Picnic Paranoia

George wants to have a nice, friendly and even peaceful picnic. He's laid out some food - a watermelon, a pineapple, a can of soda, a hot dog, etc. - on four picnic tables covered with neat tablecloths. Just as he's ready to dig in, they come. They are insects (of course) - ants, wasps and spiders.

Armed with only a fly swatter, George must defend himself and his food. The ants team up to carry the food off the table. If you manage to stop the ants (via swatting), you can drag your food back to the table, but it takes a little practice. The wasps fly just beyond swatting range, suddenly swooping down to sting and paralyze George, whose face turns red for five seconds. Don't despair. With the right moves you can swat these little buggers too. The spiders really don't care about you or your food. All they are interested in is weaving their webs. The webs are an obstruction which George can swat away. Watch out. Should George dare to cross the spiders' path, he will be stung for three seconds. Each one of these bugs is a menace by itself. Combined, they will give you a fierce run for your food.

Each round lasts for 90 seconds. Although the infesting insects come faster and in greater numbers, their point value is increased every round. When the round ends you are awarded points for the food (if any) that remains. The point value for the food is doubled if the food is on the table (not the grass). For the first 5,000 points, and for every 10,000 points afterwards, you are awarded a can of bug spray which, at your command, will come onto the screen and destroy all the insects (the spider webs remain intact), while providing you with a short rest.

The game ends when the ants have carried all the food off the picnic area or when you have completed the 15th round (not an easy task). By then your score should exceed 100,000 points.

Picnic Paranoia (a truly fitting name) is like having your cake (and your watermelon, and your hot dog and your pickle) and eating it too.