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M*A*T*H
CIRCUS
User's Guide
Copyright Steve Luckett, Bruce Mitchell and David Smith, 1993, 1996.
First published in 1993 by Greygum Software, Ashgrove, Queensland, Australia.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any
form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording,
storage in an information retrieval system, or otherwise, without the prior written
permission of the publisher.
M*A*T*H CIRCUS is distributed in the United States of America by Power Industries,
Inc., 37 Walnut Street, Wellesley Hills, MA 02181. User support is available by calling
800 395-5009.
OVERVIEW
M*A*T*H CIRCUS is a collection of puzzles based on the theme of a
circus. The puzzles are "mathematical" in that they require reasoning, but
they are better described as problem-solving activities, designed to stimulate
the user and to provoke clear thinking in an enjoyable and challenging
manner. There are twelve puzzles, each with five levels of difficulty.
Together, these address a wide range of ages and abilities.
M*A*T*H CIRCUS provides challenging and thought-provoking
entertainment for all ages. The lowest levels of many of the puzzles are
suitable for the youngest members of the family — even those at pre-reading
ages. Most puzzles have very little text. The youngest users might need help
from an older person to read any text and explain the concept of the puzzle.
However, once they grasp the intent of each puzzle, they will be able to meet
the challenge. The middle levels generally require more persistence and the
development of a strategy, while everyone — including adults — should
find the top levels of some of the puzzles quite tricky.
Older children and parents should avoid giving too much help to younger
users. Help them to read any text and to understand what each puzzle is
about, but let them work out the solutions for themselves. Remember that it
might take younger children some time to work out what appears obvious to
an older person.
There is no one correct solution to each puzzle. It is up to the user to explore
and to work out a suitable approach. If you are not sure what to do, guess.
Solutions are found through trial and error — even if it requires more error
than trial!
GETTING STARTED
INSTALLATION
DOS (If You Are Not Running Windows)
1. Place the M*A*T*H CIRCUS disk in the disk drive.
2. At the DOS prompt, type A:\INSTALL (or replace A with the letter
that signifies the disk drive in which you placed the M*A*T*H
CIRCUS disk) and press ENTER.
3. Follow the instructions that appear on the screen and M*A*T*H
CIRCUS will be installed successfully.
Windows
1. Place the M*A*T*H CIRCUS disk in the disk drive.
2. Start Windows if it is not already running.
3. Select Run from the File menu.
4. Type A:\INSTALL in the Command Line box (or replace A with the
letter that signifies the disk drive in which you placed the M*A*T*H
CIRCUS disk) and press ENTER.
5. Follow the instructions that appear on the screen and M*A*T*H
CIRCUS will be installed successfully.
Creating a Windows Icon for M*A*T*H CIRCUS
The software installation automatically creates the directory C:\CIRCUS in
which to store M*A*T*H CIRCUS — unless you specify otherwise. If you
choose another directory or drive, replace C:\CIRCUS in these instructions
with the appropriate information.
1. With the Program Manager window active, click on the group in which
you want the M*A*T*H CIRCUS icon to appear. For example, you
might choose the Games group.
2. Select New from the File menu, click on Program Item, and click on
OK.
3. Fill in the dialog box that appears with the following information
(pressing TAB rather than ENTER at the end of each line):
Description:
Math Circus
Command Line:
Circus
Working Directory:
C:\CIRCUS
4. Now click on the button labeled Change Icon. You will see a message
saying that no icons are available. Ignore this and click on OK.
5. A Change Icon dialog box will appear. In the box labeled File Name,
type C:\CIRCUS\CIRCUS.ICO.
6. Click on OK. An icon of a circus tent will appear.
7. Click on OK to leave the Change Icon dialog box, and again on OK to
return to the Program Manager window.
8. Double-click on the program group in which M*A*T*H CIRCUS is
installed and you should find the circus icon.
9. Double-click on this icon to launch M*A*T*H CIRCUS.
REGISTRATION
When you start M*A*T*H CIRCUS for the first time, a screen will appear
asking you to register the software by typing in your name. You do this only
once — the registration screen will not appear again.
LAUNCHING M*A*T*H CIRCUS
HOW TO START THE SOFTWARE
DOS Without Windows
To run M*A*T*H CIRCUS from a floppy disk:
1. At the DOS prompt, type A: and press ENTER (or replace A with the
letter that signifies the disk drive in which you placed the M*A*T*H
CIRCUS disk).
2. At the A:\> prompt, type CIRCUS and press ENTER.
3. M*A*T*H CIRCUS will start.
To run M*A*T*H CIRCUS from a hard drive:
1. Type C: and ENTER at the DOS prompt, then CD CIRCUS and
ENTER to change to the directory in which M*A*T*H CIRCUS was
installed.
2. Type CIRCUS at the C:\CIRCUS> prompt and press ENTER.
3. M*A*T*H CIRCUS will start.
If M*A*T*H CIRCUS was installed in a different directory, replace the
directory name CIRCUS in these instructions with the name of the directory
in which M*A*T*H CIRCUS was installed.
With Windows
To launch the software from Windows, double-click on the M*A*T*H
CIRCUS icon. Use the instructions above to create a Windows icon for
M*A*T*H CIRCUS.
HOW TO DRIVE THE SOFTWARE
Every screen has a number of choices available. Each is shown in a
rectangular box that contains some text or an icon. The user chooses the
required one, using a mouse or the keyboard. If you experience difficulty,
see the section below on Troubleshooting to solve any problems.
Using a Mouse
This is the normal navigation method. Move the mouse until the pointer
highlights the required choice, then click the left-hand mouse button. If your
mouse has two or three buttons, you can click the right-hand mouse button
to step through the choices instead of moving the mouse.
Using the DOS Keyboard
You can use the SPACE BAR to step through the available choices, pressing
ENTER when the required choice is highlighted. Note that the pointer will
appear even if you are not using a mouse.
Driving Each Puzzle
At the top of each puzzle screen is a bar containing various icons. The gauge
shows the level of difficulty. The five dots indicate the five levels of
difficulty, and also indicate whether or not each level has been solved — a
green dot if it has, a red dot if success is elusive. Click on the arrows on each
side of the gauge to select the level you want to attempt. Click on the
check-mark icon to start the puzzle, and click on the circus-tent icon to
return to the puzzle menu.
Quitting
You should quit M*A*T*H CIRCUS by returning to the main menu and
selecting Quit. However, if for some reason you wish to quit immediately,
this can be achieved by typing CTRL-C or CTRL-Q.
THE MAIN MENU
INSTRUCTIONS
Click on "Instructions" to receive a brief description of how to operate
M*A*T*H CIRCUS using a mouse or the keyboard. The icons that appear at
the top of each puzzle are also explained.
START M*A*T*H CIRCUS
Click on "Start Math Circus" to try any of the puzzles. Another menu will
appear with the following four items.
Start a New Circus
This option allows your progress to be saved when you want to quit
M*A*T*H CIRCUS. It enables you to continue from the same point the next
time you play, providing a record of the level you have reached in each
puzzle. Up to fourteen circuses can be saved — enough for most families!
When you start a new circus, you will be asked to type in your name. Next,
choose the puzzle you want to attempt to solve. There is also an option
allowing you to check your progress, so you can see which levels you have
solved at any time. Each time you successfully solve a puzzle, your
achievement is recorded.
Continue a Saved Circus
Choose this to resume a saved circus. The names of all saved but incomplete
circuses will be displayed. Click on the one you want or select it and press
ENTER.
Just Practice
This option allows you to attempt any of the puzzles without having to save
your progress. Many of the puzzles have a random renewal so that each level
will be slightly different each time it is selected.
Do not select this option if you intend to quit M*A*T*H CIRCUS to work
out a puzzle on paper. Invariably, when you restart the program and go to
put your customized solution into practice, the puzzle will be different. It's
best to start a new circus in the first place, and then return to that circus
when you want to apply your solution.
Cancel
Clicking on this option returns you to the main menu.
SOUND MENU
There are two kinds of sound used in M*A*T*H CIRCUS. The first is the
introductory music that plays when the program is launched. The second
comprises the sound effects that accompany each puzzle. The Sound Menu
allows each type of sound to be turned on or off.
There is also an option in the Sound Menu to use Sound Blaster. Turning on
Sound Blaster will improve the sound and music quality of M*A*T*H
CIRCUS if you have a Sound Blaster card. If you turn on the option and the
computer does not have a card or the necessary driver, an error message will
appear. If you do have a Sound Blaster card and it doesn't work when the
option is turned on, follow the advice in the Troubleshooting section below.
DELETE SAVED CIRCUSES
Use this option to delete any one or all saved circuses. The program allows
for fourteen saved circuses. Once the limit is reached, you will have to delete
some if you want to save others.
QUIT
Select this option when you want to leave M*A*T*H CIRCUS.
TROUBLESHOOTING
MOUSE DOES NOT WORK
Remember that you do not need a mouse to operate M*A*T*H CIRCUS. If
you find that your mouse works properly in Windows but does not work
when you launch M*A*T*H CIRCUS, then you do not have a suitable
mouse driver installed on your computer. Even though your mouse works
successfully in Windows, you may not have a mouse driver suitable for
operating in a DOS environment. Windows uses its own mouse driver, but a
separate driver is needed to use a mouse with non-Windows programs such
as M*A*T*H CIRCUS. This is the case even if M*A*T*H CIRCUS is
launched from within Windows.
When your computer was set up, a mouse driver would have been installed
and your AUTOEXEC.BAT or CONFIG.SYS file should contain an entry
that starts up the mouse driver when your computer is turned on. Your
mouse should have been supplied with a disk that contains all its possible
drivers — and instructions for their installation. Use it to install the driver
that runs your mouse for non-Windows programs.
If you do not have the disk, contact your computer dealer and ask for a
mouse driver that allows the mouse to operate outside Windows.
SOUND BLASTER DOES NOT WORK
M*A*T*H CIRCUS supports Sound Blaster, provided that suitable
hardware and software are correctly installed on your computer. M*A*T*H
CIRCUS has been tested on 386, 486, and Pentium computers — with
genuine Sound Blaster cards and current drivers — and started from both
DOS and Windows. However, because of the variety of sound cards and
software, their numerous possible settings, and the varying speeds of
different computers, you might experience problems — particularly running
M*A*T*H CIRCUS from within Windows.
If you have a Sound Blaster card but receive the message that it is not
available, try launching M*A*T*H CIRCUS from DOS. To do this, you
must quit Windows altogether. It is not enough to double-click on the
MS-DOS icon in Windows.
If Sound Blaster operates by launching M*A*T*H CIRCUS from DOS, then
there is a clash between Windows and Sound Blaster. You need to check
that your drivers are the most current versions. If your sound card is only a
"compatible" and not a genuine Sound Blaster card, there may be no option
but to switch off Sound Blaster in the M*A*T*H CIRCUS Sound Menu.
Other errors that occur when running M*A*T*H CIRCUS through Windows
can also be caused by clashes with the sound system. The solution is to
either launch M*A*T*H CIRCUS from DOS or switch off Sound Blaster in
the Sound Menu.
OPENING MUSIC PLAYS SLOWLY OR ODDLY
On some slower computers, particularly if they are running Windows, the
opening music might play irregularly or slowly — or completely freeze. The
animation on the title screen might also be jerky or run very slowly. There
might also be odd clicks from the speakers. To relieve any of these
problems, you can turn off the opening music or Sound Blaster in the
M*A*T*H CIRCUS Sound Menu.
CAN'T REACH THE SOUND MENU
A clash involving the program's sound system might be so bad that you can't
launch M*A*T*H CIRCUS to turn off Sound Blaster! If this occurs, change
to the M*A*T*H CIRCUS directory and type SOUNDOFF and ENTER at
the C:\CIRCUS> prompt.
Now launch M*A*T*H CIRCUS again. There will be no sound. You can go
to the Sound Menu and turn on sound effects and music again, but you
should leave Sound Blaster off.
SOLUTIONS
Ideally, no one should need these. The whole point is to try to find the
solutions for yourself! If you become really stuck, however, you can obtain a
copy of the puzzle solutions by calling Power Industries at 800 395-5009.