Spectrum HoloByte

WORDTRIS

Playable Demo

Type WORDTRIS to start - Game instructions appear onscreen

Requires: IBM PC or compatible, 512K RAM, VGA graphics

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This archive should contain the following:

WORDTRIS.EXE
VGRAPH
WORD_DCT.DAT
VPAL
VS2
VS3
VS4
VT2
VT3
VT4
VTX
DEMOINT1
DEMINT22
DEMOEND1
DEMOEND2
VTL
README.TXT

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FORTH SOVIET 'TRIS SERIES GAME CURRENTLY IN DEVELOPMENT

Wordtris, scheduled to release in August, is a hybrid of Tetris and
a word puzzle set in motion

Category: Action/Arcade
Suggested Retail Price: $39.95 IBM / $44.95 MAC
Shipping: August
Computers: IBM/compatible & Macintosh/Mac II

CHICAGO, CONSUMER ELECTRONICS SHOW, June 1, 1991

Spectrum HoloByte today announced the upcoming release of Wordtris
the next game in the Soviet 'TRIS Series. This latest mind teaser
is a cross between Tetris and a word puzzle set in motion. The game
is scheduled to ship in August for both the IBM and Mac/Mac II
computers.

Just as in Tetris, Wordtris requires fast action and strategic
thinking at the same time. The challenge is to manipulate tiles,
each with a single letter, as the fall from the top of the computer
screen into a well. The play must carefully match up the falling
letter with others already placed to form a word. Once made, the
word will be removed from the playing area and points awarded.

Ultimately, the player wants to create as many words as possible to
achieve the highest score. The score is based on the number of
letters in the word, the difficulty level (regular and advanced) and
the complexity of the word. Another factor that can also effect the
score is the bonus multiplier. This is a special word that, if
made, will earn double or even triple points.

In Wordtris time plays a crucial role. The player must quickly find
a strategic place for the falling letter before it hist the bottom,
because that's where it will remain once it's landed. When the
tiles stack up to the top of the well, the game is over.

In order for the letters to assemble in crossword fashion
(vertically and horizontally), the well is half-filled with water.
When a letter lands on the water it will initially float on top
until another character lands on it and plunges the first letter
below the surface. This allows for greater flexibility and strategy
in the number of words to be created. It also keeps the letters
from simply piling up on the bottom of the well where they would
essentially be unusable. On the other hand, the water line makes it
more difficult because there is a shorter distance for each piece to
fall.

Wordtris will feature a tournament mode, competitive mode,
cooperative mode and head-to-head play. Players have the option of
either teaming up with a friend for a combined score or matching
wits head-to-head.

Two features, which can be turned on or off depending on the
player's ability, are "repeat words" and "next tile." The first
adds extra challenge by restricting the number of times a word can
be formed to only once. The latter gives the player the option to
display the next tile before it drops. This can prove to be a great
asset in word recognition, but will give the player a lower score
for each word formed.

The game's 30,000 word dictionary will give players infinite
possibilities to create even the most absurd words. Custom words,
such as names, can also be added for players to construct during the
game. Words that are not in the dictionary will not be accepted by
the computer as legitimate words.

Wordtris is scheduled to release in August of 1991 for both
IBM/compatibles and the Mac/Mac II computers. The suggested retail
price is $39.95 for IBM and $44.95 for the Macintosh version.

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The software in this archive is the proprietary and trade secret
information of Sphere, Inc. Unauthorized reproduction is expressly
prohibited. Wordtris original game Copyright 1990 Armenica. All
rights reserved. IBM version Copyright 1991 Sphere, Inc. All rights
reserved. Wordtris is a trademark of Sphere, Inc. Spectrum
HoloByte us a registered trademark of Sphere, Inc.

This archive may be freely exchanged by electronic means so long as
no part of it is changed or ommited. No more than a electronic
service source banner file may be added.