IT CAME FROM THE DESERT (Cinemaware) (?)

Tips:

DAY 1:
Spend the morning finding your feet and getting used to some of the characters. When Geez drops by with the rock samples measure them for radiation and have Biff send them over to the Government labs. If you are really confident you can go out and collect the first piece of evidence. Travel to the South - West volcano, where you will meet one of the first ants. Aim for the joint in it`s antennae (where the orange meets the black). You`re in trouble if the ant wanders of the screen. Raise your gun to the middle of the left or right of the screen and the ant will probably wander straight into your line of sight. Shoot the ant and you will be rewarded with the first piece of evidence. Take it straight to the Doc at the Lab.

DAY 2:
Around Nine o`clock drive to any location. You have a hundred to one chance of running into Ice. They will want to play chicken. Follow the lines in the middle of the road, and when you see Ice`s car drive straight for it. Nine times out of ten it will be Ice who chickens out. Try to get home before twelve as that is when Jackie turns up.
Go with her to the crash site and check the entire area. Collect the fluid and the piece of flesh. Round of the day by making an appearance at the drive in. Here you find Ice and co. listening to some heavy Blues. Although they all seem to act tough, they`re simple to kick around. Go in first with the blade and you should win the fight.

DAY 3:
Not too much happens today, apart from Ben your neighbour drops by to give you an ant`s antennae. Spend the day trying to collect more evidence and picking up your Lab results.

DAY 4:
Now things are really cookin! First you get the results of the test conducted by the government geology dep. It expresses the doubt as to whether the traces of fluid on the rocks come form a two ton ant.. Meanwhile Geez drops of a plaster cast of an ant track to the Doc.
Go the Police Station around Twelve o`clock. The Duty Sergeant will hand you a tape recording of an ant. Run that along to the Lab. Give Biff a ring at home and see how things are shaping up. The odds are that Jackie will be bugging him so it`s up to you to sort things out.
Once you get home strike up a conversation with Jackie. Whatever she says be sure to say NO otherwise you loose your Lab results. Collect all the Lab reports and take them to the Mayor. This will usually be enough evidence to call an alert.

INSIDE THE HOSPITAL:
It`s possible to get around two nurses providing you are quick. The docs tend to be more stronger, and along with the security guards only have to touch you to stop you.
The lift is located in the centre of the Hospital, and getting to it should be your first priority. It is better to travel around in a wheel-chair which is usually found in the corners of the Hospital Wing.

THE WAR GAME:
Do your best to locate the entrance to the ant`s nest. Use as many troops as you think is necessary to drive the ant`s away from the key areas.

OTHER TIPS:
Before attempting to go into the ants' nest, you should first save Elmer to get more flamethrower fuel. Some time between the 8th and 10th (I don't remember the exact day), he will leave a note in his station saying that he is going hiking in the SW Volcanic Cone. Go to the volcano, fight the ants, and next day, visit Elmer's station. He'll thank you for saving his life and give you more flamethrower fuel.
The entrance to the ants' nest will never appear on the main map, but there are several other ways to get there:

The entrance to the nest doesn't stay open long enough for you to get in before the ants start invading the various locations in the town, so you'll have to wait until they do. The 11th is the best day to enter the hole since it is very hot and there are few ants around. If you try cooler days, there willprobably be too many of them around for you to handle. Also, if you decide toget to the hole by plane, you can land safely on the dirt road parallel to the tracks leading to the M1 mine.

For those who are having trouble getting to the ants hideout, it is located about one screen due south of mine one. The best way to gain access to the tunnel is on the morning of day 11. Go to the airport and get the plane. Fly to mine one (southeast from the airport) and land on the road in front of mine one. Get out of your plane and walk to the center of the main building of mine one. Walk south about one and a half screens and the hole should open and a ant will crawl out. You must kill the ant and run to the hole before it closes. You will get about 4 or 5 chances to get in. Once you are in the hole you will automatically have the flame thrower and the timed dynamite charges. There are two levels of the ants chambers, a top level and a bottom level. You must make a map as to where you have checked. You can do this by putting the game on pause with the left mouse button. This will keep the ants off you while you draw maps. Once you have made it to the bottom chamber repeat the map drawing till you find the queen ants chamber. You will need it to get out after you plant the charges. To plant the charges once in the queens chambers move close to the queens left side of her body. Once you walk around her left side the music will stop and a slow ticking will start. You will have to get back to the place you entered on the second level. If you get back before the bomb goes off you will win the game.

NOTE:

It means nothing to gather information about the ants through out the game. The mayor will not listen to anything you present in evidence. He will call an alert only after his car gets eaten on the afternoon of June 11.

It will do no good to escape the hospital as you have to sleep anyway. Even though it will do no good to escape from the hospital it's a fun arcade sequence to play.

Even with the solves given above you still must learn how to fly the airplane. To get the right altitude to save fuel, after you take off fly east or west. Back off the throttle till the shadow on the ground comes up and just touches the wing of the plane. You will then have the right speed and altitude. The faster you fly and the higher you go the more fuel you will use. These settings will conserve enough fuel to let you fly and not run out of gas and return to the airfield and land if you blow it getting into the ant hole.

Below are some tips for the game:

  1. All the evidence must be collected and analysed by Dr. Wells by June 9th otherwise the doc dies or leaves town.

  2. The table below, gives the dates, main sources and relative tips to use for specific evidence:
Date Location Part(s) found Tip
June 2 Jackie's Car Body, Fluid 1
June 3 Home Base Body 2
June 4 Cook's Stud Farm Cast  
- Police Station Tape 3
June 5 Ore Plant Tape  
- Quarry Fluid  
- Neptune Hall Fluid  
June 7 Ore Plant Cast  
- Any 1st Encounter Body 4
- Any 2nd Encounter Fluid 4


Tips (from table):

  1. Jackie's Car isn't found unless you are in your home on the morning of June 2. Let her into your house and select 'Take Jackie To Car'. Once you are at the car you will find the fluid, but to find the body part you must select 'Investigate Scene Further'.

  2. This body part is delivered to your house by a neighbour. To get it you must be at home on the morning of June 3 and you must answer the door.

  3. You are given the tape the second time you go to M-2 on June 5. The first time you are stopped by an ant.

  4. To collect either of these pieces, you must kill the first ant and then go on to scare off the rest.

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