Talking Laptop
(600-2610)                 Operation                  Faxback Doc. # 53232

Opening the Laptop

Place the Laptop on a flat surface, then press the lock/release button to 
unlock the cover.  Lift up the cover so you can see the screen.

When you finish using the Laptop, fold the screen down until the cover 
locks in place.

Turning the Laptop ON/OFF

To turn on the Laptop, press ON.  A short melody sounds and the Laptop 
says "Hello" and "Choose an Activity" (See "Playing a Game," below.

To turn off the Laptop, press OFF.  A melody sounds and the Laptop 
displays Bye! before it turns off.

Note:  If you do not press a key for about 3 minutes, the Laptop displays
       Bye, then automatically turns off to save power.  To turn it back
       on, press ON.

Adjusting the Display Contrast

You can adjust the display's contrast (lightness/darkness) so it is easier 
for you to read.  To make the display lighter or darker, slide CONTRAST to 
the desired setting.

Playing a Game

This section provides general instructions for playing a game on the 
Laptop.  For specific information about each game, see "Game Descriptions" 
in Faxback Doc. # 53233.

1.  Press ON to turn on the Laptop.

2.  Adjust VOLUME to the desired listening level.

3.  Select a game from the list above the number keys, then press that
    game's number and press ENTER.

    The Laptop displays the name of the game and explains what to do.

    (For example, in the game Covered Word, a word appears, then is
    covered by a gray box.  The Laptop says, "Repeat the word.")

    Note:  To hear an instruction again (except in The Right Word, The
           Right Ending, and Composer), press REPEAT.

4.  Press the desired key(s), then press ENTER.  Each time you press a
    key, a character appears and the Laptop says it out loud.

    During most games (except Pair Up and Composer), you get three chances
    to enter the correct answer.

    When you enter the correct answer, the Laptop says "Excellent" or
    "Good."

    If you enter a wrong answer, the Laptop says, "Sorry.  Try again."  If
    you try three times without entering a correct answer, the Laptop
    says, "This is the correct answer," and the answer appears.

    After you enter a correct answer or the Laptop tells you the answer,
    the next problem appears.

    The Laptop gives 10 different problems during most games, then
    announces your score and gives you a different set of problems.

5.  To play a different game, press GAME CODE or ON and type the desired
    game number, then press ENTER.

Notes:  The Laptop automatically selects the easiest level (Level 1) and
        one player each time you turn it on. For more challenging problems
        (Levels 2 - 3), see "Changing the Level."  To play a two-player
        game with a friend, see "Playing with Two Players" below.

        If you do not know the answer, press HELP to get a hint, or ANSWER
        to see the correct answer.

        If you enter an incorrect character (letter or number), press
        ERASE to clear it from the display.  A tone sounds and all the
        characters (or in some games, only the character you just entered)
        disappear.

Changing the Level

You can play all the games (except Next Number, Pair Up, and Composer) at 
three different levels.  Level 1 is the easiest and Level 3 is the 
hardest.  Each time you turn on the Laptop and select a game, it 
automatically selects Level 1.  To change the lever, press LEVEL.  The 
Laptop announces the level you selected.

Playing with Two Players

Each time you turn on the Laptop and select a game, it automatically 
selects the one-player game.

Two-player games are the same as one-player games, except a player must 
press his or her button (PLAYER A or PLAYER B) before entering an answer.

To select the two-player game, press 2 PLAYER MODE at any time.  The 
Laptop says, "Two-players."  To return to a one-player game, press 1 
PLAYER MODE.  The Laptop says, "One player."

Note:  All games except Notes Challenger, Pair Up, and Composer can be
       played alone or with a friend.

Scoring

During most games, the Laptop awards or subtracts points for your answers 
and keeps a running total in memory.  Points are awarded differently for 
one- and two-player games.

For one-player games, the Laptop awards 10 points for a correct first try, 
7 points for a correct second try, and 4 points for a correct third try.  
No points are awarded (or subtracted) for incorrect answers.  If the 
player presses ANSWER, no points are awarded.  The Laptop subtracts 3 
points each time the player presses HELP.  The highest possible score is 
100 points.

Note:  HELP does not operate for two-player games.

For two-player games, each player receives 100 points at the beginning.  
the first player to enter the correct answer earns 10 point.  Ten points 
are deducted for a wrong answer.  If either player presses ANSWER before 
PLAYER A or PLAYER B is pressed, no points are awarded for that question.  
The highest possible score is 200 points.

At the end of a one-player game, the score appears on the center of the 
display.  At the end of a two-player game, the Laptop displays a separate 
score for each player.  The left score is Player A's score and the right 
score is Player B's score.

(EB 6/21/99)