5. Puzzle Play Hidden Pictures
       
Welcome to School Zone's Puzzle Play Hidden Pictures Software!
 
 
In this Read Me document, you will find the following:
 
Age Level:  Ages 6-8
 
Educational Skills:
  • Graphing
  • Coordinate pairs
  • Perceptual skills
  • Cognitive reasoning
  • Following directions
 
Key Features:
  • The simple program design allows children to work independently.
  • Children can create their own hidden picture games to share with a friend or family member.
  • Children can have the computer create hidden picture games for them to play.
  • Children can print a Hide the Picture game to play away from the computer.
  • School Zone Interactive software keeps children actively engaged.
 
How to Play:
  Welcome to Puzzle Play Hidden Pictures!  Are you ready to turn this computer into a puzzle making machine? To get started, type your name into the box and click the 'OK' button.

Puzzle Play software makes making hidden picture games easy; but if you need some help, just click the question mark.
 
  Main Menu:
 
  • Difficulty - Click the colored '1X', '2X', or '3X' numbers to set the difficulty level of the game. 1X is easy, 2X is medium, and 3X is hard.
  • Sound Settings - Clicking on the musical notes will turn the music off and on.
  • Play - Clicking the green 'PLAY' button will cause the computer to finish creating the hidden picture game and start the game.
  • Exit - You can leave Puzzle Play Hidden Pictures at any time by clicking the purple button with the pink exit arrow.
 
  Build a Game:
  You have just entered the Puzzle Play Hidden Pictures game, put on your hardhat and grab your tool belt, it’s time to build a game full of hide and seek fun.  If you want the computer to make a hidden picture game for you, just click the green 'PLAY' button.  If you want to build a game yourself, go to step 1 Choose a Background.

Remember, at any time, you can stop construction of the hidden picture game you are making and have the computer finish it for you by clicking the green 'PLAY' button.
 
  1. Choose a Background
  First, pick your background scene by clicking the red button in the right area of the screen.  This will bring up the screen selector.  Click on one of the scenes and it will fill the play area.  To see more background scenes, click the orange arrows.   There are 30 scenes to choose from. When you have made your choice, click the purple exit button.
 
  2. Hide Pictures
  It’s time to select some pictures to hide!  Click the blue button with the picture of a bag on it.  This will bring up the picture selector.  Click on a picture and it will stick to your finger cursor.  Drag it to a spot in the game play area, a green square around the image lets you know it will fit in that spot, a red square lets you know it won't fit and you need to move to a new spot.  When you're ready to place the picture, just click the mouse again.  You can hide up to 8 pictures.  The pictures you place will magically disappear behind the background scene when you click the 'PLAY' button.
 
  3. Hide Tokens
  Tokens are goodies and gags that can be added to the game to make it more challenging. You can add just a few or a lot. You can add all of just one kind or select a variety; it’s all up to you. Goodies are green colored tokens and help a player. Gags are red colored tokens and nothing but trouble. Hide them in the game to slow down a player.

To hide a token, click on one of the red gags or green goodies and it will stick to your cursor finger. Drag it to a spot in the game play area, a green square lets you know it will fit in that spot, a red square lets you know it won’t fit and you need to move to a new spot. When you’re ready to place the gag or goody, click the mouse again.

Goodies:
  • Free Dig - this goody gives a player one safe dig, no gags will affect you and it won’t subtract one of a player's digs.
  • Add a Dig - this goody adds one more dig to a player's game.
  • Subtract Time - this goody takes away seconds from the game timer.
  • Sneak Peek - keep an eye on the game area, this goody will show a player where one of the hidden pictures is buried.
Gags:
  • Subtract a Dig - this gag takes away one of a player's digs.
  • Add Time - this gag adds seconds to the game timer.
  • Hide Again - this gag will re-hide one of the pictures that has already been found. No peeking during this gag.
  • Lights Out - this gag turns off the column and row lights so the player won’t get any hints on their next dig.
 
  4. Choose a Digger
  Pick one of the four dig crew members to help you while you play. These excavating experts will help find the hidden pictures.
 
  Play:
  The object of the game is to find all the hidden pictures in the fewest digs and the least amount of time. If you run out of digs before finding all of the hidden pictures, the game is over. The computer will keep track of the best scores.  If you are fast, you will get your name in the Hall of Fame!  Here are some helpful hints to keep in mind as you play:
 
  1. Hidden Picture Tray
  At the bottom of the play area is a tray with outlines of the pictures that are buried in the game.  When one of the pictures is found, the outline will be replaced with the colorful picture from the game.  That way you can tell how many you have left to find.
 
  2. Finding a Picture
  To search for a hidden picture, you need to type in a letter and number.  The letters and numbers you will be using are around the play area.  First, find a spot in the game area you would like to dig up.  Now, type in the letter for this column and the number for this row.  This creates a coordinate pair where the column and row intersect and will be your dig point.  When you have entered the coordinates, click the red 'DIG' button.  Your excavator will dig in that spot.  Keep typing letter and number coordinate pairs until you have found all the hidden pictures.  You will only have a limited number of digs, so use the lights around the play area for clues so you don't dig in the wrong spot.  If you run out of digs before finding all of the hidden pictures, the game will be over.  The timer will keep track of how long it takes you to find all of the hidden pictures.
 
  3. Clues
  The colored lights on the edge of the game play area will give you clues on where pictures are located.
  • Blue light: there is a hidden picture in that row or column
  • Green light: there are tokens in that row or column
    (Remember, a token can be a goody or a gag)
  • Orange light: there are both pictures and tokens in that row or column
  • Purple light: there is nothing in that row or column
 
  4. Start a New Game
  At any time you can stop the game you are playing and make a new hidden picture game or just make changes to the game you're playing by clicking one of the four colorful construction buttons.  Changing your dig crew member or changing the background scene will not affect the outcome of the game in progress, but changing or moving the tokens or hidden pictures will reset the round.
 
  Print a Hide the Picture Game:
  Click the blue button with a picture of a printer on it to print a Hide the Picture game to play away from the computer. The printout will contain instructions on how to play.  This game is for 2 or more players.
 
  Exiting the Program:
  To leave Puzzle Play Hidden Pictures, click the purple exit button with the pink arrow.
 
 
Technical Support:
  If you experience problems using this software, you can e-mail us at support@schoolzone.com or call us at 1-616-846-9601.

Support Hours:
Monday through Thursday 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. EST
Friday 8:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m. EST

Additional support is always available online at: www.schoolzone.com/support

Please have the following information available for technical support:
 
  • Operating system
  • CPU type and speed
  • Amount of RAM
  • Available hard drive space
  • CD-ROM speed
 
Minimum System Requirements:
  Windows® 7, Vista, XP SP3
    Pentium® III 1GHz (or equivalent)
    1GB of RAM
    800x600 32-bit color video
    16-bit sound card
    700MB of available disk space
    CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive
 
  Mac® OSX 10.8, 10.7.5, 10.6.8
    Intel Processor
    1GB of RAM
    800x600 32-bit color video
    700MB of available disk space
    CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive
 
 
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