Chip's Challenge/Levels 41-60

This is a continuation of the walkthrough for Chip's Challenge. Levels 41 (I. C. YOU) through 60 (SCOUNDREL) will be discussed here.

Level 41: I. C. YOU
If you look at the hint, it says "Teleport direction sequence 1st rdul 2nd lulu." This is from the teleport with the hint next to it, which can be reached by porting north. Now, move R, D, U, and L through the next teleports, then slide UD and begin the L, U, L, and U. The only set of chips that may pose a question is the second L; in the circle of eight, collect the bottom six, then the last two on the way out. Now, slide L to return to the start, then circle clockwise around with the bugs to take the remaining chips, and duck into the exit near the first teleport. You score up 172 seconds.

Level 42: BEWARE OF BUG
In Beware of Bug, a series of monsters will be thrown at Chip, and he has to dodge them with one of two moves: into the chip corner, or out. The latter is done only for paramecia in this case.

Take one chip and avoid the paramecium, one chip from the fireball, and then three chips before the bug, and finally one chip before the glider and one chip before another paramecium. Now, because the glider will survive the water, he's going to intercept the second paramecium and slowly chase you. However, he's way too far away. Just keep running to the center and exit for 187 seconds.

Level 43: LOCK BLOCK
The theme of levels like this are the blocks of four with a door as one corner; the key is needed to use the three blocks.

Move right and take the red key from the ball, then turn to the left, move the block out of the way, and move the third block north to access the goodies. Now, use the red key to open the first "lock block" and move the right block into the water, then the lower block, and finally the corner block. Though there is no red key next to you, there is one to the left; do not push the block, because it cannot be used. Open the red door, move the right block D, the corner block to the water, and then the left block and right block.

The red key for this lock is located below you; slide past the ball to collect it and then open the red door. Use the top block, the corner block, and the left block to reach a fourth lock; take the red key first, then open the door, move the left block R, and use the corner block, the top block, and then the left block. Finish the fifth lock by moving the top block D, then use the corner, top, and left blocks to exit the level with 126 seconds left.

Level 44: REFRACTION
This level is of simple design, with four quadrants separated by toggle walls and eight chips, with four on each side of the quadrant, but only two of the chips on each side available at any one time because of the tanks. It is named Refraction for its symmetry excepting the refracted line through the center.

Move to the south-east quadrant, take the 2 chips on the left, the 2 chips on the right, and then switch the toggle doors to access the north-east quadrant. Remove the chips on the right, then on the left, and swap the tanks to access the other two chips on the right and left. Swap the doors again and take the lower left, then right chips, and finally the upper left chip in the south-east. Now, follow the balls to the left side, swap the walls, and enter the north-west, where you take the right and then left chips, and then transpose to the south-west to take the lower right, then the left, and then the upper right chips. Now, swap the tank and take the left, then right, and finally do the same in the north-west. The exit is in the middle, and 146 seconds remain.

Level 45: MONSTER LAB
There are two routes to complete this level, one a very nifty neutralization reaction influenced by Perfect Match, and one 8-second straight-ahead route requiring more luck to pass than a repealing of the 5th Amendment.

The goal in this level, using the longer route, is to cause all the monsters to clone in patterns such that the toggle doors stay in one position all the time. You can stop all the clone machines, but it takes significantly longer.

Move 2D7R7U3RU2RD, shove the block 5LD, another block 5L, and the first one L, and finally the second one 4U5L. Now, take a detour to the top section, build a bridge to the tank button and touch it, and then wait one move before you step UD to switch them again. Now, move two more blocks 3U4L and 3U5L to access the fire boots (ignore the suction shoes) and take the path to the eastern section of the level, where a cloner awaits to the east. Move the block into the "foyer", then 6D5RD (onto the clone button) to stop the cloning and cause the toggle doors to stay where they are. Return to the beginning of the level and move south, clone a block, and step 2D3R2U, then move this block out to the exit.

To get the bold route of 292, simply clone a block, move it to the left, and dive into the pool of walkers. It's so unlikely that it almost assuredly will take hours. It took me eight hours of continuous work, on a day I was luckily alone, and 3,650 attempts, on the day when I really gave it a shot. Go for the 226 before you try the 292. And don't try for a 291 - just get the 292 done with.

Level 46: THREE DOORS
As can be seen at the top of the map, there is a secret "back door" route over the force floors which was unaccounted for in the original Lynx version, where sideways steps were allowed, but backwards steps disallowed.

From the given landing, move 2LDULD, then return to the start, take the east slide, and go through the blue, green, and toggle doors in that order to reach the monster room. Avoid the monsters any way you can, giving up one move if you have to, reach the force floor, and ride to a choice of three paths, the exit being on the left. Programmer error in your favor...your score is thus 222.

Level 47: PIER SEVEN
Seven blocks are scattered around this level, with a few ice patches thrown in to shake things up a bit. The goal is to find the one area where you can bridge to the chips in the center with only the seven blocks given. The map shows that this spot is about at the very south edge.

Block 1, located just to the right: Move 2D3R13DR3D8L to drop the block into place, and go back for... Block 2, left behind to the right: Move this 9L, and follow by moving Block 1 2UR and on the next spot. Block 3, to the lower left: Step 4D5L, then move the block 4U5R and onto the bridge. Block 4, to the far left: 4D, left to the block, and then push it right and onto the bridge. Block 5, past the ice patch above block 4: 5D9L6U, where it's located 2L from you, and pass this by for now. Block 6, further north from your location: Shove this block 7D, then retrieve block 5 and move it 6D, then block 6 2R. Block 7, all the way at the top and a bit further right: From there, move 9UR and move the block U4L12D, then right and up to the water. Slide over the ice, then step 3UL2D to use block 6. Finish with 8D, left, and use block 5 to reach the chips. Drop to the very bottom of the level, then run to the exit in the southeast for a score of 231.

Level 48: MUGGER SQUARE
Thieves will repeatedly pop up, which means you have to be a bit thrifty with your tools. Take the chip above you, then return to the start and touch the first down force floor, followed by L2D to slide to an ice rink. Continue 2UL to take a chip, then U and R over the up force floor, and 2UL to reach a pool area. Remove the two chips, then continue 5RD2RU to reach a fire room. Again, take the chip, but ignore the suction shoes; you're not going to need them. Instead, step on the west force floor near the thieves, and continue R2D and slide U out of the teleport to the ice rink. Steal the flippers, then slide D back through the teleport and L, overriding the down force floor, to return to the pool and the exit. Steal this: 277 seconds!

Level 49: PROBLEMS
This level could be a bit of a problem if it worked the way it was supposed to, but in the transition from the original Lynx version to the Microsoft MS version, some bugs turned up. One of those is the way that paramecia, bugs, and teeth exit traps or clone machines. In the case of traps, the monster created directly before the trapped monster's direction is the way the monster will exit the trap. For clone machines, it is the most recent monster created. This can nowadays be altered in level editors without erasing all the monsters, but when these levels were made, there was no such thing as a level editor.

In the first room, you have to take the keys and escape before the paramecium releases a bunch of pink balls that would make the collection of the keys problematical, not to mention possible occasions of the Transparency Glitch. To speed out, move 3L3D6L4U8L4DU5LDL, up, and east to escape the room. The paramecium releases the balls on the top and prepares to release a second set of balls in the lower room, which would be annoying...except it never gets there, because the "controller" for the trap is a ball. Like all the balls in this level, it moves only horizontally, and the paramecium cannot move horizontally out of the trap. Therefore, it will never come out!

From the trap button, move as such, unimpeded, to complete the level: 2D9L5D2R2U3R3DL3DR7L3U2L4D5L2U5L4U5R2D2RU3R5U8LD, and exit above. 162 seconds...no problem!

Level 50: DIGDIRT
This level isn't a difficult one, but you have to watch where the monsters are moving and also to note where to move to keep them from being right on you.

Step 2R5U2R to take the first chip, then down to a chip, left to another two, down to a chip (but wait one move), right to three more (enter from the bottom on the third), up to three more (wait one move on the second, coming both in and exiting out, and enter from the right on the third), left to three more (enter from the top on the third), and then down to one, and right to one, entering from the bottom (of three spaces). Now, drop to the exit below for 318 seconds!

Starting from level 50 and at every ten levels, plus 144 and 149, a special message, known as the decade message, is delivered to Chip. For Digdirt, the message reads: ''Picking up chips is what the challenge is all about. But on the ice, Chip gets chapped and feels like a chump instead of a champ.''

In Lynx, however, the messages begin directly from level 10, and the first four were lost in translation.

Level 51: I SLIDE
The route through I Slide is largely sliding, which means although there aren't many choices for Chip, a wrong choice can cost a lot of time. The correct route is 2DU4L2DL3R2DURUDL4URDL2URDR2U, worth 655.

Level 52: THE LAST LAUGH
Whenever you move across the level to the other side, the teeth will follow you, and continue to block passage to the top area. The only way to get there is to use the force floors to move faster than the slower teeth can handle, and get the button to be hit twice in one passage. Meanwhile, however, Chip must avoid the bugs.

This is done, in even-step, by 3R3D2R, then D off the third force floor, and LU. Now, speed past the open gap above, take the chip, switch the walls, and move 3U3L2U6L [1] 6R, which will cause the teeth to touch the button once while remaining on the east side. Now, you can escape the area, slide to the left, switch the walls and take the chip, and then move the block LD to escape and score 382.

Level 53: TRAFFIC COP
Although you already know that you can override a force floor in any direction, this is the level you're likely to find it on. You can direct the walkers to the toggle button, which is slow and unreliable; you can push blocks onto the water U and UL from the toggle button, allowing you to escape...or just walk to the toggle button and burst back over. On the way to the button, move 2D3L and all the way south, which will create a big shortcut. Return to the exit when the doors are open to score 478 seconds.

Level 54: GRAIL
When you've recovered from the exquisite design of Grail, move to the right and onto the random force floor, hoping for a south move. Take the green key, play R, then R and D off the two other random floors and past the teleport. Circle around the chips, hopefully not bothering the walker (you can take the circle in either direction, so choose carefully if you can see a danger), teleport left, and take the other chips from this walker in a similar manner. Now, slide R through the teleport again, U onto a fake wall, and now D and hold the east key all the way to, hopefully, the exit. If the random force floors in front of the green door waste as little as one move, Chip can score 326.

Level 55: POTPOURRI
Just what it sounds like, even if the variety isn't all-encompassing. Move 6R to take a chip, then 2L3U [1] R2UL [2] R2DRD2R2LU2L to escape with the blue key and fire boots. Resume 5DLDL3D2RU to collect a chip, then left to a bunch of fire. Move the block to collect the chip under it, then move across the right side to some chips, and open the blue door. The toughest part of the level is this boosting section; only three of these chips are required, and you already have fire boots. The fastest way through is RDR2D2UR3U. Finish with 4LU2LUD5L, to uncover this hidden chip, then R3UDLDL2R [1] 2RU [1] and all the way east to the exit. Alas! A potpourri of 70 seconds!

Level 56: DEEPFREEZE
Deepfreeze is generally easy, but you can make it even easier by using the ice over force floors.

Start with the chip to the right, pass the gravel in the center, and take the very bottom entrance to the right to reach one chip. Come back out, move 10U through the corridor, and slide L to the toggle button and back out to the center. Duck into the entrance just under the chip to the northeast, move 4R through the corridor on the right as the ball slips west, and turn up to the three chips behind the toggle wall. When you come back, you can just slip to the right, collect this chip, and then move 5L2D to reach the chip on the other side of this teleport. Now, go back to the start, taking the final chip, and enter the second chip socket to the left to reach the ice skates, allowing you to exit in the northeast corner. Brrr...162 seconds.

Level 57: STRANGE MAZE
Strange Maze is simply a good old maze with some strange walls: trapped teeth and walkers, chip sockets, water, fire, doors, bombs, normal walls, and fake walls. To beat it, turn west first and move left at every intersection, and then turn to the right side of the level and turn right at every intersection. This collects the last chip within the sockets, and since the sockets can now be opened, Chip saves one second and scores 229.

Level 58: LOOP AROUND
Now, if you pay attention to the level's four sections, you'll find the water spells "DUNG". Looking for a clue? Nope. That's just one of the playtesters' names.

Begin with R2ULU, hold the east key to bust into the N, and quickly run 7U2R to avoid a good squashing! Run 7D7U9R5D4L6R to keep the flipper and the chip. Keep holding north until you bust through two walls, and turn west to circle to the east side of the G. While on the east side, start to hold west, which will move you through the wall. Resume moving 4U7L [2] L5D2RD3RU4L [2] L, and then walk out to the east and slide back out to the force track, and finally back to the center again.

From the landing, resume with 3L2U2LDL, which brings you around to the D. Now, you have to be careful about holding south because of the ball below you; enter the sixth wall, and then wait, and move D4L5D4RU, and backtrack to the force track. Finish by holding west as you reach the U, and continue with 3U2L4D3L to pick up the remaining chips. A little further down the track is the exit; your goal is 550.

Level 59: HIDDEN DANGER
This level is another one of the "busted" levels because you don't need the chips due to a secret "back door" route. In addition, this route doesn't require bothering the walkers, and works every time, so it is the only route provided.

Slide on the ice all the way down, left, up, and right, but hold south to override the force floor and avoid collecting the red key (important!). Now, make the turn all the way to the left, pass by the chips, tools, teeth, fake wall, and 5R, then up to the teleport. Because you didn't get the red key, with no other teleport in the level, you slide directly over the teleport and can exit with D. The game is up...368 seconds are yours.

Level 60: SCOUNDREL
This level is also busted, allowing you to complete it in six (!) seconds, because of the exclusive MS bug about the susceptibility of backwards force floors. Move 11D2R6D2L9D to reach the exit area; can you spot it? Continue 2L2D2R (a route of 2DR is slightly faster, but it's less likely to work) which will get you to the exit at 288 provided the random floor sends you east.

As we are at level 60, the message pops up again: ''Chip hits the ice and decides to chill out. Then he runs into a fake wall and turns the maze into a thrash-a-thon!'' Get ready, because one of those is coming up next!