+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
                              | S K Y   K I D |
                              +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+

              GAME:  SKY KID
          PLATFORM:  ARCADE
             GENRE:  ARCADE SHOOTER
           CREATOR:  NAMCO Copyright 1985
AUTHOR OF THIS FAQ:  Kevin Butler AKA War Doc
            E-MAIL:  kevinb(at)technologist(dot)com
       FAQ VERSION:  1.01

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

                              TABLE OF CONTENTS

    UNIT   I:  INTRODUCTION

1.  Legal Stuff
2.  Version Information
3.  Acknowledgements
4.  Welcome
5.  Overview

    UNIT  II:  GAME INFORMATION

6.  The Game

    6.1  The Controls
    6.2  The Playing Field
    6.3  Scoring
    6.4  The Missions

    UNIT III:  STRATEGIES

7.  Playing the Game

    UNIT  IV:  CONCLUSION

8.  Conclusion

_______________________________________________________________________________

To find a particular chapter or subchapter do the following:

1.  Highlight the chapter or subchapter name you wish to find.
2.  Press CTRL-C
3.  Press CTRL-F
4.  Press CTRL-V
5.  Press CTRL-F
5.  You will arrive at the desired chapter or subchapter.

_______________________________________________________________________________

                                **************
********************************* U N I T  I **********************************
                                **************
+=================+
| 1.  LEGAL STUFF |============================================================
+=================+

This guide may not be reproduced under any circumstances except for personal
private use.  It may not be placed on any web site or otherwise distributed
publicly without advanced permission from the author.  Use of this guide on
any other web sit or as part of any public display is strictly prohibited, and
a violation of copyright.  All content in this guide is Copyright 2003 by
Kevin Butler.  Only the sites listed below have permission to publish this
work or to display it:

www.gamefaqs.com
www.cheats.de
faqs.ign.com

If you wish to put this guide on your site, e-mail me and ask.  Save yourself
the headache of putting up with lawsuits and whatnot because you failed to ask
a simple "Can I post your guide on <insert site>?".  If you wish to use info
in this guide, please acknowledge that you have done so.

If you see this guide on any other site then the one listed above, please
e-mail me.  If you wish to ask questions or give input to this guide, please
e-mail me.  Just have Sky Kid as the subject so I know it isn't another kooky
vendor trying to sell me hair gel or another XXX site telling me I have new
friends.

+=========================+
| 2.  VERSION INFORMATION |====================================================
+=========================+

Version 1.0   9/30/03:  A guide is born.

Version 1.01 10/ 2/03:  1.  Fixed some errors.
                        2.  Added to and expanded upon the missions.

+======================+
| 3.  ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS |=======================================================
+======================+

The following are a list of people or organizations that have made this FAQ
possible:

My wonderful family (who has had to put up with the tapping on the keyboard)
Namco for making a great arcade game
GameFAQ's for putting up this FAQ

+=============+
| 4.  WELCOME |================================================================
+=============+

Welcome to my FAQ for Sky Kid.  Since the game has you continuously playing
through areas until all your men are killed, there is no walkthrough per se.
Instead it will be broken up into the game itself and strategies for
survival.  Input is appreciated along with constructive criticism.  If you wish
to e-mail me thoughts on this FAQ, better ways of doing things, other
strategies, etc., feel free.  Make sure you put Sky Kid as the subject.  If you
don't, I'm liable to discard the e-mail as spam.

+==============+
| 5.  OVERVIEW |===============================================================
+==============+

After Namco ended its partnerships with both Midway and Atari, they started to
release games in the United States.  Releases such as Gaplus, Galaga 3, and Dig
Dug II were some games that Namco released.  Since the big arcade collapse of
the early 80's had claimed quite a few arcade companies, Namco managed to fill
the gap.  Sky Kid was a game that didn't enjoy great success in the United
States.  The game, however, did show that Namco was on the right track as far
as games they released.  Featuring cartoon-like graphics and different types of
missions, Sky Kid would form the basis of several other Namco games based on
the same type of gameplay.  To this day, Namco is either releasing new arcade
games or it is releasing old classics for the different gaming systems.  Good
luck as you attempt to accomplish your mission by taking out the targets.

                               ***************
******************************** U N I T  II **********************************
                               ***************

+==============+ 
| 6.  THE GAME |===============================================================
+==============+ 

Sky Kid is a two-dimensional, scrolling shooter type of game.  You play as the
character Sky Kid.  Sky Kid flies around in a bi-plane and is assigned specific
targets during the missions.  These missions involved bombing specific targets.
This would seem easy, however, there are a few obstacles Sky Kid must overcome
to get to the target safely.  First, the bi-plane is not equipped with the
bomb.  Sky Kid must pick up the bomb enroute to the target.  Second, there are
both ground and air units that attempt to keep Sky Kid from accomplishing his
mission.  Last, Sky Kid may have to navigate through some very inhospitable
terrain or navigate around cities in order to get to the target.  The targets
that Sky Kid must bomb will either be a fortress complex or a ship.  As one
moves farther up in the missions, it isn't uncommon to have multiple targets in
one mission.  Perhaps barnstorming would have been a better idea.

 ____________________
/ 6.1  The Controls /__________________________________________________________
--------------------

The controls on this game are pretty easy.  It may, though, take just a little
bit of time to get used to them.

-  An eight-way joystick

-  A fire button

-  A loop button

 __________________________
/ 6.2  The Playing Fields /____________________________________________________
--------------------------

Sky Kid actually consists of one type of playing field.  This playing field,
though, included all kinds of different things such as land, water, hills,
forests, etc.  This is an example of what this field looks like (larger then
regular size):

    +-------------------------------------------------------------------+
    |                                                                   |
    |        _  __                                                      |
    |        \\_||_                                                     |
    |         \____|-<-ENEMY FIGHTER                                    |
    |                                                                   |
    |                                                                   |
    |                                                                   |
    |                                                                   |
    |                                                                   |
    |                                                                   |
    |                                           __ _                    |
    |                                          _||/ |<-SKY KID          |
    |                                        -|____/                    |
    |                                           o                       |
    |                                                                   |
    |                                                                   |
    |                                                                   |
    |                                                                   |
    |                                                                   |
    |                                                                   |
    |-------------------------------------------------------------------|
    |                                                                   |
    |                                                                   |
    |-------------------  | |<-ANTI-AIRCRAFT GUN  ----------------------|
    |      / /             |       +--+__                               |
    |     +--+<-TANK      _|_      |  |  |_                             |
    |    /oooo\          /   \      o-----o|<-TRUCK                     |
    |-------------------------------------------------------------------|
    |                                                                   |
    |                                                     MISSION #     |
    +-------------------------------------------------------------------+

You control Sky Kid on this screen.

 _______________
/ 6.3  Scoring /_______________________________________________________________
---------------

Scoring in this game is kind of complicated.  You get points for destroying air
and ground targets.  You then get additional points for how many of these types
of targets you destroyed.  In addition, you get points based on how much of the
target you destroyed.

Ground Targets:

Truck :  100 points
Tank  :  200 points
AA Gun:  100 points

Sea Targets:

AA Boat  :  100 points
Submarine:  100 points

Air Targets:

Planes :  100 points
Balloon:  100 points
Bomber :  100 points
Bomb   :  100 points

Bomb Hits:

Direct hit, target totally destroyed    :  1,000 points
Indirect hit, target partially destroyed:    500 points

You will receive a bonus after you land.  This bonus depends on how many
of each type of the above targets you destroyed.  It is listed in the order of:

Ground and Sea Units
Air Units
Mission Target or Targets

For the first two items, the scoring is:

                     +-----------------+--------------+
                     | UNITS DESTROYED | BONUS POINTS |
                     +-----------------+--------------+
                     +-----------------+--------------+
                     |     10 - 19     |     1,000    |
                     +-----------------+--------------+
                     |     20 - 29     |     3,000    |
                     +-----------------+--------------+
                     |     30 - 39     |     5,000    |
                     +-----------------+--------------+
                     |     40 - 49     |    10,000    |
                     +-----------------+--------------+
                     |    50 and UP    |    20,000    |
                     +-----------------+--------------+

In regard to targets, bonus points are scored on whether you totally destroy or
partially destroy the target or targets.

Partial Destruction:   2,000 points
Total Destruction  :  10,000 points

You will also get 10 points per second that you are in the air.

You start with 1, 2, 3, or 5 lives.  Depending on the machine set up, you get
a free man for the following scores:

20,000 and 80,000 points
30,000 and 90,000 points
20,000, 80,000, and every 80,000 points
30,000, 90,000, and every 90,000 points

 ____________________
/ 6.4  The Missions /__________________________________________________________
--------------------

Sky Kid consists of 40 missions.  Each mission will be over land, the sea, or
a combination of these.  In addition, other obstacles are placed in your way
such as billboards, forests, buildings, and mountains.  The previously
mentioned obstacles are in addition to the normal enemy ground, sea, and air
units you may encounter.  You will be shown the target when the mission starts.
It will then be up to you to collect the bomb and take care of the target.
Note, some missions have multiple targets and you will have to pick up a
separate bomb for each of them.  I have outlined what you will encounter during
your first ten missions to give you an idea.  The other 30 missions roughly
work out the same way.  I will do it in a linear style as so:

Airfield-> some encounter-> [Halfway Point]-> get bomb-> more encounters-> bomb
target->another encounter->land at airfield.

I will also list the target or targets you will be going after for that
mission.

+-----------+
| MISSION 1 |
+-----------+

Target:  Fortress

Airfield-> Ground and air units-> [Halfway Point]-> Get bomb-> Bomb target->
Air units-> Land at airfield

+-----------+
| MISSION 2 |
+-----------+

Target:  Ship

Airfield-> Ground and air units-> Air units-> Ground and air units-> Air
units-> [Halfway Point]-> Get bomb-> Sea and air units-> Bomb target-> Ground
and air units-> Land at airfield

+-----------+
| MISSION 3 | 
+-----------+

Target:  Fortress

Airfield-> Air units-> Ground and air units-> Air units-> Ground and air
units-> Air units-> [Halfway Point]-> Get bomb-> Ground and air units-> Bomb
target-> Ground and air units-> Land at airfield

+-----------+
| MISSION 4 |
+-----------+

Targets:  Two ships

Airfield-> Sea and air units-> Get bomb-> Sea and air units-> [Halfway
Point]-> Bomb target-> Sea and air units-> Air units-> Get bomb-> Sea and air
units-> Bomb target-> Air units-> Sea and air units-> Get bomb-> Air units->
Mountain-> Bomb target-> Air units-> Sea and air units-> Air units-> Bill-
board-> Air units-> Land at airfield

+-----------+
| MISSION 5 |
+-----------+

Targets:  Two fortresses

Airfield-> Ground units-> City with ground and air units-> City with air
units-> Ground and air units-> Get bomb-> Air units-> [Halfway Point]-> Bomb
target-> Ground and air units-> City with air units-> Ground and air units->
Air units-> Ground and air units-> Get bomb-> Ground and air units-> Bomb
target-> Ground and air units-> Land at airfield

+-----------+
| MISSION 6 |
+-----------+

Target:  Ship

Airfield-> Ground and air units-> Sea and air units-> Billboard with air
units-> [Halfway Point]-> Billboard with air units-> Sea and air units-> Get
bomb-> Ground and air units-> Bomb target-> Sea and air units-> Land at air-
field

+-----------+
| MISSION 7 |
+-----------+

Targets:  Fortress, Ship

Airfield-> Air units-> Ground and air units-> Bridge between mountains guarded
by ground and air units-> Ground and air units-> Get bomb-> Air units-> Ground
and air units-> Bomb target-> [Halfway Point]-> Sea and air units-> Get bomb->
Ground and air units-> Sea and air units-> Bomb target-> Sea and air units->
Ground and air units-> Hit building for jack-in-the-box-> Ground and air
units-> Land at airfield

+-----------+
| MISSION 8 |
+-----------+

Targets:  Ship, Fortress

Airfield-> Ground and air units-> City and air units-> Air units-> Get bomb->
Go through statue-> Ground and air units-> Bomb target-> [Halfway Point]-> Sea
and air units-> Ground and air units-> Sea and air units-> Get bomb-> Ground
units-> Ground and air units-> Bridge between mountains guarded by ground and
air units-> Bomb target-> Ground and air units-> Land at airfield

+-----------+
| MISSION 9 |
+-----------+

Target:  Fortress

Airfield-> Sea and air units-> Ground and air units-> Billboard and air units->
Sea and air units-> Get bomb-> Sea and air units-> Billboard and air units->
Ground and air units-> Bomb target-> Billboard-> Billboard-> [Halfway Point]->
Ground and air units-> Billboard and air units-> Billboard and air units->
Ground and air units-> Billboard and air units-> Billboard and air units->
Ground and air units-> Billboard and air units-> Billboard and air units->
Ground and air units-> Land at airfield

+------------+
| MISSION 10 |
+------------+

Targets:  Three ships

Airfield-> Sea and air units-> Get bomb-> Sea and air units-> Bomb target-> Sea
and air units-> Billboard and air units-> Sea and air units-> Get bomb-> Sea
and air units-> Bomb target-> Billboard and air units-> [Halfway Point]-> Sea
and air units-> Bridge between mountains guarded by ground and air units-> Sea
and air units-> Get bomb-> Sea and air units-> Billboard and air units->
Mountain with ground units-> Bomb target-> Ground and air units-> Land at air-
field

The missions continue like this.  Sometimes you will have a ship and fortress
as targets and other times you will have one or multiples of the same type of
target.

                               ****************
******************************** U N I T  III *********************************
                               ****************

+======================+
| 7.  PLAYING THE GAME |=======================================================
+======================+

When you start the game, Sky Kid will be at his airfield in the lower right of
the game screen.  When the mission starts, you will take off from that air-
field.  Keep in mind, this is a scrolling game.  This means you can go no
faster then the left side and no slower then the right side.  You can, however,
vary your speed in-between by pushing the joystick back and forth.  The biggest
key in getting through this game is learning how to use the joystick to speed
up and slow down because you will sometimes be put into some very tight areas
that will require precision joystick control.

-  Remember the controls on this game are not "reversed".  This means that this
   isn't like a normal plane where pushing up causes the plane to dive and
   pushing down causes the plane to rise.  Instead, the directions of the joy-
   stick will be the direction of the plane.

-  Everything that isn't air is hazardous to Sky Kid's plane.  This means don't
   go flying through the forests, cities, or billboards or you will have one
   less plane.

-  Ground units (except trucks) attack in two manners:

   -  The tanks just throw up a wave of bullets toward your plane.  They aren't
      very precise but sometimes the volume is enough to knock your plane out
      of the sky.

   -  The anti-aircraft guns fire what is called a "proximity" fuzed shell.
      These types of shells don't have to directly hit the plane to be lethal.
      Instead, they explode at a pre-set altitude and throw shrapnel in
      different directions.  If Sky Kid's plane gets caught by any of this
      shrapnel, the plane is lost.

-  The sea units also attack in two manners:

   -  The anti-aircraft boats throw the "proximity" fuzed shell.

   -  Submarines throw up a wave of bullets then rapidly submerge.

-  Enemy fighters will appear both from in front of and also behind Sky Kid.
   This basically means that "hugging" the left or right side of the screen is
   a bad thing since a collision is highly probable.

-  Enemy fighters also seem to sense when Sky Kid's gunsights are locked on
   them.  The enemy planes will do a loop and end up going in the opposite di-
   rection over Sky Kid.  Keep this in mind when shooting at them since this
   could cause a collision.

-  Just because Sky Kid's plane has been shot full of holes doesn't mean that
   all is lost.  Once your plane has been shot, rapidly press the loop button
   and you may recover out of the shoot down.  Of course, you need to do this
   right after you have been shot or it won't work.

-  When Sky Kid is performing a loop, enemy units cannot hit him with fire.  Of
   course, the disadvantage is that it puts Sky Kid at a higher altitude and it
   also may place him right in the way of an enemy air unit.

-  During the first few missions, the bomb is relatively easy to get.  As the
   missions progress, however, the bomb gets harder to retrieve.  Sometimes it
   will be in a little spot between two trees or it may be at the bottom of a
   deep valley.  Adjust speed and direction accordingly.

-  Before you get to the bomb, a prompt "GET THE BOMB" will appear on the
   screen a couple of seconds before the bomb gets into view.

-  In order to fully destroy a target, you must plant your bomb right in the
   middle of it.  You will know you have scored a direct hit because the target
   will explode and then sink.

-  Speaking of targets, they are usually heavily defended.  Not just by the
   outside units, but also by the volume of fire they can throw skyward to
   shoot down your plane.

-  When you are approaching your airfield to land, make sure that you aren't in
   one of your enemy's gunsights.  Enemy units sometimes will fire on you until
   you get on the runway.  Nothing like almost getting to the airfield only to
   get shot down.

-  As the missions progress, the distances also get longer.  You will know how
   far you are when the prompt "HALFWAY POINT" shows up on the screen.  If you
   get shot down before the halfway point, you start from the airfield.  If it
   is after the halfway point, you start from the halfway point.

-  If you shoot the dancing girls around the airfield when you are coming in,
   they turn into pink flowers.  Not worth any points but I guess a great way
   to line up your gunsights.

-  If you overshoot the runway, you will run out of fuel and crash.  You still,
   though, get the extra bonuses but you lose a plane in the process.

-  Make sure you watch the terrain at all times.  Sometimes mountains, bill-
   boards, cities, etc. will appear at the worst possible times.  Of course,
   you can also use these to your advantage since enemy air units also get
   destroyed by these features

                               ****************
********************************  U N I T  IV *********************************
                               ****************

+================+
| 9.  CONCLUSION |=============================================================
+================+

Sky Kid was one of those games relegated to the back corner of the arcade.
There weren't very many people (if any at all) playing this game.  It looked
interesting so I decided to try it out.  The game is actually a pretty fast
paced game.  The first few missions are a good introduction to how the game
works.  The later missions do require one to have some good, precision flying
skills in order to navigate the landscape.  Sky Kid became an addiction, of
sorts, to see how far into the missions one could go.  Of course, once you
passed mission 40, you started all over again.  The challenge, though, was
getting to mission 40.  Unfortunately, it is very rare to find this machine
anywhere.  However, through the miracle of emulation, a whole new generation
is realizing what we "old" folks enjoyed those many years ago.  In addition,
www.shockwave.com is bringing many of these classic games back.  Check out
their site to see what ones are there.  I hope this guide helps you in being
able to get the most amount of gameplay for this game.  If you do have other
ideas or thoughts, please e-mail me and share them.  Who knows, maybe I'll
start a Q&A Chapter in this guide if enough people ask the same questions.
Anyway, thank you again for reading this guide.

To see other FAQ's I have written please go to:

           http://www.gamefaqs.com/features/recognition/32691.html

           ~~~  No trees were harmed in the making of this FAQ ~~~