Importance

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Abstract

A moving video image jigsaw puzzle game is provided that varies the level of difficulty in the game and that provides assistance to game players in solving a moving video image jigsaw puzzle. The moving video image jigsaw puzzle game is primarily implemented by a moving puzzle program (18). The moving puzzle program (18) generates a representative version of a moving puzzle image to be solved by a game player. This representative image is displayed on a display (14) along with puzzle pieces, each of which represents a portion of the full-color moving puzzle image. The representative image is used as a reference to reassemble the puzzle pieces to recreate the moving video image. The moving puzzle program (18) also provides other features for assisting game players, including: taking control of the movement of a puzzle piece and repositioning the puzzle piece exactly in its correct location on the display (14) upon determining that the game player has repositioned the puzzle piece within a predetermined marginal location of its correct location on the display (14); locking a puzzle piece into position on the display (14) once it has been properly repositioned by either the game player using the input device (24) or automatically by the moving puzzle program 18; identifying the correct location of a puzzle piece or automatically repositioning a puzzle piece (14) into its proper location upon a request for help from the game player or upon the occurrence of a predetermined event or an elapsed time period; changing the grid size of the moving video image to be solved upon request from the game player or based upon a selected difficulty level; and generating an audio signal for a puzzle piece upon selection of the puzzle piece by the game player to provide a clue regarding where to reposition the puzzle piece.

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First Claim