                  QUICK-START

Select Game To Play:  Classic ZIG-ZAG or one of six 
QUEST journeys.  Choose one of ZIG-ZAG's four word 
game versions or Number Please!  Then select a Difficulty 
Level, and you are now ready to play.


                  MOVEMENT

KEY			FUNCTION                                      
TAB			Advance to next letter entry square
SHIFT-TAB		Go to previous letter entry square
RIGHT ARROW		Same as TAB
LEFT ARROW		Same as SHIFT-TAB
UP ARROW		Go to first ZIG-SQUARE at top of screen
DOWN ARROW		Return from ZIG-SQUARES to last entry point
DELETE			Deletes character at current entry point
HOME			Go to first character of current entry line
END			Go to last character of current entry line

NOTE: As you play the game, the cursor will automatically 
advance to the next entry point.  You do not need to "TAB" 
after each letter entry.


                       RULES

The object of ZIG-ZAG is to solve the computer's 4-, 5-, 6-,
 or 7-letter "Secretword" and score as many points as possible 
along the way.  By the last round, if you are able to deduce the 
Secretword (through skillful selection of "Testwords"), you will 
receive a 3000 point bonus!

If you score a great amount of points, you may even establish a 
new "high score" record!

                  LEVEL OF DIFFICULTY

The computer selects a Secretword from its official dictionary 
based on the level designated by the player from the New Game 
Set-up screen.  The player chooses the degree of Secretword 
difficulty by selecting a level (from the Pop-Up menu) between 
1 and 9, with 1, 2, and 3 being the easiest words (no repeating 
letters) to 7, 8, and 9 being the hardest.  Words rated 8 and 
9 should generally be avoided as these levels contain only the 
most obscure Secretwords; thus Level 7 "Championship" is the 
highest recommended level. 

The computer's Secretword choice is kept concealed.  You are now
ready to play!


                         HOW TO PLAY

The player starts the first round of the game by entering on 
the first row of the game screen a 1-, 2-, or 3-letter Testword 
depending on the Secretword length being played.  Any letter 
of the alphabet is acceptable for a 1-letter Testword.  The 
four arrow keys on the computer keyboard can be used to move 
to the correct letter space which is always highlighted.  
(The player can also use the mouse to highlight the correct 
letter space.)  The player then types in the word using the 
keyboard.  

After the player has typed in the Testword, The Return/Enter 
key is pressed to process the guess.  (The player can also 
use the mouse to click on "Enter Testword" to process the guess.)

For the second turn of play, a 1-, 2-, 3-, or 4-letter Testword is 
entered on the game screen in the same manner.  On each subsequent 
turn, the player types in a Testword, enters it, and receives a 
score for it.  The ZIG-ZAG game grid has eleven staggered rows 
for Testwords, and the computer automatically scores the 
player's word guesses, thereby giving important information so 
that the Secretword can be deduced.

IMPORTANT:  Each Testword must be a real word, spelled correctly, 
with the correct number of letters for the spaces shown.  
Non-words, proper nouns, words containing a hyphen or 
apostrophe, or misspelled words are not accepted by the computer.


                        SCORING

The Score for each Testword is computed as follows:

ZIG:  1000 points are scored for a "ZIG": each letter in the 
player's Testword that appears in the "Secretword"  and  falls 
in the same position.

ZAG:  250 points are scored for a "ZAG": each letter in the 
player's Testword that appears in the "Secretword" but does 
not fall in the same position.

For the last turn, if the player correctly enters the Secretword, 
a bonus award of 3000 points is added to the score for the last 
Testword.

When scoring, the computer first scores all Zigs, then scores 
any Zags.  Each individual letter in the Secretword scores 
only once.  Thus, the player never earns a double score for 
the same individual letter in the Secretword.  For example, 
if the Secretword is BALLET and the player guesses BIB, the 
score will be 1000.  The first B is a Zig, but the second B 
does not score 250 because the B in the Secretword has 
already been correctly identified.  To observe an annotated 
sample game, select Instructions/Rules in the display menu.  
The three illustrated games will show you very clearly both 
scoring and strategy.

Starting with Difficulty Level 4, beware of repeated letters 
(either consecutive or separated).  Repeated letters add to 
the complexity of solving the Secretword!


                     LETTERS STATUS PALETTE

ZIG-ZAG provides the player a "memory" tool to assist in 
organizing and utilizing information deduced during play of 
the game:  To bring up the Letters Status palette, the 
player clicks on the "Show Alphabets" button on the game 
screen or selects it from the Display menu.  The palette can 
be "dragged" to any convenient spot on the monitor screen 
by using the mouse.  The player can then utilize the Letters 
Status Palette during play to assist in deducing the 
Secretword.  See sample Letter Palette Help Screen in Display 
menu (Instructions/Rules) for more information.


                           STRATEGY

When the player scores 1000 points and knows which letter is 
the Zig, it is good strategy to repeat that letter in matching 
position whenever possible in subsequent Testwords to earn a 
lot of points.  It is usually not good practice, however, to 
constantly repeat known Zags and score only 250; a better idea 
is to try to find the remaining letters in the Secretword.  
Many times when a player has discovered the matching position 
of just two or three letters, the entire Secretword may be 
revealed.  Experience from playing will hone the players 
skills at choosing Testwords that both reveal the maximum 
information from the minimum number of guesses and at the 
same time score the highest number of points.


                        VARIATIONS

NUMBER PLEASE!:  is an exciting variation of ZIG-ZAG played 
just like the word game, except that the Secretword is a 
"Secretnumber" instead. 

QUESTS:  there are six Quests available in this CD version 
of ZIG-ZAG.  A Zig-Zag Quest is comprised of a series of 
ZIG-ZAG games where one's scores in each game translate 
directly to progress on one's journey across one of the four 
Quest maps.  See the Quest Help Screen for more information 
on these expeditions.
