FORCE FIELD (COZA)

Dear Chip, This level is so high that it officially doesn't exist, so I can't even tell you its number. But, toward the very end of your journey you might come upon my Force Field laboratory. Slide around and get a feel for how to best get to where you want to go. You'll have to be quick when you transfer from one force field direction to another, but remember there is no time limit. Forcefully, Melinda.

This level is tough, yes, but it is not half as bad as DOUBLEMAZE. The first thing to do is map the level. Once you look at the map you will see the pattern to the level. It is a checkerboard, with the 24 chips to get regularly spaced. Number the chips from top left to bottom right on your map. I got sticky dots and used the blue ones to stick on my map, then numbered the dots. There are four key chips at locations 8I [Chip 5], 8Y [Chip 7], 24I [Chip 18], and 24Y [Chip 20]. Note that these four are equally spaced from each other. They are the four transit centres, or hubs, that you need to travel through to get the chips. What I did was to examine the map and draw paths from each of these hubs to the nearby chips. It really helps to draw these lines/paths so that you can see where you have to go. It is very easy to get the chips from the 8I hub, not so bad from the 24I hub, difficult from the 24Y hub, and extremely difficult from the 8Y hub. There are two tricks. The first is that to get to the 24Y hub you must travel via the 24I. To get to the 8Y hub you must travel via the 24Y hub. You will get adept at moving through these hubs, but if you miss your "turnoff" you will circle back to the 8I hub and have to start your travel again. This can be frustrating but is not a serious problem. When you get to the hubs, just get used to the circling and learn when to make the turnoff. Actually, think of traffic circles and getting on and off them at the right places. The second trick is that the four chips along the right side of the level [Chips 4, 11, 17, 24] are accessed via the upper right hub at 8Y and not via the lower right hub at 24Y. Once you get all the chips it is easy to get the Suction Shoes and walk to the exit square.

[Patty has created an Excel spreadsheet map of the level. The rows are numbered 1 to 32 and the columns A to Z, then AA, AB, AC, AD, AE, and AF. On the spreadsheet SS is Suction Shoes, # marks the chips, and force floors going down, up, right, and left are marked as v, ^, >, < on the Map. Also, here is a tip you might try. Use the options menu to change from color to black and white. The force fields might be a bit easier to see.]

I can't begin to tell anyone exactly how to get through this level because a lot of what goes on in this one is beyond control (as you probably already know by now!). What I can tell you is that you will most likely get really tired of the space at M12 (maybe even a little nauseous!) and the space at I24 was always my starting off point to go to the right side of this level. First, pick up as many chips as you can on the left side of the level. I think I started having trouble with about 14 chips left. At this point, I just started clicking away madly, but after awhile I discovered ways to get around. As I said earlier, I24 is your friend (well, it was mine at least). Maneuver your way to this square. Now you will be in position to get to the right side of the level. To do this, start circling this space by jumping off either left or right (you will be circling counter-clockwise). Position your mouse cursor about 1 inch to the right of Chip and when he gets to the bottom of his circling start to click the mouse to make him go to the right at J24. Keep clicking to the right to make him go through K24. You will head up at M24, but just keep clicking to the right and hopefully with luck you will go right at N22. Click down at this point if you can and then get the chip at Q24. Now head off right to end up circling Y24 (which you will be circling anyway if you couldn't go down at Q22). Click downward or upward to get the chip at this spot. This spot will be your jumping off point for the chips in the upper right area of the level. To get to the upper region, while Chip is circling clockwise around this spot, position your cursor above him and start clicking upward. When you get past W22, you can go a couple of ways. If you click towards the upper right of Chip you will hopefully get to the chip at Y16. Now if you go left, you will automatically end up at U20. If instead at Y16 you head up and then keep clicking upwards you should end up at either Y8 or U12. Anyway, you get the idea. Whenever I ended up circling M12, I always scooted down to I24, then over to Y24 and tried again to get to the upper right region. The two hardest chips to get for me were AC28 and M4 (still don'’t quiteknow how I did either of these without a map). The map should make these easier. It looks like for M4, I must have gone left from I8. I automatically went up and right from there. Then I must have kept blasting right to go through I6, K6, and M6. From there, the natural progression would be right to M4. Anyway, somehow I got all the chips. After retrieving all the chips, you can get the suction shoes. Then you are free to wander around and see how the whole thing looks without making you nauseous or you can just get the h*** out of there!