MAD is a single player, all machine code, arcade style game for any Atari ST in colour that can be typed in by any owner using ST BASIC. The listing is an Atari ST Basic listing which generates a machine code program file. Simply type the program in, make a backup copy for safety I place a formatted disk in drive A and run the program from ST BASIC. If any typing errors have been made, the program will report the line in error and then stop. Correct the error and then run the program again. When all the errors have been removed you'll end up with the program on disk as the file 'a:\mad.prg'. This program will be a stand alone machine code file that can be loaded in the normal way, by double clicking. ST BASIC is no longer required.

PLAYING THE GAME

The object of this game is to work your way around a series of strange underground caverns collecting jewels. When you've collected enough jewels in a cavern, an exit will appear which will let you progress onto the next cavern. Each cavern is made up of complex mazes and walls restricting your movements and they are also filled with nasty Amiga balls which will come crashing down on you if you are careless. To make things even worse, you are only allowed a certain time inside each cavern.

Start the game by pressing the joystick trigger and you will be at the first screen. Alternatively you can start at any of the first 4 screens with keys F1, F2, F3 and F4. Movement is controlled by a joystick in port 2, or via the CURSOR keys on the keyboard. You can pause the game with the SPACEBAR, followed by any key to resume. You can terminate a life with the ESC key, (to get out of those nasty situations).

At the bottom of the screen you will see a status line

L:4 C:06 T:40 S:0000

This displays the number of lives remaining (L:), the number of jewels which must be collected to complete the cavern (C:), the time remaining in that cavern (T:) and your score (S:). You begin a game with 4 lives. A life is lost when you are squashed by an Amiga bailor when your time expires. You score 10 points for every jewel you collect. When you have collected enough jewels, an exit will appear which will let you enter the next cavern.

A countdown timer will bleep when the time remaining is close to running out. When all 7 caverns have been completed, you will start over again at the first level but things will have speeded up.

I hope that MAD doesn't drive you mad - get playing!