                                  Mine Hunt
                                  =========

        MineHunt is a desktop game in which you try to find all the mines.

        When started,  MineHunt places an icon on the icon bar.  Clicking the
left hand mouse button over this icon displays the main game window which
comprises two principal areas:  the play area and the top area.  The play area
is simply a grid of hidden squares which may be revealed according to a few
simple rules outlined below.

        The top area comprises two counters and,  if there is sufficient space,
a "face".  The left hand counter indicates the number of unused flags while
the right hand counter is a timer (in seconds) telling you the game elapsed
time.  To pause the timer simply close the window:  re-opening the window on a
partially completed game will instantly restart the timer.

        The "face" is used to indicate the state of the game.  Normally it is a
smiling face,  but this changes when you win or lose the game to an appropriate
image.  Cheats get a surprising look!

Playing the game - basic rules
==============================

        Initially all the squares on the grid are hidden.  The simplest way to
play is to reveal squares by clicking the left mouse button over them.  A
revealed square may be :-

* A mine        - sorry,  you have lost.

* A number      - the number tells you how many of the surrounding
                  eight squares contain mines.

* A blank       - this indicates that the surrounding eight squares are all
                  blank.  The surrounding squares are automatically revealed
                  for you by the computer.

        When you know where a mine is,  a flag should be placed on that square.
To place a flag,  click the right mouse button over the square.  The game is
won by flagging all the mines correctly and revealing all the other squares.

Playing the game - advanced features
====================================

        To make playing the game easier,  several extensions exist to the above
rules.

Un-marking a mine
-----------------

        Occasionally a flag will be placed incorrectly.  To remove such a flag,
click the right mouse button over the incorrect flag.  The flag will turn into
a question mark:  a second click will remove the question mark.  Squares marked
with a question mark behave just like hidden squares - clicks with the left
mouse button will reveal that square.

Revealing a region
------------------

        Often a numbered square will have the correct number of flags around it
and you will want to reveal the remaining hidden squares.  This can be acheived
by clicking with the left button over each of the squares or,  more simply,  by
clicking the left button over the numbered square which will reveal all of the
un-flagged squares surrounding the given square.

Difficulty Levels and New Game
==============================

        Four preset difficulty levels are provided (beginner,  intermediate, 
expert and impossible) which can be selected from the Skill Level sub-menu of
the main game menu.  A fifth, customisable level is available by setting the
required grid size and number of mines within the Skill Level dialogue box.

        A new game may be started either by clicking on the New Board option of
the main menu or,  more simply,  by clicking with the left mouse button
anywhere over the top area of the window.

Hi-Score table
==============

        When you complete one of the preset levels in a record time without
cheating you may enter your name on to the high score table.  A window will
appear when you win into which you should type your name.  This will be saved
for posterity in the "HiScores" file within the MineHunt directory - don't try
to cheat by altering this file or your best (legitimate) times may be erased. 
To reset the hiscore table simply delete the "HiScores" file.

Cheats
======

        Some cheats are built in to MineHunt.  These can be accessed from the
main game menu (click the middle button anywhere over the main window).
Cheaters are not allowed to enter their names on to the high score table.

Easy Start
----------

        The first click  of the game will always be on a blank square (ie not a
numbered square).

Safe Region
-----------

        When using the reveal region feature,  if insufficient flags surround
the given square then those squares which are hidden will have question marks
placed on them instead of being revealed.

Auto Click
----------

        If a numbered square is revealed which already has the correct number
of flags surrounding it then a reveal region will be performed on that square
automatically.

Show Region
-----------

        A red rectangle is continuously drawn around the square the pointer is
over so that the region arund that square may be more easily determined.

Acknowledgements and Copyright
==============================

        MineHunt is based closely on MineSweeper supplied with Windows 31 for
the IBM PC and compatible machines.  MineSweeper is  1985-1992 Microsoft
Corporation and was written by Robert Donner and Curt Johnson.

        There are,  to my knowledge,  two other MineHunt-like games available
for the Acorn Archimedes.  One,  called Mine,  was written by Liger Software
and is available from DD International Software and Computer Supplies, 
Wakefield for a nominal cost (2 I think).  The other,  also called Mine,  was
written by D.H.Walters and A.Fawcett and was published in the January 1993
issue of BBC Acorn User magazine.

        This version for the Archimedes was written by Michael R. Ellis and is
 1993.  No part of this application may be copied, used or modified without
the express written permission of the author unless expressly allowed in the
licence below.

        Grateful thanks are given to:-

* Simon Lockhart        for suggestions,  ideas,  bugs (well,  I think I'll
                        thank him for these!) and for having the patience to
                        design some of the sprites for me.

* Ali Curling           for allowing me to use her A4000 to design the
                        hi-res sprites and for testing (playing!) the
                        prototypes thereby finding even more bugs )-:

* Caroline Wilson       for finding a bug everyone else missed.

* Warren Day            for nagging me to write a decent version of
                        MineHunt.

* Guttorn Vik           for writing my favourite text editor - StrongEd II
                        (version 250) available from Stallion Software.

* Jason Williams        and the other contributors to DeskLib,  a library of
                        WIMP routines in C supplied with full source code.
                        My extensions to this library will be submitted to
                        Jason shortly - just as soon as I get around to
                        documenting them!

* Acorn Computers Ltd   for producing the Archimedes and RISC OS.

        My apologies to those of you who are still using RISC OS 2 as this
software will not work on your machine.  My advice to you is to upgrade to the
newest version of the RISC OS - it's worth every penny,  and don't believe the
rumours that it slows your machine down to a crawl:  I've had RISC OS 310
running on my A3000 4MByte ARM2 machine since it was first announced and I have
yet to notice any serious speed loss while the increased functionality has
increased the ease of use considerably.

Licence
=======

        This software is supplied "as is" and with no warranty either express
or implied.  Although all reasonable steps have been taken to ensure that there
are no bugs (ie I have played it a lot!) if you find a bug then please let me
know at the address below.  Any suggestions for improvements should also be
sent to this address:  while I can't guarantee to incorporate your suggestion, 
I will do my best.

        You may freely copy this application provided that all files are
provided unaltered (except for the "Choices" and "HiScores" files which may be
distributed in any state) and that no profit is made from the distribution.  To
obtain the most recent version,  please send an E-format 35" disc and a
stamped,  addressed envelope to the address below.

        Provision has been made for foreign language versions of MineHunt by
reading all the text used from the "Messages" file.  If you wish to produce a
new language version of MineHunt,  please do so,  but you must send your
translation to me for inclusion in future releases.

        Territories are supported by means of a directory named with the
appropriate country name.  Into this directory should be copied some or all of
the files found in the "Resources" directory - if a file is found in the
current territory directory,  it is used in preference to the file in the
"Resources" directory.

        The sprites files are largely auto-sensing:  the only conditions are
that all the sprites are in a 16 colour mode (preferably MODE 12 for "Sprites"
and MODE 20 for "Sprites22"), that sprites which can occupy the same area of
the window (ie tiles,  digits and faces) are the same size as each other and
that none of the sprites has either palette or mask.  If a "Sprites22" file is
found,  it will be used in hi-res screen modes otherwise the "Sprites" file
sprites will be scaled automatically.

        Public Domain libraries and magazines cover discs may distribute this
software subject to the above conditions.

        The author may be contacted at:-

        Michael Ellis,
        33,  Barnfield Avenue,
        Kingston upon Thames,
        Surrey,  KT2 5RD,
        ENGLAND.

        Please note that the email address given in some of my earlier freeware
releases is NO LONGER VALID.

Note: The author can now be contacted by eMail at the following address:
        mikee@dd.eng.bbc.co.uk
        

