Puzzle

The Puzzle is an activity that appears in JumpStart Kindergarten (1994) and JumpStart Kindergarten (1998). It is designed to teach ten different subjects: Numbers, Letters, Letter Sounds, Rhyming, Opposites, Companions, Pairs, Shapes, Sizes, and Colors.

Characters

 * Hopsalot (1994 version only)
 * Roquefort (1998 version only)
 * Jack (1998 version only)

Game description
The Puzzle is a toy/game found in Mr. Hopsalot's kindergarten classroom. It is hosted by Hopsalot in the 1994 version and by Jack and Roquefort in the 1998 version, but the premise and gameplay are the same. Various images and symbols are located on a 3-by-3 grid. The host(s) will present an image, letter or number and give instructions to the player to select an image or symbol from the grid that is related to the image or symbol presented in a specified way. If the correct tile is selected, it will disappear, revealing part of a photograph underneath. Then, all the tiles will be changed to contain different content and another question will be asked until all nine tiles are cleared. When this happens, the full image is visible.

The subject matter will be randomly selected at the beginning of the game. It may be changed in the 1994 version by clicking on the puzzle box on the bottom of the screen and in the 1998 version by clicking the puzzle piece button on the bottom of the puzzle console.

In the 1994 version, Mr. Hopsalot will clap using his ears when the player finishes a puzzle.

In the 1998 version, three (difficulty levels 1 and 2) or four (difficulty level 3) puzzles must be completed in order to earn a star.

Shapes
The user will be presented with a shape and asked to click the option that most resembles the shape. Some of the tiles contain the same geometric shape with a different size, color, etc., while others contain objects.

Colors
The user will be presented with a color and asked to select an option which is the same color. Options include objects, shapes, and letters.

Sizes
The user will be presented with an object and asked to find an object that is the same size, is bigger (or biggest), or is smaller (or smallest). There are also options which aren't the same kind of object at all.

Numbers
A number will be given and the user must select the tile that contains that number of objects.

Letters
An uppercase letter will be presented and the user must select the corresponding lowercase letter.

Letter Sounds
The user will be presented with a letter and must select the object that begins with that letter. Each tile also contains the name of the object written out.

Rhyming
The user will be presented with an object and must select the object that rhymes with it. Each tile also contains the name of the object written out.

Companions
The user will be presented with an object and must select an object that is closely associated with it.

Pairs
The user will be presented one of an object that comes in pairs (such as an article of clothing or a part of the body) and must select the other object of the pair, which looks identical to the given object aside from (usually) facing the opposite way.

Opposites
The user will be given a word (and an illustration) and must select the word and accompanying illustration that is its opposite.

1998 version

 * Level one: If an incorrect tile is selected, that tile and one other incorrect tile will become blank.
 * Level two: If an incorrect tile is selected, it will become blank.
 * Level three: No tiles become blank when an incorrect tile is selected.

Photographs
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Trivia

 * In the 1998 version, the same voice clips are used for Letters as are used for Letter Sounds, meaning that the user is asked to find an object that starts with a letter in Letters mode even though they are actually supposed to select the lowercase counterpart to the given letter. This does not occur in the 1994 version.
 * Despite its name, in Letter Sounds mode, some of the objects do not begin with the normal phonetic sound of their first letter, such as Eye.