GRAND NATIONAL PUBLISHER Elite YEAR 1984 Elite's Grand National is a computer game that combines strategy and arcade action to reproduce all the excitement of the World's most famous horse race. GAME FEATURES 1. Choice of a single ride or racing career. 2. Optional Betting on the race result. 3. Choice of mount. 4. Race Report Sheet. 5. Variable Race Conditions. 6. Form Guide. 7. Intelligent Automatic Bookmaker. 8. 40 Unique Horses, with own characteristics. 9. Special Real Time Race Monitor. 10. Panoramic view of Race. 11. Running, Camera view of Race. 12, Up to 40 other competing horses. 13. Energy Level Bargraph. 14. Speed Level Bargraph. 15. Course Map and Tracking Dot. 16. Large Digital Race Clock. 17. Fence Number Indicator. 18. Leading Horse Number. 19. Horse Position Number. 20. Number of Horses Fallen Indicator. 21. Number of Horses Retired Indicator. 22. Number of Horses Running Indicator. 23 Stewards Enquiry System. 24. Detailed Final Report Section. 25. Prize Money. 26. Realistic Horse Control. 27. Realistic Horse Animation. 28. Detailed Scrolling Graphics from two angles. 29. Disqualification. 30. Fines. 31. Non-Runners. 32. Arcade Strategy Combination. INTRODUCTION The Grand National course is regarded as the toughest race course in the world. Those who ride it risk injury or death jumping fences such as the chair, a notorious fence nearly four feet wide and rive feet high, fronted by a six foot ditch. It isn't surprising that this fence has been responsible for many injuries over the years. It is your job as the jockey not only to conquer the course through knowing your horse, but also to make the choice of horse that you will ride in the race. The whole game can be won or lost on this decision alone. The game combines these factors to produce a combination of strategy and skill, with all the excitement of the Grand National on your screen. Running a number of nationals can build up a career record, and a final award is given to the top riders. Now take the reins on your 48K ZX Spectrum and gallop your way into the record books! THE GRAND NATIONAL The Grand National is the ultimate race of the National Hunt season. It is run, and always has been run, at the Aintree Race course near Liverpool. The full Aintree course involves sixteen fences, and all but the last two of these are covered for a second time round, making a total of thirty fences to be jumped. The National has a maximum entry list of forty horses but some horses pull out before race day due to injury or ill-health of either the horse or the key. The riders range from amateurs fulfilling a life-long dream, to the professional jockeys who ride with one intention, to win! The National lasts about ten minutes, but in our game the clock runs faster to shorten the game time. HORSE RACING This section gives some general information about racing which is useful to know when playing the game. Those of you who are racing addicts will know much of the information below already. All horses, except those who have not run any races, have a form rating In the Grand National, a horse must have won a race with a value of one thousand pounds in the last year to qualify, so as far as we are concerned, all our horses have a form value. Form is normally listed as a series of letters and numbers indicating a horse's recent success or failure. In our it game, form is simplified to a zero to ten rating. Another important factor in any form of horse racing are the ground conditions. These range fret' Very Soft' where the ground is very muddy and slow to run on, to 'Firm' where the round is quite solid. The best 'Going' is 'Good' where the horses can get a sure footing. Some have a preference, running well on good ground, while others can run consistently when going is soft. At the end of these instructions is a Form Guide, and for each horse, it shows the preferred ground. The final thing you will need to know about horses are their running styles. Each horse might have a different style and stamina when racing. Some horses may be good finishers for instance, while others may be good all rounders. It will be the above factors you will have to consider when choosing your horse. BETTING In this game the betting is kept to 'On the nose' bets. That is a bet a horse to win. So if the horse wins so do you! To keep payouts simple, we have kept to simple odds such as S-1 and 10-1 and not used any of the nasty ones such as 13-2 or 100-30. A second Point to remember is that we have decided to include the tax deduction. If you place a bet, most bookmakers will deduct 10% betting tax. So if you bet ten pounds it will be reduced to a nine pound bet So bringing all this together, if you bet say Ten pounds on a horse that wins at 10-1. First is reduced to nine pounds, you will then win 10x9-90 pounds, plus you will be refunded original stake (nine pounds). The bookmakers set odds according to a number of factors. In the first instance they will set the odds in relation to how well they think a horse is going to do. For instance, a horse that has odds of 2-1 is more likely (in their opinion) to do better than a horse with odds of 10-1. Another factor that affects the odds, and often in a bigger way than the horses' read ability, is the amount of money actually backing a horse. If for instance a horse at 20-1 suddenly gets backed with Large sums of money its odds will shorten to say 10-1. So all in all, the odds are a fair indicator of how well a horse will do but don't rely on them. GETTING STARTED As you pick up the various stages of the game you wilt probably want to refer in detail to the information that is included here. The game itself is quite helpful, so with a little thought, you won't want to read everything below immediately. And always remember If at first you don't succeed, try plugging it in/tuning it on/reading the instructions! LOADING INSTRUCTIONS 1. Connect your tape recorder and leads to the ZX Spectrum, insert Grand National Tape, and ensure it is rewound. 2. Type 'LOAD', then press the Enter key. 3. Press play on the tape recorder. GAME PLAY The game is split into three parts. The first is the Race Report in which you plan your strategy and place your bets. Second is The Actual Race where arcade skills are the key success, and lastly comes the Final report which gives all the final results and information. PART 1, THE RACE REPORT This is the first stage of the game, it requires the rider to consider all the information available and then choose the horse on which he/she wishes to ride. All the variable factors are displayed on the race report section, but only ten horses can be displayed at one time. Here are the controls. N to See other horses: Pressing N allows you to view the next set of horses and their data in the bottom window. F for Form: Pressing F displays the horses' recent form as a value between zero and ten. All things being equal, a horse with a higher form rating will have the best chance. B to Bet: Up to five bets may be placed on the horses actually running in the race Non runners will show 'NR' where the odds are normally displayed. Initially the rider has one thousand pounds available to bet with. More can be accumulated by winning the race and collecting prize money, or by backing a winner in the betting stage! When B is pressed any bets that you have already placed will be displayed on the screen. If five bets have been placed you will not be able to place any further bets, otherwise you will be prompted to enter the number of the horse on which you want to place the bet, followed by the amount you wish to gamble. The 10% tax is deducted before the amount is displayed. The betting part of the game is optional, and if you do not wish to place any bets then there is no requirement to do so. When you wish to return to displaying the other data press 'F'. C Choose your horse: Once you have assessed all the information available you must decide upon which horse you wish to ride. You are not allowed to freely pick any horse listed. Your stable has given you the option of riding ten horses of the forty listed. The horses you are allowed to ride are shown with inverse numbers. Some of them may be non-runners, so you can only choose a running horse. Here are a few suggestions when making your choice. 1. Choose a horse that is suited to the ground conditions. 2. Think of the odds as a rough guide to the horses' ability. 3. Take account of the horses' recent form. Once you have selected your horse, press any key to start the race proper. If you prefer to use a joystick then either move the joystick, or press the fire button instead. PART 2, THE ACTUAL RACE The main race is run on a special screen that allows the rider to monitor his/her horse both from overhead view, and also from the side. Other horses nearby on the track are displayed as well on the overhead view. On screen also, are the various indicators and information about the current state of the race. The rider controls the horse by steering the reins left and right, cracking the whip to increase the speed, and jumping the fences. KEYS: Z - Left X - Right 0 - Whip P - jump JOYSTICK: Left and Right operate their logical directions, pushing up cracks the whip, and the Fire button is used to Jump. RACE MONITORS Bargraph Energy Level Indicator Horse Position No. Bargraph Speed Level Indicator Leading Horse No. Large Digital Race Clock No. of Horses Fallen Indicator Fence No. Indicator No. of Horses Retired Indicator Course Map & Tracking Dot No, of Horses Running Indicator HINTS When riding your horse you must take into account its running style. So if your horse is a good all rounder, you will be able to keep up a good pace all round the track. On the other hand, If you have a strong finisher, then don't tire the horse on the first lap! To make the best use of the energy, try and come as close to using it all up as possible, but don't overshoot or your nag will collapse! STEWARDS ENQUIRY While playing the race, the rider must not run into the other horses! Bumping other horses is likely to cause a stewards enquiry. The result of which can range tram a mere disqualification to a career bail So beware! At the end of the race, any rulings, bans or fines will be made. THE FINAL REPORT At the end of the race a final report of the race is given. This gives the results of the race, any gains made from harking a winning horse, and any prize money gained by doing well in the race. Also listed are any points you have accumulated by finishing the top 4 in the race and also the total number of points gained during your career. Any disqualifications made during a stewards enquiry will he shown as well. PRIZE MONEY Prize Money is awarded as follows: 1st: 40,000 + 10 pts 2nd: 14,000 + 7 pts 3rd: 7,000 + 5 pts 4th: 3,000 + 2 pts FORM GUIDE The following is a list of horses and their details for running style and preferred ground. Refer to this when choosing your horse. No. NAME STYLE GROUND 1 Greasepaint Excellent All Rounder Good 2 Artimorval Good Finisher Good 3 Doorstop Good Starter Good 4 Lucky Vane Excellent All Rounder Firm 5 Whistling Genatap Consistent All Rounder Good 6 Hallo Dandy Excellent All Rounder Soft 7 Corbiere Good Starter, Excel. Finisher Good 8 West Tip Excel. Starter, Good Finisher Good 9 Drumlargen Good Starter, Excel, Finisher Firm 10 Eyecatcher Good Starter Soft 11 Fortina's Express Excellent Finisher Good 12 Duke of Milan Excellent Starter Good 13 Broomy Bank Excellent Finisher Firm 14 Ballinacurra Lad Good All Rounder Good 15 Pirate Son Good Finisher Firm 16 Glen Fox Bad Finisher Good 17 Kumbi Excel. Starter, Good Finisher Firm 18 Fox Bury Good Starter, Bad Finisher Good 19 Luck Daughter Good Finisher Soft 20 Matty Buskins Bad Starter, Excel. Finisher Good 21 Fethard Friend Excel. Starter, Good Finisher Soft 22 Rubsti Bad Finisher Firm 23 Rockin' Berry Consistent All Rounder Firm 24 Howarth Halloway Good Starter. Bad Finisher Firm 25 Classified Good Starter. Excel. Finisher Soft 26 Drum Largan Bad Finisher Soft 27 Grand 0gan Good Starter, Bad Finisher Soft 28 Last Suspect Bad All Round Firm 29 Talon Good All Rounder Firm 30 Good Crack Excel. Starter, Bad Finisher Good 31 Nicky Tam Excel. Starter, Bad Finisher Firm 32 Tacroy Good All Rounder Soft 33 Cockle Strand Bad Starter, Excel. Finisher Soft 34 Why Forget Good Starter Firm 35 Max Friendly Excel. Starter, Bad Finisher Soft 36 Succeeded Bad All Round Good 37 Road Mead Consistent All Rounder Soft 38 First Glance Excellent Starter Firm 39 Derby Creek Bad Starter, Excel. Finisher Firm 40 Terry's Nag Excellent Finisher Soft NOTE Some of horses used may not actually run in the 1985, or any other Grand National. At the time of writing, no lists were available, the final runners being decided only a few weeks before Grand National Day. Elite Systems 55 Bradford Street, Walsall, England. Telex: 335622 SPETEL G. Typed by Mike Winn, Jan 2003.