Tales of the 60's - the central cavern - Part 1

Obviously I'm delighted with my victory over Roy Anarchy, which I never doubted. Aaron, Ade, Gus and Maria don't know how close they got to the sack over that one! So yeah pretty chuffed, I've been working hard to get 'ie churnal up to its current high standards. Didn't want some shite spouting punk to come and take all my hard work away. What a load of pish that Roy was spouting about Simon and Garfunkel. What about Uriah Heep?

Anyway this gives me my chance to share my knowledge with those who still cannot get past the first fiendish level of Manic Miner, 'the central cavern' level. I'll have to serialise it probably as its such a fiendish level, quite long and arduous, a bit like me kicking out that Roy Anarchy guy!

So, on the central cavern start walking to the right under a long platform, which you have to jump through and land on. I still don't know how it is possible to jump through the seemingly solid platform but after about 5 years I've just started to do it without questioning it. Also I can safely say that every time you walk or jump into the bush it will kill you, I have tried walking into it from every angle and never yet survived. Its a mystery why but there you go, take it or leave it.

Now you jump again onto a raised platform and keep walking, if the ground dissolves to nothing under you keep going as fast as you can by repeatedly striking the 'walk right' button. The thing I have learned is not to stop at this point or you fall through back to the bottom and get stuck until you run out of air.

If you manage to get past the quicksand, you can then jump and get a key above you. The next bit is one of the hardest bits; you have to jump to the left onto a conveyor belt and before you know it jump over a bush that is on the conveyor belt. If you let the conveyor belt carry you into the bush it kills you. If you have done it right (which I manage about 2% of the attempts I make) then you find yourself on a platform just above the middle.

The next bit is mental. There is a funny yellow creature walking back and forth on the conveyor belt which kills you at every chance it gets. Timing is critical, if you wait for the right timing for too long as I often do you run out of air and die. It may seem counterintuitive but to get past it you have to run towards it. At the last second jump over it. An important thing to remember is to jump to the left off the conveyor belt rather than falling off the end. Otherwise you get stuck at the bottom and run out of air and die.