BUZZWORD Typed by THE SCRIBE. Edited by PARASITE. GETTING STARTED After an introductory message, you will see an initialization menu as follows: F1 START PLAY F2 NEXT OPTION F3 PREV OPTION F10 STOP Press the F1 function key (we'll talk about BUZZWORD's 32 different modes later) and you're ready to move on. F1 ALTER LEVEL F2 CANCEL PLAY or TYPE CARD NO. Type in the the 3-digit number of the CATEGORY CARD you wish to use. THE CATEGORIES At the heart of BUZZWORD are the CATEGORIES. Each category is made up of a group of associated buzz words (i.e. a list). Imagine trying to guess words from these categories: NO NUTRITION Things other than food that people put in their mouths. BY POPULAR DEMAND Favorite parlor games. NATURE'S WRATH Ill winds and other unpleasantries from Mother Nature. ME AND MINE What you come with when you're born (Body Parts). FRENCH CONNECTION Words and/or phrases beginning with French. A category can hold as many as 50 different answers. Each answer is up to 14 characters long, including spaces and punctuation. Each time a category is selected, 9 answers are randomly selected from the total set of answers available. The total number of answers available varies with the level of play selected. Your BUZZWORD SAMPLER package comes with a set of 200 categories. 40 categories have been developed for each of 5 broad areas of subject matter which we call: FUN FOR ALL AGES --------- HICKORY STICK PLAY ON WORDS ------------ LEISURE WORLD BUZZWORD CONNECTION The variety of subjects and topics created will provide many, many hours of enjoyable brain teasing fun for both young and old alike. All of the categories can be played repeatedly without danger of "knowing all the answers;" and as the level of play is increased from BRIGHT to GIFTED, BUZZWORD is a game that will stretch the limits of both your knowledge and your psyche. For starters, try a simple one, such as ME AND MINE (Card Number 005). Type the card number, hit [Return] and you're ready to begin NOTE: It is important to type the card number exactly as it appears on the card -- including leading 0/s THE CLUES After you have selected your category, 9 letters, each accompanied by a number, will pop into the windows in the upper right hand corner of your screen. These are your Clues -- the first letter of each answer and the answer's length. The window in the bottom right hand corner tells you how many of each letter of the alphabet are in the set of all remaining answers. Generally, the exact count of each letter is displayed. If a + sign occurs, this denotes ten or more occurances of the letter. Each time a correct answer is given, the remaining letter counts are updated. The number next to the key indicates how many spaces, punctuation marks, and numerals the remaining answers contain. PLEASE NOTE: In BUZZWORD, spaces, punctuation marks, and numerals count when determining the length of an answer. For example, the answer NEW YORK has a length of 8 characters -- not 7 as you might expect in a crossword puzzle. That is, the space between the words NEW and YORK is counted. Actually, by doing so, the player is given a valuable clue which informs him/her that an answer contains more than one word, or contains punctuation as part of its normal usage. Guess away, and as you do, remember that there are up to 50 Buzzwords in each category. Also, remember to use the letter counts in the lower right hand window to your advantage. For example, if your guess contains two K's, you could glance at the lower right hand window to see if there are any K's left. If not, you know that your guess is incorrect. Use the BACKSPACE key to delete the last character you've typed. THE LEVELS BUZZWORD can be played at three different levels which we call BRIGHT, NIMBLE, and GIFTED. Each of the answers in a category is assigned a number as follows: 1 = BRIGHT = Well Known 2 = NIMBLE = More Difficult 3 = GIFTED = Sometimes Obscure/Tricky At level 1, only BRIGHT answers will appear in the nine windows. If you play level 2, the program will select BRIGHT and NIMBLE answers, and so on. You can play each round at a different level if you wish. The level may be changed prior to specifying the card number desired. If you're playing doubles, the level for each round is a delicate matter. We recommend, however, that the loser of the previous round be given the option to select both the next category to be played, as well as the level it is to be played at. THE SCORE In BUZZWORD, you can score three different ways: A. By guessing an answer correctly B. By capturing the POT C. By winning a round A. GUESSING CORRECT ANSWERS: You get 100 points for the first correct answer. From then on, the number of points a correct answer is worth depends on how many empty boxes are in the same row and column as the word you guessed. The point count is as follows: EMPTY BOXES POINTS 0 100 1 200 2 400 3 600 4 800 B. CAPTURING THE POT: The first time a correct answer is given a bonus of 200 points is put into the POT. With each subsequent correct answer, the number of points in the pot doubles. This is where you can really earn your points -- giving 9 correct answers in a row will give you a bonus of 51,200 points. If your next guess is wrong, you lose the bonus. In singles, this means that the pot will be reset to 0. In doubles, this means that the pot will be transferred to your opponent. In singles, if you PASS (by simply hitting [RETURN]), the contents of the pot will be added to your score. PASS again, and the computer provides a free answer -- and perhaps a little relief to your overtaxed brain. However, these maneuvers will cost you a strike, and reduce the maximum number of points you can earn. In doubles, if you PASS (again by hitting [RETURN]), the contents of the pot will be added to your score. In doubles, however, these maneuvers will cost you a strike, reduce the maximum number of points you and your opponent can earn, and give control of the game to your opponent. WINNING A ROUND: That number next to the category title is called the card value. It indicates how many points winning the round will bring you -- 1000 to 5000. In singles, the card value increases only when you win a previous round. If you guess five or more of the 9 answers correctly, you win the round and collect the card value. If you do not, the round is over and the card value -- which you do not collect -- remains the same for the next round. In doubles, the card value increases when one of the players wins the round. In doubles, the winner of the round is NOT the player who has accumulated the most points. It is the player who provides the LAST correct answer. Regardless of the actual number of points accrued by each player during the round, the 'loser' of the round chooses the next category and level. THE PLAY When starting a round, each player starts with three to five strikes (the actual number of strikes depends upon the game option being played). In the upper left hand corner of your screen, a line of Z's denotes the number of strikes remaining for each player. You use up one strike each time you guess incorrectly, or when you PASS. BUZZWORD is played in three rounds. In singles, this means that after 3 rounds of play -- you get something extra -- a bonus round. In doubles, this means that after one player has won three rounds, that player has an opportunity to play the bonus round. Remember, in doubles, it is possible for a player to be behind in points, but be ahead in rounds won. The bonus round can often decide the game's outcome by providing the opportunity to come from behind. In the bonus round, it's your task to correctly unscramble and type the Buzzwords as they are presented while a timer ticks relentlessly down to zero. The bonus round gives you the opportunity to earn an extra 25,600 points -- if you correctly unscramble all 9 answers. PASSing is permitted in the bonus round, but -- there is no going back. Once a word has been passed, it cannot be tried again even though there may be sufficient time remaining. This feature needs to be reckoned with when playing the bonus round. Also beware! An incorrect answer will cause the pot to be reset to zero so sometimes PASSing is a must. The time limit for the bonus is determined by the total number of games actually won. In singles, this is a function of the number of rounds that you were successful in providing 5 or more correct answers. It will vary from 30 seconds to 60 seconds. In doubles, the time limit will always be 60 seconds. NOTE: You do not need to play the bonus round. If you wish, you can pass the bonus round and collect a few points for your discretion. In some cases, these points may be enough to surpass your opponent and win the game. THE CARDS Why cards? After all, this is a computer game,why not let the computer automatically select the categories? The cards are actually one of the strong points of the BUZZWORD game. Using cards allows BUZZWORD to be tailored to each player by setting aside those categories that are too difficult, or hold no interest for the players. THE OPTIONS BUZZWORD is not one game, but thirty-two! Each time that you are about to begin a new game, the simple push of a key [F1 or F2] can send you into ever more challenging play. The BUZZWORD Options include: SINGLES OR DOUBLES : Just like the title says. THE MODES : GREEN, BLUE, PURPLE, RED GREEN : First letter of the answer and length of answer shown BLUE : Only first letter of the answer shown PURPLE : Only length of answer shown RED : Neither first letter or length shown THE LETTER COUNT : ON/OFF ON : Total number of each letter of the alphabet shown in bottom right window OFF : Total letter count only THE TIME : ON/OFF ON : A 30 second clock ticks away as you rifle your memory for the answer OFF : Allows plenty of time to think It should be apparent that as less clues are provided and a time limit is imposed, BUZZWORD becomes more and more of a challenge. We offer the following suggestions when choosing among the various options: > IF THE TIMER IS ON, you will usually want to PASS rather than allow the time to run out. Otherwise, a blank answer will be treated as an incorrect answer. > FOR DOUBLES, IF THE TIMER IS NOT SELECTED, the players must agree on some other mutually acceptable way to control the amount of time allowed to provide an answer. In general, we recommend that the TIMER be ON when playing doubles. > WHEN THE LETTER COUNT IS ON, extremely valuable clues are provided. We recommend that this be considered the norm. THE NOTES BUZZWORD is a game of words -- words that can be spelled numerous ways, words that have synonyms and words that can contain spaces or hyphens, or both. There are a few simple rules you should know before you type in that crucial answer that's going to win the game for you: > Buzzwords are usually in the singular, except when the word or phrase is exclusively used in the plural (Hash Browns, for example). > Saint (as in Saint Louis, Missouri) is always abbreviated St. (as in St. Louis, Mo.) > In categories with people's names, only the last name is used. The inevitable exception to this rule occurs only if the description of the category says so. > When "the" is the first word of a book, movie or other title, it is omitted. > Numbers can be both spelled out or shown as figures, depending on how they naturally appear (e.g. the book "1984" and the play "Two for the Seesaw". > Because it is difficult to remember whether to use a space or a hyphen, BUZZWORD will accept either one as correct. > Here are our standard spellings and usages of a few country names that appear in BUZZWORD. UNITED STATES (not America) SOVIET UNION (Russia is used only when referring to the pre-revolutionary country.) WEST GERMANY EAST GERMANY CAMBODIA (not Kampuchea) ROMANIA (not Rumania) In addition to what one might consider "normal" lists, we have introduced something very new, and special into BUZZWORD. This is the concept of what we call "The BUZZWORD CONNECTION." The best way we've found to describe these categories is through the standard phrase: Words or Phrases Beginning With . If for example, the category was BLUE ... CONNECTION, the clue would be the standard phrase: Words or Phrases Beginning With Blue. Candidate answers would consist of all of the following: JAY for BLUE JAY SKY for BLUE-SKY BERRY for BLUEBERRY SKY LAW for BLUE-SKY LAW The standard BUZZWORD CONNECTION rules are: > The answer must be a legitimate word or phrase by itself. > The answer may be part of a larger word or phrase and often times is. > The word or phrase is usually found in a dictionary, but may be one that is connected with a famous person, place, movie, or book (for example, the "Red Baron"). BUZZWORD CARDS <<< FUN FOR ALL AGES >>> CARD CATEGORY CARD CATEGORY ============================== ============================== 000 EVIL BEASTIES 001 A RAINBOW OF COLORS 002 COMMON MEASURE 003 STRANGE ORCHARD 004 THINGS THAT BITE! 005 ME AND MINE 006 BIRDS OF A FEATHER 007 PEOPLE AT WORK 008 OLD MCDONALD 009 A TRIP TO THE ZOO 010 MELTING POT 011 FROM HERE TO THERE 012 SPORTS WORLD 013 FAMILY TIES 014 THE WATER CLOSET 015 ON THE BEACH 016 UNDER THE BIG TOP 017 PLAY BALL 018 JOYOUS NOEL 019 SANTA AND FRIENDS 020 TRICK OR TREAT 021 A TIME FOR TURKEYS 022 EASTER TIME 023 2 ALL BEEF PATTIES 024 IN THE KITCHEN 025 THINGS THROWN 026 SEEING RED 027 PREPARE TO STOP 028 AMERICAN MAMMALS 029 ANIMAL SOUNDS 030 SCOUT IDEALS 031 A PIECE OF TIME 032 INSIDE PARTS 033 NO NUTRITION 034 TO START THE DAY 035 A COWBOY'S LIFE 036 THE LAST COURSE 037 ROOM AT HOME 038 IT'S A HOLIDAY 039 ANIMAL YOUNG <<< HICKORY STICK >>> CARD CATEGORY CARD CATEGORY ============================== ============================== 040 INDIAN TRIBES 041 NEW TESTAMENT 042 EARTH, AIR, AND WATER 043 WE PRONOUNS 044 THE OVAL OFFICE 045 PREPOSITIONS 046 IN OUR GALAXY 047 NATIONAL PARKS 048 NATIONAL CAPITALS 049 THE WATER IS FIND 050 NATIONS OF EUROPE 051 NATIONS OF AMERICAS 052 MIDEAST NATIONS 053 SHAPES 054 FIRST NAMES BASIS 055 EASTERN US CITIES 056 WESTERN US CITIES 057 NATURE'S WRATH 058 HOLY PLACES 059 KENNEDY CLAN 140 MOUNTAIN RANGES 141 OLD TESTAMENT 142 UNCOMMON MEASURE 143 ADAM, EVE, AND CO. 144 EXECUTIVE DEPT. 145 STATE CAPITALS 146 GRAMMAR 147 THE .... STATE 148 EARLY US AUTHORS 149 THE BARD 150 NATIONS OF AFRICA 151 NATIONS OF ASIA 152 RIVERS OF THE WORLD 153 WATER EVERYWHERE 154 EXPLORING NEW LANDS 155 WATERGATE REUNION 156 HOLY ONES 157 NATO NATIONS 158 THE SUN NEVER SETS 159 WWII ALLIES <<< LEISURE WORLD >>> CARD CATEGORY CARD CATEGORY ============================== ============================== 060 OLDEN DAYS OF COMEDY 061 BY POPULAR DEMAN 062 TRACK JARGON 063 GOLF NO TRICKS 064 FOOTBALL NO TRICKS 065 THE TEAMS OF SUMMER 066 THE TEAMS OF AUTUMN 067 TEAMS ON THE COURT 068 THE BOWL GAMES 069 BALL GAMES 070 LOOK MA, NO BALL 071 ONE MORE QUARTER 072 MONOPOLY STOPS 073 TV CRIME FIGHTERS 074 MODERN SOAPS 075 PEOPLE OF MASH 076 RIDING THE TUBE 077 REIGN OF SITCOMS 078 OH HAPPY DAYS 079 ... IT'S SUPERMAN 160 PLAYING BRIDGE 161 AND STILL WE PLAY 162 A CHESS GAMBIT 163 THE SUMMER GAMES 164 TENNIS ANYONE? 165 BAD BOUNCES 166 DIAMOND SETTINGS 167 THEY WERE NO. 1 168 PIGSKIN PASTURES 169 WHERE THEY PLAY 170 THE WORLD CHAMPEEN 171 HEIS-MAN 172 BLACK ON SILVER 173 WORD OF OPERA 174 TEAMS ON ICE 175 GREAT GIG IN SKY 176 MOPTOP MEDLEY 177 THE MUSICALS 178 WOMEN AND SONG 179 MOVE TO THE BOOTH <<< PLAY ON WORDS >>> CARD CATEGORY CARD CATEGORY ============================== ============================== 100 MYTHICAL CREATURES 101 A MAN'S CASTLE 102 U.S. MISSILES 103 31 FLAVORS AND MORE 104 HOUSE WORK 105 WORLD SHAKERS 106 STRANGE FOREST 107 STICKS AND STONES 108 WORKSHOP TOOLS 109 TYPES OF CONTAINERS 110 THE GREEK ALPHABET 111 FASTENERS 112 COUGHIN' NAILS 113 WAY TO GO 114 MONEY, MONEY 115 ANIMAL GROUPS 116 TREASURE CHEST 117 THIRST QUENCHERS 118 NOBLE WORDS 119 MEN'S HEAD WEAR 120 THEY LEFT A MARK 121 THE IMPORTS 122 POPULAR DOG BREEDS 123 CANDY BARS 124 U.S. WARPLANES 125 HEAD HONCHOS 126 MAKING DINNER 127 CUTS OF MEAT 128 ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES 129 MIXED DRINKS 130 STAFF OF LIFE 131 WHAT'S YOUR SIGN? 132 WATERY FORMS 133 THE FAIRER SEX 134 FACES OF THE EARTH 135 HOME BREWS 136 MEXICAN COMIDA 137 HERBS & SPICES 138 THE MALE ANIMAL 139 SIGN LANGUAGE <<< BUZZWORD CONNECTION >>> CARD CATEGORY CARD CATEGORY ============================== ============================== 080 RED ... 081 EYE ... 082 SUN ... 083 WHITE ... 084 AIR ... 085 DOG ... 086 WATER ... 087 WORK ... 088 FIRE ... 089 SNOW ... 090 FRENCH ... 091 HEAD ... 092 BLOOD ... 093 SIDE ... 094 BLUE ... 095 UNDER ... 096 CROSS ... 097 HOUSE ... 098 TAKE ... 099 HALF ... 180 FREE ... 181 CUT ... 182 HIGH ... 183 FOOT ... 184 DOWN ... 185 FORE ... 186 HAND ... 187 GET ... 188 DOUBLE ... 189 ICE ... 190 SEA ... 191 BED ... 192 BLACK ... 193 UP ... 194 NEW ... 195 OUT ... 196 LONG ... 197 LIFE ... 198 BACK ... 199 GO ... 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