mining for crystals: the making of "Sinistar"
The game features head-to-head battle with "Sinistar", the most awesome adversary ever faced. When the game begins, however, the "Sinistar" has not yet taken shape. As the player navigates his spaceship through the galaxy with the precise control of the 49-way joystick., his immediate mission is to mine and pick up cosmic crystals by bombarding the planetoids with his laser cannon. At the same time, the swarming workers are collecting their own crystals as well as trying to steal the player's. In the hands of worker ships, these crystals become, piece by piece, the very elements that make up the "Sinistar". In the hands of the player, up to 20 mined crystals become Sinibombs, the player's only defense against the "Sinistar". All during this action, the player must also defend himself against the aggressive warrior ships using his laser with either well-aimed single shots or by holding the button down for rapid fire.
The "Sinistar" is immobile until the last crystal is put in place. Then, suddenly, he comes to life with taunting speech proclaiming "I live", his eyes and mouth glowing with the inferno that burns mercilessly within, tracking the player and trying to suck him in. At this point a burst from the laser will only anger him more. The player's only hope is the Sinibombs which, when released against the "Sinistar", can stun him and destroy him piece by piece. Once the "Sinistar" is shattered in a spectacular explosion by a final Sinibomb to the evil brain center, the player can catch his breath while the ship automatically warps to a new sector where "Sinistar" construction activity is detected.

battle plans
In SINISTAR, the player can design his own individual battle plan. He can choose to attack the workers and use Sinibombs to destroy pieces of the "Sinistar" to prevent him from being completed, or he can go after the big points and assume the big risks by mining enough crystals and eluding the warriors to fight the incredible power of the living "Sinistar".

battle zones
If the player survives his first encounter with "Sinistar", advanced game play takes him into warrior, planetoid, worker, and void zones of the galaxy, each one presenting its own new set of challenges and formidable obstacles to test the player's skill.

status reports
Between waves, a status report flashes on the screen to provide vital information to help the player plan his strategy. The number of Sinibombs the player has accumulated and number of pieces placed thus far in the "Sinistar" are displayed.
(source: Williams flyer)

Dimensions: 70" x 24.5" x 28.5"
Weight: 270 lbs.

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