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+-!                              !
! !       M A T H T E S T        !
! !                              !
! !        Version 3.50          !
! !                              !
! +------------------------------+
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Copyright (C) 1999, Kenneth Perrine


WELCOME

Mathtest is an educational mathematics problem solving game.  Players 
can practice  addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division 
problems, with varying skill levels and difficulties.  Mathtest has 
options for solving with specific multiplication tables, negative 
numbers, decimal points, carrying, and borrowing.  There is also an 
option for solving for parts of problems, where the answer is given, 
but one of the terms of the problem are missing.  This math program is 
intended for students who are learning basic math problems and also 
for students who know basic math problems but need to improve speed 
and accuracy.

When math problems are successfully solved, Mathtest displays one of 
three games; these games change over time.  The first game involves 
using a rocket to hit the word "TEST" which moves across the screen.  
In the second game, the player attempts to throw a rock through a 
moving box.  In the third game, the player tries to hit a sphere with 
a light-beam.  Scores for math problems successfully answered and 
games played are shown after each game.  The number of math problems 
needed to win a level of Mathtest depends upon the difficulty of the 
problem type selected; for basic problems, this is 60 problems; for 
other problem types it is either 40 for complex problems, or 30 for 
advanced problems.

When using Mathtest, the <F1> key can be used to call up a help 
screen.  The help screen describes the functions and options available 
on the screen being shown.  


SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS

Mathtest 3.00 has been designed to run on a wide variety of IBM-
compatible PC's.  Mathtest will run on Pentiums, as well as XT's.  The 
computer must be equipped with color graphics, such as VGA, EGA, or 
CGA.  The system must also have at least 320K of free memory.  
Mathtest will work with DOS versions 3.0 and greater, and will run 
under Windows.


STARTING MATHTEST

(Note that if Mathtest is being copied to hard disk from a floppy disk 
or a .ZIP archive file, all Mathtest files can be placed in any 
directory.  It may be preferable to create a directory for Mathtest, 
such as C:\MATHTEST).

To start Mathtest from DOS, type MATHTEST at the DOS prompt.  If the 
Mathtest files are in another disk or directory than what you are 
currently using, you must change to the appropriate disk or directory 
first.

Mathtest can also be accessed through the Windows 95/98/NT4 Start Menu 
or Desktop, or through the Windows 3.x Program Manager.  Please refer 
to your Windows documentation for information on how to add a program 
to one of these resources.  (The program which must be added is 
MATHTEST.EXE; in Windows 95/98/NT4, MATHTEST.EXE may be added as a 
shortcut to the Desktop or Start Menu.)

When you start Mathtest, you may find out more about features and on-
screen options by pressing the <I> key for the Information Screen.  
And, as mentioned, on almost every screen the <F1> key can be pressed 
for on-line help.


CONFIGURATION FILE

When Mathtest is first started, a configuration file called 
MATHTEST.CFG is written in the current directory.  This configuration 
file saves user-selected options, making the same options active when 
Mathtest is restarted.  To reset the options to default selections, 
erase the file MATHTEST.CFG by using Windows Explorer or Windows File 
Manager.  Or, at the DOS prompt in the Mathtest directory, type:
     ERASE MATHTEST.CFG

If you make copies of the shareware version of Mathtest for others to 
use, you should erase the configuration file so that Mathtest will 
start with its default choices when it is started on a different 
computer.


FREEWARE DISTRIBUTION

If you copy Mathtest for others to use, these are the files that 
should be included with the copy:

     MATHTEST.EXE - Main program
     MATHTEST.DAT - Graphics data file
     MATHTEST.HLP - Help file
     MATHTEST.TXT - Documentation file


OPTIONS THAT ARE NOT DOCUMENTED IN MATHTEST

The Mathtest "Drill" mode may be selected while the title screen, the 
main menu, or the options screen are displayed.  Press <CONTROL-D> 
when one of these screens is displayed to cause the "Drill" Mode menu 
to appear.  In short, the "Drill" mode determines how many math 
problems are displayed before a game appears, and whether or not the 
game score affects the progress of the player.  Press the <F1> key 
when the "Drill" Mode menu is displayed for a detailed explanation on 
what the "Drill" mode does.

While a math problem is displayed, you can press <CONTROL-Q> to change 
the game that is displayed when Mathtest problems are answered 
correctly.

If explosion effects are slow when the games are running, the <ESC> 
key may be pressed once to skip the remainder of the explosion.


COMMAND-LINE OPTIONS

Mathtest may be started with the command-line options listed below.  
If you wish to use any of these options, type the options as shown 
below when Mathtest is started.  For example, if you want Mathtest to 
operate in "Drill" 10 mode, then the following command-line would be 
used to start Mathtest:
     MATHTEST /D=10

Note that more than one option may be used in any order.  Separate 
options with a single space.  For example, if you want to run Mathtest 
in four-color mode and keep the configuration file located on a disk 
in the A: drive from being changed, then use:
     MATHTEST /F=A: /N /C

These options may be put into a batch file so a user would not need to 
type these options when he or she is starting Mathtest.  See the 
question: "Startup: How do I type less to start Mathtest?" in the 
section "How do I..." below for information on how to make a batch 
file.

A brief overview of the available command-line options may be seen by 
typing at the DOS prompt:
     MATHTEST /?

/A=number
Assigns the top number in math problems as a certain value.  This is 
useful for practicing individual multiplication tables in math 
problems.  Numbers 0 through 100 are valid.

/C
Makes Mathtest run in four-color mode.  Use this option if the 
sixteen-color graphics are not behaving correctly, or if the animation 
in sixteen colors is too slow.

/D=number
Sets the Mathtest "Drill" mode.  The "Drill" mode in Mathtest allows 
you to set how many math problems will appear before a game is seen.  
For more information, run Mathtest, press <CONTROL-D> when the Title 
Screen or the Main Menu appear, and then press the <F1> key for on-
line help.  Valid values for this option are: D, 0, 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 
30, or 60.  Use D to enable the default "Drill" mode.  Select 0 to 
make successfully-won games determine the progress of the player, 1 to 
enable a game after every math problem (but to also make it so that 
missing targets in games does not hinder the player's progress), 2, 5, 
10, 20, or 30 for the same scoring method as number 1 but with more 
math problems displayed before games, or 60 to turn off the games.  
Changes to this option are saved in the configuration file, unless the 
/N option is used.

/F=[path]filename
Defines a custom location and/or filename for a configuration file.  
Normally, when Mathtest is run, a configuration file called 
MATHTEST.DOC is written to the same location as the Mathtest program 
files.  By using the /F parameter, configuration files of other names 
than MATHTEST.CFG may be used.  If only a path is specified, the file 
MATHTEST.CFG is written in the location of the path.  This is useful 
for managing the configurations of multiple users, classes or groups 
on individual computers or networks, especially when used with batch 
files.
        MATHTEST /F=CLASS06.CFG   uses the file CLASS06.CFG as a 
configuration file.
        MATHTEST /F=C:\STUDENTS\MTH.CFG  uses the file MTH.CFG in the 
specified path.
        MATHTEST /F=C:\STUDENTS  uses the default file MATHTEST.CFG in 
the STUDENTS directory.
        MATHTEST /F=A:  uses the default file MATHTEST.CFG in drive 
A:.

/G=number
Changes the first game that appears when a math problem is 
successfully answered.  By default, /G=1 is used.  This makes the 
first rocket game appear.  Use /G=2 to make the throwing game appear, 
or use /G=3 to make the light-beam game appear.

/H or /?
Displays a brief overview of the command-line options.

/N
This causes changes in Mathtest options to not be written to the 
configuration file.  If you set up a configuration file which contains 
preset options, you may use the /N option in a batch file to keep 
those preset options from being changed.  To change the preset options 
again, don't use the /N option when starting Mathtest.

/R
Clears and resets the configuration file with Mathtest defaults.  Use 
this in conjunction with the /N option to bypass a configuration file 
without changing it and to use Mathtest default options.


HOW DO I... ?

Mathtest contains several features which may be very useful if 
utilized.  If you have a particular question of how to do something, 
browse through these questions (which are arranged somewhat by 
subject, alphabetically) for an answer:

Configuration:  How do I insure that Mathtest will start with the same 
set of options as when it was last started?
     Start Mathtest with the /N command-line option.
     MATHTEST /N
     The configuration is read from the configuration file, but new or 
changed selections are not saved.

Configuration:  How do I use an alternate configuration file?
How can I use Mathtest for multiple users or groups?
     Use the /F command-line option.  For example, you can use:
     MATHTEST /F=CLASS06.CFG
     to make certain options become active which are based upon a 
particular group's or user's objectives.  The name CLASS06.CFG is 
arbitrary; any path and/or filename may be used after the /F option.  
If you don't want an already-established configuration to change for a 
class, then use:
     MATHTEST /F=CLASS06.CFG /N
     If multiple users use certain directories on a computer for 
storing configuration files, a path may be specified with the /F 
option.
     Note that all of these command-lines can be placed in a batch 
file.  Refer to the question: "Startup: How can I type less to start 
Mathtest?" for more information.

Drill:  See "Games".

File (Configuration):  See "Configuration".

Games:  How do I change which game appears?
     When you start Mathtest, use the /G option.  Specify the desired 
game number like this:
     MATHTEST /G=n, where n equals the game number.  /G=1 is the 
default rocket game.
     The game can also be switched by pressing <CONTROL-Q> when a math 
problem appears on the screen.

Games:  How do I turn off the games?
     The "Drill" mode setting determines how many math problems are 
displayed before a game appears.  If the number of consecutive math 
problems is set to 60, no games appear before the player wins 
Mathtest.
     MATHTEST /D=60
     You will only need to do this once; this change is saved in the 
configuration file.

Games:  See also "Score".

Multiplication Tables:  How do I make Mathtest display math problems 
which correspond to specific multiplication tables?
     Use the /A command-line option.  For example, if you want 
Mathtest to multiplication problems which use the number 6, start 
Mathtest like this:
     MATHTEST /A=6
Remember that "Multiplication" problems must be selected on the main 
menu.
Note that the preferred approach is to select "Practice a Table" from 
the Multiplication options screen.

Score:  How do I make successfully-answered math problems, not 
successfully-won games, change the score?
     See information on the "Drill" mode found in this document.

Speed:  How do I speed up the graphics?
     If you see a blue border on the Main Menu screen, then Mathtest 
is running in sixteen-color mode.  On older computers, sixteen-color 
graphics modes run slow.  Start Mathtest with the /C option to change 
the graphics to the faster four-color mode.
     MATHTEST /C
Also, the <ESC> key can be pressed on slow explosion effects to end 
the animation.

Speed:  How do I turn off the timer?
     Select "No Time" from the "Speed" option on the Options Screen.

Startup:  How can I type less to start Mathtest?
How can I make sure command-line options are used when Mathtest 
starts?
     This can be done several ways.  If you are running Windows, 
Mathtest can be started from the Program Manager or the Start Menu.  
Refer to Windows documentation for information on how to do this.  If 
you want to use command-line options, include them when you put 
Mathtest into the Program Manager in Windows 3.x.  For Windows 
95/98/NT4, command-line options may be defined by right-clicking on 
the MATHTEST.EXE file or a shortcut and selecting Properties.
     Another method for specifying command-line options is to write a 
batch file.  A batch file is a collection of DOS commands that are 
normally typed at the DOS prompt.  Batch files are defined by a 
filename, followed by a .BAT extension, such as MT.BAT.  You can 
create a batch file by starting a text editor or a word processor that 
can save or export text files, typing in the DOS command(s) that you 
would normally type if no batch file existed, and saving the file in a 
convenient location on a hard or floppy disk.  For example, you could 
create a batch file called MT.BAT that contains the following DOS 
commands:
     C:
     CD \MATHTEST
     MATHTEST /G=2 /C /D=2
The user would then only need to type MT to cause these commands to 
start.  Note that the batch file cannot be called MATHTEST.BAT if 
MATHTEST.BAT is stored in the same directory as MATHTEST.EXE, the 
Mathtest program.

Timer (or No Timer):  See "Speed".

Option: See "Configuration".


COPYRIGHT NOTICE
        
Mathtest version 3.50 is Freeware.  That means that you are free to 
use this fully-functional version of Mathtest at home or in schools.  
You are encouraged to make copies of Mathtest 3.50 and pass them on to 
friends for their evaluation and use on a non-profit basis.  Mathtest 
3.50 must be distributed in its original un-modified form.  Mathtest 
3.50 may be distributed by Shareware distributors, through BBS 
services, via FTP sites, and on CD-ROM collections as long as no more 
than $5.00 is charged for the distribution service for the Mathtest 
program in particular without explicit consent from the author.  (This 
means that if Mathtest 3.50 is put on a CD-ROM with 19 other programs 
and the CD-ROM is sold for $20, the effective distribution service 
cost of Mathtest is $1 which is less than the maximum allowed cost and 
therefore permitted.)
        
Mathtest version 3.50 is distributed "as-is" and without any express 
or implied warranties whatsoever.  Kenneth Perrine shall not be liable 
for indirect, special, or consequential damages resulting from the use 
of this software.  In connection with this software, Kenneth Perrine 
grants no warranty of merchantability or fitness for a particular 
purpose.


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FEEDBACK

If you find Mathtest useful, and/or you have questions, comments, or 
ideas for Mathtest, please send an e-mail to the author at: 
kenperrine@yahoo.com

