Introduction
The game of Tempest involves you (the yellow "claw") moving across the rim of the blue "stargate". You are armed with a Blaster and a Super Zapper; this can be used only once (per frame) and has the effect of destroying everything but yourself.
(Note that the colours of the "claw" and the "stargate" change at the more advanced levels of the game).
Each frame is a completely new shape until level 9 when the pattern repeats. Levels 49-64 feature invisible boards.
Aliens
The opposing aliens are as follows:-
| Name | Shape |
Colour during cycles 1-16 |
Value |
Frame Number of first appearance |
| Flipper | Line | Red | 150pts | 1 |
| Spiker | Line | Yellow | 50pts | 3 |
| Flipper Tanker | Diamond | Magenta | 100pts | 3 |
| Fuseball | Wavy Star | Multicoloured | 150,350,550,750pts | 11 |
| Pulsar | Z-shaped | - | 200pts | 17 |
You fire bullets from your Blaster and, for emergencies, you have the Super Zapper, which is recharged at the end of each frame.
A brief description of the attackers:-
Flippers - they "flip" end over end around the columns slowly approaching you. Try to destroy them before they reach the rim. Should you need to destroy them on the rim, wait in a sector and as the alien flips over you or an adjacent sector, fire quickly.
Spikers do not appear dangerous as they rarely get to you. Finish them quickly though as the trails they leave have to be avoided when you warp to your next stargate.
Flipper Tankers, although no threat in themselves, turn into two flippers when hit.
Fuseballs - get them before they reach the rim, as they are considerably more difficult to despatch thereafter.
Pulsars should be treated with some respect. When they are active, a "frying" noise is emitted and the rim of their sector disappears. If you are on the rim at this time you will disappear with it.
Tactics
A liberal spraying from your Blaster around the frame as you start should destroy the initial opposition. Flipper Tankers destroyed whilst on spikes discharge no flippers. In general, if you're going to use your Super Zapper, leave it to the last possible second. When the aliens stop swirling in the distance, all of them will have been generated for the current frame so, if you haven't used your Super Zapper, now is the time to do so.
Game Controls
CTRL - Spin Clockwise, A - Spin Anticlockwise
RETURN - Fire Blaster, SHIFT - Fire Super Zapper
SPACE - Start Play, ESCAPE - Restart, E - Entry Level Select
S/W - Sound On/Off, f1/f2 - One/Two Player Game
