Blupi at Home ------------- Version 2.0 For ages 2 to 6 1. Installation ------------ - Run INSTALL.EXE from the Blupi CD. - If you already have a version of DirectX in your system, choose NO if you do not want to reinstall it. You need 70 MB free disk space. The CD is necessary to play the game. 2. In Blupi's house ---------------- When you press a key, Blupi will do something related to the letter pressed. The aim of the game is for the kid to associate each of the 26 letters to each of Blupi's 26 actions. Even if the child cannot read, it will very quickly know which letter leds to which action. For instance, if he presses B, Blupi wil take a Bath. What's more, each action is brought up by a short sentence. A..Z = 26 actions 1..9 = counting games (remember to activate the number pad by pressing Num Lock if necessary) Esc = stops the action or game To leave the house, click the stop sign in the bottom left corner, or press Esc. To make sure your child doesn't quit the game by mistake, there is a safety latch : you must click the green light to open the gate to the Exit button. This feature can be disabled. 3. Settings -------- You can change the volume of the sounds and the backgroud music. Just click the left arrow to turn them down or the right arrow to turn them up. The sounds include Blupi's voice and the various noises. If a key is pressed before the current action is finished, you can choose between the following 2 reactions: - The new action doesn't start and a horn is blown. - The current action is interrupted and the new action starts. Another way to play with Blupi is to click on objects in the house. The action related to the object will be performed. For instance, clicking the bath tub is the same as pressing letter B. You can completely disable mouse clicks, or enable mouse clicks but prevent them from interrupting the current action or not, like the keyboard. If the mouse cannot interrupt an action, it is hidden. The number of colours you choose will depend on your computer. Obviously, 65000 colours will give better graphics but needs a more powerful computer (P200 or better). If you have the feeling the game is very slow, choose 256 colours. - Games after some actions : Some letters lead to a game after Blupi's show. To avoid little ones getting stuck in a playing room, it is possible to disable these games. - Enable printing from drawing room : To avoid printing too much or jamming the printer spooler, you can enable or disable the printing feature in the drawing room. - Letters shown in Blupi's house : It is possible to show all the letters in the house near the objects they are related to. This makes it easier to find which letter or key to press. All these settings are saved from one time to the next. 4. Games ----- Figures 1 to 9 and some letters lead to a game. To quit these games and go back to Blupi's house, press Esc or click the little sign post showing the house. The following letters lead to games : A Match a shape with its shadow. M Find matching objects. Q Find matching letters. K Help Blupi catch the vowels and avoid the consonants. Press left or right arrow keys to move Blupi's trolley. F Odd man out. 5 Blupis are shown. Click the one that is different from the others. To flip or select the cards, click them with the mouse or press the number key or letter shown above or below. 5. Drawing ------- Press letter Z to zigzag down to the drawing room. There are 4 basic tools : - The pencil. Choose from 4 different sizes and 8 colours. - The stamp, with a collection of 10 symbols. As long as the mouse button is pressed, you can move the stamp around. - The "make your own Blupi". You can choose and mix each of the 8 parts of your character, giving all of 2'332'800 different Blupis ! Each time you click in the drawing, a new Blupi is brought up. You can then change it using the features in the boxes on the left. - The eraser. It comes in 2 sizes. The 3 icons on the right give the following features : - Cancel the last action. - Clear the whole drawing - Print the drawing on the default printer as set up in Windows. You can disable this feature in the settings (see section 3). To change printers : - In the Windows desktop, double-click "My Computer". - Double-click "Printers". - Right-click the printer you want to use, and choose "Default". To leave the drawing room, click the sign post showing the house, or press Esc. ----------------------- EPSITEC SA www.blupi.com www.epsitec.ch blupi@epsitec.ch