How to Play

The Cell Anatomy Viewer has three modes: Explore parts at your own pace, test your knowledge with the Cell Parts ID Game, or trace protein production in the Protein Pathways Game.

Explore Cells

Look inside four different types of cells and get to know their parts and what each part does.

Cell Parts ID Game

On the game menu, select the cell type, the difficulty, and whether you want to select parts based on part names or clues. If playing with multiple cell types, make sure you are on the right cell type before selecting the part. Use the in-game buttons to switch between cell types as needed. See how quickly you can get through each difficulty level!

When you’re finished, you will receive a final score and can print a summary of your game results. Then, play again and try to improve your score!

Game Difficulty

Protein Pathways Game

On the game menu, select the cell type you want to use to explore protein production. You will be picking the pathway used in the cell to make a protein that goes from the DNA (where all proteins start) to the cell membrane (where some proteins end up). Follow the clues in the blue box to help you select which part comes next. Test how fast you can trace protein production in each cell type.

When you’re finished, you will receive a final score and can print a summary of your game results. Then, play again and try to improve your score!

Score

Your scores for the games are based on the following:

Buttons

You might notice several buttons at the top of the screen while you are playing. What do they mean?

Cell type buttons

cell type buttons

The cell type buttons let you switch between cell types. In the Cell Parts ID Game and the Protein Pathways Game, buttons will only appear for the cell types you selected.

Cell navigation buttons

tool buttons

When no navigation buttons are selected, you can click and drag over the cell to move it around within the viewing box.

Other buttons

question mark button
Read basic game instructions
speaker buttonmute button
Turn the sound off or back on