Classic Computer Magazine Archive ANTIC VOL. 3, NO. 1 / APRIL 1984

This exciting arcade game requires BASIC, a joystick, and 16K RAM (24K for a disk-based system). The program runs on all Atari computers.

In Risky Rescue, you can play the part of a creature named Igneous. Your archenemy, Greedo the goblin, has kidnapped your sweet baby Iggy and holds him captive in his creepy caves. He's put Iggy in a trance, and your only hope of rescuing the baby is to get medicine from three medicine pots and then touch him. To get medicine from a pot, land on it. Meanwhile, Greedo is throwing deadly arrows at you. The best way to avoid them is usually to move up and hover while they fly by. Sometimes, though, there's no room to maneuver, so you must use careful timing to get through the tight spots.

You control Igneous with a joystick. To move left or right, push the stick in that direction. If you go off the screen on one side, you'll reappear on the other. To move up, hold the fire button down and push the stick forward. Pressing the trigger turns on a mechanism that lets you hover at a constant altitude. If you push the stick forward, you are propelled upward. You need to push the stick each time you want to move to move up one space.

Once you've saved Iggy, you start another rescue in a new series of caves (the second screen). After the third screen, you start again on the first one, but Greedo throws his arrows at you even faster and harder than before. After each successful rescue, your score is increased (according to the level you're on and the amount of time remaining). If you fail to rescue Iggy before the timer runs out, you lose a player and the timer is reset. You start with three men, and you're awarded a new one at 50, 100, and 200 points and so on. If you achieve a high score, you're asked to enter your initials at the game's end. The high score will be retained in memory even if you press [RESET].

Listing: RISKY.BAS Download