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Raiders of the Lost Ark - Atari - Atari 2600    Manual Scan icon HTML Manual   

Raiders of the Los Ark
RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK*

(c) Lucasfilm Ltd. (LFL) 1982.
* Trademark of LUCASFILM LTD. and used by ATARI under license.

NOTE: Always turn the console POWER switch OFF when inserting
or removing an ATARI Game Program cartridge. This will protect
the electronic components and prolong the life of your ATARI
2600 Video Computer System game.

Manual, Program, and Audivisual (c) 1982 ATARI, INC. ALL
RIGHTS RESERVED

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. WELCOME TO EGYPT, DR. JONES!                         1

2. GAME PLAY                                            2

3. USING THE CONTROLLERS                                3

4. CONSOLE CONTROLS                                     4

5. SCORING                                              5

6. DESCRIPTION OF ROOMS AND OBJECTS                     6

7. HELPFUL HINTS                                        15


1. WELCOME TO EGYPT, DR. JONES!

Dust off your felt hat, throw on your leather jacket, and
uncoil your rawhide whip - you're going on the greatest
treasure hunt of your life! Put away the glasses and
three-piece suit of respected archeologist "Professor Jones,"
and say hello to swashbuckling adventurer Indiana Jones* -
Indy to your friends. Your mission: Find the fabled Lost Ark
of the Covenant.

The Lost Ark. A dazzling treasure covered by a sheet of shinig
gold, the Ark was used by the ancient Hebrews to carry stone
tablets inscribed with the Ten Commandments. According to the
Bible, the Ark possesses extraordinary powers and is able to
"level mountains" and "lay waste to entire regions." Any army
possessing it, the Bible says, is invincible.

You've been hired by the government to find the Ark before
your country's enemies do. The only question is, where?

As an expert on the Egyptian occult, you know the Ark was
hidden inside a chamber called the Well of Souls in the year
980 B.C. The location of the chambe is a mystery - but there
is a way to find it. Go to the secret Map Room in the city of
Tanis, and, if you're holding the right object at the right
time, the location of the Well of Souls will be revealed. Of
course, finding the Map Room is no easy task since Tanis was
buried long ago in a sand storm that lasted over a year.
You'll need sharp wits and courage to overcome the obstacles
you encounter on your way to the Ark. Armed with your wit and
steel nerves, however, you can handle anything! Anything, that
is, except snakes - they've always given you the creeps.
Snakes or no snakes, though, you've got to find the Ark! 

You're getting closer to the Ark, now. Look out! What's that
slithering out of the corner? It's a deadly asp! Snakes! Why
did there have to be snakes...?! 

2. GAME PLAY

RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK is an adventure game - to win, you
must make your way past obstacles to find the Lost Ark. Along
the you'll acquire adventure points, which will be scored at
the end of the game inside the Well of the Souls. (For more
about adventure points, see Section 5, SCORING).

You'll start the game inside the Well of the Souls, on top of
a high pedestal. The Ark is shining above you. Soon the
pedestal sinks down, the Ark disappears, and your quest
begins. The Ark of the Covenant is hidden somewhere in the
Valley of Poison, located somewhere outside the Egyptian city
of Cairo. The Valley of Poison is studded with towering mesas,
one of which holds the Well of the Souls and the Ark. Each
time you restart the game, the Well of the Souls is placed
randomly inside one of the mesas. Therefore, the Ark will
probably not be located in the same mesa from game to game.

To reach the secret Map Room, you'll first need to enter the
cavernous Temple of the Ancients, where you'll pick up objects
to help you on your journey. Next, you'll need to leave the
Temple, and search for the Map Room itself. Inside the Map
Room is a scale model of the Mesa Field, as well as a
heiroglyphic on the wall. The heiroglyphic shows the object
you must hold in order to unlock the secrets of the Map Room.

Your journey to the Ark is a dangerous one: you are given
three lives to play the game. Each time you are killed, you
will slowly disappear from the screen, feet first. If you have
any lives remaining, you will reappear and continue playing
the game. If no lives remain, the game ends and you must start
the game over again by pushing the right controller button. 

You'll need every ounce of skill you can muster to reach the
mesa containing the Well of the Souls. Find your way into the
mesa and the secret chamber, and you'll win the game and save
you're country! Good luck, Indy!

3. USING THE CONTROLLERS

Use both of you're Joystick Controllers with this ATARI Game
Program cartridge. Be sure the controller cables are firmly
plugged into the CONTROLLER jacks at the back of you're Video
Computer System game. Hold the Joysticks with the red
controller buttons to you're upper left, toward the television
screen. (See Section 3 of you're Owner's Manual for furthur
[sic]  details.)
STARTING THE GAME

Start the game by pushing the POWER switch to the ON position.
Indy will be lowered down on a pedestal in the middle of the
screen. When Indy reaches the bottom of the pedestal, press
the red button on the right controller. You'll immediately
appear in an Entrance Room containing a rock and a whip. Watch
out for snakes in this room - if they bite you, you're a
goner!

RIGHT CONTROLLER

Use the Joystick on the right controller to move Indy on the
screen. He moves up, down, right, left, and diagonally in the
direction you move the Joystick. To pick yp an object, guide
Indy over the object and it will automatically be picked up.
Items that have been picked up will appear in the red
inventory strip at the bottom of the screen (see Figure 1).
You can carry a maximum of six objects; if you want to pick up
an additional object and you already have six, one object must
be dropped before a new one is picked up.

The red fire button on the right controller makes use of any
object placed in the red inventory strip. For example, if you
need to defend yourself with your revolver, you can shoot
bullets by pressing the red fire button on the right
controller. Indy must be in motion, however, for some of your
weapons - such as the revolver or the whip - to work.

[Figure 1 - Inventory strip (shows selector dot on the red
inventory strip)]

LEFT CONTROLLER

The left controller functions as your inventory control and
can be used to select or drop objects that will help you on
your quest. Notice the small white selector dot below the
objects inside the strip - use it to select the article you
want to use. You can move the dot to select an object by
moving the Joystick to the right or left. The dot will move in
the same direction you push the Joystick. Select the desired
object by returning the Joystick to the neutral (center)
position when the dot is beneath the object. To drop an
object, move the dot beneath the object you no longer want,
and press the red fire button on the controller. The object
will disappear and return to the ORIGINAL place it was found.
Don't confuse fire buttons, or you might drop an important
object when you need it the most.

4. CONSOLE CONTROLS

GAME RESET SWITCH

Press the GAME RESET button on the right of your Video
Computer System console to restart a game. You'll see Indy
descending on the pedestal in the Well of Souls, and the Lost
Ark will disappear from the top of the screen. When Indy
reaches the bottom of the pedestal, press the red fire button
and Indy will be transported to the Entrance Room. You're on
your way!

TV TYPE SWITCH

Set this switch to COLOR if you're playing on a color
television set. Set it to B-W to play the game in black and
white.

DIFFICULTY SWITCHES

The LEFT and RIGHT DIFFICULTY switches have no function in
this game.

GAME SELECT SWITCH

The GAME SELECT switch also has no function in this game.

5. SCORING

Your final score is revealed after the completion of each
game. You'll appear on top of a pedestal in the Well of the
Souls. The height of the pedestal is a measure of your score
in adventure points. Adventure points are earned or taken
away, depending on your game play. Experiment to see how you
can increase your score.
(NOTE: A special signature will appear on the screen for
exceptionally high scores. Will you be able to find it?)

[Figure 2 - Scoring (Shows Indy on the pedestal with the Ark
above)]

6. DESCRIPTION OF ROOMS AND OBJECTS

ENTRANCE ROOM

This is the first room you'll enter when playing RAIDERS OF
THE LOST ARK. In the center of the room is a rock; below the
rock is a whip. Rumour has it that the Temple of the Ancients
is nearby.

MARKETPLACE

The Marketplace is a center of activity in Egypt. Here you'll
find three baskets, each containing a cerain object or a
number of objects. At the top of the Marketplace is the Black
Sheik who sells magic flutes; at the bottom is the White Sheik
who sells parachutes. It is whispered that the Black Sheik
will take you to the Black Market - for the right price.

TEMPLE ENTRANCE

Four doors lead to the temple entrance; two from outside the
templ, and two from deep within the temple. In the center of
the room is a timepiece.

SPIDER ROOM

Ever been afraid of spiders? Well, the biggest spider of them
all is lurking in the center of the Spider Room. The spider is
shooting out strands of web - if the web hits you while you're
in this room, you're one dead professor. Tsetse flies will
also attack you in this room, but they will only put you to
sleep for a few seconds.

ROOM OF THE SHINING LIGHT

Cover your eyes from the blinding light radiating from the
guardian of this room. Two dungeons are located in each of the
bottom corners of the room. The whole room seems to be alive;
when you bump into anythign in this room you are put back into
one of the dungeons. The power in this room is awesome - you
must be near the Temple Treasure Room!

TREASURE ROOM

Welcome to the Temple Treasure Room. The money supply in this
room is inexhaustible, and the Temple of the Gods will allow
you the freedom to come and go if you only take money. But
take one of the Temple treasures, and the Gods will take steps
to hinder your passage out. Good luck!

MESA FIELD

Somewhere in this vast expanse of mesas, the Lost Ark is
hidden. The yellow shapes are mesa tops; the blue is empty
air. You're safe while touching the mesas - but be careful not
to fall or jump off without proper safety precautions! Certain
objects will give you the ability to jump from mesa top to
mesa top by use of a grappling hook. The hook is small - in
fact it appears as a small white dot - but it will easily hold
your weight. To use the hook, move the Joystick up on the
right controller to let the hook out; move the Joystick down
to bring the hook in. When the hook is over a yellow mesa top,
press the fire button to jump to that mesa. Be sure that you
press the red controller button the instant the hook is on the
mesa, or you'll jump into the air and fall. Be careful about
jumping near the sides of the mesa field, where the grappling
hook can get hung up.

There are unverified rumours of an extraterrestrial YAR flying
near the Flying Saucer Mesa in the middle of the Mesa Field.

MESA SIDE

Fell off a mesa did you? On your way down, you probably saw
the flash of the mesa side. Each mesa has a single branch
sticking out from its side. Notice the opening below the
branch. It may be important!

VALLEY OF POSION

The Valley of Poison is inhabited by the black-cloaked Thief
who will try to steal your possessions and leave you
defenseless. If you can shoot him before he leaves the screen,
you'll get back whatever he snatched. If he gets away safely,
however, he can trade your possessions for bullets. Once he
has bullets for his revolver, watch out - he shoots to kill!

The Valley is also home to a swarm of tsetse flies. The flies
will bite you and put you to sleep for 1 to 7 seconds. If the
flies put you to sleep while the Thief is picking your
pockets, you have no defense until the fly poison has worn
off. You can run through the green bogs to escape the Thief,
but the mud in the bogs slows you down to half speed.

BLACK MARKET

In the Black Market you'll find a bizarre assortment of
characters: a Raving Lunatic to the left of the Marketplace, a
Sheik selling bullets to the top, and a Sheik peddling a
shovel to the bottom. To the right of the Black Market is a
basket. The Raving Lunatic will kill you if you try to cross
his path - you must pacify him with something. Likewise, the
two Sheiks want something to trade for their wares. Beware of
the Sheik with the shovel - he doesn't come cheap!

WELL OF THE SOULS

The Well of the Souls is where you appear at the end of the
game. If you've found the Lost Ark, it will appear at the top
of the screen. Whether you've found the ark or not, you'll be
raised on a pedestal in this room. Here you will be able to
measure your score in adventure points by the height of the
pedestal.

OBJECTS                              SCREEN             INVENTORY


MAGIC FLUTE                            ##
Magic flutes can be bought              ##                          ##
from the Black Sheik in the            ####               ############
Marketplace. As long as the             #  #            ####  ##  ####
selctor dot is on a magic                ####           ##############
flute, you cannot be harmed by            #  #                      ##
snakes.                                    ####
                                            ####
                                           ######


COINS
At the start of the game, you                                #####
are given a basket of coins.            ####                  ###
Coins can often be used to buy        ####                   # # #
objects or favors. You can get             ####             # # # #
baskets of coins in the Temple        ####                   # # #
Treasure Room, which has an               ####              # # # #
unlimited supply.                                            # # #
                                                              ###


GRENADE
Grenades are occasionally                                 ###
found in baskets and can be                               ######..
used to blast through SOME                                #####   #
barriers.                                               ######### #
                                                          #####  #


KEY                                                     ##
Keys open doors for those who                          #  #
know how to use them.                                  #############
                                                       #  #     #
                                                        ##     # #


WHIP                                    ##
The whip is found in the                ##                   #
Entrance Room, and is used by            #                  # #
pressing the button on your               ##               #   #
right controller. You must be               #               #   #
in motion and fairly close to                ##              #   #
an object in order to strike                   #              #  #
it with you whip.                               ##           #   #
                                                  #         #    #


PARACHUTE
The White Sheik in the                  ##%##             ## ##
Marketplace sells parachutes.           ##%##             ## ##
He has an unlimited supply of           %%%%%               #
them.                                   ##%##             ## ##
                                        ##%##             ## ##


TIMEPIECE                            ###                   ####
A timepiece can be picked up          ###                   ##
in the Temple Entrance. To             ###            ##############
tell the time, place the                ###           ##  ######  ##
selector dot below the                   ###          ######  ######
timepiece and press the button           ##           ##  ######  ##
on the right controller.               ##             ##############
                                     ##


REVOLVER                                                 ############
Use your revolver to get out                           # ############
of tight spots. You start out                           ##  #
with six bullets, and can only                         ######
buy more from the Sheik in the                         ###
Black Market. Indy must be in                          ###
motion to use the revolver.


BULLETS                                  #
Buy bullets in the Black               # # #
Market. They are sold three at         #   #
a time, and are kept track of
automatically.                         #   #
                                       # # #
                                         #

ANKH                                    ###              #####
One of the Temple treasures,           ## ##            ### ###
the Ankh, is the Egyptian               ###              #####
symbol of life. And it just           #  #  #          #  ###  #
might save yours!                     #######          #########
                                      #  #  #          #  ###  #
                                        ###              #####
                                       #####            #######


CHAI                                   ## #                  ##
Another Temple treasure, the            # ####         ####  ##
Chai, is the Hebrew symbol of             # #           #### ####
life.                                     ##             ### ######
                                          #                  ##  ##
                                                           ####  ##
                                                           ##  ####
                                                          ## ###


HOURGLASS                             ### ###          ######  ######
Found in the Temple Treasure           ## ##             ####  ####
Room, the hourglass is a                # #                ##  ##
favourite of the Temple Gods.                            ##      ##
But what is it used for?               ## ##             ##      ##
                                       ## ##               ##  ##
                                                         ####  ####
                                        # #            ######  ######
                                       ## ##
                                      ### ###


SHOVEL                                         %%%%       ######
A shovel can be bought in the                   %%         ###
Black Market, for the right                   %%             ##
price. What else is a shovel                %%              #####
good for but digging?                   ########             ####
                                        ######                ###
                                        ####                   ##
                                        ##                     
 


WARNING

DO NOT CONTINUE READING UNLESS YOU WANT TO BE GIVEN SOLUTIONS
TO THE RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK ADVENTURE GAME. COMMITTED
ADVENTURERS SHOULD SKIP THIS SECTION.

7. HELPFUL HINTS

This section is presented in two parts - HELPFUL HINTS and
MORE HELPFUL HINTS. HELPFUL HINTS gives you tips on how to get
into most of the rooms of the game, and how to find your way
out, or around an obstacle. MORE HELPFUL HINTS will assist you
after you've found your way around the rooms, to give you
strategy on winning the game and finding the Ark. We can't
give you all the clues to win the game (after all, what's an
adventure game without surprises?), but these hints should
give you a helping hand on your journey.

HELPFUL HINTS

1.   When you first start out in the Entrance Room, go
     directly to the Marketplace and buy a flute by dropping
     your basket of coins whie standing on the flute in front
     of the Black Sheik. (Be careful not to touch the Sheik
     while buying the flute, or he'll be insulted and will
     take your money without delivering the flute to you!) The
     flute will protect you from the snakes.

2.   After you've purchased a flute, you'll need to get a
     grenade from the blue basket on the left side of the
     Marketplace. With the grenade you can blow a hole in the
     wall of the blue Entrance Room (see Figure 3) which will
     lead to other rooms in the Temple. Walk to the right side
     of the Entrance Room, select the grenade with the left
     controller, and use it by pressing the button on the
     right controller. Get out ot the room quickly, or the
     shock waves from the blast could kill you!

[Figure 3 - Entrance Room After Explosion]

3.   In the Room of the Shining light you will be put into one
     of the dungeons, and to continue your journey, you must
     find your way out. You can escape by one of two ways; If
     you have a gun or whip, you can shoot holes in the walls
     of the box; or if you are out of ammunition, you can slip
     out of the secret exit located at the bottom of the box.
     The exit only appears occasionally, so keep trying!

4.   The magic flute will make you immune to tsetse flies as
     well as snakes.

5.   Once you find the Temple Treasure Room, you'll need to
     exit and return to allow the Temple enough time to
     replenish the coins.

MORE HELPFUL HINTS

1.   Use the Ankh to transport yourself onto the Mesa Field.

2.   Once on top of the Mesa Fields, move the grappling hook
     so that it crosses the broadest part of the mesa you're
     trying to reach. Get a feel for the rhythm of the hook's
     pathway. Jump across just before the hook crosses the
     yellow mesa.

3.   If you want an easy route to the Black Market, try
     bribing the Black Sheik in the Marketplace. You'll have
     to experiment to find the right object to bribe him with.

4.   Cross the far end of the Mesa Field to reach the Map
     Room. Once at the far end, drop the object that gave you
     your grappling hook, center yourself on the mesa, and
     walk into the next room. You'll be on a thin strip of
     solid ground with blue "sky" all around. Don't walk off
     the strip or you'll fall into the Valley of Poison. The
     Map Room is nearby, but you'll need the correct object to
     get in.

5.   Use the shovel from the Black Market to dig for the Well
     of the Souls - once you've discovered the correct mesa.
-------------------Atari 2600 Instructions Archive-------------------

This document obtained from the History of Home Video Games Homepage, �1997-1998 by Greg Chance