Conference rusure::nintendo

    spoilers-
    
    When you go to fight Octo the Huge, be sure to have the snowman doll.
    Then, when he comes in close, freeze and pound him until he thaws.
    -Thomas

    Does anyone have a clue as to what "Uncle Steve's" letter may mean?
    
    Notice it says not to throw the letter away because it will be
    important to the game?
    
    The other Mike

    No idea.  But the next few issues of Nintendo Power should have some 
    more on Star Tropics. Volume 21 covers the first two chapters.

    It really is quite tricky - or I am making it look trickier than it is.
    However I am certainly enjoying the game - it's very relaxing and the
    storyline is very entertaining.
    
    It took quite a while for me to figure out how to defeat Octo and the
    fiery monster at the end of Chapter two. However, finding the crystal
    ball in the lake at Ghost Town really has me stuck. Any clues?
    
    Some details of my position (which include some clues) follow...
    
    I have got the rod which reveals the ghosts. I have killed all the
    ghosts I know of - four lots - and have not found any crystal ball. I
    know of three sets of two hearts but they are not terribly significant.
    I have been driven to waving my yo-yo all over the place to no avail.
    
    Am I just being terribly dumb?
    
    /Neil

    
    
    
    This might help you a little...... it took me sometime to find also.
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    Find the room with the little pink creature, there is a stairway behind
    it, after you kill the creature turn right and push on the wall.
    
    
    Do not go up the stairs. After you go through the wall you'll find
    more rooms, but I still can't find the crystal ball.
    
    Jim
    

    Thanks for the hint, I hate to think how long it would have taken me to
    notice that otherwise. Now, I am much more on my guard for little clues
    which might indicate an extra way out.
    
    Chapter 6 now and I am in one of the longest dungeons yet - lots of new
    of vicous monsters to fight!
    
    /Neil

    Can someone help!
    
    My brother has been playing this game for about 3 weeks and is now
    stuck by the pirates ship.
    
    His location after form feed
    
    
    He has talked to Peter the Parrot and given him a total of 9 worms, he
    cannot figure out how to get aboard Captain Bell's ship.  Any hints
    would be greatly appreciated.
    
    Nance (who is still stuck in the Cave to Rhone (Dragon Warrior II)

    A cryptic clue follows the form feed (my son is moving through this
    game quickly - my wife and I a "bit" slower)
    
    	Songs of the sea - a good note can sound wonderful on the right
    instrument - do me - so far to go 
    
    That's all I'll say for now....good luck and have fun playing...

Article 13067 of rec.games.video:
Path: shlump.nac.dec.com!news.crl.dec.com!deccrl!decwrl!sdd.hp.com!think.com!mintaka!mintaka!leo
From: [email protected] (John Leo)
Newsgroups: rec.games.video
Subject: NES: StarTropics (review)
Message-ID: <[email protected]>
Date: 18 Feb 91 15:06:05 GMT
Sender: [email protected] (Lucifer Maleficius)
Organization: MIT Lab for Computer Science
Lines: 127

StarTropics (Nintendo for NES)

StarTropics is an action role-playing game set in modern times.  The
story involves you trying to find your uncle who mysteriously
disappeared.  But for Kyoko Watanabe and myself, the real mystery was
just who made the game.  StarTropics has not only not come out in
Japan--it hasn't even been mentioned as coming out in the future
there.  So maybe this was by some other company and just being
released under Nintendo's name, something they often do in the US, but
there was no indication of that.  So maybe it was the first game by
Nintendo of America...certainly some of the aspects of the game seemed
more American, whereas others were more Japanese.

We figured we'd find out in the ending credits, so we started playing.
And this is a really good game.  The game is one of the newer-style
action RPGs (the first of this style I know of is Capcom's Gargoyle's
Quest) in that the action and RPG aspects are separated for the most
part.  There are overhead scenes done in the typical Ultima/Dragon
Warrior style where everything is sort of square-shaped and you visit
towns, get information, and so forth.  Unlike other games there is no
combat possible in this mode, although there are mazes and so forth to
explore.  Also the game progresses linearly through a number of
chapters, each with a mini-story which is nice.  The "story" aspect of
the game is good, but certainly not outstanding.  I won't say how many
chapters there are in the game, since part of the fun is that the game
is a whole lot longer than you might expect.  It took us several weeks
to make it to the end, playing an average of a few hours each day.

Then there are the action scenes which are from a slanted overhead
perspective.  You start out with a yo-yo as a weapon and this gets
powered-up at a couple locations; there are also special weapons and
items to be found.  The action scenes owe a lot to Zelda and those who
have played Zelda will recognize quite a few borrowings from that
game.  One big difference is that you can jump in this game, and
jumping is a big part of the action.  It's a bit hard to describe
since it's rather unique.  Overall there are quite a lot of new
features, interesting enemies, and so forth in the game.  Perhaps the
biggest surprise is that there is a strong puzzle aspect as well.
There are a lot of areas which are almost impossible to get through by
force.  The puzzles are quite good and fit in with the game well, and
the game gives enough hints and has a very good learning curve,
typical of Nintendo.  And overall there is a freshness to it, and a
sort of magic, again Nintendo-rashii.

Yet there is one major failing of the game which really made us wonder
if Nintendo had done it.  One of Nintendo's greatest strengths is that
the play control and "feel" of its games are typically excellent.  One
reason we keep coming back to play Zelda again and again is because it
just feels so good to move Link around.  Unfortunately the play
control of StarTropics is pretty bad--on par with many other companies
(it reminded us a bit of Sega's Sword of Vermillion) but very low by
Nintendo standards.  There are many times when it's tough to turn your
character, tough to get moving, and then tough to stop moving.  We got
used to it to a certain extent, but it was annoying throughout.  With
much better play control this could be a truly classic game, but as it
is the game is just "really good."

StarTropics is a very tough game.  I can see a lot of people getting
frustrated and giving up, and certainly we took long breaks during
some parts.  Another Nintendo-like aspect is that they make it seem
very hard, and when you think that's hard enough they add something on
top of that to make it seem almost impossible.  But everything is
ultimately quite beatable in the game, and if you are at a place that
really does seem impossible you are probably missing something.  I
lost count of the number of times I shouted at the game that I hated
it, then thought it was great when I figured out what to do.
Playability overall is very good.  The game is automatically saved at
the end of the action scenes and there are intermediate points in
action scenes that you can start from when you die as long as you
don't run out of lives.  Still, there are a lot of spots where it can
be tough if you miss something or don't try something special out; I
can see a lot of people calling the game counselors for this game.

There are a number of interesting minor features.  StarTropics is
apparently the first game to use the MMC6 chip; Nintendo Power had an
article on their chips but it only went up to MMC5 so I don't know
what features this one has.  Apparently like MMC5 you don't have to
hold down reset when you turn the game off, although by habit we did
that anyway.  You don't ever explicitly save the game; instead the
game does that automatically.  The graphics are good but not
outstanding; we didn't much like the detailed stills of major
characters but the monsters and so forth in the actions scenes were
well done, the colors are good, and there are some very nice special
effects and surprises.

Aside from the rulebook the game comes with a letter from your uncle,
along with a number of warnings not to damage the letter (they decided
to glue it to the book, though, and I do recommend separating the
two).  If you end up losing or damaging the letter you are going to be
in big trouble, but it's a neat surprise when you find out how it is
used in the game.

Another nice feature is a review mode which allows you to go over the
last chapter you've completed, to review clues and maybe play the
action scenes again.  We actually didn't need to use this although we
tried it once.  You can save up to three games so when I got stuck
near the end I started playing from the beginning again and the game
is as expected a lot of fun the second time too.  Definitely one you
can play many times, and the early stages are still challenging.

Once you make it to the ending the game saves itself so that you can
just watch the ending over and over if you like, and the ending itself
is very long and pretty good--in some ways standard but there are some
nice touches, such as a series of stills showing various highlights
from the game, done in a very differnent style from the action scenes
themselves.  And yes there are credits, and we found out the game was
done by Nintendo, in fact essentially the same team that did "Mike
Tyson's Punch-Out!!", one of my favorite games.  This game isn't
up to that one, but any new Nintendo game is a cause for celebration,
and here's a Japanese game we get to play before they do.

Originally Kyoko gave this 5 points out of 10, then by the end raised
it's marks to 7.  I started at 6, went to 7 for a while, and have
settled on 7.5.  If the play control were better I'd give it an extra
2 points; feel is very important to me.  Still the game was so good I
didn't mind that much, and although I can't recommend it
unconditionally I would say that if you don't mind somewhat poor play
control and are looking for a fresh, interesting and very fun game I
recommend this one.  I paid about $40 and feel StarTropics is well
worth it.  Especially now when essentially no other good games are
coming out for any system this is one to get and enjoy.

It's a quiet little life with no problems between     |  John Leo
the stove that smokes and the ever-open window that   |  [email protected]
looks out on a landscape becomming daily less         |  
coherent...But what am I saying?  And to whom?...
All questions not worth asking from now on.              (Alain Robbe-Grillet)

    I really enjoyed the game - a bit more than the two reviewers. I did
    not have as much of a problem with the controls although "Mike" was
    hard to turn and I was often firing in the wrong direction.
    
    What I want to know is: "How many points should you score?". I scored
    70770, but I have no idea if that is the standard score for finishing
    or maybe an all-time low! You get points as you complete sections but I
    never noticed any pattern to the scoring. If anyone else has finished,
    perhaps you could tell us what you scored.
    
    /Neil

    HELP!!!!
    
    I'm hooked on this one!!!!!!!!
    
    Need help in a certain area.
    
    On level 3, I've made it past the first screen with the blue parrots,
    the next couple of screens with the jumping rabbits or monkey's or whatever
    they are, the screen with the disappearing blocks in the middle
    row, the screen with the two snakes.  When I get to the screen with
    the two blue parrots and the skeleton heads with chicken bodies
    -- I can't do this one!!!!!!!!!!!!
    
    Questions are:
    
    
    Should I get rid of the parrots first and then the skelechickens???
    
    If so, I can do in the parrots with the yo-yo, but the yo-yo seems
    to have no effect on the skelechickens(I'm calling them this because
    I'm not sure what they are called!!!!!).
    
    This area is getting very nerve-racking!!!!
    
    Please HELP!!!!!!
    
    Thanks so much in advance!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
    
    Mary-Ann

    re .11
    
    
    Try attacking them from across the water....
    
    Greg

    re .11
    When you die ...
    
    ... die enough times to go back to the start of the section (you know,
    the old lady saying the phrases).  You'll find yourself at the bottom
    of the blue stairs.  Go back "up" the stairs and get your full hearts
    from the man with the potion in the town.  Now go back down with a
    little more breathing room to make it through to the "skelechickens". 
    Attacking them across the water is a good idea.
    
    The next section is trickier.
    
    Paul

    THANKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
    
    I will try these things tonight - (before I go to the Las Vegas
    Night in the neighboring town)
    
    I'll post a note Monday on how I did---------again thanks.......
    
    Mary-Ann
    

    YEEEEAAAAAAHHHH!!!!!!!
    
    Made it thru this weekend (thanks to everyone's help........)
    
    Now I'm in the graveyard--------------UUUUUGGGHHH!!!
    
    BUT, I'm going to try a few more times before I ask for any help-----
    
    
    Again, thanks to all!!!!!!!
    
    Mary-Ann
    

    I'm back!##$%@@!!!!
    
    Need more help!!!!
    
    
    I'm in chapter 3 -  Got all the way to these Wizard type things----
    
    Yes I have the shield or mirror-------------Just can't seem to do
    much with them though!!!!!!!!!!!
    
    
    
    Any and all help greatly appreciated!!!!!!
    
    Thanks
    
    Mary-Ann
    

    RE 16
    
    spoiler type reply follows
    
    
    Mary Ann, in order to use your mirror/shield you must be facing the
    Wizard type creature, when he throws his ?fireball? at you use your
    weapon button to deflect it back at him.  Used correctly it will
    bounce back and kill him.  My brother has been playing this for awhile
    now and is about half/way through level 6 if you need more help.
    
    Nance (still in the Rhone Cave)

    Thanks Nance!!!!!!!!!!!!
    
    
    
    Finally figured this one out last night.
    
    
    Now I'm in the area where the square blocks disappear (pop!) and
    the ground is shaking...........
    
    
    
    
    
    Found about three set of hearts in here but just can't get to them
    in time...........the blocks disappear before I get there!!!!!!
    
    
    
    
    Could use a little help if possible!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
    
    
    
    
    
    
    Thanks again!
    
    Mary-Ann
    

    Maryann,
    
    hint type spoiler after ff
    
    
    move through the room in regular fashion until you hit the block that
    starts the room shaking and the blocks breaking (about the center of 
    the room), after that try different jumps instead of the obvious
    walking from block to block until you have to jump.  I don't remember
    my brother getting all of the hearts just 1 set of 2 hearts on one
    block.  I'll check with him tonight for a specific mapping of that room
    and send it to you on-line if he has one and you still need it.
    
    Wait until you reach level 6 island (the reunion) he's been there about
    a week and a half.
    
    Good luck 

    Thanks
    
    Figured this one out this past weekend.
    
    Got it down to getting all three pairs of hearts!!!!!
    
    Next problem I have is in the room with the red bowling ball.  CAN'T
    DO THIS ONE!!!!!!!
    
    If you can help, I'd appreciate it!!!!!!!
    
    Thanks for all your help!!
    Mary-Ann
    

    RE: .20
    
    Hi Maryann,
    
    Red Bowling Ball help after ff
    
     haven't been able to defeat ball buuuutttt can get around it by
    letting it roll away from you and running to the next alleyway to 
    hide until it rolls past you again - if it gets too close hit it
    with your yo-yo and it will stay in place for a short time.  Be 
    sure to jump on all the buttons as you go along one will open the
    door and one will give you an important item that you will need in
    the next room.
    
    If you think the RED bowling ball is bad wait the GREEN bowling ball
    is terrible.
    
    Hope this helps

    Thanks-----I will try this tonight when I get home.
    
    Wish me luck!!!
    
    Mary-Ann
    

I could do it fast enough to get two of them but there was never enough time to
get more. I must have missed something - I never tried jumping back and forth
aimlessly!

If I remember correctly, there was a sneaky place to go such that most of the
time I did not need the extra four hearts. I will have to go and use review
mode to check it out.

You have tons more fun ahead!!! :-)

/Neil

    What I do to get the six hearts is-------
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    just keep on jumping - no stopping at all---and in the area where
    the earthquake starts,   go left, up and jump acreoss to the left
    (don't bother with the three block up on top)then I believe is is

    down,left,up,down,down,down,right,down,right,left,left,right,up,left,up,up
    and left.
    
    Just keep jumping and press the button before you even hit the ground.
    
    
    
    
    
    Now I am in level 6 in the second caves.  Having trouble with the
    last room in this one.  I can get past the double HoodoVoodo's but
    don't know what to do when I get to the double statues (they look
    like Buddha's!!!)  If you can give a little help I would appreciate
    it!!!
    
    
    
    
    Thanks again!
    
    Mary-Ann
    

    
    	Well, I too am stuck trying to find the crystal ball.......I'm in
    the same spot as .24......HELLLLLLLLLLLLLP!
    
    	This is a great game though.  but.......I just got to have some
    
    
    
    		H E L P ! ! ! ! 
    
    		BEFORE THE WEEKEND!
    
    
    
    
    	please?
    
    	Hal

    I'm not sure of where you possibly are but I will try to remember.
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    I think at the part where the hand comes up, you have to eliminate
    it by firing at it when it is up.  I think you have to do two of
    them.
    
    Then, if it is where I think you are, you have to jump up.  It doesn't
    show you the next room until you jump.  Look at it good first. 
    If it seems too far, then don't.  But if it is the room that looks
    like a figure of a skull - the dark areas where the eyes would be,
    on the bottom are squares where the teeth would be, etc.  That is
    the room that you have to go up to the top and jump up to the next
    screen.
                                                                     
    
    
    Hope this helps.  It's been a little while since I've been there.
    
    Good Luck!!
    
    Mary-Ann
    

    
    Thanks Mary-ann,
    	You must be talking about the room that has the two mummies and
    those two little volcano's on each side.  I never tried going to the
    top of that face and jumping....I'll give it a shot.  
    
    	This game is filled with all kinds of little tricks!
    
    	Hal
    

    Good Luck!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
    
    Gosh - I wish I could remember what happens next-----
    
    I'm in level 6 - wait till you get to this one!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
    

    AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!
    
    It's a great game.  I'm usually calling the Nintendo hot line if
    I get stuck.     I looked at my last phone bill and the average
    call after 5:00 p.m. and on Saturday's and Sunday's is around
    50 to 75 cents.   It's worth it for my sanity!!!!!!!
    
    
    
    
    Drop a line on Monday - and if your stuck, describe where and I
    will try to help!!!!
    
    Mary-Ann
    

    
    Gosh, I doubt if anyone is here on Saturday.....maybe only me....
    
    Anyway, because I'm only renting this game, I don't have Dr. J's
    letter....so, I can't put water on it.........maybe someone can
    give me the code to get the submerine working again.  
    
    I've been through the whale and got my uncle's assistant out, I'm
    just stuck on the island.....jesh.....I hope I don't have to go through
    all the combinations!
    
    The ghost town was a tough one...I would have never figured it out...
    
    Oh, one other question.....after returning the crystal ball to the 
    fortune teller and being changed into a girl and then getting inside
    the castle.....the queen said that I look like I need more harts...
    I never got anymore.  I have a total of 7 hearts now, should I have
    been able to get more in stage 3???
    
    Also, on the island that you have to cross the bridge to get to....
    those blue squares in many of the rooms, is there anything you can do
    with them???  I've tried everything, jumping, hitting them with my bat,
    hitting them with the star yo-yo, and throwing those two balls tied to
    gether at them?  I wonder why they are there.  My kid freaked out when
    I jumped into the spring there at the end.....HeHeHe
    
    Mericola!  HeHeHe
    
    	Hal
    

    I'm not sure, but I think the answers to your questions will be
    published in this month's edition of Nintendo Power (Volume 22).  You
    can find a copy a most places that carry Nintendo games.
    
    Benjamin

    I haven't started this game yet (too busy with FF and DWII) but my son
    has and he asked me how to use his dolphin?
    
    Can anyone provide the answer?
    
    Thanks,
    
    Mike

    
    Well, you don't use the dolphin.....you have to just help the mom
    dolphin find her son.  Once you release her son, they both help you 
    get through a bunch of rocks on the other side of the island.
    
    	Just to update some others.....I did get the secret code...after
    lots of pains.  I had to go back to the renter and ask them...they
    first acted like I was crazy, so, I demanded them to take back the
    game at no charge.  The next day, they called me back and said I was
    right and that the owner had the letter I needed.  They gave me the
    number and away I went......
    
    	Now, I'm stuck facing the red bowling ball.....I think I've been
    killed about 6 times now trying to get by.  What a drag to start from
    the beginning again.  I'm getting real good at jumping over those
    little balls though, but that darn red one is a pain!  
    
    	How much further do I have to go after getting by this red one???
    
    	I can't stand sinking into the sand....HeHeHe
    	Those stakes that come out of the ground were quite surprising too.
    
    	adictacola
    		Hal

    Hi,
    
    
    Isn't this game a killer-----------------
    
    
    
    To get by the red bowling ball......................
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    This is really hard - what I had to do is go up into the first space
    and when the ball started to go back to the left, I hurried up and
    went into the space with the hearts.  Try and make sure that you
    have at least 7 full hearts so you can use your stars instead of
    the yo-yo.
    
    Then I let the ball go by me and I dashed off to the left to get
    to the next safe area.  Before you get to that area the ball starts
    to come at you.  Stop and shoot the ball and hurry to the safe area.
    You may have to shoot it twice before you can even get to the area.
    This is real hard and tricky.  It took a few times before I got
    it.  Key to it is move a little turn and shoot the ball and move
    a little more.
    
    When you shoot the ball it stays still for only a few seconds so
    you have to be fast on this one.
    
    Not much further after this room!!!!!  Just make sure to get all
    of the stuff at the end of this room and do it carefully.
    
    
    
    
    Good luck and send back a note on how you did!!!!
    
    

    Is this game worth buying because of the poor character control?
    
    Thanks, Pam

    Pam,
    
    Until we bought this game my brother would only play Zelda.  We have
    already replaced one game and the battery on the second is starting to
    go.  Tell you anything!
    
    I haven't played the game myself so I don't know how hard  it really is
    to control the character.  But I am enjoying playing coach and map
    drawer on this one.  We play our adventure and role playing games as a
    team effort, my brother is the player, my son is the coordinator (how
    low your life is, choses the path in a new area with multiple roads,
    which weapon to try, etc.) and I'm the drafter and coach in this
    particular game.
    
    Nance (who is the player in DWII and still stuck in the Cave to Rhone)

    re.35
    
    >Is this game worth buying because of the poor character control?
    
    As a RPG fanatic and having completed this game just today
    I'd say the game is worth renting at the very least.
    
    Give yourself about a week to solve. The game play is a step
    by step process. You can't get off track or try to kill a monster
    before you're ready to like in some other RPGs.
    
    All things considered I liked the game and I'm glad I played it.
    

    
    	Pam,
    		the play control isn't all that bad!  Sometimes it can
    get frustrating because you get into a new room and not really know
    how to defeat whats there so you try running around, but, once you
    know what to do...its easy to control Mike.
    
    	to update everyone on where I got to......well, I made it past
    the red bowling ball.....finally!  I'm in world 6, second stage...just
    past the melted metal....this has been tough with the knives comming
    out of the ground and those white things stinging you so that you can't
    use your weapon.  I do like the new weapon you get...the one where your
    star can break in different directions.
    	I have to turn the game back in on Thursday...I will have had it
    for two weeks...so, the guy that said it would take you about a week to
    finish must be real good!  I was just wondering if anyone out there
    would like to sell their game or maybe rent it to me so that I can 
    finish it.  I'm now paying $5.oo for 5 days.  
    	If you like adventure games...this is a game for you!  I haven't
    played Zelda yet but have been trying to find someone who wants to sell
    theirs.
    
    	Hal
    

    
    Yes.....the big ghost is it!
    
    As far as why you only get 3 hearts...I have no idea.  There has been
    times when if I don't play the game for 24 hrs, I start with a full
    stack.
    
    	You have lots to look forward to!
    
    	How long has it taken you to get this far???
    
    	We have one guy that has finished the game in 1 week!
    Can you beleive that???  
    
    	Hal
    

>    As far as why you only get 3 hearts...I have no idea.  There has been
>    times when if I don't play the game for 24 hrs, I start with a full
>    stack.
    
    I think they want to make it as difficult as possible for you and
    in most cases they suceed quite well at it!
    
>    	You have lots to look forward to!
>    	How long has it taken you to get this far???
>    	We have one guy that has finished the game in 1 week!
>       Can you beleive that???  
    
    why, yes!  ;^)   Good luck on levels 7 & 8! You'll need it!!!
    

    
    Well, I made it through level 6 and talked to Mike's Uncle.....Wow,
    	what a story.
    Didn't play too long in the space ship, but, man, there doesn't seem
    to be any ryme or reason in the ship.  Where do you go?  The trails
    go in all different directions.  Your out of the room by room deals,
    which I did like.  I get blown away fast.  I've gotten up to 20 hearts
    but they don't last too long.  
    
    Man, once I start playing, I have to force myself to stop.
    
    	Hal...who rented it for another week.........
    

    
    well, i'm well behind you guys, but I'm stuck...
                       
    
    during chapter three, i've run up against a fire-guy that i can't seem
    to hurt. I get to his chamber carrying my yoyo, a slingshot with 10 shots, 
    a ball-chain with 40, and the bat. I hit him with all the slingshot,
    progress to the ball and chain, then get near him and hit him with the
    yoyo until he does me in. 
    
    I've tried jumping around his lair looking for anything, but i never
    last long...
    
    major hints needed!

    
    	Ok,
    
    		You have to hit *all* the blocks...especially the ones
    	on the left and right side......this sort of sinks him........
    
    	send mail direct if you want detailed info...you should get here
    with several hearts...
    
    	Hal
    

    
    Help for defeating the Fire Boss on Level 3 follows...
    
        
    The object is to release the two archors to his left and right
    making him fall into the water and extinguishing his evil ways.
    
    To do this, you must first locate the two hidden trigger blocks to
    reveal the switch boxes which open these anchors and then hit them.
    
    To avoid being hit wait until after he fires at you, jump the one
    shot which comes directly at you and then jump from block to block.
    It's tricky timing to avoid the smaller flames rotating left and
    right of you but it can be done!
    
    Help in locating the hidden trigger blocks follows...
    
    
    One is located at the upper left of the screen, the other is
    the right most front block of the platform Fire Boss stands on.
    

    
    re -1,-2,
    thanks! that made it easy... now i'm working my way thru the
    ghost land. this is some game!
    

    NEED HELP!!!!!!!
    
    
    
    Finally got to the last chapter - 8 - and can make my way all the
    way to the big guy at the end.  
    
    This is where I have a problem.  I make sure I have 99 white laser-gun
    shots, the red laser gun, 3 bottles of life, full hearts and 4 white
    stars (in case I loose a heart and a star pops up!).
    
    
    I can't seem to get anywhere with this guy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
    
    
    Am getting vvvvveeeeerrrryyyyy frustrated!!!!!!!!!!!!!
    
    
    
    Need help ASAP!!!@@##@##@%%$@@!!!!
    
    
    
    
    Many thanks in advance----------
    
    Mary-Ann
    

    re .47
    
    Here's how I ended up killing the last creature..
    
    
    
    
    Run to one side of the area and wait for the creature to come
    at you.  Shoot him a few times and then run completely to the
    other side and do the same thing.  If you do this it slows him
    down enough for you to watch him and kill him.
    
    good luck,
    
    Greg

    re.47 
    
    another thought for killing the leader of the aliens at the
    end of stage 8...
 
    
    
    keep in mind you must get as many shots in as fast as possible
    otherwise he will heal himself and you'll never defeat him...
    
    
    
    I used the jumping blocks in the center of the room to keep him 
    under raps. I simply played 'follow me' with him. Stay on one
    block that is diaginal to him and wait for him to jump onto a
    block that is in your line of fire. Then pump as many shots into
    him as you can before he jumps on the block you're on or he starts
    shooting at you. When he attacks simply repeat the process by 
    jumping to another block and shooting some more. Try to get a
    square rotation pattern going and you can square-dance him right
    into his grave. Again, you must shot nearly all you ammo into
    him as quickly as you can or he just won't give.
    
    The ending was quite a skock to me. How did they get THAT into
    the cubes??? guess anything is possible like in the cartoons!
    
    good luck!
    John
    

    Want to thank everyone for their helpful hints!!!!
    
    
    
    I FINALLY DID IT SUNDAY NIGHT!!!!!!!!!!!
    
    
    Thought the ending was cute but kinda expected more!!!
    
    
    Thanks again---------------
    
    Mary-Ann
    
    P.S.  what would be the next to try???? Any suggestions.  I've done
    Castlevania, Final Fantasy, Mario's, Link's.
    
    
    Thanks!
    

    re. -1
    
>    P.S.  what would be the next to try???? Any suggestions.  I've done
>    Castlevania, Final Fantasy, Mario's, Link's.
    
    I'm working on dragon warrior II now. I would suggest either I or II.
    Both are fairly good RPGs.
    

    Help!!!!!!
    
    Need out right spoiler!!!!!!
    I will return a couple times cause I don't know how to do FF
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    level 5 pete the parrot, I can't get the correct tune to play on the
    organ!!!!!  I read the previous note about this level but still don't
    understand...just dumb I guess!!!!!!   Thanks for the help!!!!!
    
    De
    
    

    
    Thanks for the answers that I got.  It seems that I was doing it 
    right, but, I wasn't staying on the last "mi" long enough for the 
    fire to start flickering!!!!!!
    
    Now I just have to get by the silver balls (4 of them)!!!!!!
    
    De
    
    

    AARGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
    
    Chapter 5 is driving me nuts !! The stupid Red bowling ball keeps
    killing me no matter how hard I try to get by. I understand the theory
    of advancing then turning and hitting the ball to keep it at bay but
    I keep screwing up. First one controller lost the pause function and
    now with my other one sometimes poor Mike makes one extra turn and I
    end up hitting the wall with the yo-yo instead of the bowling ball.
    Must have been run over 30 times now. I can get to the bowling alley
    with my eyes closed I've done it so many times. How much farther after
    the Red bowling ball do I have to go to get out of this  chapter ??
       I love this game but between the boguss controllers and the Red
    ball, I"M LOSING MY MIND !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
    
    Jim C.

    
    just be sure you get there with the fire-balls and not just the yo-yo.
    makes it easier. 

        Well, I managed to get past the Red ball and complete the 
    section. I gave it my best effort and managed to get by it on
    my first try last night. Now I am part way through chapter 6
    and am having problems with this gold colored robot-like thing.
    Actually just saw him once before quitting for the night and
    am going to try the spiked boots on him. Don't know if they
    will work but I sure like the action when you use them.
    
    jim c.
    

       I was very dissapointed when Mike didn't have bananas stuck in
    his ears after switching to the battle screen for chapter 8. It
    would have been a hilarious touch. I am really having problems
    in this chapter but I guess they are no more insurrmountable than
    the others already passed. I have really enjoyed this game and part
    of my problem is that it is almost over. I'm not playing as smartly
    now and am getting killed a lot doing dumb things. How many shots does
    it take to destroy the ships engine (or whatever it is) anyway ? Seems
    as if I have emptied several guns into it but never quite finish it
    off. Is this the last challenge or are there more ememies to fight.
    Do I have to battle the winged lizard thing that Zoda turns into ?
    Oh well, I will try to finish tonight as I am going out of town for
    a week and want to start Magic of Scherazade when I return.
    
    Jim C.

    Re .59:
    
    > How many shots does it take to destroy the ships engine (or whatever
    > it is) anyway ?
    
    I am not sure of this, but I suspect it is not how many shots you put
    into it that counts.  Rather, I think it may be how many shots you put
    into it in a single session -- the period during which its rods or bars
    are open.  Once the bars close, I think the count may start over. 
    Thus, you need to be right there when they open and really pump away
    before they close.
    
    > Do I have to battle the winged lizard thing that Zoda turns into ?
    
    That winged lizard thing looks similar to the thing you encounter after
    destroying the engine.
    
    
    				-- edp

    Position:

    

    - I've visited the castle and was told to find the fortune teller

    - I visited the fortune teller and was told to find the crystal
    	ball in Ghost Town

    - I found the cellar hole with the giant heart (although I subsequently
    	lost the benefit by jumping in the water)

    - I found the graveyard, but nothing of interest was there

    - I entered the cave on the beach, but jumping on the pink button
    	does nothing and it's a dead end.  Water water everywhere...

    Does chapter 3 ever end ?

    But there IS something in the graveyard - (spoiler):
    
    Look for a different colored grave marker ...
    
    
    steve
    

    We're almost to the end and it's rather sad - as others have pointed
    out.  Solving this game became a family activity in my house.  Even my
    wife (a very vocal strong detractor of video games in general) got into
    it.

    As others have noted, this game has so many fine characteristics that
    it has strong appeal to both kids as well as adults.

    In my mind the "save your last position" attribute is the most
    important.  What I hate about the SMB series (which the kids seem to
    adore) is that you always start at the beginning.  Having that said,
    how can anyone (well, "normal people", anyway) ever get to the end ?

    My hope is that NES will come out with a ST-2.  Barring that, what
    other similar games can you recommend which have the battery/save
    capability ?

    L.

    Have you played Zelda ?? It is really fun also. Startropics is the
    only game that has put us into hysterics though over some of the
    characters and their appearance and movement. Mike was a little
    awkward to control as opposed to Link in Zelda but it was still
    a really fun game.
    
    Jim C.

    
    	try Destiny of a Emperor..if you liked Zelda,Link, DW1&2 this
    	one is a must....
    
    
    	RTH

    
    A cry for help from my sister, a Star Tropics addict:  she's stuck in
    chapter 3.  I've gleaned some hints for her from this file, but she has
    to know how to get to the spring.  Any clues?
    
    Thanks - she's driving me nuts :^}
    
    	Sandy
    

    spoiler...
    
    
    
    
    You can get into the room (through visible doors) on three of the
    sides, but not on the one where the spring is.
    
    Find the room just EAST of the spring and walk through the wall.
    
    L.

    
    Fervent thanks from my sister, Larry.  I can rest now (or at least
    until she gets stuck again) :^}
    
    	Sandy
    

    Hi,
    
     I got this game over Thanksgiving, and play it when I am home alone,
    and on Saturday mornings before hubby wakes up. I am in Chapter 6, and
    at the cave where you walk through the first wall to get to the real
    first room. The second room has two bats and several swords that come
    up from underground.
    
     If I manage to get through that romm and the next room, (Where you
    pick up the pinwheel thingy) I come to a room that has a purple guy and
    4 snakes. The purple guy gets me every time, and I usually only have
    like one heart left by the time I get to this spot, so I'm mangled. The    
    yo yo and pinwheel don't seem to do anything to this guy, and even if I
    jump over it, it gets me on the way back.
    
     Have I missed something? Am I even I even in the right place? What can
    I use to get that purple guy? Any help and spoilers would be
    appreciated! I have to advance every now and then, or I'll lose
    interest, and I've been killed well over 100 times in this one room!!  
    
    
    HHHHEEEELLLLPPPPP!!!!!
    
    Y
                                                                               

    It has been months since I played this so I am having trouble 
    remembering the purple guy. I don't recall having to much difficulty
    with anything after the bowling ball. Do you have to fight this
    guy or can yu just dodge him and continue ? 
    

    Hi,
    
     I actually got through that room a couple of times by dodging the
    purple guy. It acts like one of the small silver ball in previous
    screen, only faster!! 
    
     I still get hit pretty hard trying to get rid of the four snakes, but
    if I make it past that spot, there is a room to get 4 more hearts off
    the next room. 
    
     I haven't made it past the room where the fuzz balls take away your
    weapon for what seems an AWFULLY long time!!                    
    
     I'll just keep plugging away at it when I get the time. I'm determined
    to get to the end of this game, so I may be in here for a few pointers
    now and then.
    
    Y who_still_HATES_that_little_purple_guy!!!
    

    Here's whatI do!
    
    	You remember how you got rid of the snakes in the room where you
    get the PINWHEEL. You shoot the PINWHEEL between the snakes and press
    the B button again and both Snakes are gone.
    
    	Use the same thing in the room with the Purple fellow.
    
    	First shoot the purple thing, but before it reaches it, press B and
    destroy the first two snakes. 
    
    	Next walk towards the purple thing, (if you haven't hit it, it
    won't move) step aside where the snakes used to be, shoot a PINWHEEL
    towards the other snakes and again press B to blast them when the
    PINWHEEL reaches the snakes.
    
    	Now all you have left is the PURPLE thing.
    
    	All you need to do is hit the purple thing ONCE and he'll start to
    move back and forth. You CAN"T DESTROY IT! So you need to avoid it by
    jumping. With timing, you'll be able to avoid it all the time.
    
    	SO, hit the purple thing. It will go backwards away from you.
    Advance and watch for it to come back. Jump! to avoid it. Continue
    heading for the exit. 
    
    	If you're not quick enough when it comes back, jump twice quickly,
    then go forward.
    
    
    You'll meet this same scenario at a later time except for a small
    difference. I'll let you discover that one yourself!
    
    
    DL

    
    Lost Uncles Letter need sub code and anyother inmportant info from the
    letter.
    
    Thanks in advance

    Reply .73
    
    
    
      I don't exactly remember wich one it is but it is definately one
     of these....
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
               727    *    737   *    747   
    
    
    
           I think (hope) I am correct, let me know !!!!
    
    
    

    
    Reply .74 
    
    747 Mkz is the correct frequency. Once again thank you.
    
    AC
    
    K^)