Instant Amusement For Your Kids
BY A. BAGGETTA
Do your little darlings turn into monsters when
bored? Tame the wild beasts with Fun Pages, favorite puzzles that will
take their minds off mischief
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Type: Requirements: Arcfile: Files: Language: |
Fun Pages
Kids' game generator 512K, low rez PAGES.PRG FUNPAGES.LST FUNPAGES.PRG FUNPAGES.PI1 GFA BASIC 3.0 |
Fun Pages was inspired by one of my favorite breakfast restaurants. While waiting for hotcakes one morning, the waitress brought my children placemats that had an assortment of little games printed upon them.
What a great idea! These placemats could keep the kids entertained when we had to wait at other restaurants, went on long car trips, or were delayed on shopping expeditions.
When I got
home, I experimented with my Atari and Gemini printer, trying to produce
sheets similar to the ones I had seen. After several hours scribbling on
graph paper, I wrote Fun Pages.
Up and Funning
To use Fun Pages, double-click on the archive file PAGES.PRG and choose
Extract when the dialog box appears. Select a destination disk and the
files will be un-ARCed directly onto that disk. To start the program, switch
to low resolution and make sure that FUNPAGES.PI1 is in the same folder
as FUNPAGES.PRG, then double-click on FUNPAGES.PRG.
Each Fun Page has four games, two of which always are TIC TAG TOE and Secret Word (the secret is its scrambled). The remaining two are chosen from the following list.
1) Faces: Doodle features on preprinted heads. Six are chosen from the program's repertoire of 10.
2) House: Design your own house by drawing the windows and doors.
3) Igloo:
Similar to House.
4) TeePee: Similar to House.
5) Guess How Many Circles: Try to figure out the number circles that were printed. The capital letter next to the puzzle gives the answer. A equals one circle, E equals five circles, Z equals 26 circles, and so on.
6) Connect the Dots Game: A symmetric grid of dots is printed. Two people alternately connect the dots by drawing a line between adjacent pairs. When a person completes a square, it is theirs. The one with the most squares wins.
Pick
and Choose
After the title screen is displayed for a few seconds, you will see
the Fun Pages Construction Menu. Using the mouse, choose the first puzzle
you want printed, or click on Computer Random Choices, which lets the computer
pick. If you didn't opt for Random, a second menu appears. Choose your
second puzzle.
Your Fun Page will be printed automatically. You may abort printing at any time by pressing [Alternate] and [Help] simultaneously. Otherwise, when the page is done, you will be given the opportunity to construct another.
Setting Up the Printer
The programs expects your printer to be set for 960 pixels per line.
To set it, or check it, install the Control Panel accessory which came
with your ST. (Put the program CONTROL.ACC in the root directory of your
boot disk.) At the Desktop, activate the drop-down menu under Desk. Choose
Control Panel.
The Control Panel will appear in the middle of your screen. Click on Install Printer in the lower right hand corner. A list of printer options appears. One is labeled Pixels/Line. Make sure 960 is highlighted. Click on OK, then on the close box of the control panel.
If you want the printer automatically set to 960 pixels per line every time you boot, save the Desktop. Otherwise, always check your printer's options before using Fun Pages.
A. Baggetta has contributed to both Antic and START magazines. He wrote Santa BBS for the December 1988 issue of START.