Javasaw - Instructions

Enlarge your browser to full screen if possible. To play Javasaw effectively requires most of the screen, so that you don't have to scroll the playing area.
Turn off the toolbar:
- In Netscape 3.0 or lower select the Options menu and uncheck the 'Show Toolbar' and 'Show Directory Buttons' options and even 'Show Location'.
- In Netscape 4.0 select the View menu, Toolbars sub-menu and then select each 'Hide' option in turn or collapse the toolbars using the collapse 'thingo' on the left.
- In Explorer select the View menu and uncheck the 'Toolbar' and 'Status Bar' options.
Preview the images available (106K total) if required.
Start Javasaw by clicking the Play button.
Wait (oh really, what's new) while the applet loads (~39K).

You will be presented with a screen like this (image what follows is not just text):

Select the puzzle complexity.

Simple (for pre-schoolers)

Easy

Moderate

Harder

Difficult

Most Difficult

Image name: [Drop down list]

[Start]

Select the skill level using the mouse or the up and down arrows (make sure the applet has focus first by clicking on it). The type of puzzle is displayed under the 'Most Difficult' radio button. They range from the extremely easy (one for the kiddies) to the reasonably difficult (30 to 40 minutes solution time).

The harder versions feature double sided pieces, where the other side is the same image reversed left to right, and the Most Difficult version has rotatable pieces as well.

Select the image to use from the drop down list. The size is displayed beside the name to give you some idea how long it will take to load.
Then press the 'Start' button to start the puzzle. You then have to wait again (Yes I know it can be frustrating, you might even give up) while the image loads and it is cut up and possibly reversed. A faster machine can speed up the cutting and reversing processes, which is done locally.
Also Internet Explorer runs Java at a much faster rate than Netscape. (No I don't work for Microsoft, but their product is faster at the moment.)
And now your ready to go! You will be presented with the selected image chopped into pieces. Simply drag the pieces onto the grid to solve the puzzle. The pieces will 'snap' onto the grid if you release them close enough to the the grid, but only if the piece is the same size as the grid 'cell' you are over.
In the harder versions most pieces are the same size and so can interchange more readily, making it harder to solve.
If you selected a 'double sided' version then right click (for those with 2 mouse buttons) to show the 'other' side of the piece. Mac users should press the 'Apple' key while clicking (I think this is correct, but I don't have a Mac. E-mail me if this is not so.)
At the top of the playing area is a toolbar with buttons, the elapsed time, the level of difficulty and the image selected.
Press the 'Cheat' button to see how the completed jigsaw should look. If the puzzle is 'double sided' the you can also reverse the completed view by clicking on it. Pressing the Escape key will close the 'cheat' window.
Hint - pressing the C key will toggle the 'cheat' window open and closed.
Press the 'Pause' button to pause the elapsed timer so that you can interrupt your puzzle solving. The playing area will be blanked out so that you can't study the puzzle while paused. The label of the button changes to 'Continue'. Simply press it to continue solving the puzzle.
Press the 'Restart' button if you want to give up and try a different level of difficulty or select a different image.
If you selected the Most Difficult then the pieces are rotatable as well as double sided. Press the tab, or arrows keys to rotate the current piece, which has a red border.
.
Once you successfully complete the puzzle a congratulations dialog pops up, showing you how long it took for you to complete the puzzle.
If you are fast enough you will be told you are eligible for the hall of fame. If you want to go into the hall of fame then cut the details from this dialog, paste them into an e-mail and send it to javasaw@GeoCities.com
When this dialog closes you can select another image and/or degree of difficulty.
If you place all the pieces but some pieces are in the wrong place or have the wrong side showing then you will get a 'sorry' dialog instead.