The 7th Guest: Infection
Encyclopedia
The 7th Guest: Infection is a strategy-oriented mobile game
which originally appeared as the Microscope Puzzle in the 1993 computer game The 7th Guest
. It is a strategy board game based on the Ataxx
family of games, whose lineage began with a 1988 computer game called Infection.
The board is a square grid divided into 7 rows and 7 columns. Each player begins with two microbes, colored blue or red. The microbes are placed at the four corners of the grid, with blue in the top left and bottom right corners, while red occupies the other corners. Red takes the first turn. During a turn, a player may move one of their microbes one or two spaces in any direction, including diagonally. If the player moves to an adjacent space, a new microbe is created on the space the microbe moved from. If the player moves to a non-adjacent space, the space on which the microbe began the turn remains empty. Any of the opponent's microbes which are in spaces adjacent to the space a player moves onto will be "infected," turning to the color of the player who has moved. Players are required to move unless no legal move is possible. The game is over when either all cells of the board are filled or all microbes on the board are the same color. The player with the most microbes on the board at the end of the game is the winner.
The game can be played in either single-player or two player mode. In single-player mode the opponent is the mad genius Henry Stauf, antagonist of The 7th Guest
, who verbally taunts the player throughout the game. The player may choose from seven difficulty levels when playing against the AI
.
, Commodore 64
and Atari ST
platforms. The rights to the game were subsequently sold to the Leland Corporation, who released it as an arcade game
under the name Ataxx
. The game became best known by this title.
In 1993 Trilobyte
released The 7th Guest
, which included a version of the game as the Microscope Puzzle. When Trilobyte re-released The 7th Guest for iPhone
and iPad
in 2010, they announced that some puzzles, including the Microscope Puzzle, would not be included due to technical challenges associated with adapting the original game to the new platforms. in April 2011 an updated version of the Microscope Puzzle will be released for iPad as The 7th Guest: Infection, featuring updated graphics and gameplay settings.
Mobile game
A mobile game is a video game played on a mobile phone, smartphone, PDA, tablet computer or portable media player. This does not include games played on handheld video game systems such as Nintendo DS or PlayStation Portable....
which originally appeared as the Microscope Puzzle in the 1993 computer game The 7th Guest
The 7th Guest
The 7th Guest, produced by Trilobyte and released by Virgin Games in 1993, is an FMV-based puzzle video game. It was one of the first computer video games to be released only on CD-ROM. The 7th Guest is a horror story told from the unfolding perspective of the player, as an amnesiac...
. It is a strategy board game based on the Ataxx
Ataxx
Ataxx is a board game that first appeared in 1990 as an arcade video game by The Leland Corporation. It also appeared in 1990 as the video game Spot and later as the Microscope Puzzle from the 1993 CD-ROM game The 7th Guest...
family of games, whose lineage began with a 1988 computer game called Infection.
Gameplay
The object of the game is for the player to make their microbes the majority on the board by the end of the game. This is accomplished by infecting and converting the opponent's microbes.The board is a square grid divided into 7 rows and 7 columns. Each player begins with two microbes, colored blue or red. The microbes are placed at the four corners of the grid, with blue in the top left and bottom right corners, while red occupies the other corners. Red takes the first turn. During a turn, a player may move one of their microbes one or two spaces in any direction, including diagonally. If the player moves to an adjacent space, a new microbe is created on the space the microbe moved from. If the player moves to a non-adjacent space, the space on which the microbe began the turn remains empty. Any of the opponent's microbes which are in spaces adjacent to the space a player moves onto will be "infected," turning to the color of the player who has moved. Players are required to move unless no legal move is possible. The game is over when either all cells of the board are filled or all microbes on the board are the same color. The player with the most microbes on the board at the end of the game is the winner.
The game can be played in either single-player or two player mode. In single-player mode the opponent is the mad genius Henry Stauf, antagonist of The 7th Guest
The 7th Guest
The 7th Guest, produced by Trilobyte and released by Virgin Games in 1993, is an FMV-based puzzle video game. It was one of the first computer video games to be released only on CD-ROM. The 7th Guest is a horror story told from the unfolding perspective of the player, as an amnesiac...
, who verbally taunts the player throughout the game. The player may choose from seven difficulty levels when playing against the AI
Ai
AI, A.I., Ai, or ai may refer to:- Computers :* Artificial intelligence, a branch of computer science* Ad impression, in online advertising* .ai, the ISO Internet 2-letter country code for Anguilla...
.
History
The earliest version of this game was made in 1988 by Wise Owl software. Written by Dave Crummack and Craig Galley, Infection was programmed on the AmigaAmiga
The Amiga is a family of personal computers that was sold by Commodore in the 1980s and 1990s. The first model was launched in 1985 as a high-end home computer and became popular for its graphical, audio and multi-tasking abilities...
, Commodore 64
Commodore 64
The Commodore 64 is an 8-bit home computer introduced by Commodore International in January 1982.Volume production started in the spring of 1982, with machines being released on to the market in August at a price of US$595...
and Atari ST
Atari ST
The Atari ST is a home/personal computer that was released by Atari Corporation in 1985 and commercially available from that summer into the early 1990s. The "ST" officially stands for "Sixteen/Thirty-two", which referred to the Motorola 68000's 16-bit external bus and 32-bit internals...
platforms. The rights to the game were subsequently sold to the Leland Corporation, who released it as an arcade game
Arcade game
An arcade game is a coin-operated entertainment machine, usually installed in public businesses such as restaurants, bars, and amusement arcades. Most arcade games are video games, pinball machines, electro-mechanical games, redemption games, and merchandisers...
under the name Ataxx
Ataxx
Ataxx is a board game that first appeared in 1990 as an arcade video game by The Leland Corporation. It also appeared in 1990 as the video game Spot and later as the Microscope Puzzle from the 1993 CD-ROM game The 7th Guest...
. The game became best known by this title.
In 1993 Trilobyte
Trilobyte
Trilobyte is a computer game developer founded in December 1990 by Graeme Devine and Rob Landeros. They are well known in the computer game industry for The 7th Guest and The 11th Hour games, and to a lesser extent for Clandestiny and other titles.- Logo :The official company logo consists of a...
released The 7th Guest
The 7th Guest
The 7th Guest, produced by Trilobyte and released by Virgin Games in 1993, is an FMV-based puzzle video game. It was one of the first computer video games to be released only on CD-ROM. The 7th Guest is a horror story told from the unfolding perspective of the player, as an amnesiac...
, which included a version of the game as the Microscope Puzzle. When Trilobyte re-released The 7th Guest for iPhone
IPhone
The iPhone is a line of Internet and multimedia-enabled smartphones marketed by Apple Inc. The first iPhone was unveiled by Steve Jobs, then CEO of Apple, on January 9, 2007, and released on June 29, 2007...
and iPad
IPad
The iPad is a line of tablet computers designed, developed and marketed by Apple Inc., primarily as a platform for audio-visual media including books, periodicals, movies, music, games, and web content. The iPad was introduced on January 27, 2010 by Apple's then-CEO Steve Jobs. Its size and...
in 2010, they announced that some puzzles, including the Microscope Puzzle, would not be included due to technical challenges associated with adapting the original game to the new platforms. in April 2011 an updated version of the Microscope Puzzle will be released for iPad as The 7th Guest: Infection, featuring updated graphics and gameplay settings.
External links
- Trilobyte Games
- The 7th Guest: Infection for iPad promotional video on YouTubeYouTubeYouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
- The Infection/Ataxx family tree
