The author is a high school math teacher and scholastic bowl coach. Not that you care, but hey, saying so didn't take up much room.
Two Games In One
Catch Seven, with its two different game modes (One Player and Two Player) is essentially two different games in one. In One Player mode, a player tries to accumulate as many points as possible in just seven categories. In Two Player mode, players compete in a bidding and guessing war, attempting to be the first to reach 30 points and win big money (sorry, big money isn't real money).
One Player Mode
Object of the One Player Game
As stated above, in One Player mode, a player tries to accumulate as many points as possible in a limited number (7) of categories. The computer will give you a category name, and based on how comfortable you feel with the category, you bid a number from 1 to 7. After bidding, you will be presented with a board of twelve items, seven of which belong to the category. You must try to pick out the items belonging to the category, while avoiding the ones that don't. The number you bid is the number of items you must correctly guess to earn the number of points that you bid.
Bidding
The bidding screen will show a thermometer, the current score, and the category on which the players must bid. At this point, you will have no idea what the possible answers are going to be, or how difficult the category will be. You must trust your own knowledge (or lack of knowledge) about the given category when deciding how to bid.
Trying to Make Your Bid
Once bidding has been completed, the main game board appears showing the category and twelve possible members of that category. Exactly SEVEN ARE CORRECT and FIVE ARE INCORRECT. The high bidder must attempt to click on enough correct members to meet his or her bid, without hitting any of the incorrect members.
Bidding Strategy
Don't underbid--you only get seven categories to earn as many points as possible, and there's no opportunity for "extra credit" if you know more than you bid. But don't overbid, either--you may get in trouble and hit an incorrect item--if you do, you will score zero for the category. As an incentive to try to "Catch Seven" (that is, bid to get them all right), if you make a bid of seven you will get TEN points for the extra risk.
Two Player Mode
Object of the Two Player Game
The object of Catch Seven (two player) is to win money by being the first to SCORE A TOTAL OF 30 POINTS, by outsmarting and outguessing your opponent. Players are presented with a category and required to bid how many items they can identify from that category. If a player succeeds in making his or her bid, then that player receives the number of points according to the bid. Otherwise, the opponent receives the points. As an incentive to "shoot the moon", a player that bids SEVEN and makes all seven gets TEN points (failure to make a bid of seven only gives seven points to the opponent).
Bidding
The bidding screen for Two Player mode is very similar to that for One Player mode. It shows a thermometer, the current score, and the category on which the players must bid. At this point, players have no idea what the possible answers are going to be, or how difficult the category will be. Players must trust their own knowledge (or lack of knowledge) about the given category when deciding how to bid.
Above the thermometer, words appear telling whose bid it is. Also, the cursor changes color to indicate the current bidder. To bid, a player simply clicks on the thermometer at the level they want to bid. Bids can be anything from 1 to 7, or pass. Players will alternate bidding until either someone passes or someone decides to try to "Catch Seven". If both players pass without either one making even any bid at all, then the category is thrown out and play moves on to the next category.
Player One (yellow) bids first on the first category, Player Two (red) bids first on the second, and the initial bidder alternates from there on.
Trying to Make Your Bid
This is pretty much the same as in One Player mode, so see above.
Scoring
The first player to reach 30 points wins a total of ten dollars for each point he or she scored. (Remember, that's not real money, so don't write me asking for a payoff! I guarantee I don't have it!)
Selection of Players
Upon choosing either "Start A Game" from the Title Screen or "New Game" from the menu, you will be presented a list of players. You may select one of the existing players, or choose to enter a new player. You will do this first for Player One (yellow) and then for Player Two (red).
The Player Menu
Use of the Player menu options allows you to manage players and player data in either mode of Catch 7. The High Scores option displays the High Score board for the current mode. The Clear Scores option sets all current players scores to zero, without deleting any players. Again, this only affects scores in the current mode. Delete Player allows you to choose a player to delete from the Catch 7 roster, subject to the limitation that Catch 7 needs at least two players to run--it won't let you delete all but one player. If you don't like the players you have, add the ones you want first (by choosing New Player when you play) and then delete the ones you don't want. Finally, the Reset Scores option allows you to wipe clear the slate and return the player roster and scores to the status it had when you first got this software. Like the High Scores and the Clear Scores options, Reset Scores affects only the mode that is currently active.
The Mode Menu
To change between One and Two Player modes, simply go to the Mode menu and select the mode you want. At quitting time, Catch Seven will remember the current mode and start up in that mode next time you launch it.
Registration
What you get for $7
When you register TicTacTrivia!, you will receive a key code that will allow you to use all of the categories in the included files. This means you have access to over five times the number of categories you will see without registering. Also, with so many categories at your disposal, combined with Catch 7's category format that allows a category to be repeated almost infinitely with different combinations of right and wrong responses each time (by the time you see a combination repeated, your Mac will be obsolete anyway), registered users will enjoy what should be practically never-ending use of this game. Any updates to questions will be offered to all on the registered list, although the availability of updates depends on the response of registered users. To register, please send $7 (and include e-mail address if you have one) to:
Kevin DeVizia, attn. C7
PO Box 478
Millrift, PA 18340
What you get for $20: The Catch Seven Editor
In addition to enjoying the benefits of being a registered user described above, you will receive the Catch Seven Editor, a program that allows you to input your own category files. Great for teachers, quiz bowl coaches, coordinators, etc. To receive the Editor, please send $20 (and your e-mail address if you have one) to the address above.
