GETTING STARTED

Requirements for Brix:
Hard drive 
VGA graphics
80286 or faster processor
512K memory and DOS 3.3 or later
Lots & lots of free time

To install Brix on your hard disk, place the diskette into the
appropriate drive (A or B) and type:

A: INSTALL
     or 
B: INSTALL

After Brix has been installed to your hard drive, type BRIX at the
c:>Brix prompt to start the game. If Brix gives you a "Not Enough
Memory" message, you need to free up more system memory.  
Here are two suggestions:

1)  Create a boot disk and reboot.
To do this:
Put a blank disk in the A: drive.
Type FORMAT A: /S
Once the disk is formatted, reboot your computer leaving the disk in
the A drive.
2)  If Brix still refuses to load properly, the problem could be that Brix
is scanning your system for a Sound Blaster card.  You'll need to 
temporarily disable the Sound Blaster card by typing the following
from the Brix directory:
	
		BRIX1 /nosb
		    or  
		BRIX2 /nosb

HOW TO PLAY

Your main goal is to remove all the Brix from the screen.  To remove 
them, simply line up the Brix with matching shapes either vertically
or horizontally.  This causes them to explode and disappear (It's 
easy enough with two Brix, but lining up three or more can get 
tricky). To pick up the Brix, use the cursor keys to place the red
cursor over a Brix, then press [space]. The cursor will turn white
when you pick an object up and carry it to a new location. Press
[space] again and the cursor can be moved freely without the Brix.
That's all there is to it.  Simple, right?  Try it...but, remember:
it's only a game.

DIFFICULTY MODES

Brix has four modes of difficulty ranging from easy to hard.  When
first learning, you may want to stick with the easy mode.  It will 
give you more time to complete each puzzle.

LEVELS OF PLAY

Both Brix 1 and Brix 2 Deluxe have seven levels of play.  Each level
has a number of "sub-levels", and each sub-level has four individual
puzzles.  The puzzles range in difficulty from beginner (1-1-1) to
champion (7-4-4) play.

GAME OPTIONS

While playing, press [escape] to bring up a menu of game options.
These include:
	ABORT GAME---lets you leave the actual game.  Use this
	option when you completely give up and need to take a break.
	CONTINUE---keep trying!
	RETRY LEVEL---lets you restart your current level in case you're
	in an unsolvable mess. Beware!  Your time is NOT set back and
	you lose a retry (maximum:  3 per level).
	SOLVE (Brix 2 Deluxe only)---Brix will solve this level for you, but
	it costs a lot of points. The game will tell you how many points
	you need at each level to use the solve option.

SECRET CODE

When you leave the game, you will be told a secret code.  Remember it!
You can use it later to start the game at the level on which you finished
without playing all the previous levels.  Use the "Secret Code" option
in the main menu.

LEVEL EDITOR (Brix 2 Deluxe only)

Brix 2 Deluxe has a level editor that allows you to design your own
complete, playable levels for your friends or enemies.  The level
editor screen is divided into two parts:  on the left, the level as it
appears in the game; on the right, design detail information.

Move around the level with the cursor keys. To move to the next
level, press [home]. To move to the last level, press [end]. You
can also choose a new level by typing [V] followed by the number
of the level to edit. Use [page up] and [page down] to choose an
object to place on the screen. You can also use number keys 1
through 8 to bring up one of the exploding Brix.

To place an object on the board, press [space]. To delete an object
from the board, press [del]. To pick up an object under the cursor,
press [return]. You can then place copies of that object simply by pressing [space].

PLAYING OBJECTS INCLUDE:
	BACKGRND   An empty tile for the background.
	OBJECT [1-8]   The exploding Brix that must be eliminated.
	BRICK   A solid gray brick for the border.
	OUT. WALL   Outer boundary.  You cannot move the cursor on top of 
	his block.
	INN. WALL   Inner boundary.  You can move the cursor on top of this
	block.
	CRUMBLER   A crumbling piece of brick.  If an object is on top of a
	crumbler, the crumbler will disintegrate.  The object will then fall.
	TELEI [1-5]   Teleporter inputs. You can put objects into the
	teleporter and they'll emerge from the corresponding teleporter
	output.
	TELEO [1-5]   Teleporter outputs.
	MOVER   A moving elevator.  With a mover, you can carry objects up
	and down.  To set the direction in which the mover will go, press [M].
	LASER [R L U D]   A laser.  Lasers can shoot up, down, to the right
	or the left.  If an object is hit by a laser beam, it is destroyed.
	To set the shooting rate for the laser, press [A] and enter the time
	in seconds.
	ACID [L R M]   An acid pot. If an object falls into an acid pot, it
	is destroyed and the level cannot be completed.
	WATER [L R M]   A water pot. Unlike in the acid pot, if an object
	falls into the water pot, it simply exits the game and you can
	continue to complete the level.  You can use a water pot to remove
	objects for which there is no match.
	SANDGL  A sandglass (hourglass).  This causes the screen to flip
	upside-down after the sand has run through and time has expired.
	To set the time, press [N] and enter the time in seconds.

OTHER COMMANDS IN THE LEVEL EDITOR INCLUDE:
	
	[L]   Load one or more levels.
	[Q]   Quit.
	[S]   Save.
	[P]   Play/test the level. To quit playing the level, press [Escape].
	[C]   Check the level. This catches mistakes that make the level
	unsolvable, but it doesn't catch everything!
	[H]   Help.
	[V]   Set a solving time for the level.
	[O]   Record a solution in the level solver. Play the level and you
	actions will be recorded.
	[I]   Watch the level solver play the level.
	[F]   Flip the level vertically.
	[Shift-F]   Flip the level horizontally.

The Brix level editor also allows you to use four different drawing modes:

	[F1]   Normal drawing mode. Just move the cursor around and press
	[space] to place an object.
	[F2]   Continuous drawing mode. As you move the cursor, it leaves a
	"trail" of the object.
	[F3]   Scroll mode. Press the cursor keys to move the entire board
	around.
	[F4]   You can mark a specific area of the playing board, then copy,
	cut and paste it to another area. Press [F4] and pull the red dotted
	line around the area you want saved. To copy, press [ins]. To cut,
	press [del]. To paste the area back on to the board, press
	[ctrl-return]. This process can be repeated as many times as you
	like.

THE LEVEL SOLVER

The level solver is a unique feature of Brix 2 Deluxe that will show you how
solve any level in either Brix 1 or Brix 2 Deluxe. To access the level
solver, press [escape] and select the "Level Solver" option. To use the
level solver in BRIX I, first run BRIX II Deluxe and pick the "Load Own
Levels" option. Give it the file name LEVELS1. You are now in the BRIX II
program playing the BRIX I levels and you have access to the level solver. 
The level solver costs a certain amount of points depending upon the level
you're playing when you select it. The level solver is not a cheating tool;
it is simply another possible play strategy.

Created by      Michael Reidel
Music by        Dan Froelich
Produced by     Epic MegaGames
Published by    MicroLeague

