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APB - Atari - Atari Lynx     HTML Manual   

A.P.B.

Getting Started
1. Insert the A.P.B. game card as described in the Lynx Owner's Manual. 
2. Turn on your Lynx Portable Color Entertainment System 
3. Press A or B twice to clear the title screens. The Day One Quota Screen 
appears. This screen shows Officer Bob's objectives for the first day on the 
job. Since he begins on the training course, his quota is light. 
4. Press A to begin the game 


This is the city. A dangerous place, full of crooks as slimy as an earthworm in 
the rain. The streets are loaded with them. Officer Bob has just graduated from 
the Academy and is as gung ho as a nerd on the first day of school. He truly 
believes he can single-handedly clean up the city. Who knows? Maybe he can. But 
the crooks don't think so. Neither does Sergeant Mulrooney, the hot-headed duty 
boss who is quick to deliver a scorching lecture if Office Bob stacks up too 
many demerits. Can Officer Bob succeed where dozens of others have failed?



PLAYING THE GAME
Officer Bob must search the city for law breakers and criminals. He starts every 
day at the police station. After meeting his quota at the end of the day, he can 
get more points by returning to the station.
Officer Bob starts his career on the Police Training Course. This first day is 
important because it helps Officer Bob learn about his car and get a feel for 
the job.
The game screen is divided into two sections. The right side of the screen shows 
information about Officer Bob's progress towards the day's quota.



The information area shows the following: 
  Score (Money) - Shows the current score. 
  Fuel - Shows how much fuel is left in the tank. The fuel gauge gets smaller as 
  Officer Bob uses gas. When the fuel level starts to get low, the indicator 
  turns red and it's time to find one of the gas stations scattered throughout 
  the city. If Officer Bob runs out of gas, his day ends. 
  Time - Shows how much time is left for the shift. Officer Bob can give himself 
  more time by taking donut breaks. Officer Bob will find donuts all over the 
  city. Sometimes they are in donut shops, other times they are lying beside the 
  road. Officer Bob doesn't care where he finds the donuts - any old donut 
  tastes pretty good to him and gives him enough energy to work a little longer. 
  There are even drive-thru donut shops - they give the most time, but are only 
  good for one stop each day. 
  Demerits - Officer Bob gets a demerit whenever he does something wrong or 
  fails to meet his quota. If Officer Bob gets 10 demerits, he will lose his job 
  and go back to civilian life. That means no more donuts. Whenever Officer Bob 
  gets a demerit, a hash mark appears next to the demerit icon. Officer Bob will 
  get demerits for the following actions: 
    Running over a pedestrian 
    Running into any object that makes his car explode. 
    Running into cars without using the siren. 
    Running out of gas 
    Failing to meet the quota (one demerit for each missed quota mark) 
One demerit is erased for every 5,000 points earned or when Officer Bob finds 
certain money bags. 


Quota - The days quota requirements also appear in the information area. Each 
violator Officer Bob must catch appears as one has mark. As Officer Bob catches 
the crooks, the hash marks disappear. When all hash marks are gone, Officer Bob 
has met his quota and may return to base. 


At the end of a day the Scoring Screen will appear to let you know how your 
score compares to the Daily Quota. To speed through these screens, press A and B 
simultaneously. 
The left side of the screen shows Officer Bob's car as it races through the 
streets in search of villains. The joypad steers the car. The A button turns on 
the siren. The B button is the gas pedal; press it to go faster, let go to stop. 
Once you buy a gun, press Option 1 to fire it. 


TO CATCH A THIEF
Officer Bob must face a variety of criminals. The most common are the traffic 
violators. To arrest a traffic violator, Officer Bob must point his crosshair at 
the offender and turn on his siren. Some offenders can only be stopped if you 
hit them while blaring your siren. 


As Officer Bob gains experience, he will see All Points Bulletins (A.P.B.s). An 
A.P.B. calls for the arrest of a major criminal. Capturing one of the criminals 
and running him or her into the station will satisfy the daily quota. To capture 
an A.P.B., Officer Bob must ram the offender's car several times with the siren 
on. The most dangerous crooks must be rammed many times before they will give 
up. Violators include the following: 
  LITTERBUGS - Litterbugs who throw objects from their cars. 
  HONKER - Honking Taxis which speed and blow their horns. 
  DOPER - Dopers who smoke illegal substances in the back of their trucks. 
  HITCHER - Hitchhikers who stand by the side of the road, looking for a free 
  ride. 
  HELP - Distressed Vehicles which are broken down. Their drivers shout for help 
  as Officer Bob approaches. 
  DRUNKS - Drunk Drivers weaving down the road in orange trucks. 
  ASSAULTS - Assault Bikers who throw explosives into the air. 
  MURDERERS - Murderers who throw dynamite out of their dark cars. 
  SPEEDERS - Speeders in souped-up red cars terrorize the roads. 



Chasing down murderers is risky business for Officer Bob. He never knows when 
dynamite could end up in his lap. Help him avoid getting blown-up while catching 
the bad guys. 


Here are 4 of the 15 grungy gangsters roaming the streets in A.P.B. 
  FREDDY FREAK - You could find this Dope Peddler on Highway 10. 
  PHILIP FUSE - This terrorist throws bombs at police along Highway 30. 
  COOL HAND DUKE - On Highway 00 you may run into Drinkertown's all around bad 
  guy. 
  BERNIE GAS MAN - If you're on Highway 20 you could meet this city arsonist. 



ITEMS
Officer Bob must remain alert at all time to spot violators and locate special 
items. Officer Bob can find the following items: 
  Money Bags - Money bag are hidden all over the city. To pick up a money bag, 
  Officer Bob must run over it. Money bags contain various random treasures, 
  including bonus points, hints, erased demerits, among others. Sometimes, they 
  even include bombs to blow up Officer Bob. 
  Donuts - Every good cop needs donuts. Officer Bob can find donuts at donut 
  shops, roadside donut huts, or scattered by the side of the road. Picking up 
  donuts gives Officer Bob enough energy to work a little longer, especially the 
  nice, fresh donuts at donut shops. 



Shops
Usually, every other day, the police force budget allows Officer Bob to stop at 
gas station shops. Shops contain upgrades for Officer Bob's car. These upgrades 
include: 
  Acceleration - More power for those quick starts 
  Brakes - Make the car stop faster 
  Higher speed - A higher top speed 
  Radar - Zap other cars to determine their speed (gives you more points when 
  making arrests!) 
  Gun - Used to take our criminals. Be careful, hitting innocent vehicles earns 
  you a Demerit. 
To purchase an item, use the joypad to scroll through the selections, then press 
A or B to make a purchase. 


STRATEGY
Look for donuts everywhere. Sometimes criminals can be found off-road. Using the 
siren too often keeps criminals straight. This may make the city safer, but 
Officer Bob will never meet his quota. Press A or B simultaneously to quickly 
bypass the screens between levels. 


SCORING
Object			(Points)
--------------------------------
Cone			(  5)
Honking Taxi		( 25)
Doper			( 50)
Distressed Driver	( 75)
Hitchhiker		( 75)
Drunk Driver		(100)
Litterer		(155)
Assault Biker		(200)
Murderer		(300)
Donuts			(Time)
Money Bag		(Variable)

The Money Bag earns Officer Bob one of the following: 50, 500 or 5,000 points, a 
hint, extra time, booby trap, lose 1 Demerit, all Demerits erased or by finding 
this, your day's quota will be met. 

BONUS POINTS

Double Point 
Officer Bob receives double points after the quota is met or when radar is used.

Time Bonus 
25 points per second remaining when Bob returns to the station.

Quota Bonus 
20 points per quota item met.

Gas Bonus 
5 points per gallon of fuel remaining in the 18-gallon tank.

Earlybird Bonus 
2,000 points if Officer Bob meets his quota and returns to the station before 
time runs out.

No Demerit Bonus 
1,000 points if you finish the day with no demerits.

A.P.B. Capture 
1,000 to 15,000 points.