LITTLE COMPUTER PEOPLE

LOADING: Hold down SHIFT key and press
RUN/STOP.  Press PLAY on tape.  Program 
will load and run.

Working late in a computer science laboratory one night, a 
group of researchers stumbled across an earth-shattering 
discovery.  Cute little humanoid creatures living inside 
computers!

Despite extensive further research, no-one knows where these 
Little Computer People come from.  All that is certain is that 
most computers have one resident, build a computer, and the 
chances are a Little Computer Person - or LCP as they are 
known - will move in as soon as you screw the casing shut.

Generally, LCPs go about their business inside a computer 
ignoring you.  The computer users tend to go on using 
their computer without ever coming across the LCP that lives 
inside it.  But now, with the special House On A Tape, you can 
load in software that brings the LCP out of the chip and into the 
real world.

Go on.  Load the tape.

Right, there's a cute little house on the screen, isn't there?  It 
has been specially designed to lure the LCP living inside YOUR 
computer out into the open.  Type in the current time when you 
see the prompt at the top of the screen, and you initialise a 
sequence of machine code instructions that act as an invitation 
to the LCP - within a few minutes he'll move in, bringing his pet 
dog with him.

The Responsibility of Ownership
In dragging your LCP out of his world and into your own 
environment, you assume responsibility for him.  Just as if you 
went down to the pet shop and bought a dog, hamster or a 
goldfish.  From now on, you are responsible for his health and 
welfare - he's lost contact with the world in which he used to 
fend for himself.

Like all living creatures, LCP's (and their dogs) need food and 
water.  Like humans, LCP's need to be entertained, kept happy 
and yes, loved.  It's up to you to tend to your guest's needs - 
and in return, he'll reward you by dancing, playing music or 
writing you letters.  Observe your new friend, watch what he 
does and you'll find out more and more about him.

Caring for Physical Needs
Press the following keys to keep your LCP's larder well stocked.
(CONTROL) and F: delivers food to his front door.
(CONTROL) and W: adds water to the water cooler in 
		 his kitchen.
(CONTROL) and D: delivers dog food to the front door.
Your LCP will feed himself and his dog - providing you don't 
starve him to death - but he is not always that good at waking 
up.  Oversleeping is bad for LCP's so if your chum spends too 
long in bed, wake him with the alarm clock.
(CONTROL) and A: rings the alarm clock.

Caring For Emotional Needs
So far, researchers have discovered four distinct moods in 
LCP's: happy, content, sad and sick.  An LCP's face is the best 
clue as to his mood - a grinning LCP is happy, while if things are 
okay but not wonderful, his mouth sets in a straight line.  Sad 
LCP's look decidedly down-in-the-mouth, and sick ones turn 
green from lack of food.
LCP's are pretty good at entertaining themselves - they are 
tuneful pianists, enjoy exercising, and love playing records, 
watching TV, reading the paper and receiving phone calls.  Now 
and again, though, life can get a bit lonely inside a computer, so 
a little intervention on your part can boost the LCP's mood with 
a few keypresses:
(CONTROL) and C: makes the phone ring - he'll love a chat, 
and you'll be bemused by the strange language he speaks in.  
And just who is he talking to?
(CONTROL) and P: strokes your LCP - like all pets (well, except 
goldfish then), your LCP loves being stroked.  A special device is 
used, and he has to be sitting in his armchair for it to work, so 
wait until he sits down after you have pressed (CONTROL) and P 
once, then do it some more!
(CONTROL) and R: delivers a new record to the door.
(CONTROL) and B: delivers a new book to the door.

Communication
It is possible to 'talk' to your LCP by typing sentences at the 
keyboard of your computer.  You can make suggestions as to 
what he should do - play the piano, perhaps - or you can ask 
him to write you a letter.  No-one is quite sure how detailed the 
communications can be - keep trying new ideas at the keyboard 
and watch what happens.

The Mystery
No-one, but absolutely no-one has found out what the LCP's get 
up to when they go through that door and disappear off the 
screen.  No, not the toilet door, the OTHER one...

(c) Activision 1985