KeyScarab

Welcome to KeyScarab.

Long ago, in the days time forgot, pharaohs would sit around a table and play the long forgotten game of “KeyScarab”. The game is played with 55 stones with coloured inserts - Ruby, Gold, Green, Blue and Sand coloured. That’s eleven stones of each colour (Five sets of eleven). Engraved on the coloured inserts are eleven different symbols (hieroglyphs).

When you first start the game, you are dealt 7 stones, shown at the bottom of the screen. The arrow button will enable you to scroll right to display to view your stones.

The object of the game is for you to play all of your stones before the computer (Taking it in turns to play a stone).

In the middle right of the screen, you will see the play zone, with a stone in the middle of the play zone. The play zone will change colour to the colour of the insert of the stone in play. For example: If the play zone is gold, then you must play a gold stone, or you could play another colour with the same symbol. When you play the latter, the play zone changes colour to the stone played.

If you cannot play a stone, tap the stone middle left of the screen to request another stone. Keep doing this until you get a stone you can play. Then play that stone.

Look out for stones engraved with an image of a scarab. These can be played any time, no matter what colour the play zone is, and they enable you to set the play zone colour to the colour of your choice.

When you have played all of your stones, your score is calculated by the value of the stones the computer has remaining. Scores are displayed on screen.

Pharaohs would play this game with their children, to teach them wisdom and forward planning, tools required for the future. The stones and game were never placed in the pyramids, but passed on to the next generation of pharaohs, until a day that time forget.

Hope you enjoy playing the game.

Good luck.

Keith Boothroyd (Author and programmer)