How to play Surferās Paradise online
- Move the surfer or the swimmer: arrow keys
- Jump over the shark / start the game: Space bar
- Start the game (alternative): F12 (the consoleās Reset switch)
- Choose a starting level (1ā4): F11 (the consoleās Select switch); hold it down to cycle through the levels
- How much wobble on the wave is allowed: F4 (left difficulty switch)
- Normal or shape-changing wreck: F9 (right difficulty switch)
- Pause: F2 switches the TV type to black-and-white, which stops the game; press it again to carry on
Gameplay
In the first part you keep your surfer as close to the crest of the wave as you can. Every so often the shark swims at you, and you have to press the button to jump just before it reaches you. Miss the jump, or drift too far from the top of the wave, and you go into the water.
The picture then switches to an underwater view. Between you and your floating surfboard lies the wreck of an old galleon. You have to find a way through its walls while an octopus patrols inside and a jellyfish waits under the board. Touching any sea creature costs a turn, and so does staying under water too long, because you only have a few seconds of air. Reach the board and you are back on the wave. The wreck comes in two shapes, which alternate every other time you fall in.
The score works like a clock: it only counts up while you are riding the wave. You get an extra turn for every 1,000 points, and the waves and creatures speed up as your score grows. The manual rates your result:
| Score | Rating |
|---|---|
| 1,500 | Poor |
| 2,500 | Good |
| 3,000 | Excellent |
| 3,500 | Great |
Difficulty switches
This game uses the switches the opposite way round from most 2600 cartridges: A is the easy setting and B the expert one. With the left switch on A, the game forgives more drifting away from the crest. With the right switch on B, the shape of the wreck changes while you are under water, which the manual calls very tricky. The right switch is normally left on A.
Tips
- Time the jump late. The manual says to jump just before the shark touches you, not when you first see it.
- Wait at the entrance. Under water, let the octopus leave the wreck before you swim in, as the manual suggests.
- Donāt dawdle below. Your air runs out quickly, and running out costs a turn just like a sting.
- Learn both wrecks. Since the two shapes alternate, you can plan your route before you even hit the water.
About Video Gems
Video Gems released a handful of PAL cartridges for European players in 1983, and its manuals give a post office box in Hong Kong as the company address. Who programmed Surferās Paradise is not known. Years later, the homebrew programmer Thomas Jentzsch made an NTSC conversion for American TV standards.
