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
- Beginner: Identify the most fundamental parts of the cell only.
- Advanced: If only one cell type is selected, identify all parts of the cell. Otherwise, identify 24 parts chosen at random from the cell types you selected.
- Expert: Identify all parts of the cell for all cell types selected. For the biggest challenge, see how quickly you can identify all the parts of every cell type!
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:
- Number of parts identified
- Accuracy (correct vs. incorrect answers)
- Time (receive an extra point bonus if you complete a game quickly enough)
Buttons
You might notice several buttons at the top of the screen while you are playing. What do they mean?
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
When no navigation buttons are selected, you can click and drag over the cell to move it around within the viewing box.
- Inspect: In Explore Cells mode only. When this button is active, you can hover over then click on parts of the cell to view more information about them.
- Select: In the Cell Parts ID Game and Protein Pathways Game only. When this button is active, you can hover over and click on parts of the cell to select them as your answer.
- Zoom In/Out: Changes the magnification of the cell within the viewing box.
- Center: Centers the cell.
- Reset: Resets the view.
Other buttons
- Read basic game instructions
- Turn the sound off or back on