Game: Knots III Invented and implemented by Karl Scherer, July 2003. Object: re-create the given knots, play with knots, create your own. (18 variants) The following text assumes that you are familiar with the game 'Knots II', hence most information given there will not be repeated here. Knots III uses the same string manipulations as Knots II. Knots III has been especially designed for large Knots. Because of the size of the board, the knots you have to recreate are not displayed on a separate board as in Knots II, but rather as background image on the same board. As a further help, a smaller copy of the target knot is displayed on the lower right. You win if you can recreate the given knot. Variants 1 - 5 : These are Knots which I had designed once for the wire-and-string puzzles which I produce and sell in several sizes, from 3 to 30 cm diameter. (Version 2.0 of the original game 'Knots' also contains some of my designs.) Here you have to create the wire-part of these puzzles from a small loop; the string has been omitted. Variants 6 - 14 : similar to variants 1 - 4, but the string (second loop) has to be attached as well. This makes the construction more difficult. (Note that in the actual wire puzzles the task is rather the opposite of the task given here; in the real puzzles you have to the string out without bending the wire. This task will be tackled by the game 'Knots 4'.) There are also several freeplay-variants with a blank board: Variant 'Freeplay 1': one small loop given. Variant 'Freeplay 2': one piece of string given. Variant 'Freeplay 3': two pieces of string given. Variant 'Freeplay 4 (easy)': This is the most luxurious variant of Knots III. It is designed to create and manipulate knots very fast. Some features available in this variant are withheld from all other variants to make the puzzles more challenging. Extra features in Freeplay 4: - You can cut the string into any number of pieces (move straight onto adjacent straight). - You can turn upside a (top-layer or bottom-layer) self-intersecting string part simply by clicking the intersection. The freeplay variants sometimes cause a 'too many moves generated' message. In these cases try to keep your string in a smaller area at first. This game works best with SMART MOVES turned OFF! More freeware as well as real puzzles and games at my homepage http://karl.kiwi.gen.nz. Please note: Knots III requires Zillions of Games version 2.0 (or higher)! Updated 08/02/03 1 variant added; 1 piece set added Download Knots III Now!
Game: Knots 4 Invented and implemented by Karl Scherer, July 2003. Object: disentangle the given knots, then re-create them. (Version 5.1; 26 variants) The following assumes that you are somewhat familiar with the game 'Knots III'. Knots 4 has been especially designed for strings that are looped around a fixed piece (or several fixed parts). Most knots presented here are derived from commnercially available WIRE-AND-STRING PUZZLES. In fact, 'Knots 4' is the first software worldwide which can simulate the manipulation of wire-and-string puzzles. Click the button at the right border marked 'S' to enter the string manipulation mode. During the manipulation mode the button will show an 'M'. During the manipulation mode all parts (fixed or flexible) are painted in the same colour. For technical reasons you cannot manipulate the string during the 'S' mode, when the fixed parts are highlighted. The fixed part(s) can be highlighted again at any time during the game by clicking the button. Click the button again to return to the string manipulation mode. At the top right you can set a maximum length for the string. It will be checked only if set greater than zero. The current length of string is also displayed (after the first move). Self-crossings count twice. You win if you can disentangle the knot and place the string as a small ring at the top right target. Try to do this in as few moves as possible. For experts: once you removed the string, try to re-create the given knot! (In most variants, the original image is painted faintly on the background.) Variants 1 - 24 : Wire-and-string puzzles Variants 25 - 26 : Knots (If you get the message 'too many moves generated', go back one move and try another move. All puzzles are solvable!) Each variant has its own game text describing the puzzle. There are several piece sets available! Knots 4 works best with SMART MOVES turned OFF! Associated reading: Compendium of over 7000 Wire Puzzles, Richard Hess, 5th edition, March 1991 Denkspiele der Welt, Pieter van Delft and Jack Botermans, Hugendubel, 1980. Knots, Peter Owen, Apple Press, 1993. More freeware as well as real puzzles and games at my homepage http://karl.kiwi.gen.nz. Please note: Knots 4 requires Zillions of Games version 2.0 (or higher)! Updated 08/09/03 5 variants added; simplified board graphics Download Knots 4 Now!
Game: Labirintus Invented (1989) and implemented by László Nagy, March 2001. The basic idea of the game is to rearrange the balls within the labyrinth rather than finding your way out. The balls will roll until collision in the direction of the arrow to be selected for each step. For example, while you are trying to send the red ball to the desired place the other ball will roll to and fro as well. At the start of the game, for example, you may need only 12 steps to solve the basic problem and change the place of the two balls in the middle of the field. In the variants there are additional neutral balls to get in your way. The third variant presents a difficult challenge where all balls need to line up to win. You can redesign the labyrinth and propose your own problem (use the right mouse button to build or pull down walls). Updated 10/20/01 added variants Download Labirintus Now!
Game: Labrat Invented and implemented by Karl Scherer, October 2000 Object: Visit the three far corners and return to the start square at the lower left. The rat starts at the lower left square. It has to eat the three pieces of cheese in the far corners and then return home to its starting position. After every move of the rat, an additional piece of wall drops into the labyrinth. However, with each piece of cheese eaten the rat gets stronger and can gnaw through the diagonal walls (two diagonal walls per cheese). The strength of the rat is indicated at the left border by a number of cheese bites. If you lose your last strength (no yellow cheese bites left) you die. Hence you have to arrive back home with at least one strength left! Some variants drop additional cheeses. It is optional to go and eat them. Eating them strengthen the rat. Also, some variants of Labrat have a higher rate of walls dropping and/or more bites per cheese. Variant by variant the challenge gets harder... More freeware as well as real puzzles and games at http://karl.kiwi.gen.nz. Download Labrat Now!
Game: Laser Invented and implemented by Karl Scherer, December 2000. Object: Make the laser ray strike every mirror on the board. (12 variants) You play by placing additional mirrors onto the board. First click any square on the board to drop some random mirrors. Then click empty squares to drop additional mirrors. Click a mirror that you just have placed again to alter its direction. The mirrors are reflective on both sides. Try to add as few additional mirrors as possible. Click the laser gun at any time to switch it on and off. You cannot add or remove mirrors while the laser gun is switched on. Some of the random settings might not be solvable. In such a case (and only then, no cheating!!) you may click a mirror to remove it. The number of deleted mirrors is indicated as a scale (up to ten) at the left border. Due to the danger of laser light it is recommendable to wear protective eye gear while playing this game! The sister game Laser II implements this ray game on a cylindrical board. For more freeware as well as real puzzles and games see my home page http://karl.kiwi.gen.nz. Updated 03/15/03 player's mirror-drop simplified Download Laser Now!
Game: Laser II Invented and implemented by Karl Scherer, December 2000. Object: Make the laser ray strike every mirror on the board. (18 variants, cylindrical board). You play by placing additional mirrors onto the board. First click any square on the board to drop some random mirrors. Then click empty squares to drop additional mirrors. Click a mirror that you just have placed again to alter its direction. The mirrors are reflective on both sides. Try to add as few additional mirrors as possible. Click the laser gun at any time to switch it on and off. You cannot add or remove mirrors while the laser gun is switched on. Some of the random settings might not be solvable. In such a case (and only then, no cheating!!) you may click a mirror to remove it. The number of deleted mirrors is indicated as a scale (up to ten) at the left border. In variants 1 thru 6 the right and left borders are connected. In variants 7 thru 12 the top and bottom borders are connected. In variants 13 thru 18 right and left borders as well as top and bottom borders are connected. Due to the danger of laser light it is recommendable to wear protective eye gear while playing this game! The sister game Laser implements this ray game on a normal board. For more freeware as well as real puzzles and games see my home page http://karl.kiwi.gen.nz. Updated 03/15/03 player's mirror-drop simplified Download Laser II Now!
Game: Laser III Invented and implemented by Karl Scherer, January 2001. Object: Make the laser ray strike every bulb and every mirror on the board. Beginners may aim for striking every bulb on the board. (18 variants) You play by placing additional mirrors onto the board. First click any square on the board to drop some random mirrors. Then click empty squares to drop additional mirrors. Click a mirror that you just have placed again to alter its direction. The mirrors are reflective on both sides. Try to add as few additional mirrors as possible. Click the laser gun at any time to switch it on and off. You cannot add or remove mirrors while the laser gun is switched on. When the laser ray hits a bulb, it will light up. Some of the random settings might not be solvable. In such a case (and only then, no cheating!!) you may click a mirror to remove it. The number of deleted mirrors is indicated as a scale (up to ten) at the left border. Due to the danger of laser light it is recommendable to wear protective eye gear while playing this game! For more freeware as well as real puzzles and games see my home page http://karl.kiwi.gen.nz. Updated 03/15/03 player's mirror-drop simplified Download Laser III Now!
Game: Laser 4 Invented and implemented by Karl Scherer, August 2001. Object: Light all bulbs. (11 variants) First click any square on the board to drop some random mirrors. Your turn consists of two steps: First either select a mirror from the two samples at the right of the board and drag it to an empty place on the playing area, or click an existing mirror to delete it. The mirrors are reflective on both sides. The laser gun will automatically fire up after your move. Any bulbs the laser ray hits will light up. Now click the laser to switch it off. Lit bulbs will disappear. After your turn one new bulb and one new mirror will appear at random places. You win when you have no unlit bulb on the board anymore. The other variant have more given mirrors and/or more given bulbs. The last four variants have two new bulbs dropping at each turn. Due to the danger of laser light it is recommendable to wear protective eye gear while playing this game! For more freeware as well as real puzzles and games see my home page http://karl.kiwi.gen.nz. Updated 03/15/03 a couple of gameplay improvements Download Laser 4 Now!
Game: Game of Life Invented by John Conway. Implemented by Robert Price, March 2002. This is a Zillions implementation of John Conway's famous Game of Life. There are a variety of board sizes available. Patience should be exercized when loading and starting a pattern on a large board. Rules: Each cell is either dead or alive during each turn (generation). A dead cell with exactly three live neighbors becomes live (birth). A live cell with exactly two or three live neighbors remains live (survival). A live cell with fewer than two or more than three neighbors dies (isolation, overcrowding). Use the computer opponent think time to regulate the delay between generations. Or, use a `No Delay` variant to generate as quickly as possible. Use the right-click menu to set up a pattern or load one from a .zsg file. Hit the "Pass" button to start creating the generations. The Game of Life was invented by the mathematician John Conway in 1970. He chose the rules carefully after trying many other possibilities, some causing the cells to die too fast and others causing too many to be born. He first played the game by hand on a Go board. His early discoveries were publicized by Martin Gardner in a series of Scientific American columns. Download Game of Life Now!
Game: Lights Out Maze Invented and implemented by Matthew Baker, June 2003. Object: Move the marble from the top left corner to the bottom right corner. You can move one square at a time. Every time you move into a square, the walls of that square flip from open to closed (and vice versa). If you find yourself unable to move the game is over (you lose!) History: This maze is based on the 'Turn Off' (or 'Lights Out') idea. It was designed and implemented by Matthew Baker in 2000. Randomized set-ups added by K. Franklin June 2003. For more on Lights Out visit my website on http://www.haar.clara.co.uk/Lights. Download Lights Out Maze Now!
Game: Logic Gates Invented and implemented by Karl Scherer, January 2002 Object: Experiment with logic gates. The selection screen offers you a choice of programs. The titles '3x3', 4x4',... indicate that the board can accommodate 9, 16, ... logic gates, arranged in a square grid. The letters 'Bits' and 'HI/LO' indicate that you have a choice of either observing single electrons/data packets/bits moving through the wires or you observe high and low voltages (or current) being applied to the wires, such that the wires to the gates, between the gates and from the gates have only one such value at any given time. There are many additional features like blocks (= wire cuts), accelerators, light bulbs, various clocks, feedback lines etc you can experiment with. Selections '3x3 Bits' and '3x3 HI/LO' have 12 variants each. Study them and their game descriptions carefully. They serve as examples for all other selections as well. This game is a very useful educational tool and fun game. It visualizes mathematic's binary logic as well as a computer's integrated electronical gates. A large number of experiments can be set up with this game. You can even learn how to multiply two 2x2 matrices this way! See the game descriptions and piece descriptions for further information. More freeware as well as real puzzles and games at http://karl.kiwi.gen.nz. Download Logic Gates Now!
Game: Loop Invented and implemented by Karl Scherer, January 2001. Object: Create one continuous loop. (8 variants) First click anywhere on the center board. A random pattern of curved loops will appear. Try to make it one big loop by swapping some of the double bends and crosses. To achieve this, first click a source-square of the board, then the target-square for your swap. Note that the border pieces cannot be part of the swap. The less pieces you need to accomplish your task the better. Click on one of the border pieces (bends at top, bottom, left or right) to check whether all loops are connected. The loop will turn red. You win when all bends are part of one big loop, otherwise you lose. In variant 2 the cross intersections cannot be changed. The other variants have a bigger board and/or more bends. Background design: Fractal Mo99121j by Morgan Owens and Karl Scherer. For more freeware as well as real puzzles and games see my home page http://karl.kiwi.gen.nz. Download Loop Now!
Game: Marbles Invented and implemented by Karl Scherer, October 2001 Object: Remove all Marbles from the board apart from one, which has to end up on the marked target position. (30 fixed variants and 6 randomized variants) Click an arrow at the border to the North, South, East or West of a Marble. The nearest Marble in the row (or column) which can be shifted in the direction of the arrow will be shifted as far as there are positions vacant. If the Marble after shifting has another Marble in front of it, then this second Marble will be deleted from the board. The problem is that you may only shift Marbles that can bump into another Marble. Variants 1 to 30: You win if you manage to remove all Marbles apart from one (beginner level), and if this last Marble ends up on the marked target square (expert level). Variants 31 to 35: Click the board anywhere to create a random setup of 15, 20, 25, 30, 35 or 40 Marbles. You win if you manage to remove all Marbles apart from one. More freeware as well as real puzzles and games at my homepage http://karl.kiwi.gen.nz. Download Marbles Now!
Game: Marbles II Invented and implemented by Karl Scherer, October 2001 Object: Remove all Marbles from the board apart from one. (30 fixed variants and 6 randomized variants) Click an arrow at the border to the North, South, East or West of a Marble. The nearest Marble in the row (or column) which can be shifted in the direction of the arrow will be shifted as far as there are positions vacant. If the Marble hits another Marble while shifting, then this second Marble will be deleted from the board. The problem is that you may only shift Marbles that can bump into another Marble. Variants 1 to 30: You win if you manage to remove all Marbles apart from one. Additional challenge for experts: In which of these variants can the last Marble end up in the center of the board? Variants 31 to 35: Click the board anywhere to create a random setup of 15, 20, 25, 30, 35 or 40 Marbles. You win if you manage to remove all Marbles apart from one. More freeware as well as real puzzles and games at my homepage http://karl.kiwi.gen.nz. Download Marbles II Now!
Game: Marbles III Invented and implemented by Karl Scherer, October 2001 Object: Remove all Marbles from the board apart from one. Additional walls complicate the game. (30 fixed variants and 6 randomized variants) Click an arrow at the border to the North, South, East or West of a Marble. The nearest Marble in the row (or column) which can be shifted in the direction of the arrow will be shifted as far as there are positions vacant. If the Marble hits another Marble while shifting, then this second Marble will be deleted from the board. The problem is that you may only shift Marbles that can bump into another Marble. Variants 1 to 30: You win if you manage to remove all Marbles apart from one. Additional challenge for experts: In which of these variants can the last Marble end up in the center of the board? Variants 31 to 35: Click the board anywhere to create a random setup of 15, 20, 25, 30, 35 or 40 Marbles. You win if you manage to remove all Marbles apart from one. More freeware as well as real puzzles and games at my homepage http://karl.kiwi.gen.nz. Download Marbles III Now
Game: Match Invented and implemented by Karl Scherer, August 2001 Object: Fill the board with the given tiles. (6 randomized variants) Click anywhere on the 4x4 board to allow Zillions to randomize the setup. Nine 2x2 tiles will appear. In order to fit all nine 2x2 tiles into the little 4x4 box, the tiles must overlap. The overlapping areas must match. The 'sweet spot' for picking up and placing the tiles is always at the lower left quarter of a 2x2 tile. Note that each tile must go to a different place. The places that are used up are indicated at the lower 4x4 board. The tiles are always designed in such a way that all can be fitted onto the board. Variant 2: 3 colours Variant 3: 2 colours Variants 4, 5, 6 use a 5x5 board and hence are more difficult. Background design: fractal R001100j by Karl Scherer. More freeware as well as real puzzles and games at my homepage http://karl.kiwi.gen.nz. Updated 03/15/03 improved graphics; second board with indicators added Download Match Now!
Game: Matchsticks Implemented by Karl Scherer, April 2003. Classic puzzles. Various matchstick problems, some easy, some harder. (26 variants) For details please read the game description associated with each variant. The program does NOT check for correct results; you are the judge. However, moved matches cannot be used a second time; they turn into used matches and show a black tip. Furthermore, you lose when you try to move more matches than allowed. In some variations you are asked to delete some matches. To delete a match by moving it to the DUMP area at the right border. You lose when you try to delete more matches than allowed. Default variant: The given double cross consists of twelve matches. Move three matches to construct three squares of equal size. No surplus matches are allowed. More freeware as well as real puzzles and games at my homepage http://karl.kiwi.gen.nz. Updated 05/03/03 improved sounds Download Matchsticks Now!
Game: Matchsticks II Inveted and implemented by Karl Scherer, May 2003. Free play with match sticks. Machsticks II is a 'free-play' version of the Zillions game 'Matchsticks'. Whereas in the original Matchstick game you had to solve puzzles, here you can freely create figures with matchsticks for pure fun. To create a matchstick, click an empty position. To delete a matchstick, simply click on a matchstick and drop it to the same place. At the right border you can select six options to change the type of matchstick you are creating: Option 1 (at the top) is the standard setup. As in the original Matchstick game, the program automatically angles the matchsticks in an alternating pattern so that neighboring ones touch at the tip. Click option 2 to angle the sticks the other way, letting new matches point down when they would point up in option 1 and up when they would point down. Options 3 to 4 are similar to options 1 to 2, but use burnt matchsticks (carrying a black head). Options 5, 6, 7 allow you to cross matchsticks. More freeware as well as real puzzles and games at my homepage http://karl.kiwi.gen.nz. Download Matchsticks II Now!
Game: Maths: Addition Invented and implemented by Karl Scherer, April 2001. Object: Add two given numbers. This game is for children to learn mathematics. Click the Start button. Zillions will show two numbers that you have to add. Click the buttons at the top to key in the result. The red frame shows the current place for the answer digit. The last digit has to fit into the last frame. If the first frame has to stay empty, click the 'arrow right' button. If the you have keyed in the correct answer, the counter at the top left will increase by one. You lose if you give a wrong answer. Variant 2: Add two 2-digit numbers. Variant 3: Add two 3-digit numbers. Design of fancy digits: from 'Image It!' clipart collection. More related freeware as well as real puzzles and games see my home page http://karl.kiwi.gen.nz. Updated 05/12/01 corrected sensitive area of Start button. Download Maths: Addition Now!
Game: Maths: Multiplication Invented and implemented by Karl Scherer, May 2001. Object: Multply two given numbers. Click the Start button. Zillions will show two numbers that you have to multiply. Click the buttons at the top to key in the result. The red frame shows the current place for the answer digit. The last digit has to fit into the last frame. If the first frame has to stay empty, click the 'arrow right' button. If the you have keyed in the correct answer, the counter at the top left will increase by one. You lose if you give a wrong answer. Variant 2: Multiply a 2-digit number. Variant 3: Multiply a 3-digit number. Design of fancy digits: from 'Image It!' clipart collection. More related freeware as well as real puzzles and games see my home page http://karl.kiwi.gen.nz. Download Maths: Multiplication Now!
