In this game, you will be asked to answer ten multiple-choice questions about earthquakes and related phenomena (faults, plate tectonics, etc.), randomly chosen from a larger group of questions. This should give you the opportunity to play the game several times without encountering a significant number of repeated questions.

Every question you face represents both a rescue flight to Pinevale and an impending aftershock, which will trigger a mudslide, destroying a building in Pinevale. Due to the fact that Wade McLevolent is supplying you with fuel and will withhold some if your answer to his question is incorrect, the answer you give to each question will determine your success or failure in each rescue attempt.

The helicopter you will be using is very small, and not designed for rescue attempts. Because of this, you will be able to pick up, at most, three people during every successful flight, then transport them to safety in Alta Potrero. The hard rain coming down is keeping the residents of Pinevale from leaving their homes and businesses to meet at a central location, so no building will have more than three people inside, but each of the ten buildings in town will have at least one occupant. Thus, it will take you ten flights -- ten questions -- to complete your rescue.

The questions are rated according to their difficulty: the first three are easy, the next four are moderate, and the last three are difficult. Easy questions answered correctly will save only one person -- miss an easy question, though, and you will lose three residents! Conversely, a difficult question answered correctly will result in three lives saved, but if missed, will only lead to the loss of one resident. Moderate questions will result in the rescue or loss of two residents, depending upon your answer. There is no need for you to keep track of your "score" -- the computer will do that for you.

When you start the game, you will see that the game is divided up among four frames. The upper left frame contains links to the story and rules pages, as well as ways to restart and quit the game. This frame will not change. The upper right frame will eventually contain the questions and explanations, the lower left frame will eventually contain answers, and the lower right frame is designed to contain pictures and other information to help you.

Walk through the opening series of links to receive your first question and the multiple choice answers. Below those answers, you will see a large button that says "Choose an Answer". When you have looked through the answers and decided which one is correct, or at least have made the best guess you can, click the small button next to that answer. This will make the large button at the bottom say "Submit your Answer". Until you press this button, you can still change your mind an choose a different answer. Once you are certain you're ready to move on, click on "Submit your Answer". This will start the scoring process.

When you submit an answer to each question, you will be told whether you were correct, and the correct answer will be marked with a star. Your score for that question will be automatically added to a running tally. An explanation will accompany this -- some explanations will detail why each answer was correct or incorrect, and others will merely provide further information about the subject matter of the question. When you have finished reading the explanation, click the button marked "Next Question" to continue with the game.

When you have completed ten questions, you will see a button marked "Tally Final Score". Click this, and you will receive a brief synopsis about the outcome of your rescue in Pinevale, including your "score". A link at the bottom of this summary will take you to the final page of the game, where you will receive a medal for your efforts. There are seven different medals you can receive, ranked and awarded based upon your score, but you will only be presented one each time. After this, either click the button that says "End the Game", or click the "Restart" link in the upper left frame to replay the game.