The Lost Vikings/Controls

Console version controls

Super NES	Genesis / Mega Drive (3 button)	Genesis / Mega Drive (6 button)	Game Boy Advance	Action
				Move the vikings, climb ladders, operate elevators.
			+	Activate buttons and switches, activate hint boxes, and talk to other characters.
				Performs a viking's primary ability. Erik jumps. Baleog swings his sword. Olaf raises or lowers his shield.
				Perform's a viking's secondary ability. Erik will lower his head to smash whatever is in front of him. He can break walls or damage enemies with his head. Erik must have a running start to use the head bash, and after he hits an object he will be stunned momentarily, making him vulnerable to enemy attack. Baleog will shoot arrows from his bow. They do the same amount of damage as his sword, but they can also be used to activate switches remotely. Olaf will raise or lower his shield.
	+		+	Use currently selected item.
	+ +			Change which viking you want to control.
	+			Pauses the game and accesses the Give Up menu. If a viking dies, the level cannot be completed so the player must give up.
				Pauses the game and accesses the item menu. Each viking can carry up to 4 items. Use the directional pad to select an item, and press the item menu button to exit.
				To give an item to another viking, in the item menu, press this button to select an item, then use the directional pad to move the item to the inventory of a nearby viking and press this button again.
				If you choose to Give Up, press this to see the current level's password.
+	++			Gives the main control to the other player in a two-player game.

Computer version controls

MS-DOS (Controller)	MS-DOS (Keyboard)	Amiga (Keyboard)	Action
	←→ ↑  ↓  Keypad:  4  6  8  2	Keypad:  4  6  8  2	Move the vikings, climb ladders, operate elevators.
④	S		Activate buttons and switches, activate hint boxes, and talk to other characters.
①	F   Space   Enter  Keypad:  +   Enter	F   Space   Enter  Keypad:  0	Performs a viking's primary ability. Erik jumps. Baleog swings his sword. Olaf raises or lowers his shield.
②	D	D  Keypad:  +   Enter	Perform's a viking's secondary ability. Erik will lower his head to smash whatever is in front of him. He can break walls or damage enemies with his head. Erik must have a running start to use the head bash, and after he hits an object he will be stunned momentarily, making him vulnerable to enemy attack. Baleog will shoot arrows from his bow. They do the same amount of damage as his sword, but they can also be used to activate switches remotely. Olaf will raise or lower his shield.
③	E		Use currently selected item.
	Ctrl  Keypad:  7	Del  Keypad:  7	Change viking controlled. Cycle: Erik → Olaf → Baleog
	Insert  Keypad:  0   9	Help  Keypad:  9	Change viking controlled. Cycle: Erik → Baleog → Olaf
	Esc   P		Pauses the game and accesses the Give Up menu. If a viking dies, the level cannot be completed so the player must give up.
	Tab   Caps Lock	Tab   Caps Lock   Ctrl	Pauses the game and accesses the item menu.
	Alt + X  or  Alt + Q		Exits the game.
	Alt + S		Toggles sound on/off.
	Alt + M		Toggles music on/off.

The key assignments for the controls are unusual for a PC game, but looking a bit deeper shows they were carefully chosen to make all buttons conveniently accessible: movement is controlled by the right hand - either on the arrow keys or the numeric keypad; actions are assigned to the left hand in a reverse-T block of keys (ESDF). Switching vikings is designed to be done by the right hand without taking it off the main directional controls - for arrow key users Right Control / Pad 0 are used, and for numpad users, Pad 7 and Pad 9. Since the game does not differentiate between left and right Ctrl keys, players who prefer to switch vikings using the left hand can do so via the left Ctrl key.