What is MineSweeper?
MineSweeper is a computer game. It originates from the 1960s, and has been written for many computing platforms in use today. It has many variations and offshoots.
The most famous version is MicroSoft Mine. I was included in every version on Windows from 3.1 to Vista. From Window 8 on it is no longer included, but it can be downloaded from the Windows Store.
How is this version different?
Normally MineSweeper is a single player game, and the player races to clear the field as quickly as possible. This version is a multiplayer game, and players compete to earn the highest score by clearing as many squares as possible
The size of the field is also usually set, but this version is unlimited. As more players join the size of the field will grow.
There is technically no end to the game. It is a race to get the highest score.
How do you play?
The objective of the game is to clear the board containing hidden mines without detonating them, with help from clues about the number of neighboring mines in each field.
If there is no mine in the square then you are awarded points and your score multiplier is increased by 1. The number of points earned is calculated by multiplying the number of bombs in the adjacent squares by 100 and then it is multiplied by your score multipier
You clear squares by left clicking on them. If a square containing a mine is revealed, your multiplier is reset to 1 and 1000 points are deducted from your score. If no mine is revealed, a digit is instead displayed in the square, indicating how many adjacent squares contain mines; if no mines are adjacent, the square becomes blank, and all adjacent squares will be recursively revealed. The player uses this information to deduce the contents of other squares, and may either safely reveal each square or mark the square as containing a mine.
You can flag a square you believe is a bomb by right clicking on it. Another right click will mark it with a question mark, and a third right click will clear the square
If you left click on a cleared square, and number on the square matches the number of flagged and exploded mines the remaining unknown squares will be clear all together. Be careful if you've flagged the wrong squares you could end up triggering multiple explosions.