Silpheed: New Sequel to Thexder
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by Nancy Grimsley

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Silpheed, a new arcade game imported from Game Arts of Japan by Sierra On-Line, is the follow-up to Thexdar. You are the pilot of a super dogfighter with a mission to save the galaxy. No sooner do you begin the game than the battle is joined.

BATTLES

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You will fight your way through twenty battlefields in space, then will engage Xacalite, the evil warlord, in one last stupendous battle against a gigantic enemy ship.

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The intensity grows from level to level. The program automatically saves your last level and your highest level. Even after you quit playing, then return, you can immediately select either the last level you had achieved, or the highest level ever reached.

WEAPONS

Before each new battle, you will select the weapons to use. Every 50,000 points you get a newer and more powerful weapon, until finally you have a choice between five weapons and five different firing patterns. Bonus targets on the screen will gain you more weapon power, more speed, and needed repairs.

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STRATEGY

To win, it will be necessary for you to develop a different strategy on each level. As you observe the maneuvers of your opponents you will — if you are alert — detect patterns that will allow you to design your plans to meet the enemy in combat. Do you fight? Do you evade? Which weapon will be most effective? Which enemy do ou attack at once? Each enemy — and there are over twenty unique types — has a different pattern. Your weapon selection becomes critically important. Only you can make Xacalite surrender, and you can only do so by developing the most effective and most threatening battle techniques.

Your ship can dart over most of the screen as you use your joystick, arrow keys, or a combination of the two. At various times, you will have the advantage of a barrier or a shield.

MUSIC

There are eleven original music scores. If your computer has expanded music capabilities — the MT-32, Adlib, IMF, or an Apple IIGS — your enjoyment of the game will be enhanced by dramatic music. Standard PC and PCjr music hardware are also supported.

CORRECTION

Takeshi Miyaji is the designer of Silpheed. When the manual for Silpheed was originally printed in this country, credit for the game design was incorrect. Our apologies to Mr. Miyaji for the error.

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