13 Colony Ship For Sale, Cheap!

Tips

The octagonal rooms that can squish you contain only contain some extra ammo and some aliens to kill, thus, it's not necessary to 'run the guantlet', and risk your life for that. HOWEVER, if you happen to have the napalm unit, then with the run key down, fire that baby up, and quickly pass through the three rooms without stopping.

The U-shaped room that contains the SPNKR Rocket Launcher, the Napalm unit, and the M75 are NOT accessible. This room is only a teaser, and similar rooms appear in the higher levels of the game.

The most difficult puzzle in the entire game (IMHO), as it requires good observation skills, is the seven-platform room. Joshua D. Koppelman offers the following:

        > I may be lame (and I may have missed the solution to
        > this) but can someone give me a clue as to how to set
        > the columns in the big chamber?

        >      =====   exit   ======
        >
        >                   = 7 =
        >                       = 6 =
        >                           = 5 =
        >                               = 4 =
        >                           = 3 =
        >                       = 2 =
        >                   = 1 =
        >
        > == enter ===== switch ===========

        To solve the annoying riser room, you must make sure they are
        set in increasing height.  1, 2, and 3 should increase in
        height from the ground, while 7, 6, and 5 should be decreasing
        from the raised exit.  Run up to the fourth riser, and launch
        a grenade at the button on the wall opposite the exit, which
        will cause the fourth riser to rise.  At its apex, run up
        the remaining risers.  There is no need to grenade hop and
        the timing isn't difficult if the risers are aligned right.
        Be prepared to run back and forth between the control rooms
        a few times.

As a followup, Jek Kian Jin replies:

        I've found that you can time the switching to achieve this.
        There are audible 'thunks' when the elevator starts and
        when it reaches the top. For elevators 1, 2 and 3, start the
        switch and stop it after 1, 2 and 3 seconds respectively when
        you hear the 'thunk.' For elevators 5 to 7, you hit the
        switch after the 'thunk' at the top, after 3, 2 and 1 seconds
        respectively.  Oh yeah, you don't need a stopwatch, just saying
        'one thousand and one etc.' works fine.

David E. Coufal also adds:

        If you bring risers 7, 6 and 5 to their maximum position,
        you can then stand on top of four, hit the switch with a
        grenade, and then just run across to the exit. Lots easier
        then trying to set up the pillars as "risers" by trial and error.

Tarl Roger Kudrick has figured out the timing needed to set the platforms correctly. Activate the risers for the following lengths of time:

        1st level: 1.0 seconds
              2nd: 2.0
              3rd: 3.0
              4th: grenade
              5th: 8.5 seconds (8 is too little, 9 is too much)
              6th: 9.5 seconds (same deal--must have that 1/2 second!)
              7th: 10.5 seconds (again with the 1/2 second)

Once you are past the 7 platform room, the exit terminal is quite high up. To finish the level, first clear out all the monsters in both the room with the 4 platforms and the final room. Then return to the room with the 4 platforms, and go over to the switches. Now, while always running, hit the right switch, hit the left switch, run to the bottom platform, 'climb' the stairs, then race into the last room and wait in front of the column. If done properly, in a couple seconds you will be lifted to the jump terminal.

Secrets

A secret computer terminal can be located on this level. After you have passed through the door that is activated by the switch wayyy up high, and gotten the 2x shields, you'll proceed to a T-intersection. At the top of the 'T', hit your action key, and a terminal should be revealed. Hmm, that '79 Camaro looks in good shape as well...