Search and Destroy
		by Herb Chong, Shady Tree Software
		       23 Maple Crest Drive
		       Peekskill, NY 10566

	     Copyright (c) 1991 - Shady Tree Software
		       All Rights Reserved

Search and Destroy is a game of skill and logic where you race
against the clock to find and mark all the mines in a minefield.
The minefield comes in three standard sizes that have difficulty
levels of Easy, Medium, and Hard. The fastest times for each level
are recorded. You also can set the number of mines and minefield
size, but then your best time will not be recorded. This game runs
in all resolutions with all monitors.

Shareware and Copyright

This game and its documentation are not public domain, they are
shareware. This means that if you like the game enough to play it
more than a few times, you are expected to pay for it. I am asking
only $5. They are also copyright. This means that you can't claim
it as yours, even if you make changes to it.

You are free to distribute this program and its associated files
unaltered, except for possible compression into an archive file,
so long as only a media or handling charge is made. In addition,
this program and its associated files may not be included in a
commercial product without prior written permission of Shady Tree
Software.

Disclaimer

Shady Tree Software provides this program on an as-is basis.
Although this program has been thoroughly tested and every effort
has been made to eliminate bugs, Shady Tree Software disclaims
responsibility for any damages or losses, no matter how horrible,
arising from use or misuse of this program. Use this program only
if you are willing to assume full responsibility.

Getting Started

To start the game, double-click on SEARCH.PRG from the Desktop.
All Search's data files must be in the same directory as
SEARCH.PRG. Click on OK or press Enter or Return at the opening
dialog box. The minefield appears as a rectangular grid in the
center of your screen. If you have a monochrome monitor, the grid
will be shaded gray. If you have a color monitor, the grid is
shaded the same color as your Desktop background. Each square on
the grid represents a cell containing the possible location of a
mine.

At the Easy level, the game default at startup, the grid is eight
by eight cells and there are ten mines hidden in the minefield.
Your task is to find and mark those ten mines while clearing all
other areas. At Medium and Hard levels, the size of the minefield
and the number of mines increases. The "Unmarked" display in the
upper right-hand corner of the screen in the menu-bar area tells
you how many mines there are in the minefield.

The Menus

Under the Desk menu, selecting About Search and Destroy...
displays the opening credits. Under the File menu, selecting Quit
quits the game immediately. Selecting New Game abandons the
current game and resets the minefield. It is also used to start a
new game after you have won or lost. Selecting Show Top Scores...
will display the fastest times for each level of the game. Under
Level, selecting one of Easy, Medium, or Hard chooses that game
level. Choosing Custom... opens a dialog box that allows you to
choose the number of rows and columns and the number of mines in
your minefield.

Clearing The Minefield

There are three ways of clearing cells on the minefield: clicking
on one, Shift-clicking on it, or double-clicking on it. You use
the left mouse button to click with. Any one or combination of
Shift, Control, or the Alternate keys can be used to Shift-click
with. My personal favorite is the left-Shift key because I use the
mouse with my right hand.

     Shift-clicking on a cell marks it. The first time you Shift-
click on a cell, the cell changes to a red '#'. (Those that have
monochrome systems will see all marks as black.) This is a mark
that signifies you believe there is definitely a mine in that
cell. If you Shift-click on the same cell again, the '#' changes
to a red '?'. This signifies that you think a mine might be in the
cell. This mark is for you to remember where you think a mine
should be. Shift-clicking on the cell again returns it to the
unmarked state with the shading filling the cell. (Note: Turbo ST
users may find that the cell is not refreshed properly with the
shading. This is a Turbo ST bug.) Each time you Shift-click on a
cell and leave it in the marked state (a '#' is in the cell), the
"Unmarked" count in the upper right decreases by one. This tells
you how many mines remain to be found. Every cell that you remove
from the marked state increments the count by one.

     When you click on a cell, you are exposing its contents. If
it is a mine, a red asterisk '*' appears in the cell (a black '*'
on a monochrome system) and the game is over immediately. You have
just stepped on a mine. All the remaining unmarked mines are
revealed as more red asterisks. If you have previously marked some
mines, they will remain marked if there really was a mine there.
If there wasn't, the incorrectly marked cells are shown as a red
'X'.

     More often, though, you will see a number in the cell you
just clicked. A '2' means that, out of the eight cells surrounding
the one you just clicked, only two have mines in them. You do not
know which of the two are mines. Deducing and marking the mines
from the clues given by the exposed cells is your challenge.

     If you are lucky, you may find that many cells suddenly
became visible when you clicked on a cell. Some of them will not
contain a number. Instead, they are blank. The one you clicked on
is blank. You have managed to click on a cell that does not have
any mines surrounding it. The program automatically exposes all
other cells next to the one that is blank. If any of the
neighboring cells also have no mines next to them, all their
neighboring cells are also exposed. This can clear large areas of
the minefield quickly. Any cells with a '?' in them that can be
cleared by using the neighbor rule are cleared.

     Double-clicking is used when you need to clear some cells
around mines that you have marked. You can double-click only on a
cell that has been exposed and contains a number. Double-clicking
on any other cell is ignored. Any of the Shift, Control, or
Alternate keys may be pressed while double-clicking. They do not
affect the results. If the cell that is double-clicked has a
number exposed and the number is equal to the number of marked
cells in the 8 cells surrounding it, then all non-marked cells are
exposed. If any unmarked cells contain a mine, they are exposed as
a red asterisk and the game ends immediately. If one of the marked
cells does not contain a mine, it is shown as a red 'X' and the
game also ends immediately. If the number of marked cells does not
equal the number in the exposed cell, nothing happens.

     When the number of unmarked cells plus the number of marked
cells equals the number of mines and there are no incorrectly
marked cells, you have won the game. The time it took from the
first click on a cell to when you complete the grid is calculated.
If your time is faster than the shortest time for that level, you
get to enter your name into the best time record for that level.
Custom board sizes do not have their times recorded since the
number of mines can be changed.

Hints

Certain patterns of numbers in the cells can occur only with
certain layouts of mines in the grid. Recognizing these patterns
and the locations of the mines associated with them are the key to
speedily completing the grid.

Support

I can be contacted, in order of likelyhood of reaching me, via:

Codehead Software BBS: 213-461-2095
Channel 1 BBS: 617-354-7077
Double Click Software BBS: 713-944-0108
Compuserve: 70631,26
Prodigy:  KJRF83A