GCE Vectrex Dark Tower User manual

©General Consumer Electronics, Inc. 1983. Santa Monica, CA 90401. All Rights Reserved.
A copyright protection is claimed on the program stored within the cartridge.
A Milton Bradley Company
TM
TM
TOWER
FOR THE
SEARCH
GRAPHIC COMPUTER SYSTEM
TM

SEARCH TOWER
FOR THE
TM

3
nter the fantastic world of the
Dark Tower — a world filled with adventure,
danger and all the mysterious magic of
ancient times.
You control a squadron of warriors as
you search an adventure-filled forest for the
magical keys that will unlock the entrance to
the Dark Tower. Guide your warriors to the
enchanted chests scattered throughout the
forest — each will contain a new puzzle,
adventure, terror or treasure. Use your
warriors wisely and beware the evils of the
forest!

4
Setting Up
TOWER
FOR THE
SEARCH
Built-In
Control Panel
Dark Tower
Cartridge
Reset
Button Off/On/
Volume
Control
Cartridge
Slot
Power
Cord
Console
Screen Overlay
Outlet For
Built-In Control Panel

+Make sure the console power cord is plugged into a
120 volt AC 60 cycle electrical outlet.
+Check to be sure the plug for the built-in control panel
is firmly seated in the control panel outlet on the right.
+MAKE SURE THE CONSOLE IS TURNED OFF BE-
FORE INSERTING THE CARTRIDGE. Insert the car-
tridge into the slot with the label side up. Be sure it is
firmly inserted to the guideline marked on the
cartridge.
+Insert the screen overlay behind the tabs at the top
and bottom of the screen.
+Turn the Off/On/Volume Control to the ON position
(clockwise). You will see the Vectrex title for a few sec-
onds, then the name of the game.
+Adjust the volume control to the desired listening level.
Setting Up
5

Dark Tower is played with the built-in control panel only.
The functions of the controls are:
POSSESSIONS
Press and hold to view list-
ing of all your possessions,
remaining number of
warriors and current score.
Release to return to game.
FIRE STRAIGHT/
KEY SELECT
!Press to fire straight in
Brigand Sequence.
!Press to select key type
in Riddle of the Keys.
FIRE RIGHT/TEST
!Press to fire right in Brig-
and Sequence.
!Press to open the chests
in the forest.
!Press to test your solu-
tion in the Riddle of the
Keys.
FIRE LEFT/ARROW
!Press to select game
option.
!Press to fire left in Brig-
and Sequence.
!Press to move arrow in
the Riddle of the Keys.
JOYSTICK
Moves Warrior forward &
backward and right and
left.
6
Dark Tower Controls

7
Dark Tower is a one player game.
Skill Level Selection
You can begin Dark Tower at any of four different skill
levels. The skill level determines how many keys you are
given before starting your journey. Game 1 is the most
difficult; Game 4 is the least difficult.
The games are as follows:
Skill Level Keys Provided
Game 1 NONE
Game 2 Silver
Game 3 Silver and Bronze
Game 4 Silver, bronze and brass
To select the skill level, press Button 2. (Note: You will
not receive any points for the keys initially given in
Games 2, 3 or 4.)
Starting Game Play
Once you have selected the skill level, press Button 4 to
enter the forest and begin your adventure!
Object of the Game
Your goal is to unlock the door of the Dark Tower by
solving the Riddle of the Keys. To solve the riddle, you
must first find the four different keys scattered through-
out the forest and then find and enter the Dark Tower it-
self. Along the way, you will encounter a series of
hazards and mysteries. Tread carefully . . . you never
know where dangers lurk!
How to Play

Warriors
At the beginning of the game, you are provided
with a warrior who appears somewhere within the
forest. You are also provided with five reserve
warriors and two bags of gold. You can earn
additional warriors and gold during the game,
as explained later.
Possessions
Any time during the game, you can press Button 1 to
see a list of your possessions, your inventory of reserve
troops, and your score.
Forest Sequence
Forest map and Boundaries
The forest is divided into four equal sectors, each repre-
sented by a different type of tree — pines, elms, maples,
and dead trees. In the very center of the forest, called
the Dark Forest, there are no trees at all. This is where
the Dark Tower is hidden and will become visible only
when your warrior has collected all four keys (see Dark
Tower Sequence). There are also smaller dark forest
zones scattered throughout the forest map. It is easy to
get lost in these zones.
Be especially careful when in the Zone of Death,
where the plague occurs more often. It is advisable to
enter the Zone of Death only when you have a healer in
your possession (see Plague and Healer).
If you reach the boundaries of the forest, the trees will
disappear, you will enter a fog and will be placed ran-
domly somewhere else within the forest.
8

9
It is helpful to map the forest as you play the game
because objects always appear in the same location
from game to game. (Using standard graph paper is
helpful in mapping the forest). As you learn where ob-
jects will be found, your skill in playing the game will be
increased.
Dead Trees
(Zone of Death)
Pine Trees
Elm Trees Maple Trees
Dark
Forest

Direction of Travel
Use the joystick to move your warrior around the forest.
As your warrior walks through the forest, his direction
of travel is shown at the top right side of the screen
(N, NW, W, SW, S, SE, E, NE). The number of steps for-
ward he has taken since he made his last turn is also
shown. To go in a specific direction (eg, North), rotate
your warrior to the left (counter clockwise) until the de-
sired direction appears at the top of the screen. Then
your warrior will be heading in that direction.
Fog
In addition to the boundary fog, you can
also run into fog while walking within the
forest. You may also find fog in some of
the chests scattered throughout the forest
(see Chests). When you run into fog, it will
move up from the bottom of the screen and you will be
placed randomly somewhere else within the forest
unless you have a scout in your possession (see
Magician Sequence).
Plague
Like fog, you can run into the plague while
walking throughout the forest and may also
find the plague in a chest (see Chests).
When you run into the plague, it will move
up from the bottom of the screen like the fog, but you
will lose your warrior unless you have a healer in your
possession (see Magician Sequence).
10

Chests
You will see many chests scattered through-
out the forest. All chests look alike and give
no clue as to their contents. To open a chest, move your
warrior in front of the chest and press Button 4. If you
press Button 4 again before the chest lid is fully opened,
you can close the chest and move on. Once the chest
is fully opened, you must proceed to handle whatever
it has in store for you. There are six types of chests:
+Treasure Chests — These chests are very rare and
contain a no-risk treasure (one to nine bags of gold
or one to four replacement warriors). A particular
Treasure chest can only be opened once per game
— opening this same chest again will take you to
the Brigand Sequence (see below).
+‘Do-Nothing’ Chests — These are empty chests that
will open, pause for a moment, and then close.
+Fog Chests — These chests contain fog. When fully
opened, the fog cycle will be started, as explained
earlier.
+Plague Chests — These chests contain the plague.
When fully opened, the plague cycle will be
started, as explained earlier.
+Brigand Chests — These contain enemy beasts
called ‘Brigands’ who you must fight for your war-
rior’s survival (see Brigand Sequence).
+Magician Chests — These contain magicians who
can provide you with many valuable treasures (see
Magician Sequence). As with treasure chests,
each Magician Chest can only be opened once
per game — opening the same chest again will
take you to the Brigand Sequence.
11

Bags of Gold
Scattered throughout the forest are bags of
gold which you can pick up and add to your
possessions. You can pick up the bag of gold
by walking forward directly toward it. Each
bag of gold can be picked up only once
per game.
Keys
In each of the four sectors of the forest
there is one of the keys needed to solve
the Riddle of the Keys and open the Dark Tower. These
keys will be in the same location for each game, al-
though the particular type of key (gold, silver, brass or
bronze) will vary from game to game. (Note: You will
only be able to find the number of keys still needed
depending on which game option you selected. For
example, if you selected Game #4 you will only find
one key in the forest, since you already have the three
other keys in your possession.) You can pick up a key
by walking forward directly toward it. Each key can be
picked up only once per game.
Brigand Sequence
The Brigand Sequence begins when a warrior opens a
brigand chest. The warrior will be drawn into the chest
and must fight for his survival by hurling flamoids at the
brigands while avoiding the flamoids the brigands throw
at him. The brigands will appear from and disappear
behind walls on the left and right. Use the joystick to
move the warrior to the right and left and press Buttons
2, 3 and 4 to throw flamoids at the brigands. Button 2
throws flamoids to the left; Button 3 throws flamoids
straight ahead; and Button 4 throws flamoids to the
right.
The brigands will throw most of their flamoids directly
at the warrior but will also throw some in other directions
12

once in a while hoping that the warrior will walk into them
and be killed. Neither the warrior nor the brigands can
be killed by their own flamoids.
If the warrior successfully destroys a random number
of brigands, (up to about 20 brigands) he will receive a
treasure — either replacement warriors or more bags of
gold — or may be told to just ‘BE GONE’. In any case, he
will be returned to the forest at the same location he left.
If the warrior is killed by one of the brigands, a replace-
ment warrior will be provided (if one is available), which
will be returned to the same location outside the Brigand
Chest. The same Brigand Chest can be re-opened
again or the warrior can move on through the forest.
Magician Sequence
The Magician Sequence begins when a warrior opens a
magician chest. The warrior will be drawn into the chest
and will be open to the will of the magician. If you have
enough gold in your inventory, the magician may sell you
a key, replacement warriors, a healer, a scout or the
crystal crown. The amount of gold needed to buy these
treasures is as follows:
Treasure Gold Needed
Gold Key 60-69 bags
Silver Key 50-59 bags
Bronze Key 40-49 bags
Brass Key 30-39 bags
Warrior 10-20 bags
Crystal Crown 60-69 bags
Healer 15-20 bags
Scout 20-30 bags
The Crystal Crown is a special treasure that is worth
1500 points if it is in your possession at the end of the
game.
The Healer is one of the warrior’s helpers that pre-
vents the fatal effects of the plague. The Healer can be
13

used only 4-6 times while in your possession and will
then be lost. Another Healer may be granted by the Ma-
gician later in the game if there are still Magician Chests
available and the player has enough gold.
A Scout is another one of the Warrior’s helpers. The
Scout prevents a Warrior from getting lost in a fog. The
only exception is the boundary fog, where the Scout
cannot help the Warrior from getting lost. As with the
Healer, the Scout can be used only 4-6 times while in
your possession. Another Scout may be granted by the
Magician later in the game if there are still Magician
Chests available and the player has enough gold.
Dark Tower Sequence
Once you have all four keys in your possession, you can
enter the Dark Tower and try to solve the Riddle of the
Keys to open the tower door.
The Dark Tower is visible only when all four keys are in
your possession. It is located near the center of the map
in the largest of the dark forests, which is surrounded by
a mixture of all four types of trees. When you find the
Dark Tower, use the joystick to move your warrior for-
ward directly into the entrance of the door.
Once you are inside the door, you will see the four
keys, which you must put in the correct order to try and
unlock the tower. Press Button 2 one or more times to
move the arrow and select the desired key. Then press
Button 3 one or more times to select the type of key
(gold, silver, bronze, or brass). Make sure each type of
key is used only once.
When you think you have put the keys in the correct
sequence, press Button 4 to test your solution. If all four
keys are in the correct position, the game will end. If not,
those keys that are in the correct positions will stay lit for
a few seconds and then the Warrior will be placed back
into the forest at a randomly selected location. If you
have a Scout in your possession, your Warrior will be
14

placed outside the Dark Tower rather than somewhere
within the forest, and he can enter the tower and try to
solve the Riddle of the Keys again.
Scoring
Points are awarded for each treasure you pick up after
the start of the game (ie, you do not receive points for
the keys, gold, or warriors you are given at the beginning
of the game.) Points are also earned for destroying brig-
ands and for solving the Riddle of the Keys.
Possessions
Gold Key 1,000 points
Silver Key 900 points
Bronze Key 800 points
Brass Key 700 points
Bag of Gold 100 points
Warrior 100 points
Crystal Crown 1,500 points
Healer 300 points + a bonus warrior
Scout 300 points + a bonus warrior
Destroying each Brigand 125 points
Solving Riddle of the Keys 3,000 points
High Score Memory
As long as your machine is on with the Dark Tower car-
tridge in place, the high score is retained. Once the ma-
chine is turned off and the cartridge is removed, the
high score is lost. To check the high score, press the
Reset Button on the console.
Restarting the Game
To restart after a completed game, simply press any of
the buttons on the control panel.
15

Date Name Score
16
Score Record

17
Date Name Score
Score Record

This Video Game Cartridge is warranted by General Consumer
Electronics, Inc. to the original consumer purchaser in the U.S.A. for a
period of 90 days from the original purchase date under normal use
and service against defective workmanship and materials. ANY
IMPLIED WARRANTIES ARE ALSO LIMITED IN DURATION TO THE
NINETY (90) DAY PERIOD FROM THE ORIGINAL PURCHASE DATE.
SOME STATES DO NOT ALLOW LIMITATIONS ON HOW LONG AN
IMPLIED WARRANTY LASTS, SO THE ABOVE LIMITATION MAY NOT
APPLY TO YOU.
This warranty is void if the GCE Video Game Cartridge has been
damaged by accident, unreasonable use, neglect, misuse, abuse,
improper service, modification, subject to commercial use or other
causes not arising out of defects in workmanship or materials and is
limited to electronic and mechanical parts contained in the cartridge.
GENERAL CONSUMER ELECTRONICS, INC. SHALL NOT BE LIABLE
FOR LOSS OF USE OF THE VIDEO GAME CARTRIDGE OR OTHER
INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL COSTS, EXPENSES OR DAMAGES
INCURRED BY THE PURCHASER RESULTING FROM BREACH OF
ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES ON THE VIDEO GAME
CARTRIDGE. SOME STATES DO NOT ALLOW THE EXCLUSION OR
LIMITATION OF INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, SO
THE ABOVE LIMITATION OR EXCLUSION MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU.
During the warranty period, if found to be defective due to workman-
ship or materials, the GCE Video Game Cartridge will at the option of
General Consumer Electronics, Inc. be repaired or replaced with a
new or reconditioned GCE Video Game Cartridge without charge for
parts or labor when returned by Purchaser with proof of purchase
date, shipped prepaid to General Consumer Electronics, Inc. at the
following address:
90 Day Limited Warranty
General Consumer Electronics Inc.
233 Wilshire Boulevard
Santa Monica, California 90401
In the event that your GCE Video Game Cartridge is replaced, the
warranty on the replacement will be ninety (90) days from the date of
its return to you.

Additional screen overlays may be ordered by completing this form
and mailing it with your check or money order for $2.00 each.
Address check or money order to:
GCE, Vectrex Screen Overlays, P.O. Box 8123,
San Francisco, CA 94128
Please allow 2-3 weeks for delivery. Offer subject to availability.
Note: Separate cartridges are needed for the overlays listed
below.
SCREEN OVERLAY
Mine Storm Solar Quest Spike
Armor Attack Space Wars SpinBall
Berzerk Star Hawk Web Wars
Clean Sweep Star Trek Pole Position
Hyperchase Blitz! Dark Tower
Cosmic Chasm Heads-Up Star Castle
Rip-Off Fortress of Narzod Polar Rescue
Scramble Bedlam Others
(specify)
SCREEN
OVERLAY (fill in) QUANTITY (fill in) COST (fill in)
@ $2.00 $
@ $2.00
@ $2.00
@ $2.00
@ $2.00
@ $2.00
Total Overlays Ordered Total Costs $
Calif. Residents Add 6% Sales Tax $
Total Amount Enclosed $
Order Form for Replacement Screen Overlays
Name Phone ( )
Address
City State Zip

ART REV A6-002214001
REPRODUCTION
A Milton Bradley Company
GRAPHIC COMPUTER SYSTEM
TM