Commander Keen 1: Marooned on Mars

Commander Keen

$15 per volume, or $30 for all three volumes!

Commander Keen is the first truly "commercial quality" game to be distributed as shareware. It features ultra high-speed smooth-scrolling EGA graphics and superb sound effects. The animation and scrolling is updated at nearly 40 frames per second, for comparison, motion picture quality cartoons are filmed at only 24 frames per second.

The story of Commander Keen is epic, and in the style of the memorable matinee serials, like Flash Gordon. You play the role of Billy Blaze, eight year-old kid genius who builds an interstellar ship when not working at home on his college fast-track degree. Among other household objects, Billy uses his Nintendo joystick for flight control and his mom's vacuum cleaner (heavily modified) for his ship's ion propulsion system (with pile height adjustment).

At the hint of galactic trouble, Billy dons his brother's football helmet and becomes "Commander Keen" defender of Earth! Ever on the side of justice, fairness, and high calorie junk food, Keen dispenses justice with an iron hand.

Keen's first adventure takes you to Mars, where the Vorticon invasion force is planning their conquest of Earth. While Keen is exploring Mars the Vorticons steal pieces of his ship and hide them within their cities. Can Keen recover all the pieces and repel the Vorticon invasion? You'll explore many dangerous cities, packed with diabolical traps and hideous creatures, both of Martian and Vorticon origin. Use your pogo stick to reach high ledges and jump deadly pits, and use your ray gun to stun the Vorticon invaders. Can you find the secret city?

"Marooned on Mars" is volume one of the Commander Keen trilogy. Only part one is available via shareware distribution, the other two volumes ("The Earth Explodes" and "Keen Must Die!") may only be purchased from Apogee Software Productions (ASP).

EACH VOLUME HAS COMPLETELY UNIQUE GRAPHICS AND ANIMATION! Volume one is located on the planet mars. Volume two takes place on the immense Vorticon mothership, where you'll need to stop the destruction of Earth by disabling the eight deadly ray cannons aimed at Earth's greatest cities and wonders. Volume three takes Keen to the dangerous Vorticon home planet, where you'll explore huge caves, battle the top Vorticon ninja fighters and discover the secret of the Grand Intellect.

Commander Keen requires 520k free RAM to run. Therefore if you have too many RAM resident (TSR) programs you may have trouble running Commander Keen. You may use either a joystick or keyboard to play. And, of course, an EGA- or VGA-equipped system is required. CGA is not supported.

Each volume of Commander Keen is $15, or you can order (and register) all three volumes for just $30. As an incentive to order all three volumes, you'll also receive a hint sheet, a cheat mode password, and new bonus games from ASP. Plus, you'll be able to call the Commander Keen hints line or mail questions to ASP for assistance.

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