     ======================================================================
     LINK FOUR Version 1.30 - A Strategy Game for Windows 3.1
     Copyright (C) 1992,1994 by R&R Engineering - All Rights Reserved
     ======================================================================


     THE GAME OF LINK FOUR
     ---------------------

     Link Four is a strategy game where two players take turns stacking red
     and blue marbles in a 7x7 grid in an attempt to be the first player to
     establish a linear arrangement of four or more marbles in adjacent
     grid positions (i.e. to "get four in a row").  Two grid positions are
     considered adjacent if neither their rows nor columns differ by more
     than one (thus "four in a row" can be achieved either vertically,
     horizontally, or diagonally).  The game ends when one player achieves
     a "link" of at least four marbles, or when the grid has been filled.

     In addition to allowing to human players to compete, Link Four
     implements four levels of computer play.  The computer can be assigned
     to play red, blue, or both.  Also, In addition to these "canned"
     search modes, Link Four implements a unique "rule-based" mode which
     allows the move search heuristics to be programmed by the players.


     LICENSE
     -------

     This program is free software; you may redistribute the following
     files so long as all files are distributed together in their original,
     unmodified form:

        LINK4.TXT    -  This document
        LINK4.EXE    -  The Link Four program executable
        LINK4.HLP    -  The Link Four online help document
        SAMPLE.RUL   -  The sample rule set from the online help
        EXAMPLE.RUL  -  A more extensive example rule set
        STARS.BMP    -  A sample bitmap for use as a background

     This software is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but
     BECAUSE THE SOFTWARE IS LICENSED FREE OF CHARGE, THERE IS NO WARRANTY
     FOR THE SOFTWARE, TO THE EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW.  EXCEPT
     WHEN OTHERWISE STATED IN WRITING THE COPYRIGHT HOLDERS AND/OR OTHER
     PARTIES PROVIDE THE SOFTWARE "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND,
     EITHER EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE
     IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR
     PURPOSE.


     THE LINK FOUR SOURCE CODE
     -------------------------

     Link Four was programmed using Borland Pascal version 7.0.  Link Four
     was initially designed as an instructional program for a beginning
     Windows programming class using the Borland Pascal language.  As an
     instructional program, the code has been carefully organized, cleanly
     written, and contains extensive internal documentation to aid in the
     Windows programming learning process.  It is intended that the source
     code will ultimately be published in an introductory text on Windows
     programming using the Borland Pascal language.

     Following the initial design and implementation of the Link Four
     program, a module was added to assist in teaching the artificial
     intelligence concepts of pattern matching and heuristic search to
     gifted junior high and high school level students.  The resulting
     Rule-Based Play feature has proven highly successful, not to mention
     being a great deal of fun.

     The intent was to design an instructive program which was an entire,
     moderately sized application, to bring together the fundamentals of
     Windows programming concepts.  In addition to basic program structure,
     the program illustrates several important and useful Windows
     programming concepts and techniques, including cooperative
     multitasking, handling 256 color bitmaps, smooth dragging of bitmap
     objects, design and integration of Windows help files, and more.

     Also, not limited to the realm of only Windows programming, the Link
     Four program illustrates fundamental techniques of game-playing
     programs.  The computer-based strategy used by the program plays very
     well, though it is actually quite simple.  The strategy of the game
     was not a primary design issue, but programmers new to game trees and
     heuristic searching can learn a great deal from the simple but
     effective algorithms used by the Link Four program.

     The author of the Link Four program is Ron Pacheco.  He holds an M.S.
     in Computer Science from the University of Missouri, and a B.S. in
     Computer Science from Harding University.  Ron presently teaches
     mathematics and computer science at Harding University, and operates a
     private consulting business in the central Arkansas area.  Ron has
     been programming under the Windows operating system for over six
     years, and has recently begun teaching Windows programming to others.
     The Link Four project is a part of these efforts.

     For those interested in using the code as a learning tool,
     experimenting with the code, or contributing to the Link Four project,
     the complete Borland Pascal 7.0 source code and all associated files,
     including all resources and help project files, can be obtained from
     the author for $15 U.S.  For this fee the author grants the right to use
     any or all of the code in any commercial or non-commercial programming
     project, so long as modified versions of the Link Four program itself
     nor any of the source code is distributed without the express written
     permission of the author.

     For those interested, a portion of the fee will be used for postage,
     packaging, and media, and the remainder will be used by the author in
     his efforts toward developing an introductory Windows programming text
     using the Borland Pascal language.

     To obtain the latest version of all source files on a high-density,
     3.5 inch floppy disk, send a $15 check or money order, payable to
     Ronald T. Pacheco, to:

          R&R Engineering
          Link Four Project
          4 Marshall Drive
          Searcy, AR 72143-5011

     For those with Internet access who are interested in contacting the
     author, he can be reached via e-mail at pacheco@acs.harding.edu.  The
     author welcomes questions, comments, and suggestions regarding the
     Link Four project or ideas for developing an introductory Windows
     programming text based on the Borland Pascal programming language.

