This guide will get you started in the game and provide you with some hints on making better matches and bigger scores.

• Windows users, launch Cartouche.bat
• Mac/Linux users, launch Cartouche.sh

• Play Game - Start a new game of Cartouche
• Music - Toggle the music on and off
• Sound - Toggle game sound effects on and off
• Scores - View the High Score table
• About - Information screen about Cartouche
• Quit - Exit Cartouche

You may have played other "match 3" games before, where typically you match the objects based on their color. That works here as well. So if you line up three green hieroglyphs, that's a match. But what's different about Cartouche is that you can also match on the symbols! So lining up three scarabs is a match as well. Suddenly it's a whole new challenge! Let's take a look at how it works.

Matching Colors

You can create a match by getting 3 or more hieroglyphs of the same color in a line. The line can be either vertical or horizontal. Here we see the steps of making a horizontal color match of three symbols.

• You notice that the purple bowl hieroglyph goes with the purple bee and purple reeds.
• You click on the purple bowl, selecting it.
• You then click on the red rod hieroglyph beside it, swapping it and making a match.

You can also create a match by getting 3 or more hieroglyphs of the same glyph in a line. Once again the line can be vertical or horizontal. Here we see the steps of making a vertical match of four glyphs.

• You find that the orange eye hieroglyph goes with the other two eyes on the line above.
• You click on the orange eye, selecting it.
• You then click on the cyan steps hieroglyph above it, swapping it and making a match.

If you're very watchful and a bit lucky, there will be times when you can match both the colors and the glyphs, as this picture shows. This yields a big bonus and is worth looking for.

Scoring

Here are the points you'll earn for each type of match you make.

• Match 3 Colors or Glyphs : 5 points
• Each extra symbol in a match beyond the first 3 : +25 points
• Each additional match from the same move : +5 points (cumulative)
• Match both Color and Glyph : +50 points

The game ends when the timer runs out. If there are no matches possible on the screen before time runs out, the board will break apart and a new board appear.

If at the end of the game you earn a High Score, you will go to the name entry screen. Click the letters to spell out your name, up to 6 characters. The arrow erases the previous character. Click DONE to enter your name. You will be taken to the High Score screen, where you can bask in the honor of being a Top Pharoah.

Here are what the controls show or do:

• End Game - Click this to quit the current game and return to the menu. If your score is a valid High Score, you will go to the name entry screen.
• Score - How many points you've earned in the current game.
• Pause - Click to pause the current game. The board will be hidden with a pause message. Click again to resume the game.
• Music - Click to toggle the music on and off. The button will be black when on, and grey when off.
• Sound - Click to toggle the game sound effects on and off. The button will be black when on, and grey when off.
• Time - How much time you have left in the current game. The timer turns red when you are in the last 10 seconds.

You're ready to play! I hope you enjoy Cartouche, and please try the other games available from Dream Codex Retrogames.

Original music is by Chris "infamous" Nunn (www.infamousuk.com).

hieroglyph images are derived from the King Tut family of fonts.

This game is freeware and may not be sold, bundled or republished without the author's express permission.