Running Linux, 5th Edition

Frozen Bubble

Some of the most fun games, the games that have the highest replay value, are often the simplest ones. Frozen Bubble is a puzzle game similar to Puzzle Bobble or Bust-a-Move. The object of Frozen Bubble is to remove all of the different colored bubbles that are arranged on the top of the screen (Figure 7-10). Your player is given a single colored bubble, and you aim from the bottom of the screen and attempt to hit a bubble at the top of the screen that has a matching color. If you hit a bubble with a matching color, it and all of the bubbles connected below it will disappear. If you don't hit a match, your bubble becomes another bubble to eliminate. You beat a level by eliminating all of the bubbles from the level. If you don't remove bubbles fast enough, the board shifts down closer to the bottom. Once a bubble hits the bottom of the board, you lose.

Frozen Bubble is a common game and should be packaged by your distribution. Otherwise, you can download and compile the source from the official site at www.frozen-bubble.org. Start Frozen Bubble from a menu or type frozen-bubble on the command line. You can choose one- or two-player games, and can even create your own levels from the included level editor.

The single-player game pits you against the clock. The controls are basic and easy to pick up. Left and right arrows adjust your aim to the left and right, respectively, and the up arrow launches your bubble. Take advantage of the fact that bubbles bounce from the side ...