Chip's Challenge/Level Pack 2/Levels 41-60

Levels 41 (Ladder Needs A Wash) through 60 (Internal Clock) will be discussed on this page.

Level 41: Ladder Needs A Wash
In Ladder Needs a Wash, Chip will collect chips from the 11 "rungs" of the ladder, in effect "washing" it, while floundering with some teeth. Because of this, the bold route requires odd step.

Walk south and collect rung 7, then rung 5, and then continue on the main path U, but then RUL to move some teeth out of the way. Remove a few more with 5UR2L, then collect rung 3, move LUL around the teeth, take the slightly smaller rung 1, the rest of the center line on the top, and rung 2. Because of the released teeth, Chip can now take a small shortcut back down to rungs 4 and 6. Walk DRDR and then collect both rungs, then go to the center and turn to rung 8, and as you walk back, rather than move directly onto the main road, which would cause death at this range, move a row downwards and then L, which allows Chip to squeeze just in.

Collect 3D, then move LU and take rung 9, then DL and sneak just past to rung 11, and finish with the rest of the center line and rung 10. The exit is in the southeast, as hinted at by the hint at the beginning. With the ladder clean, Chip is paid 207 seconds.

Level 42: Hmmm!
The hint tile for Hmmm! is nonexistent, though there is hint text if you read an editor: ''NOT! You're far from done!'' This has never been explained, as even the source set has no explanation for this. Hmmm!'s puzzle is simple, but it was one of the first of its kind, which adds to Eric Schmidt's credit. To complete it, Chip must direct each of the four fireballs onto the green button, as Chip cannot reach it himself, in order to collect successive keys.

To do this, Chip must move the block in the northwest in front of the water. Throw it first of all L 6U, then collect the green key and move it 4R, its final destination, on the way back to the green lock. Release fireball one, walk around to the toggle walls, and run through as the fireball opens the wall. Use the blue key to repeat this, and while waiting for the walls to open, remove the bomb with a cloned tank to allow Chip to walk out via this corridor.

Use the first yellow key to release fireball three, but since there are only four, Chip can use the last two at the same time. Instead of going towards the brown button, duck into the beginning corridor and then walk up, wait two moves, and release fireball four. While Chip can release him without waiting, the end result pays back in Chip's favor.

Release the first fireball, then move D [3] U, releasing the second fireball in perfect timing. As both walls change, collect both yellow keys, clone the bug to free yourself, and then exit for...hmmm...about 246 seconds.

Level 43: Ray of Light
Again, there is an unused hint in Ray of Light: Run. There's only 50 seconds on the clock, so run! That's about all you have to do. Did I say RUN?

Run around to the green button to allow continued passage, then keep digging to the teleport, and turn north first for one chip, then southwest for the second chip and the blue button, which will allow Chip to get into the exit. However, the return trip is harder, because you're going against the flow of sliding blocks. Nevertheless, Ray of Light is extremely easy, easy enough that the bold time of 19 was the first one ever set by yours truly, and one of four that still stand as of now.

Level 44: Fun House Rink
As can be seen by reading the map, Fun House Rink is very spare on movement, even though it takes 45 seconds to finish. The structure is that of one boot after another, until Chip learns how to skate. Follow this route to complete the rink: 2L U (suction boots) 3R 3U L (fire boots) 3D R 2L 3U (flippers) UD 3R DR (ice skates), and now skate to the exit for 205..rather fun seconds.

Level 45: Breaking the Rules
Eric Schmidt made two similar baseball diamonds, one of which was a continuous run which actually plays like baseball, and this one which requires Chip to stop. Thus, Chip breaks the rules. To complete it, walk R 5U, then wait until this bouncing ball moves out of the way, a total of nine moves. Now, no further stops are required if Chip's boosting is all the way correct. The final score is....138 to zero!

Level 46: Hurry Up, Chip!
Hurry Up, Chip! is harder than it looks, even given the rather short time limit. A hidden wall maze with little room for error, due to a firestorm running behind, is easily the hardest section, even beyond the pick-your-poison landing in the northeast.

Walk to the trap and over it, as the pink ball is releasing it just as Chip hits it, and then collect the chip and duck back to the left side of this corridor, at coordinate [25, 16], as the paramecium released is escaping from the area to the right. Enter the small room with the ball, then sneak behind it as it passes south, and take the top landing to reach the fire boots.

Step over the fire, run past both fireball cloners, and Chip is now in the hidden wall maze. Negotiate this with the map's help, then take the third force train to the final section. Keep walking, as a glider is released and starts chasing you, to exit the level with 40 seconds remaining.

Level 47: Tele-Rooms
No, just standing there will not get you into the exit; you must step off and then get back, and according to the hint, that is the only exit in Tele-Rooms. To get the suction boots, Chip will have to avoid several nasty fakeouts, random elements, and monsters through teleports.

It is preferable to play Tele-Rooms in even step, because it allows a possibility that the blobs at [11, 28] and [0, 29] will drown. In odd step, they cannot drown because the gliders are occupying the water and they are ahead of the gliders in the monster order, which forces the blobs to decide on their move before the gliders move. This method will slightly decrease the chance of Chip being stalled by a sliding blob; don't bother with it in MS unless you have Fullsec, but do use it in Tile World.

Chip arrives in the southeast main room; take the two chips on the top, then avoid the three fireballs behind the hint. Either direction will collect safely. Return to the previous room and get the lower chips, then jump on the force floor and teleport east. This time, move counterclockwise, and note that Chip must wait a move on the fourth chip. Teleport up again, but leave the chips; instead, walk right and get the fire boots from the blobs without waiting. While the northwest chip in the northeast room can be taken either before or after this, it is generally better to attempt random elements of a level first, or similarly, to take more chances first and be more conservative later, simply for reasons of economy. Waiting to collect the chip shaves 4/5 of a second off of every death Chip suffers in the blob room, and while small, this decreases annoyance at no cost.

Now, collect the four northeast chips, teleport north to the northwest room, and take the northeast chip and then circle clockwise, using the force floor for a bit of boost. All the chips are now collected; walk out of this area to the left. In this area, you are confronted with sliding balls guarding a gaggle of yellow keys. They will slide differently each time, because the slide delay depends on how many of the blobs in the southwest room drowned. Chip can move U or D one row without losing any time, but in rare cases, even this may not work.

Enter the fire and water channel below and swap the fire boots for flippers, then swim into the southwest area. No moves can be lost to the blobs; the gliders will not block Chip. Collect key 1 and the entire bottom row, then unlock the blue key, take the other yellow keys on the way out, and use the stock of keys to reach the red key. When you collect the suction boots, you will find that red and blue locks were guarding them, but you now have the keys. Finally, sneak into the southwest room and teleport UDU to return to the exit and score 270 seconds.

The guide is quite complex for this level, but all these nuances increase the chance of success in small bits, at no cost.

Level 48: And Then There Were…Four?
Eric Schmidt is back with another weird hint: Who is the Fourth? In the rather complex storyline of his set, it's still unknown where this fits in. Fortunately, ignoring all that, we have a quite easy level here. Walk to the hint, then wait a move and continue into the third corridor ahead of fireball three, and duck to the left to reveal the hidden fire boots. As there is a limited search area, this will not take long to find even without a map, as long as Chip avoids getting hit by fireballs. Wait until the fireball moves away, then collect the fire boots and use them to trudge through the long fire maze, making up the remainder of the level...until there were 125.

Level 49: Just a Minute!!
Visual deception reigns true in Just a Minute!! When attempting to explore the level, Chip will find that there are apparently not enough blocks to reach two chips. All four approach directions to the eight-block "pie" will only get two blocks out of it, and three more are required. With the map, however, you will be slapping your forehead! In fact, there are two identical sections, which allows Chip to take one chip in each area and exit.

Enter the east area by sliding through the teleport. When you do this, the first clue falls into place: the teleport made a sound. If there were only one room and thus one teleport, no sound would be made. Slice the pie from the east, use the top block released and the already usable block to reach one chip, and then push the third block into the teleport. This will cause Chip to slide over the teleport, and then when he moves up, to actually teleport into the west area. Now, in this room, you can still only collect one chip, but you only need one chip in the first place. Slice the pie exactly as before, and then exit above. Ironically enough, Chip ends with 30 seconds out of the original 60!

Level 50: Smorgasbord


For conformity, use odd step in the route through this Nordic-influenced trading post. Wait three moves, using this mode, and follow the path all the way to the right of the level, where there are three blocks. Use the center block, followed by the left and right blocks, to bridge the water and take the flippers. Swim to the chip and then to the ice and force slides, which collect suction shoes, ice skates, and flippers. This allows you to reach the chip in the southeast before they are taken. Here comes the smorgasbord!

In order, the correct sequence is ice skates, green key, flippers, blue key, fire boots, red key, green button, suction shoes, yellow key, and then the chip. With this key chip collected, go back towards the ice skates and through the thief, then onto another chip, and walk around the east side of the block and move it L to reveal some flippers. Wait for the gliders, then teleport twice into a pool and collect this chip, and now take the ice skates. This area is the hardest part of Smorgasbord by a country mile: Chip has to move the teeth through the maze into the water space. While Chip can go all the way out until he finds Mr. Teeth and then draw him out, it is slower than walking and luring. The required steps for this are D 2R 4D R 2D to the chip, then 3L-U L 3D L [2] 3U L 3D L U [1] U [1] UL [2] D [1] D [1] D. Soon, the teeth will be visible, and he can be drowned easily.

The very last section involves simple Chipping. Steal the chip from the teeth's lair, continue down the path, wait for the tank, and go to the center (taking the chips on the way), where there are flippers. Retreat back to the water that was guarding one chip, swim to it, and then go back to the center and exit the level. An assortment of 428 different seconds is available.

Level 51: The Lake In Winter
This level is another ice rink, so like the slightly easier Fun House Rink, only the route will be shown. From the entrance, move as follows: RDR [chip] LUR 2U [chip] R 2D L [chip] R 2U LD 2R ULD [chip] 2U 2R ULURDL [chip] R 2D [chip] UR [chip] L 2U LDRDLDRURDRU 2L U [chip] D 2R DLULDLULDRD 2L 3D L [chip] URD [chip] U 2R [exit]. This route is worth 395 seconds - in winter. It may be noted that in its source set by Eric Schmidt, The Lake in Winter was immediately followed by The Lake After Winter, which was the same rink largely melted, and Chip would have to build through the water, using the hidden fire under the water as a guide, until he reached the flippers.

Level 52: Oracle I
These two block pushing levels, the other in slot 141, are two very different challenges. This one is very easy, and uses water. However, Oracle II is very hard.

Walk out to the jumble in the center, and make two-block towers by pushing blocks 5, 4 and 2 R, allowing Chip to use block 7. Now, the remainder of the level is easy to complete, but the small nuances in the 313 bold route will be excellent preparation for Oracle II. Use blocks 2, 3, 8, 4, and 9 in the water corridor, then move block 12 in the lower room 3L and use it, while Chip takes block 5 out onto the main line as well. Follow with block 5, and then move into the south room. First, move block 15 U, then block 16 2U, and then block 15 3L. In a similar pattern to the previous trick, carry block 16 out on the way to using block 15, and then proceed to use block 16.

Now, collect block 6 and use it directly, then throw block 17 4L, into the south room, and now use block 10, on the top edge of the east room. Sneak back to the south room, elbow the block U, and then replace it with block 18. Throw block 17 into position, then carry block 13 out on the way to use 17 and 13. Similarly, move block 18 U 3L, then carry block 19 out on the way, and use 18 and 19. Blocks 1, 11 and 14 are on the left side; use them one apiece in this order to reach the exit with 313 seconds remaining.

Level 53: Security Breach
To steal the two chips from the bouncing pink ball, Chip has to disable the security system. If the ball is disturbed at the wrong time, the toggle walls on the left will open and Chip cannot complete the level. Since the level is small and the time limit short, the solution is likewise pretty simple, but it's tricky to spot.

Dig through the dirt, take the second block, and drop it onto the brown button. This will maintain the current position of the pink ball being continually released without pause, bouncing the tank 3U 3D repeatedly, and just avoiding the green buttons. Now, Chip can safely take the chips and exit; pick up the bottom chip, then be careful with the top one. Walk into the exit for 58 more seconds.

Level 54: Killer Rooms
Because of the teeth below the start, Chip may have to alter the even and odd step algorithm. In this route, use even step.

Clone one block and take the chips, then remove a second water, make a third dirt, and then clone two more blocks to prepare a spring of blocks. Spring step on and off the dirt by waiting half a move, then stepping quickly LR (in order to avoid death). Now, remove the next dirt as it is made, then the next dirt as it is made, and clone another two blocks, remove the first dirt, and then return to the second dirt, which is enough to escape to the south.

Continue D 3L 4U L [1], take the keys underneath the pink ball, then walk north and collect the first three chips, then L 2D and move next to the chips by the bugs. When these are taken, because of the order of the chips collected on the north end, Chip can escape just in time and collect the rest of the chips here and by the start. Continue D 2R 2D, sneaking just past the teeth, and move to the east end of the level with the two blocks. Move the first one in, take the chips and then pick up the fire boots with the second, and return to the southwest area.

Clone one block, pad down the water, then take all the chips at the top before cloning and padding down another block. Create one more block, wait half a move before stepping off, clone a second, and wait half a move before stepping back onto the third. Wait half a move again before springing on and back off the dirt, then open the first dirt to allow the second to be made. Repeat this with two move blocks, and you can now exit the south end.

Get the left row of chips and boots, and get the chip and four keys to the left. Run up and get the three rows of two chips in the middle of the square, but not the top row. Pick up the chips past the bugs, then the ten remaining chips in the fire, then the five remaining chips at the start. Step onto the gravel, then 2R 2D to outwit the teeth, and run east past the walker, then to the two blocks. Move the first one into the water, collect the chips, and then shove the second into the water to get the fire boots.

Go back to the thieves, then go left to a bunch of fireballs guarding goodies. Start with the north-east chip and move 3L 3D R 2U R [1] RDLD [1] R in order to take all the goodies, then run right, catching the ice and force floor on the way, and open the lock stream to reach the exit with 302 deadly seconds left.

Level 55: Dangers of Fire and Beasts
There are several separate sections to this level, each of course demonstrating just how dangerous fire and monsters are. The final area requires some tricky timing which will depend on the current status of the timer.

Begin with the section nearest to you - the one in the southeast. Take the chips on the right, but leave the red buttons alone except for the sixth, which is the one which triggers the green button. All the others will trigger the teeth clone machines. Take the chips from the left side now, and then take the ones freed at the very beginning, and move to the far left to collect five more chips and fire boots away from the iced gliders. The final three sections are all underneath.

Start with the third section, with four chips and a blue key. Slide on the third force floor, then move LD 2L RU and ULU. Bring the block out to the blue lock, remove it, and then get rid of the chips near the brown button which are either inaccessible or take longer to reach later. Hold the trap down, pick up the other chips, and now collect the second block from the ice section and move it into the water under the trap.

Override the first east force floor, take the final chips, then blast outwards, open the chip socket, and with this current timing, touch the red button directly. Both blocks should stop the gliders and quell the dangers, and allowing you to collect the 77 seconds in the exit to the left.

Level 56: Planet of the Teeth
It could be argued that Planet of the Teeth is busted, but it seems more likely that it is an intentional quick solution. Use even step to make it work.

Pick up the chip to the right and the chips to the south, finishing on the very left of the chain, and then sneak past the teeth and slide R into the teleport, which allows Chip to move D off the force floor to take this chip. Continue U and then to the northwest of the exit room for the final chip, then duck back out to exit, finishing the teeth in only 14 seconds and scoring 236.

Planet of the Teeth is the first level with a fake exit tile; this can be seen in the northeast of the main area. In Lynx, this is read as a regular exit, and is the only one of the three levels with this tile that can be played in Tile World's Lynx mode. However, the route would be slower to go here than in the normal exit.

Level 57: Quad-Boot
There are several different ways to sort the boosting and the side green button press through Quad-Boot, and there are a couple shortcuts which also add complexity to this unassuming 34-second journey. It's 34 seconds because it won't end right now; the exits have clone machines under them and will not work.

Start with D >2U to allow Chip to override U, as he was not sliding originally, and then slide R into the teleport and remove the first water in front of the fire boots. Use the east force floor as a boost to the clone block, clone one block and hit the green button twice (the first is when you move the block), then throw this block towards the fire boots, touch the dirt and move L 2R to the flippers. Slide back out L, step DR, and slide D to begin the run to the flippers, then slide back out, clone a second block, and move it down through the original teleport to reach the flippers. No more blocks are required; step LD from out of the teleport and slide L to swim to the ice skates. Note that the suction boots are unnecessary because all locations of force floors are by other sliding tiles.

Slide R out of the teleport, then escape the element diamond by skating over the ice corner, past the thieves, and around to the exit area. Go in after the circle of fireballs moves around, scoring 266 seconds.

Level 58: Reversi
This maze level is similar to Short Circuit in some ways, but noticably different. The chips are excluded, the recessed walls are at intersections, and the toggle wall and button and the mechanisms used.

Walk, turn east to one button, turn right again to another button, and hug the top wall, turning right twice into a zigzag. Touch the button, turn left and then all the way to the very top, and then zigzag to another button. Continue with an east turn to one button, then RLD at the next three to one on the very south edge, then walk all the way up, all the way down, up to the next intersection, and then south into the winding path to the exit. Your time was reversed to 301.

Level 59: Lot of Danger
Lot of Danger is one of the most difficult levels in the set to play well, as it requires varying strategies in several sections depending on the result of the initial random force floor section. As the chances are extremely unlikely that you will score the fastest route through, there are several lower routes. When using MS CC, use the downloadable program Fullsec to always set both the timer to the full second and to manually adjust to odd step, as odd step is preferable for reasons outlined below.

Move as follows: D >DL R >R DU >L 2UR >R L >L 3L, where the slides are what is hoped for. For a slower route, if after the DU move the floor moves Chip U, Chip can move D 2U R, and the final L slide can also accept an attempted U move, when Chip can then override with a L move. If this all worked out correctly, which is in total a 1/2,096 chance, and using odd step, there remains a possibility of a yet-unclaimed score of 353. When going for the bold of 352, at the minimum, you should have 398.6 on the clock when you push the brown button.

Follow the force floors and ice down to a paramecium and four keys; take the primary keys, then wait half a move to avoid the Transparency Glitch before sliding onto the green key, and open the blue lock. Continue over the ice skates, past the circling walker which can generally be ignored (the 353 route would put Chip directly behind), over the suction boots, chips, and finally flippers. This walker area is the final obstacle to a 353 time.

Start with the two chips directly above you, then the one to the west, the one in the corner, and then the third chip and blue key on the west side. Hold to the very north to collect two more chips, plow directly down to another two, east to the next two, and then into the corner for the very last one. Step on the gravel strip to the north and assess the time: If the clock is at 361.2 or any decrement of .4, keep moving, and at 361.0 or any decrement of .4, wait one move and then continue. When you see the mobile teeth on the west, beat him over the highest floor space, then take all the chips you need from the slab on the left except the first one - the ball will hit you if you remove it! Skate up, open the locks, and exit. You fought off a lot of danger, and so a lot of seconds will follow.

As noted, the current record is 352, and although I have successfully played through the level with a 353 route three times to date, I never made it through the walker area. I settled for a 352 on one passage, and have this attempt captured in Tile World if viewers wish to see it.

Level 60: Internal Clock
Reading the map of Internal Clock shows that it is simply an itemswapper - trade one thing for the next. The trick? Look out for some of those fireballs. In fact, one is going to clone in two moves and kill you, so run!

Get the yellow key, then follow the fireball to the yellow lock, move the freed block R, and hold to the top edge as the fireball chases Chip to the suction boots. With just enough room in this "room" to avoid the fireball, Chip has a lucky escape.

Use the force floor to walk out of this corridor, as another fireball is coming, and then use the suction boots to reach the fire boots as two fireballs close in on Chip. Wait one move and then run out, just as the fireballs move out of range, and now move the block 4D 2L 12D in preparation for using it at the end of the level. Now, collect the blue key, green key, chips, ice skates, and red key in this order, and now collect the block and move it 20R. Remove the red lock, push the block 5D further, then remove the sockets and use the block to exit the level. Your internal clock registers your time of 566.