igger. ›If, while playing a turn, you need to refer to the matrix screen, you may do so by pressing the SELECT key. ›This will pause the main game and let you see the matrix screen. ›Press SELECT to resume play. ›.l1›UNDERSTANDING THE MATRIX›.p›After you have played a few turns, you are ready for a more in-depth examination of the matrix screen. ›.l1›ESP›.p›There are probably still a number of question marks on the matrix. ›You can eliminate these by using the ESP that we have provided for you. ›Move the joystick downward; a bar of color over the word RETURN will move downward to cover the phrase USE ESP. ›Now press the trigger button. ›A hollow square cursor will appear in the upper left corner of the matrix. ›Use the joystick to move it to any position in the matrix. ›Now press the trigger. ›ESP will happen! ›The result of this ESP will be that you know the true feelings of a person at that slot. ›Of course, you cannot go around ESPing every slot on the screen---you have a limited supply of ESP, as›indicated on the left side of the screen. ›When you run out, it's gone forever. ›Don't use it all up at once. ›ESP is also useful for checking up on people whose feelings you already know. ›You see, those feelings change, and the values in your matrix are based on what they told you some time ago. ›Thus, the matrix doesn't give the most up-to-date information. ›You can use ESP to udate your matrix. .l1›CUPID'S ARROWS›.P›Another special option you have is the Cupid's Arrow option. ›To use this option, move the solid-color cursor downward to the word ARROW, then press the trigger button. ›The hollow cursor will again appear, and you can again move it to any position in the matrix. ›If you then press the trigger, a Cupid's Arrow will fly to that location. ›The effects of Cupid's Arrows depend on the location at which you aim them. ›If you aim an arrow at any target in the first column (that is, towards a person's feelings towards you),›then that person will like you more. ›If, however, you aim the arrow at any other face, the effect is reversed;›the one person will like the other person less. ›Thus, these special Cupid's Arrows have a little bit of smart bomb in them. ›The Cupid's Arrow has a built-in bonus: after it strikes, the face that you see is the new true face. ›Thus, the Cupid's Arrow also acts like ESP. ›Sometimes, if your information was old and incorrect, the new face may actually be worse than the original face. ›This could happen if the original face you had was much too optimistic, and the real face was much worse. ›In that case, the Cupid's Arrow could make the face better and still be›worse than the face you had on the screen. ›.p›You also have some information in the upper left-hand corner of the screen. ›You can see how many days are left until the Prom. ›.l1›END OF GAME›.p›The game continues until the night before the Prom. ›Then each boy decides whom he will invite. ›He will choose the girl whom he likes the most. ›Your score is the number of boys who invite you to the Prom. ›When the game is over, you will be allowed to see the true feelings that everybody had and compare them with›your own information on other people's feelings. ›.l1›HOW TO WIN›.p›This game is very different from other games. ›You have to be very sneaky to win. ›First, your goal is to make the boys like you better than any of the other›girls. ›You can't blast the other girls with laser blasters or hyperwarp them to another galaxy, or even smash them›with floating asteroids. ›You'll just have to convince the boys that they should like you more. ›How? ›The best general approach is to convince each person that you are just like that person---that is, that you›like and dislike the same people that he does. ›This is not simple because everybody is different. ›For example, if Val likes Tom and you tell Val that you like Tom, also, then Val will be more inclined to like›you. ›If Val also hates Amy and you also hate Amy, that's also good. ›On the other hand, Amy will not be happy to hear that you hate her, and will probably reciprocate. ›You may be thinking, "Aha, I'll just tell Amy that I like her; that way I can fool everybody!" ›That technique will work for a short period of time, but eventually Val will tell somebody that you hate Amy,›and Amy will tell somebody that you like her, and pretty soon people will start to compare notes. ›Guess what that means for you? ›Right: Unpopularityville! ›Liars get ahead in the short term but always get their just rewards eventually. ›.p›There is no easy strategy for winning this game. ›You must very carefully analyze the shifting alliances, the cliques and rivalries, and deftly side with the›group that seems more important to you while not quite severing relationships with the others. ›Be honest and consistent with people; tell the same version to everybody. ›Of course, the time may come when you have to dump your best friend for a better friend, but, gee, that's what›popularity is all about, right? ›And don't get upset if somebody else dumps you, because it works both ways. ›››