WORD FUN
Cartridge Instructions
(For 1 or 2 Players)

Letters are just letters until you make them words. High in the sky incomplete
words float by. Quick, fill in the missing letter. Load the vowel, line up to
shoot -- Blast Off! Then go off to the jungles where monkeys scamper through
trees, grabbing letters to build into words. When you please, move on to a
quieter game. Unscramble letters and spell words that criss-cross on the
display. Through the magic of games, you'll learn that spelling can be fun --
all the while you play.

NOTE TO PARENTS

Letters and spelling take a fun new dimension with three exciting word games.
WORD FUN by Mattel Electronics is the playful way for elementary school age
children to improve their vocabulary and spelling skills. Developed in
conjunction with the famous Children's Television Workshop, WORD FUN adds zip to
learning by using the latest, most progressive technology. There's plenty of
action once letters pop on the screen. Players race monkeys through the jungle
to capture letters with their tails; or try to make new words by shooting vowel
rockets at words in the sky. Even traditional crosswords becomes more exciting
on the electronic grid. Before you know it, learning and playing are wrapped up
in one!

THE GAME CAN BE PLAYED IN TWO WAYS

Two players can compete against each other at the same time OR one child can
play alone, developing speed and accuracy at his own pace.

SELECT SPEED

All three Word Fun games can be played at four different speeds. and each speed
selection affects the overall game play. Press 3 for slow, 2 for moderate, 1 for
fast, or press the DISC for very fast.

SELECT GAME After the game speed is selected, the screen shows:

1. CROSSWORDS
2. WORD HUNT
3. WORD ROCKETS

Choose a game by pressing the number of the game you want to play. For example,
if you want to play Word Hunt, press key number 2 on your hand controller.
Important: The game will start as soon as you press the number to select. Be
sure to read the instructions for a game BEFORE you select it.

CROSSWORDS

OBJECT OF THE GAME

Players take turns spelling words on the grid. Each word must connect to
another. Highest score after 20 moves -- wins!

THE CONTROLS

KEYPAD 1 THROUGH 7: Move letters
HORIZ (KEYPAD 8): Spell word left to right
VERT (KEYPAD 9): Spell word top to bottom
CLEAR WORD (KEYPAD CLEAR): Clear word
CLEAR LETTER (KEYPAD 0): Clear letter
KEYPAD ENTER: Enter word

ANY SIDE ACTION BUTTON: Give up a turn

DISC: Move cursor (white square)

START CROSSWORDS

Either player presses 1 and Crosswords appears on the screen. Player on the left
uses the row of letters in the tan section on the left of the screen. Player on
the right uses the letters in the green section on the right.

FIND A WORD

Player on the left begins. Look at the left row of scrambled letters and try to
spell out a word.

MOVE THE CURSOR

You must first place the cursor where you want the word to start. It will move
in 8 different directions, depending where you press the direction disc. Tap the
edge of the disc and the cursor moves in the direction you want it to go. The
first word can be placed anywhere on the grid.

CHOOSE WORD DIRECTION

Once the cursor is in position, decide which direction you want to spell out
your word. To spell it from top to bottom, press VERT (KEYPAD 9). To spell it
from left to right press HORIZ (KEYPAD 8). If you accidentally press HORIZ or
VERT before the cursor is in its desired position, the cursor will not move.
Press Clear then move the cursor, then press HORIZ or VERT again.

SPELL OUT THE WORD

To transfer the letters from the row onto the grid, press the number next to
each letter, one at a time. Let's say that number 1 is a D, 3 is an O, 6 is a W
and 7 is an R. You could spell W-O-R-D from left to right by pressing HORIZ
(KEYPAD 8) then 6-3-7-1. As each letter appears on the grid, it disappears from
the row. The cursor also moves, showing where the next letter will be placed.
The word being spelled is the same color as the player's section.

FINISH A WORD

When you are satisfied with the word you spelled, press ENTER. The cursor
disappears and your opponent must now approve your word.

OPPONENT APPROVES WORD

If your opponent agrees that you have spelled a word correctly, he presses his
ENTER Key. One point is added to your score for each letter of the word you
entered. The score appears on the screen. For example, W-O-R-D has 4 letters, so
the score would be 4 - 0.

If your opponent doesn't think you have spelled a word correctly, he or she may
challenge. Look the word up in the dictionary. If it is correct, the challenger
must press ENTER and the game continues. But if it is incorrect, you must press
CLEAR WORD and ENTER, and you lose your turn. Your word will disappear from the
board & Letters return to your row. Your opponent presses his ENTER key and it's
now his turn.

CROSS WORDS

The second word on the grid must connect with the first. After that, each new
word in the game must connect to one already on the grid. For example, if the
word WORD is horizontally on the board, the letters L-A-N can be placed
vertically immediately above the D to spell LAND. If you try to enter an
unconnected word, a loud buzzer sounds, and the word automatically clears. Start
again.

SPELL MORE THAN ONE WORD

Placing letters on the grid might create more than one word. For example:
placing the letters S-U-N vertically immediately to the RIGHT of the end of WORD
creates WORDS as well as SUN. You get one point for each letter in each word. In
this case, the letter S is counted twice. There are 5 letters in WORDS: 3
letters in SUN. Total points for this move is 8.

Make sure that the letters you place on the grid spell a word in all directions.
If not, they must be cleared from the screen.

THE GAME ENDS

Players take turns spelling words. One move is completed after each player
enters a word. The player with the highest score at the end of 20 moves, wins
the game.

CHANGE YOUR LETTERS

If you are not satisfied with the word you have spelled, you can change the
letters. Press CLEAR LETTERS to erase one letter at a time, starting with last
letter you put down. As you clear the letters, they disappear from the grid and
reappear in their original position at the side. Or press CLEAR WORD to sweep
the entire word off at once. If you clear an entire word, press HORIZ (8) or
VERT (9) again before selecting new letters.

CAN'T SPELL A WORD

If you just can not find a word in you letters, press any action button. You
give up that turn, but get a new set of letters for the next move.

START A NEW GAME

To start a new game, press the reset, tap disc and press 1.

SCORING

One point for each letter in a correctly spelled word is added to a player's
score.

SOUNDS

Click: when cursor moves / when each letter is added to a word on the grid.

CROSSWORDS RULES

Before you begin to play, decide if you will accept proper nouns, foreign words,
etc. Adding -ing, -s, etc. on words counts as an entirely new word. If players
of different skills are playing together, make the competition more fair by
limiting the game to three or four letter words.

WORD HUNT

OBJECT OF THE GAME

Two players spell words at the same time. Each player controls a monkey who
picks up letters in the jungle and races back to spell 3 words (up to 8 letters
each). Players must think fast because the highest score at the end of five 3-
minute turns -- wins!

THE CONTROLS

CLEAR LETTER (KEYPAD 0): Clear letter
KEYPAD ENTER: Enter word

ANY SIDE ACTION KEY: Pick-up, place and throw away letters

DISC: Move monkey

START LETTER HUNT

Either player presses 2 and Word Hunt appears on the screen. 15 letters are
scattered on the screen. The clock begins to tick down from 3 minutes. Player on
the left controls the blue monkey. Player on the right controls the white
monkey.

Press the edge of the disc in the direction you want your monkey to move. Stop
when the center of the monkey is on the letter you want to pick up. Press any
action button and the letter pops on your monkey's tail. The letter changes to
the same color as the monkey. Important: Be sure that the center of the monkey
is over the letter.

RELEASE LETTER

Press the disc again and scamper your monkey into the scoring area (bottom
portion of screen). When you enter the scoring area, release the letter by
pressing any action button. The letter disappears from the monkey's tail and
appears at the cursor's position. The cursor now indicates where the next letter
will be placed. Important: release the letter as soon as you cross the line into
the scoring area. The letter will automatically be placed in the position
indicated by the cursor.

Hurry and get your next letter. As one letter is taken from the jungle area,
another pops on to replace it. There will always be 15 letters in the jungle.

FINISH A WORD

When you finish spelling the first word, press ENTER. The cursor now moves to
the next line. You do not take turns in this game, so start your next word
immediately. (If a word is 8 letters long you do not have to press ENTER; the
cursor goes to the next line automatically after placing the 8th letter in a
word.)

OOPS! YOU MISSPELLED THE WORD

Press CLEAR LETTER (0) and the last letter disappears. Continue to press CLEAR
LETTER until all the incorrect letters are removed. You can clear letters even
after you have entered a word.

THROW LETTERS IN THE TRASH CAN

If you accidentally pick up a letter you don't need, throw it quickly into the
trash can just above the scoring areas.

Place the center of the monkey on the trash can. Press any action button to
release the letter and it disappears. Now go and get the correct letter.

CHECK WORDS AND ENTER SCORES

When time runs out or both players complete 3 words, it is time to check the
words. An arrow points to the first word on the left. If the player on the right
wishes to challenge the word, check in the dictionary. If the word is not
correctly spelled, player on the left must press his own CLEAR WORD button. The
word disappears from the screen and nothing is added to the score. If the word
is correct, your opponent presses ENTER and the score appears on the screen.
Repeat with all words.

START A NEW GAME

After all words are verified, and scores are entered, there is a brief pause.
Then the game automatically starts over. There are five turns in a game.

TIPS

* The quickest way to play this game is to keep the action button pushed in at
all times. Run through the trash can to throw the letter away or hold in the
action button and run your monkey through the letter you want to pick up. It
pops on his tail. (Be careful not to run through a letter you do not want.) Then
run in and out of the scoring area and the letter is released. (Be careful not
to run through the trash can on the way.)

* Pick up letters that are closest to your scoring area if you run short of
  time.

* Look at your opponent's word. If you know the next letter he will need, go
  pick it up and throw it away.

* When you need a letter that is not in the jungle, throw away some letters. New
  letters will pop on to the screen.

* If you finish making three words and there is still time left, go throw away
  letters your opponent might need.

SOUNDS
Click        : when clock counts down
Jungle sounds: random bird calls, lion roars
Buzz         : when you enter third word or time runs out
Ding         : accept a word and enter into score
Tom Tom drum : enter a word


WORD ROCKETS

OBJECT OF THE GAME

Two players try to complete the same word at the same time. Load vowels on your
wagon and blast them at the incomplete word in the sky. First player to spell 50
words -- wins!

THE CONTROLS

ANY SIDE ACTION BUTTON: Load and blast off letters

DISC: Move wagon

START WORD ROCKETS

Either player presses 3 and Word Rockets appears on the screen. Two consonants
float by with a space in the middle. The player on the left controls the red
wagon and the player on the right controls the yellow wagon.

MOVE YOUR WAGON

Move your wagon to pick up vowels (along bottom of screen) and to line up with
the word in the sky. Practice moving your wagon by pressing the left and right
side of the disc.

LOAD A VOWEL

Look at the incomplete word in the sky, then look for the vowel that would
correctly complete that word.  Quickly move your wagon into that vowel area and
press any action button. The Vowel is loaded onto the wagon. You don't need to
land right on the vowel to pick it up. When you load one letter on the wagon,
another immediately pops into that space.

BLAST OFF THE LETTER

After you have loaded a vowel on the wagon, press the disc to zoom your wagon
across the screen so that it lines up with the word in the sky. Press any action
button and the vowel blasts off. You need to be fast.

Sometimes the incomplete word comes from left to right, and sometimes from right
to left. The speed and height of the word varies randomly. Timing is important
when you blast off the vowel. If the word is high in the sky, you need to blast
the vowel off before the word reaches the wagon. As the letter rises, the word
moves across to meet it.

COMPLETE A WORD

When you hear a "RING", a correct vowel has hit the word in the sky! The screen
flashes in red, then the word changes to the color of the player who spelled it.
The word is displayed for a few seconds than rises to the top and disappears.
When you complete a word, one point is added to your score. If two vowels
complete a word at the same time, the word turns yellow, but both players get a
point.

When you hear a "BOING", the vowel you blasted won't make a word. It bounces off
the word in the sky -- wrong vowel!!

If you blast a vowel skyward and it misses the word, it rises off the screen.

START A NEW GAME

To start a new game, press the reset, select the speed, then press 3.

TIPS

If you need a vowel that isn't on the screen, blast off a vowel and hope the one
you need pops on.

SCORING:

One point is added to the score for completing each word.

SOUNDS:

Shot   : blast vowel to the sky
Ring   : vowel makes a word
BOING! : vowel bounces off word
Gonggg!: first to 50 points

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(c)1980, 1998 Intellivision Productions, Inc.