Program             : Mastermind Pro (MMP.exe)
Operating system    : DOS
Type of program     : Freeware
Graphics            : VGAHI 640x480 pixels with 16 colors
Program usage       : Mouse (Microsoft Mouse Driver)
Programming language: Borland C++
Copyright           : Peter Hndel


I admit that the idea about Mastermind is quite old but this one is Freeware
and may be used and copied for free. There are no restrictions! What is the
point of selling such little games as Shareware, anyway?

Basics of the game:
In Mastermind you have to work out the combination of colors which the
program has selected by chance. There are 4 colors out of 6 possible ones.
The player has got 11 tries to solve the game and after each try he/she will
be shown an evaluation. Mastermind Pro can be played in two levels of
difficulty. By default - after starting the program - 4 different colors are
chosen. When selecting the Level switch the 4 chosen colors are not
necessarily unique (e. g. red may be chosen twice and even three or four
times). Still all 4 colors could be different...

Usage:
Having started the program, the player is introduced to the playfield. On
the right you see different button elements.

The LEVEL switch is used for selecting the difficulty. When inactive (dark
red) the computer choses 4 different colors. When active (light red) the 4
colors are chosen without checking against double appearance.

The GAME button lets you begin the game with the current settings.

The SOLVE button finishes the game and displays the solution. It may only be
pressed while playing the game.

The Quit button has two functions. On the one hand it stops the current game
(without revealing the color combination) and on the other hand the program
exits when the game has already been stopped.

The game stops automatically when the correct combination is found or when
the 11th try was not successful.

Playing:
The game is played exclusively with the mouse. Having started the game, you
can enter the color combination in the 4 x 11 field on the left. The current
color is shown besides the colorbox (light red = active, dark red =
inactive). The selection is done by clicking directly with the left mouse
button on the color field or by toggling the color with the right mouse
button. When using the right button you do not have to move the pointer to
the color field. After selecting a color, the pointer is set to the color's
destination in the field. Press the left mouse button to set the color. It
is also possible to replace the color of one cell. When setting the color it
is only important that the mouse pointer is placed in the correct column
whereas the line position is ignored. When you have filled all 4 cells click
with the left mouse button on the line in the middle which consists of
4 x 11 small hollows. After that your turn is evaluated. A small white stone
means that one of the cells has the correct color. A small black stone means
that one of the colors exists in the secret combination but it was placed on
the wrong cell.


That's it! I hope you like the game. I cannot give any warranty for damage
caused by the program. And it might not work on some platforms. I did run
the program on different computers but that does not necessarily mean
anything.


Peter Hndel
Bismarckstr. 7a
33615 Bielefeld
GERMANY  


P.S.: Many thanks to Hanns Holger Rutz for the English manual.
