"The Muncher"
Computer Game

from Gremlin Ltd


Original Instructions
=====================

The Mucher is a game of destruction and devastation. The
Player controls a large and angry pre-historic monster who
is out to destroy Japan. Why should a normally peace-loving
creature wish to inflict such havoc? Well, it seems that some
Japanese explorers have unearthed and stolen some eggs and have
brought them back to Japan. For centuries they, like everyone else,
have thought your species to be long extinct - they are WRONG!

As the game begins you arrive at the coast of Japan in search of the
lost eggs which have been scattered around the cities of this island
country. Naturally, the armed forces are out in force and your must
battle your way through the cities and army bases carrying out your
plan of "Urban re-development".

In the course of your Journey, you will come across your lost eggs.
Once they have found, you should search for a nuclear waste dump.
Not only are these nuclear waste sites very tasty and invigorating
but they are also very good sites for hatching monster eggs. Using
these sites you are able to create more monsters to carry on should
you fail.

As Japan is such a small place, and with all this monster activity
in the surrounding sea, it is not surprising that you will occasionally
encounter other monsters during your exploits. Like your monster, they
tend to have a rather intense need to express their deeper emotions by
means of violence and destruction! If you must defeat all three enemy
monsters.

Finally, you (or one of your descendants) will reach the harbour and
will sail off into the sunset (well, almost) and, like the endless
cycles of life, it will all begin anew.



Joystick Controls
=================
Whilst on the ground:

WITHOUT FIRE

                   JUMP
             JUMP   UP    JUMP
          LEFT __         __ RIGHT
              /\    /|\    /\
                \    |    /
                 \   |   /
                  \  |  /
                   \ | /
MOVE LEFT <----------|----------> MOVE RIGHT
                     |
                     |
                     |
                     |
                    \|/

                   DUCK



WITH FIRE

                BITE FLYING
                  OBJECTS

                    /|\
                     |
                     |
                     |
                     |
LASH TAIL <----------|-----------> ROAR/BREATHE
                     |
                     |
                     |
                     |
                    \|/

                 GRAB & EAT



Whilst climbing a building:

WITHOUT FIRE

            CLIMB    PUNCH
              UP      UP
                    __
              /|\    /\
               |    /
               |   /
               |  /
LET            | /            PUNCH
 GO <----------|-----------> FORWARD
               |\
               | \
               |  \
               |   \
              \|/  _\/
                   
             CLIMB    PUNCH
              DOWN     DOWN



WITH FIRE

            BITE FLYING
              OBJECTS

                /|\
                 |
                 |
                 |
PUNCH            |              ROAR/
 BACK <----------|-----------> BREATHE
                 |              FIRE
                 |
                 |
                 |
                \|/

            KICK BUILDING




To start climbing a building, jump and press FIRE while in the air.
Providing you are near the edge of a building, the monster will grab
onto it and start to climb. To jump off the top of a building (or fall
PAST a ledge) keep the DOWN key pressed while you fall.



Controls
========
In addition to joysticks, the following keys may be used:
Q - Up, Z - Down, I - Lift, P - Right, SPACE BAR - Fire.

On the title/menu screen:
F1 - Select Stage
F3 - One/Two Players
F5 - One/Two Joysticks
F7 - Start Game (FIRE also starts)

During play:
F1 - Abort Game
RUN/STOP Pause Game (FIRE restarts)



Hints and Tips
==============
1) When the monster dies, it will always be brought back to the
   last-egg-hatched location. It is important, therefore, for the
   player to pick up eggs, and "plant" them in strategic nuclear
   waste locations for hatching (on the cassette version, if your
   last egg was on the previous stage, you will start at the
   beginning of the current stage).

2) Pick up an egg as you would to eat something (DOWN and FIRE).
   An unhatched egg is shown in red in the status area.

3) To hatch an egg crouch (joystick DOWN) near a nuclear waste
   location. A hatched egg is shown in green in the status area.
   You can hatch more than one egg in any nuclear waste. The
   colours of the nuclear waste site will change when an egg is
   planted there.

4) You may eat nuclear wastes which are not associated with an
   egg to increase your stamina.

5) When an enemy monster appears, scrolling will stop until you
   defeat the enemy, or die in the attempt.

6) To gain the protection of a paratrooper, stand still under him
   as he parachutes down. This will stop anyone else from flying
   at you. He will stay on your shoulders until you make an
   aggressive move, or until he loses interest.

7) The player can shoot a limited number of fireballs depending
   on how much petrol he has. Additional fireballs can be gained
   by eating petrol trucks (five fireballs per truck). Petrol
   trucks can be identified by the star drawn on their sides.
   Eating a water truck, however, will deprive you of your
   fireballs. Water trucks are blue in colour.



Loading Instructions
====================
CBM 64/128
Cassette: Insert cassette into cassette unit.
          Press SHIFT and RUN/STOP simultaneously. Press PLAY on the
          cassette unit. The program will load and run automatically.
Disk: Insert disk into drive. Type LOAD"*",8,1 and press RETURN.
      The programm will load and run automatically.