CHIPS'S CHALLENGE 
(c) EPYX                      
-----------------        
                 
GO BIT BUSTER                                             
Chip would do anything for Melinda the Mental Marvel. More than 
anything becoz he wanted to join Melinda's exclusive computer club
- the Bit Busters. So you can imagine how Chip felt when Melinda 
sat down next to him in the school cafeteria and offered him 
membership.... on one condition. 

Take control of Chip as he does some heavy interfacing with a few 
interesting puzzles. Melinda will monitor your progress as you 
enter and work your way through 144 levels of challenging maze-
like paths and puzzles. Once you accept the challenge, there is 
no escape. Monsters, traps and the ticking of the clock all 
conspire to delete you before a level is completed.

You must ram blocks of soil together to create bridges over water 
traps, or use them as buffers against cherry bombs. Invisible 
partitions will impede your progress. Colored keys will open 
doors that lead to other keys that will open still more doors! 
To make it through, you must keep puzzle sequences stored in your 
memory.

Most levels have a specific number of chips that you must collect 
before you can progress to the next level. Sometimes you must 
snatch those chips from under the very noses of deadly bugs who
are just aching to take a byte out of you! 

Well Chip, are you still up for the challenge? You can't get that 
Bit-Buster T-shirt out of your system, can you?    

Ok buddy, make tracks for level one of:
           
                    "CHIP'S CHALLENGE!"    
                                                          
PLAYING THE GAME:                       
-----------------                                                    
The object of the game is to enter and explore each level, solve 
the puzzle (usually involving the collection of a number of 
microchips) and progress to the next, slightly more difficult, 
level.

As you wander through each maze, there will be items to collect 
and objects to use. For example, keys to open doors and teleport
squares to move you from place to place.
                        
Each level contains challenges such as obstacles, traps, and 
monsters, with the additional challenge on some levels of a race 
against the clock.
                                            
The first eight levels intoduce you to most puzzle components and 
they give you a chance to gain experience of the game's basic 
concepts. A question mark appears next to Chip at the beginning of
each level. Move Chip over the question mark to receive 
information about that level. For more detailed information about 
the obstacles and special items you can find, see HELPFUL ITEMS 
below. 

Useful items such as keys and shields must be picked up and added 
to Chip's inventory. To pick up items, move Chip over them. 
The item will disappear from the action window and an icon 
representing it will appear in the inventory section of the 
information window.     

Most levels have a specific number of microchips that must be 
collected as part of the puzzle's solution before you can pass 
the microchip socket and progress to the next level.

When you first enter a level, the number of microchips to be 
collected appears under CHIPS LEFT in the status panel. On these 
levels you must solve part of the puzzle to gain access to the 
chips.

On some levels the CHIPS LEFT indicator is set to zero when you 
enter the level. This means that no microchips are needed to 
solve the puzzle. 


The Information window (left to right) 
----------------------------------------
CHIPS LEFT- Number of chips to be found
TIME      - Seconds left to solve puzzle 
LEVEL     - Number of current level

The INVENTORY BOX displays icons of the items you have picked up 
and have not yet used.                                            


HELPFUL ITEMS:                          
--------------             
KEYS open doors of the key color. Most keys will disappear from 
inventory after use.                                    

DOORS (see keys) once opened a door stays open.                                   
MICROCHIPS enable you to pass each level's microchip socket. Most 
levels have a required number of microchips you must collect 
before you can pass through the microchip socket to the exit 
square. 

EXIT SQUARES are flashing squares found on every level. Step on 
an exit square to proceed to the next level. Exit squares are 
usually blocked by microchip sockets.     
                                                         
DIRT BLOCKS can be linked together to form a bridge over water,
pushed against a bomb to explode it harmlessly, or used as blocks 
against monsters, deadly lightning balls, and other moving 
obstacles.                              

You can only move one dirt block at a time. If you place a dirt 
block to make a bridge over water, you must stamp down the dirt 
to turn it into a regular floor square. Do this by stepping on 
the block after pushing it into the water.   
                                             
NOTE: You may find things hidden under some dirt blocks. 
Sometimes the things are valuable, like microchips. However you 
may find that a block is covering something unpleasant...         

TRIP BUTTONS are linked to toggle blocks, clone machines, and 
other obstacles.  A trip button's color matches the color of the 
linked trap or obstacle. Stepping onto a trip button triggers 
the linked item.  For example, moving over a green trip button 
square will open (or close) all linked green toggle blocks or 
moving over a red trip button square will cause a red linked 
clone machine to begin releasing fireballs!              

MAGNETS neutralize the effect of force floor traps. With a magnet 
in the inventory, you can walk over a force floor normally! 
                                                                
FIRE SHIELDS - Walk through fire        

WATER SHIELD - Walk on water            

CLEATS:Travel over ice without slipping
                                         
NOTE: Magnets, Fire & Water shields, and Cleats stay in 
      inventory. They do not disappear after use.       


TRAPS, MONSTERS, and OBSTACLES         
--------------------------------
TRAPS must be disarmed before you can pass through them. There 
are various sorts of traps. For example some hold you prisoner 
until your time runs out, while others destroy you as you step on 
them. 

You can disarm traps with strategic placement of dirt blocks.

FORCE FLOOR TRAPS propel you with lightning speed from one area 
to another without allowing you to stop. Sometimes you can use 
this force to propel you to a desired location, however most of 
the time you will need to collect a magnet to neutralize the 
effect. 
                                                      
FIRE TRAPS are impassable bonfires laid out to block your 
progress. Use a fire shield to walk through fire traps.

WATER TRAPS can be crossed in two ways. Either build a bridge of 
dirt blocks or have a water shield in your inventory. 
                                         
ICE TRAPS are slippery obstacles that make you slide right past
your goal. Cleats are required to be able to walk over ice traps. 
                                                                    
MONSTERS want to destroy you and will show no mercy. One touch 
from a monster and you'll cash in your chips.  
                                                
TANKS block the way through crucial paths in some levels. Tanks 
are always linked to trip buttons, activate the correct trip 
button, so they move out of your way.

THIEVES: Touching a thief wipes your inventory of all items. 
Make sure you use the tools you need to collect micro-chips 
before trying to pass a thief.

TELEPORT SQUARES move you to another location on the level. 
Some squares teleport you in the direction you were facing when 
you stepped on them. Others teleport you in random directions.
 
     Beware! if you step on the only teleport square that is 
accessible, you will be trapped.

TOGGLE BLOCKS are outlined with broken colored lines. These 
block can be solid or transparent. When the toggle block is 
solid, you cannot pass through. These blocks are linked to trip 
buttons. When you activate a trip button, the toggle blocks 
linked to it will switch to the other state (solid or 
transparent).
                                        
     BLUE BLOCKS can be real walls or just an illusion. To figure 
out what a block is, try to pass through it (illusions vanish).

     MICROCHIP SOCKETS are special obstacles found on most 
levels. You must (usually) pass through a microchip socket to 
reach the Exit Square, but only after you have collected the 
required number of microchips for that level.  
                                                         
     CLONE MACHINES discharge fireballs, dirt blocks and other 
items. Most clone machines are linked to trip buttons. If you 
wish to start/stop a clone machine, activate the linked trip 
button.


STRATEGY                               
--------                                                       
Take notes and draw maps of difficult levels.
Leave yourself an escape route whenever possible.
Timing is crucial on some levels.       

Use the PAUSE key to give you time to think.
If the obvious solution doesn't work, try a bizarre solution. 
The later will usually put you through!  
                                                      
Monsters often move in predictable patterns.
Most objects affect monsters the same way, as they affect you.  
                                                      
Finally, if you get stuck in an impossible situation, use RESTART 
to resume the level.                 


CONTROLS:                              
-----------                      
Use joystick to move Chip.    
                                                   
R        - Restart level
X        -     Exit game
F1/F3    -  Music on/off
Run/Stop -    Pause Game

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*********Manual typed by QED************** 
                                           
Even though, the graphics suck and the music is not that great
I actually think this is one of the best "thinking man's" games
released in a long time........
(Hey U.S. Gold, where is the Mandelbrot plotter hidden in the 
ATARI-LYNX version ?!?!)                                              


