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Night Owl's Shareware - PDSI-006 - Night Owl Corp (1990).iso
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XDOWN.DOC
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1991-01-19
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*****************************************************************
* CROSSDOWN *
* the *
* crossword puzzle game *
* copyright (c) 1991 *
* by *
* Sam Bellotto Jr. *
*****************************************************************
Presenting REAL crossword puzzles on your computer. CROSSDOWN
brings all the challenge and enjoyment of solving crosswords
exactly like the ones found in your daily or Sunday newspapers to
a brand new PC software package. CROSSDOWN employs a
sophisticated graphical interface which is fun and intuitive for
anyone to use who has ever picked up pencil or pen and filled in
the ten-letter solution for a "1931 Gershwin song."
CROSSDOWN works on any IBM-compatible computer. System
requirements include MS-DOS 2.11 or greater, an EGA or VGA
monitor, a mouse and 512K of RAM.
INSTALLATION
You can run crossdown from a hard disk, a floppy disk or even
from a RAM disk. Because the program accesses the disk only when
it loads a puzzle file or saves the "working" puzzle file, any
speed improvements gained from keeping it on a hard disk are
really minimal.
Before you continue, make a copy of your CROSSDOWN master disk
right now. Store the master disk in a safe location and work with
the copy.
The following files are all that are necessary to run CROSSDOWN:
XDOWN.EXE .......... the program itself
*.XWD .............. the crossword puzzle files
Copy these files to your hard drive, a floppy disk, or a RAM
drive--wherever you decide to keep CROSSDOWN. These files must be
together on the same drive\directory\subdirectory.
********************
* PLAYING THE GAME *
********************
Move to the drive\directory\subdirectory where the CROSSDOWN
files are stored. Start up CROSSDOWN by typing XDOWN at the DOS
prompt, followed by hitting the ENTER key.
After a few seconds, the CROSSDOWN desktop will come up on your
computer screen (in color if you have a color monitor). You
navigate this desktop with the mouse. By positioning the mouse
cursor on specific areas of the desktop and "clicking" the left
mouse button, you access CROSSDOWN's many features.
At the upper right quandrant of the desktop are four "radio
buttons" labeled NEW, QUIT, ACR (Across) and DWN (Down). Position
the mouse cursor on the NEW button and "click" the left mouse
button.
This pops up a vertical panel in the middle of the desktop
containing names of the available crossword puzzles. Select a
puzzle by positioning the mouse cursor on the name and "clicking"
the left mouse button. The puzzle name will become highlighted
against a white bar.
To load this puzzle "click" on the radio button at the bottom
left of the selection panel marked OPEN. To cancel this
selection, "click" on the other radio button marked EXIT.
**NOTE: Everytime you want to load a crossword puzzle, you have
to "click" on the NEW button, highlight the puzzle name from the
selection panel by "clicking" on the name, and "click" on the
OPEN button at the bottom of the selection panel.
You can open another puzzle even if you are in the middle of
solving one puzzle. Any entries made to a puzzle are always saved
before opening another puzzle or quitting CROSSDOWN.
After completing the load puzzle procedure and "clicking" on the
OPEN button within the selection bar, the puzzle grid comes up on
the CROSSDOWN desktop. If this is the first time the particular
puzzle has been opened, the grid will be empty. Otherwise, any
entries made during previous accesses to this puzzle will also
appear. This automatic save feature lets you work on one or more
crossword puzzles at your leisure.
The name of the opened crossword puzzle appears on the desktop
just above the CROSSDOWN logo box.
CROSSDOWN puzzles are worked in virtually the same fashion as
printed crosswords. Find the ACROSS or DOWN clue corresponding to
one of the grid squares, read the clue, figure it out, and fill
in the answer.
Position the mouse cursor on the first square of any ACROSS or
DOWN entry within the puzzle grid. "Click" the left mouse button.
The selected square is highlighted yellow. If you erroneously
select a square which is NOT the first square of any ACROSS or
DOWN entry, or is a black square, you hear a warning buzz and
nothing happens.
After you have "clicked" on a legal clue square and it is
highlighted yellow, you must request the clue. Do this by
positioning the mouse cursor on the ACR (Across) or DWN (Down)
radio button and "clicking" the left mouse button. "Click" on the
ACR (Across) button to see the ACROSS clue. "Click" on the DWN
(Down) button to see the DOWN clue. Because not every white
square begins both an ACROSS and a DOWN clue, you must "click" on
the correct radio button. "Clicking" on the DOWN button for a
yellow square that does not begin a DOWN clue produces only a
warning buzz, for example.
If the clue selection procedure is correctly followed, two things
happen: the clue appears in the white clue box below the four
main radio buttons at the right side of the desktop; all of the
squares that comprise the word entry within the puzzle grid are
highlighted yellow. The mouse cursor disappears.
Fill the squares by typing in your answer from the keyboard.
Letters are automatically entered in upper case. It is
unnecessary to use the shift key or the caps lock key.
Furthermore, only the letters A through Z, the ESCAPE key and the
ENTER key are allowed during grid input. As letters are entered,
the grid squares turn back to white from yellow and are filled
in. After all the word entry squares have been filled in, no
additional keyboard input is accepted. The mouse cursor
reappears. The clue is erased from the clue box.
You have the following options:
Hitting the ENTER key while filling in a word skips that square.
If the square is unfilled, it remains unfilled, If the square
contains a previously entered letter, that letter remains
unchanged.
Hitting the ESCAPE key while filling in a word skips all the
remaining squares and ends the input procedure for the current
clue only. Any unfilled squares are unfilled. Any squares
containing previously entered letters stay the same.
Hitting any of the keyboard keys A through Z not only fills in
the blank squares but overwrites the squares containing
previously entered letters. (In case you made a mistake, guessed
the wrong answer to a clue, spelled a word wrong, you can always
go back and change it!)
**Note: The backspace key does not function. To correct input
errors, ESCAPE from the word and start it over by "clicking" on
the first letter and selecting the clue.
************
* CHEATING *
************
Okay. You've worked on a section of a puzzle for hours and, face
it, you're stuck. You've simply got to find out the answer for 25
Across. CROSSDOWN offers a hidden "Cheat Mode" for those who
absolutely insist upon sneaking a peek at the answers, for one
reason or another. (Shame on you!) Position the mouse cursor on
the puzzle name bar, just above the CROSSDOWN logo box. "Click"
on the left mouse button. The puzzle grid now displays all the
right answers.
To get out of "Cheat Mode," simply "click" the RIGHT mouse
button. The puzzle goes back to normal and you can continue
working the solution.
************
* QUITTING *
************
You can quit CROSSDOWN at anytime. You can quit from one puzzle
and open a new one. Everytime you exit a puzzle, either to quit
the program or open a new puzzle, entries made to the previous
puzzle are saved. This allows you to work on one or more puzzles
over a period of time.
To specifically QUIT from the program, position the cursor on the
QUIT radio button and "click" on the left mouse button. Before
exiting, CROSSDOWN checks the status of the current puzzle. If it
has been correctly completed, you will be treated to a short
surprise. If the puzzle is incomplete, or incorrectly completed,
nothing happens. (But you can always go back to an incorrectly
completed puzzle and try to fix the errors.)
Continue to solve the crossword puzzle in this manner.
1. "Click" on the first square of any ACROSS or DOWN word.
2. It turns yellow.
3. "Click" on the appropriate ACR (Across) or DWN (Down) radio
button.
4. All the squares of the entry word turn yellow.
5. The clue appears.
6. Fill in the squares from the keyboard using the A through Z
keys to enter letters, the ENTER key to bypass single squares, or
the ESCAPE key to bypass the entire word.
******************
* ERROR MESSAGES *
******************
If something goes wrong, CROSSDOWN will usually be the first to
tell you about it. The on-screen error messages are really self-
explanatory.
**ERROR: No mouse currently installed! If CROSSDOWN fails to load
and this message appears, it means that your mouse driver is
missing from RAM. Check your system hardware or CONFIG.SYS file.
You do have a mouse, don't you?
**ERROR: This isn't an EGA or VGA monitor! CROSSDOWN only runs on
computers with EGA or VGA monitors. Again, check your system
hardware. If you are certain you have the right monitor, maybe
something is wrong with your video or you may have a non-standard
EGA or VGA card.
**ERROR: Cannot find any crossword files! The crossword puzzle
files have an XWD extension and they must reside on the same
drive\directory\subdirectory as the main XDOWN.EXE program. You
must be logged onto that drive\directory\subdirectory or it must
be in your path statement.
**ERROR: Not in XWD file format! The puzzle file you tried to
load was probably corrupt. In which case, CROSSDOWN will rename
the damaged file with the extension of BAD. Get a new copy of the
problem crossword file from the master disk and erase the old one
(now with the extension BAD).
********************
* ABOUT THE AUTHOR *
********************
CROSSDOWN's developer, Sam Bellotto Jr., has been constructing
crossword puzzles professionally since 1979. He is a frequent
contributor to The New York Times and his puzzles have also
appeared in numerous Simon and Schuster crossword collections,
the pages of Games magazine and other popular puzzle markets.
Bellotto is a charter member of the American Crossword Puzzle
Academy.
*******************
* ABOUT SHAREWARE *
*******************
The concept of shareware has proven to be a very successful way
to market computer software. Shareware products are NOT public
domain. CROSSDOWN itself is copyright (c) 1991 by Sam Bellotto
Jr. The shareware version may be freely copied and distributed,
but may not be sold, altered or incorporated into any other
software product.
If, after a reasonable trial period, you find the program
worthwhile, you are encouraged to become a registered user.
Registration fees make possible further development of CROSSDOWN
and additional sets of puzzles. As a registered user, you are
entitled to product support, free (or extremely low cost)
upgrades and special prices on additional sets of puzzles as they
become available.
Each puzzle set contains 15 themed crosswords. They will only be
offered to registered users of CROSSDOWN. Additional CROSSDOWN
puzzles and future upgrades of the CROSSDOWN software will NOT be
made available through shareware.
At the present time, you can register your copy of CROSSDOWN for
only $25. For this price, you will get one FREE upgrade, a
printed instruction booklet, product support (including the right
to call me with suggestions, puzzle ideas or just to chat) and
the first set of 15 new crossword puzzles. Fill out the form
below and send it in, after February 2, 1991, with your check or
money order for $25.
=================================================================
CROSSDOWN
the crossword puzzle game
Sam Bellotto Jr.
133 Akron Street
Rochester, NY 14609
Register me as another satisfied CROSSDOWN customer! Enclosed
please find my check or money order in the amount of $25 which
entitles me to FREE upgrades, the next set of 15 professionally
constructed crossword puzzles, a printed instruction booklet and
unlimited product support. I also understand that I will be
placed on your mailing list and be the first on my block to hear
about new CROSSDOWN puzzle sets as they become available.
NAME ____________________________________________________________
ADDRESS _________________________________________________________
CITY ____________________________ ST ______ ZIP _____________
Feel free to use the space below to make any comments or offer
any suggestions concerning CROSSDOWN. Thank you.