Numberama, also known as Take Ten, is a number matching puzzle game.

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Play

The object is to clear the board by selecting numbers that match or that add to ten. Numbers match vertically or horizontally and must be contiguous. For example, a 2 and an 8 add to 10, and so can be eliminated if they are adjacent to each other either horizontally or vertically. Similar for 1 – 9, 3 – 7, etc., as well as 4 – 4, 5 – 5, etc. There can be black space between the numbers; the rule is that there cannot be another number between them.

Controls

Select numbers by touching them. The first number you touch will turn grey. When you touch a matching number, assuming they are eliminable, they will be blacked out.

Check

When you press Check, all the remaining numbers (the List) will be rewritten contiguously at the end of the sequence. For example, if the remaining numbers are 1 – 3 – 5 – 1, then after checking you will have 1 – 3 – 5 – 1 – 1 – 3 – 5 – 1. The rewriting process ignores black space.

Undo

You are allowed to Undo only the previous elimination, so proceed cautiously.

You cannot Undo after you clear the board. (See below.)

You can Undo a Check if your previous move was not to Clear. That is, if you Clear then Check, then you cannot Undo the Check. Furthermore, if you have not cleared the board prior to the Check, you can Undo the previous elimination as well.

Help

When you press Help, if there is a match available, two matching squares will be highlighted. Help will highlight the topmost match on the board.

A message will display if no matches are possible.

As I will explain later, eliminating the topmost match is not necessarily a good strategy. In fact, it’s often a bad strategy, as eliminating matches at the top of the screen means that after you Check, you will have fewer available matches in the middle of the screen.

Clear

When you press Clear, completely blacked rows will be removed. Again, you cannot Undo after a row has cleared, so only Clear when you are certain that you do not want to Undo.

Restart

If the situation gets too dire, Restart lets you begin again.

Game Statistics

Beneath the Help button is a pull-down arrow. Press or pull this to see ‘Game Statistics’, which is an accounting of the number of numbers on the current board and an inventory of digits.

Note that after your first Check, there will always be an even number of each digit in the list. Use this fact to your advantage as you develop strategies and recognise patterns.

Modes

1 – 18

This starts you with a list of the digits in the numbers from 1 to 18, except 0. The first row is 1 through 9. Following are ten, eleven, twelve, etc. to eighteen. In this mode, there is a delay between possibilities to use the Help button.

1 – 19

This is the same start as 1 – 18 mode, but with an additional 1 – 9 at the end of the list. As in 1 – 18, the Help delay is enabled.

Quick Mode

There are two choices in Quick Mode. First, you can choose a 1 – 18 layout, but there is no delay between Help possibilities.

Second, you can choose a Random list the same length as 1 – 18. Again, there is no delay between Help possibilities.

This latter is the mode I play most often. Once you have worked out a pattern for both 1 – 18 and 1 – 19, you’ll likely want to play Random.

Column Mode

The resembles 1 – 18 Mode, except that Clear removes blank columns rather than blank rows, and readjusts the list accordingly. Random listings are not available, so once you’ve worked out a pattern to complete the standard list, you will have completed the challenge.

Time Duel

This resembles 1 – 18 Mode, except that it is timed. You compete against your own best times. Use this mode if you fancy induced anxiety whilst puzzling.

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Introduction to Numbers Game – Numberama