Enhanced Mastermind v1.01

for TI-92 Plus and V200 calculators

written by István Bozsik (bozsik@freemail.hu)

2003

The original Mastermind game

The original Mastermind is a plastic toy, a very popular logical game, invented in 1970-1971. One of the two players (the code-maker) hides a sequence of four pegs chosen from six colors. The other player, the code-breaker guesses by placing a sequence of color pegs on the board as a tip. After each guess the code-maker places small white and black pegs in the right side of the board to evaluate the guess. A black peg means a color in the correct position, white peg means a color in a wrong position. In order to win, the code-breaker should find the solution, deducing it from the previous guesses and the code-maker's hints.

Mastermind is a registered trademark of Pressman Toy Corporation, by agreement with Invicta Toys and Games, Ltd., UK.

The program

In my childhood I liked this game very much. Later I implemented it on PC and on programmable calculators. I needed a different program than the thousands of already existing Mastermind games.

The advantages of my program:

• Calculates the number of remaining choices
• Calculates the total number of variations
• Range of digits is adjustable from 1...3 to 1...9. (Because of the lack of colors I used digits)

  

• Tells if a guess is illogical and shows why. In the example below the last guess is inconsistent with row 1, row 3 and row 4. Those arrows show why the current guess cannot be the solution. (Note: to solve a Mastermind puzzle in the shortest way one might have guesses inconsistent with earlier rows.)

  

• You can generate puzzles (APPS button). Puzzles are special Mastermind games, series of rows with only one choice left in the end to solve.
• You can load and save puzzles (not ordinary games but puzzles only)

  

• If you want to save a game as a puzzle and the game doesn't meet the following conditions, the program will mark the appropriate rules:

  

• You can switch off the calculator during the game by pressing ON button. Pressing it again will bring back the game in the same state you left it.
• After a few minutes of inactivity the program switches off the calculator. You can continue by pressing ON.
• If you want to use calculator for other purposes, just press ESC. The program exits but when you start it again, it will restore its last state.
• Help