| Overview Chip is willing to do anything for Melinda the Mental Marvel, more than anything, because he wants to join Melinda's exclusive computer club, the Bit Busters. Finally Melinda has offered him membership, but on one condition! Chip must find his way from one end of Melinda's magical clubhouse to the other, picking up cosmic computer chips along the way. If that sounds easy, then you've never been to Melinda's magical clubhouse. It's awesome inside, but tricky, and a little scary too. There are teleports, invisible walls, force floors, water traps, locked doors, and plenty of monsters. There's magic, mystery, and behind the scenes there is Melinda, keeping score on your progress and providing helpful hints. As you succeed in helping Chip move through each level of the clubhouse, Melinda gives you a secret password that allows you to return. And Melinda rewards perseverance. If she thinks Chip has tried long enough and hard enough on a level, she'll let him sneak through to the next level. But it takes a lot of perseverance to impress her. How big is the clubhouse? 144 levels is the rumor. But some claim that Melinda is still building. In any case, it defies dimensions so don't get lost. Playing the Game The object of Chip's Challenge is to help heroic Chip find all the computer chips he needs on one level so that he can plug into the cosmic computer socket and pass through the exit square to the next level. Along the way you've got to keep Chip safe from the many dangers of Melinda's magical clubhouse. Your job is to help him find the tools he'll need to unlock doors, walk through fire, bridge water, avoid bombs, and find the correct paths. Use the arrow keys on the numeric keypad or the mouse to move Chip around the magical clubhouse. Each time you move Chip to a square with a tool on it, the tool becomes Chip's ally. For instance, when you move Chip to a square with a blue key on it, he can use the key to pass through a blue door. The screen is divided into two windows: the Action window and the Information window. The Action window is the inside of Melinda's magical clubhouse, where you play the game. The Information window, located to the right of the action window, has four displays. The Level display shows the game level. The Time display is a countdown clock to remind you how much time remains. There is a time limit for most game levels. The more complicated the level, the more time you are allotted. The less time you use, the higher your score. The Chips Left display shows how many chips you need to find before you can pass to the next level. Watch this display, as you don't always need to collect every chip on a level. On some levels you don't even have to collect any chips, which means your big challenge is to just get out alive. The inventory box, below the Chips Left display, holds the tools you've picked up, such as keys, shoes, skates, and so on, to help Chip make it to the next level. A hint box is displayed when you move Chip to a square with a question mark on it. The hint box provides suggestions on how to make it through each level, from level 1 to level 8. Beyond the eighth level, however, only occasional hints are given. To start a new game From the Game menu, choose New Game, or press F2. Note: When you choose the New Game command, it returns you to level 1, resets your score to zero, and erases all your passwords. To restart an existing game If you restart Chip's Challenge after a short or long break, all you have to do is press the arrow keys or click the mouse and Chip is back in action. Melinda remembers your score and all your passwords. Note: Be sure not to choose the New Game command to restart an existing game or all your past achievements are lost. To move Chip On the numeric keypad, press the UP ARROW, DOWN ARROW, LEFT ARROW, OR RIGHT ARROW. You can also use the mouse. Just click the square you want Chip to go to, no matter how close or far away. To get a hint Move Chip to the question mark square. Hints are given during the first eight levels, and only occasionally on subsequent levels. To pause a game From the Game menu, choose Pause, or press F3. When the game is paused, the countdown clock stops. But to make life tougher for Chip, the playing surface is covered. To resume play, choose Pause or press F3 again. To restart play on the same level From the Level menu, choose Restart, or press CTRL+R. To go to the next level From the Level menu, choose Next, or press CTRL+N. If you have not already visited this level, you must give the password. To go to the previous level From the Level menu, choose Previous, or press CTRL+P. To go to a specific level 1. From the Level menu, choose Go To. The Go To Level dialog box is displayed. 2. Type the number of the level you want to go to and its password. The password for a level is displayed when you begin that level. If you have already visited a level, you can omit the password. If you know the password, you can omit the level number. Rules of the Game Chip's Challenge has one rule at its core: You have to get Chip through a level of play before the countdown clock or poor Chip expires. To complete a level of play, Chip must first collect the required number of computer chips (as indicated on the Chips Left display in the lower right of the Information window). Only at this point may he plug himself in to the cosmic chip socket, and pass through the exit square. But Chip's life is not an easy one, and sometimes there are obstacles even between the cosmic chip socket and the exit square. Unfortunately, Chip is a fragile fellow and just about anything, from a paramecium, to a bug, to a blob, can kill him if he steps too near. Also of fatal concern are the tanks, fire balls, bombs, ice sheets, and bear traps that Melinda has left lying around her clubhouse. Only one death per level is allowed. Fortunately, Chip is a persistent fellow. If killed on one level, he tries again. Scoring Time bonus: When you complete a level, you receive 10 points for every second left on the countdown clock. A few of the higher levels aren't timed, so you don't receive a time bonus for completing them. Level bonus: When you complete a level you always receive 500 points. This is multiplied by the level number you have just completed. For example, upon completing level 7, you receive 3,500 level bonus points. However, each time Chip dies, or restarts, the level bonus is decreased by 20 percent. Level score: When you complete a level, your time bonus and level bonus are computed and then added together to create your level score. Total score: The total score is the sum of your scores for all levels. To see the best times and points awarded for each level From the Game menu, choose Best Times. Click Here for Hints and Tips |
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