Impossible Mission

                    ATARI (R) 7800 (TM) Game Manual

                                SUPER GAME

                               TOP SECRET!
                          OPERATION: Atombender
                      I.M.A. Special Terrorist Unit
                             MISSION BRIEFING
                         for the Atari 7800 (TM)

                                IMPOSSIBLE
                               MISSION (TM)
                                 by Epyx

TABLE OF CONTENTS

TOP SECRET DOCUMENT                             1
Mission Briefing                                2
Dossier: Elvin Atombender                       3
Intelligence Report                             5
        Elvin's Stronghold                      5
        Elvin's Robots                          6
        Elvin's Security Systems                7

GAME INSTRUCTIONS                               8
Getting Started                                 8
Playing the Game                                8
        Moving through the Stronghold           9
        Searching for Codes                     9
        Using Security Terminals               10
        Code Rooms                             11
        The Pocket Computer                    12
        Using the Glove                        13
        Using the Phone                        14
        Solving the Puzzles                    15
        The Control Room                       15
Strategy                                       16
Scoring                                        17

Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the product
documentation in this manual. However, because Atari=A0Corporation is
constantly improving and updating its computer hardware and software, it is
unable to guarantee the accuracy of printed material after the date of
publication and disclaims liability for changes, errors, or omissions.

Reproduction of this document or of any portion of its contents is not
allowed without the specific written consent of Atari Corporation.

Impossible Mission (TM) is a trademark of Epyx, Inc., copyright (C) 1984.

Atari (R), the Atari logo, and 7800 (TM) are trademarks or registered
trademarks of Atari Corporation.

ATARI (R)
Copyright (C) 1989, Atari Corporation
Sunnyvale, CA 94086
All rights reserved.


TOP SECRET
DOCUMENT



DO NOT ACCEPT IF SEAL IS BROKEN

Courier is required by law to obtain proof of identity before releasing
this document. Unauthorized possession of these materials is a criminal
offense punishable by law.

RETURN TO I.M.A., WASHINGTON, DC 20024


TOP SECRET

Agent's Eyes Only!
Officer Courier Only!

To: Special Agent 4125
Re: Mission Briefing

Subject: Mission of vital importance to national and global security.
Operations to begin immediately. Utmost urgency.

Situation: During the past three days, key military computer installations
of every major world power have reported security failures. In each case,
someone gained access to a primary missile attack computer.

Only one person is capable of computer tampering on this scale: Professor
Elvin Atombender (hereafter referred to as "Elvin").

We believe that Elvin is working to break the computer's launch codes. When
he succeeds, he plans to trigger a missile attack that will destroy the
world.

Mission: You must penetrate Elvin's underground stronghold and stop him. To
succeed, you will have to evade the scientist's robot guards, break his
security code, and find his control center. Your predecessors Agents 4116
and 4124 (may they rest in peace), were able to send back some information
about Elvin's installation. It is detailed in the following pages.

Your only weapons will be your keen analytical mind and your MIA9366B
pocket computer. Good luck. The world is depending on you.

DOSSIER:
ELVIN ATOMBENDER

Last Known Picture of Elvin

Sex:    Male
Age:    62
Height: 5' 4"
Hair:   No
Eyes:   Yes
Traits: Avoids people.
        Hates animals.
        Likes brussels sprouts.

Childhood: Elvin was a nice boy. Well, his mother liked him. In school, he
loathed sports but excelled in mathematics. He seldom caused any problems
(at least none with any global consequences). At home, Elvin spent most of
his time staring at his computer screen, a seemingly harmless recreation.

Oh, there was the time Elvin broke into the phone company's computer system
and changed the records. Angry at his parents for some real or imagined
crime, the playful youngster added a long distance call to their monthly
phone bill: a five-and-a-half-hour call to Afghanistan. His parents were
tolerant. They were sure he would eventually outgrow his passion for
tinkering with other people's computers.

Turning point: It was during his days as a college student that Elvin was
transformed from a promising young man into a treacherous evildoer. Elvin
had become obsessed with a new computer game, "Giggling Penguin Invaders
from Outer Space in the Vicinity of Ursa Minor." (Elvin had always hated
penguins from Ursa Minor.)

The game's score counter went up to 100,000,000,000, and Elvin was
determined to "max it out." After playing the game for several days without
sleep, he had vaporized enough penguins to pile up 99,999,999,785 points.
One more tuxedoed avian and he'd have it.

Elvin shook out his joystick hand. A 250-point penguin waddled onto the
screen. Elvin's eyes lit up. He took aim. And then, at that precise moment,
the power failed. Elvin's game was lost; he'd never get a score that high
again.

In that instant, something snapped in Elvin's mind. He became consumed with
a single maniacal obsession. He would repay the world for the injustice it
had dealt him.

For many years, Elvin waited. He became a distinguished professor, a
renowned expert in computers and robots. Then, eight years ago, he
disappeared. His whereabouts were unknown until now.

INTELLIGENCE REPORT

ELVIN'S STRONGHOLD

Using the fortune he amassed by raiding the computer systems of various
financial institutions, Elvin has constructed a vast underground stronghold
packed with computer equipment.

Room Screen

There are 32 rooms in Elvin's stronghold. Some of them are used as living
quarters, and others are computer rooms. These are not ordinary rooms,
however. Elvin has constructed them so that only he can negotiate them
easily.

Each room has a number of floors or catwalks that are connected by lifts.
The floors and catwalks often end abruptly, dropping off into space. And
they're guarded by Elvin's nasty, human-seeking robots.

ELVIN'S ROBOTS

Height: 1.57 meters
Weight: 67 kilos
Armor Type: Ablative (AC: -4)
Vcc: 5 megavolts
Weaponry: High-voltage ionic plasma generator
Energy Reserves: 3.14 megajoules (est.)
Maximum Angular Velocity: 1.2 megaradians/fortnight
Longitudinal Velocity:
Alpha Class: 2.5 x 10-8 c
Beta Class:  1.2 x 10-8 c
Gamma Class: 5.9 x 10-9 c
Omega Class: 0 c
Photovoltaic Threshold: 0.12 lumens
Entropic Conversion Rate: 3.71828 ergs/nsec
Thermionic Coefficient: 6.07 therms/hour

Elvin's robots are equipped with sound/motion sensors. These sensors act as
the robot's ears, allowing the robot to home in on you whether it can see
you or not.

The robots are propelled by linear induction motors embedded in the floors
of the complex. The magnets keep the robots from leaving the floor's
surface.

The robot's high-voltage electrode projects a lethal electrical discharge
approximately six feet.

Infrared photocells act as the robot's eyes. They can detect the presence
of human body warmth anywhere in front of the robot.

{diagram of a robot}

Sound/Motion Sensors
High-Voltage Electrodes
Infrared Photocells
Linear Induction Magnet

ELVIN'S SECURITY SYSTEM

Intelligence indicates that Elvin uses three types of codes (or passwords)
in his security system. One code deactivates the robots, another operates
the lifts, and the third code (a password) unlocks the control room.

Elvin is very tricky, not to mention a little strange. He hides the
passwords in his furniture! Elvin frequently forgets the passwords for his
security computer, so he scatters them around, stashing them in the
weirdest places. You might find a password in the sofa, stereo, or candy
machine. But you must find the passwords to stay alive.

Once you find the codes, using them should be relatively easy for the most
part. You should be able to log onto a security terminal as you enter each
room and deactivate the robots or reset the lifts (if necessary) from
there.

The control-room password is another matter. Elvin has broken up this
important code into dozens of pieces and scattered them throughout the
complex. You will have to find and retrieve all the pieces of the code and
fit them together like a puzzle to form the password.

With the completed password, you can gain access to the control room where
Elvin is preparing to launch the missiles. You have to stop him, or the
world's going to pay an awfully high price for a 250-point penguin!

GAME INSTRUCTIONS

Getting Started

1.  Insert the Impossible Mission cartridge into your Atari 7800 as
    explained in your Owner's Manual. Plug a joystick into the left
    controller port.

2.  Turn on your television or monitor; then press [Power] to turn on your
    Atari console. The Impossible Mission title screen will appear.

3.  Press the joystick fire button or [Reset] to begin the game.

4.  To restart the game during play, press [Reset]. The rooms and robots
    will be rearranged, and the computer will generate a new set of
    puzzles.

Playing the Game

You must penetrate the rooms and tunnels in Elvin's stronghold, avoid his
robot defenders, and put together his secret password. You can then enter
Elvin's control room and put a stop to his plans to destroy the world.

You score points by finding puzzle pieces and putting them together and by
reaching Elvin's control room before time runs out. As your skill at the
game increases, you can achieve higher scores by completing the password
and reaching the control room with more time left on the clock. However,
each time you play, the rooms and robots will be rearranged and the puzzles
will be different.


MOVING THROUGH THE STRONGHOLD

You can move through the stronghold in the following ways:

In the elevator: Push the joystick handle forward or back to go up or down.
                 Push the joystick handle left or right to move in either
                 direction along the corridor. Running off the edge of the
                 screen takes you into a room.

In the rooms: Push the joystick handle left or right to move in either
              direction. If you press the joystick fire button, your agent
              will perform a midair forward flip that is especially useful
              in somersaulting over persistent robots.

On lifting platforms: If you're standing on a striped lifting platform in
                      one of the rooms, you can push the joystick handle
                      forward or back to go up or down.


SEARCHING FOR CODES

As you explore Elvin's stronghold, your pocket computer at the bottom of
the elevator screen will display a map of the rooms and tunnels you have
entered. In every room, you should conduct a search.

Search every object or piece of furniture in the rooms for codes and
password puzzle pieces. (Remember to be on the lookout for robots.) You can
do this by standing directly in front of an object (such as a sofa, desk,
or fireplace) and pushing the joystick handle forward.

The word "Searching" will appear in a box near your agent's shoulder. You
will also see a horizontal bar indicating the length of time it will take
to search the object. You must continue holding the joystick handle forward
until the bar disappears.

If your search is interrupted for any reason, you can go back to the object
and resume searching where you left off. If you leave the room, however,
you'll have to start the search from the beginning if you return.

When you have finished searching the object, one of four things will appear
above your agent's shoulder:

The words "Nothing here."

A picture of a sleeping robot. This picture represents a SNOOZE password,
which allows you to deactivate the robots in a room temporarily.

A picture of a striped lifting platform with an arrow above it. This
represents a LIFT INIT password, which allows you to reset all the lifting
platforms in a room to their original positions.

A puzzle piece. This is part of the password that allows entry to the
control room. It will be entered into the memory of your pocket computer
automatically.


USING SECURITY TERMINALS

You can use the SNOOZEs and LIFT INITs at any security terminal. These are
terminals that are located near the entrance to each room. They look like
television sets with darkened screens.

To use a security terminal, move directly in front of it and push the
joystick handle forward. The screen of the security terminal will enlarge
to fill your display. You can select one of the three functions by moving
the joystick handle forward or back; press the joystick fire button when
the arrow points to the function you want.

Reset lifting platforms: To use this option, you must have a LIFT INIT
                         password in your possession. (Your pocket computer
                         displays the number of LIFT INITs you have.)

Temporarily disable robots: To use this option, you must have a SNOOZE
                            password in your possession. (Your pocket
                            computer displays the number of SNOOZEs you
                            have.)

Log off.


CODE ROOMS

Elvin's stronghold contains two code rooms where you can earn additional
passwords. Move your agent up to the console and push the joystick handle
forward as if you were searching it. A sequence of squares will flash on
the wall, each with a musical note, and a white glove will appear. Use the
white glove to touch each square in a sequence so that the notes are sorted
in ascending order (from low to high).

If you produce the proper sequence of notes, the checkerboard will flash
and you'll get a SNOOZE or LIFT INIT password. You can do this as many
times as you like, but the sequence gets longer each time. You can quit at
any time by pushing the joystick handle forward to touch the purple bar
with the glove.


THE POCKET COMPUTER

Your pocket computer allows you to play with the puzzle pieces, twisting
them around to figure out how they go together.

To activate your pocket computer, your agent must be standing in one of the
elevators or corridors. Press the joystick fire button to turn on the
pocket computer.

Note: You can't use the pocket computer in any of the rooms. Pressing the
fire button in a room will make your agent do a somersault.

When the computer is activated, the map of Elvin's stronghold will vanish
and a white glove will appear. Use the glove to put the puzzle pieces
together, forming the password that will let you enter Elvin's control
room.

{diagram of pocket computer}

The pocket computer consists of these components:

The Selected Puzzle Piece is the piece you are working with.

The Memory Window displays two of the puzzle pieces you have collected.

Arrow keys move the puzzle pieces into the memory window.

The Phone Key dials out for help. (See Using the Phone.)

The Vertical Flip Key flips the selected puzzle piece vertically.

The Horizontal Flop Key flops the selected piece horizontally.

The Trash Can Key deletes the selected puzzle piece from the display (but
not from memory).

The Off Key turns off the pocket computer.

If you have just deleted a puzzle piece or put two pieces together, you can
use the Exclamation Key to "undo" it.

The Paws Key pauses the game.

The Color Keys change the color of the selected puzzle piece.

Each time you complete a puzzle, one letter of Elvin's password will appear
at the bottom of the pocket computer screen.


USING THE GLOVE

To move the glove, move the joystick handle in the desired direction.

To activate a function key, point to it with the glove and press the
joystick fire button.

To pick up a puzzle piece in the memory window, point to it with the glove
and press the fire button. You can then move it by moving the joystick
handle.

To drop a puzzle piece, press the fire button.

To make a copy of the selected puzzle piece, point to it with the glove and
press the fire button.

To put back a copy of the selected piece, position the copy directly over
the selected piece and press the fire button.

To select a puzzle piece that isn't selected, point to it with the glove
and press the fire button.

To find out if two pieces match, position one piece directly over the other
and press the fire button.


USING THE PHONE

When you touch the phone key on your pocket computer, it dials up the
Agency's main computer to help you solve the puzzles. However, there is a
charge for this service: each use of the phone costs two minutes on the
game clock.

The Agency's computer will give you three choices:

Correct orientations of the leftmost pieces. The computer will flip the two
puzzle pieces in the memory window to put them in their correct positions.
A red mark appears to the left of each piece that has been flipped.

Have we enough pieces to solve the upper left puzzle? The computer will
look at the upper puzzle piece in the memory window and tell you whether or
not you've found all three of the pieces that go with it to complete the
puzzle.

Hang up. This hangs up the phone.

Select the phone function you want by pointing to it with the glove and
then pressing the joystick fire button.


SOLVING THE PUZZLES

Some pieces are upside down or backwards (or both) when you find them. If a
piece doesn't seem to match anything, try flipping it with the function
keys.

Pieces must be the same color, or they won't match. If two pieces with
different colors look as if they might match, use the color keys to change
them.

A completed puzzle looks like a computer punch card: a solid rectangle with
several little holes in it. A completed puzzle may be upside down or
backwards when you finish putting it together. You may have to flip it
around before it is recognized as a solution.

There are four pieces in each completed puzzle and nine puzzles in the
game. Once you have solved all nine puzzles, you will have the nine-letter
password that opens the door to Elvin's control room.


THE CONTROL ROOM

The door to Elvin's control room is in one of the blue rooms. When you have
completed the password, position your agent directly in front of the
control-room door and push the joystick handle forward. The door will open,
and Elvin's plot is foiled.


Strategy

Some rooms are harder to navigate than others. If a room seems too hard,
come back to it after you have acquired enough passwords to reset the lifts
and turn off the robots.

Each robot has a different behavior program. Some robots move faster than
others, some shoot lightning bolts, and some can't see or hear. Watch each
robot closely. You can often figure out which program is running the robot
before you try to get past it.

Your pocket computer will let you combine any two puzzle pieces that don't
overlap. However, puzzle pieces that don't overlap don't necessarily belong
together. If you find that it's impossible to finish partially completed
puzzle, you may have combined the wrong pieces.

You don't need to somersault over every hole in the floor. If a gap is no
wider than a lifting platform, try stepping across it. But don't let up on
the joystick until you get to the other side, or you'll fall.

If you have to cross a very large chasm, you can actually have one foot in
the abyss before you press the fire button to jump. If you do this
correctly, it will give you the extra distance you need.


Scoring

The game clock on the pocket computer display starts at 12:00. The game
ends when the clock reaches 6:00. Each time you fall off the bottom of the
screen or get zappedd by a robot or a floating orb, you lose ten minutes.
Each time you use the phone, you lose two minutes. When the game ends, you
are awarded points as follows.


Each second remaining on the clock         1 point
Each puzzle pieces found                 100 points
Each SNOOZE or LIFT INIT found           100 points
Each puzzle solved                       500 points
Mission completed                       1000 points


ATARI (R)
Copyright (C) 1989, Atari Corporation
Sunnyvale, CA 94086
All rights reserved.
Printed in Hong Kong
B.T.2.1989
C300018-032 Rev. A