501 Great Games/501 Great Games - Volume One (2001)(Guildhall Leisure Services).iso/LEXICON/data1.cab/Program_DLLs/Program/Info.dll/TEXT/130

Text File | 1999-03-12 | 37KB | 585 lines

\0\B\CUSING THE SCROLLS

    This scroll contains important information about playing Lexicon. In order to view more \
information, click anywhere on the bottom scrollbar to scroll down further. Click on the top scrollbar \
to scroll up. The scrollbars stop when you reach the beginning or end of the information. You can also \
quickly jump to specific passages by clicking on any of the words to the right. Press EXIT (or the \
ESC key) to exit this screen.


\D


\1\B\CINTRODUCTION

    The game of Lexicon can be traced back over 500 years, to Chief Wugawa, head of the Wugawami \
people on a small, now defunct, island in the South Pacific. Legend has it that the game, then known as \
Shoofa, originated out of confusion. Perhaps misunderstanding is a better word.

    See, Chief Wugawa had a knack for discovering things, and because of this, he was well respected and \
revered by his people. One day he was venturing out to the far side of Wugawala island (he also had a \
bit of an ego), and came upon an unknown band of bushes sporting unknown, but awfully tasty looking \
berries. Seizing the opportunity to expand his reputation (and his waistline), he indulged in an \
afternoon of berry eating and lounging. What followed came to be known as The Wugawannadie, which \
loosely translates to "The Eve of Enlightenment".

    The chief spent the next day in a state of delirium, falling in and out of consciousness, and never \
quite achieving cohesive thought. During this period, he claims to have been visited by Jabi, god of \
vegetation and stones (which by the way, according to rumor, is where we got the term "stoned"). It \
was later discovered by an exiled tribe member that Jabi was actually just a local chimp that wandered \
by the chief, and took on a god-like appearance under the hallucinatory effects of the berries. \
Nonetheless, the chief believed he was seeing and hearing Jabi, although he couldn't quite understand \
everything the hairy deity had to say.

    The next day, after recovering, and on his long walk back to the tribe, he had ample time to contemplate \
his encounter. Since Jabi had been using many new words in his speech, he felt it was necessary for his \
people to expand their vocabulary, in hopes of making future encounters more productive and \
comprehensible. He decided that a contest of building words would serve his people well, refining their \
vocabularies and bringing them closer to Jabi.

    After explaining his experience to the people, he declared Shoofa the official game of the island, the \
name itself being a word he had heard often during The Wugawannadie. Shoofa, he told the tribe, should \
be practiced daily, with tournaments held during each cycle of the moon. The people were unimpressed, \
but were also quite bored on their small island, so they accepted the declaration with somewhat open \
arms.

    Over time, the physical game and its rules evolved. First constructed of leaves, the tiles had a fairly \
short lifespan, so stone was finally agreed upon. The selections of creatures accompanying the board \
also underwent some refinement, particularly after the venomous snake attending the tile bin proved to \
be a less than popular choice among the players. The island's pond became a popular meeting place for \
game participants, but only after small, unsuccessful turnouts at the tip of mount Wugawa, the island's \
unpredictably active volcano. To give the people pride and a sense of accomplishment in their \
tournaments, the best players' names were scribed with gold into wooden plaques, which were then tossed \
from mount Wugawa for all to see (the plaques that is, not the players).

    Lexicon, although modernized in name and mechanics, still shares many of the original details and rules \
of its origin. Gone are the long-winded commencement ceremonies, the complicated timing rituals, and \
the wildly cryptic alphabet of the Wugawanish language. Yet many of the elements of the playing field \
and its surroundings are still present. The four symbols of the Wugawami, the moon, stars, fire and \
water, representing the four life-giving elements of their society, can be seen during the game as \
well. Ironically, it was these four elements that led to the demise of the Wugawami, when mount Wugawa \
erupted, burning the island, followed closely by the full moon and its high tide, drowning out any \
remaining survivors. The stars that the Wugawami often wished upon had apparently turned their back on \
this ill-fated society.


\D


\2\B\CSTARTING A GAME

    Lexicon actually consists of three separate games, each sharing the same pieces and goal, but \
with differing rules. Eliminus, the first game, consists of removing available tiles from the board, \
and placing them into your tile bin to form words. Populatica has you placing tiles from your tile bin \
onto the game board, forming words in the process. And Jumblara tests your ability to unscramble words. \
Both Eliminus and Populatica can be played with one to four players. Jumblara was designed as a solitaire \
game only, and was used by the Wugawami as a way to practice word-building skills when no others were \
available.

    From the pond screen, you can select any of the four lily pads to manage your games. Selecting the \
'New' lily pad allows you to create a new game to play. You can specify all of the parameters of the \
game from here. Selecting 'Load' allows you to load a previously saved game in order to continue game \
play. 'Delete' allows you to delete previously saved games. And finally, 'Join' allows you to join in \
an existing game that is being hosted by someone else on a remote computer.

NEW GAME DIALOG

    Selecting the 'New' lily pad brings to the surface of the pond the dialog allowing you to create a \
new game. From this dialog, you can specify all of the parameters of the game. These parameters \
consist of:

* Game Type : Select one of the three toggle buttons to select the type of game you would like to play.

* Rounds : Not available in Jumblara. Enter the number of rounds for your game. Each round consists a \
separate board and tiles, and ends when no more plays are possible or all players have forfeited their turns.

* Players : The names and types of each player can be specified here. You are always listed as the \
first player of a game you are creating (hosting). To enter or change a name, click in the text box \
to display the insert cursor. You can then type in a name, or use the delete, backspace, and arrow \
keys to edit the name. You can specify the types of players for any remaining players you wish to \
include in your game. Click on the left or right arrow buttons next to each player type to cycle \
through the selections. Types consist of:

    "Computer" : One of three computer opponents, selectable by clicking on the player type \
description itself. Easy Ed is the simplest player, and has a very limited vocabulary. Average Joe \
has a very typical, moderate vocabulary. Tough Tom has a very comprehensive vocabulary, encompassing \
every word in the dictionary. If desired, you can change the name of the computer opponent by entering \
a new name in the name box.

    "Local" : Specifies that another person will be playing at the same computer. This is often referred \
to as hot-seat, where each player takes turn sitting in the seat and operating the computer.

    "Remote" : (available in registered version only) Specifies that another person will be playing from \
a remotely located computer. This remote computer must be connected to yours via one of the supported \
networking services described later.

* Pattern : Not available in Jumblara. Specify the starting number of the pattern (layout of tiles) for \
your game. Each game type has a different set of available patterns, with each pattern increasing in \
difficulty as the numbers increase. Enter a number in the pattern box, or use the left and right scroll \
buttons to scroll up and down through the list. A small preview of the pattern can be seen in the pattern \
preview box below this control.

* Timer : Specifies the amount of time each player has to play each turn of the game. The toggle \
button allows you enable or disable the timer. When enabled, you can specify the amount of time by \
using the left and right scroll buttons to decrease or increase the time in increments of five seconds. \
The minimum time limit is 15 seconds, while the maximum is two minutes. With the timer disabled, each player \
can take as much time as desired to play their turn, but they lose the opportunity to have their name entered \
into the high scores list.

* Bonus : Specifies the amount of bonus points each player will receive on their score per word played during \
the game. Bonus points are displayed as a percentage, ranging from 0 to 50 %, and are calculated from the \
difficulty of the selected pattern (if applicable), as well as the length of time on the timer. A very simple pattern, with \
a long time limit will give a very small bonus, while a more difficult pattern with a shorter time limit will \
give a higher bonus. Bonus points help to balance the scoring within a game, so that players in all game \
combinations will have an equal, unbiased potential of achieving a high score.

* Session Name : Enter the name of your game (session) whenever remote players are going to be joining \
in. This allows you to identify your specific game to others in the event that multiple games are \
running on a given network (e.g. an IPX Lan). This is optional and if left blank, "Lexicon" will be \
supplied as the name.

    Press OK to accept your settings and begin a new game. Press CANCEL to abort the new game process.


COMMUNICATIONS DIALOG

    If you selected at least one remote opponent in the new game dialog, you will be presented with this \
dialog. A list of networking services installed on your computer will be shown. Select the desired \
type of service and press OK to continue. Select CANCEL to abort the new game process.

    If you selected a Modem or Serial network connection, you will be presented with a standard Windows \
dialog asking for information specific to your connection. If any problems are encountered while \
trying to establish a network connection, a dialog will appear to notify you. If a network connection \
is properly established, you will enter the main game screen and await the arrival of your opponents.


LOAD GAME DIALOG

    Selecting the 'Load' lily pad brings to the surface of the pond the dialog allowing you to load a \
previously saved game. A list of any saved games will appear, allowing you to click on one and select \
LOAD. The dialog will descend and you will continue as normal as if you were starting a new game and \
clicked on the OK button, however scores and your current round will be set to their values at the \
time of being saved.


DELETE GAME DIALOG

    Selecting the 'Delete' lily pad brings to the surface of the pond the dialog allowing you to delete \
previously saved games. A list of any saved games will appear, allowing you to click on one and \
select DELETE. The saved game will be removed from the list. You can then delete other games while \
the dialog is up. Select CANCEL to close the dialog.


JOIN GAME DIALOG

    Selecting the 'Join' lily pad brings to the surface of the pond the dialog allowing you to join in on \
a game of Lexicon being hosted on another computer. Typically you will have to coordinate this event \
with others before joining in to a game. Once all parties have decided on a time and host for a game, \
and the network connection has been determined, you can select 'Join' and pick the network connection \
agreed upon from the list. If you selected a TCP/IP, Modem or Serial network connection, you will be \
presented with a standard Windows dialog asking for information specific to your connection. \
Acknowledge your settings to establish the connection. If successful, you will be presented with a \
dialog listing the Lexicon sessions available on the network. Select the session (game) you would \
like to join. Also enter your name in the name box to identify yourself and specify the name you want \
to use during the game. If you are joining a previously saved game (that is, the host has loaded a \
game with remote players specified), you can select your name from the name box using the left and \
right arrow buttons. Select OK to join the game. You will enter the main game screen and await the \
arrival of any remaining remote opponents.


\D


\3\B\CRULES

RULES FOR ELIMINUS

    The goal of Eliminus is to remove as many letter tiles from the board as possible, placing \
them in your tile bin to form words. Each player's turn consists of selecting available tiles from \
the board by clicking on them. A tile is deemed available if it has one exposed edge and is not \
obscured by any tiles on top of it. An exposed edge of a tile occurs when no other tile or border of \
the playing field is directly adjacent to the tile's edge.

    As tiles are clicked on (selected), they automatically drop into the tile bin at the bottom \
of the screen. They stack up in the bin in the order in which they were selected. Your goal is to \
build a valid word reading from left to right in the bin. A valid word is deemed as one existing in \
the Lexicon dictionary, and is at least three characters long. If the word is valid, it will glow \
while in the bin. If you want to remove tiles from the bin, click on a bin tile and the tile and all \
tiles to its right will return to their original positions on the board.

    When you have completed your word in the bin, click on the frog to submit your word and \
receive credit for it. If the word is valid, the frog will remove the tiles from the bin with its \
tongue, and your awarded points will float away from the bin and be added to your score. If the word \
is not recognized, a dialog will pop up asking if you would like to enter the word in the dictionary. \
Click on the YES or NO button (or press Y or N on the keyboard). If you answer yes, you will receive \
credit for the word, and all other players can then use the new word as well. The next player (if any) \
is then activated to play his or her turn. If you answer no, the tiles will not be removed from the \
bin, and you can continue with your turn.

    If you are unable to form a word from the available tiles, you can click on the frog to \
forfeit your turn. Make sure that no tiles are in your bin, otherwise the frog will assume you are \
trying to submit the word in the bin.

    If you are playing with a timer, you will have the specified number of minutes and seconds \
to complete your turn. The timer will flash and beep when only ten seconds are remaining. If you run \
out of time, any tiles in your bin are returned to the board and the next player's turn is activated. \
If you are playing alone, your penalty for running out of time is that three randomly selected tiles \
will be removed from the board each time. This will lower your ability to achieve higher tile \
scores (see scoring).


RULES FOR POPULATICA

    The goal of Populatica is to place as many tiles from your bin onto the board to form words. \
Each player starts off with a full bin of 12 tiles. You can then drag any tile from the bin onto the \
board. Drag a tile by clicking and holding down the left mouse button over a tile, then moving the \
mouse. Release the button to drop the tile. If the tile is over an available spot on the board, it \
will drop into place. If you drop the tile over an unavailable spot on the board (another tile is \
present there), or over some other area of the screen, the tile will return to its origin. You can \
drag and drop tiles between any combination of the bin and the board, allowing you to arrange tiles \
in your bin or on the board.

    Your goal is to form a word on the board that reads horizontally from left to right or \
vertically from top to bottom. The tiles must be consecutive, and therefore cannot have any blocker \
(unlabeled) tiles in between them. You can use existing lettered tiles in any part of your word, but \
you cannot move any tiles other than your own (they appear with black letters). As an example, if the \
word 'CAR' was on the board, you could add 'S' to the beginning and 'EY' to the end to form the word \
'SCAREY'.

    When you have formed your word, you submit it by dragging your mouse over the entire word \
(from start to finish or in reverse) with the right mouse button. Do this by placing your cursor \
over the first (or last) tile in the word and pressing down and holding the right mouse button, \
then move toward the end (or start) tile. As you drag, the selected tiles will glow. When you have \
highlighted the entire word, release the button and the word will be submitted. If the word does not \
exist in the Lexicon dictionary, a dialog will pop up asking if you would like to enter the word in \
the dictionary. Click on the YES or NO button (or press Y or N on the keyboard). If you answer yes, \
you will receive credit for the word, and all other players can then use the new word as well. If \
you answer no, the word will not be submitted, and you can continue with your turn.

    Any extraneous letters placed on the board but not submitted will be returned to the bin at \
the completion of your turn.

    When a word is submitted, the lettering on the submitted tiles will change color from black \
to your player color (the color your name appears as). As an additional bonus, if you surround \
another player's tiles with your own (on both sides or above and below), you will capture those \
tiles in between and they will be converted to your color as well. The length of your submitted \
word (for scoring purposes) is the total number of tiles in your word that are your color after \
all converting and capturing. For example, if you merely add the letter 'E' to another player's \
word 'CAR', you only get credit for the 'E'. If the 'C' already belonged to you from a previous \
turn, you would get credit for the 'C' and the 'E'. And if you added the letter 'S' to the beginning, \
you'd capture the 'A' and 'R' because you surrounded them with placed tiles ('S' and 'E').

    If you are unable to form a word from the available tiles, you can click on the frog to \
forfeit your turn. Any letters placed on the board will then be returned to the bin.

    In between player turns, when more than one player is participating, a butterfly will remove \
your tiles from the bin and then return the next player's tiles to the bin.

    If you are playing with a timer, you will have the specified number of minutes and seconds \
to complete your turn. The timer will flash and beep when only ten seconds are remaining. If you run \
out of time, any tiles placed on the board are returned to the bin and the next player's turn is \
activated. If you are playing alone, your penalty for running out of time is that three blocker tiles \
(appearing cracked) will be randomly dropped onto available spots on the board each time. This will \
lower your ability to achieve higher tile scores (see scoring).


RULES FOR JUMBLARA

    Jumblara is a single-player game only. The goal of Jumblara is to unscramble jumbled words placed \
on the board. When the game begins, a group of tiles are placed on the board, either horizontally or \
vertically. These tiles form a word from the dictionary, but they have been rearranged. Your objective is \
to select the tiles in the proper order to form a word. The word you create need not be the original \
unscrambled word, but it must be a valid word from the dictionary. The words placed on the board will \
always be at least four letters long, since three letter words are much too easy to unscramble.

    You can select tiles on the board by clicking on them. There are no restrictions as to which lettered \
tiles can be selected. As tiles are selected, they automatically drop into the tile bin at the bottom of \
the screen. They stack up in the bin in the order in which they were selected. Your goal is to build a valid \
word reading from left to right in the bin. A word is deemed valid if it exists in the Lexicon dictionary, and \
is at least three characters long. If the word is valid, it will glow while in the bin. If you want to \
remove tiles from the bin, click on a bin tile and that tile and all tiles to its right will return to \
their original positions on the board.

    When you have completed your word in the bin, click on the frog to submit your word and receive credit \
for it. If the word is valid, the frog will remove the tiles from the bin with its tongue, and your \
awarded points will float away from the bin and be added to your score. If the word is not recognized, a \
dialog will pop up asking if you would like to enter the word in the dictionary. Click on the YES or NO \
button (or press Y or N on the keyboard). If you answer yes, you will receive credit for the word, and it \
will then be added to the dictionary. If you answer no, the tiles will not be removed from the bin, and you \
can continue with your turn.

    If you are unable to form a word from the available tiles, you can click on the frog to forfeit your \
turn. Make sure that no tiles are in your bin, otherwise the frog will assume you are trying to submit the \
word in the bin.

    If you are playing with a timer, you will have the specified number of minutes and seconds to complete \
your turn. The timer will flash and beep when only ten seconds are remaining. If you run out of time, any \
tiles in your bin are returned to the board.

    At the end of your turn, whether you submitted a word, passed your turn, or time ran out, any \
lettered tiles left on the board are changed to block tiles (tiles with no letters). As you continue to play \
the game, more and more block tiles will appear as you leave behind lettered tiles. Eventually the board \
will fill up with block tiles to the point where no openings (of at least four tiles) remain. When this \
happens, the game ends. It is therefore beneficial to use as many tiles as possible from each scrambled word.

    When all tiles are changed to block tiles and the turn has ended, a new scrambled word will appear on \
the board, and the process starts over again.

    In the shareware version, each game starts with a border of block tiles around the board, thus making \
your playable area smaller. In the registered version, this border does not appear, and the full board \
is available.


COMMON RULES

    While the rules of Lexicon's three games differ, some of the mechanics of the games are \
consistent.


PAUSE/CHAT

    During a game, you can pause by clicking on the PAUSE/CHAT button. This will bring up a large \
dialog and will suspend the timer. This dialog also serves as a way to chat with other remotely \
connected players in your game. If other remote players are participating in your game, they will \
also enter pause mode as you press the button. You can type in a message in the small message box \
at the bottom of the dialog, pressing the Enter key after each line. Your message will then be sent \
to all other remote players, and will appear for all players in the large chat window that comprises \
most of the dialog. Each player's message is preceded by the name of the player that sent the message.

    You can press the JUMP button from this dialog to Jump (momentarily exit) to Windows if you \
need to perform other activities. You can then single click on the Lexicon task in your task bar to \
resume the game. Any remotely connected players will receive a message when you have Jumped to \
Windows, as well as when you return.

    You can press the CLOSE button to exit pause mode and return to the game. If you timer was \
enabled, it will resume at this time. If you are part of a networked game and another player has \
activated the pause mode, you will not be able to press the CLOSE button. Only the player who \
originated the pause mode by pressing the PAUSE/CHAT button has the ability to end the pause mode.


QUIT

    During a game, you can exit by clicking on the EXIT button (or pressing the ESC key). This \
will bring up a dialog asking you to confirm your action. Click on the YES or NO button (or press \
Y or N on the keyboard). Quitting will abort your entire game, not just the current round. All \
players, including any remotely connected players, will return to the pond screen.


HINTS

    Available in registered version only. Not available in Jumblara. During a game, you might see a lady bug \
crawling around the right edge of your screen. If you are stuck and you click on the lady bug, you \
can receive a hint on what word to play. The lady bug will fly out to the board and identify a word and \
its tiles. After a moment (or if you click on the hint bubble) the lady bug will fly off of the board. \
If you have any more hints left, the lady bug will stay on the right edge of the screen, otherwise it will \
fly away. Each player (except computer opponents) begins each round with one hint. You will always have \
one hint available whenever you are in last place and your score is at least 100 points below the next \
lowest score.



\D


\4\B\CSCORING

POINTS

    For all three game types, points are awarded based on the length of each word submitted. \
This is complicated slightly in Populatica, where you can use other players' tiles to form words, \
but the number of tiles you get credit for is what determines the length. The points you receive is \
the square of the number of credited tiles for your turn. For example, if you played 3 tiles, you'd \
receive 3x3 = 9 points. For 4 tiles you'd get 4x4 = 16 points, 5 tiles is 25 points, 6 tiles is 36 \
points, etc.. In this manner, longer words are better rewarded.

    On top of your basic points, you will also receive your bonus points, as specified on the New \
game dialog. For example, if you had a bonus of 25% and you played 3 tiles, you would receive 2.25 points \
(9 X 0.25) to your 9 points, for a total of 11 points (all decimal values are dropped).

    Due to the fact that a number of players can play any given game, and each pattern has a different \
number of tiles (or openings) available, the scoring must also account for these factors to provide for a \
balanced, unbiased potential for achieving high scores. Therefore, the program automatically generates a \
scoring factor which takes these two variables into account, and applies this factor to each player's score. \
This factor therefore will increase the points awarded for any given word. During a round, all players will \
receive the same points for a 3 letter word, but in a different round with a different pattern, the points for \
a 3 letter word will be different. For example, in a solitaire game with many tiles (or openings) available, the \
scoring factor will be quite small. But in a multi-player game with fewer tiles (or openings) available, the \
potential scores of each player will be much smaller (since there are fewer tiles available), so the scoring \
factor will be much higher.

    Also, in Populatica, if you clear your entire bin of tiles, you'll receive a 50 point bonus in \
addition to the points you receive for your submitted word.

HIGH SCORES / STATISTICS

    Between rounds of a game, you will arrive at the High Scores/Statistics screen. You can \
also enter this screen from the High Scores button on the pond screen, however there will be no \
game-in-progress statistics.

    When a game is in progress, the top portion of the screen shows statistics for the current \
game. This includes the most recently completed round and the total number of rounds. Statistics \
for the players are also listed, including their names, scores for the last round, averaged scores for \
all rounds played, and the number of rounds won so far. The entry for the player with the highest score \
will be glowing. You can click on the SAVE button to save your current game. The game will be saved using \
the name appearing in the box below the button. The name defaults to the name of your current session, \
but you can edit the name if you prefer.

    The bottom portion of the screen shows high scores for all three game types. Select one of \
the three game type toggle buttons to view the corresponding list of scores. The list displays the \
top 30 scores for each game type, and includes the ranking of each entry. Duplicate rankings appear \
whenever two or more scores have tied. The player's name and score also appears in the list. \
If you have completed the last round of a game and a player has been added to the high scores list, \
the entry for that player will be glowing. You can clear out the high scores for the selected game \
type by pressing the CLEAR button.

    When all rounds of a game have been completed, a medallion will appear showing the winner \
(or winners in the case of a tie). The medallion will float away after a few moments, or you can \
click on it to remove it.

    To exit the screen, press the EXIT button (or the ESC key). If a game is in progress, you \
will return to the game screen, otherwise you will return to the pond screen. Press the QUIT button \
to abort a game in progress and return to the pond screen.



\D


\5\B\CTHE DICTIONARY


    Selecting the DICTIONARY button from the pond screen takes you to the dictionary screen, \
where you can view, search, add and delete words from the dictionary. The supplied dictionary \
contains close to 100,000 words. To turns pages, click on the edges of the remaining pages of \
the book, directly to the left of the left page or right of the right page. If you click on any \
word on the page, it will become marked for deletion, with a red line appearing through it. Click \
on the word again to unmark it. Whenever you turn a page or leave this screen, any words marked for \
deletion will be permanently removed from the dictionary.

    To search for a particular word, type the word in the text box located below the dictionary, \
then press the FIND button. If the word can be found in the dictionary, the pages will turn to reveal \
the word, which will appear in red, otherwise a beep and a flash will alert you that it couldn't be \
found.

    To add a new word to the dictionary, type the word in the text box located below the \
dictionary, then press the ADD button. If the word is not already in the dictionary, it will be \
added, and the pages will turn to reveal the word in its alphabetic position. If the word was \
already present in the dictionary, the pages will turn to reveal the word. The word will appear in \
red in both cases.

    To the left of each word is a small symbol representing the level of frequency (or usage) of \
that word in conversation. There are three levels of usage supported: very frequent (hollow oval), \
common (half-filled oval), and infrequent (filled oval). These three levels correspond to the words \
that the three types of computer opponents can use. Easy Ed only uses the very frequent words, \
Average Joe uses those words plus the common words, and Tough Tom uses all words. The dictionary \
is supplied with pre-defined levels for all words. You can change the levels of any given word by \
clicking on the symbol next to the word. The level symbol will cycle through all three settings. \
These settings will be saved to the dictionary whenever you turn a page or leave this screen. Any \
words added to the dictionary (from this screen or during game play) will be assigned the default \
new word level defined from the Options screen.

    Press the EXIT button (or the ESC key) to exit the dictionary screen and return to the pond \
screen.



\D


\6\B\CMISCELLANEOUS

OPTIONS

    Selecting the OPTIONS button from the pond screen takes you to the Options screen, where you \
can permanently change various program settings.

    Within the MISCELLANEOUS panel, you can disable/enable the pop-up tip balloons that appear \
throughout the game by clicking on the toggle button to the left of the 'SHOW TIP BALLOONS' label. \
Generally you will want to disable these tips once you've learned how to play the game. You can also \
toggle these tips on and off throughout the program by pressing the 'T' key. Note that when changed \
in this manner, the setting is not saved permanently.

    Within the AUDIO panel, you can change the volume of the music, sound effects, and \
environment sounds (birds, crickets, etc..) by sliding the red slider for each setting to the left \
(softer) or right (louder). You will hear the effect of these changes as you make them.

TIP: You can toggle the music on and off during gameplay by pressing the 'M' key. You can also toggle \
the environment sounds by pressing the 'E' key. Note that settings changed in this manner are not \
saved permanently.

    Within the REGISTRATION panel, you can register your copy of Lexicon to the full version. You will \
first need to obtain the registration code, which you will receive upon payment for the registered version. \
See the Order form for information on how to register. Once you receive the registration code, type it in \
the box exactly as it appears on your registration document. When typed in correctly, the message at the \
bottom of the box will change from "Not Registered" to "Registered". At this point, your copy of Lexicon is \
fully registered, and you can enjoy the full set of features in the game. If you ever uninstall and reinstall \
the game on your computer, you will need to re-enter this registration code, so keep your registration code \
in a safe place. You are not permitted to share your code with anyone else.

    Within the DICTIONARY panel, you can change the word frequency (or usage) level for words \
added into the dictionary (from the dictionary screen or during game play). Slide the red slider \
left or right to change the setting.

    Press the EXIT button (or the ESC key) to save your settings, exit the options screen and \
return to the pond screen.




BYPASSING SCREENS

    During the introductory screens, you can press any key to bypass the presentation and advance \
to the next screen. During the first screen which displays the Nature Boy Software logo, you can press \
the function keys F3-F7 to advance to a specific screen, as listed below:

    F3: Main control screen with the pond
    F4: Options screen
    F5: Help screen
    F6: Dictionary screen
    F7: High Scores screen


TROUBLE-SHOOTING

PERFORMANCE

I've noticed that the game slows down at times. What can I do?

In Windows 95, some background programs or scheduled tasks can impact game performance. You can \
try to exit some of the other programs that are currently running on your system. Press \
'CTRL-ALT-DEL' to view a listing of all programs that are currently running. If you are sure you can \
safely exit a particular program, select it from the list and press the 'END TASK' button. Be careful \
though! You can crash or hang your computer by closing a program that Windows 95 is dependent on. \
Refer to your Windows 95 users manual to configure your machine for optimal performance.


AUDIO

I try to change the volume of the music, but nothing seems to happen.

Lexicon uses the MIDI device in your sound card to play music. Some sound cards do not support MIDI volume \
control, and therefore are unable to alter the volume of music played in this manner. However, you can at \
least turn off the music by setting the volume slider all the way to the left.


\D


\7\B\CTHE FULL VERSION

    If you've enjoyed the demo version of this game, you should consider registering to the full \
version. Features found in the full registered version of Lexicon include:

* More patterns. More challenges for all three games.
* Tougher computer opponents. Play against Average Joe and Tough Tom and their big vocabularies.
* Editable dictionary. View, add and delete words in the dictionary.
* Saving and loading games. Resume those long tournaments at a later date.
* Remote-player capabilities via IPX, TCP/IP, modem and serial connections.
* High scores saved to disk. Record your great scores for posterity.
* Word hints (suggestions) available during gameplay.


\D