To begin a new game (or restart the game), select New Game from the Game menu. If you wish to pause your game at any time, select Pause from the Game menu. A 'Paused' button will then appear in the middle of your screen; click on this to resume playing. Your game will pause automatically if you leave Teratris and start working in another window, minimise Teratris, or leave your computer idle for so long that the screensaver starts.
The aim of Teratris is to arrange the falling blocks into complete horizontal rows (with no gaps in). When a row of blocks is complete, it will disappear. The number of rows that you have removed is listed to the side of your game under the heading 'Lines'. Only by removing rows of blocks in this way can you prevent the blocks from piling up. If the pile of blocks reaches the ceiling, your game ends.
As they fall, blocks can be moved left or right, or rotated. Once a block has been manoeuvred into position, you can save time by dropping it fast. See Controls for details.
To see a demonstration of the game being played, select Demo from the Help menu.
In a normal game of Teratris, each time you earn 15 lines you will progress to the next level. There are 30 levels in the registered version of Teratris. Levels differ in their appearance, and in what pattern of blocks (if any) is present at the start of the level. Higher levels may contain metallic blocks, which always remain fixed in position and cannot be removed like ordinary blocks.
There is a 'practise mode' in which you can try to earn as many lines as possible without progressing through the levels. However, you cannot earn high scores in practise mode. To begin a new game in practise mode, select Practise from the 'Game' menu.
Your score increases when you place a block, remove a line, or progress to a new level.
If, at the end of your game, your score is one of the highest that has been achieved on your computer, you will be invited to enter your name (and a quote of your choice) in the High Scores table. You can view the High Scores table at any time by clicking High Scores on the Game menu. There is a button below the High Scores table that allows you to clear its contents.
In the registered version of Teratris, you can allow two players to play simultaneously by choosing Two player from the Players menu. To specify the names of the two players, select Player details from the Players menu.
In two player mode, a bar appears at the top of the screen illustrating the performance of the two players. If the bar is closer to the left, the left-hand player's score is higher; if it is closer to the right, the right-hand player's score is higher.
The default keys for playing Teratris are as follows:
| Keys used by the first player, or in a one player game | Keys used by the second player in a two player game | |
| Move block left | Left arrow | Z |
| Move block right | Right arrow | C |
| Rotate block (to the left) | Up arrow | S |
| Drop block quickly | Down arrow | X |
However, you can change or swap these keys by selecting Controls from the Player menu. In addition to defining keys for moving and rotating blocks, you can set up a 'Boss key' that will quickly minimise your game when your boss walks into the room!
The Options menu contains several settings that determine how your game behaves...
By Andrew Gray, 2001
For more information, updates, cheat codes and other software, visit www.andrewgray.com