Copyright: Copyright © 1996
Citation: by Ssorg Software


Border

These selections allows you to what border (if any) the puzzle will have.  None means it will not use any border at all, Around Puzzle means that a line will be displayed around the outside of the puzzle, Around Letters will display the puzzle as a grid with each letter in its own box.

See also Designing a Puzzle.


Clipboard Copy

Clipboard -	Using this menu selection the player can copy the Puzzle, Words, Hints, and Solutions to the Windows clipboard.  Once there in the clipboard the user can past them into a Word Processor application or graphics program.

There are four choices available from the clipboard copy. they are:

Puzzle - This choice copies the puzzle grid itself as a bitmap to the clipboard

Solution -This choice copies the puzzle grid with all words identified, as a bitmap to the clipboard

Words -  This choice copies the list of words as text to the clipboard.

Hints - This choice copies the a list of the hints as text to the clipboard.

Note: The clipboard copy provides a useful way of including the a Lost Word's puzzle into a flier or newsletter.


Color
Puzzle Color

These selections allows you to set the display colors of the puzzle.  Normal is how the puzzle will initially be displayed both the background color and the foreground letter color.  Selected is the colors that the words you have found in the puzzle will be displayed in.

See also Designing a Puzzle.


Contents
Lost Words is a challenging and educational game that will test your knowledge of different subjects.  It is a computer based version of the original Word Search game with some exciting changes to make it more fun and educational.

Introduction

What is Lost Words?

How to..

Playing the Game

Designing a Puzzle

Creating/Editing Subjects

Register for Additional Benefits

Site License


Creating/Editing Subjects

This screen allows you to edit subject files or to create new ones.  A subject file is a list of words (and phrases) along with their associated hints and skill level.  To edit a subject file select "Open" from the File menu and select which subject file to edit.  To add words to a subject file click the "New" button at the bottom of the form.  The fields on the form will blank out and you can enter the word and hint.  To delete a word scroll through the subject file using the scroll bar on the right or the "Next" and "Previous" buttons at the bottom of the form.  Once the word you wish to delete is displayed check the "Delete It" box.  The word will be deleted from the file when you save your subject file..


Designing a Puzzle

This form allows you to create a new type of puzzle by selecting and changing any of the puzzle options.  There are eight basic type of changes you can make to the puzzle from this screen.  They are: Puzzle Types, Dimensions, Color, Word Direction, Subject File, Border, Font, Word Selection.

See also Puzzle Menu


Dimensions

These selections allows you to set the physical dimensions (in characters) horizontally and vertically of the puzzle.  In addition, you can set how many words you would like the puzzle to contain.

See also Designing a Puzzle.


Edit Menu

The Edit Menu provides three choices to the player.

Clipboard - This allows the user to copy parts of the puzzle to other Windows applications using the Clipboard,

Font  - Which will display a standard Windows font box to allow the user to change the current font and size of the puzzle being viewed, and

Subject  - This will brings up the Edit Subject form for editing or creating subject files.

See also Designing a Puzzle, Clipboard Copy, and Creating/Editing Subject Files.


File Menu

The File Menu provides choices form preforming file operations and exiting the game.  The choices are:

New - This creates a new puzzle using the existing options from the Puzzle Designer screen.

Open- This choice will bring up a Windows File Dialog box for the player to select a stored puzzle file.

Save Puzzle - This choice saves to current puzzle to its puzzle file.

Save Puzzle As.. - This choice prompts you for a file name and saves to current puzzle to that file.

Print Puzzle -  This will bring up the Print Puzzle Form for printing out the current puzzle.


Menu Commands

The main game screen has five selections available from the menu bar at the top.

File - This menu selection allows you to select a new game, open and existing game, save your current game, print the puzzle, and exit the game.

Edit - This menu selection allows you to copy parts of the puzzle to the Windows clipboard (for pasting into another application or document), change the font, and edit or create subject and word list.

Puzzle- This allows you to design a puzzle or to have the existing one solved for you.

View - This selection allows you to change the size of the puzzle on the screen.

Options - This allows you to turn on and off sound, switch between word and hint mode, and activate the move option for the puzzle.


Options Menu

The Options Menu provides five selection choices to the player, Sound, Hint Only, Move, Maximum Time, Display.  Sound allows you to toggle game sound on and off.  Hint Only will hide the words in the word list and you will have to find the correct words based only on the hints displayed in the status bar at the bottom of the screen.  Move allows you to determine when (if ever) you want the words in the current puzzle moved to new locations.  This can make the puzzle a lot harder.  Maximum time allows you to set the maximum amount of time the player can take in solving the puzzle.  The Display selection allows you to set screen colors for the background, word list, and status bar.

See also Playing the Game.


Playing the Game

The objective of the game is to find all the words hidden in the puzzle grid.  The list along the right of the screen gives the list of words (or their sizes if Hint mode is on).  Once you have found a word somewhere in the puzzle [image] grid select it by holding the the right mouse button over one end of the word and dragging the mouse to the other end and letting go.  Your selection will be marked the puzzle grid and if the letters you select form a word in the list that word will become highlighted.  If the Hint mode is on you won't see the words in the list only a representation of their size.  When the mouse cursor is over these word representations a hint of what the actual word is that you should look for will be displayed in the status bar at the bottom of the screen.  When all the words in the list become highlighted you will have solved the puzzle.

See Menu Commands


Printing Puzzles

When you select Print from the File menu this form is displayed.  The Title box allows you to enter a title for the puzzle that will be printed at the top of the paper. Below the title box is three boxes that show the different formats you can select.  Clicking on one of these boxes will print the current puzzle in that format. The first format is Puzzle, this will print the puzzle grid at the top of the page with the list of words at the bottom. The second choice  Answers will print the complete solution at the top with the words at the bottom.  The third choice Puzzle/Hints will print the puzzle grid at the top only the list of hints at the bottom.  The "Print Fonts" button will bring up a Windows Font dialog box to allow you to change the printer font and size the puzzle will print in.  The "Setup" botton will bring up the normal Windows Print Setup dialog to allow you to change or setup your print.

See Puzzle Font.


Puzzle Font

This shows the font and font size that Lost Words will use to display the puzzle.  This greatly effects the size of the puzzle you will see on the screen.  You can change to a different font and size clicking on the Change button.  A standard Windows font dialog box will be displayed which you can use to select another font or size.

See also Designing a Puzzle.


Puzzle Menu

This menu selection allows you to design a new puzzle or to solve the current one.  Selecting Design will bring up the Puzzle Designer form.  Solve will have Lost Words visually show you  where each word is hidden in the puzzle.  Quiz will bring up a test form for the words currently being used in the puzzle.

Note -Selecting "Solve" will automatically end your current game.

See also Designing a Puzzle.


Puzzle Types

Lost Words can create six basic shapes of puzzles, square, cross,circle, triangle,nut, and doughnut.  As you select the shape from the list you will see a picture of a puzzle with that shape displayed to the left.

See also Designing a Puzzle


Register for Additional Benefits

Lost Words is a "shareware program" and is provided at no charge to the user for evaluation.  Feel free to share it with your friends, but please do not give it away altered or as part of another system.  If you find this program useful and continue to use Lost Words after a reasonable trial period (30 days), you must register the program.  This registration will give you the legal right to continue to use "Lost Words".  In addition to that, all registered users of Lost Words are entitled to 180 days of technical support, the latest registered version of the program (personalized and without a reminder screen), 12 different subject data files with over 1000 words and phrases, and a printed users manual.  You may register either by telephone using your credit card or by mail using a check or money order.  Additional information and the registration form is available by selecting registration under the help menu option from the programs main menu.

See also - Site License


Site License

Ssorg software provides two types of site licenses for Lost Words.

Unlimited  - This license allows you to place Lost Words on an unlimited number of PCs at a single location.(single location refers to the same building).  You would receive 180 days of support, and a single copy of Lost Words but would be allowed to duplicate it as needed for use at that single site. (Fee $100 + SH)

Members - This license is intended for schools and non-profit organizations that wish to distribute Lost Words to their students/members. It allows for distribution of the registered software (with limited support) to all students/members for one low fee. The cost is very reasonable ($200 and up), and is determined based on the size of the organization and profit/nonprofit status..

Upon request and for a cost special customization of the program is available.  This includes subject files, personalized logos, and introductory splash screens.

For further information and specific pricing contact:

Ssorg Software

P.O. Box 621331

Orlando, FL 32862


Subject File

This shows the subject file that Lost Words will use to create the puzzle.  You can change to a different subject file by clicking on the Browse button.  A standard Windows file dialog box will be displayed which you can use to select another subject file.

See also Designing a Puzzle, Creating/Editing Subjects.


View Menu

The View menu give you three selections, Larger, Smaller, and Border.  Selecting larger will increase the current puzzle font size by 50%.  This will make the puzzle appear bigger on the screen.  Selecting Smaller will decrease the current puzzle font size by 50%.  This will make the puzzle appear smaller on the screen.  Border will display a sub section that allows you to choose the puzzle border, None, Around Puzzle, and Around Letters.

Note - If the puzzles current font does not support the new size you will receive a message on the screen asking you to change the font.

See also Puzzle Border, Puzzle Font, Designing a Puzzle.


What is Lost Words?

Lost Words is an educational windows based version of the popular Search-And-Find type puzzle programs.  The object in this type of puzzle is to find all the words from a list hidden in a playing grid of random letters.  The order of the letters in the words can be horizontal, vertical, or diagonal and can be forward or reverse order.  In lost words this type of game can be even more interesting.  The playing grid can be one of several shapes, colors, and any size.  There are options to randomly change the location of the words hidden in the puzzle, and you can hide the actual words hidden in the puzzle and only show hints of what the words might be.  A Quiz feature will test you on how well you know the words in the puzzle.  Some special features have been added to make it easier to print these puzzles and include them in other publishing applications.

See Playing the Game,  Printing Puzzles, and Clipboard Copy.


Word Direction

This selection lets you determine what directions the words could be hidden in the puzzle.  Yes means that words can be hidden in the direction the arrow is pointed in No means that it won't be.  You can toggle between yes and no by clicking on the color squares.

See also Designing a Puzzle.


Word Selection

This shows how Lost Words will select words from the subject file when creating a puzzle.  Random means that the selection of words will be entirely random.  The first word selected could be the 1st word in the file or the 189th.  Sequential means that the words will be selected started from the first and going on.  Each time a new puzzle is created (without changing the subject file) the next sequential group of words is used.  When Lost Words has reached the end of the subject file it will start over from the front.

See also Designing a Puzzle.