MAXIMILLIAN B.¢¢ACTION/STRATEGY GAME BY JD CASTEN¢¢Hey, kids! Help the intrepid duck¢Max (Slyvester Biffdrop's clever¢cousin) conquer the mechanical¢monster that's making mouse lives¢miserable. This BASIC program¢works on Atari 8-bit computers with¢at least 32K memory, disk or¢cassette¢¢Maximillian B. approached the large¢oak doors slowly and cautiously. As¢he drew ever closer, the doors¢creaked open, revealing an office the¢size of a basketball court and barren¢except for a large desk.¢¢"Hurry up, Maxy babe," echoed a voice¢from behind the desk. "My oh my,¢what a beak you have! You know,¢plastic surgery can do wonders these¢days." Max's bill began to clatter.¢Aunt Icked, the family's wealthy¢oddball, always gave him the chills.¢¢"You asked to see me?" gagged Max.¢Aunt Icked rarely summoned him just¢to make fun of his long beak.¢¢"Yes Max, I have an assignment for¢you. This is big-time, Max." Aunt¢Icked pulled a few documents and a¢train ticket out of her desk and¢handed them to Max.¢¢"Shouldn't cousin Sly handle matters¢of this sort? I'm an inventor, not¢an inspector." But Max's heart began¢to pound harder: this was a dream¢come true for him.¢¢"No," replied Aunt Icked, "this job¢requires someone with extra¢brain-power -- but you'll do. You¢and your Clijum-9 aircar are perfect¢for this mission. Besides, Sly has¢had terrible nightmares lately, and¢he needs all the rest he can get."¢¢"What's the mission?" questioned Max.¢Max swelled with pride: he had become¢an inspector.¢¢Aunt Icked sighed gravely. "A¢Mechanical Electrical Operational¢Weapon manufactured by Icked¢Industries has gone haywire. The¢contraption took off in the middle of¢the night and holed up somewhere in¢the Rodentential section of Burger¢city. Evidently the machine has been¢terrorizing the mice and other rodent¢residents. Your mission is to enter¢the fortress and destroy the¢Mechanical Electrical Operational¢Weapon. The details are in those¢documents. Get your little ducktail¢moving."¢¢THE MISSION¢¢On the train ride to Burger City, Max¢studied the material. Apparently¢the mechanical menace had built a¢fortress in a large mountain of¢deadly vampire vegetation. Max would¢have to climb and jump on the¢framework of the fortress, but could¢he avoid the vampire vegetation?¢¢The fortress has nine rooms, most of¢them isolated from one another by¢locked doors. The only way for Max¢to unlock a door is to overload the¢power pulsar in each room by feeding¢all the power charges from the room¢into the pulsar. The power charges¢move in straight paths until¢something blocks their way, making¢them turn counter-clockwise. The¢charges are lethal, so Max will need¢to move special blue inso-cubes¢around to change the paths of the¢charges.¢¢Once Max finds the Mechanical¢Electrical Operational Weapon, he¢must neutralize it with charges to¢complete his mission.¢¢CLIJUM-9 OPERATION¢¢In his amazing Clijum-9 micromini¢aircar, Max can move horizontally,¢jump, climb walls and pick up and¢deposit inso-cubes.¢¢To move, push the joystick left or¢right. To jump, push the trigger.¢To climb, hold the joystick in¢direction of the wall (this makes the¢Clijum-9 grasp the wall) and press¢the trigger (this moves it up). To¢pick up an inso-cube, push the¢joystick up, and to put one down,¢push the joystick down. Combinations¢of operations can (and must) be used¢by pushing the joystick in diagonal¢directions.¢¢To pick up an inso-cube, the cube¢must be in front of Max's aircar.¢When he picks it up, Max carries it¢on his back, so there must be space¢behind Max before he can grab an¢inso-cube, or else it might be¢destroyed. If a power charge hits¢the inso-cube while Max is carrying¢it, the cube will be destroyed.¢¢Max begins with nine lives in Room¢One of the fortress. If Max loses a¢life, he'll have to start over at the¢room entrance. This "room restart"¢can also be activated at any time¢without losing a life by pressing any¢key. The game ends when Max destroys¢the Mechanical Electical Operational¢Weapon or when he loses all nine¢lives.¢¢HINTS¢¢First, get thoroughly familiar with¢the Clijum-9 aircar. Remember that¢left and right motion in jumps can be¢controlled continually with the¢joystick. Max is tough and can take¢falls from any height. He can't fly,¢but he can glide down in any¢direction. Inso-cubes can be put¢anywhere -- even in mid-air -- but¢not where they won't fit -- say, down¢a small hole.¢¢Maximillian B. is just as much a¢logic game as one of action.¢Completion of the game rests heavily¢on strategic positioning of the¢inso-cubes. It only takes one cube¢to change the direction of a charge.¢In some cases (such as room one --¢this is a hint) the charges will be¢trapped by inso-cubes, and Max must¢set them free. On these screens, it¢is wise to set up a path for the¢charges to follow before letting them¢free.¢¢There are many ways to solve each¢screen, and it is possible to¢complete the mission. Good luck to¢you and Max.¢
