5 Tips For Playing Centipede Game.Always clear a path through the Mushrooms. The path should be at least three Mushrooms wide and kept clear at all times. It takes four shots to destroy a Mushroom. Count your shots and don't waste them. Whatever you do, don't inadvertently split a Centipede while clearing your path. You'll have too much to contend with. The path will give you a clear shot at the Scorpion at all times. This is essential to your grabbing 1000 points for each Scorpion, note; For total control of the board, it is best to clear two paths; one on the right and one on the left. This will ensure a clean Scorpion kill before she poisons the Mushrooms. B. Kill lots of Fleas. Fleas are worth 200 points, and with a little practice, are easily destroyed. Be careful. It takes two shots to kill a flea. If you only wing it with one shot, it will double its speed to the bottom. The way to attract lots of fleas is simple: erase all the Mushrooms in your working area at the bottom of the screen. The Fleas will keep coming until they have left five Mushrooms. C. Kill the Centipede in one series of shots. Let the Centipede worm its way down to just above your working area. When you've got a clear shot, strafe it from the head to the tail with a rapid series of shots (your finger pressed down on the trigger). If killed from the head to the tail, you'll get 100 points for each section — for a new head sprouts after you've destroyed the original head. note: The length of the Centipede diminishes as the screen progresses. The first screen has one 12-segment Centipede (head and 11 segments). The second screen has an 11-segment Centi- pede (with head) and a single stray head. The 16 third screen has 10 segments and 2 stray heads, and so on. Kill the stray heads as soon as possible. They'll cause you unnecessary trouble if you let them get too close. D. Always work on the safe side of the Spider. The safe side is the side to which he isn't heading. If he's going left, stay to the right. The Spider won't be able to attack you (he can't retrace his steps) until he goes off the screen and returns. Don't count on the Spiders for points when you're learning the game. Kill them when practical or necessary.
