Rubik's Games facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Rubik's Games |
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| Developer(s) | Androsoft |
| Publisher(s) | Hasbro Interactive |
| Platform(s) | Windows 95/98 |
| Release date(s) | 1999 |
| Genre(s) | Puzzle |
| Mode(s) | One player |
Rubik's Games is a fun computer game released in 1999. It's like having five different puzzle games all in one! This game was made for older Windows computers (Windows 95/98). Ernő Rubik, the inventor of the famous Rubik's Cube, helped create it with a company called Androsoft. Hasbro Interactive published the game. It was part of Hasbro's plan to turn their popular board games into cool computer versions. You can even find a history of the Rubik's Cube and its inventor in the game's menu.
Contents
Explore the Games in Rubik's Games
All the games in Rubik's Games have two main ways to play. You can try the "Challenge" mode, which gives you specific puzzles to solve. Or, you can choose "Free Play" mode to just have fun and experiment.
Rubik's Classics: The Famous Cube and More!
This part of the game is all about the classic Rubik's Cube. You can play with a standard 3x3 cube right on your computer screen. You use your mouse to twist and turn the cube, trying to solve it.
One cool feature lets you "paint" the sides of a virtual cube. Then, the computer can show you the fastest way to solve that exact puzzle! This is super helpful if you have a real Rubik's Cube at home. You can copy your cube's colors onto the screen. Then, the game will show you how to solve it without peeling off stickers.
The Classics section also includes other sizes of the Rubik's Cube. You can try the smaller 2x2 cube or the larger 4x4 and 5x5 versions. There's even a 2x3 puzzle for a different kind of challenge.
Cover Up: Fill the Grid!
Imagine a grid, like a checkerboard, but with different sizes. In Cover Up, you get stacks of colored blocks. Your job is to fit these blocks perfectly onto the grid. You need to cover every single square.
As you play, the grids get bigger and the block stacks get trickier. You'll need to think carefully about how the shapes will fit. You can even turn the grid around to see it from different angles. This helps you figure out the best way to place your blocks.
Zigthrough: Guide the Snake!
Zigthrough is a puzzle game where you control a chain of five squares. Think of it like a snake that moves down the screen. You can move this chain left and right. You can also change the color of the "head" of your snake.
When your chain touches other blocks on the screen, it stops. To clear the blocks, you need to connect three squares of the same color. There are also special blocks that you can't remove. These act like barriers you need to get around. Your goal is to clear a path so your snake can reach the end.
Rubik's Playground: Physics Fun!
Rubik's Playground is like a science experiment you can play with. You guide different types of balls through ramps and other obstacles. Your goal is to get a certain number of balls to an exit.
There are four kinds of balls:
- Iron balls
- Rubber balls
- Plastic balls
- Exploding balls
You can make the balls bump into each other. You can also speed them up using ramps and magnets. The best part? You can create your very own Playground puzzles! You can save them on your computer. You could even share them with friends online through the game's website.
Paint War: A Colorful Strategy Game!
Paint War is a game that's a bit like Chess, but with paint! You have game pieces that are numbered from zero to five. A piece with a smaller number can capture an opponent's piece with a larger number. For example, a number 2 piece can take a number 1 piece.
The number zero piece is special. It can be taken by another zero piece if it attacks first, or by a number 5 piece. If your number 5 piece is taken out, your zero piece can become a number 5!
You can win a match in two ways:
- Paint more than half of the 42 squares on the board before your opponent does.
- Capture all of your opponent's pieces. This is called a KO.
The number on your piece also tells you how many squares it can paint. If your opponent paints a square, you can paint over it. The game ends when all squares are painted or one player loses all their pieces. You can play against the computer or online against other players.
Challenges and Online Fun
Rubik's Challenges are a set of 100 special tasks. These challenges are spread across all five games. If you manage to complete all 100 challenges, you get a special reward! Your name can be added to the 'Eternal Rubik's Master' list on the game's official website.
Even though there are 100 challenges, you only need to beat a small part of the game to earn this title. The game also let players save their high scores and best times. They could even upload these scores to the game's website. The game became even more fun because players could create their own puzzles in Rubik's Playground. They could upload these puzzles to the website or email them to friends.
