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The Atari 2600 was first released in North America in September 1977 and featured 9 launch titles: Air-Sea BattleBasic MathBlackjackCombatIndy 500Star ShipStreet RacerSurround and Video Olympics. The final licensed Atari 2600 game released in North America was Secret Quest in 1989, and the final licensed game released in Europe was Klax and Acid Drop in 1990 and 1992. Even with their 1980s limited colors and block graphics these games are still entertaining to play today! We have over 500 Atari 2600 games for you to play online for free using our Atari 2600 Javascript Emulator.

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Instructions and Keyboard Controls towards bottom of page.
Click “Game Reset” or F12 to Start Game

Vanguard

INSTRUCTIONS:
If you grew up in the 80’s you shouldn’t need instructions!! You might find some help at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Atari_2600_games and look up the game you need assistance playing.

CONTROLS:
Click “Game Reset” or F12 to Begin/Restart Game
Arrow Keys – Move
Space bar to fire/action button


TRANSCRIBED ORIGINAL ATARI GAME MANUAL AND INSTRUCTIONS
VANGUARD

by Atari
c 1986


TABLE OF CONTENTS
-----------------

1. In the tunnel
2. Game Play
3. Using the controllers
4. Console controls
5. Scoring
6. Strategy
7. Game Table



1. IN THE TUNNEL
----------------

"Whoowhee!  If the folks back home could see me now!  When I joined the 
Vanguard expedition I never thought I'd be flying through the tunnels of 
Aterria looking for a mythical City of Mystery."

"It might not be a myth."

"Captain, do you mean to tell me you really believe there is such a city, 
paved with silver and ruled by a giant called Gond?"

"Why not?  It's right here in the flight log book we found in the Aterria 
excavations.  That's pretty convincing."

"But that book's dated 1983.  People believed in all sorts of weird 
things back then...flying reindeer, egg-laying rabbits..."

"When you've been on as many expeditions as I have, you'll believe 
anything can exist.  This whole planet is pretty unreal.  Take these 
tunnel walls, for instance...every color of the rainbow!  I'd swear I was 
in heaven if it weren't for the rocks...

"Hey!  Watch out!  You almost speared us on that stalagmite.  I know our 
spaceship has five live, but we still have a long way to go and we're 
going to need all the lives we've got.  If this log book is telling the 
truth, these tunnels are full of dangerous flying objects:  hovering 
Mist ships, Harley rockets, Helm balloons."

"Yeah.  Garimes waiting to tear us with their tentacles and that other 
cozy customer, the flying Kemlus snake."

"Seriously, what do you think the log book means by 'Watch out for the 
rain of Romedas in the Bleak Zone'?"

"I think the pilot that kept that log book was out of his mind, that's 
what I think.  Probably bitten in the head by a Kemlus snake."

"Well, if there is anything in this tunnel, we should be sighting it 
pretty soon.  According to our tunnel map, we're entering the Mountain 
Zone.  How's the fuel supply holding out?"

"Getting low.  We'd better infuse energy pretty quick or we'll crash."

"I certainly hope the log is right about energy pods growing in the 
Mountain Zone.  Pod energy is supposed to make us indestructible for 10 
seconds.  Why, if that's true, we won't need to fire out lasers."

"Oh sure, Just run headlong into an enemy ship and POW! down it goes.  
Listen, I don't believe in pod power any more than I believe in Mist 
ships.  If there is anything like that on Aterria, I'll eat it."

"Well, I hope you have the stomach for it.  Look what's coming!"

"Great Gonds!  Mists as thick as hornets and twice as mad."

"And they're all yours.  Fire at will...and while you're at it, keep an 
eye out for energy pods."

"Roger!  City of Mystery, here we come!"



2. GAME PLAY
------------

Your goal is to reach the City of Mystery at the end of the tunnel and 
destroy Gond.  In the tunnel zones, you maneuver around sharp rocks and 
barriers while battling weird flying objects.  The more enemy objects 
you destroy, the more points you earn.  If you make it to the City of 
Mystery and shoot Gond, you earn bonus points.  But watch out!  Gond 
could shoot you instead.  If you survive the City of Mystery, you 
continue the game in Tunnel 2.  In two-player games, the player with the 
highest score wins.  Points and bonuses are discussed in Section 5 -- SCORING. 


AUTO-PLAY

Until you start the game, the computer flies the Vanguard spaceship 
through the seven tunnel zones leading to the City of Mystery.  This 
Auto-Play mode gives you a chance to see what the obstacles are before 
you start the game.  Not that your ship fires lasers in four directions 
as it travels through the zones.  See Section 3 --  USING THE CONTROLLERS 
for instructions on maneuvering the spaceship and firing lasers.


TUNNEL MAP

In one-player games, the Tunnel Map (figure 1) is displayed before each 
zone.  In two-player games, it's displayed before each turn.  The map 
shows whose turn it is (Player 1 or Player 2) and where the player's 
spaceship is in the tunnel.

Figure 1 - Tunnel Map [image of the tunnel.  Your space ship is at the 
beginning of the tunnel.  The number just below the tunnel is the player 
number.]


THE TUNNEL

Mountain Zone (Figure 2).  Mist ships and then Harley rockets attempt to 
collide with your spaceship and destroy it.  Mists have a maddening habit 
of hovering where you can't get a good shot at them.  Harleys fire 
colored missiles at you.  Your lasers will destroy Mists and Harleys, but 
you have to dodge missiles...unless your spaceship is operating on pod 
energy; then nothing can harm you.

Figure 2 - Mountain Zone [image of ship firing at the Mist.  The zone 
looks like a cavern more then a mountain.  You fly from left to right, 
and the energy pods are the big "E" on the ground.  The mist look like a 
mutated fly]

Pod Power.  Fly through energy pods (marked with E's) to infuse pod 
energy into your spaceship.  Pod energy prevents you from firing lasers 
but gives you the power to crash into enemy targets and rock ledges 
without damaging your ship.  During the 10 seconds pod energy lasts, 
crash into as many Helms and Harleys as you can and score points.  The 
Vanguard theme music plays while you're operating on pod power.  When 
your pod energy runs out, the music stops and a siren warns you to stop 
crashing and start flying.

NOTE:  If a stray Mist hovers under a rock ledge while you're on pod 
power, go after it and destroy it.  This will bring on the Harleys before 
your pod energy runs out.  All Mist ships must be off the screen before 
Harleys can enter.

Rainbow Zone (Figure 3).  From the Mountain Zone you travel downward 
through a Rainbow Zone, where lethal Helm balloons float across your 
path.  A collision with a Helm will cost you a life, so puncture Helms 
with your lasers.  You must shoot them all before you can enter the next 
zone.

Figure 3 - Rainbow Zone [Image of ship flying from north to south, but I 
think you actually go from south to north, I could be wrong.  The Helms 
are circles that come out of the walls to your left and right.  The walls 
are made of small squares.  The wall is not complete, and you see square 
holes in it.]

Stick Zone (Figure 4).  The stalactites and stalagmites in the Stick 
Zone are beautiful but hazardous.  They don't leave much room for 
maneuvering around Harleys and Mists, which return for another try at 
you.  This time Mists also shoot missiles.  Unfortunately, energy pods do 
not grow in this zone.

Figure 4 - Stick Zone [image of ship flying from left to right.  Harleys 
are present.  They sort of look like your spaceship in Defender.  The 
walls look like an "X" with the base filled in.]

Rainbow Zone 2.  You enter another Rainbow Zone, where Ammos, first 
cousins to Helms, put the squeeze on you.  

Stripped Zone (Figure 5).  It takes an experienced pilot to survive in 
this zone.  You must maneuver to the right or left of dangerous ledges 
formed by long fingers of rock.  If you choose the left side, Garimes 
extend tentacles to grab you.  If you go to the right, enemy bases, 
barriers, force fields, and floating Paynes bar your way.  Collide with 
any of these objects and your spaceship explodes.

Shoot Garimes, bases, and barriers on approach.  You can fire lasers 
through crevices in the rocks.  Force fields collapse when you destroy 
barriers.  Unfortunately, floating Paynes cannot be destroyed; you have to 
edge past them.

One or two energy pods grow on the right side of the tunnel in this 
zone.  With pod power, you can clear obstacles out of your way and pile 
up points fast.

Figure 5 - Striped Zone [Image of ship flying from south to north.  The 
walls are made of vertical stripes.  There is an "island" in the middle 
of the screen.  The energy is present on the right wall of the right 
corridor.  The Barrier creates a forcefield that blocks your way.  The 
Barrier looks like a spider.  The Bases are above the Force Field.  These 
look like an alien saucer with two legs at the bottom of them.  Above the 
Bases is the Floating Payne.  These look like a  rectangle.]

Rainbow Zone 3.  Helms reappear as you enter the third Rainbow zone.

Bleak Zone (Figure 6).  There's light at the end of the tunnel now but 
still plenty of danger.  Kemlus snakes fly out of the rocks and attempt 
to crush your spaceship.  Normally you shoot Kemlus, but if you can 
maneuver your spaceship into the center of a Kemlus and dock with it 
(touch it), you can get a free ride and earn losts of bonus points 
without being crushed.  Kemlus are not very bright, but they figure this 
out after the third ride, so don't try for a fourth ride.  Kemlus revive 
if you touch them right after shooting them.  This means you can shoot a 
Kemlus and then dock with it to earn extra points.  After the third 
docking, however, touching a Kemlus after shooting it is certain death.

You no sooner conquer the Kemlus when the rain of Romedas begins.  
Arrow-shaped Romeda rockets attempt to spear your spaceship.  Fire away 
at them, but watch out for the debris; it's deadly.  If you survive the 
Romedas, you fly out of the tunnel into the bright lights of the City of 
Mystery.

Figure 6 - Bleak Zone [Image of ship flying from south to north.  The 
Kemlus are present.  These look like a snake curled in a hollow circle 
that is open at the south-west end.  There is a picture of a ship docking 
with a Kemlus.  The walls are made of long horizontal rectangles.  The 
rectangles are at different lengths, and the space inbetween them make up 
the cavern.


CITY OF MYSTERY

In the City of Mystery your spaceship is trapped between two moving barriers
(Figure 7).  As the Gond fires missiles at you, right to left, the bottom 
barrier rises and threatens to crush you against the top barrier.  To 
escape, you must fire over the top barrier at Gond and destroy him.  When 
you hit Gond, the city bursts into radiant light and you win a bonus (see 
SCORING).

Figure 7 - City of Mystery [Image of ship flying from south to north.  
Gond is that face at the top of the screen.  The top barrier is the bar 
between the ship and Gond.  The Bottom Barrier is the bar between the 
ship and the top barrier.  A missile is being fired from the walls (left 
and right) at the ship.]

Destroying Gond is not difficult if you fire immediately, before he can 
launch a missile.  However, the longer you wait to fire, the more risk 
you run and the more bonus points you score.


TUNNEL 2 AND BEYOND

If you survive the City of Mystery, you are transported into Tunnel 2, 
where the pace is faster.  The zones here are the same as in Tunnel 1, 
but they are not in the same order.  Obstacles are the same except that 
in the Bleak Zone, Romedas shoot missiles.  Tunnel 2 leads to another 
City of Mystery, which leads to another tunnel like Tunnel 1.  You 
alternate between Tunnels 1 and 2 until you lose your last life and the 
game ends.


ABOUT YOUR SPACESHIP

Lives.  You start the Vanguard expedition with five lives and earn a 
bonus life at 10,000 and 50,000 points.  The number of lives remaining is 
indicated by the number of spaceships on the lower left side of the 
screen (Figure 8).

Figure 8 - Game Elements [Image of Mountain Zone.  Lives Remaining are 
the number of ships that you see lined up at the bottom of the screen.  
The number in the bottom middle of the screen is the score.  The 
Fuel/Energy Gauge is the bar between the score and the playing screen 
that gets shorter during the game.]

Laser Guns.  The Vanguard spaceship is equipped with four lasers guns on the
forward, aft, starboard (right), and port (left sides).

Fuel.  Keep an eye on your fuel gauge at the bottom of the screen (Figure 
8).  If you run out of fuel, your spaceship will go into a dive and crash 
on the rocks.  Your supply lasts 40 seconds and decreases at the rate of 
one notch a second.  Each time you hit an enemy or obstacle, your fuel 
supply increases one notch.  At the start of a new life, your fuel is 
completely replenished.

Energy.  The fuel gauge keeps track of energy remaining when you are 
operating on pod power.  Pod energy lasts only 10 seconds and is depleted 
four times faster than fuel.  Listen for the siren that warns you when 
you are about to run out of pod energy.


CONTINUOUS PLAY

If you lose your last life in Tunnel 1 during a one-player game, you 
have the option of continue through the tunnel (starting with zero score) 
or to begin a new game from the first zone in Tunnel 1.

At the end of your last life, CONTINUE? appears at the bottom of the screen
and the computer pauses 10 seconds for your reply.  The 10-second 
counter, a white line in place of the fuel gauge, ticks off the seconds.  
If you want to continue, press the red button on your Joystick 
Controller.  The lives remaining counter will reset to five lives and the 
score counter will reset to zero, but your position in the tunnel will 
not change.

NOTE:  If you're pressing the red button when CONTINUE? appears, release the
button and then press it again.

If you do not press the red button within 10 seconds, the computer resets to
the Auto-Play option mode.  Then you must start a new game from the beginning
of Tunnel 1.

The Continuous Play option is not offered in the City of Mystery, Tunnel 
2, or two-player games.


TWO-PLAYER GAMES

To select a two-player game, press the GAME SELECT switch.  The number of
players in the game appears above the score counter at the bottom of the
screen (see Figure 9).

Figure 9 - Game Selection [Image of the tunnel screen.  The Number of Players
is pointed out.  It is the middle number on the screen.  The Score 
Counter is also identified.  It is the bottom number.]

Player 1, using the left Joystick, starts the game.  When he loses a life,
Player 2 takes a turn.  Players alternate turns until one player loses his
last life.  The surviving player continues playing until he too runs out of
lives.  The Tunnel Map (Figure 1) appears before each turn and shows the
player's position in the tunnel.



3.  USING THE CONTROLLERS
-------------------------

Use your Joystick Controllers with this ATARI Game Program cartridge.  For
one-player games, plug one Joystick into the LEFT CONTROLLER jack at the back
of your 2600 Video Computer System console.  For two-player games, plug a
second Joystick into the RIGHT CONTROLLER jack.  Hold the Joystick with the
red button pointing to your upper left, toward the television screen.  (See
your Owner's Manual for details.)


STARTING THE GAME

Press the red button on your Joystick Controller or the GAME RESET switch to
start the game. 

NOTE:  You cannot use the red button to interrupt a game and begin a new 
game. Use the GAME RESET switch for that purpose.


MOVING THE SPACESHIP

You can move your space ship up, down, right, left, or diagonally on the
screen (Figure 10).  Just move the Joystick in the direction you want the
spaceship to go.

Figure 10 - Spaceship Moves [Image of a compass with eight directional 
arrows.  Arrows point Up, Left, Down, Right, and Diagonal]


FIRING LASERS

Your Vanguard spaceship fires lasers forward, aft, and to either side (Figure
11).  There are four ways to fire, depending upon the position of the
DIFFICULTY switches.  See DIFFICULTY SWITCHES in Section 4 for firing
instructions.  

Figure 11 - Laser Fire [Image of spaceship traveling from left to right and
firing in the directions of Forward (right side of picture), Port (top 
side of picture), Aft (left side of picture), and Starboard (bottom side of 
picture).  Second ship traveling from south to north is pictured.  It is 
firing forward (up in the picture).]

IMPORTANT!  Your spaceship moves faster when it is not firing.



4.  CONSOLE CONTROLS
--------------------

GAME SELECT

Press the GAME SELECT switch to select a two-player game.  Press it again to
return to a one-player game.  The number of players appears at the bottom of
the television screen (see Figure 9).


GAME RESET

Press the GAME RESET switch to start a new game or to reset a game to the
beginning of Tunnel 1.  GAME RESET resets the score counter to zero and the
lives remaining counter to five lives.


DIFFICULTY SWITCHES

The DIFFICULTY switches control the way the spaceship fires.  Set the 
LEFT and RIGHT switches for the method that suits you best.  You can 
change switch settings any time you like.

1.  Left A, Right A:  Press the red controller button and move the 
    Joystick in the direction you want to fire.  Release the button to 
    stop firing.

2.  Left A, Right B:  Same as method 1 except that you do not have to 
    move the Joystick forward to fire forward.  The forward laser gun fires
    automatically when the red button is pressed.

3.  Left B, Right A:  Move the Joystick in the direction you want to 
    fire.  Press the red button to stop firing.

4.  Left B, Right B:  Same as method 3 except that the forward gun 
    fires automatically.



5.  SCORING
-----------

 _______________________________________________________
|                       |                               |
|          Mist         |           70 Points           |
|_______________________|_______________________________|
|                       |                               |
|         Harley        |              50               |
|_______________________|_______________________________|
|                       |                               |
|          Helm         |              80               |
|_______________________|_______________________________|
|                       |                               |
|          Ammo         |              80               |
|_______________________|_______________________________|
|                       |                               |
|         Garime        |      100 - 400 (variable)     |
|_______________________|_______________________________|
|                       |                               |
|         Barrier       |              800              |
|_______________________|_______________________________|
|                       |                               |
|          Base         |           100 - 400           |
|_______________________|_______________________________|
|                       |                               |
|     Floating Payne    |   No points (indestructible)  |
|_______________________|_______________________________|
|                       |                               |
|         Kemlus        |           100 - 400           |
|_______________________|_______________________________|
|                       |                               |
|         Romeda        |              100              |
|_______________________|_______________________________|
 _______________________________________________________
|                       |                               |
|       BONUSES         |                               |
|_______________________|_______________________________|
|                       |                               |
|      Bonus Life       |  At 10,000 and 50,000 points  |
|_______________________|_______________________________|
|                       |                               |
|  Docking with Kemlus  |             1090              |
|_______________________|_______________________________|
|                       |                               |
|    Destroying Gond    |          1000 - 800           |
|_______________________|_______________________________|

NOTE:  The longer you wait to destroy Gond, the more points you score.



6.  STRATEGY
------------

* FIRING SLOWS YOU DOWN.  Your spaceship moves twice as fast when you 
  aren't firing.  Hold your fire when you're passing barriers or 
  diving for energy pods.

* MISTS AND HARLEYS.  Keep the spaceship moving up and down to avoid 
  missiles and lay down a barrage of lasers vertically, against the 
  enemy's line of flight.  A Mist can only fire once, so you can 
  dodge its missile and then go for it.

* HELMS AND AMMOS.  Try to hit these with your starboard and port 
  lasers before they cross your path.  Avoid getting caught between 
  two balloons, since it is hard to fire without moving into them.

* KEMLUS AND ROMEDAS.  Fire horizontally across their line of flight.

* STRIPPED ZONE.  Don't try to shoot everything you pass; think mainly of 
  surviving.  Fire at barriers and Garimes through crevices in the rocks, 
  but take care not to crash into the rocks.  Don't fire at Paynes.  You 
  can't destroy them, and firing slows you down when you need a burst of 
  speed to pass safely.

* CITY OF MYSTERY.  If you want to earn lots of points, hold your fire 
  until the last minute.  The trick of course, is to dodge the missiles.  
  Gond aims directly at you, so keep moving.  As soon as you enter the 
  city, move up to avoid the first missile.  When it passes, move down.  
  Keep changing your position until you run out of room, then fire.



7.  GAME TABLE
--------------

 ___________________________________________________________
|                |                          |               |
|      ZONE      |      OBSTACLES/AIDS      |     POINTS    |
|________________|__________________________|_______________|
|                |                          |               |
|    Mountain    |           Mists          |       70      |
|________________|__________________________|_______________|
|                |                          |               |
|                |    Harleys (missiles)    |       50      |
|________________|__________________________|_______________|
|                |                          |               |
|                |        Energy Pods       |               |
|________________|__________________________|_______________|
|                |                          |               |
|     Rainbow    |      Helms or Ammos      |       80      |
|________________|__________________________|_______________|
|                |                          |               |
|      Stick     |    Harleys (missiles)    |       50      |
|________________|__________________________|_______________|
|                |                          |               |
|                |     Mists (missiles)     |       70      |
|________________|__________________________|_______________|
|                |                          |               |
|     Striped    |          Garimes         |   100 - 400   |
|                |                          |   (variable)  |
|________________|__________________________|_______________|
|                |                          |               |
|                |           Bases          |   100 - 400   |
|________________|__________________________|_______________|
|                |                          |               |
|                |    Barrier/Force Field   |      800      |
|________________|__________________________|_______________|
|                |                          |               |
|                |      Floating Paynes     |               |
|________________|__________________________|_______________|
|                |                          |               |
|                |        Energy Pods       |               |
|________________|__________________________|_______________|
|                |                          |               |
|      Bleak     |       Kemlus Snakes      |   100 - 400   |
|________________|__________________________|_______________|
|                |                          |               |
|                |    Docking with Kemlus   |      1090     |
|                |    (three times only)    |               |
|________________|__________________________|_______________|
|                |                          |               |
|                |          Romedas         |      100      |
|                |  (missiles in Tunnel 2)  |               |
|________________|__________________________|_______________|
|                |                          |               |
|  Mystery City  |           Gond           |  1000 - 8000  |
|________________|__________________________|_______________|
|                |                          |               |
|                |      Moving Barriers     |               |
|________________|__________________________|_______________|
|                |                          |               |
|                |         Missiles         |               |
|________________|__________________________|_______________|




-------------------------------------


And of course, this game was made by ATARI in 1983.  This game manual 
was typed in by me!  And who am I?  I am Eddie Beiles.  I can be reached at 
beiles@lambada.oit.unc.edu if you have any questions about this game 
manual.  Or you can email me and thank me for typing it in.  Anyway, 
enjoy the game and this wonderfully typed in manual.

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Vanguard Arcade Game Emulated on the Atari 2600. Play Vanguard in your web browser or mobile phone. This Atari 2600 console emulator provides very accurate Vanguard gameplay. Vanguard is a classic 1980s Atari 2600 video game.