THE SPECTRUM GAMES DATABASE ZENJI PUBLISHER Activision AUTHOR Unknown, Designed by Matt Hubbard YEAR 1984 CATEGORY Puzzle DESCRIPTION Puzzle game where you must rearrange a maze to turn it all yellow. CONTROLS Keyboard, Kempston, Sinclair, Cursor INSTRUCTIONS See Inlay Card Text, below. INLAY CARD TEXT Zenji is like life. The object is to collect all elements of the maze, creating an unbroken yellow path to the pulsating Source. Complete connection is called "Zenji". Avoid desires and illusions, and don't run out of time. BASICS 1. Load Zenji into your system (see instructions on reverse) 2. When loading is complete, the menu will appear. Select desired controller by pressing its corresponding numerical key. Instruction `prompts' will now appear, one at a time. Each prompt will pause until you press key C to move to the next one. 3. Whilst the prompts are on-screen, select your game level. There are eight variations: Levels 1,3,5 and 7 are for one player; 2, 4,6 and 8 are for two. The higher the number, the greater the challenge. Select game by pressing the corresponding numerical key. 4. The keyboard function screen will now appear, displaying all controls. 5. Begin the action by pressing ENTER on the keyboard. 6. You are represented by the rotating head. It follows your joystick movements. When using the keyboard, the O key is left, P is right, 2 is up and W is down. To turn the element, bring the head to its center. Now, press the joystick button while moving the central stick left or right. On the keyboard, hold down key Z while pressing O or P. 7. The timer continually counts down at the bottom of the screen. 8. To reset the game you have just played, press CAPS SHIFT and ENTER. To reset back to controller menus, press SYMBOL SHIFT and ENTER. 9. When the game ends, the score table will appear. Enter the initials beside your final score using the letters on the keyboard. WORDS TO THE WISE In Zenji, as in life, you'll turn about with your head spinning, trying to put all the pieces together. Furthur complications come in the form of Flames of Desire. Later on, these desires create equally fatal illusions. The sting of desire of illusion will surely cause you to lose your head and leave the maze...unconnected. If you have departed from an unconnected maze, you will be doomed to repeat it...hopefully having learned something. You begin with one active head and four reincarnations on reserve. The experience ends when you have ceased to be reborn. MATERIAL REWARDS For those of you still attached to such things, here is an explanation of the scoring system. Points are awarded whenever complete connection (Zenji) is achieved. The less time you've taken, the more points you'll receive. Whenever contact is made with a number square, you'll receive a bonus of (100 points x the number) A bonus life is awarded with every other increase of 10,000 points (i.e. 10,000...30,000...50,000) TIPS FROM MATT HUBBARD Designer of Zenji "Zenji creates a unique interaction between player and game. It is a new kind of experience, whose strategy lies not in sharp-shooting or elaborate game plans but in sensing the right move and trusting your initiative." "The object of Zenji is to connect all Elements to the Source. But, in playing the game, it becomes clear that the approach required is a kind of `letting go', rather than planning ahead, wherin connections simply happen. Players can `feel' their way through the maze and use tactics that combine intuition with technical skill." "As an old Master once said `There is no conquest. There is no planning. Use the mind differently'." "And go in peace." CHEATS None Known. SEQUELS/PREQUELS None. SCORES RECEIVED Unknown, but I don't think it was very well received. URL ftp://ftp.nvg.unit.no/pub/sinclair/snaps/games/puzzle/zenji.zip GENERAL FACTS This game is a standard puzzle affair where you rearrange a maze to connect all parts of it to a power source, effectively turning all the paths yellow. The instructions, however, make it sound like some kind of meditation/way of life/religion! NOTES Not a very good game, it's quite difficult and not very addictive. Standard UDG graphics don't help much, either! Pretty much like the rest of Activision's early stuff.