Microba is a biology adventure game from Resource
Facilities. It is introduced by variously-coloured text which
explains that the player can wander through the human
blood, repiratory, urinary and digestive systems.
The aim is to search for questions and attempt to answer
them correctly. For each correct answer the adventurer is
awarded five points and a warning states that three of the
questions must be correctly answered or the game ceases.
To get into the high-score table, players must have found
at least 30 questions and scored at least 20 points.
The journey begins in the mouth, where the adventurer
decides whether to be swallowed or inhaled.
Swallowing leads to a route through the oesophagus to the
stomach, where it is possible to either carry on or be absorbed.
If the player carries on travelling in the gut. he or she
moves through the duodenum, where questions on the pancreas
are also asked.
Next is the ileum with its villi, the appendix and its associated
bacteria and the caecum where a question on symbiosis is posed.
Finally the colon, rectum and anus complete this-routeway.
By choosing to be "absorbed" from the gut into the
bloodstream, the journey leads through the hepatic portal vein
to the liver and from there either through the hepatic vein lo the
heart or in the bile from the gall-bladder to the duodenum and the
rest of the gut.
The second major route through the body is via inhalation from the mouth through
the trachea, a bronchus, bronchioles and then alveoli where
the player can pass into the bloodstream to the heart or be exhaled.
The third route is to be exhaled, but since this scores no
marks successful players need to choose the first two routes.
All correct answers invoke a "very good" response, but
unfortunately since there is only one correct answer an incorrect
input from the player can crash the program.
It is possible for users to alter the acceptable answers, but
perhaps by providing a printed list, in random order, of correct
answers, mis-spellings might be prevented.
Microba might be of most interest to teachers and students
of CSE and "O" Level biology and human biology courses.
However, because it is not "crash proof" some supervision
will be essential.
1st November 1985
