Pipe Mania

The game is played on a grid of squares, one of which is marked as an entry point for a flow of green slime, referred to in-game as "flooz" or "goo" depending on the version. A column of five pipe sections is displayed to one side as a dispenser. When the player clicks on an empty square, the bottommost piece in the dispenser is placed there and a new piece drops in from the top. Pieces cannot be rotated or flipped and must be used in their original orientation. The objective is to form an unbroken pipeline through which the flooz can flow, starting from the entry point and extending for at least a specified minimum number of squares. The flooz begins to flow after a set time delay, and continues to do so until it reaches a pipe-end that is either open or blocked by a square/playfield edge. If the pipeline has reached or exceeded the minimum required length, the player advances to the next level; if not, the game ends. If the flooz has not yet entered a pipe section, the player can click on it to replace it with the next one in the dispenser. However, doing so carries a score penalty and causes a short delay before the next piece can be laid. Later levels introduce added complications, such as: • Higher minimum pipeline lengths and shorter delays before the flooz starts to flow. • Higher flow speeds. • Obstacles or pipe sections already on the field, which cannot be replaced. • An end piece into which the flooz must be routed. Failing to do so ends the game, even if the length requirement has been met. • Openings at opposite edges of the grid, allowing the flooz to wrap around from one to the other. • Reservoirs that take a few seconds to fill once the flooz enters them, giving the player extra time to place pipes. • One-way pipe sections that allow flow only in the indicated direction. The player scores points for every pipe section the flooz crosses, and loses points at the end of each level for any unused sections on the field. Bonus points can be scored for the following: • Using more than the minimum number of pipe sections. • Routing the flooz to cross itself in a four-way intersection. Doing so five times in a single level awards a large bonus. • Filling reservoirs. • Routing the flooz through pre-placed bonus pipes. A bonus round is played after every fourth level, in which the player is presented with a grid of pipe sections that has one empty space. Clicking on a piece adjacent to this space will cause it to slide over; the goal is to build as long a pipeline as possible, scoring points for each section used. A password is given after each bonus round, allowing the player to start a game at the level immediately following it. ==Reception==