After starting Turbo Science, you will be at the game select screen. Move the mouse's 'smart pointer' around and click to learn more about the game or make decisions on how to play.
You'll notice as you move the cursor around that Quarky or Quaysoo want you to 'PICK ME'. You must choose one of the space elves to be on your Los Turbos team. Pick either one - it doesn't matter since they won't help anyway - just have different animations.
SIGN IN: Go here to sign up a new player or restart a player at the level where they left off, or to look at your game statistics.
HALL O'FAME: Take off your hat when you enter here. Bow respectfully to the current and former World Turbo Science Champions. Some day maybe your name will hang on the wall.
PRACTICE: Visit any checkpoint on the game map to practice for as long as you like and without time pressure to get accustomed to the questions. There are no traveling, opponents, or money involved. Just explore.
CONTROLS: Click on the slider on the left side of the screen to bring up the Control Panel. Here you can see the game credits, change the volume, return to playing, or quit the game.
PREVIEW OPPONENTS: Visit the locker room of your Turbo Science competitors. Learn more about them. When playing, your first opponents will be Das Liquidators (easy). Later on your opponents will be the Cool City Maulers (medium). And lastly you'll compete against Valiant Cubed (hard). To leave the locker room, click on the 'Exit' sign.
QUIT GAME: Return to DOS.
DIFFICULTY: Spin the difficulty sign to choose Easy or Hard questions. Easy questions are probably best for kids 9 or 10 years old. Hard questions should be the most fun for kids 11 to 14 years old.
START: After selecting a difficulty level and poking around a bit, select START to begin the race. Good luck!
THE RACE IS ON!
Welcome to the Turbo Science game map! As you look around you'll see the designated course for the race. Quarky or Quaysoo and a member of an opposing team will be gathered at the starting location. Numbered checkpoints show them, and you, which route must be followed to get to the checkered flag and win the race. 'GOING HERE' always shows you where you go next.
The map has twenty different checkpoints (see below). Sooner or later you'll race to each one. Each location emphasizes a different kind of physical science.
Everyone in the race must follow the numerical order of checkpoints to get to the checkered flag. From the starting location, all competitors must go to checkpoint 1. And from checkpoint 1 everyone must race to checkpoint 2, and so on, to the checkered flag.
Every race will have 5 possible ways to travel, offered by Captain Scarpatch, displayed at the bottom of the game map. Click on any travel method to see how much time it takes to get to the next checkpoint and how much it costs to travel there with the selected method. The faster the method of travel, the more it will cost. You'll earn money by answering questions correctly (see below).
As you slide the cursor over the map, it will change from 'EARN $' (at your current position) to 'GO NOW' (to the next checkpoint with the selected method of travel) to 'CAN'T GO THERE' (when you select the wrong checkpoint or don't have enough money for the selected method of travel yet).
Paco de Suave covers every race with a crew from Turbosci Network or TNET. He gives constant updates through every race, interviews winners and losers when races are over, and hands out awards when you jump levels.
In total you'll need to win 21 races to complete the game: Five races against Das Liquidators (easy), seven races against the Cool City Maulers (medium), and nine races against Valiant Cubed (hard). It doesn't matter how many losses you have along the way - if you lose a race, you can just try again until you succeed.
ANSWERING QUESTIONS
Click on your current checkpoint in the race, labeled as 'EARN $' to enter the checkpoint screen and start answering questions to earn money to travel.
All questions are multiple choice with three possible answers, either presented as a text box with answers or as highlighted items on the screen. Click what you believe is the correct answer. If you're right, Quarky or Quaysoo get nuts and flip around all over the screen to let you know.
Every correct question gains you $700, though you will occasionally get bonus questions worth $1500. Incorrect answers lose you $200 per. There is no penalty for skipping questions, and no money earned by repeating a question and getting it right.
If you're not sure how to answer a question, click on the book near the left end of the menu bar. Game time and opposing teams will stop and a pop-up box will tell you where to look in the Turbo Science Research Guide (available here) for helpful information. After the research, click to remove the pop-up box with the research hint.
You also have a toolbox at your disposal, which pops up when you click the toolbox icon at the far left of the menu bar.
GAME MAP CHECKPOINTS
The game map consists of 20 checkpoints. Sooner or later you'll race to each one. You can also explore them individually in practice mode.
The locations are as follows:
1. The Wrecking Yard
2. Dr. D.'s Castle
3. Clown College
4. KZIT TV Studio
5. Central City Park
6. Muscle Beach
7. Ghost Ship Despicable
8. Madman Mountain
9. Mt. Baldy
10. Fido Falls
11. Long Leaper Lake
12. Elkjaw County Fair
13. Central City Speedway
14. Three Dead Tunas Concert
15. Big Wave Beach
16. Treasure in the Deep
17. French Fried Frog Fins Construction Site
18. Dr. D's Nuclear Lab
19. Thunderpark Airport
20. Grand Milsford Dam
