UNOFFICIAL HISTORICAL RECREATION · 1978
Power off.
PLAY GUIDE
This guide explains how to operate the browser recreation and summarizes the 1978 game rules in new language. Turn the side switch on first. The keypad is arranged 0 / 1–3 / 4–6 / 7–9 / 10; small numeric labels are intentionally omitted from the device face, but the top-left of the 3×3 grid is 1 and the bottom-right is 9.
New Game returns to game selection. Same Game repeats or continues the current activity. Hit Me is for Blackjack. Comp Turn hands a turn to Merlin, starts Echo playback, or repeats a recorded tune.
After New Game, select 1. Choose a free square from 1–9; your selection blinks. Press Comp Turn to let Merlin choose a steady light. The first side with three in a row wins. Merlin signals win, loss, or tie with separate motifs. Same Game begins another board. The original also permits a player to place several squares before pressing Comp Turn; this recreation preserves that quirk.
After selecting 2, use the keypad as an 11-position musical keyboard. Positions 2–9 form the central scale, 1 is the lower extension, 10 the higher extension, and 0 is a silent rest. Build a tune, then press Comp Turn to hear it. Same Game clears the stored tune; Comp Turn replays the current one. The original unit stored up to 48 notes and rests.
Select 3, then select the length of Merlin’s tune from 1–9. Press Comp Turn to hear the sequence. When playback ends, repeat every note in order. If you make a wrong choice, continue entering the remaining positions: Merlin scores the full attempt, then reports either a perfect result or the number of errors. Comp Turn repeats the same tune; Same Game returns to length selection.
Select 4 to receive one blinking player card and one steady Merlin card. The values 1–10 form a ten-card deck; a card cannot be drawn twice in one hand. Press Hit Me for another card, but going above 13 loses immediately. Press Comp Turn to stand: Merlin draws while below 10, then compares totals. Begin with five chips; a win earns one, a loss costs one. Reach ten chips to win the overall game or lose all chips to end it. Same Game briefly shows the chip total, then deals the next hand.
Select 5. Merlin briefly shows the target: the eight outer lights on, center 5 off. It then displays a random pattern. Each key changes a fixed group of lights: corners reverse their 2×2 corner block, edge keys reverse their three-light edge, and 5 reverses the center cross. Experiment to learn the code, then form the target. Same Game starts another random pattern.
Select 6 and choose a mystery-number length from 1–9. Merlin secretly creates a code using digits 1–9; repeats are allowed. Enter a full guess of the chosen length. Blinking feedback lights count digits that are correct and in the correct position; steady lights count correct digits placed elsewhere. A blinking 10 means none of the guess appears in the code. Continue until every position is exact. Same Game displays the guess count, then lets a second player solve that same code.
For archival reference, the original scanned manual is available at The Electronic Wizard. Product names and trademarks remain the property of their owners.