This program demonstrates the Macintosh Blob Manager. Each of the several windows contains a different scenario. Some scenarios have auxiliary menus, which appear whenever the appropriate window is in front. A window may be hidden by clicking its close box, and made to reappear with the Windows menu. The Windows menu may also be used to bring a window to the front.
General Instructions
All scenarios are entirely mouse-based. Most share the characteristic that to do something, you click on a likely-looking object and drag it onto another likely-looking object. The dragged object then becomes glued to the dragged-to object. Often connections can be severed by double-clicking on the dragged-to object, or by dragging a glued object onto another object. These instructions are deliberately vague; if you don't know what to do, experiment. Below are some hints.
Anagrams
Unscramble the letters to make a word. If you don't know, push the Answer button.
Arithmetic
Simple arithmetic problems. Drag digits onto the appropriate positions of the sum. You can also drag digits into the carry positions. Digits may be dragged from any existing digit into the sum or the carry digits.
Use the Radix menu to change the base of the numbering system in which the problems are presented - anywhere from base 2 (binary) to base 10 (decimal).
To see your progress during a problem, click Check. Continue by clicking Resume. To see the answer, click Uncle. To skip a problem, click Next. The scenario detects when you complete a problem correctly by disallowing blob transactions and highlighting only the Next button.
Coin Swap
The object is to switch the positions of the white coins and the black coins. You must do it in the specified number of moves to win. A coin can be slid into an empty position next to it, or can jump over one coin into an empty space. To restart, select a configuration from the Configuration menu.
Fifteen-A-Row
Drag digits onto the star so that the three digits along every axis of the star sum to fifteen. There are many solutions, but they all share one central characteristic. When you solve the problem correctly, a Restart button appears.
Fish Sticks
Switch the pieces of the picture around to reassemble the image of the fish.
Fox, Goose, Grain
A classical problem. The farmer wants to move the fox, the goose and the grain to the other side of the river. He can use his boat to ferry things from one side of the river to the other, but he can only put one thing in the boat at a time. The fox will eat the goose if they are left alone together, and the goose will eat the grain if they are left alone. To move, drag something into the boat and hit the Move Left/Move Right button to make the boat move. Then drag the object out of the boat onto the opposite bank. If you make a mistake, the scenario gloats. If you complete the mission successfully, the scenario announces it. In either case, hit the Restart button to continue.
Hangman
A word-guessing game. Click on a letter to choose it. You get seven misses before the man hangs. Click Next to go to the next word.
Hebrew Alephbet
Learn the Hebrew alphabet. The object is to match the letters with their names. Initially the letters are in the same order as the names. To destroy this correspondence, click Shuffle. To see which letters you've got correct, click Check: the letters that are incorrect go dim. To see the answer, click Answer. (When you click Resume, the display reverts to its previous state, so you don't lose your work). When you get all the letters right, all buttons but Shuffle and Reset go dim. Click Reset to start over.
Magic Square
Arrange the numbers within the square so that every column, row and diagonal sums to fifteen.
Peg Solitaire
All moves are made by jumping a peg over another. The jumped peg is removed from the board. The object is to get the pegs into the gray slots in the specified number of moves. To restart, select a configuration from the Configuration menu.
Pong hau k'i
A simple oriental board game. Moves are allowed only between circles connected by a line. Each player tries to position his pieces so that the other player cannot move.
Pyramid
Each player tries to reassemble the pyramid formed by the pieces, on the opposite side of the board. Pieces can move into adjacent diagonal spaces, or jump over other pieces, in any direction. A piece may make more than one jump in a single turn (but you must click on it for each jump).
State Capitals
Names of the original thirteen United States must be matched with the names of their capitals.
Tic-Tac-Toe
The rules for this are the same as you'd expect. After a game is played, the loser goes first on the next game. For cat's game, whoever went second in the previous game goes first.
On your first move, you must drag the playing piece from the top of the scenario onto the board. On subsequent moves, you can drag that piece, or duplicate one of the pieces already on the board, by dragging it to another board position.
Tower of Hanoi
The object is to move the set of rings from one post to another. Only one ring may be moved at a time, and a larger ring may not be placed on a smaller one.
Wolf & Goats
All moves are into adjoining diagonal squares. The wolf can move forward or backward, the goats only forward. The goats try to trap the wolf so he can't move, while the wolf tries to get past the goats to the other side of the board.
This application was implemented using the Macintosh Blob Manager and the TransSkel transportable application skeleton, both of which were written by Paul DuBois (to whom comment should be directed).
