ADVANCED SOCCER SIMULATOR ========================= Mastertronic (1989) programmed by Steve Hannah This superb simulation offers all the thrills and heartbreaks of the real thing - from cup glory to nerve-wracking battles against relegation. SETTING UP Up to eight players can join the fun, each taking charge of one of the 80 teams featured, which are split into four leagues of 20 teams each. Before starting, you can select two or three points for a win. All players begin with a squad of 16 players, working for a team in the fourth division, and the aim is to get to the top of the pile. THE SEASON Each team plays 38 league games and takes part in both the League Cup and FA Cup competitions. League Cup games are played over two legs, the result being decided on the aggregate score from both legs. Cup matches cause some league games to be postponed until after the season. MAIN OPTIONS MENU S - SAVE GAME Saved game positions can be reloaded, either when the program first loads, or when a new game is started. P - PITCH COLOUR Choose between eight exciting colourways, selecting the one that works best with your TV. C - CHANGE TEAM NAME Any of the 80 names can be changed. Try and avoid using rude ones, eh? W - WINNERS Reveals the clubs that were victorious in each of the divisions and cups. PLAYERS OPTION MENU T - TRANSFER MENU Players can be sold, providing the squad has at least 12 members. B - BUY PLAYER You can only buy one player per turn, and the maximum squad size is 20 players. S - STATUS General team information. R - SEASON'S RESULTS The results of all the season's league games. L - CHANGE SKILL LEVEL There are four skill categories: Easy, Medium, Hard and Very hard; each with four levels: 0, 1, 2 and 3. The default skill level is M3, but real whizzo managers will want to play at V3. H - TEAM HONOURS Shows how many time your team has won a league or cup competition. V - VIEW LEAGUES Any of the four leagues can be viewed. Q - QUIT TEAM One team manager can wimp out, leaving the game while the others continue. PLAYING A MATCH Before each game you have the chance to change the team. The status team compares the two teams about to play, checking attributes in eight categories: goalkeeping, defence, midfield, forward, energy, experience, goalscoring and league position. If the highlight bar in a category is in the yellow or green section then the team has superiority in that category. The more categories your team dominates, the better the chance of winning the match. Players in a team can be shuffled around so that even if you can't 'win' a category, it might be 'drawn'. Once the final selections are made, sit back and enjoy the highlights of the match as it is played. RESULTS You can view the results and tables for all the divisions and cup matches before returning to the Main Options Menu for the next turn. END OF THE SEASON Bonus money is awarded and the top three teams in divisions 2, 3 and 4 are promoted. Hurrah! Then the bottom three teams in divisions 1, 2 and 3 are relegated. Boo! CONTROLS FOR PLAYER SELECTION 1 - selects mode 1 indicating whether the player is picked or injured. 2 - selects mode 2 giving career playing and scoring record. 3 - selects mode 3 giving price of player. 7/9/Q - moves selection bar up 6/8/A - moves selection bar down M/O - selected highlighted player CAPS/N/SPACE/ENTER - leaves screen -- End of File Transcribed by: Jim Grimwood, Dead Dog Farm, Hatfield, England --