How to play Deadly Duck online
- Swim left and right: left and right arrow keys
- Fire a āBill Bulletā: Space bar (tap for single shots, hold for non-stop fire)
- Start a game: Space bar or F12 (the consoleās Reset switch) ends the demo mode
- Choose a level: F11 (the consoleās Select switch)
The difficulty switches are not used in this game.
Gameplay
Eight crabs attack in each level, flying across the sky and throwing bricks down at Deadly. Your bullets travel straight up, so you have to line up underneath a target before you shoot. A brick that lands in the water floats for a short while and blocks your path across the pond, which can leave you boxed in with danger coming. You can also shoot the bricks on their way down, and they are worth more than the crabs.
From the second level on, dragonflies join the crabs. They cannot be destroyed, but hitting one scores 10 points and makes it drop a bomb aimed right at you. You start with four ducks and lose one each time a brick or a bomb hits you. Shoot all eight crabs to earn a bonus duck and move on to the next level. There is no limit to how many extra ducks you can collect, but the screen shows only three of them.
| Level | Dragonflies | Bombs at a time | Points per brick |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | ā | 50 |
| 2 | 2 | 1 | 100 |
| 3 | 4 | 2 | 200 |
| 4 | 6 | 3 | 500 |
A crab is worth 30 points and a dragonfly hit 10 points on every level.
Tips
- Shoot bricks for points. On the higher levels a brick is worth far more than a crab, and every brick you hit in the air is one that cannot block you in the water.
- Keep an escape route. Before you stop to fire, check that floating bricks have not closed off both sides of you.
- Leave the dragonflies alone. Ten points is rarely worth a bomb aimed straight at your duck. Hold your fire when one flies over you.
- Clear the crabs quickly. Each crab gone means fewer bricks, and finishing all eight gives you a spare duck.
History
Deadly Duck came out in January 1982. It was one of several Atari 2600 cartridges that Sirius Software developed for 20th Century Foxās video game label; Fast Eddie, Beany Bopper and Worm War I came from the same partnership. A version for the Commodore VIC-20 was later programmed by Jeremy Jones.
