ÃONNECTOR 128 
BY ÊOHN Á. ÈUGGINS

ÃONNECTOR 128 IS A Ã-128 40-COLUMN MODE STRATEGY GAME THAT REQUIRES TWO PLAYERS.  ÅACH PLAYER TAKES TURNS CONNECTING TWO ADJACENT DOTS, EITHER HORIZONTALLY OR VERTICALLY, IN AN ATTEMPT TO CAPTURE A SQUARE.

ÇETTING ÓTARTED

É DON'T KNOW WHERE THIS GAME ORIGINATED, ALL É KNOW IS THAT IT KEPT MY BROTHER AND É OUT OF TROUBLE IN CHURCH MEETINGS.  ×E USED TO PLAY THIS GAME WITH PAPER AND PENCIL.  ÔHIS COMPUTERIZED VERSION OF ÃONNECTOR 128 USES A JOYSTICK PLUGGED INTO PORT 2.

ÆIRST, YOU NEED TO FIND AN OPPONENT TO CHALLENGE. ÙOU BEGIN BY ENTERING ONE INITIAL FOR EACH PLAYER AND SELECTING EITHER A SMALL OR LARGE PLAY FIELD. ÂECAUSE THE GAME ACEPTS ONLY ONE INITIAL FOR EACH PLAYER, IF YOU AND YOUR OPPONENT SHARE THE SAME FIRST INITIAL, ONE OF YOU WILL HAVE TO USE AN ALTERNATIVE INITIAL TO DISTINGUISH EACH OTHER.

ÔO CONNECT TWO DOTS, MOVE THE BLUE ARROW OVER THE FIRST DOT AND PRESS THE FIRE BUTTON.  ÔHE ARROW WILL TURN YELLOW SHOWING THAT YOU HAVE SELECTED THE STARTING POINT.  ÎOW MOVE THE YELLOW ARROW OVER THE SECOND DOT AND PRESS THE FIRE BUTTON.  ÉF YOU CHANGE YOUR MIND BEFORE SELECTING THE SECOND DOT, SIMPLY MOVE THE ARROW OVER THE FIRST DOT AND PRESS THE FIRE BUTTON AGAIN.  ÔHIS WILL CANCEL YOUR MOVE, AND YOU CAN MOVE TO ANY OTHER AVAILABLE DOT.

ÎEXT, HAND THE JOYSTICK TO YOUR OPPONENT AND LET HIM PLAY HIS ROUND. ÐLAY ALTERNATES BETWEEN TWO PLAYERS UNTIL ONE PLAYER SUCCEEDS IN CAPTURING A SQUARE. ×HEN HE OR SHE DOES SO, THAT PLAYER'S TURN CONTINUES UNTIL A MOVE NO LONGER CAPTURES ANY SQUARES.

Á SQUARE IS CAPTURED WHEN THE FOURTH SIDE OF ANY FOUR DOT GROUP IS DRAWN.  ÅACH SQUARE EQUALS ONE POINT.  ÔO HELP YOU SEE WHO HAS CAPTURED WHICH SQUARES, YOUR INITIAL IS PLACED IN EACH SQUARE THAT YOU CAPTURE. ÃONNECTOR 128 ENDS WHEN THE LAST SQUARE IS CAPTURED.