Trojan/Gameplay

Controls

 * Joystick or : Use the joystick or direction pad to control the player. Press left or right to walk in either direction.  Press Down to squat.  Press Up to jump straight up.  Press up and to the left or right to jump diagonally in either direction.
 * Shield or : Press the shield button to raise your shield. You will hold the shield in the direction that you are facing and you can use the joystick to direct the shield.  The shield will block high if you are standing, or block low if you are squatting.  You can point the shield up, or up in a diagonal direction with the joystick.  If you have lost your sword and shield, this button will perform a kick.
 * Sword or : Press the sword button to swing your sword. You can swing the sword high while standing, or low while squatting, and you and can the sword while you are jumping in mid-air.  If you have lost your sword and shield, this button will perform a punch.
 * 1 or 2 Player or : Press the one or two player game to start a new game. Press the Start button to begin a new game on the NES, and mid-game to pause or unpause the action.

Player
You control the character who takes up the mantle as "The Trojan." He is the only warrior courageous enough to stand against Achilles. Armed with a sword and shield, he is skillful in the use of both. He can swing the sword high and low, as well as in mid-air. He can position the shield to defend his front from high or low attacks, or even angle it upward towards the sky at three different angles. If the Trojan attempts to block an explosive device thrown at him, the sword and shield will fly out of his hands, but he is not defenseless; he can resort to using kicks and punches if he is ever disarmed. The Trojan has a life meter which is shown at the top of the screen. He can sustain, at most, eight minor hits, although many of the weapons he may be struck with do more than a single unit of damage. He must not stop until he has defeated the army of Achilles, and taken the battle directly to him. Then he must strike Achilles down in order to undo his reign of terror and restore peace and civility to the land.

Items
Certain items appear throughout the game, which can be used to the Trojan's advantage. Don't miss the opportunity to collect them.

Heart
A winged heart may appear on the screen under certain conditions. In the arcade, they typically appear without warning, and waft through the air from right to left. If you jump and collect it, your health will be restored by four units. On the NES version, these hearts must typically be discovered by swinging your sword in the correct location. This will make the heart appear, which holds still for a moment, before popping up in to the air slightly and then dropping back down and off the bottom of the screen. Collecting this heart will fully restore any of the Trojan's missing health.

Weapons
If the Trojan ever attempts to block an explosive device that is occasionally thrown by the knife wielding enemies, his sword and shield will be force out of his hands. From that point on, the Trojan must resort to attacking his foes with kicks and punches. However, his sword and shield can be reclaimed a little further on in the stage if he jumps in the air to collect them. At that point, he will be able to defend himself from attacks once more.

Keys
In the fourth stage, there are several trap doors that must first be opened in order for the Trojan to pass through them and advance to the end of the stage. In the arcade, the method to opening the doors appears in the form of a sign that reads "OPEN." If the Trojan jumps up and touches these signs, the trap door will open when he walks beneath them. On the NES version, the method of opening the doors involves collecting keys, which are likewise found at the end of a hallway beyond where the trap door is located. Walk to the end and jump up to collect the keys, and then return to the trap door to jump up and advance.

High Jump
The arcade and the NES treat the high jump ability differently. In the arcade, you will see the "JUMP" indicator on the floor. Pushing up while standing on these areas will cause the Trojan to jump super high to the top of the screen. This is useful for attacking enemies who are perched very high up and are attacking from above. You can only jump three times from these locations before the jump sign disappears. On the NES version, you can actually collect the high jump boot as a power up. Once you obtain it, it is always active, and it can only be used when jumping straight up. However, the boots will wear off after a period of time, so make the most use of them while they are in your possession.

Power
The Power icon is only available in the NES version. There are exactly two of them hidden in the game, one in stage 1, and the other in stage 4. When you collect one Power icon, the strength of your sword effectively doubles, and you will do more damage to your enemies until you lose a life. If you manage to collect both Power icons within the same life, you will be capable of even greater amounts of damage, able to finish off bosses with a minimal number of hits. If you collect both Power icons, the Power icon indicator at the top of the screen will flash. Only excellent players are capable of hanging on to both icons until the end of the game, where they are extremely useful in the fight against Achilles.

Speed
Like the Power icon, the Speed icon is only available in the NES version. There is only one of these, and it is hidden in stage 4. Collecting the Speed icon increases the rate at which the Trojan can advance throughout each stage. Like the Power icon, you will hang on to the Speed icon until you lose a life. Then you will return to the original speed for the remainder of the game.