Wordmind

The game

Mastermind with words: a secret four-letter word is locked in the press, and you have six pulls to crack it from ink feedback alone — grey means the letter isn't in the word, yellow means right letter, wrong seat, green means dead centre. Every cracked code opens a sealed dictionary: Broadsheet, Handbill, Chapbook, Folio and finally Incunabula, each one harder than the last. The whole thing is staged as a letterpress print shop — chunky wood-type tiles with ink imperfection, a compositor's proof sheet under the lamps, and a wooden tray of sorts at the bottom of the bench.

How to play

• Type A–Z to set four letters of type into the current row.
• Press Enter (or the PRESS key) to pull a proof — the row is judged against the secret word and stamped grey, yellow or green.
• Backspace (or DEL) rubs out the last letter before you pull.
• Crack the word within six pulls: green on all four tiles wins the round, scores points for pulls saved and tier, and unlocks the next dictionary tier.
• Six misjudged pulls ends the run as a MISPRINT — press again for a new word in the same case, or start a fresh run.
• Esc pauses, 0 toggles the press sounds; your best score and unlocked tier are kept between visits.