Showwit

Showwit! is a 1996 freeware tile-flipping puzzle from Patrick C. Hew, where a 4x4 grid of tiles conceals a hidden picture and clicking a tile flips it (and a cascading set of neighbours) between revealed and hidden states. The challenge is to puzzle out the right sequence to expose the image.

Gameplay

Each tile click flips between showing and hiding the underlying picture, but other tiles flip in response. The player's goal is to reveal the full picture by choosing the right sequence of flips, working out the cascade rule by experimentation.

Levels and progression

The game ships with over 100 levels. With each level the pattern of tiles that flip in response to a click changes, so the puzzle dynamic shifts as the player advances.

Bundled solver

For frustrated players, Showwit! includes a separate program that can generate solutions, an unusual concession that suggests the author expected late levels to be genuinely hard.

Distribution and platform

Showwit! 1.0 was distributed as freeware via Info-Mac in 1996 and is also catalogued on Macintosh Garden. The Macintosh Garden listing notes PowerPC support and compatibility with System 7.0 through Mac OS 9.