Episode 1 Level 7 is one where it's possible but VERY DIFFICULT to get the letters in order, because the P is nearly impossible to jump past. I've only gotten it like twice in like 30 tries.

Very cool to see people discussing the scoring possibilities in this game, even if I'm a few years late to the party. Getting a perfect score is too hardcore of a goal for me personally (I'm settling for the 1,000,000 points mark for each episode), but it's interesting to read about. And I even have a bit of information to contribute: While getting past the two missile launchers is unfairly difficult, it is possible. I did it once. I got hit on the second pass so I still finished the level with less than perfect health, but if it can be done once, it can be done twice. The trick (apart from a heckuva lot of luck) is jumping at a run so that you hit the very end of the ceiling, causing the character to bounce down just in front of the lower missile.

Well then, a bit of time ago I decided to replay this on the old shareware copy of Episode 1 (Hunt For Red Rock Rover) I found on my HDD, I've pretty much got near the end of the game perfecting as many levels as I can. Now I'm one level away from opening the final fortress.

Score is 963500.

Problem is, I think there's one level where it's basically impossible to perfect it. Health wise yeah, its possible, I did so before. I mostly mean the S-P-Y letters mechanic. Every other level so far I was able to get all the letters in the right order for that 10K point bonus, but in this one I'm not sure it's really possible.

It's roughly on the middle southern side of the island. I think it's the only level with the speed boots power up. Did anyone here manage to get the S-P-Y bonus in that level?

EDIT: It's Level 7 if you follow DylGog's map.

EDIT #2: And I'm done. Level 7 is doable but it needs almost pixel perfect jumping that doesn't have you touch the wall. You touch the wall and you lose momentum and touch the P, invalidating the S-P-Y bonus.

That said. Final score time...

1097750
51 Bullets Remaining

EDIT #3:
Decided to play through Episode 1 again. This time I'll fully document my Score and Bullets with every level, among other things. Use DylGog's map as reference on what levels I'm talking about. :)

Level 10: Score 075300, Bullets 06, Perfect Health Bonus (25K), S-P-Y Bonus (10K).
Level 11: Score 135550, Bullets 14, Perfect Health Bonus, S-P-Y Bonus, Double Shot Acquired.
Level 9: Score 191300, Bullets 17, Perfect Health Bonus, S-P-Y Bonus.
Level 1: Score 247650, Bullets 20, Perfect Health Bonus, S-P-Y Bonus.
Level 2: Score 305250, Bullets 29, Perfect Health Bonus, S-P-Y Bonus, Money Bag (1x Top Floor, Middle) Drop Bonus.
Level 3: Score 356950, Bullets 29, Perfect Health Bonus, S-P-Y Bonus.
Level 4: Score 413650, Bullets 30, Perfect Health Bonus, S-P-Y Bonus.
Level 5: Score 477850, Bullets 35, Perfect Health Bonus, S-P-Y Bonus, Money Bag (2x Next to Exit) Drop Bonus.
Level 6: Score 529050, Bullets 40, Perfect Health Bonus, S-P-Y Bonus.
Level 7: Score 635950, Bullets 42, Perfect Health Bonus, S-P-Y Bonus, Money Bag (1x Next to Appogee Software Sign) Drop Bonus.

Saved 4 Bullets by not killing the floating mines, they don't give points when killed so no point in wasting ammunition on them.

I'm pretty sure you can bypass the P by jumping and then briefly pressing left and right to do a quick spin in the air, before holding right, that seems to be the method that allows me to get past it without touching it early.

I think you build up some speed by moving, it is is conserved even when you change directions mid-air. This combined with the fact by the time the jump and spin happens the PC reaches the apex of the jump and is about to start falling also probably perfectly times things maybe.

Level 8: Score 688500, Bullets 45, Perfect Health Bonus, S-P-Y Bonus.
Level 12: Score 749200, Bullets 45, Perfect Health Bonus, S-P-Y Bonus, Money Bag (1x Next to Security Area Sign) Drop Bonus.
Level 13: Score 808400, Bullets 45, Perfect Health Bonus, S-P-Y Bonus, Money Bag (1x Top Right "Tightrope") Drop Bonus.
Level 14: Score 972800, Bullets 55, Perfect Health Bonus, S-P-Y-Y-Y-Y-Y-Y Bonus.

Note: There's a very difficult to reach enemy on the ceiling in one of the rooms next to the starting shaft you fall down through. You can actually reach and hit them with your gun, but it basically needs pixel perfect timing just so a bullet hits it.

Also, 6 Y letters on this level.

Level 15: Score 1030350, Bullets 59, Perfect Health Bonus, S-P-Y Bonus.
Level 16: Score 1097750, Bullets 67, Perfect Health Bonus, S-P-Y Bonus.

Pretty sure this is probably the maximum possible attainable score for Episode 1. Bullets on the other hand, not so sure. I only realized the floating mines don't give points on Level 7 and stopped shooting them, so there might be 4 or more bullets to be saved. Apologies for the giant text wall of doom, but I prefer not to double post when I can help it.

EDIT #4: Decided to do yet another playthrough and save some more Bullets. Same maximum score, but 72 Bullets this time. Only had to avoid killing two more floating mines. The extra bullet (since every mine takes two to kill) saved was from something else. If two enemy sprites are overlapping, you can harm both of them at the cost of only one bullet.

So, about 71 Bullets is the maximum amount of bullets you can save to the end of the game if you aim to get the maximum score, but if you take the time and effort to do so, you can probably save some more with the sprite-overlap exploit.

@RTM
Good work with detailing all your playthroughs.

Yeah Level 7 definitely seems hard to get perfect, I haven't tried again since people indicated it wasn't impossible as people suggested.

Level 14 I always remember that enemy being hard to hit. Usually I had loads of ammo and eventually killed it when I came back to it later in the level. This is probably one of the hardest levels in the game.

I would say go for episode 2 now but you probably don't want to overdo it which reminds me I really should get back to playing episode 2 properly and playing episode 3 for the first time.

I would, except I don't have Episode 2. The Episode 1 is an old shareware copy that I've kept all these years from my childhood in the 90s.