Supaplex manual

Here is a list of keys you can use while playing.

    * Arrow keys
      Use these to move Murphy (the little orange fellow) around.
    * Space
      If you press (and hold) space, and then press an arrow key, Murphy 
      will eat away an object in that direction (if it's edible). If you 
      just hold space long enough, Murphy will drop a red disk (if he has
      any.)
    * Right shift
      Pressing right shift will reveal how many red disks you still have 
      with you. Look in the bottom right corner of the screen. The number 
      that appears there is the number of red disks you have.
    * Enter
      Will show/hide the information panel at the bottom of the screen.
    * Escape
      Quit level (destroy Murphy) and return to the menu screen.
    * j
      Recalibrate joystick.
    * p or NumLock
      Pause. Note that these are two different pause functions, so if you 
      press "p" to set pause on, you can't turn it off by pressing NumLock, 
      and vice versa. 



                             Cast of characters
                                      
   [an orange smiling face] - MURPHY
          This is you, the player, named Murphy. You will have to collect
          a set number of Infotrons (see below) in each level (can be
          zero) before you can leave through the Exit (see below). Watch
          out for the many hazards around, and make use of all the
          helpful objects you can find, it's the only way to survive in
          the "cruel" world of Supaplex.
          
   [a green circuit board] - BASE
          This is the most common one around. It's main function is
          keeping things (Zonks, Murphy (only when there's gravity),
          Orange Disks) from falling down. Murphy can freely walk through
          this, doing so, he "eats" it away, leaving a void behind (where
          all those nasty sniksnaks and electrons can move through).
          apart from Murphy nothing can pass through this.
          
   [a round rock] - ZONK
          This is another very common obstacle (and usually a very
          unpleasant one) a Zonk tends to fall down whenever possible
          (i.e. there is a void underneath). Be careful, when a Zonk
          falls on you (Murphy) you will explode (read: die). Murphy can
          push Zonks to the side (not up and down) if nothing is blocking
          the Zonk (i.e. there is a void on the other side). Murphy can
          only push one Zonk at a time, so watch out when dropping Zonks
          next to each other! With some good timing, you can also drop
          Zonks on Electrons (see below) or Snik-snaks (see below) which
          will explode (and not bother you again). Zonks have the nasty
          habit of falling SIDEWAYS off Ram-Chips (see below) and other
          Zonks if possible (i.e. there is a void to the side), on all
          other objects the Zonks will lie steady.
          
   [three colored ovals which are connected at the center of the picture
          and extend to the edges] - INFOTRON
          These are very important in almost every level. You need to
          collect a set number of these before you can leave the level
          via the Exit (see below). Look on the bottom of the game screen
          to see how many you need to collect. To pick one up, simply
          walk over it, or (when standing next to it, in any direction)
          press (and hold) spacebar, and then press the arrow key
          corresponding with the direction the Infotron is in.
          
   [a pair of scissors] - SNIK-SNAK
          These are your enemies. If you touch them you will die. So you
          better avoid them, at all cost! The only thing that kills them
          is an explosion which is close enough, or a Zonk falling on top
          of it. Usually dropping a Zonk on a Snik-snak requires good
          timing. All explosions create a nine-field explosion cloud
          around the source of the explosion, and if a Snik-snak is
          present in this cloud, it will blow up too (creating another
          nine-field explosion). Snik-snaks can not move though Ports
          (see below).
          
   [an orange square with a big letter E on it] - EXIT
          This is the final objective of each level. When you have
          collected enough Infotrons (see above), you need to press
          against the Exit to leave the level. Be careful that you don't
          have any explosions near the Exit, because it can explode, and
          that will leave you forever inside the level, without a way out
          (read: without a way to finish the level).
          
   [A BASE with a blue spark on it] - BUG
          This is a dangerous version of the normal Base squares. If you
          try to remove it while the bug is active (i.e. there is a blue
          spark on it) you will be toasted (read: die). To remove these,
          walk over them (or remove them with the spacebar-trick, see
          below) while the bug is not active (i.e. when it looks like a
          normal Base). And there's the big problem. Whenever the bug is
          not active, you won't be able to distinguish it from a normal
          Base, and it just might activate while you are removing it. Be
          careful!
          
   [Four blue sparks on a black background] - ELECTRON
          These behave exactly like Snik-snaks (see above) until they
          explode. If they do, in stead of just blowing up and leaving
          nothing behind, they fall apart into Infotrons (see above).
          Except for Hardware (see below) squares, all nine squares in
          the explosion will yield an Infotron. This is handy for those
          levels which just don't seem to have enough Infotrons for you
          to pick up. The fact that Hardware squares don't blow up and
          change to Infotrons, can make it tricky if you need all nine
          Infotrons to be able to collect all the Infotrons needed to
          finish the level. Electrons can not move though Ports (see
          below).
          
   [Three disks, with a colored label: Orange Red and Yellow] - DISKS
          There are three disks, which may look similar, but behave
          entirely different from each other.
          
          ORANGE DISKS will fall down whenever they can (though not fall
          off the edges of other objects, like Zonks) and when they hit
          the ground (or any object in their path) they will explode in a
          nine-field explosion, killing everyting within, except Hardware
          (see below). This allows you to create passages in walls made
          of Ram-Chips (see below), blow up Zonks (which may be blocking
          your way) or annoying Snik-snaks that are bothering you, etc.
          Be careful with these, because once they fall, they won't stop
          until they explode.
          
          RED DISKS can be picked up, the same way you remove a Base
          square (walking over it, or using the Spacebar-trick (see
          below)). Once you have one or more of these on you, you can
          drop them somewhere, where they will explode. To drop one,
          Press, and hold the Spacebar, until a disk is dropped. If no
          Red Disk is dropped after a few seconds, you can check if you
          have any of them left by pressing the right shift, and checking
          the bottom right of the screen for the number of Red Disks you
          still have. Once you have dropped a Red Disk, make sure you get
          away in time, because you have very little time before it
          explodes. Red Disks will not fall down (before you picked them
          up and after you dropped them), even when there's gravity (see
          below)
          
          YELLOW DISKS will explode once you hit a Terminal (see below).
          Before they explode, you can push them around all you want,
          usually to a specific destination (to blow up a Ram-Chip wall
          mostly). They will not fall down, even with gravity (see
          below).
          
   [A computer screen] - TERMINAL
          These will allow the player to blow up Yellow Disks. Press
          Murphy against a Terminal to activate (read: blow up ALL Yellow
          Disks). Make sure ALL Yellow Disks are in place before using a
          Terminal, or you will regret it. There is only need for one
          Terminal per level, but more Terminals are allowed (for ease,
          or just decoration).
          
   [Red tubes, with gray edges] - PORTS
          These Ports are an important aspect of the Supaplex world.
          Murphy can pass through them, but other creatures (Snik-snaks
          and Electrons) can not. The Ports with one gray side wider than
          the other are one-way Ports. Murphy can pass though them, but
          only in the direction of the widest to the less wide gray edge.
          Ports with equal gray sides are two-way Ports. Murphy can pass
          through both sides. The four-way Port is not really a four-way
          Port, but rather a combination of two two-way Ports (i.e.
          Murphy can only pass straight through, and can not make a turn
          inside).
          
          An important feature of the ports is that they can switch on
          and off the gravity (see below, mostly used in the higher
          (read: harder) levels). This ability is only available for the
          one-way Ports, and is predetermined. Murphy (you) can't see the
          difference between a switch and a normal Port. You will have to
          try them out to find out.
          
   [Chips, like there are so many inside your computer] - RAM CHIPS
          Ram-Chips are mostly used for walls in the game. They can be
          blown up, to create a passage to another part of the level.
          Zonks will roll of the edges (if the squares to the side and
          the one beneath that one are empty).
          
   [Hardware, all the other pictures you see in the game. There are 10
          different Hardware blocks.] HARDWARE
          Hardware blocks are the most boring part of the game. They
          don't move, they can't blow up, they just sit there, usually
          bothering you, or just for decoration (that's why there are so
          many different ones).