ÄOMINOES 

ÂY ËIRK ×ARD

     ÒEMEMBER DOMINOES? ÉF YOU WERE ANYTHING LIKE ME, IT ENTHRALLED YOU AS A KID, WITH ROWS AND COLUMNS OF SPOTTED TILES GROWING OUT EVERY-WHICH-WAY. ÅVERY GAME HAD NEW RULES--THE ONLY THING YOU WERE SURE OF WAS THAT THE FIRST KID TO RUN OUT OF DOMINOES WAS THE WINNER.
     ÂUT ÄOMINOES IS BASICALLY A SOPHISTICATED ADULT GAME IN WHICH STRATEGY AND LUCK ARE REWARDED WITH HIGH SCORES. ÅACH OF THE RECTANGULAR DOMINOES IS DIVIDED INTO TWO SQUARES, WITH 0-6 DOTS ON EACH SQUARE. ÄOMINOES 128 USES A SET OF 28 DOMINOES, WITH ONE TILE FOR EACH POSSIBLE COMBINATION, INCLUDING DOUBLES, FROM 0/0 TO 6/6.

ÔHE ÒULES

     ÔHE OBJECT OF THE GAME IS TO EARN POINTS BY JUDICIOUSLY CONNECTING DOMINOES TO THOSE THAT HAVE ALREADY BEEN PLAYED. ÙOU CAN ONLY PLAY A DOMINO AT THE END OF ONE OF THE FOUR LINES THAT  GROW FROM THE FOUR SIDES OF THE STARTING DOMINO. ÁDJACENT SQUARES ON CONNECTING DOMINOES MUST CONTAIN THE SAME NUMBER OF DOTS.
     ÁND HERE IS THE HIGH-SCORING KICKER: ×HEN A DOMINO YOU PLAY MAKES THE DOTS IN THE FOUR END SQUARES TOTAL A MULTIPLE OF FIVE, YOU WIN THAT AMOUNT. ÁND SINCE DOUBLES ARE PLACED CROSSWISE, BOTH OF THEIR SQUARES COUNT, WHICH MEANS THAT YOU CAN SCORE UP TO 35 POINTS IN A SINGLE PLAY.

ÔHE ÓETUP

     ÔHE WHITE PART OF THE ÄOMINOES 128 SCREEN IS THE PLAYING AREA. ÁT THE BOTTOM OF THE SCREEN ARE COLORED AREAS SHOWING YOUR OPTIONS, THE SCORE AND THE NUMBER OF DOMINOES LEFT IN THE COMPUTER'S HAND AND IN THE "WOODPILE."
     ÅACH PLAYER STARTS THE GAME WITH SEVEN DOMINOES; THE REMAINING 14 COMPRISE THE WOODPILE. ÙOUR DOMINOES ARE DISPLAYED AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PLAYING FIELD. ÔHE COMPUTER BEGINS THE GAME AUTOMATICALLY BY PLAYING THE HIGHEST DOUBLE HELD BY EITHER PLAYER. ÔURNS ALTERNATE THEREAFTER. 

ÙOUR ÔURN

     ×HEN IT'S YOUR TURN, SELECT ÐLAY, ÄRAW OR ÐASS BY PRESSING THE SPACE BAR TO HIGHLIGHT THE OPTION YOU WANT, THEN PRESSING THE RETURN KEY. ×HEN YOU ÐLAY, USE THE SPACE BAR AND THE RETURN KEY TO SELECT A DOMINO AND A LOCATION.
     ÉF YOU CAN'T PLAY, OR IF YOU WANT TO BUILD UP YOUR HAND IN THE HOPES OF SCORING  BIG, SELECT ÄRAW. ÙOU MAY SELECT ÐASS ONLY WHEN THE WOODPILE IS EMPTY AND YOU CAN'T MAKE A PLAY.
     ÔHE MATCH CONTINUES UNTIL ONE PLAYER HAS NO DOMINOES OR BOTH PLAYERS PASS. ÔHEN THE SPOTS ON EACH PLAYER'S REMAINING DOMINOES ARE TOTALED. ×HOEVER HAS THE LOWEST TOTAL RECEIVES THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE TWO, ROUNDED DOWN TO THE NEAREST MULTIPLE OF FIVE--SO BE CAREUL WHEN DRAWING FOR THAT HIGH-SCORING PLAY! ÔHE DOMINOES ARE THEN SHUFFLED AND A NEW MATCH BEGINS. ÔHE FIRST PLAYER TO REACH 200 POINTS WINS THE GAME. ×ITH A LITTLE LUCK AND A LOT OF SKILL, YOU'LL BEAT THE COMPUTER IN NO TIME.