                      Treasure trail

                      --------------

              A party game with a difference

                from Clyde Bish of Exeter.



This program was written as a real-time adventure for my

son's birthday and may be of interest to any readers who

have the unenviable task of organising party entertainment

for a room full of eight year olds who find 'Pass the

parcel' and 'Musical bumps' rather tame.

   The game has been written to accomodate five pairs, each

having six locations to investigate but, of course, this

could be extended to cover more locations and participants

given the extra memory available. As it stands the program

just fills the 16K ZX Spectrum.



 Double trouble



The program has been written in two parts. The first

section produces data files for answer words and clues

without the need for carefully compiled and spaced data

statements. This method of programming also has the

advantage that a number of different data files could be

produced to run on the main program.

   Looking first at the data file program, this has been

called Traildata. Type in and RUN [or load] the program,

Traildata. The input prompt will ask first for the answer

word (four letters only accepted), then clue A (the loca-

tion) followed by clue B (where to look) for each of the

six locations to be found by the five teams of players.

   Examples of the clues could be:



 Locations -

Part of the home but not in the house (garage).

Water in high places (bathroom).

The tiniest snores can be heard here (nursery).



 Where to look -

Don't throw this clue away (paper bin).

A tooth fairy might look here (under a pillow).

Getting wetter as it dries (towel).



These are only examples of the kind of clue you could use,

but they could, of course, be adapted to suit the players

involved in the game - you don't want to make it too easy

do you?

   After all the information required is entered and pro-

cessed (see later on in the explanation text), it should

be SAVEd on tape and VERIFYed, ready to be LOADed into the

main program: Trailgame.



 Playing the game



Before the guests to the party arrive, you should make

anagrams of the answer words, write them on pieces of

card and stick them to the object that the specific loca-

tion clue indicates. For example, if the answer word was

'mole' and the location is specified as the hoover in the

hallway, then you should stick a piece of card with the

word 'loem' onto the side of the hoover.

   To play the game, a member of the team presses their

team's colour code number (use the keys required to get

that specific colour), and the program GO SUBs to that

team's subroutine and displays the first pair of clues on

the screen and direct to the printer.

   Once the team have searched in the correct location,

found the card and solved the anagram, they should press

their colour code number again. As the answer flag is set,

the program will wait for the answer to be input. If the

answer proves correct, the team are congratulated and given

their next pair of clues. If the wrong word is entered, the

computer suggests that the team provide another answer -

this also means that if the right word is mis-spelt when

first typed in the team will not be punished too harshly

for a mistake.

   When a team have solved all six clues, the program heads

for line 7000, and congratulations are forthcoming to the

winning team.

   If the program is stopped for any reason, the game can

be re-started with the existing variables intact using

GO TO 100. One other point to note is that the teams should

not, in their enthusiasm, remove the cards from the loca-

tions you have so carefully hidden them in as they may turn

out to be the wrong clues - encourage the teams to solve

the clues at the hiding places.

   In my experience of the game, it has managed to keep

guests happy for at least 45 minutes - which is a long time

at an eight yeat old'd birthday party!