How to play Nightmare online
- Walk, and swing the stick: left and right arrow keys
- Climb up and down the ropes: up and down arrow keys
- Jump: Space bar
- Choose one of six speed levels: F11 (the console’s Select switch)
- Start the game: F12 (the console’s Reset switch)
- Save and load your progress: Ctrl + 0–9 saves to a slot, Alt + 0–9 loads it
Gameplay
When you switch on, a lullaby plays; pressing Reset starts the dream. The game has nine screens, and each one uses one type of enemy. On screens 1, 4 and 7 there are birds, which you cannot fight: you simply avoid them by jumping between ropes, and a bird that touches you knocks you off. On screens 2, 5 and 8 there are devil faces, which you hit with a stick by pushing towards them; each one you beat turns into a bird. On screens 3, 6 and 9 there are balloons. You jump off a rope to grab a balloon’s string and float down to the ground, steering left and right on the way down.
The number of enemies grows from 8 to 16 to 24 as you go. On the face and balloon screens, the helicopter only takes you once every enemy has been dealt with. A snake patrols the ground on every screen and can never be destroyed; touching it costs a life, and so does running out of time. You have four children, meaning four lives. After the ninth screen the game starts again at the next speed level. Points depend on the screen and speed level, with a bonus for each enemy you defeat; on the bird screens your score depends on how fast you reach the helicopter.
Tips
- Start on the lowest speed. If you press Reset without choosing, the game uses the slowest setting anyway.
- Steer on the way down. After grabbing a balloon you drift slowly to the ground. Use left and right to stay clear of devil faces and to avoid landing on the snake.
- Hurry on the bird screens. The only thing to do there is reach the helicopter, and a faster climb scores more.
Other versions
The same game was sold under other names by other small labels: as Stunt Man by Panda and as Dream Flight by Hot Shot. The programmer is not known. Sancho’s instruction leaflet came in English and German.
