OVERVIEW

A spin-off of the "giant bug" sci-fi films of the 50's and 60's, It Came From the Desert takes place in the desert town of Lizard Breath, California, a Community populated with the typical mixture of town folks mired in the backwater of cultural development. As the story evolves, you will become acquainted with characters like the sheriff, the garage mechanic, the hard boiled newspaper reporter, and an eerie gypsy fortune teller. All these people have one thing in common - they can panic with the best of them when the creatures show up.

You, Dr. Greg Bradley, are a relative newcomer in town, a geologist who has come to study the mineral content of meteorite fragments in the surrounding desert. However, more than rock collections await in the desert as your wildest nightmares become scientific realities - giant ants who must be discovered and destroyed.

The story begins at your small ranch house. You are being assisted in your studies by a local college student named Biff. You have also enlisted the help of a local prospector in gathering of meteorite samples.

Recently back from a much needed vacation, you are anxious to survey the remains of a large meteor that crashed into a remote section of the nearby mountains the week before. The town folks are abuzz with speculation about the event.

OBJECT OF THE GAME

Your goal is to stop the ants before they destroy the town. You accomplish your mission by visiting locations, talking with people, obtaining information, collecting physical evidence, and surviving direct confrontations with the creatures while trying to develop a strategy for the town's survival. Ultimately, you must destroy the queen ant and the nest to bring rest to...

LIZARD BREATH

Life in Lizard Breath is like that of any dusty little desert town of the fifties. The townsfolk rise early, labor hard until the sun sets, and retire to bed early in the evening. Most places of business are closed after dark, so you must conduct your business during normal working hours. You are most likely to encounter townspeople at their workplaces, although it is not unusual to run into folks running around town conduction other matters of business. As in real life, you can interact with people by direct conversation or by telephone. You are also free to travel anywhere in town you wish.

Your life will be affected by the actions of others as the story builds. Choose your allies carefully; it's not easy knowing who to trust.

You are susceptible to all mortal weaknesses, such as injury and the need to sleep. Get plenty of rest each day, and always be on the alert for danger.

TIME

The story begins on June 1, 1951. With only 15 days remaining before disaster strikes, you must utilize every second available to prove the existence of the creatures to the townspeople, locate their nest and destroy the queen.

Since the story takes place in a time-based environment, the clock starts ticking as soon as you begin the game. Approximately one minute of game time passes for each second of real time. To keep from losing precious time, plan each day's schedule carefully, making long trips only when necessary. Avoid travelling aimlessly from one end of town to another.

CHARACTER INTERACTION

The story uses a text-based character interface which allows you to think, act and react to a situations as if you are the leading man in a motion picture. The other characters in the story also act and react to their surroundings, and each character has his or her own human dilemmas to resolve as the plot thickens.

As you character reacts to the situations taking place, his thoughts are displayed in a thought box. If a decision needs to be made, your available choices appear on a menu box. To make a decision, use the joystick to highlight the desired selection and press the button.

Sometimes one of your choices will flash on screen. A flashing choice is a temporary situation that can be acted quickly. Examples of temporary situations include: phone calls, people knocking on your door, etc. Conversations takes place each time you encounter one of the game's characters. Your thoughts are displayed in the thought box. The other character's dialogue is displayed in a black conversation box at the bottom of the screen. Click the button as you finish reading the text displayed to move through conversations.

TRAVEL

Select GO TO MAP from the menu to see a large overhead map of Lizard Breath. All locations you can travel to are located on this map. You can scroll the map horizontally and vertically with the joystick to locate the place you wish to go. As you scan the map you see icon windows depicting each locale and the amount of time it takes to travel there from your current position. Once the desired location is highlighted, simply press the button to travel there. The clock automatically skips forward to reflect your travel time.

PHONE CALLS

If you are in a location where a telephone is available, you can make phone calls by selecting MAKE A CALL from the menu. After you select this choice, a directory of phone numbers appears. Move the arrow using your joystick to the desired number and press the button to select it. The operator appears and tells you if she can connect your call. (Note: The operator is also an excellent source of gossip!) If a person can be reached at that number, his or her face replaces that of the operator in the upper left window.

SLEEP

Everybody needs sleep - even you! In fact, you must sleep a minimum of 7 hours for each 24 hour period in the game to have full control of your senses. To get some sleep, return to your home. Select the SLEEP option from the menu. To choose the number of hours you wish to sleep, move the joystick left or right until the desired number appears and press the button. You may sleep up to 24 hours at a time; however, choosing to sleep that much is unadvisable unless you intentionally want to advance time.

In the event you fail to get your required amount of sleep, the chances of misfortune (falling asleep at the wheel, etc.) greatly increase.

INJURY

Lizard Breath has become increasingly edgy ever since the meteor hit just outside of town. Tempers flare more easily than usual, and paranoia runs at a fever pitch. With all this tension in the air there is a great chance you will encounter peril along the way. Luckily, there's a good hospital in town. If you should lose consciousness due to injury, one of Lizard Breath's Good Samaritans will drop you off at the local hospital. Unfortunately, while you're lying on your back you're not getting any closer to saving the town from monster-sized damnation. Which leads us to...

HOSPITAL ESCAPE!

Your stay in this hospital depends on the extent of your injuries. However, time is of the essence, and even minor wounds can put you out of commission for at least a day. Nevertheless, there is a way out. If you are stealthy and fleet of foot, you may be able to escape the hospital unnoticed (or at least unscathed).

Your room is on the second floor of the hospital. To get out of bed, press the button. Use the joystick to move your character throughout the labyrinthine corridors of the hospital. Don't let anyone capture you - if you are grabbed by the hospital personnel or have your exit from a room blocked, you are strapped to your hospital bed and forced to accept treatment (jello for lunch, jello for dinner) for the duration of your stay. Avoid on-duty candystripers, doctors, and security personnel by walking out of their view. Duck into rooms when you see hospital staff approaching. If you've in a jam, hide under desks or operating tables by walking up to the hiding place. If you enter a room with an unoccupied bed, walk up to the bed and press the button. When the coast is clear, press the button to get out of bed and continue your escape.

You may get to the ground floor by using either the elevator or the stairs. To open the elevator, approach the doors and wait for the elevator bell to ring. The elevator automatically drops you off on the first floor.

To use the stairs, simply walk down them (there is no wait...just a little extra strain on the calf muscles).

The action gets more intense on the first floor, as more hospital personnel learn of your escape plans and attempt to stop you. Look for the main entrance - it's your only way out of this medical madhouse.

If you choose not to escape, but want to get out of the hospital, choose ACCEPT TREATMENT from the menu and the game will advance to the appropriate day.

ESCAPE HINTS

Wheelchairs allow you to move through the hospital corridors at a much faster rate than by foot. Locate a wheelchair by searching the hospital corridors during escape. There's bound to be one somewhere. To sit down in the wheelchair, simply touch it. Press the fire button to resume standing. Remember, you cannot go down the stairs while in the wheelchair, your health insurance policy doesn't cover suicide attempts.

Beware of security personnel blocking exits to the hospital. You must use quickness and a little finesse to edge your way past these surly security studs.

CREATURE STOPPING Part 1: Collecting Evidence

To succeed in gaining support from the townspeople, the mayor, and the national guard, you must collect evidence in order to establish the nature of the creatures and their whereabouts. This information can be broken down into Background Information/Sightings and Direct Evidence. With enough information, you may be able to track down a creature part and get first-hand information.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION/SIGHTINGS

Initially, the evidence you collect comes by second-hand accounts of strange occurrences or unusual sightings. This information can be classified in three ways:

1. Sightings. Gather information from townspeople's stories of contact with the creatures.

2. Information on people with whom you come into contact. Learn the reputations of those you meet. Discover who is trustworthy and who isn't.

3. Information concerning natural events, weather conditions, etc.

DIRECT EVIDENCE

To convince the mayor into calling out the national guard, you must collect all four samples of direct evidence, Samples include:

1. A creature's track(s); example Plaster Cast

2. A recording of creature sounds

3. Creature fluids

4. A creature part

If you are at a site where direct evidence is present, you will be prompted to decide whether you wish to collect the evidence. If you respond YES you automatically acquire that piece of evidence. After acquiring direct evidence, take it to the University Lab for analysis. Analysis procedures usually take one day, after which time the results can be received. Analysis results can be used to convince the mayor of the necessity to bring in troops.

FALSE EVIDENCE

Some events you hear about are real - others are imagined or fabricated. It is your job to sift through the evidence and decide which leads to follow. Some sightings could be staged events by those with ulterior motives. Other happenings may be coincidental or dead ends with logical explanations.

CONCLUSIVE EVIDENCE

If the evidence you collect is conclusive, you will convice the mayor to call a general alert. Based on your expertise in creature tracking (and his fear for his life), the mayor will appoint you in charge of a local task force designed to clear the community of the huger-crazed creatures.

Using the police station as your headquarters, you must plan how to use your human resources (army, police, construction workers and townspeople) to fend off the attacking insects. The actual locations where you will send forces is depicted on a situation map you keep in the police station.

THE SITUATION MAP

Go to the police station and select SITUATION MAP from the menu (available only during general alert). An overhead map appears which shows each location in town. Ant icons appear at each location where the creatures are attacking. A red "X" marks appears at each locations where the ants have destroyed. A menu bar at the bottom of the screen displays your human resources. Move across the map using the joystick until you see the window for the desired location. Press the button down and move the joystick left or right across the bottom menu to select which category of forces you wish to utilize. Once on the desired icon, move the joystick up or down to transfer troops to and from the location. Icons representing army troops, policemen, construction workers and ordinary townsfolk appear at the location on the map, and the number of units sent is displayed in the location window. In order to commit tanks to a location you must assign at least two units of troops to the site. To exit the situation map and return to the police station, highlight the EXIT icon, release the button and press it once.

If you choose to let your forces fight the ants without being present, the computer will determine who wins the battle based on how may ants were there and how many and what kind of forces you sent to the site. The computer tallies your gains and losses at the end of each day and displays the results the next day.

CREATURE STOPPING Part 2: Confrontation!

Sooner or later you must meet the creatures face-to-face. In case of surprise attack, you always carry a loaded hand gun. However, with adequate preparation and support of the community, you may acquire additional weaponry and military support to assist you in the enemy's destruction.

FACE-TO-FACE CONFRONTATION

If you encounter a lone creature face-to-face, prove your prowess at sharpshooting. You are equipped with a specially designed .45-caliber magnum exterminator.

USING YOUR SIDEARM - Move the joystick horizontally or vertically to aim your trusty peacemaker, and press the button to fire.

Hints:

1. Watch where the bullets strikes and adjust your aim accordingly.

2. Attack the creature where it is most vulnerable. Remember - all monsters have an Achilles heel!

3. Learn to become a good marksman. Your ammo supply goes down with each creature encounter.

If you engage in battle and are successful at killing the first creature, the scene cuts from point-of-view to an aerial map view of that location. The map view presents the features of the location, including mountains, building and vegetation. Various weapons may be available based on the current state of community alert. Press and hold down the joystick button to view your available resources for the battle. A resource menu appears at the bottom of the screen.

THE OVERHEAD BATTLE RESOURCE MENU

A number of icons are represented on the resource menu, including hand grenades, dynamite, tanks, and jets. Listed next to each icon is the number of units of that resource available. For example: If the box to the right of hand grenades show 10, you have 10 usable hand grenades.

To select an item, move the joystick left or right until the desired selections is highlighted.

HAND GRENADES/DYNAMITE - To throw a hand grenade or stick of dynamite, face the creature by moving the joystick and press the button. Time your throws right and you can destroy more than one creature at a time.

TANKS - (available only during general alert) To enter a tank, move your character next to the desired tank and touch it. Ounce you have entered the tank, drive by pushing the joystick in the desired direction. Press the button to fire. Your shots will go in the direction your turret is facing. Rotate the turret by pressing the button down and push the joystick forward or back. Tanks have unlimited firepower, and are functional until they are either destroyed or the tank get overrun. Tanks not under your control will autofire at the creatures. Be careful not to run into a tank's field of fire. Shell shock is a sure way to win a trip to the hospital.

EXIT TANK ^ | Turret Fire Turret Left <-----Button-----> Right DOWN | V Exit Tank

JETS - (available only during general alert) When the jet icon is selected, a crosshair cursor will appear at the left side of the screen. Use the joystick to move the cursor around the edge of the screen to position the jets' flight pattern. Jets will fly a straight pattern from the point you place the cursor to the opposite side of the screen. However, if you place the cursor in an upper or lower corner, the jets will fly a diagonal pattern from that corner to the corner opposite side of the screen. When the jets appear onscreen, press the button to drop bombs. You have unlimited firepower as long as the jets remain on screen. Since you have a limited number of strafing runs allowed to you jet squadron (as listed in the window next to the jet icon), you will want to use this resource only extreme circumstances. Be careful when calling an airstrike that you are not in the jets line of fire - it's hard to fight a war from your hospital bed.

FLIGHT GAME (The Airborne Exterminator)

It may be necessary to get a bird's eye view of the surrounding countryside in order to locate the creatures and their center of activity. To track the creatures by plane, select TAKE A FLIGHT when offered at Hilbers Airfield. An overhead aerial map view appears. Move your character (the little guy with arms) into the plane.

TAKE OFF - Push forward on the stick until the plane start to move. Use the joystick to maneuver your aircraft, being careful to stay on the runway. Accelerate down the runway by pushing forward on the joystick and your aircraft will lift off when sufficient speed has been reached.

FLYING - Once you are airborne, move the joystick forward to increase altitude and accelerate. Pull back on the joystick to lower altitude and decrease speed.

FUEL GAGE - A bar gauge on screen displays your fuel consumption. Although you fly faster at higher altitudes, you consumer fuel at a faster rate as well. Monitor you aircraft's fuel usage and fly back to the airport when fuel runs low. If you stay airborn too long and cannot make it back to the airport on remaining fuel, you must try to crash land the plane elsewhere.

LANDING - Before landing, decrease the altitude of your aircraft by pulling back on the joystick. Look for a smooth landing surface (preferably the airport runway) and ease the plane down gently by slowly pulling back on the joystick until the aircraft touches down. Once the plane has come to a complete stop, push the button to climb out. Failure to safely land the plane (crash! bang!) can get you an all-expense paid trip (courtesy of your insurance company) to the local hospital or a long walk back to town.

CHEMICAL SPRAY - There is a strong possibility of sighting the deadly creatures from the air. Fortunately, your plane has a limited supply of a lethal chemical spray which may be used as a weapon against certain giant creatures (namely, the ones in this game!). Press the button while flying over the targeted creature to release a short burst of poisonous gas. Be frugal with your use of the spray, however, for the chemical tanks are easily depleted.

CREATURE STOPPING Part 3: Elimination!

To stop the creatures from overtaking the city, you must locate and destroy the queen ant, who is responsible for the reproducing these crawling creatures of doom. Using information you have gathered on the whereabouts of the creatures nest, find its hidden entrance and prepare to engage in a battle-to-the-death with the ferocious beasts below.

INTO THE MONSTERS LAIR (The Nest Game)

Once you have located the nest opening, you may proceed down into its murky depths. Equipped with a single load of timed explosives, a rope, and a flame thrower, you must defend yourself against giant guardian ants as you explore the netherdepths of the nest. Proceed carefully, as the nest is a labyrinth of twists and turns. If you lose your way, you will become ant food, and nobody will hear your screams as they echo through the deep and deadly tunnels far below the earth's surface.

The queen ant rests in the deepest level of the underground nest. Once you have sighted the queen in her chamber, the timed explosives are automatically set and the countdown begins. Time is of the essence, and you must quickly escape the nest once the timer on the bomb starts ticking. If you fail to find the exit from the queen ant's level before the bomb explodes, you get to see fireworks as your body becomes a cascade of colorful flying parts (Yuck!). Unfortunately, they do not reassemble body parts at the hospital, so if the nest blows up while you're inside you're history. Game Over.

THE LAST DAY

If you haven't killed the queen ant before June 15, you must defend Main Street from an all-out ant attack. If you choose not to defend the town, the ants will destroy it and the game is over. If you succeed in destroying the first wave of ants it buys you more time to try and reach the nest and exterminate the queen. You must hurry, for eventually another wave of ants will attack Main Street. If you have not killed the queen by midnight on June 15, the game is over.

TROUBLE IN TOWN

The creatures are just part of the chaos in this crazy desert town. More trouble than you can shake a stick at awaits at every turn, and each new day promises added danger.

FIREFIGHTING (or "How Not to Get a Permanent, Deep, Dark Tan")

Sometimes the desert heat gets out of control. In case of fire, do not call 911 - Lizard Breath doesn't have a fire department. To cool things down, use your all-purpose fire extinguisher - excellent for quenching overcooked pot roasts, cooling overworked feet and drowning small apartment fires. Move the joystick to position the nozzle horizontally and vertically over the flames. Press the fire button to send a stream of water shooting at the rising flames. Attack the largest fires first, working your way down to smaller fires as time permits. If the fire gets out of control, you pass out (from smoke inhalation) and must recuperate at the local hospital.

HINTS:

Extinguish one fire at a time. Rather than trying to spray the entire room, concentrate on isolated areas, completely quenching the fire in one area before moving on to the next.

If you spray an area and see no reduction in the flames, adjust your spray by moving the joystick and try again. If you are on target, you should see positive results with each spray of the fire extinguisher.

KNIFE FIGHT (The Way of the Old West - and small forgotten desert towns)

Some of the characters you encounter are easily angered, and may resort to violence with little or no provocation. In case of such incidents, you should know how to put your multi-purpose pocket knife to use.

Stab ^ |

Duck Fire Duck Left <--- Button ---> Right UP

| V Block

Stab ^ |

Fire Fake <--- Button ---> Swipe DOWN

| V Block

THE GAME OF CHICKEN (Hellraising on the Highway)

If you get caught in the right place at the wrong time, you may be provoked into a game of "Chicken" by the Hellcats, a trio of psychopathic roughnecks who rule the local roads. A modern descendant of the joust (made famous in medieval tournaments), "Chicken" pits two cars in a classic confrontation of speed and courage. At a given signal, the cars (strategically placed on opposite ends of a stretch of highway) accelerate towards each other at top speed until one car "chickens out" (thus the name Chicken) and leaves the road.

DRIVERS - Push the joystick forward to accelerate. Move the joystick left or right to steer. Once you start forward, there's no slowing down or turning back.

CHICKENS - You may press the button and steer right or left to maneuver your truck off the road if you sense the Hellcats aren't turning off. You'll save yourself a fortune in body repair (both yours and the truck's), but your vehicle will still be undriveable due to the ditches and rocks off-road (it's not a dune buggy!). It's a long walk to town, but it's better than being dragged to town in a body bag.

BRAVE IDIOTS - If neither you nor your opponent leaves the road, you're in for one heck of a headache. The gut wrenching sound of metal on metal will fill the desert canyon as bodies of steel collide. Needless to say, meeting your opponents in this fashion ensures you a long stay in the hospital.

HINT

There is a way to scare the Hellcats off of the road. If you successfully do so, you will be able to continue to your original destination.