Activating Shields:
If you want to activate your shields, simply pull the joystick downward while pressing the button. Be advised that using your shields costs you points. If you have no points you cannot activate your shields.

Game Difficulties:
There are four different colors for the moons that you will encounter, each one representing the difficulty of that moon. The higher the difficulty, the fewer miners and more enemies there are

The four difficulties are:

 

Blue: Easy
Green: Moderate
Yellow: Hard
Red: Very Hard

 

The odds of seeing different moons are based on the game variation you choose:

Variation 1: Blue and Green.

Variation 2: Blue, Green, and Yellow. (Mostly Blue and Green)

Variation 3: Same as above except it's mostly Green and Yellow.

Variation 4: Blue, Green, Yellow, and Red. 

In Orbit:
While you are in Orbit, you must dodge the solar flares that are coming at you. You can shoot them if you want to by pressing the button while aiming in the direction you wish to shoot.

Landing on a Moon:
While in orbit, you will come across a moon. To land on a moon, simply move into the path of its orbit and you will land. You can't land, though, if you are using your shields. 

Launcher Ships:
Watch out for Launcher Ships! These ships will deploy smaller craft onto the surface to attack your Moonsweeper. You can destroy both of them for points. The Landing Craft can not only shoot at you, but also capture miners, so get them fast! 

Leaving A Planet:
When you have rescued six miners, you will be able to leave the planet. To do so, you must fly through the accelerator rings to get enough speed to leave. When you see one, fly through it and then through the next ones after to gain enough speed to take off. While they appear in a straight line on the Blue moons, the rest of the time, they will appear in a zig-zag pattern, so be careful. If you miss one, watch for another series to try again. 

Miners:
Miners are your primary objective here. While you are on the surface, a small pulsating indicator (for want of a better word) will appear below your score. This indicator will appear in various spots, indicating where the next miner will appear, so you can get your ship into position to pick one up. If you lose a ship at any time, all miners on board will be lost.

On The Surface:
Your controls are slightly different on the surface. You can steer by pushing the joystick left and right, but now you can also control your speed. Push forward to accelerate and pull backwards to decelerate. If you pull back and press the action button, you can fire at enemies in the sky. Otherwise, your shots will hit ground targets. 

Satelites:
Satellites will fly across the screen from time to time, but don't attack. You can, however, shoot them and earn big points. 

Scoring:
On the surface, you earn points based on what type of moon you are on. The
scoring legend for each moon is as follows:

 

BLUE MOON:

Rescuing A Miner: 10 Points
Shooting A Tower, Surface Destroyer, or an enemy shot: 10 Points
Shooting A Landing Craft: 200 Points
Shooting A Satellite: 300 Points
Successfully Taking Off From The Surface: 980

 

GREEN MOON:

Rescuing A Miner: 20 Points
Shooting A Tower, Surface Destroyer, or an enemy shot: 10 Points
Shooting A Landing Craft: 200 Points
Shooting A Satellite: 500 Points
Successfully Taking Off From The Surface: 1225 Points

 

YELLOW MOON:

Rescuing A Miner: 30 Points
Shooting A Tower, Surface Destroyer, or an enemy shot: 40 Points
Shooting A Landing Craft: 300 Points
Shooting A Satellite: 700 Points
Successfully Taking Off From The Surface: 1470 Points

 

RED MOON:

Rescuing A Miner: 40 Points
Shooting A Tower, Surface Destroyer, or an enemy shot: 80 Points
Shooting A Landing Craft: 300 Points
Shooting A Satellite: 1000 Points
Successfully Taking Off From The Surface: 1960 Points 
Select A Different Variation
To select a different variation, simply use your Game Select switch on your Atari 2600 console. The first number indicates the game variation, and the second one indicates whether it's one or two players taking turns. 

Tip1:
This game may seem a little difficult at first, so be sure to play Game Variation 1 to get the handle of the game before you actually move up to higher levels. 

Tip2:
For the first few playthroughs, don't worry about earning a high score, just concentrate on using shields to protect yourself in orbit. Remember, though, that you can't land on a moon while using shields. 

Tip3:
While on the surface, be sure to slow down so you can get comfortable with the controls and rescue miners more efficiently. Once you get comfortable with the controls, you can speed up more often. 

Tip4:
Keep an eye on the indicator at the top of the screen. When it changes position, it means that's where the next miner ill appear, so move your ship underneath it as quickly as you can so you can pick another miner up. 
Towers:
Be careful of towers. They don't move and won't attack, but colliding with one will cost you a life and you will be returned to orbit. You can shoot them and you will earn points for doing so.