Oystron (Atari 2600 Novice/B)

Difficulty 1: Begineer (Novice).

damn!  tough score

question:  I'm puzzled by the thing that happens when the screen turns yellow & I can't shoot.  it seems unfair but I think I'm missing something.  all I can do it seems is try to dodge & wait it out, but there are many impossible situations & I rarely make it past.  also, it lets me lay some little "bombs" or something.  but only 1 or 2 or 3 I think. 

You earn a space mine everytime you clear a row of pearls. When the screen goes yellow you are in warp and the Oystron is about to appear, although sometimes it takes it's sweet time doing it. If the Oystron strikes a mine than you can shoot again, and that's when you rack up the points. If you have 5 or 6 mines and you lose your ship then your next ship won't have any, but if you have a few left (say 3 or 4) when you drop out of warp then you will still have them.

After you lay a mine, it will disappear after abit, so keep some to lay if that happens. I wait until just as the Oystron is about to hit me, lay a mine, and then change lanes quickly. Always stay aware of what is in the other lanes.

I play this game so often I could probably do a FAQ on it. 

Glad to see others into the great game! 

thanks! 

one more question:  what if I don't have any mines?  is there then no way out of the warp?