"Armadillo Army": A Video Game for the Blind Quiz

Answer: Blind or Low Vision

In "Armadillo Army", you steer the playable, viewpoint character Tex through mazes of increasing complexity, picking up goodies while dodging and, when possible, zapping fuzzy blue monsters, incongruously called 'armadillos'. The maze has a two-dimensional overhead view as seen with "Pac-man", but zoomed in on a ten by ten grid.

While there are sound effects and verbal cues to help the low vision player, the blind player must, of course, rely on sound exclusively to navigate the maze. For this reason, the oral environment is much richer in "Blind" mode. For instance, the "Armadillo Warning" is vital, since it tells the player where the armadillo is and where to aim Tex's laser gun.

Answer: A ten-gallon hat

Tex is wearing a ten-gallon hat, also called a Stetson, so he doesn't need to pick one up. The other items are scattered throughout the maze for him to collect to help him earn points.

Answer: With a laser activated by CTRL plus an arrow key

Since you move Tex with the arrow keys and you activate his laser gun with CTRL plus an arrow key, it pays to keep one finger on CTRL. The armadillos don't wait for you to get organized before they attack.

SHIFT plus an arrow key allows you to "look" in the direction of the arrow. That is, pressing SHIFT plus right arrow announces the first item to the right of Tex.

Answer: Thirty

Tex earns thirty points for every armadillo he zaps. By the same token, he loses a Dillo (that is a life) when an armadillo catches him. If the score is under thirty points when this happens, the game ends.

An ice cream or a jelly jar each earns twenty-five points, while a bucket of water earns twenty points. He can also collect a jewel for fifteen points, or a chili pepper for ten points.

On the other hand, firing his laser gun costs ten points. So, you have to be very careful only to shoot when Tex has a clear shot at an armadillo. Otherwise, you lose points needlessly. Since the armadillos move faster in higher levels, this can be tricky. The game is fair, though. You start Level 1 with ninety points and two Dillos, protecting you from promptly dilloing-out and allowing you to zap armadillos even before you collect the first goodie. Moving to the next level awards ninety points.

Answer: Both of these

Though you earn ten points per chili pepper it's a mixed blessing, since you need to be extra careful when Tex goes loco.

Answer: He moves opposite to the arrow you press.

There are free camping zones, squares where Tex can go to be safe from armadillos and, in higher levels, the dust devil. However, it is the dust devil that teleports Tex to one of these if it catches him. The chili peppers, by contrast, cause Tex to move opposite to the arrow you press. That is, he moves up when you press the down arrow.

His laser gun also discharges in the opposite direction. The Loco timer on the Information Panel to the left of the maze counts down the seconds Tex is loco and dings when the time is up.

Answer: True

The dust devil is a nuisance. Not only does it teleport Tex to a different part of the maze if it catches him, but it eats the goodies Tex needs to collect. It is also unpredictable, whirling and moving about for two seconds and then vanishing for a longer or shorter period only to appear again in some other part of the maze.

Answer: It adds a Dillo.

The pumpkin always appears in one of the four center squares of the maze. Tex has to snag it before the dust devil or an armadillo does.

Answer: It protects Tex from the Armadillos and the dust devil for a short time.

When Tex collects a cactus, a cage appears around him that temporarily protects him from armadillos and the dust devil as he moves through the maze. The Safety timer on the Information Panel to the left of the maze counts down the seconds Tex is protected and dings when the time is up.

Answer: Yes

The game's parameters can be adjusted on the Settings screen. The background music and game sounds can each be switched on or off. The screen background color can be set to black, white or yellow. The skill level can be set from 1 to three, and you can choose to start the game at Level 1 with the simple maze, Level 4 with the intermediate maze, or Level 7 with the difficult maze.

In addition, the background music can be turned on or off and the volume adjusted on the fly with function keys during game play.