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--|****\ NOSTALGY ================ DRAK =================== NOSTALGY \****|--
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REQUIREMENTS :

  Drakþ will works on any IBMþ or compatible 80286+ with MS-DOSþ 3.3 minimum.
  Music and sound effects are available through AdLibþ, Sound Blasterþ and
  100% compatibles.

  Note for WINDOWS: The game must be run in MS-DOS mode, if you want to play
                    it with sound or music on.
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LEGAL STUFF :

  þ1995 Nostalgy enr.. All rights reserved.
  NostalgyTM is a trademark of Nostalgy enr.
  DrakTM is a trademark and copyright of Nostalgy enr.

  AdLibþ is a a trademark of AdLib Incorporated.
  Sound Blasterþ is a trademark of Creative Labs Inc.
  IBMþ is a trademark of IBM corporation.
  MS-DOSþ is a trademark of Microsoft Corporation.

  No part of this document may be reproduced or distributed in any form or by
  any means without the writen autorization of Nostalgy enr.
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____________________/////// TABLE OF CONTENTS \\\\\\\________________________

    THE LEGEND OF THE DRAK .................................... 1.0
    HOW TO PLAY ............................................... 2.0
          - THE MOUSE ......................................... 2.1
          - THE JOYSTICK ...................................... 2.2
          - THE KEYBOARD ...................................... 2.3
    GETTING STARTED ........................................... 3.0
          - PRATICE ........................................... 3.1
          - CONQUEST .......................................... 3.2
    MAIN MENU ................................................. 4.0
          - PRATICE MENU ...................................... 4.1
          - CONQUEST MENU ..................................... 4.2
    THE DIFFERENTS OPTIONS .................................... 5.0
          - OPTIONS IN THE PRATICE MODE ....................... 5.1
          - DETAILS ON CONTROL OPTIONS ........................ 5.2
    HINTS AND STRATEGIES ...................................... 6.0
    CONTACTING NOSTALGY ....................................... 7.0

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//// 1.0 \\\\____________/////// STORY \\\\\\\_______________________________

                          The Legend Of The Drak
                                by Sylph

No memories of this could ever hope to, one day, go back to the origins of
the Drak. Only in the writings can we remember, through the narrator's point
of view what cannot be described.

As the years made no sense, Gods ruled powerfully. They offered protection to
mankind in exchange for their worship. Everything was related to knowledge,
but a mistake was made. A time of decadence, still impossible up till then,
came upon them. It was the end of the devine influence. Gods were going
against each other as men initiated themselves to their rituals. They so
aspire for their fellow man's sun, and evil will be engulfed by their wounds.

Wars were bloody... deadly through the participation of the gods. All land,
as pure as they may have seemed before the conflict, were soiled by blood
from the battles.
Life was no more; survival replaced it and men forgot. Conscious of the
senseless acts they had done, the victorious Gods, forever retired. Mankind
quickly forgot the superior beings at the origin of their misfortune.
Nevertheless, no one could repress these emerging new feelings. From that
point on, Evil was part of man's soul.

After several generations and with the help of some thinkers from the
original conflict, a certain order was re-established. From the hierarchical
system in place, a new council was formed. Founded by men and women of
knowledge, it opposed to evil in any and all forms. Many people joined and
many of them followed the teachings. Through the travels of the disciples a
moral was born. The values portrayed were nobles. They were not in anyway
resemblant to those conveyed by the old Gods. And so, the council gained some
notoriety. Presuming the influence it had on the population, it made it its
duty to straighten evolution and bring back hope to a meaningless future...
it created the Drak.

Nothing could better illustrate the Drak's creation than the tale of its
genesis by its creators...

        Except from "The Sacred Dawn of the Awakening", part 7th.

     "We, men and women of knowledge pledge on this sacred day of the
     awakening; to perpetuate wisdom and to ensure that such a tragedy
     will die at the roots."

Those were the wise words of the council before they were justified in
meaning.

Chosen by the council, an elder undertook a journey. As it was selected by
the council, the highest mountain of the region would serve as its
undertaking. After numerous detours, he finally made it to the base.
Contemplating its beauty, he also felt the dangers within.

Through the years, a city grew larger at the foot of the hill, insignificant
in der frailty. Everyone spoke of the Drak, henceforth part of legends.
People were reminded...

The old man carefully climbed the slopes. One after another the next a little
steeper than the one before. Up there nature was unstable. The elements,
crazy changed endlessly. Hot, cold, the old man clenched his teeth.

Ensuring his grips, the old man looked for stability. Death, patiently waited
for a slip up. Anxiety could be seen on the elder's reddened face. Fog was up
and the wind was whirling; lashing the battered body of a man on his last few
steps.

Calling upon his last ressources, he stood and cleared his mind. The council
was looking for the wanderer; himself the center of communion. Strength, new
and powerful came from within. He had the power. He was linked to everyone
and they gave their life to him. Emerging from within, a desir was difficult
to suppress... Nevertheless he did his job and did it well. When he came to,
he glanced one last time at the scenery for the end was near. Reaped by two
dragons, he passed away in silence. But, the Drak was born: never ending
symbol of spiritual and physical achievment, whose guardians layed the faith
of their creator.

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//// 2.0 \\\\__________/////// HOW TO PLAY \\\\\\\___________________________

You may choose between:

      - THE MOUSE
      - THE JOYSTICK
      - THE KEYBOARD

(To modify this option, go to the CONTROL option in the main menu (ESC) or
press F1)

2.1. THE MOUSE:
To move the block, slide the mouse left or right. To rotate it 90 degrees,
click the mouse.

2.2. THE JOYSTICK:
To move the block, use the control pad. To rotate it, press a button.

2.3. THE KEYBOARD:
To move the block, use the  arrows. To rotate it, press on the arrow up.

Play at Drak with numeric keypad:
      - The 4 move the block to the left.
      - The 6 move the block to the right.
      - The 8 turns the block clockwise.
      - The 0 and Insert turns the block anticlockwise.
      - The 2 makes the block to go down.
      - The 1, 3, PageDown and End makes the block to go rapidly down.

P.S. Anywhere in Drak, ESC is used for canceling an option and the
second botton of a joystick do the same thing.

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//// 3.0 \\\\________/////// GETTING  STARTED \\\\\\\________________________

You may choose from two modes:

      - PRACTICE (Not available in shareware version)
      - CONQUEST

At the beggining of each game, you're in the CONQUEST mode.

3.1. PRACTICE (Not available in shareware version):
In PRATICE mode, you may choose different game options. Options include
the following modes:

      - NORMAL
      - CRISTAL
      - ELEMENTAL
      - ANNULMENT
      - OBSTRUCTION

Possible configurations include:

      - The level of DIFFICULTY
      - The level of OBSTACLE
      - The level of DENSITY
      - The choice of SPOT CHANGE
      - The types of CATASTROPHE
      - The PICKS

You will find more details in the section "THE DIFFERENTS OPTIONS" about the
modes and about the possibles configurations in PRATICE mode.

3.2. CONQUEST:
The CONQUEST mode is the ultimate goal of Drak, will you overcome it?!!

      - 100 stages (10 in shareware version).
      - Each stage has a differnet goal score and/or lines.
      - If you succeed the indicator will turn yellow.
      - You may continue beyond the stage's goal.
      - If you die after completing a stage you don't have to do it over.
      - If you die during the game you may continue were you left off as
        often as you wish.
      - You may save a game in progress and return to it later on.
      - After each stage, points are added to your total score.
      - If you fail the test in one of the stages, stage points will not be
        awarded.
      - Score may depend on your game playing.
      - The best score, lines and/or destroyed of each stage is written in
        the TOPSCORES.
      - The ten best totals scores for a game of Drak are written in the
        TOPSCORES.

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//// 4.0 \\\\___________/////// MAIN MENU \\\\\\\____________________________

4.1. PRATICE MENU:

      - START: Starts the game in PRATICE mode.
      - RESTART: Retry with the same settings.
      - CONQUEST: Switches to CONQUEST mode.
      - CONTROL: Configurates the game.
      - OPTIONS: Choose your settings
      - QUIT: Leaves the game.
      - RETURN: Return to the current game.

4.2. CONQUEST MENU:

      - START: Starts the game in CONQUEST mode.
      - RESTART: Retry at the same stage.
      - PRACTICE: Switches to PRATICE mode.
      - SAVE: Saves a game in CONQUEST mode.
      - LOAD: Loads a previously saved game.
      - NEW GAME: Starts a new game.
      - CONTROL: Configurates the game.
      - TOPSCORES: For the bests topscores of lines and destroyed.
      - QUIT: Leaves the game.
      - RETURN: Return to the current game.

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//// 5.0 \\\\________/////// THE DIFFERENTS OPTIONS \\\\\\\__________________

5.1. OPTIONS IN THE PRACTICE MODE

A) MODE:
The mode you choose modify the reaction of the blocks between them and the
goal of the stage. There is five differents modes.

  a) NORMAL:
     The normal mode of Drak consists of all possible blocks. The object of
     the game is to eliminate as many lines as possible.

  b) CRISTAL:
     Consists of all cristal blocks. Blocks eliminate each other in pairs of
     color except gray block who eliminate everybody. The object is to
     eliminate the more possible blocks and to score the most points.

  c) ELEMENTAL:
     Consists mainly of elemental blocks; opposite blocks eliminate each
     other. The object is to eliminate as many lines as possible.

  d) ANNULMENT:
     Blocks eliminate each other in pairs. The object is to earn the most
     points and complete the most lines. Similar graphics eliminate each
     other.

  e) OBSTRUCTION:
     The object is to eliminate as many appearing lines as possible. Only
     theses lines are numbered.

B) DIFFICULTY: 0-9
The higher the number, the more possibility of blocks there is and the faster
they move. This option ajusts as your total of lines or destroyed increases.

C) OBSTACLE: 0-9
You can begin the game with incomplete line already at the botton. The higher
the number, the greater the number of incomplete lines you start with.

D) HANDICAP: none, 10-60 seconds
This option determines the time interval between new incomplete lines
appearing at the bottom of the screen.

E) DENSITY: 1-16
Valid only when obstacle or handicap are activated. The higher the number,
the more holes you'll have in new lines.

F) SPOT CHANGE: none, 1-5
The higher the number, the more frequent the effect. The possible effects
are:

  a) REVERSE:
     The computer picks a spot at random. If there is a block it removes it.
     If there isn't it puts one.

  b) BROKEN:
     The computer picks a spot. If there is a block, it breaks it. A broken
     block destructs when covered by a weaker block or a sphere.

  c) BOMB:
     The computer picks a spot at random and drops a bomb. Everything is
     destroyed within a one-block radius of the bomb.

  d) SWITCH:
     The computer chooses a spot and switches one block for another.

  e) ALL:
     The computer picks one of the effects and applies it to the game.

G) CATASTROPHES: none, 1-5
The higher the number, the more frequent the effect. Depending on the case,
some catastrophes may prove useful while others are complete nuisances.
Possibilities include:

  a) FIRE METEORITE:
     Transforms a block and its immediate surroundings into fire balls.
  b) ICE METEORITE:
     Transforms a block and its immediate surroundings into balls of ice.
  c) LIGHTNING:
     Destroys all the blocks in its path.
  d) ANVIL:
     Drops from the top of the screen and destroys everything in its path.
  e) WAVE:
     Eliminates the bottom row.
  f) FLAME:
     Travels horizontally and destroys everything in its path.

H) PICKS: none, 1-5
The higher the number, the more frequent the effects. When activated, this
option creates picks at the bottom which destroy block that touch them. Small
speers may also come out of the side of the screen and destroy blocks that
they touch and break the adjoining block.

P.S. The mode PRACTICE configurations sets by the player always return
to the defaults values when the player quit the game or the mode PRACTICE.

5.2. DETAILS ON CONTROL OPTIONS:

A) CONTROL: (keyboard, mouse or joystick)
To choose your control mode.

B) JOYSTICK UP: (yes or no)
If this option is active, a pression on the top of the control pad will move
the block rapidly down.

C) INDICATOR: (yes or no)
Lets you know which block eliminate each other. Only useful in practice mode,
and by default, on the first ten levels of the conquest game.

D) SOUND: (yes or no)
Toggles sound effects on and off. F3 keys do the same job. The number
of Khz for the sound support on Pc Speaker can modify the sound quality.
18 Khz: 286 at 12Mhz chips processor asked.
22 Khz: 386 and more chips processor.

E) MUSIC: (yes or no)
Toggles music on and off. F2 keys do the same jobs. To use special effects
and music you need a Adlibþ, SoundBlasterþ or 100% compatible sound card.
Otherwise the computer's speaker will be set by default.

F) ULTRASPEED: (yes or no)
If enabled, the animation will be done at high speed.

G) BRIGHTNESS: (0-6)
To brighten the screen when exterior light hits it.

H) ANIMATION: (yes or no)
If this option is active, the blocks will be animated.

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//// 6.0 \\\\________/////// HINTS AND STRATEGIES \\\\\\\____________________

The following hints will allow you to score higher in your game:

     1. Drop spheres and other block from as high as possible.
     2. Drop your block rapidly.
     3. Complete more than one line at a time.
     4. Put your blocks at the lowest positions possibles.
     5. Eliminate as much as possible.
     6. Continue regularly your CONQUEST stages.

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//// 7.0 \\\\_________/////// CONTACTING NOSTALGY \\\\\\\____________________

To order see ORDER.FRM or CREDIT.TXT for credit card.

For anything else of importance:

                     Nostalgy reg.
                     P.O. Box 373
                     Sherbrooke, Qc  J1H 5J7
                     CANADA

                     Tel: (819)569-3404
                     E-Mail: nostalgy@abacom.com
                     http://www.nostalgy.abacom.com
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