Biosphere

The Biosphere is one of the activities on the Second Floor in JumpStart Adventures 3rd Grade: Mystery Mountain. It is designed to teach science, such as geology and biology.

Description
Since Professor Spark's Biosphere, a geodesic dome containing a closed ecological system, is too delicate to be entered, the user must fly one of several remote-controlled probes called "Explorers" through a cavernous maze to reach it. The user moves the around the maze by pressing the right, left, and up arrow keys on the keyboard. The probe has a limited amount of energy, though. Every time the probe bumps into the walls of the maze, it loses increments of energy. However, the energy level can be increased with twinkling force shields, located throughout the underground tunnels. If the energy level becomes completely depleted, the Explorer crashes to pieces and must start over.

There are several airlocks which Polly will only open if the user correctly answers a biology or geology question. The answers to Polly's questions become clues which allow the user to determine which of the Biosphere's five environments she has hidden a Mission Clue or Invention Points in. The environments include a desert, a rainforest, a savanna, a mountain range, and an ocean. The game always begins with the Explorer underground, which Botley notes is unusual. The user presses the green button and Botley presses the red button. There are five airlocks in the maze.

Environments
There are five different environments with nature including animals and plants.
 * Desert
 * Rainforest
 * Grassland (Savanna)
 * Mountain Range (Mountains)
 * Ocean

Difficulty level differences

 * Level one: The explorer goes slow.
 * Level two: The explorer goes at a medium speed.
 * Level three: The explorer goes fast.

Botley

 * "Okay! Now we can navigate the explorer around the biosphere by watching this on this monitor. Click on the monitor for a closer look."
 * "We're underground again! Let's blast off to the surface!"
 * "Beneath the professor's biosphere again! We have to get to the surface and fast!"
 * "Ooh, we're back under the biosphere. It's creepy down here. Let's get up to the surface!"
 * "The explorer! It's crashed to pieces! Time to go back to the launch pad and start over!"
 * "Wow, the professor's gonna be bumped when he sees that explorer, but we can't worry about that now. We need to go back to the launch pad and try again."
 * "Oh, man, the explorer's been crashed! Fortunately, there are more where that came from. Let's get back to the launch pad."
 * "Touch down! You landed safely!"
 * "Gee, I guess we miscalculated! There's nothing here, but you still have another chance."
 * "Nope, there's nothing here! Luckily you've got one more key."
 * "Huh? Nothing here! Let's try another environment."
 * "Drats, it's empty! Bring the explorer back to the launch pad and start over."
 * "Oh, no, there's nothing here! You'll have to go back to the launch pad and start over."
 * "Huh? Nothing here! We'd better get the explorer back here and start again."

Polly
When the incorrect answer is chosen: When the correct answer is chosen:
 * "Nice guess! But wrong!"
 * "You're out of there!"
 * "Ha! Ha! Ha! Too bad!"
 * "Sorry! But that's wrong!
 * "Oh! So sorry!"
 * "Oh! So close! But not right!"
 * "No! No! Too bad!"
 * "Wait till next time!"
 * "I knew you get that one!"
 * "Just a lucky guess!"
 * "Big deal you got one right!"
 * "Yeah! Yes! You got it right!"

What's growing in the Biosphere?
The Professor's Biosphere is a grand, growing maze of plants and animals in five different environments: the desert, the tropical rain forest, the mountains, the grasslands, or the ocean. You'll find the door to the Biosphere on the second floor of the Mountain Mansion. This is just the place for Polly to hide Mission Clues and Invention Points. You've got to check this out. But you can't just walk around in there. You need to use a Biosphere Explorer.

Launching Pad
To launch a Biosphere Explorer, click on the Launch button in front of the Biosphere Viewer under the window to the Biosphere.

Biosphere Maze
Unfortunately for you - or fortunately, depending on how much you like challenges - your Biosphere Explorer emerges way beneath the Biosphere, in a giant underground maze. To get to the top, you'll have to fly the explorer through narrow passages and avoid dead ends. Also, Polly is up to her old tricks, and sometimes she'll interrupt your trip and ask you a question. Listen carefully and answer correctly, because each answer will lead you closer to where a Mission Clue or Invention Points are hidden!


 * Maneuver through the maze using the arrow keys on your keyboard.   The Up Arrow blasts the explorer's thrusters, while the Left and Right Arrows rotate the explorer.
 * Be on the look-out for twinkling Force Shields, located throughout the maze.  Fly over them to pick them up, because they'll help keep the explorer in one piece if you happen to crash into a wall!
 * When you enter an airlock, Polly will appear to ask you a question.  Answer correctly and she'll give you a hint and let you pass through the airlock.
 * Use Polly's hints to select the right environment and land on the designated landing pad.
 * Click on the key on your console to open Polly's hiding place and see what's there!  When you start your trip, you'll have two keys to unlock the Mission Clue or Invention Points that Polly has hidden inside the Biosphere.
 * If you run out of keys before selecting the correct site, you'll have to go back to the Launching Pad to select another explorer.

Trivia

 * While in the water, the Explorer's flames become bubbles.
 * Polly Spark mentions the circus elephant and unvoiced title character in 1941 (animated) and 2019 (live-action).
 * There are five airlocks to get through.
 * The green button is to get the explorer and the red button is to turn on the maze.
 * The explorer is underground at the surface.