The BBC and Master Computer Public Domain Library

LOOPZ

Professional, Originally Released On Cassette Only

Game Type          : Strategy; Puzzle-placing arcade game

Author             : Kevin Blake and Ian Upton

Standalone Release(s)   : 1991: LOOPZ, Audiogenic, £7.95

Compilation Release(s) : None

Stated compatibility    : Electron Side A, BBC Side B

Actual compatibility    : As stated

Supplier            : AUDIOGENIC, Winchester House, Canning Road, HARROW HA3 7SJ

Disc compatibility     : CDFS E00, DFS E00

Instructions

"It couldn't be simpler. You get pieces of different sizes and shapes. One by one you put them down on the playing board - soon you've made your first loop. Yeaaaah!

Now it's not so easy. This time you didn't get the pieces you wanted. Never mind - just start another loop.

All of a sudden the board's getting just a little too crowded. Now you're struggling to find a place to drop the pieces (who cares where they go, you can't afford to let the timer run down because you'll lose a life).

Now it's getting really hectic. Did you honestly think this game was simple (and this is just the first level of Game A)?

Pretty soon you'll be dreaming about LOOPZ. Wondering if next time you'll be able to make a longer loop than ever before - or more loops than your record. Will LOOPZ drive you crazy? You bet!

*   Easy to learn. Dangerously addictive - and incredible fun to play.

*   Game A offers ten skill levels - you'll never beat level 9.

*   Game B takes you through the levels - with special bonus games if you do really do well!

*   Game C is a real puzzle - well 50 of them to be exact!

*   One or two can play - so why not go loopy with a friend! Play co-operatively or competitively, the choice is yours.

*   Incredible four-channel sampled in game music and sound effects by David Whittaker (Atari ST, Amiga and Macintosh only - IBM version supports Roland and Ad Lib cards)"

It couldn't be simpler. You get pieces of different shapes and sizes which you can rotate and move about. One by one you put them down on the playing board to create loopz. Completed loopz score points, then disappear. Bigger loopz score lots more points, but if you're too ambitious you may run out of space - incomplete loopz just get in the way.

How To Play

The game option screen allows you to choose one of three types of game (A, B or C). Press G to alter the game type, or T to alter the tune. Whichever game you choose, you start with three lives. A life is lost if you fail to place a piece before the timer runs out.

If you choose Game A, then you can play at one of ten different levels; 0 to 9. Level 0 is the easiest, and as the level number increases, the time allowed reduces. However, at higher levels your loopz score more points. Game B begins at the lowest level, Level 0, but the level increases by one for every ten loopz that you complete. Game C is a puzzle game with 50 screens - each contains a completed loop from which a number of pieces are removed - all you need to do is put the pieces back in the right place - but if you fail, you lose a life. After every five screens, a password is displayed - by entering the passwords, you can

start the game at different screens.

Bonuses And Bonus Games

For every 25 loopz that you complete in Game A or B, you receive an extra life (up to a maximum of ten). In Game C, an extra life is awarded for every ten screens that you successfully complete.

In Game A you can earn a bonus by completely clearing the playing area. The bonus ranges from 100 points to 10,000 points depending upon the level number, and the bonus multiplier (shown above the diamond at the bottom right). The bonus multiplier increases as the number of tiles covered increases, and ranges from x1 to x10.

Game B has two bonus games which allow you to increase your score. To reach the first bonus game, you must completely clear the playing area. Although Bonus Game 1 appears at first to play the same as the main game, you'll soon discover that completed loopz are not erased from the playing area - so you must place your pieces very carefully indeed! If you fail to place a piece then the bonus game ends.

Scores for completed loopz in Bonus Game 1 are multiplied by the bonus multiplier. When the bonus game ends, the bonus score is added to the score from the main game, which then continues as normal.

The second bonus game can be reached only by completing a single loop which scores more than the target score displayed above the game timer. To score enough points to qualify for Bonus Game 2 the loop must fill well over half the screen - quite a challenge!

Bonus Game 2 comprises a screen chosen at random from the puzzles in Game C. If you successfully complete the puzzle, then the level number is reduced by one when you return to the main game, and the score awarded for the puzzle is added to your overall score.

Gophers

In Games A and B, every now and then you will be given a special piece called a 'gopher'. If you drop the gopher on an incomplete loop it will be erased - so gophers are very useful for correcting mistakes. There is no penalty for failing to use a gopher.

Game Controls

Use the keys Z, X, :, / to move around the screen. Press SPACE to rotate your piece or RETURN to drop it. Pause the game by pressing P - press SPACE to restart. To abort the current game, press ESCAPE.

Hints And Tips

-    Big loopz score more than small loopz. Large complicated loopz score the most.

-    At the start of each game, the pieces are simpler. Take the opportunity to make a large loop.

-    Straight pieces come in two sizes - one tile or three tiles long. Don't leave two tile gaps!

-    You can play LOOPZ in many different ways. Some people aim to create as many loopz as possible - others go for enormous, high-scoring loopz.

-    Set yourself a realistic target, then when you reach it, set yourself another target, and so on.

Instructions' Source   : LOOPZ (Audiogenic) Back And Inner Inlay

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