FIREFLIES (GVXQ)

Great Job, Chip! You did it! You finished the challenge!

A neat level—play dodge ball against fireballs. The gravel blocks indicates a safe area in which to stand; fireballs won't hit you hear. The key to this level is patience—even if you have to traverse a 2-block area, take your time and let a fireball pass before you go for it; anyway, there's no time limit. From the start, I headed in a clockwise direction Starting at the 3 o'clock position, work your way all the way around, until you get back to the 3 o'clock position. The exit is at the 9 o'clock position, near the center of the screen.

At the completion of this level, two screens flash alternately, with a multiple-block dissolve effect between the two. In the first screen, Chip is in front of his home computer (looks like the back of a PC, and a PC keyboard) being hugged by Melinda from behind. Our hero, Chip, has on his red shirt, and his black rimmed glasses. Melinda is blonde, and looks like she lifts weights. Chip's eyes and mouth are animated slightly (expressing happiness), and Melinda's eye's twitch a little. The second screen looks like a veranda, with three pillars in the background, 3 silhouettes of dancing couples, and in the foreground, there is a green banner hung between the pillars, with the yellow word "E-PROM" written on it. I guess they live happily ever after.

It appears that this is the last level in the game, but if you enter levels 145 to 149 when you ask to "GO TO" a certain level, the game asks for the password (and does not say that you have requested an invalid level). One way to get to these levels is to use the password given in the CYPHER level 34. Another is to use CTRL-K at the start of a game to get the "IGNORE PASSWORDS" command on the pull-down menu. On completion of this level the game gives you the finishing picture and no prompt for the next level.

The way to complete the level is to take your time and wait for the fireballs to go past and watch for their patterns. Be especially careful of intersections, where you have waited for one fireball to go past and then another one comes by from a different direction through the same square. Also, it is best not to travel too quickly. I found that when I moved quickly I stepped into some fireballs. It is also a good idea to try to get all the chips in an area. When you get down to one or two chips left and you don't know where to find them, it can be frustrating. But continue to take your time and wait out the fireballs. At the exit square, watch out for the fireball that comes from the top down.