THE SPECTRUM GAMES DATABASE

MARTIANOIDS

PUBLISHER
US Gold (Under the Ultimate label)

AUTHORS
US Gold in house team.

YEAR OF RELEASE
May 1987

DESCRIPTION
Martianoids is a 3D scrolling isometric arcade game.

INSTRUCTIONS
Guide the computer program to the receiver in each of the
sections of the game.

CONTROLS

KEYBOARD CONTROLS

Left: Your Droid will turn Left using X, V and N keys.
Right: Your Droid will turn Right using C, B and M keys.
Forward: Your Droid will move forward using A, S, D, F..."Enter" 
  row.
Laser: You can fire your laser using Q, E, T, U and O keys.
Blaster: You can fire your blaster using W, R, Y, I and P keys.
Pick Up/Drop: You can pick up and drop spare parts by using
  1, 2, 3, 4...0,Z and "Symbol Shift".

JOYSTICK CONTROLS

Your Droid can be fully controlled using Kempston, Cursor and
Interface II joysticks which replace turn Left, Right, Forward,
PickUp/Drop (pull back). The blaster is fired using Z, X, C and
"Symbol Shift".

Pause: MARTIANOIDS can be paused by pressing "Caps Shift" or
"Space".


CHEATS

SEQUELS/PREQUELS
Game release-wise, Martianoids is the prequal to Bubbler.


INLAY CARD TEXT

THE MISSION
After a long journey with only routine maintenance to do, Markon
is suddenly attacked by vicious and barbaric Aliens...THE
MARTIANOIDS.

The MARTIANOIDS enter your ship, disrupting the passage of
programs as they are transmitted through The Brain of Markon,
draining your battery in desperate suicidal attacks to destroy
you and your ship.  Their Photon Weapons pass through the
internal parts of The Brain destroying all Active Components in
their path.

Your task is to guide the program from the Transmitter to the
Receiver in each sector.  When a program is received the internal
defences are activated, thus preventing any further damage in
that sector of The Brain.  Beware of Disposal Chutes as your
program will fall down these and be lost.  If all the Active
Components in each sector are destroyed then, the sector is
destroyed and can no longer be repaired or activated.  Spare
Batteries are located around The Brain for you to use when your
charges become low.  To defend yourself you have Lasers which
destroy internal walls, Active Components, Replacement cones, and
Aliens.

To help you in your mission, your Console displays a map which
shows your position within The Brain, the position of the program
and the status of each sector. Red indicates the sector has been
destroyed, White that has been activated and flashing Red and
Yellow indicates a sector under attack. Also your Console
displays messages to tell you what is happening within The Brain.


  MARTIANOID Features

 1. 3D Scrolling      13.Battery Charge Indicator 25.Joystick
Control
 2. Transmitters      14.Scrolling Message        26.Extra Lives
 3. Receivers         15.Lasers                   27.Attacking
Photons
 4. Disposal Chutes   16.Blasters                
28.Materialisations
 5. Active Cells      17.Penetrable Walls         29.Destroyed
Cells
 6. Replacement Cones 18.Program                  30.Large Play
Area
 7. Spare Batteries   19.Photons                  31.Sector Stats
Display
 8. Map Display       20.Indestructible Walls     32.Sounds
 9. Pick Up/Drop      21.Droids                   33.Amazing
Animation
10.Scores             22.Clockwork Mice           34.Continuous
Pause
11.High Scores        23.Aliens
12.Name Registration  24.Explosions


SCORES/REVIEWS
Crash, Issue 40 (May 1987), page: 24, 58%


SNAPSHOTS/URLS


FACTS ABOUT THE GAME
Although this wasn't the first Ultimate game that was programmed
by the US Gold in-house team (Pentagram was the first), it was
the first game under the Ultimate Label that received VERY poor
ratings in many magazines.


NOTES
Not up to the usual Ultimate standard.  Because of this it is
amazing just how many people don't know either that it exists or
is an Ultimate game.