Copyright: ® Smart Games, Inc.


Contents
SMART GAMES HELP

CONTENTS

How To Use Help

Introduction

Getting Started

Playing the Games

Smart Games Challenge #1 Contest

Questions & Answers


How To Use Help

Welcome to Smart Games Challenge #1 Help.  In this document you can:

•	Click on words highlighted like this—Getting Started— to jump directly to another helpful topic or to learn more about the highlighted term.

•	Click on the Contents button at the top of the window to return to the Contents screen.

•	Click on the Browse buttons (>> or <<) at the top of the window to move one screen forward or one screen backward.

•	Press F1 to get more information about using a Windows help system like this one.

Thank you for using Smart Games Challenge #1 from

Smart Games, Inc.
49 Atlantic Ave.
Marblehead, MA  01945

(617) 639-4766 (phone)
(617) 639-4769 (fax)

http://www.smartgames.com/ (World Wide Web)


Introduction

This section of Help includes a brief introduction to Smart Games Challenge #1 as well as credits, copyright, and trademark information.

Related Topics:

About Smart Games Challenge #1

Credits, etc.


About Smart Games Challenge #1

Smart Games Challenge #1 is an addictive collection of both classic and novel brainteaser puzzles. These puzzles challenge you to learn by doing, provide a huge amount of pure fun, and offer you the chance to compete against others. Everyone will want to test their skill solving this wide range of puzzle types at all levels of difficulty. Smart Games Challenge #1 teaches and reinforces logic; it promotes reasoning ability; it challenges perception, strategic, word, and math skills; it encourages collaboration. Take the challenge alone or play it with your friends, spouse, family, classmates, or colleagues.

Check out the Smart Games World Wide Web site: http://www.smartgames.com for the latest information on Smart Games Challenge #1 Contest.

Be sure to send in your registration card so that you're kept informed of new products from Smart Games, Inc.


Credits, etc.

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER
Gary Ward

PUZZLE CREATION, PRODUCED, and WRITTEN BY
Andrew Postman

PROGRAMMING, SOUND EFFECTS, and PUZZLE ARTWORK
KnowWare

PRODUCT CONCEPT
Bill Gross

MUSIC
Scott Lloyd Shelly

LEAD ARTIST
David Urban

ADDITIONAL ART
Alex Munn

ADDITIONAL PUZZLE DESIGN
Michael Radford

DOCUMENTATION
Andrea Hill

ADDITIONAL PROJECT COORDINATION
Paul Stroube

LINE PRODUCER
Tamar Halpern

ASSOCIATE PRODUCER
Sandra Barry

Copyright

Under the copyright laws, neither the documentation nor the software may be copied, photocopied, reproduced, translated, or reduced to any electronic medium or machine-readable form, in whole or part, without the prior written consent of Smart Games, Inc., except in the manner described in the documentation.

© Copyright 1995, 1996 Smart Games, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Smart Games, Inc.
49 Atlantic Ave.
Marblehead, MA  01945
(617) 639-4766

First Edition Printed 1996. Printed in the United States.
Edition 1.0

Trademarks

Smart Games Challenge #1 is a trademark of Smart Games, Inc. All other product names referenced herein are trademarks of their respective companies.


Getting Started

This section of Help covers everything you need to know to set up and start Smart Games Challenge #1 on your computer.

Related Topics:

What do I need?

How do I install Smart Games Challenge #1?

How do I begin?


What do I need?

To run Smart Games Challenge #1 you will need the following:

•	An IBM® or compatible computer with a 386 SX or higher processor.

•	640 x 480 256-color SVGA graphics.

•	A CD-ROM drive.

•	Four megabytes (4M) of available RAM.

•	A hard disk with at least five megabytes (5M) of disk space free.

•	Microsoft® Windows™ version 3.1 or above.

•	A Windows-compatible sound card.

•	A mouse.

•	Speakers or headphones.


How do I install Smart Games Challenge #1?

Follow these steps to install Smart Games Challenge #1 on your system:

1.	Insert the CD containing Smart Games Challenge #1 into your CD-ROM drive.

2.	In Windows 3.x:

From the Windows Program Manager, select the "File" menu, then select "Run."

In Windows '95:

Click on the "Start" button, then click on "Run."

3.	Type d:setup, click on OK, and follow the screen prompts. (If necessary, replace "d" with the letter of your CD-ROM drive.)

Note: There are two Install options: "Express" and "Custom." "Express" install will take less than a minute and require about three megabytes of hard disk space. Folder and subdirectory names will be automatically assigned. "Custom" install will allow you to select and name folders and subdirectories, and will also offer you the option of installing the Quick Access files onto your hard drive. (These files require approximately 19 megabytes of hard disk space but will make the program run faster, since the CD-ROM drive will not be accessed while you use Smart Games Challenge #1.)

If you have any problems installing Smart Games Challenge #1, see Questions and Answers.


How do I begin?

After you have installed Smart Games Challenge #1, you'll see the Smart Games Program Group in the Windows Program Manager, which contains icons for Smart Games Challenge #1 and Smart Games Challenge #1 Help.

To start Smart Games Challenge #1, make sure the product CD is in your CD-ROM drive and then double-click on the icon for Smart Games Challenge #1.

Related Topics:

Signing in


Signing in

Each time you start Smart Games Challenge #1, the sign-in screen will appear, following the opening screen. Smart Games Challenge #1 will keep track of your puzzle scores under your sign-in name each time you play.

•	If you are signing in for the first time, click on the New Name button and then type your name, or the name of your team. (See Smart Games Challenge #1 Contest for more information about signing in alone or as a team.)

•	To play Smart Games Challenge #1 under the name that is highlighted, click on the name to go to the Main Menu screen.

•	To play Smart Games Challenge #1 under a name other than the one that is highlighted, click on the name you choose. Click again to go to the Main Menu screen.

•	To delete the name that is highlighted, press Ctrl-D.

If you have any problems operating Smart Games Challenge #1, see Questions & Answers.


Playing the Games

This section of Help contains specific information on how to play each of the games. For more information about the contest, see Smart Games Challenge #1 Contest.

Related Topics:

Choosing a Smart Game

The puzzle screen

Navigating

Improving your score

On the road

The word list

Anagrams

Car Jam

Cash Crop

Crosswords

Cryptograms

Entropy

Generations

Marble Jump

Matchplay

Native Tongue

Series

Sliding Tiles

Take a Number

Traffic

Viewing Cubes

Warehouse

Word Builder

Word Melt

Word Search

World Series


Choosing a Smart Game

After you start Smart Games Challenge #1 and sign in, you'll see the Main Menu screen with 20 Smart Game icons. Use your mouse to move the pointer around the screen and look for the text boxes that pop up. Click on an icon to go to the puzzle category you want to play. To return to the Main Menu screen from any other screen, click on the Main Menu button or choose Go to Main Menu from the pull-down Navigate menu at the top of the screen. (Also see Navigating.)


The puzzle screen

 Each puzzle screen contains the following elements:

Navigate menu	Click here when you want to move to a different screen or a different puzzle. See Navigating.
Options menu	Click here to turn sound and music off/on, or find the code you'll need for entering the contest. See Entering the contest.
Puzzle menu	Click here when you want to start the current puzzle over or erase your last move.  See Improving Your Score.
Help menu	Click here to get assistance.
Current score	This is your score for the current puzzle.
Best score	This is your best score for the current puzzle.
Current puzzle	This is the current puzzle; its number tab is highlighted below.
Number tabs	Click on one of these tabs to go to a different puzzle. The higher the number, the harder the puzzle.
Main Menu button	Click here to return to the Main Menu screen.
Progress button	Click here to see a bar graph representation of your best score for each puzzle.
Smart Games Score	This is your current total score for all puzzles.
Info button	Click here to read information about the current puzzle. For complete information about the current puzzle category, click on the number 1 tab and then on the Info button. Some puzzles have special rules which will appear automatically in the Info window when you start those puzzles.
Quit button	Click here when you are finished playing Smart Games Challenge #1 and want to return to the Windows Program Manager. Or, press Alt-F4. Either of these choices will end your session immediately without asking you if you're sure.
After you've played a puzzle, you will have a choice of three buttons on the screen: Click on Next Puzzle, or type N, to play the next puzzle; click on Play Again, or type P, to play the current puzzle over again; click on Just Look, or type J, to look at the current puzzle without playing again. The pull-down menus will operate, but the number tabs, the Main Menu, Progress, Info, and Quit buttons along the bottom of the screen will be disabled until you choose one of these three.


Navigating

Getting from one place to another (navigating) in Smart Games Challenge #1 is easy.

To get from one puzzle to another within each puzzle category, just click on one of the numbered tabs. The higher the tab number, the more difficult the puzzle.

To return to the Main Menu screen, click on the Main Menu button in the lower left corner of each puzzle screen.

You can also use the pull-down Navigate menu at the top of each screen.  Each Navigate menu contains some or all of the options described below.

Go to Sign-In	Choose this option whenever a different person or team starts to play.
Go to Main Menu	Choose this option to return to the Main Menu screen.
Go to Puzzle	Choose one of these options to go to the specified puzzle screen.
Exit	Choose this option when you are finished playing Smart Games Challenge #1 and want to return to the Windows Program Manager. Or, press Alt-F4.


Improving your score

The goal of playing Smart Games Challenge #1—other than winning big bucks!—is to have fun, meet a challenge, and learn something. It wouldn't be much fun bending your brain unless there was the possibility of improving yourself, right? With Smart Games Challenge #1, you're not stuck with the score you got the first time; you can try, try again. Use the pull-down Puzzle menu at the top of each puzzle screen to start fresh when needed. Your best score for each puzzle will be saved automatically—until you improve it! Each Puzzle menu contains one or more of the options described below.

Reset	Choose this option when you want to clear the current puzzle score and start over completely.
Undo	Choose this option when you want to erase the most recent move you made in the current puzzle. Your score will return to what it was before you made that move.
Save Work	Choose this option when you want to save to a file the work you've done so far on the current puzzle.
Load Work	Choose this option when you want to retrieve the work on the current puzzle that you've previously saved to a file.


On the road

ATTENTION ALL ROAD WARRIORS: Please read the important WARNING! message at the bottom of this screen.

Addicted to puzzling? You can take Smart Games Challenge #1 on the road with you so you won't miss any opportunities to improve your score.

For portable computers with CD-ROM

If your portable computer has a CD-ROM drive, you can install a second copy of Smart Games Challenge #1 on your portable computer as long as you comply with the restrictions listed in the Smart Games Software License Agreement—i.e., that the program be used on only one computer at a time. If you perform this installation on your portable computer, you can skip step 1 and continue with step 2 under "Copy these files" below.

For portable computers without CD-ROM

If your portable computer doesn't have a CD-ROM drive, you will need to transfer approximately 20 megabytes of data in order to take Smart Games Challenge #1 on the road. We recommend that you use a null modem and PC-to-laptop software to perform this transfer.

Before you transfer the appropriate files, however, you must have installed the Quick Access files on your hard drive. The option to install these files appears when you perform a Custom Install of Smart Games Challenge #1. If you haven't installed the Quick Access files, you'll need to go back and do a Custom Install before you proceed with the steps listed below.

Copy these files

Here are the files that you'll need:

1.	Copy the program files:

SGC1.EXE
SGC1.HLP
SGC1D1.DLL

2.	Copy the data files:

*.DAT

(If your portable computer has a CD-ROM drive, install the software off the CD-ROM and copy just these files from your desktop computer.)

3.	Copy the "Save Work" files (optional):

Note: If you wish to take any of your "Save Work" files with you, you will need to copy them also.  You would do this only if there are puzzle solutions that you want to continue working on and you have used the "Save Work" option to store your current work for these puzzles.  "Save Work" files are named according to your sign in name. For example, if your sign in name is GARY then all your "Save Work" files start with GARY. Copy all of the files that start with your sign in name (i.e., GARY*.* for a sign in name of GARY).

After you have successfully copied these files, you can start the game by selecting "File," then "Run" from the Windows 3.x Program Manager.  Or, if you are using Windows '95, click on the "Start" button, then click on "Run."  When you return from your travels, be sure to copy from your portable computer all of the DAT files (*.DAT) and any newly created "Save Work" files (<SIGN IN NAME>.*) to your desktop computer.

WARNING!: If anyone played Smart Games Challenge #1 on your desktop computer while you played on the portable computer, then copying the files from your portable computer back onto your desktop computer will either completely wipe out or partially reset their scores.  (We know you are competitive but we want you to play fair!) Your scores will be OK as you took them with you and updated them on your portable computer. Be sure to warn other players if you are going to play while you are gone and you intend to copy over the data files upon your return.


The word list

The Smart Games Challenge #1 word list includes well over 300,000 words that are valid for use in the word-related puzzles. Invalid words include proper nouns; abbreviations; multi-word phrases; vulgarisms; and foreign words or slang that are not commonly used.

Note: Although the word list does not contain proper nouns or multi-word phrases, you will sometimes be required to unscramble or find specific proper nouns or multi-word phrases in order to solve certain Anagrams and Word Search puzzles.


Anagrams

Line up the letters in these anagrams in the proper order, and you could be in line for a prize. All you need is some creative insight and a flexible vocabulary!

The object

To rearrange the letters given to spell a word or words.

How to play

Look at each anagram separately. You can start with any one of them. What word or words could you spell from the jumbled letters? Each puzzle has a theme.

Click on a letter to highlight it. Click on a space below the anagram to move the letter there.

Double-click on any letter to move that letter to the first available space at the top or the bottom of the current box.

As you solve each anagram, the underlined letters will drop into the lowest box. Unscramble these letters to create a word or phrase that expresses the puzzle theme.

It gets harder

The more difficult puzzles have more challenging themes that require more thought.

How the game is scored

You will earn points for unscrambling each word, plus a big bonus for unscrambling the puzzle theme.


Car Jam

The easiest Car Jam puzzle begins with an overcrowded parking lot; it's crammed with other people's blue cars while your shiny red car is stuck in the middle. You've got to get out of there! This game will test your strategic sense and maybe bring back old nightmares (if you've ever worked as a parking valet).

The object

To move the red car to the parking lot exit in as few moves as possible.

How to play

Note the location of the parking lot exit, the red car, and any space available for maneuvering. Plan your strategy.

Click on the front end of a vehicle to move it one half-length forward; click on the rear of a vehicle to move it one half-length backward.

Sorry, you can move each vehicle only forward or backward into an empty space—no steering wheels!

It gets harder

To add to your parking lot woes, someone has brought in limousines and even tractor-trailers! The more challenging puzzles contain so many vehicles, you couldn't possibly maneuver around them all. The good news? You can use bombs to blow up selected vehicles in order to make it possible to free your red car.

To use the bombs, click on the box to the lower left of the parking lot that shows how many bombs are available. A bomb will appear when you do this.  Move the bomb to the car you want to blow away and click.

How the game is scored

Each move costs you points from your starting score; every ten moves, the rate at which you lose points increases.


Cash Crop

Money doesn't grow on trees; in the Cash Crop game it grows in fields. Harvest as much of it as you can while exercising your mathematical, strategic and reasoning skills.

The object

To earn as much money as you can in the given number of moves by driving the tractor around the field.

How to play

Consider the number of moves you are allowed and the dollar amounts that appear on each square as you plan the tractor's route, starting at the barn. As you "harvest" each square, its dollar amount will be added to your score.

Using the mouse: Click on the square adjacent to the barn that you want the tractor to harvest first. The tractor can move up, down, right, or left—not diagonally.

Using the keyboard: You may find it easier to use the arrow keys on the keyboard to move the tractor, instead of clicking the mouse. Each time you press an arrow key, the tractor will move one square in the direction of the arrow.

Keep playing until you have made the specified number of moves.

It gets harder

The more difficult puzzles have larger fields and more moves to make. You'll have to decide between a greater number of possible routes.

How the game is scored

You will earn one point for each dollar you harvest.


Crosswords

Even if you're no Sherlock when it comes to crossword puzzle clues, try these Crosswords with a difference. No clues! You won't need your crossword puzzle dictionary for this game, just some reasoning and spelling skills.

The object

To create a Crossword puzzle that makes sense either by blackening squares in a grid of letters or by placing puzzle segments in a grid.

How to play

There are two types of puzzles in this category.

Type 1: If the puzzle starts out as a grid of letters, your job is to determine which letters should be blackened.

Click on a square to blacken it; click again to unblacken it.

Continue blackening letters until every horizontal and vertical strip of letters makes a real word.

Type 2: If the puzzle starts out as an empty grid, your job is to place horizontal strips of letters and/or black squares in the grid to form words.

Click on one of the puzzle strips to highlight it. Click on a square of the grid to place the fragment there.

Continue placing puzzle strips until the puzzle makes sense and uses all the strips.

It gets harder

The more difficult puzzles are larger.

How the game is scored

Type 1: You will earn points for each word you make. You'll earn more points for solving the puzzle using as few black squares as possible.

Type 2: You will earn points for each word you make, plus a big bonus if you use all the pieces and the puzzle works entirely.


Cryptograms

If you suspect that cryptography is the study of burial vaults, you're in for an education. These Cryptogram puzzles will exercise your reasoning skills and teach you some nifty techniques cryptographers use to crack codes.

The object

To decode the secret message.

How to play

Read the hints and helps on the screen to learn about cryptography techniques. You might find it helpful to try the Cryptogram puzzles in numerical order; what you will learn from solving the easier puzzles may help you solve the more difficult puzzles.

Type your answer in the box at the bottom of the puzzle area; punctuation does not matter. Press Enter to see if you are correct.

Be precise and complete; you cannot earn partial credit!

It gets harder

The more advanced Cryptograms will require you to think about all you've learned in order to crack the code.

How the game is scored

You will earn points for successfully decoding the entire message.


Entropy

Some journeys in life seem to require one step backward for every two steps forward. Playing Entropy is a lot like that! You'll need patience, reasoning, and careful planning to succeed at this game.

The object

To change all the white squares to gray or black in the least number of moves.

How to play

Try clicking on some puzzle squares to see what happens. Before long you'll figure out the rules that determine how the squares change color. Then choose Reset from the Puzzle menu to start again so you can plan your moves more carefully.

Click the minimum number of times necessary to change the entire puzzle to gray and black. You can click on either white squares or gray squares. Black squares will not change when you click on them.

It gets harder

The size, shape, and placement of squares that are already gray or black make the higher-numbered Entropy puzzles more difficult.

How the game is scored

Each move costs you an increasing number of points from your starting score.


Generations

In the Generations game, your job is to bridge the generation gap. You'll need large helpings of logic to determine the pattern of the ancestors by studying the descendants.

The object

To determine the starting state for each square in the grid when given the ending state for a particular generation.

How to play

Look at the grid representing the ending generation on the right side of the puzzle area. A specific set of rules governs the state changes for each generation. The easiest puzzles involve two different states, represented by black and white. How did the pattern start out if it followed the rules through the given number of generations?

Click repeatedly on a square to toggle through the full range of possible colors (states), stopping when you reach the desired state.

Continue as described above until you have set each square in the left grid the way you want it.

Click on the Step button repeatedly to watch the left grid change one generation at a time.

Click on the Go button to see the left grid change rapidly until it reaches the generation shown in the right grid.

It gets harder

The more difficult puzzles involve more than two different states.

How the game is scored

You will earn points for each puzzle you solve completely. No partial credit is granted!


Marble Jump

In the Marble Jump game, a marble disappears whenever another marble jumps over it. Apply your strategic skills to these puzzles to see how many marbles you can lose without losing your marbles!

The object

To jump one marble over another, causing the jumped marble to disappear, so that there are as few marbles left as possible.

How to play

Look carefully at the marble arrangement and the shape of the playing area before you begin. You can only jump one marble over another marble that is right next to it, horizontally or vertically. You cannot move a marble except by jumping it over another marble into an empty space.

Click on the marble that you want to jump over another marble; the marble will appear darkened. Click again on the other side of the marble you want to jump over. Each marble that is jumped over will disappear.

Continue jumping over marbles until there is only one marble left or until you cannot jump anymore.

It gets harder

The more difficult puzzles have more unusual shapes and more marbles.

How the game is scored

The fewer marbles you leave, the more points you'll score. The rate at which you score points increases as you get rid of more marbles. You'll get a bonus for leaving just one marble, and a bigger bonus for leaving one marble in the center position (where possible).


Matchplay

Don't worry. This game is completely safe for children of all ages. Go ahead and play it. We hereby grant permission to all you model citizens who always read and follow instructions. It may even help you with your geometry and reasoning skills.

The object

To rearrange the matchsticks to form the specified number of squares in the given number of moves.

How to play

Read the directions in the upper left portion of the screen. These will tell you how many squares you must create and how many moves you have to do it.

Click on the matchstick you want to move. If you want the match to remain in its current orientation (horizontal or vertical), simply move the pointer to the new position for the match and click again.

If you want to flip the matchstick from horizontal to vertical or from vertical to horizontal, move the pointer to the Flip Match button and click it before moving the match to its new position.

Keep in mind: It is OK for squares to share sides. Place each match either parallel to or perpendicular to another match; one match can also bisect another match that is perpendicular to it. Do not leave any matches dangling; both ends of each match must touch another match or the match must bisect another match. Every match must be part of at least one square. You can't remove a match from its position only to replace it with another match. If you achieve the asked-for number of squares in fewer moves than specified...sorry. You won't get credit for it.

It gets harder

The more advanced puzzles require more scrutiny. In some cases, you may have the right idea and are just not seeing all the squares already formed.

How the game is scored

You will earn points for each puzzle you successfully complete. No partial credit is granted!


Native Tongue

You're about to take a crash course in an unknown language. This could be good practice in case you ever discover a lost tribe. You'll get a chance to hone your deductive reasoning and grammar skills.

The object

To deduce enough information about an unknown language from captioned pictures to allow you to translate a phrase from English into the language.

How to play

Look at each picture and study its caption in the unknown language. What can you deduce about the language's vocabulary and syntax?

Type your translation into the box. Press Enter when you are finished.

It gets harder

The more difficult puzzles require more complex reasoning to complete the translation. And you'll probably have to refer to earlier levels to help solve them.

Be precise and complete since no partial credit is granted. Do the best you can!

How the game is scored

You will earn points at each level for translating the word or phrase into the unknown language.


Series

What comes next? That usually depends on what went before. These Series puzzles will soon have you thinking along those lines, sharpening your reasoning and math skills. (Though sometimes thinking too hard can send you in the wrong direction!)

The object

To fill in the blanks with answers that complete the series.

How to play

Look at the boxes that have been filled in and try to determine how each one follows from the others.

What should come next, next, and next? Click in the first (topmost) empty space and type your answer.

When you have filled in all three blanks, press Enter to see if you are correct.

Be precise; if you misspell a word, you won't get credit.

It gets harder

The more difficult puzzles require you to rely on more outside knowledge—or perhaps things right at hand—to complete the series. Check out the World Series puzzle category for even more difficult series puzzles.

How the game is scored

You will get points for each puzzle you complete correctly.


Sliding Tiles

You could be slip, sliding away for quite some time before making sense of these pictures. You'll need patience, spatial ability, patience, logic, and patience to solve the Sliding Tiles.

The object

To rearrange the squares to make a coherent picture.  (One piece of the picture is missing and will be filled in when you solve the puzzle.)

How to play

Look carefully at the puzzle pieces to see if you can imagine how they fit into the picture.

Click on any puzzle piece adjacent to the empty space to move that piece into the space. You can only move one puzzle piece at a time.

Continue until you have unscrambled the picture.

It gets harder

The more difficult puzzles have larger and more complex pictures for you to unscramble.

How the game is scored

You will earn points for each picture you unscramble. There is no penalty for the number of moves you make, so keep trying!


Take a Number

The Take a Number puzzles are like anagrams made up of numerals and operators instead of letters. Put on your math thinking cap and get things lined up.

The object

To use the numerals (1, 2, 3, 4, etc.) and functions (+, -, x, /) in the top box to create an equation that equals the total in the bottom box.

How to play

Note the number of operators compared to the number of numerals, and the size of the total you are aiming for, to determine whether you will be dealing with one-digit or multiple-digit numbers in your equation. Your equation must always start with a number, not an operator.

Click on one of the numerals or operators to highlight it. Then click on the empty space where you want to place it.

Double-click on a numeral or operator in the top box to place that character in the first available space in the bottom box.

To make room for another character in the midst of a string of characters, click on the place where you want to insert the character. Then press the right or left arrow key to shift the adjacent characters to the right or the left.

Continue until you have completed the equation, using ALL numerals and operators. You cannot leave anything unused. A working total that exceeds 9,999 will not be registered. Hint: At no point in any of the Take a Number Puzzles is it necessary for the total to exceed 9,999.

Negative numbers will not be registered.

Keep in mind: Equations are computed from left to right. You cannot at any point have a current total that is a non-integer (for example, you cannot begin your equation with "7/4"). For most puzzles, there is more than one solution.

It gets harder

The more difficult puzzles have more numerals and operators and always require more thinking.

How the game is scored

You will earn points for making the equation work.


Traffic

Admit it. You've been stuck at a red light wondering who programmed the traffic lights for your personal inconvenience. Here's your chance to prove that you could do a better job. The Traffic game will exercise your reasoning skills and give you something to ponder the next time you're stopped at a light.

The object

To program the traffic lights so that the cars reach their destinations (move off the screen) as quickly as possible.

How to play

Click on the Go button and watch. See how the cars move and how long it takes them all to leave the screen. Think you can do better?

Now study the traffic situation, including the number and placement of cars, intersections and roads.

Click on a traffic light to open a dialog box that will let you program that light. Click on the light itself to make it red or green. Click on the sliders in the dialog box to indicate the length of time before the light turns green or red, and the length of time the light will remain green or red.

Repeat the above procedure for each traffic light you wish to alter.

When you've adjusted all the lights you wish to, click the Go button to see how you did. The cars will travel until they leave the screen or gridlock sets in.

It gets harder

The more difficult puzzles have more cars, intersections and roads.

How the game is scored

The less time it takes your cars to get off the screen, the more points you will earn.


Viewing Cubes

The Viewing Cubes game tests your ability to recognize an object after studying a flattened version of the object—sort of like a road kill reconstruction test, but tidier. Seriously, though, you'll need your spatial skills for this one.

The object

To identify correctly the cube views that can be made from the given pattern.

How to play

Look at the pattern of the flattened cube and try to imagine what it would look like if it were folded into a three-dimensional cube and seen from different angles.

Look at the cube at right, and click Yes or No to indicate whether or not it could be made from the pattern.

Now click on the right arrow of the slider beneath Yes/No to move to each cube view, and make a decision on it.

When you have chosen Yes or No for each cube view, click on the "Check answers now" button to see if you are correct.

Keep in mind: The unfolded strip at left displays the OUTSIDE of each cube face. In other words, think of the other side of this strip as being blank.

It gets harder

The more advanced puzzles have trickier patterns and views for you to match up.

How the game is scored

You must correctly identify all views that match the pattern in order to earn points for a given puzzle.


Warehouse

Ever worked in a crowded warehouse? You just got a job operating a forklift. Each Warehouse puzzle shows the floor plan of a warehouse—a grid of squares. You'll need patience and logic to discover how to push objects into their proper places.

The object

To push the balls, using the forklift, so that each target is covered by a ball, and to do it in as few moves as possible.

How to play

Take into account the location of the forklift (the red icon), the red and white targets, and the purple balls  as you develop your plan of attack.

Using the mouse: To move the forklift to a different square of the warehouse grid, click on that square. The forklift will move one square per click toward the square you have chosen.

Using the keyboard: You'll probably find it easier to use the arrow keys on the keyboard to move the forklift, instead of clicking the mouse. Each time you press an arrow key, the forklift will move one square in the direction of the arrow.

You can push only one object at a time with the forklift.

When the forklift reaches a movable object, it will push the object one square ahead of itself until the object encounters an obstacle.

Keep in mind: You'll need to plan carefully so that you'll always be able to maneuver your forklift behind an object in order to push it in the desired direction.

It gets harder

The more difficult puzzles will require more planning, and perhaps backtracking, in order for you to maneuver your forklift successfully and complete the job.

How the game is scored

Each move costs you points from your starting score.


Word Builder

These Word Builder puzzles will help you build your vocabulary as you build words so that you can build your score which will build your chances of building your bank account.

The object

To create an optimal collection of words—that is, one that uses up as many of the provided letters as possible.

How to play

Look at the letters in the box at the bottom of the puzzle area to see what you have to work with.

Click on the letters that appear at the bottom of the puzzle area to spell a word in the box at the top of the puzzle area. The letters you have used will disappear. Or, you may also use your keyboard to type letters.

Click on the OK button in the upper right corner when you have finished spelling a word. Only words that are in the dictionary included in the Smart Games Challenge #1 database will count. If approved, your word will appear in the box at the right.

To remove a word from the box at the right, click on the word.

It gets harder

The more difficult puzzles provide more letters so that you will need to create more words. No duplicate words are allowed.

How the game is scored

You will earn points for each letter you use. Point values increase once you've used a certain number of letters. There may be bonuses for creating words that follow certain rules (click on the Info button to find out what these rules are).


Word Melt

How does gold become dust?  One letter at a time! You must negotiate the exact route by changing the letters in "gold" to form new words until you reach the word "dust." The Word Melt game will challenge your vocabulary and your ability to think ahead.

The object

To turn a word into a related word by changing one letter at a time, forming a new, valid word with each change. Your challenge is to transform the Start word into the Destination word using as few intermediate words as possible.

How to play

On the left side of the puzzle area, look at the Start word (at the top) and the Destination word (at the bottom). Think of another actual English word you could make by changing one letter of the Start word. No abbreviations are allowed and no proper nouns, unless otherwise noted. Only words that are in the dictionary included in the Smart Games Challenge #1 database will count.

Click on the letter you want to change in the Start word on the right side of the puzzle area. Then type the letter you want to appear there, or click on the new letter in the alphabet at the bottom of the puzzle area. Your new word will appear in the box on the left side of the screen.

If you want to remove the last word from the list, choose the Undo menu item from the Puzzle menu at the top of the screen.

Continue as described above until you have successfully transformed the Start word into the Destination word.

Click on the up and down arrows in the box on the left side of the screen, or drag the slider, if available, to scroll through all the words you've formed.

It gets harder

Once you've mastered the three-letter word melts, you'll move on to four-, five-, and six-letter words.

Puzzle #17 will ask you to melt one word into two other words, forming a "word chain." The most difficult puzzles (numbers 18, 19, and 20) will ask you to choose a given number of words from a larger list and create a word melt chain in the fewest steps possible. How the words are ordered is up to you.

How the game is scored

Your score is reduced with each word you create between the Start word and the Destination word. However, in some puzzles—#4, 8, 12, and 16—you should try to use as many distinct letters as possible. Although you will lose points with each word you create, you'll more than make up for the loss by earning a bonus for using extra letters in these puzzles.


Word Search

At a loss for words? You'll find plenty in these Word Search puzzles. As you delve for your quarry, you'll be expanding your knowledge and exercising your visual acuity.

The object

There are three types of Word Search puzzles, so there are three distinct objectives:

Type 1 (Puzzles #1 - 10): To find in the grid of letters at right all the words in the list at left (there's a theme to each puzzle). Each word you find will change color in the list so that you can keep track of your progress.

Best advice? Be methodical.

Type 2 (Puzzles #11 - 13): To find as many words in the grid as you can, period.

Best advice? Be ravenous.

Type 3 (Puzzles #14 - 15): To find the combination of words in the grid that uses up all, or as close to all, the letters.

Best advice? Be efficient.

How to play

Look for words in the letter grid on the right side of the screen. The words may be spelled from left to right, right to left, top to bottom, bottom to top, or diagonally in any direction. They may even be found "snaking" around from horizontal to vertical to diagonal. Anything is possible, as long as the letters are adjacent and no letter is used twice in the same word (for example, "Helena" must use two different "e"'s).

When you have found a word, click on each letter of the word in order. Then click the OK button on the left side of the screen.

If you highlight a string of letters by mistake, click on the first letter in the string that is incorrect to unhighlight it and all of the following highlighted letters to the end of the word. In Puzzles #11-15, you may also delete a word by clicking on that word as it appears in the box of found words (below the "OK" button).

It gets harder

Within each puzzle type, the grids get bigger, and the possibilities multiply. In Puzzle Type 1, the word lists get longer.

How the game is scored

Type 1: You will earn points for each word you find and a nice bonus for finding the complete set of words.

Type 2: You will earn points for each word you find and a big, big bonus if you find more than a given number of words.

Type 3: You will earn points for each letter you use; the rate at which you earn points will increase when you pass certain letter milestones.

In Puzzle #14 (not #15), you will also earn a bonus for each word longer than four letters.


World Series

You're a true prophet if you can predict what comes next in this series of puzzles! These puzzles are played and scored the same way as those in the Series category (see description). But watch out: You may have to think harder...or just call on your intuition to be especially sharp.


Smart Games Challenge #1 Contest

This section of Help gives information about how to enter the Smart Games Challenge #1 Contest individually or as a team, how to check on your score, and where to get the latest contest news, as well as the official contest rules.

Related Topics:

Signing in as a team

Checking your progress

Getting the latest contest news

Entering the contest

"Smart Games Challenge #1" Contest Official Entry Form

"Smart Games Challenge #1" Contest Official Rules


Signing in as a team

As you play Smart Games Challenge #1, all of your best puzzle scores are automatically saved under the name you signed in with. Therefore, if you want to compete against other members of your family, you should each sign in using your own name each time you play. If you want to play as a team, each team member should use the same name (for example, "The Green Team") at sign-in.

Note: Whether you sign in individually or as a team, only one contest entry per CD will be allowed. See Entering the contest.

Because Smart Games Challenge #1 saves only your best score for each puzzle, all team members can play all they want, at any level, without worrying about lowering the team's score. There is never a penalty for playing a puzzle again and again; your score can only improve the more you play.

(Note: Smart Games, Inc. is not responsible for any losses due to the neglect of  schoolwork or other responsibilities as a result of excessive puzzle-playing. You'd just better make sure you win the contest.)


Checking your progress

Whenever you want to know how your score stacks up against the optimal score for a puzzle, just click on the Progress button in the lower left corner of any puzzle screen. You'll see a bar graph displayed for each puzzle in the current puzzle category. The longer the red bar is, the better your score. If a red bar doesn't appear next to a puzzle number, that means you haven't scored any points yet for that puzzle. From this screen, you can jump to any individual puzzle in the current puzzle category by simply clicking on the number button for that puzzle.

Note: Each bar graph represents the best score you have achieved for that puzzle. Feel free to try to improve your score by playing any puzzle repeatedly until the red bar touches the line down the right side of the screen. Repeatedly playing a puzzle will not jeopardize your previous high score; this score will only be replaced when you achieve a higher score.

By the way: It's possible—just possible—that for some puzzles, the progress bar may be as far right as it goes, yet you can still improve your score. How could this be? Maybe no one we know has scored any higher than what we believe is the top score; maybe we just want to keep you on your toes. Either way, if you feel you might still do better on a given puzzle, but the progress bar is all the way right, you may want to keep trying.

When you have finished reviewing the bar graphs, you can also leave this screen by clicking on the Done button in the lower left corner. When you do, you'll see a list of all of the puzzle categories, each displaying the total of your best scores for that category. You can either click on any puzzle category name to see the individual bar graphs for that puzzle category or click on the Done button again to return to the last puzzle you played.

Note: Don't forget while you are on any puzzle screen, you can use the Reset and Undo choices on the pull-down Puzzle menu to start a puzzle over or to undo your last move. (Undo can also be used repeatedly to undo a series of moves.)


Getting the latest contest news

Check out the Smart Games World Wide Web Internet site (http://www.smartgames.com) to get all of the latest contest news, to post your latest score, or to set up a private league for you and your friends to compete in.


Entering the contest

There are two ways to enter the Smart Games Challenge #1 Contest:

1.	BY MAIL: Print your name, complete address, home telephone number, and age on the Official Entry form found in the "Smart Games Challenge #1" product package. You may also print out the "Smart Games Challenge #1" Contest Official Entry Form from this help file or write the entry information on a separate 3" x 5" piece of paper. Type or print your 7-digit total "Smart Games Score" as it appears on the Main Menu screen along with the corresponding Contest Code found on the "Enter Contest" menu item from the pull-down Options menu on the Main Menu screen. Finally, print your product serial number as found in the printed material in the product package. Mail the completed entry to "Smart Games Challenge #1" Contest, P.O. Box 326, Manhattan Beach, CA  90267-0326. Limit: One entry per envelope.

2.	ELECTRONICALLY: Using your existing Internet access software, go to the Smart Games web site (http://www.smartgames.com). Follow the instructions there for signing in as a new player (go to the LOCKER ROOM screen).

Regardless of how you submit your entry, all entries for the final round must be received by 9/30/97. Entries for earlier rounds must be received by the ending date for that round. Only one entry per product serial number will be accepted. No mechanically reproduced entries will be accepted. Be sure to save your files as proof of your work (in other words, until the contest is over, don't erase any files in the Smart Games subdirectory on your hard drive). Smart Games, Inc. is not responsible for lost or damaged game and scoring files on your computer.

If you are entering as a team, make sure that you send in only one entry from for your team with one person's name on it. A single prize will be awarded to the individual whose name appears on the entry form.

If you are selected as a finalist in any of the rounds, you will be notified by mail on or about 30 days after the ending date of the round. (See "Smart Games Challenge #1" Contest Official Rules for more information about when the various rounds start and end.)


"Smart Games Challenge #1" Contest
Official Entry Form

The easiest and best way to enter the contest is via the Smart Games World Wide Web site (http://www.smartgames.com). See Entering the contest. However, to enter the contest by mail instead, you may print out this Official Entry Form by selecting File and then Print Topic from the menu above. Fill out the form or write the following information on a 3" x 5" piece of paper and mail it to the address given below.

Name: ______________________________________________________________

Home Address: ______________________________________________________

City: _______________________________ State: _________ Zip: _____________

Home Phone #: ______________________________________ Age: ____________

Total "Smart Games Score"
(from Main Menu screen):______________________________________________

Contest Code
(from "Enter Contest" menu item under Options menu): ______________________

Product Serial Number
(printed on literature accompanying the product; please retain the serial number document because the contest winner is required to produce evidence of product ownership.): _________________________________________________________

I have read, understand, and agree to the "Smart Games Challenge #1" Contest Official Rules.

Signed: _____________________________________________________________

See Official Rules below for complete entry requirements.

Mail entries to: 	"Smart Games Challenge #1" Contest
P.O. Box 326
Manhattan Beach, CA  90267-0326

Contest entries must be received by dates listed in the Official Contest Rules.


"Smart Games Challenge #1" Contest
Official Rules

1.	ELIGIBILITY: Only U.S. residents 14 years of age or older as of May 1, 1996 are eligible. Contest is void in VT, MD, IA, ND, MN and wherever else prohibited, taxed, or restricted by law. Employees and family members of Smart Games, Inc., Random House, Inc., Knowledge Adventure, Inc., KnowWare Technologies, Inc., and their contractors, affiliates, subsidiaries, advertising, promotion, and publicity agents are not eligible.

2.	TIMING: Contest periods (rounds) are as follows:

Round #1 will be held between May 1, 1996 and September 30, 1996.
Round #2 will be held between October 1, 1996 and December 31, 1996.
Round #3 will be held between January 1, 1997 and March 31, 1997.
Round #4 will be held between April 1, 1997 and June 30, 1997.
Round #5 will be held between July 1, 1997 and September 30, 1997.

Smart Games assumes no responsibility for lost, late, misdirected, illegible, damaged, or postage-due mail entries. Smart Games assumes no responsibility for error, omission, interruption, deletion, defect, delay in operation or transmission, communications line failure, theft or destruction or unauthorized access to, or alteration of electronic entries. Smart Games assumes no responsibility for lost or damaged computer score files stored on your computer.

3.	HOW TO ENTER: There are two ways to enter the contest:

1) BY MAIL: Print your name, complete address, home telephone number, and age on the Official Entry Form found in the "Smart Games Challenge #1" product package or on a separate 3" x 5" piece of paper. Type or print your 7-digit total "Smart Games Score" as it appears on the Main Menu screen along with the corresponding Contest Code found on the "Enter Contest" menu item from the pull-down Options menu on the Main Menu screen. Finally, print your product serial number as found in the printed material in the product package. Mail the completed entry to "Smart Games Challenge #1" Contest, P.O. Box 326, Manhattan Beach, CA 90267-0326. Limit of one entry per envelope.

2) ELECTRONICALLY: Using your existing Internet access software, go to the Smart Games web site (http://www.smartgames.com). Follow the instructions there for signing in as a new player (go to the LOCKER ROOM screen).

Regardless of method of submission, to be eligible to win a prize in any round, your entry must be received between the first and last day of that round. You may submit entries in any and/or all rounds. Only the first player submitting entries using the unique product serial number will be eligible for prizes. You may submit more than one entry in any round (although it only makes sense to do this if your score has improved, since the winner is selected based on their total "Smart Games Score," not on the number of entries). No mechanically reproduced entries will be accepted.

4.	JUDGING CRITERIA: All entries submitted will be tallied and verified under the supervision of an independent judging organization whose decisions are final on all matters relating to this contest. Winners will be selected by the numerical ranking of total "Smart Games Scores" achieved in all puzzle categories in the "Smart Games Challenge #1" product. Answers to puzzles will be judged solely on the instructions contained in the "Smart Games Challenge #1" product from Smart Games, Inc., notwithstanding any contrary information contained in any other source material. The finalist of any round is the person that submits the highest score during that contest round. The finalist will be selected and notified by mail on or about 30 days after the close of any contest round. The finalist of each round will be required to provide certification/documentation of their "Smart Games Challenge #1" puzzle scores via electronic disk copy of their score files and produce evidence that they have ownership of the product with the product serial number submitted with their entry. All finalist notification and documentation will be sent via Priority Mail for judging by the independent judging organization to determine the winner. In the event of a tie in any round, a winner will be determined by progressively comparing, in sequence, the highest total score achieved in the following puzzle categories until the tie is broken:

1) Word Builder
2) Traffic
3) Marble Jump
4) World Series
5) Generations
6) Word Melt
7) Cryptograms

If a tie still remains after comparing the scores of all of the above puzzle categories, the independent judging organization will arrange an on-site tie-breaking puzzle event to determine the final winner.

5.	CASH PRIZES:

Round #1:	(1)	Grand Prize:	$10,000	cash
Round #2:	(1)	Grand Prize:	$10,000	cash
Round #3:	(1)	Grand Prize:	$10,000	cash
Round #4:	(1)	Grand Prize:	$10,000	cash
Round #5:	(1)	Grand Prize:	$10,000	cash

Total value of all prizes to be awarded: $50,000. All federal, state and local taxes are the sole responsibility of winner. If a prize is won by a minor, it will be awarded in the name of his/her parent/legal guardian.

6.	WINNER NOTIFICATION:  The finalist will be determined and notified by an independent judging organization on or about 30 days after the end of any particular round. The finalist will be required to submit confirming background work via electronic disk copy, and to execute an Affidavit of Eligibility within 10 days of notification. Noncompliance within this time period will result in disqualification and an alternate finalist will be selected.

7.	Contest is subject to federal, state, local and/or other regulations. Contest void where prohibited by law. By entering this contest, entrant consents to the use of his/her name and/or likeness for promotion and advertising purposes without additional compensation unless prohibited by law. All entries become the exclusive property of Smart Games, Inc., and none will be returned. Sponsor reserves the right to disqualify any entrant who fails to abide by the Official Rules or uses techniques to obtain scores in any other way than the methods set forth in "Smart Games Challenge #1" Info and Help files.

8.	For the names of winners, available after 60 days after the end of any round, send a self-addressed, stamped #10 envelope to: "Smart Games Challenge #1" Contest Winners, P.O. Box 1913, Manhattan Beach, CA  90267-1913. All requests must be received by 12/31/97.

9.	GENERAL: Smart Games reserves the exclusive right, exercisable at its sole discretion to disallow the scores from any puzzle that is found to contain software-based scoring irregularities. If a player attains points in any puzzle by utilizing software-based scoring irregularities, those points will be deducted from the player's point total and the resulting lower point total will be used as their official point total in the contest.


Questions & Answers

This section of Help will answer many of your questions about Smart Games Challenge #1 and help you solve problems you may have.

Related Topics:

About Video

About Memory

About Sound and Music


About Video

If Smart Games Challenge #1 requires a video driver that uses only 256 colors, and my video driver is capable of using 16 million colors, why can't I use my current video driver with Smart Games Challenge #1?

Smart Games Challenge #1 only supports a 256-color video driver in order to improve performance. True color video drivers have to transfer three times as much data to the screen.

Can Smart Games Challenge #1 run in a video mode other than 640 x 480 x 256 colors?

Yes, Smart Games Challenge #1 can run in 640 x 480, 800 x 600, or 1024 x 768 as long as your video card supports that mode with 256 colors. Remember, though, that 640 x 480 will run the fastest and will automatically provide you with a full-screen image.

How can I change the Windows video driver?

Most systems will install a variety of drivers for Windows to use. If this is not the case, have your Windows diskettes or the drivers diskettes for your video card ready.

1.	While in Windows, double click on the Windows Setup icon. This is usually in the Main Program Group.

2.	Select Change System settings from the Options menu.

3.	Click on the down arrow in the Display category. This will bring up a list of available drivers. Write down the name of the current driver. Scroll through the list and select the appropriate 640 x 480 x 256-color driver for your video card. If one is not on the list, select "Other display" at the bottom of the list.

Note: Selecting the "Other display" option will require a diskette with the appropriate drivers for your particular video card. Contact the manufacturer of your video card if you do not already have a drivers diskette.

4.	If you are prompted for the location of the driver in the Windows Setup box, enter the path and click on OK. Windows will install the driver and then request that you insert one of your original Windows diskettes.

Note: If your computer arrived with Windows pre-installed, and you do not have the original Windows diskettes, please contact the manufacturer of your machine for further assistance.

5.	If you selected a driver that was already installed in Windows, you will be informed of this and you may select Current and use the installed driver.

6.	To have the new driver take effect, you must select the Restart Windows option once the driver has been installed.

7.	To return your windows display to its original configuration, repeat these steps after finishing Smart Games Challenge #1. This time, select the driver whose name you wrote down earlier from the selections list.


About Memory

What is virtual memory and why do I need it to run Smart Games Challenge #1?

Virtual memory is a file on your hard disk used to emulate memory. This file is called a swap file, and is used by Windows to improve performance on machines without a lot of physical memory. Smart Games Challenge #1 is a rich program, and using virtual memory helps it run faster. Consult your Windows documentation for more information on virtual memory.

How do I tell Windows to use a swap file?

In the Program Manager, look in the Main Program Group for the Control Panel. Double-click on the "Enhanced" or 386 Enhanced" icon. Inside "Enhanced," click on the button "Virtual Memory...". The size (in kilobytes) and type (permanent or temporary) of your swap file will be displayed. If you want to change the size or type of your swap file, click on the "Change>>" button, type the new size in the "New Size" field, and click on "OK."

Should I use a permanent or a temporary swap file?

Permanent swap files are faster. Temporary swap files should be used only if you are too short on disk space to make a permanent swap file as large as you would like.

How big should I make my permanent swap file?

As big as Windows recommends. On a computer with four megabytes of RAM, the largest swap file Windows 3.1 supports is about 7800 kilobytes (about 8 megabytes). On a computer with eight megabytes of RAM, the limit is about 19700 kilobytes. This lets you keep twice as many applications open as you could without virtual memory, and is a lot less expensive than buying RAM.

How come I can only make a small permanent swap file?

A permanent swap file can be only as big as the biggest free block on your hard disk. If your disk has been used for more than a few days, it is probably fragmented, and doesn't have any big free blocks. You can fix this by running a disk defragmenter, for instance, DEFRAG.EXE, which comes with MS-DOS 6.2.

Can I run other Windows applications while running Smart Games Challenge #1?

You can run other applications while Smart Games Challenge #1 is active. Please remember that the more applications you have open, the slower the performance of each application. You may also find that you may not have sufficient memory to keep multiple applications open simultaneously.

Can I use Windows screen savers with Smart Games Challenge #1?

Smart Games Challenge #1 is compatible with Windows screen savers. If you have only four megabytes of RAM, you should disable the screen savers for optimal performance.


About Sound and Music

I can get sounds from Smart Games Challenge #1 but I am unable to get any music. Why?

Smart Games Challenge #1 incorporates two types of sound. Digital audio is used for speech and sound effects, and MIDI is used for music in some of the activities. The MIDI portion of your sound device may not be correctly set up. To see if your MIDI device is correctly configured, follow these steps:

1.	Go to the Windows Program Manager and open the Main group.

2.	Double-click on the Control Panel icon and then double-click on the MIDI Mapper icon.

Note: If a MIDI Mapper icon does not exist, then your sound device may not be capable of producing MIDI sound. Contact the manufacturer of your sound device for more information.

3.	When you access the MIDI Mapper, look at the Name listing. There should be a name with the letters Ext. FM included. If this is not the case, click on the down arrow to the right of the Name listing and select a name which includes Ext. FM.

Note: Write down your current setting so you can return to it, if necessary.

4.	Close the MIDI Mapper and re-enter Smart Games Challenge #1. You should now hear background music.

5.	If the Name listing already included Ext. FM, or if changing it made no difference, try testing the MIDI portion of your sound card by playing the CANYON.MID file from the Media Player program. If you cannot hear the CANYON.MID file from the Media Player, contact the manufacturer of your sound card for further assistance.

I checked the MIDI Mapper, but I still can't hear any background music. Why?

Go to the Windows group that pertains to your sound device. Look for an icon that will allow you to access the Mixer. Check the mixer settings for Sound (usually called Wave), Music (music may be called MIDI or sometimes Synth), and Master volume control. If any of the sliders are near the bottom, click on them and drag them up to increase the volume.