Troubleshooting

At BigIdeaFun.com we use Java, Macromedia® Shockwave™ and Macromedia® Flash™. To experience everything on the site you will need to be sure that these features and plug-ins are installed on your computer and enabled in your Web browser.

Java is a programming language we use to create games (and other things) on our site. Plug-ins are small programs that work with your Web browser to let you play animations and sounds in our stories and games. We use Macromedia's Shockwave and Flash because they are very popular on the Web and they let us make the coolest games and activities!

To Enable Java:

Netscape
1. Click "Edit" in the top menu bar.
2. Choose "Preferences."
3. When the Preferences window opens up, click the "Advanced" category (it is probably on the left side, with a plus sign next to it).
4. If there is a check box on the right side that says "Enable Java," then your browser can run Java. But this box has to be checked for Java to work!

Internet Explorer
1. Click "View" in the top menu bar if you are using IE 4.0; if you are using IE 5.0, click "Tools" instead.
2. Choose "Internet Options."
3. Once the Internet Options window opens up, click the tab that says "Advanced."
4. If there is a section called "Java VM" (you will probably need to scroll down to see it), then your browser can run Java. But the box called "Java JIT compiler enabled" has to be checked for Java to run.

Shockwave

To install Macromedia® Shockwave™ or to get help with the plug-in, visit Macromedia.com

Flash

To install Macromedia® Flash™ or to get help with the plug-in, visit Macromedia.com

If the game loads just fine, you've got the plug-in! If the game doesn't respond when you press keys, make sure that the window that the game is in is the active window (without another window, like the game instructions, sitting on top of it). Just click once anywhere in the window to make it active.