MeltDown (Atari 7800)

Game Manual

Don't Overreact!

Don’t panic! A gang of international terrorists has systematically set about destroying the world. They have sabotaged a number of nuclear reactors by unleashing a deadly string of ‘sparkx’ that will break down the protective control rods and make their way into the very core of each reactor. If the sparkx reach the core, the end result will be a dreaded MeltDown. It the terrorists are successful in their hideous plot, we can kiss this world goodbye!

Only you stand between life as we know it and total annihilation. You are armed with a specially engineered sparkx-destroying gun, a blueprint of each reactor, your wits, and your desire to save the world. Get moving. There’s no time to lose!

Playing the Game

MeltDown is a fast-action arcade game. The object of the game is to keep deadly sparkx from eating away at the cores of twenty different nuclear reactors. If you can’t blast the sparkx before they chew up the reactor cores, the result is a MeltDown!

The area surrounding each reactor’s core is filled with radioactive matter. Two protons rapidly circle the core. When the two protons intersect, sparkx are released into the reactor. As many as 14 sparkx can be on screen at the same time. You must shoot the sparkx quickly before they can damage the reactor core.

Inside the core of each reactor are eight or nine blue control rods arranged in various geometric patterns. Each time a sparkx hits a control rod, the rod sustains damage. These rods keep the walls of the reactor from collapsing. If the rods are damaged, the reactor walls begin to collapse. If the rods are destroyed the walls collapse completely and the entire reactor suffers a MeltDown. Use the light gun to shoot at the sparkx as they bounce off the borders and control rods. When you destroy a sparkx it will disappear. Be careful! A bad shot from you can damage the control rods. If you place a shot outside the reactor core into the containment wall you will also damage the reactor.

If you shoot and don’t hit anything, a barrier will appear. The barrier will function like a wall until it fades away. You can have up to four barriers on screen at a time. The sparkx will rebound off the barriers, so well-placed shots can reflect sparkx away from the control rods. In addition to shooting sparkx and setting up barriers, you can also protect the reactor core by using special protective Power Crystals and bonus blocks found in each reactor. (See Power Crystals and Bonus Blocks.)

After a time the earth will suffer damage from reactor radiation. The damage will result in increased seismic activity. The earthquakes will further damage the control rods. Protected rods suffer less damage from earthquakes.

Save all 20 reactors to win the game.