How is Colisweeper played ?

Figure 2: Project description

Inspired by the computer game Minesweeper, we aspire to incorporate all the same features and rules in the biological version. To replicate the "mouse click" in the computer game, you can add a substrate to the colony of your choice which leads to a colorful enzyme-susbtrate reaction. The agar mine field consists of colonies which can be one of the following:

a non-mine colony, which will display the "safe colour" when played
a non-mine colony located close to one or more mines, which on addition of a multi-substrate reveals the number of mines in the vicinity of this colony
a mine colony, which when played reveals the mine color and the game is over

You also have the option to flag a mine - if you are certain that a colony is a mine, you can flag it using a second substrate.

The game play by the player

Figure 4: Gameplay

To play Colisweeper, the player has to pipette colorless substrates on a colony on the agar minefield. A single move of pipetting would require the player to choose between two colorless substrates. If the multi-susbtrate is added, this will reveal the identity of the colony- as in the number of mines surrounding a non-mine. The single colorless substrate is pipetted onto a colony if the player is certain of a mine colony. Addition of either substrates produces a defined colored product within minutes, allowing identification of the played colony and the number of mines surrounding it.

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