From: mswens69@ursa.calvin.edu (Mark Swenson)
Subject: Re: Sonic - request for help!
Organization: Calvin College
Distribution: usa
Date: Thu, 12 Nov 1992 19:35:25 GMT

houser@rtsg.mot.com (Elizabeth J. Houser) writes:

>I have finally made it to the Final Zone (with many lives and
>a continue or two) and I cannot figure out what to do.  Jumping 
>at the moving "columns" seems to have no effect.  Do I have to jump
>at the one that he's inside of?

Yes.  You must hit him eight times (the same as all of the other zones (except
labyrinth)) by hitting the side of the cylinder he is in.  I have found the 
easiest way to do this is to go to the far right, jump left when the cylinders
come up, and then move further left and jump to avoid the energy balls that 
come from above.  If you do this, you won't be able to hit him every time the 
cylinders move but you should be able to hit him eight times in about 3 or so 
minutes. 

>By the way, I do not have all 6 emeralds.  Do I need all of
>them to finish the game?  Does having them make it easier to
>finish the game?  Is there ANY purpose for getting them?

The answer to your questions respectively is no, no, yes.  The only purpose
for getting the emeralds is to totally defeat the game.  If you don't have
all of them you win, but at the very end (after the credits) there is a picture
of Robotnik juggling the emeralds you didn't get.  If you get all of them there
are some fancy graphics when Sonic lets go of them at the end and Robotnik is
jumping up and down on the word "End."

>At the end of Act 2 of Scrap Brain Zone, Robotnik appears behind
>some sort of shield.  I have tried jumping at the shield as many
>times as I can, but the floor crashes away and I go on to the 
>next act.  Is there a way to get through the barrier?

No.

>You would think the next act (after Scrap Brain 2) would be another 
>Scrap Brain Act, but it it a Labyrinth Zone made more difficult.  
>I am thinking that maybe this zone changes depending on how many 
>emeralds you have.  Or is it always this way?  Well, anyway, no 
>problem getting through it.

It is always this way, but there is a way to get through Scrap Brain Zone 3
very quickly.  If you go right and do not fall down any holes, you will jump up
past lion heads shooting flames.  Keep going up.  At the top there is a 
swinging ball and chain, avoid it, run, and jump over the next space of water
killing the bad guys on the other side.  Keep going and fall down one of the
holes, get some rings, and go up the right.  You will be at the spring room.  
I have finished this level many times this way in less than a minute.

>One final question - someone else asked if there is an extra life
>in every act.  I never saw the answer.  Is there?

Off the top of my head, I can answer part of this question.  I would need to
go through the game to answer all of it, and I don't have time for that.  I 
cannot remember a free life in act 1 of GHZ, but there are 2 in act 3.  There
Is at least 1 free life in all of the acts of Marble Zone (it is behind a wall
when you ride one of those spike things up).  There is a free life in SYZ act
1.  It is at the very beginning.  If you ball up after the spring there, hit it
and push left, you will (hopefully) land on a platform going up and down.  It
is next to a more stable platform with rings, a free life, and running shoes.
There is a free life in LZ act 3 but I can't remember whether there is one
in act 1 or 2 (I like LZ the least and generally try to get out as soon as 
possible). I think there is a free life in all three acts of SLZ.  There are
definately free lives in SBZ.  I don't remember off hand where they are, but
one is located at the bottom of a pit and is guarded by a few shock things. 

>I have found one extra life in each of the following acts:

>     Green Hill Zone - acts 2,3
>     Marble Zone - acts 2,3
>     Spring Yard Zone - acts 2,3
>     Labyrinth Zone - act 2 or 3 (can't remember which)
>     Star Light (?) Zone - acts 1,2
>     Scrap Brain Zone - haven't found any yet

>I am almost certain that there is no extra life in act 1 of the
>Green Hill Zone.  I am also pretty sure that there is not one in
>act 1 of the Marble Zone.

>Is the Marble Zone the only zone with hidden passageways?  It seems
>like there are some in Scrap Brain Zone, but when I try to go
>through them, the screen gets all screwed up, to the point where
>I can hardly play.  I guess this is a bug?

>Well, any & all hints would be appreciated.  I have tried & tried
>to get into debug mode using all of the tricks everyone has been
>talking about, but to no avail.  I bought my game very recently,
>so maybe they changed the codes AGAIN.

There are hidden passageways all over the place.  I don't recall any useful 
ones in SBZ, but they are in existance.  You probably just need to look around.

>-Liz Houser
--
#  Mark Swenson	                        #      "Play for more than         #
#  101 Bolt, Calvin College             #       you can afford to          #
#  Grand Rapids, MI 49546	        #       lose, and you will         #
#  mswens69@ursa.calvin.edu             #        learn the game."          #
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