FIRE AND BRIMSTONE


 The Norse kingdom is threatened by the iniquitous Hel, goddess of
Niflheim, and purveyor of devilry, whose influence is permeating upwards
from her inferno through the other eight worlds of the Norsemen. She aims
to spred her godforsaken power untill she controls all.

 Thor is a man with a mission. A god with a goal. He has been selected by
his fellow gods to attempt the near impossible - to travel through the
Norse worlds untill he reaches the source of Hel's wickedness. In the
depths of depravity, hemust extinquish the roaring satanic flames by
destroying Hel herself.

 The journey will be long and arduous. Hel has sent evil creatures to meet
you, delay you, and kill you. A variety of traps and pitfalls await you.
The rewards of success are your liberty. The consequences of failure are
death.

NINE WORLDS OF THE NORSEMEN:

  The nine worlds of the Norsemen were divided into three levels,
descending into the Earth, and supported by the roots of the giant
ash-tree, Yggdrasil.

  On the highest level were the worlds of the gods and goddesses,          
 and it is from here, in Asgard that Thor starts his journey to the Land of
the Dead. Asgard was the world of the warrior gods, and Thor was its
defender. Although Thor was a feared warrior, he was also god of law and
order, entrusted with the defence of the Norsemen's homes and farms, and so
it was he who became responsible for the overcoming of the forces of evil
and the destruction of Hel.

  Alfheim and Vanaheim, also on the highest level of the Norse kingdom,
were home to the Elves and fertility gods. These usually friendly places
have already become infected with the evil plague of creatures released by
Hel in her attempt to corrupt the kingdom, threating the helpful
Light-Elves of Alfheim and the Vanir, or fertility gods, of Vanaheim with
whom Thor's people are now at peace.

  Below Asgard was the Earth, or Midgard, the world of humans and giants.
The giants are, with very few exceptions, hostile to Thor and the gods.
Cheating and fooling Thor are their favourite pastimes, resorting quickly
to physical violence.

  Nidavellir, also on the second level, was an area of caves and holes
belonging to the Dwarfs. Greedy, cunning, and often downright evil, the
Dwarfs hoarded gold and jewels in their caves. Nearby was Svartalfheim,
where the troublesome Dark-Elves lived.

  On the lowest level was Muspell, a world of raging fires present since
before the world was created, and Niflheim, the Land of the Dead, a gloomy
place of ice, snow and eternal darkness. It is the home of Hel, the
controller of the monsters Thor will meet, and the source of all evil in
the kingdom.

GETTING STARTED:

  Thor starts his adventure by leaving Asgard, the home of the gods, to
travel through four worlds in his search for Hel. Once he is successful in
killing Hel, he must return back to Asgard safely.

  His journey will be hampered by a variety of nasty creatures, sent to
block his path by Hel. Thor has a variety of weapons available to him - but
his greatest one is your cunning. It's up to you to guide him through the
traps set by Hel, blasting bats, whacking wizards, and gobbling goblins.

  To start the game press the fire button. The loading screen will be
replaced by the credits screen. Pressing the fire button again will start
the action. If you have played "FIRE AND BRIMSTONE" before and have
un-write protected your disk, the game will start at the beginning of the
last level you reached. Alternatively, press the space bar on the keyboard
when the credits screen is displayed, and you will be able to play any
level you have previously played.

CONTROLLING THOR

JOYSTICK LEFT---------------------WALK TO LEFT
JOYSTICK RIGHT--------------------WALK TO RIGHT
JOYSTICK UP-----------------------JUMP
JOYSTICK DOWN---------------------CROUCH
FIRE------------------------------FIRE WEAPON

THORS WEAPONS:

Thor has two weapons available to him at the start of the game. Fireball
and mace.

As he travels other weapons will become available to him.

A magic ice-ball and Thor's hammer, Mjollner.

These alternate weapons may be picked up whenever you see them, but Thor
can only carry two at once. When he picks up a third he must exchange it
for a weapon he is already carrying. Each has it's own characteristics in
some situations, and each flies through the air on it's own trajectory.

  The weapon currently in use is indicated by the arrow at the bottom of
the screen. You may toggle between the weapons by pressing the space bar or
any "letter key".

HEL'S CREATURES AND TRAPS:

  The creatures which Hel has sent to meet you are various. All are deadly
and any contact with them will quickly reduce Thor's energy. If it is
reduced to zero he dies.

  Many will attack Thor on sight; others will wait quietly for him to
approach, hoping to catch him off guard. Some are heavily armed, some will
try to trick you by speed of movement. It's usually best to blast them
before they can attack.

  Thor's journey is also impeded by trips and traps set by Hel. Some are
static, needing to be jumped, avoided or solved. Some may spring up at you
before you can see them.

  At the end of each of the worlds Thor must pass through, Hel has put one
of her deadliest traps. Savaging triffids, mutant gravestones,
fire-spitting statues and fire-breathing dragons all  await him. If he
succeeds in reaching Niflheim, the most cunning trap of all, personally
guarded by Hel awaits.

THORS MAGIC POTIONS:

  The gods have helped pave Thor's way by leaving magic potions at various
points along the way. They can be collected and saved for use at a later
date. Only two can be held at any one time. If  Thor attempts to collect a
third, one of the potions he is holding will be cast immediatley.

  Hel sees Thor's attack as a challange, which she feels sure she will win.
But she wants a stiff test and is prepared to reward Thor for his skill. If
he manages to kill certain creatures, he will be rewarded by a potion from
Hel.

BLUE-----------builds a magic bridge over certain obtacles
RED------------fires lightning bolt; kills or damages all enemies on screen
GOLD-----------gives Thor extra high jumping abilty
WHITE----------lights up dark rooms

The potions currently in Thor's possession are shown at the bottom-right of
the screen. Potions are cast by pressing one of the cursor keys for the
left potion, or one of the keys on the numeric pad for the right potion.

THOR'S HEALTH:

  Thor has four lives in which to complete his mission. For each life his
state of health is shown numerically with a maximum value of 99, and
graphically by the health bar. When Thor is hit,  his state of health
worsens; the numeric display decreases in value and the health bar shrinks.

  The effect of a hit on Thor's health depends on the offending object.
Enemy creatures, their missiles and contact with various items have
different effects.

THORS CLUES:

  Alfheim:
    Most creatures are fair game. Some are more rewarding than           
others.

    All stone structures should be investigated very carefully,          
as some have something worth finding.

    On a magic bridge shoot over the moon for a novel response.

    Some parts which do not appear accesssible at first can be        
reached using magic.

  Vanahein:
    Height can help to defeat the Grim reaper.

    Don't hang around once the skull is on the move.

    Certain towers can be entered by unlikely means. These lead            
to adventure elsewhere.

    The gravestones are save once on the ground, but beware their      
weight when in the air.

    On your return journey, a statue blocks your path. You can            
triumph over this statue with the help of eight ghosts.

  Nidavellir:
    Head hunting statues can bring magical rewards.

    If a problem seems unsolvable, a solution may be found later than you
think.

    The quicker you get past the water droplets the better. If things get
to wet go back and try again when things have dried out.

    The juggling demons require critical timing in order to survive
the deadly balls.

    At the end of the world find a suitable position for ducking and
diving, and choose the right weapon for reaching the weak spot.

  Muspell:
    A prize awaits you overhead, allowing you a bridge over initial
problems.

    You cannot fight fire with fire.

    Before entering Niflheim, you will need a weapon aganist the icey waste
and a couple of magic potions to allow you to solve Hel's puzzles.