thor faces his most difficult challenge: the volcanic eruption. In addition to the obstacles on the ground, he is showered with boulders from the sky. Then once again, Thor must cross the river on the turtle's backs. If Thor can get past Fat Broad and into the cave, he has only to go a short distance to go to rescue Cute Chick. On his way, Thor must duck under stalactites to avoid crashing. If Thor is lucky, the Dinosaur will be out wreaking havoc on the countryside. Thor is pretty brave, but not really a match for him. If Thor does crash, don't worry: he has four wheels. But true love is calling him, so use all your agility and cunning to help him rescue Cute Chick! "Help! Help!" - It's Cute Chick, and she's in trouble. The dinosaur is holding her captive. If Thor doesn't get to her in time, the dinosaur may even eat her! Yes, it's your favourite caveman, Thor, straight from the comic strip B.C.! Joystick Pushing the stick left with the button pressed down slows Thor down. Pushing the stick right while pressing the button speeds Thor up. Pushing the stick right makes Thor travel to the right. Pushing the stick left makes Thor move to the left. Pushing the stick upwards makes Thor jump. Pushing the stick downwards make Thor duck. CONTROL KEYS W =3D Forward=09W + ENTER =3D Speed Up Q =3D Pull Back=09Q + ENTER =3D Speed down K =3D Jump=09ENTER =3D Start M =3D Duck P Select Joystick/Keyboard (1,2,3,4) O Select Number of Players (1,2) I Select Skill Level (1,2,3,4) S Pause 1: Keyboard=093: Protek 2: Kempston=094: Interface II SCORING =09=09Points=09=09=09Points Logs=09=0910=09Stalactites=0910 Trees=09=0910=09Falling Rocks=0910 Rocks=09=0910=09Rolling Rocks=0910 Potholes=0910 Each one of the above obstacles is worth more points when cleared at higher speeds. 30 to 48 MPH - Points x 2 50 to 68 MPH - Points x 3=09Lava Pit=09200 70 to 80 MPH - Points x 4=09Rivers=09=09200 One Bonus Tire is awarded after the completion of every level. Spectrum Conversion by MIKE DAVIES PROGRAMS WANTED Have you written a good game, utility or educational program and need a Software House to market it for you? Then why not send your cassette or disk to us at Software Projects for free appraisal and possible acceptance? If you do not want to send your program through the post, then a video on VHS, Beta or Philips format showing the program being played will be of help. We pay very good royalty rates or will buy your program for a one off payment. This software product has a life-time guarantee. If the tape will not load from either side of the cassette we will replace it free of charge. Send the whole package back including colour coded insert to the address below. PLEASE DO NOT RETURN IT TO THE PLACE OF PURCHASE. The guarantee does not affect your statutory rights. Software Projects Limited, Bearbrand Complex, Allerton Road, Woolton, Liverpool 25 7SF Telephone: 051-428 9393 SOFTWARE PROTECTION CODE On the reverse of this sheet you will find a matrix of squares each containing four blocks of colours. This forms part of a protection scheme. You will need these colours when you first load the game into the computer, so please. DO NOT LOSE. You will only need to refer to it when you first load in the game. Load game as normal. When the game has loaded the computer will prompt you for a location. Type the number that corresponds to the colours shown. If you make a mistake typing in, the program will give you a second chance. If you get it wrong the second time the computer will return to basic and you will have to load the program again from the beginning. =A9 Copyright 1984 PADLOCK SYSTEMS This cassette and documentation was produced by Software Projects Ltd. BC'S QUEST FOR TIRES =A9 SYDNEY 1984 Licensed from Sierra-on-line. Licensed to Software Projects Ltd. Unauthorised copying, lending, hiring, public broadcast, transmission or distribution is prohibited. This product may not be hired or offered for sale on any optional buy back basis. All rights of the author are reserved worldwide. For sale in the U.K. only. HINTS/CHEATS =46rom YS Issue 1: In the first stage of the game, you must jump the divots and casually-strewn rocks. It's not too tricky at the minimum speed but the objects have a habit of bunching together so prepare for some tight joystick manoeuvres. There's always one sod around just waiting to trip you up! Duck or grouse (groan)! Pull the joystick back smartish if you want to get under the head-high branches without a nasty case of concussion. Into the forest now where you'll have to leap over fallen logs - only this time you're travelling at four times the speed. The next section is similar to Frogger. You'll need split-second timing to cross the pond on the backs of the sinking and resurfacing turtles. Looks just like the mother-in-law. Waiting on the other side of the water is a cavewoman wielding a Jurassic baseball bat. If your timing's out, you can knock another life on the head. An added danger as you roll up the hill are the boulders rolling back down. To gain a bit of extra distance, jump up and jerk the joystick in the direction you want to go. Running up that hill now, and you'll come across more rocks and divots waiting to bring you back to earth with a bump. To traverse the pond, get underneath the air/sea rescue bird that's been shadowing you since you reached the plateau. As soon as you see the water, jump up and he'll carry you across to safety. As soon as you hit the bottom of the hill, start accelerating so that you hit the edge of the water at 80mph...and then jump for your life! Back on dry land and you've only got to negotiate the rocks and divots but also keep out of the way of the boulders raining down from the sky. Short sharp bursts of speed are the only way you'll make it through to the other side. More water and bobbing turtles. And if you've learnt the pattern of the previous turtles, forget it...it's a whole new story here. At the far side of the pond is a dinky dinosaur on the look out for dinner. He'll pop his head out just long enough to knock you off the turtles and into the drink. Timing is all-important. Just to spur you on, a speech bubble pops up now and again to remind you that your cute cavewife is still in danger. Straight into the cave now with not even a moment to spare to get your eyes accustomed to the dark. So, make sure that you duck the stalactites and jump the stalagmites - or is it the other way round? You've made it - and though the course of true love wasn't exactly smooth you've saved your sweetheart. So, after a quick on-screen kiss 'n' cuddle, it's back to the beginning again when the pace hots up even more. RELATED GAMES SCORES Crash, issue 23, 46% Your Sinclair, issue 1, p76, 8/10 URL ftp://ftp.nvg.unit.no/pub/sinclair/snaps/games/by-letter/b/ bcquest.zip FACTS Existed in America well before Britain, and converted over here at a time when imported games were seen as 'the way forward', with the success of US Gold and the minimal prices needed to import/convert ready-made American games. According to Sinclair User, the game was originally released in the US in 1981 (obviously on a different system!) - so it's truly 'prehistoric'! Ha, ha! Protected by Software Project's 'Padlock System' (the one with the massive block of colours, as used with JSW), also used on the Alligata games. The original cassette is a lovely blue colour, and has 'Software Projects' stamped on the red leader tape (very similar to Elite's methods to avoid piracy by pointing out to people when they had a pirate copy). NOTES The title of this game is something of a mystery, as the point of the game is obviously to rescue the girl. However, as you get a bonus tire (tyre to our English readers) at the end of every level, perhaps the producers decided to make this the 'point' of the game (as the game wraps round once you get the girl, thus making that 'aim' a bit pointless).