The Bubble Bobble FAQ (e)

Bubble Bobble FAQ Version 2.00
------------------------------

Welcome to my update of the Bubble Bobble FAQ. Since Bubble Bobble has
now been emulated through the efforts of MAME a lot more information
about the game has come to light, especially from the author of the
MAME driver Chris Moore (chris.moore@writeme.com). He was able to
delve deep into Bubble Bobble ROMs and extract all sort of wonderful
information about my favourite game, stuff we all thought was random,
but now we know better. Contact me ghall@eis.net.au if you ever have
anything to add. If that address is no longer valid, you can always do
a search for "Bubble Bobble Home Page" on any search engine and you
should be able to locate me. This FAQ is based on the ARCADE version
of the game only, which is perfectly emulated in MAME.

What is Bubble Bobble ?
-----------------------

Bubble Bobble was an arcade game released by Taito in 1986. You have
to guide the two heroes Bub and Bob through 100 levels of adventure to
rescue their girlfriends. It was one of the first two player
co-operation games (although all co-operation goes out the window when
a 50,000 pt diamond goes down the middle of the screen and you race to
see who can get the points first ). It was one of the first games to
have joystick combinations that allow you to power-up your original
characters. It has spawned a couple of sequels, Rainbow Islands ( a
much better, but harder to find game ), Parasol Stars and in the last
few years Bubble Symphony and Bubble Memories. There is also the
Puzzle Bobble (Bust-A-Move) series of games that unite Bub and Bob
together in a completely different, but just as playable games.

Bubble Bobble gameplay
----------------------

One of the great things about this game was all of the different
hidden things that were discovered by playing the game. Basically you
have to clear each room of all the enemies to let you advance to the
next room. You did this by trapping the enemy inside your bubbles and
then bursting the bubbles. Along the way you could pick up powerups
and extra weapons that were only available for that room, some stayed
with you until you died. As a rule only one food bonus and one weapon
bonus per room.

The basic power-ups are as follows :-

Yellow bubblegum (sweeties)-increase bubble firing speed. 
Purple bubblegum (sweeties)- make the bubble travel further. 
Blue bubblegum (sweeties)-increase the bubble speed across screen. 
Red shoe-faster moving Bub and Bob.

A complete list of items is available at the end of this FAQ.

How to make the letters appear
------------------------------
1. EXTEND-bubbles appear only on "open levels" (levels where bubbles fly
   in from a "hole" in the ceiling or the bottom)
2. EXTEND-bubbles appear only when you've popped in the previous
   non-open-stages 3 or more enemy-trapped-bubbles at once. The more enemies
   popped at once, the more DIFFERENT EXTEND-bubbles will come. (I'm
   sure this is valid for ALL previous stages up to an "open-level";
   I hope I've described that well!)

   It goes something like this:
   Enemies popped at a time      Different EXTEND-bubbles to come
            2                                 none
            3                                 1
            4                                 2
            5                                 3
            6                                 4
            7                                 5
            8                                 ALL! (6)

3. When you're on an "open stage" you may want to try to pop more than
   3 enemies at a time because the upper table applies to the CURRENT
   stage, too (if it is an "open stage" that is).
4. Any EXTEND letters that you haven't collected by the end of a stage
   reappear on the next open level, but are randomly selected again.
   So if you are offered a letter that you don't need, it may be worth
   leaving it, and hoping it is reincarnated as a more useful letter on
   the next level.


Secrets and hidden stuff
------------------------

These codes must be entered on the title screen showing Bubble Bobble
written inside a cloud.

LEFT JUMP LEFT 1P LEFT BUBBLE LEFT 1P- it will say power up at the
bottom of the screen and you will have fast feet, fast bubbles, etc

BUBBLE JUMP BUBBLE JUMP BUBBLE JUMP RIGHT 1P-the screen will say
original game mode and you will get the bonus doors whether you die or
not.

1P JUMP BUBBLE LEFT RIGHT JUMP 1P RIGHT-this gives you super on the
title screen. You play the game in the same order as normal Bubble
Bobble but with different monsters. This is the only mode that lets
you see the "True Ending" to this game.


High score table tricks
-----------------------

One of the first games to feature bonuses when you entered the right
initials in the high score table. Just finish a game and enter the
initials below, the effects are described next to the initials. They
mainly effect the second bonus object that appears on the first
set. The best way to reap the rewards is to bubble the 3 monsters and
wait for the second bonus to appear, get the bonus and then blow as
many bubbles as possible so you get the maximum points available. You
might want to blow bubbles and burst them while you wait or run along
the bottom of the screen to make certain bonuses appear on the next
level, read further down to see what I mean.


SEX  pitch fork-flying cakes/vegetables/etc across the screen, turn enemy
     into 6k diamonds (don't bubble them)
TAK  octopus-turns bubbles into X's at end of level
STR  flamingo-turns bubbles into smiling turds at end of level
KTT  beer-turns bubbles into pizzas at end of level, what a perfect match !!!
...  knife-flying cakes/vegetables/etc across the screen, turns enemy into
     6k diamonds
I.F coke can-flying sunflowers across the screen, turn enemies into 6k diamonds
MTJ coke can-flying sunflowers across the screen, turn enemies into 6k diamonds
NSO coke can-flying sunflowers across the screen, turn enemies into 6k diamonds
KIM coke can-flying sunflowers across the screen, turn enemies into 6k diamonds
YSH coke can-flying sunflowers across the screen, turn enemies into 6k diamonds


Other tricks and tips
---------------------

This is one of the coolest cheats in Bubble Bobble. You get this if
you lose your last dino in a treasure room. Normally, you only get
treasure rooms if you have reached levels 20, 30 and 40 without dying,
and you exit a treasure room if you die once, so the only way to do
this is if you are using the "original game" cheat that gives you
treasure rooms anyway. When you lose your last dino in a treasure
room, your level is recorded as 102, and then all the demo screens
turn to treasure rooms and the next game you play you get a treasure
room on level 1!

Also, the fruit bonus is *not* random. If the hundreds and tens digits
are the same when you kill the last enemy, all bubbles on the screen
turn into fruit (levels 90-99 have different items, not fruit). A nice
trick here: Have one player ready to pop the last enemies, and have
the other player shoot bubbles into a wall until the digits match...
THEN have the first player kill them.  You see, the game doesn't care
WHOSE digits match - could be either.  Bonus fruit on every round!

The items that you get for a score of the format abcdd0 are shown here:

score item
...000  french fries
...110  double scoop ice cream cone
...220  creme caramel
...330  burger
...440  slice of cake
...550  cupcake
...660  mug of beer
...770  sausage on a stick
...880  white ice cream cone
...990  double blue lolly

The items that you get for matching your tens and hundreds to your partner's
are listed here. Although both the tens and hundreds column need to be
matched, only the tens column affects what item appears. They turn out to be
the lowest 10 food items (the vegetables). They are, of course, all worth
700 points.

points item
...00  green pepper
...10  aubergine
...20  carrot
...30  onion
...40  beetroot
...50  turnip
...60  parsnip
...70  marrow
...80  pea pod
...90  mushroom

Bubbles also turn into fruit if the hundreds and tens digits of the
scores of both players are the same (but the hundreds and tens not
necessarily the same as eachother) eg BOTH players scores end in ...120.
   ...120.

Bubbles turn to fruit all the time on levels 1,5,10,15,20,25,30,35,40,
45,50,85,86,92,93,94

Each treasure room has a secret message.  The messages can be decoded
by recognising that the first 26 characters stand for the letters of
the alphabet.  This code is needed to read the message you get at the
end of the game that tells you how to do a Super BB power up.


When time runs out, and the skels come out to get you, if you die,
when you're brought back to life, and STILL FLASHING (vital!), run
over and touch your friend's skel. POOF!  No more skel.

"True Ending" to this game.
-------------------------

When you finish the game in normal mode you see a screen telling you
"But it was not a true ending.....". To get the true ending to the game
all you need to do is enter the Super Bubble Bobble cheat at the intro
screen and finish the game with out losing a man (easier typed then
done) when you finish the game you will see your parents rescued as
well as your girlfriends. That's all there is too it.

Bubble Bobble or Bobble Bobble
------------------------------

Bubble Bobble is the original version of the game and Bobble Bobble is
the pirate copy, if you look at the cloud in the background you can
see the bad job they did of hacking the graphics. There is also some
variation in game play. On my board you can choose a Japanese version
of the game that comes up with a copyright notice at the beginning or
an English version of the game. There is no difference in the
gameplay. On the original board you can switch between BB and Super
BB. I have played a version where you could pick original on the board
and on level 6 , and subsequent levels, the guys in the white robes
will roll rocks at you. There seems to be many variations of this
game. Latest information suggest that there are at least 4 different
ROM sets for this game, eventually MAME will hopefully support them
all.

Other platforms
---------------

Bubble Bobble is available on the Apple II, IBM, Atari ST, C64/128,
Amiga, Gameboy, Game Gear, Playstation, Saturn, MSX and NES.

Rainbow Islands is available on C64/128, Playstation, Saturn, NES and Amiga.

Parasol Stars is available on C64/128, Turbo Grafx16/Turbo Express
Gameboy and Amiga.

If you wish to play the actual arcade game on your PC/MAC/Linux etc go
get a copy of mame and enjoy it, MAME is actually the arcade game
running on your machine, don't waste your time with the pathetic
conversions that are out there, unless you just want them for having
them's sake.

Pinouts
-------

SOLDER SIDE				PARTS SIDE

GND			01		GND
VIDEO RED		02		VIDEO GND
VIDEO GREEN		03		VIDEO BLUE
VIDEO SYNC		04		-5V
SOUND +			05		SOUND -
POST			06		POST
+12V			07		+12V
COIN SWITCH A		08		COIN SWITCH B
COIN METER A		09		COIN METER B
COIN LOCKOUT A		10		COIN LOCKOUT B
SERVICE SWITCH		11		TITLE SWITCH
START PLAYER 1		12		START PLAYER 2
SPARE			13		SPARE
SPARE			14		SPARE
1P RIGHT		15		2P RIGHT
1P LEFT			16		2P LEFT
GND			17		GND
GND			18		GND
+ 5V			19		+ 5V
+ 5V			20		+ 5V
1P BUBBLE		21		2P BUBBLE
1P JUMP			22		2P JUMP


Dip Switches
------------
SWITCH A
                        1     2     3     4     5     6     7     8
GAME TYPE
 BUBBLE BOBBLE          OFF
 SUPER BUBBLE BOBBLE    ON
SCREEN
 NORMAL                       OFF
 REVERSE                      ON
MODE
 PLAY                               OFF
 TEST                               ON
ATTRACT SOUND
 YES                                      OFF
 NO                                       ON
COIN A
 1 COIN 1 PLAY                                  OFF   OFF
 1 COIN 2 PLAY                                  ON    OFF
 2 COIN 1 PLAY                                  OFF   ON
 2 COIN 3 PLAY                                  ON    ON
COIN B
 1 COIN 1 PLAY                                               OFF   OFF
 1 COIN 2 PLAY                                               ON	   OFF
 2 COIN 1 PLAY                                               OFF   ON
 2 COIN 3 PLAY                                               ON	   ON

			
SWITCH B
                1     2     3     4     5     6     7     8
DIFFICULTY
 NORMAL         OFF   OFF
 EASY           ON    OFF
 HARD           OFF   ON
 VERY HARD      ON    ON
BONUS 1ST/2ND
 30000/100000               OFF   OFF
 20000/80000                ON    OFF
 40000/200000               OFF   ON
 50000/250000               ON    ON
LIVES
 3                                      OFF   OFF
 5 (FREE PLAY)                          ON    OFF
 1                                      OFF   ON
 2                                      ON    ON
SPARE (ALWAYS OFF)                                  OFF   OFF


The following lists were made by Chris Moore, he wrote the driver for
MAME and has found out much more than anyone could by just playing the
game, for this we owe him our thanks. (chris.moore@writeme.com)

SPECIAL ITEMS
-------------

The game maintains a bunch of counters which keep a record of how many
times you have done various things.  Once a counter reaches its
threshold, it is reset to zero and you get the item which that counter
is associated with.  Counters are only checked at the beginning of
each round.  If two or more counters reach their thresholds in the
same round, the one which is associated with the highest numbered item
is used.  The other(s) will keep their value for the next screen.  The
counters aren't reset at the beginning of each game, which is why on
the arcade game there is generally a special item on the first screen,
but in the emulation the first game you play doesn't offer a special
item, since the counters are all reset when the machine is first
switched on.

In the following, the ITEM_DATA line contains:

        XXXX ( AA BB CC DD ) EE

XXXX is the address of the counter which is used

AA BB CC and DD are the 4 possible thresholds which the counter must
reach before you get the item.  Which one of the 4 values is used
depends on the 'difficulty' setting that the game is currently running
at:

     CC for difficulty 00-04
     DD for difficulty 05-07
     BB for difficulty 08-0B
     AA for difficulty 0C-1E

initial difficulties are: 0D (v.hard), 0A (hard), 04 (easy) and 07
(normal) for the 4 dip-switch settings.  The difficulty changes
throughout the game, going higher when you gain extra lives, lower
when you die, and other things affect it, too, which I don't know
about.

EE is non-zero if the bell should warn us that the item is around

The ITEM_ACTION sections (where I've put them in) are useful for
'cheating' in MAME.  Where it's like 'IX+$31', the address is E691+31
for P1 and E6C3+31 for P2.  So, for example, a cheat would be:
        boblbobl:0:e6f4:80:0:Long Range Bubbles (P2)
because e6c3+31 is e6f4.

Special Items List:
------------------

     ITEM_NUMBER: 0/00
ITEM_DESCRIPTION: red and white sweetie -> long-range bubbles
       ITEM_DATA: E5DF ( 23 23 23 23 ) 00
    ITEM_COUNTER: bubbles blown
     ITEM_ACTION: LD (IX+$31),$80

e5df is incremented each time a bubble is blown (by either player) so
blow 51 or more bubbles and get a purple and white 'long-range
bubbles' sweetie on the next level

     ITEM_NUMBER: 1/01
ITEM_DESCRIPTION: purple and cyan sweetie -> fast bubbles
       ITEM_DATA: E5E0 ( 23 23 23 23 ) 00
    ITEM_COUNTER: empty bubbles popped
     ITEM_ACTION: LD (IX+$2F),$06

e5e0 is incremented each time an empty bubble is popped (by either
player) (for 10 points) so pop 51 or more empty bubbles and get a
purple and cyan 'fast bubbles' sweetie on the next level

     ITEM_NUMBER: 2/02
ITEM_DESCRIPTION: orange and yellow sweetie -> rapid-fire bubbles
       ITEM_DATA: E5E4 ( 23 23 23 23 ) 00
    ITEM_COUNTER: jumps
     ITEM_ACTION: LD (IX+$2E),$05

e5e4 is incremented each time either player jumps, so jump 51 or more
times and get an orange and yellow 'rapid-fire bubbles' sweetie on the
next level

     ITEM_NUMBER: 3/03
ITEM_DESCRIPTION: running shoes -> run faster
       ITEM_DATA: E5E6 ( 0C 0C 0C 0C ) 00
    ITEM_COUNTER: distance run
     ITEM_ACTION: LD (IX+$30),$13
                  LD (IX+$2C),$01
                  LD (IX+$1F),$00

e5e5 is incremented each time either play runs along the ground - it
goes at twice the speed if both players are running.  when it reaches
256, it wraps around to 0, and e5e6 is incremented.  if one player
runs all the way across the bottom of the level about 15 times then
there should be some running shoes on the next level

     ITEM_NUMBER: 4/04
ITEM_DESCRIPTION: clock -> stop timer - no hurry up, no skels
       ITEM_DATA: E5E1 ( 0C 0C 0C 0C ) 00
    ITEM_COUNTER: lightning bubbles popped
     ITEM_ACTION: LD ($E341),$FF
                  LD ($FC7A),$FF

e5e1 is incremented whenever you pop a lightning bubble - get 12
of then for a clock on the next level

     ITEM_NUMBER: 5/05
ITEM_DESCRIPTION: bomb -> 10k (free) or 6k (bubbled) diamonds
       ITEM_DATA: E5E2 ( 13 10 0A 0D ) 01
    ITEM_COUNTER: fire bubbles popped
     ITEM_ACTION: LD ($F59E),$01

e5e2 is incremented whenever you pop a fire bubble - get 19/16/10/13
of them for a bomb on the next level

     ITEM_NUMBER: 6/06
ITEM_DESCRIPTION: orange umbrella -> skip 3 levels
       ITEM_DATA: E5E3 ( 0F 0F 0F 0F ) 00
    ITEM_COUNTER: water bubbles popped
     ITEM_ACTION: LD ($E350),$03

     ITEM_NUMBER: 7/07
ITEM_DESCRIPTION: red umbrella -> skip 5 levels
       ITEM_DATA: E5E3 ( 14 14 14 14 ) 00
    ITEM_COUNTER: water bubbles popped
     ITEM_ACTION: LD ($E350),$05

     ITEM_NUMBER: 8/08
ITEM_DESCRIPTION: purple umbrella -> skip 7 levels
       ITEM_DATA: E5E3 ( 19 19 19 19 ) 00
    ITEM_COUNTER: water bubbles popped
     ITEM_ACTION: LD ($E350),$07

ITEM_DESCRIPTION: all three umbrellas and 'warp to 70'
     ITEM_ACTION: LD A,$04
                  RST $08         ; *$E004 = 00
                  LD A,$05
                  RST $08         ; *$E005 = 00
                  LD A,$02
                  RST $08         ; *$E002 = 00
                  CALL $18BB
                  LD A,$02
                  RST $10         ; *$E002 = 01
                  LD HL,$E34F
                  LD (HL),$01
                  LD HL,$F452
                  LD (HL),$01     ; create 'umb' points item next round

e5e3 is incremented whenever you pop a water bubble - even if there's
already water on the screen and it seems like the bubble didn't do
anything, it's still counted.  get 15 of then for an orange umbrella,
20 for a red one or 25 for a purple one

     ITEM_NUMBER: 9/09
ITEM_DESCRIPTION: sunflower potion
       ITEM_DATA: E5E7 ( 0F 0F 0F 0F ) 00
    ITEM_COUNTER: wrap-arounds from bottom to top of screen

     ITEM_NUMBER: 10/0a
ITEM_DESCRIPTION: flower potion
       ITEM_DATA: E5E7 ( 10 10 10 10 ) 00
    ITEM_COUNTER: wrap-arounds from bottom to top of screen

     ITEM_NUMBER: 11/0b
ITEM_DESCRIPTION: clover potion
       ITEM_DATA: E5E7 ( 11 11 11 11 ) 00
    ITEM_COUNTER: wrap-arounds from bottom to top of screen

     ITEM_NUMBER: 12/0c
ITEM_DESCRIPTION: rainbow potion
       ITEM_DATA: E5E7 ( 12 12 12 12 ) 00
    ITEM_COUNTER: wrap-arounds from bottom to top of screen

     ITEM_NUMBER: 13/0d
ITEM_DESCRIPTION: musical potion
       ITEM_DATA: E5E7 ( 13 13 13 13 ) 00
    ITEM_COUNTER: wrap-arounds from bottom to top of screen

e5e7 is a counter of how many times either player has fallen from the
bottom of the screen and appeared back on the top, as if by *magic*!
If you do this enough times, you get a potion - 15, 16, 17, 18 and
19-or-more times for the different types of potions

     ITEM_NUMBER: 14/0e
ITEM_DESCRIPTION: flashing heart - freezes monsters & makes you flash & go all invincible
       ITEM_DATA: E5E8 ( 41 3C 32 37 ) 01
    ITEM_COUNTER: dead-monster fruits eaten

     ITEM_NUMBER: 15/0f
ITEM_DESCRIPTION: blue ring - points for running
       ITEM_DATA: E5E9 ( 03 03 03 03 ) 00
    ITEM_COUNTER: 'fast bubbles' sweeties eaten
     ITEM_ACTION: SET 0,(IX+$2D)

     ITEM_NUMBER: 16/10
ITEM_DESCRIPTION: purple ring - points for jumping
       ITEM_DATA: E5EA ( 03 03 03 03 ) 00
    ITEM_COUNTER: 'rapid-fire bubbles' sweeties eaten
     ITEM_ACTION: SET 1,(IX+$2D)

     ITEM_NUMBER: 17/11
ITEM_DESCRIPTION: red ring - points for bubbles
       ITEM_DATA: E5EB ( 03 03 03 03 ) 00
    ITEM_COUNTER: 'long-range bubbles' sweeties eaten
     ITEM_ACTION: SET 2,(IX+$2D)

     ITEM_NUMBER: 18/12
ITEM_DESCRIPTION: blue cross - drowns monsters in water
       ITEM_DATA: E5F6 ( 0D 0C 0A 0B ) 01
    ITEM_COUNTER: special items eaten
     ITEM_ACTION: LD ($F590),$01

     ITEM_NUMBER: 19/13
ITEM_DESCRIPTION: yellow and red cross - lightning kills monsters
       ITEM_DATA: E5F7 ( 10 0E 0A 0C ) 01
    ITEM_COUNTER: special fruits eaten
     ITEM_ACTION: CALL $A433
                  LD ($F595),$01
                  SET 4,(IX+$2D)

     ITEM_NUMBER: 20/14
ITEM_DESCRIPTION: red and orange cross - breath fireballs for 9k diamonds
       ITEM_DATA: E5EE ( 07 06 04 05 ) 01
    ITEM_COUNTER: monsters drowned by water bubble
     ITEM_ACTION: SET 6,(IX+$2D)
                  LD (IX+$28),$10

     ITEM_NUMBER: 21/15
ITEM_DESCRIPTION: cyan lantern - same as items 0x10, 0x11 and 0x0f
                  that's points for jumping, for bubbles and for running
       ITEM_DATA: E5EF ( 05 05 05 05 ) 00
    ITEM_COUNTER: times that p1 has joined a running game

     ITEM_NUMBER: 22/16
ITEM_DESCRIPTION: red lantern - same as items 0x10,11,0f,00,01,02
                  that's points for jumping, for bubbles and for running
                     and long-range, fast, rapid-fire bubbles
       ITEM_DATA: E5F0 ( 05 05 05 05 ) 00
    ITEM_COUNTER: times that p2 has joined a running game

     ITEM_NUMBER: 23/17
ITEM_DESCRIPTION: exploding purple lantern
       ITEM_DATA: E5EC ( 02 02 01 01 ) 01
    ITEM_COUNTER: umbrellas (items 6, 7 and 8) collected

     ITEM_NUMBER: 24/18
ITEM_DESCRIPTION: yellow lantern - same as items 0, 1 and 2
                  that's long-range, fast, rapid-fire bubbles
       ITEM_DATA: E5ED ( 04 03 01 02 ) 00
    ITEM_COUNTER: clocks (item 4) collected

     ITEM_NUMBER: 25/19
ITEM_DESCRIPTION: book - shakes screen for 6/8k diamonds
       ITEM_DATA: E5F3 ( 10 0E 0A 0C ) 01
    ITEM_COUNTER: monsters killed by fire bubble
     ITEM_ACTION: LD ($E720),$01

     ITEM_NUMBER: 26/1a
ITEM_DESCRIPTION: silver ring - flying stars -> 6k diamonds
       ITEM_DATA: E5F4 ( 10 0E 0A 0C ) 01
    ITEM_COUNTER: monsters killed by lightning bubble

     ITEM_NUMBER: 27/1b
ITEM_DESCRIPTION: red pearl necklace - give 10 free extend letters
       ITEM_DATA: E5D9 ( 1E 19 0F 14 ) 00
    ITEM_COUNTER: games started (2 player games count as 2)
     ITEM_ACTION: LD ($F676),$0A

     ITEM_NUMBER: 28/1c
ITEM_DESCRIPTION: purple? pearl necklace for bouncing thing -> 6k diamonds
       ITEM_DATA: E5DA ( 1E 19 0F 14 ) 01
    ITEM_COUNTER: levels started
     ITEM_ACTION: LD ($F5AC),$01

     ITEM_NUMBER: 29/1d
ITEM_DESCRIPTION: fork -> flying vegetables for 6k diamonds
       ITEM_DATA: F457 ( 01 01 01 01 ) 01
    ITEM_COUNTER: entries of 'SEX' into high score table
     ITEM_ACTION: CALL $8F54
                  LD ($F4CB),$01

     ITEM_NUMBER: 30/1e
ITEM_DESCRIPTION: purple treasure chest -> 80k diamond
       ITEM_DATA: F458 ( 01 01 01 01 ) 00
    ITEM_COUNTER: times level 100 is finished (happy or not)
     ITEM_ACTION: LD ($F46D), $0A
                  LD ($F46B), $01

     ITEM_NUMBER: 31/1f
ITEM_DESCRIPTION: pink/orange treasure chest -> 70k diamond
       ITEM_DATA: E601 ( 03 03 03 03 ) 00
    ITEM_COUNTER: books (item 0x19) collected
     ITEM_ACTION: LD ($F46D), $09
                  LD ($F46B), $01

     ITEM_NUMBER: 32/20
ITEM_DESCRIPTION: brown treasure chest -> 60k diamond
       ITEM_DATA: E602 ( 03 03 03 03 ) 00
    ITEM_COUNTER: exploding purple lanterns (item 0x17) collected
     ITEM_ACTION: LD ($F46D), $08
                  LD ($F46B), $01

     ITEM_NUMBER: 33/21
ITEM_DESCRIPTION: cyan treasure chest -> 50k diamond
       ITEM_DATA: E600 ( 03 03 03 03 ) 00
    ITEM_COUNTER: water crosses (item 0x12) collected
     ITEM_ACTION: LD ($F46D), $07
                  LD ($F46B), $01

     ITEM_NUMBER: 34/22
ITEM_DESCRIPTION: grey treasure chest -> 40k diamond
       ITEM_DATA: E5FF ( 03 03 03 03 ) 00
    ITEM_COUNTER: yellow and red crosses (item 0x13) collected
     ITEM_ACTION: LD ($F46D), $06
                  LD ($F46B), $01

     ITEM_NUMBER: 35/23
ITEM_DESCRIPTION: red/pink cane -> 30k pointy cake
       ITEM_DATA: E5FD ( 03 03 03 03 ) 00
    ITEM_COUNTER: 'D's collected
     ITEM_ACTION: LD ($F46D), $05
                  LD ($F46B), $01

     ITEM_NUMBER: 36/24
ITEM_DESCRIPTION: red/brown cane -> 30k iced bun
       ITEM_DATA: E5FC ( 03 03 03 03 ) 00
    ITEM_COUNTER: 'N's collected
     ITEM_ACTION: LD ($F46D), $04
                  LD ($F46B), $01

     ITEM_NUMBER: 37/25
ITEM_DESCRIPTION: red cane -> 20k melon
       ITEM_DATA: E5FB ( 03 03 03 03 ) 00
    ITEM_COUNTER: (middle) 'E's collected
     ITEM_ACTION: LD ($F46D), $03
                  LD ($F46B), $01

     ITEM_NUMBER: 38/26
ITEM_DESCRIPTION: orange cane -> 20k orange
       ITEM_DATA: E5FA ( 03 03 03 03 ) 00
    ITEM_COUNTER: 'T's collected
     ITEM_ACTION: LD ($F46D), $02
                  LD ($F46B), $01

     ITEM_NUMBER: 39/27
ITEM_DESCRIPTION: light brown cane -> 10k lolly
       ITEM_DATA: E5F9 ( 03 03 03 03 ) 00
    ITEM_COUNTER: 'X's collected
     ITEM_ACTION: LD ($F46D), $01
                  LD ($F46B), $01

     ITEM_NUMBER: 40/28
ITEM_DESCRIPTION: cyan cane -> 10k double lolly
       ITEM_DATA: E5F8 ( 03 03 03 03 ) 00
    ITEM_COUNTER: (initial) 'E's collected
     ITEM_ACTION: LD ($F46D), $00
                  LD ($F46B), $01

     ITEM_NUMBER: 41/29
ITEM_DESCRIPTION: bell
       ITEM_DATA: E5FE ( 0E 0C 08 0A ) 00
    ITEM_COUNTER: "hurry up!"s displayed
     ITEM_ACTION: LD ($E603), $01

     ITEM_NUMBER: 42/2a
ITEM_DESCRIPTION: octopus (turns bubbles into X's at end of level?)
       ITEM_DATA: E604 ( 01 01 01 01 ) 00
    ITEM_COUNTER: entries of 'TAK' into high score table
     ITEM_ACTION: LD ($F464), $01
                  LD ($F465), $30

     ITEM_NUMBER: 43/2b
ITEM_DESCRIPTION: flamingo (turns bubbles into smiling turds at end of level?)
       ITEM_DATA: E605 ( 01 01 01 01 ) 00
    ITEM_COUNTER: entries of 'STR' into high score table
     ITEM_ACTION: LD ($F464), $01
                  LD ($F465), $31

     ITEM_NUMBER: 44/2c
ITEM_DESCRIPTION: lager (turns bubbles into pizzas at end of level?)
       ITEM_DATA: E606 ( 01 01 01 01 ) 00
    ITEM_COUNTER: entries of 'KTT' into high score table
     ITEM_ACTION: LD ($F464), $01
                  LD ($F465), $32

     ITEM_NUMBER: 45/2d
ITEM_DESCRIPTION: knife for flying cakes/beer/etc and 6k diamonds)
       ITEM_DATA: E607 ( 01 01 01 01 ) 01
    ITEM_COUNTER: entries of '...' into high score table
     ITEM_ACTION: CALL $8F54
                  LD ($F4CB), $01
                  LD ($F4CD), $01

     ITEM_NUMBER: 46/2e
ITEM_DESCRIPTION: crystal ball - points items and special items each
                  take 4 seconds to appear from now on, instead of 7
                  and 12 seconds
       ITEM_DATA: E609 ( 01 01 01 01 ) 00
    ITEM_COUNTER: got a crown
     ITEM_ACTION: LD ($F44D), $01

     ITEM_NUMBER: 47/2f
ITEM_DESCRIPTION: pencil/cigar (makes next 3 special items be
                  potions), and acts like item 0c, the rainbow potion
       ITEM_DATA: E60A ( 01 01 01 01 ) 00
    ITEM_COUNTER: started 777 levels
     ITEM_ACTION: LD ($E612), $03
                  JP $88BD ; rainbow_potion

     ITEM_NUMBER: 48/30
ITEM_DESCRIPTION: skull (immediate 'hurry up')
       ITEM_DATA: E611 ( 14 19 1E 1B ) 00
    ITEM_COUNTER: times the skel has come (+2 more sometimes if he catches you)
     ITEM_ACTION: LD ($F448), $81

     ITEM_NUMBER: 49/31
ITEM_DESCRIPTION: treasure room door to 20
       ITEM_DATA: E60D ( 01 01 01 01 ) 00
    ITEM_COUNTER: get to level 19 without loss of life
     ITEM_ACTION: LD ($E724), $00
                  LD ($E723), $29

     ITEM_NUMBER: 50/32
ITEM_DESCRIPTION: treasure room door to 30
       ITEM_DATA: E60E ( 01 01 01 01 ) 00
    ITEM_COUNTER: get to level 29 without loss of life
     ITEM_ACTION: LD ($E724), $01
                  LD ($E723), $29

     ITEM_NUMBER: 51/33
ITEM_DESCRIPTION: treasure room door to 40
       ITEM_DATA: E60F ( 01 01 01 01 ) 00
    ITEM_COUNTER: get to level 39 without loss of life
     ITEM_ACTION: LD ($E724), $02
                  LD ($E723), $29

     ITEM_NUMBER: 52/34
ITEM_DESCRIPTION: warp to 70
       ITEM_DATA: E610 ( 01 01 01 01 ) 00
    ITEM_COUNTER: get to level 49 without loss of life
     ITEM_ACTION: LD A,($E64B)          ; current screen/round number
                  CP $45
                  RET NC                ; return if already past level 69
                  LD B,A                ; B = current level
                  LD A,$45              ; A = 69
                  SUB B                 ; A = 69 - current level
                  LD ($E350),A
                  LD ($E5DC),$1E        ; difficulty
                  JP $883E              ; see "umbrellas and 'warp to 70'"

     ITEM_NUMBER: 53/35
ITEM_DESCRIPTION: coke -> rains jam donuts for 6k diamonds (free)
                          or 500 point bananas (bubbled)
       ITEM_DATA: E608 ( 01 01 01 01 ) 01
    ITEM_COUNTER: entries of 'I.F', 'MTJ', 'NSO', 'KIM' or 'YSH' into
                  high score table

POINTS ITEMS
------------

(the 'notes':
        'umb' means the item may appear on the screen after you've got
                an umbrella
        'skel' means the item may appear if a skel appeared on the
                previous level
        'hurry' means the item may appear if the previous level told
                you to 'hurry up', but no skel appeared.
        the '1p time' and '2p time' columns are the values in address
                f456 - use the 'mame -cheat' option to view this
                address as you play

ID      score   description                     notes

00/0      10    green pepper                                            skel
01/1      20    aubergine                        umb                    skel
02/2      30    carrot                                                  skel
03/3      40    onion                                                   skel
04/4      50    beetroot                         umb                    skel
05/5      60    turnip                                                  skel
06/6      70    parsnip                                                 skel
07/7      80    marrow                           umb                    skel
08/8      90    pea pod                                                 skel
09/9     100    mushroom                                                skel
0A/10    150    corn cob (lvl 35)                umb                    hurry
0B/11    200    fried egg                                               hurry
0C/12    250    red acorn thingy                                        hurry
0D/13    300    apple                            umb                    hurry
0E/14    350    lemon                                                   hurry
0F/15    400    orange                                                  hurry
10/16    450    peach                            umb                    hurry
11/17    500    bananas                                 1p      2p      hurry
12/18    550    pear                                   time    time     hurry
13/19    600    watermelon                       umb                    hurry
14/20    650    single brown lolly (lvl 15)             1D      27
15/21    700    double blue lolly                       1C      26
16/22    750    pink pudding (lvl 5)             umb    1B      25
17/23    800    yellow pudding                          1A      24
18/24    850    green pudding                           19      23
19/25    900    green and brown pudding (lvl 40) umb    18      22
1A/26    950    simple white ice cream cone             17      21

1B/27  1,000    double scoop ice cream cone             16      20
1C/28  1,000    donut (lvl 25)                   umb    15      1F
1D/29  1,000    french fries                            14      1E

1E/30  2,000    sausage on a stick                      13      1D
1F/31  2,000    creme caramel                           12      1C
20/32  2,000    burger                           umb    11      1B
21/33  2,000    slice of cake (triangular)              10      1A

22/34  3,000    cupcake (blobby)                        0F      19
23/35  3,000    chicken leg                      umb    0E      18
24/36  3,000    purple martini                          0D      17
25/37  3,000    some variety of sushi?                  0C      16

26/38  4,000    pinkish sweet (lvl 50)           umb    0B      15
27/39  4,000    (brown or red?) eskimo pie              0A      14
28/40  4,000    (brown or red?) eskimo pie              09      13
29/41  4,000    mug of lager (lvl 45)            umb    08      12

2A/42  5,000    purple crystals                         07      11
2B/43  5,000    purple jewel                            06      10
2C/44  5,000    yellow butterfly                 umb    05      0F
2D/45  5,000    blue crystals                           04      0E

2E/46  6,000    blue jewel                              03      0D
2F/47  6,000    necklace with purple pendant     umb    02      0C
30/48  6,000    purple shell                            01      0B

31/49  7,000    red jewel                               00      0A
32/50  7,000    necklace with blue pendant                      09
33/51  7,000    bowl of rice                                    08

34/52  8,000    necklace with red pendant                       07
35/53  8,000    dinner                                          06
36/54  8,000    red crown, blue gems, no cross                  05
37/55  8,000    red crown, blue gems, red cross                 04

38/56  9,000    cyan crown, red gems, no cross                  03
39/57  9,000    blue crown, red gems, cyan cross                02
3A/58 10,000    gold crown, red gems, no cross                  01
3B/59 10,000    gold crown, red gems, white cross               00


'time' is how long the previous level took to complete.
It's stored in address f456, and can be displayed during the game
using 'mame boblbobl -cheat' and the 'memory watch' facility off the
'cheat' menu.

if (in attract mode - a no player game) {
        item = random ($14...$33)       (gives range $14...$33)
} else if (on level 1) {
        item = random ($15...$24)       (gives range $15...$24)
} else if (skel appeared last level) {
        item = random(00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 00 01 02 03 04 05)
} else if ('hurry up' appeared last level) {
        item = random(0A 0B 0C 0D 0E 0F 10 11 12 13 0A 0B 0C 0D 0E 0F)
} else if (got an umbrella last level) {
        item = random(01 04 07 0A 0D 10 13 16 19 1C 20 23 26 29 2C 2F)
} else if (only one player in game) {
        if (time > 29) time = 29;
        item = $31/49 - time;           (gives range $14...$31)
} else if (two players in game) {
        if (time > 39) time = 39;
        item = $3B/59 - time;           (gives range $14...$3B)
}

FIREBALL BUBBLE
---------------

It appears that the fireball bubble is randomly created.  Whenever a
bubble floats onto the screen, there is a 1 in 4096 chance that it is
incarnated as a fireball bubble.  It looks as if at some point in the
design of the game it was intended for this kind of randomness to
happen more, since there is a routine which implements randomness with
a whole bunch of preset odds:

       ID      odds               ID      odds

       01     1 in 1
       03     1 in 2              19     1 in 64
       05     1 in 3              1B     1 in 128
       07     1 in 4              1D     1 in 256
       09     1 in 5              1F     1 in 512
       0B     1 in 6              21     1 in 1024
       0D     1 in 7              23     1 in 2048
       0F     1 in 8              25     1 in 4096 (default)
       11     1 in 9              27     1 in 8192
       13     1 in 10             29     1 in 16384
       15     1 in 16             2B     1 in 32768
       17     1 in 32             2D     1 in 65535

the odd thing is, though, that the routine is only ever used with an
ID of 25, and only for the fireball bubble.  This table can be used to
'tune' the rarity of the fireball bubble, by altering the content of
location 6e30 of CPU 0.  MAME provides a convenient way of doing this,
with its 'cheat' mechanism.

MAME BOBLBOBL CHEATS
--------------------

First edit the 'cheat.dat' file, and add lines like this:

boblbobl:0:6e30:01:0:fireball bubble - always!
boblbobl:0:6e30:07:0:fireball bubble - 1 in 4
boblbobl:0:6e30:15:0:fireball bubble - 1 in 16
boblbobl:0:6e30:1d:0:fireball bubble - 1 in 256

then run MAME using a command line like this:

        mame boblbobl -cheat

then you'll find there's a new menu entry on the gui, called 'cheat',
from which you can select the frequency you want!

Here's a bunch of other cheats that I've played with - just a random
selection that happen to be in my cheat.dat file - some are more
useful than others, and most of the spoil the fun of the game...

boblbobl:0:E645:6:0:Infinite Lives (P1)
boblbobl:0:E64a:6:0:Infinite Lives (P2)
boblbobl:0:e6c1:26:0:Extra Fast (P1)
boblbobl:0:e6f3:26:0:Extra Fast (P2)
boblbobl:0:e6c2:80:0:Long Range Bubbles (P1)
boblbobl:0:e6f4:80:0:Long Range Bubbles (P2)
boblbobl:0:e6c2:ff:0:Extra Long Range Bubbles (P1)
boblbobl:0:e6f4:ff:0:Extra Long Range Bubbles (P2)
boblbobl:0:F44D:1:0:Bonus appear instantly
boblbobl:0:E5FA:03:0:apple or orange?  you decide!
boblbobl:0:e608:01:0:coke can item
boblbobl:0:6e30:01:0:fireball bubble - always!
boblbobl:0:6e30:03:0:fireball bubble - 1 in 2
boblbobl:0:6e30:05:0:fireball bubble - 1 in 3
boblbobl:0:6e30:07:0:fireball bubble - 1 in 4
boblbobl:0:6e30:15:0:fireball bubble - 1 in 16
boblbobl:0:6e30:1d:0:fireball bubble - 1 in 256
boblbobl:0:6e30:25:0:fireball bubble - 1 in 4096
boblbobl:0:E60A:1:0:Lipstick
boblbobl:0:5C2B:C9:0:Disable Bubbles?
boblbobl:0:E6BB:5:1:Fireballs for 5 levels
boblbobl:0:E6BE:40:0:Fireballs
boblbobl:0:E5EE:07:0:Fireball Cross
boblbobl:0:e5db:1:0:'Super' (1JBLRJ1R)
boblbobl:0:e5d1:1:0:'Original Game' (BJBJBJR1)
boblbobl:0:e5d2:1:0:'Power Up' (LJL1LBL1)
boblbobl:0:F676:1:0:Constant Extend Letters
boblbobl:0:e603:1:0:Always Warn (Bell Item)
boblbobl:0:25f6:1:0:Cut Journey Time (LSB)
boblbobl:0:25f7:0:0:Cut Journey Time (MSB)
boblbobl:0:e64b:e:0:Level 15 (lolly at end)
boblbobl:0:e64b:45:0:Level 70 (lolly at end?)
boblbobl:0:e64b:13:0:Level 20
boblbobl:0:e64b:18:0:Level 25 (Fire Bubbles)
boblbobl:0:e64b:1d:0:Level 30 (Lightning Bubbles)
boblbobl:0:e64b:27:0:Level 40
boblbobl:0:e64b:31:0:Level 50
boblbobl:0:e64b:59:0:Level 90
boblbobl:0:e64b:50:0:Level 91
boblbobl:0:e64b:5a:0:Level 92
boblbobl:0:e64b:5b:0:Level 93
boblbobl:0:e64b:5c:0:Level 94
boblbobl:0:e64b:5d:0:Level 95
boblbobl:0:e64b:5e:0:Level 96
boblbobl:0:e64b:5f:0:Level 97
boblbobl:0:e64b:61:0:Level 98
boblbobl:0:e64b:62:0:Level 99
boblbobl:0:e64b:63:0:Level 100 (Big Baddie)
boblbobl:0:e5E7:F:1:Sunflower Potion
boblbobl:0:e5E7:10:1:Flower Potion
boblbobl:0:e5E7:11:1:Clover Potion
boblbobl:0:e5E7:12:1:Rainbow Potion
boblbobl:0:e5E7:13:1:Musical Potion
boblbobl:0:F590:1:1:Drown 'em All!
boblbobl:0:E720:1:1:Throw The Book At Them
boblbobl:0:F44C:2A:0:Fruit 2A
boblbobl:0:F44C:2B:0:Fruit 2B
boblbobl:0:F44C:2C:0:Fruit 2C
boblbobl:0:F44C:2D:0:Fruit 2D
boblbobl:0:F44C:2E:0:Fruit 2E
boblbobl:0:F44C:2F:0:Fruit 2F
boblbobl:0:F44C:30:0:Fruit 30
boblbobl:0:F44C:31:0:Fruit 31
boblbobl:0:F44C:32:0:Fruit 32
boblbobl:0:F44C:33:0:Fruit 33
boblbobl:0:F44C:34:0:Fruit 34
boblbobl:0:F44C:35:0:Fruit 35
boblbobl:0:F44C:36:0:Fruit 36
boblbobl:0:F44C:37:0:Fruit 37
boblbobl:0:F44C:38:0:Fruit 38
boblbobl:0:F44C:39:0:Fruit 39
boblbobl:0:F44C:3A:0:Fruit 3A
boblbobl:0:F44C:3B:0:Fruit 3B

(note that the 'power-up' cheat does this:
    LD (IX+$2E),$05 ; rapid-fire bubbles
    LD (IX+$2F),$06 ; fast bubbles
    LD (IX+$30),$14 ; fast running
 where IX=E691 for P1 and IX=E6C3 for P2)

If you want to try any level just edit the line below
boblbobl:0:e64b:XX:0:Level XX where XX is the level number in HEX format