La Belle Lucie
  GENERAL RULES

      (Use the Arrow keys, Page Up and Down, Home, End and Tab to
      move around the help file.  Pressing Escape returns to the game.
      
      In this discussion, the term 'top' refers to the card that is
      showing in each column; it is on the top of the 'stack' of cards.)

One deck of cards is dealt in seventeen columns of 3 cards each, with the
leftover card in a column by itself.  The object of the game is to build
each suit upon its ace in the foundation.

The only cards available for play are those showing at the top of each
column.  Move each ace as it becomes available to the foundation.  Build up
in suit on the foundation.

In the tableau, cards may be built in suit and sequence down from the top
card of each column.  Only one card may be moved from the top of each
column, and kings cannot move, except to the foundation.

When you have no more moves, shuffle the cards.  A total of three shuffles
is permitted, including the initial shuffle.  On the third shuffle, any one
card may be moved to the top of its column.


  DEFINITIONS

Foundation - Technically, the four aces upon which the rest of the cards are
built.  Used here to more generally mean the upper right area where the
suits are built.

Game - Three shuffles, or from start until Escape is pressed.  A game can
be won, lost or quit.

Hand - One deal of the cards to the tableau.

Session - All play until La Belle Lucie is left.  La Belle Lucie totals the
wins, losses and quits during a session.

Shuffle - To mix the cards in a random order.  Done three times in La Belle
Lucie: once when the game is started and twice more at the player's
discretion.

Tableau - The 18 columns where play takes place, at the bottom of the
screen.


  SCREEN DESCRIPTION

Solon Software's La Belle Lucie is as easy to play as it is fun.  The upper
left corner of the screen contains the game status and information. It lists
the active keys, the number of wins, losses and quits so far in the session,
and the number of shuffles remaining in the game.

The upper right section of the screen contains the foundation.  This is
where the aces are put, followed by the rest of each suit.

The lower section is the tableau.  This is the playing field, where cards
are moved around until they can be put in the foundation.  Note that each
column in the tableau is lettered.  These are the letters that are used for
moving the top card in that column. If enough cards are placed in a column
so that the bottom of the screen is reached, any additional cards placed in
that column will be put directly on top of the previous card, thus obscuring
it.  This presents no problem during play, however, since the column must
be built in suit and descending order while in the tableau, and the hidden
cards become obvious.

Just above the tableau is the message line.  Keypresses are shown here, as
well as various informative messages.  When entering a key, it does not
matter whether upper- or lower-case is used.  Each message is explained
below.


  PLAYING THE GAME

It is easier to play La Belle Lucie than it is to read this help file. All
moves can be made by pressing a letter from A to R, followed by Enter.  The
software knows exactly where to move the card at the top of each column;
either to the foundation or to the next higher card in its suit.  Moving to
the foundation is preferable, so the card is moved there if possible,
otherwise, it will be moved to the column that shows its predecessor.  If
the card cannot be moved, an error message is displayed.  When a card moves
to the foundation, La Belle Lucie will look for other cards in the same suit
that can be moved to the foundation.  All such cards are moved
automatically, since these cards should be moved up next anyway.

There are several useful keys besides the column designators A-R.  <S> will
shuffle the cards remaining in the tableau.  (Careful!  Shuffles cannot be
undone.)  <U> will undo a previous move within the tableau. <F10> will slip
into Find mode, so that particular cards can be easily spotted.  <F1> brings
up the help file.

Finally, <Esc> normally serves as the exit key.  If the 'Move from column:'
prompt is active, Escape will confirm quitting the game.  If Find Card or
Help is active, Escape exits back to the game.  If an error message is
displayed, Escape brings back the game prompt line.  If on the third
shuffle, Escape cancels the questions about moving a card.


  WINNING, LOSING AND QUITTING

La Belle Lucie has three ways to end a game: winning, losing and quitting.
A WIN happens by getting all the cards to the foundation.  Losing and
quitting are both caused by pressing Escape before all the cards are in the
foundation, but losing or quitting depends on how many shuffles remain.  If
there are no shuffles left, pressing Escape signals that an impasse has been
reached; no moves can be made to complete the foundation.  This is a LOSS. 
If any shuffles remain when Escape is pressed, it is considered a QUIT
since more moves are obviously possible.


  LAST SHUFFLE RULES

It can be very difficult to win La Belle Lucie.  The player has one
advantage in a special set of rules for the third and final shuffle.  One
card buried in a column may be moved to the top of that column.  This is
particularly helpful if a king is covering another card of its suit. 
Analyze the tableau carefully while deciding which card to move; this
decision can often mean the difference between winning and losing.

Moving a particular card is done by answering two simple questions, as
described below.  If you do not want to move any cards, you can commence the
third hand immediately by pressing Escape.


  LAST SHUFFLE QUESTIONS

There are two questions that must be answered while performing the final
shuffle in La Belle Lucie:

      Last shuffle - Enter column:

is asking you to enter the column letter that contains the card that is to
be made playable.  Examine the tableau carefully, then enter the letter for
the column where the change will be made.

      1 is CardSuit;  2 is CardSuit - Put 1 or 2 on top?

This question shows the other two cards in the row chosen for the move,
where "CardSuit" is replaced by the face value and suit symbol of each card
in the row.  Carefully examine the cards in the row, and then enter <1> or
<2> to move the respective card to the bottom of the row.  If there are only
two cards in the row, this question will be phrased

      Move CardSuit to the top? (Y/N)

in which case you should enter <Y> if you want the card to be switched with
the card that is covering it.

If Escape is pressed at either question, the move will be cancelled and the
third hand commences.


  THE FIND CARD FEATURE

All 52 cards are initially dealt, and sometimes it can be difficult to find
a particular card.  Press F10 to switch to the Find mode, and any card can
be quickly and easily spotted.  Just enter the card value that you wish to
find, and all four suits of that value will be highlighted. Use <1> or <A>
for aces, <2> through <9> for those cards, <T> for tens, <J> for jacks, <Q>
for queens and <K> for kings.  Other keys are ignored.  Press <Esc> to
return to the game.


  MESSAGES

Several messages can appear on the message line.  Perhaps the best is
"!!!YOU WON!!!" flashing excitedly.  This section will describe the messages
that can appear on this line.  There are two types of messages.  One is just
informational, and pressing any key will return to the game.  The other
kind, which is always followed by '(Y/N),' is actually a question that must
be answered either <Y> for yes or <N> for no.

      "Move from Column:" - The normal prompt.  Enter the letter of the
      column that has the card that is to be moved.  It does not matter
      whether upper- or lower-case letters are used.

      "Find which card?" - The prompt when using the Find card feature. 
      Enter the value for the card desired.

      "No cards in that column!" - A letter corresponding to an empty column
      was pressed.  Since the game works by moving cards, asking for a card
      in an empty column is pointless.

      "That card can't move!" - A column with a card showing that could not
      be played was selected.  Remember, kings cannot move except to the
      foundation, and all other cards can only move to the next higher card
      in its suit in the tableau, or to the foundation.

      "You don't have any more shuffles!" - Only three total shuffles,
      including the first for the initial deal, are allowed.  This message
      results from attempting a fourth shuffle.

      "Only one move within the tableau can be undone" - The game can only
      undo moves made entirely within the tableau.  Once a card is in the
      foundation, it cannot be moved back to the tableau.  A move that was
      just undone cannot be moved back to where it went with Undo.  Select
      its column to move it back.  If the '<U> Undo' message is not showing,
      there is no move to be undone.

      "End this game now? (Y/N)" - Confirming that Escape, to quit the game,
      was pressed on purpose.

      "Start another game? (Y/N)" - Asking whether a new game should be
      started, this question will appear after a game has been won or quit.

      "Sorry, but you don't have enough memory to ..." - Indicates that not
      enough memory is available to run the find feature or to use help. 
      Since this game does not require much memory, most users will never
      see this message.  If it appears, try exiting other applications
      before playing La Belle Lucie. The help file, named LBL.HLP, can also
      be printed or read directly from DOS; it is a plain ASCII file. 
      Please do not change the formatting of the file; the help feature uses
      the formatting for clues on how to perform various functions.

      "Help failed: LBL.HLP is not in the current directory." - The help
      feature uses a file named LBL.HLP.  It must be in the subdirectory in
      which La Belle Lucie was started.  This error will always cause the
      help feature to be turned off for the remainder of the session.  To
      enable help, quit the game and copy LBL.HLP into the current
      subdirectory, then start the game again.

      "File error occurred while reading LBL.HLP file." - Some DOS error
      occurred while the help file was being read.  This may indicate that
      there is a hardware problem, and the disk system should be checked.
      It may also be some temporary problem.  Recopying the original help
      file to the Solon Solitaire directory often helps.  This error will
      always cause the help feature to be turned off for the remainder of
      the session.

      "!!!YOU WON!!!" - Congratulations.


  SOLON SOFTWARE

Solon Software is dedicated to producing quality software.  The Solon
Solitaire game series is the first of a wide variety of fun and/or useful,
as well as easy to use, programs.  The success of this company depends on
the support of its users.  If you enjoy the games, please send us $10 and
your name and address.  We will place your name on our mailing list (this
list will never be given or sold to any other company or individual), and
you will periodically receive notification of other games and software
available.  If you send $25, you will receive at least three additional
games immediately, and any other Solon Solitaire games that may be created
for one year after registering.  This includes any updates to existing Solon
Solitaire games. If you send more than $25, that would be great; we'll be
able to make our payroll!

If you need help, have suggestions for our games, or ideas for other
products, please let us know.  Any registered user can include a phone
number if a return phone call, rather than a letter, is preferred.
Registered users always have priority in support and service.

Send registrations and payment (US Funds) to:

      Solon Software
      P.O. Box 6117
      Boston, MA  02209-6117


  Copyright (C) 1992 Solon Software    All Rights Reserved


This software is shareware.  It may be freely distributed as long as these
files are included with the distribution:
      SOLON1.EXE        (Solon Solitaire menu program)
      SOLON.HLP         (Solon Solitaire menu help file)
      INTELL.SOL        (Intelligence solitaire game)
      INTELL.HLP        (Intelligence help file)
      KLONDIKE.SOL      (Klondike solitaire game)
      KLONDIKE.HLP      (Klondike help file)
      LBL.SOL           (La Belle Lucie solitaire game)
      LBL.HLP           (La Belle Lucie help file)
      README.COM        (Installation and general information program)
      README.SOL        (Installation and general information)
      SHARDIST.LST      (List of files for distribution)

No other Solon Solitaire games are distributed as shareware.  They cannot
be distributed to any user, company, or bulletin board except by Solon
Software and its employees.

