An avatar is a virtual representation of yourself. You can select your preferred features and use the slide bars and colour panels to customize. Build a realistic look-a-like, or let your imagination go wild with a more artistic approach. An avatar complements your personal profile by graphically displaying your personality. Find the avatar design and editing tools under the orange 'Your Account' menu tab.

Go to Avatar under the orange 'Your Account' menu tab. You will see the default male or female avatar on the left hand side of the screen, under your user name. Customising a basic avatar is free for YouPlay members.

To begin, choose a pair of eyes for your avatar. Scroll through the pages on the right until you find the pair you wish to use and click on them to select. You will see that the eyes appear on the face of the default avatar. Use the slide bars to alter positioning and size, and choose your preferred colour from the paint palette.

Next to the 'Eyes' heading you will see a down arrow. Click on it to release the drop down menu and continue working your way through each category until you have completely built your avatar.

When you are satisfied, click on the orange 'Save and Exit' button. Congratulations! You have created your avatar.

You can update the style of your avatar at any time, but remember to always save any changes.

YouPlay Premium Members also have access to the Avatar Store, which features a fantastic range of accessories for your avatar. Sign-up now to immediately unlock these items.  

The Store is available to YouPlay Premium Members only. Sign-up for a subscription and unlock a great range of extra items and accessories to creatively personalise your avatar.   

YouPlay Premium Members can use tokens to purchase additional accessories from the Avatar Store. Each item that you select will appear in the shopping cart at the bottom of the screen. When you are ready to finalise the transaction, click on the orange 'Checkout' button which will save the items to your account.

Once you have traded tokens for a Store item, it is yours to keep for the duration of your Premium Membership. You can recognise which items make up your wardrobe as they will be marked 'Purchased' in the Store menus.

If you wish to dress your avatar in an item you have previously purchased, simply find and select it in the appropriate Store menu, choose your preferred colour and click the orange 'Save and Exit' button.

If your firewall or ISP is blocking the normal operation of our chat software, you'll be switched to a "standby" mode that is intended to still permit you to participate. However, because standby mode doesn't maintain a direct connection to our chat server there are times when messages will disappear. This is especially true if you have a slow or glitchy Internet connection.

To ensure all our games and chat are working at their optimum, please upgrade to a modern high-quality web browser like Apple Safari, Firefox, or Internet Explorer 7+. Then, if you can, have your firewall accept outgoing connections to Port 9339, which is the channel our chat currently operates on. If this doesn't help, please have someone perform a check on your broadband connection to diagnose any further issues.

The YouPlay chat room in the Players Lounge provides a space for members to meet and talk together in real time.

You can view the user names of other players who are chatting in a list on the right.

Joiming the conversation is easy. Simply type your message in the text box and click on 'Send'. You will see your message appear in the chat box along with any responses.

Happy chatting!

When you become a YouPlay member, you join a fantastic community of new friends, and you have a right to feel safe using community features such as chat rooms. It is also expected that all YouPlayers will abide by the general rules of social conduct to ensure that everyone has a great experience while on the site. 

If you are unhappy with the conduct of a chatter, use the ignore feature to block their messages. To do this, click their username in the chat window and hit Send.

No. The first time you log-in to your Premium account within each calendar month you will receive one entry into the Prize Packs draw. Each Premium Member can receive a maximum of one entry per calendar month.     

Check to see if you've won by visiting the Prize Winners page. Read the complete list of winners from the previous 30 days or run a search for your user name, a specific time period or an individual prize draw. 

Your prize pack will be sent via Australia Post to the address you have provided within six weeks of the draw.

Sometimes issues may occur that can stop letters from appearing into the crossword grid cells.  

A simple first step is to make you that you click on a grid cell to select it for input.  After you click on the cell, you should be able to enter letters.

Grid cells with correct responses will be 'locked' and it's important to keep in mind that these cells cannot be selected for further input.

If a grid cell can be selected but will accept no letters, then an intermittent browser or system fault may have occurred.  In this case, click the Save button and Exit the game.  Then, on your Saved Games page, load the game just saved. 

If this condition occurs very often for you, please Submit a Bug Report.

Yes, you can save most games on YouPlay to your account. If you wish to finish your game at a later time, click on the 'Save' button in the top-right hand corner of the game play panel.

How many games can I save at the same time?

- YouPlay Members receive 3 save slots and can use tokens to purchase up to 10.
- YouPlay Premium Members receive 10 save slots and can use tokens to purchase unlimited extra slots.

Note: Third party games (PopCap, etc) cannot be saved.

Go to Saved Games in the menu under the orange 'Your Account' tab. This page will display your complete list of unfinished games and the time and date you saved them. To restart a game, click on the 'Play' button.

Can't get enough of your favourite puzzle?
YouPlay members can visit the archives for a huge backlist of Crosswords, Number Puzzles and Word Puzzles!

Select a puzzle title from the above three categories. Some puzzles are unlimited, like Sudoku. Others have a date-based or topical archive with hundreds or even thousands of additional games to play.

The column in the bottom right lists the archive puzzles that you have already completed to ensure you never play the same game twice.

We have tens of thousands of Sudoku grids, spanning all five levels from Easy to Extreme. The date-based archive has been replaced with an "all you can eat" system, just go to the Sudoku page and choose which level you want to play! New choices are continually available at random.

If you experience a slower than average load time on the YouPlay game finish page, you can try turning off Facebook connectivity in the "Update Profile" section of the website. This will reduce your ability to interact with Facebook and you therefore will not be able to post your score on your Facebook profile.

 If you still find you are having problems with loading the game finish page, please contact YouPlay support by lodging a bug report detailing any issues you are experiencing.

To fix this problem, first try upgrading your browser. Using the newest version will ensure that you’re getting the best possible view of our site.

If you use Mozilla Firefox, go to - http://www.mozilla.com/firefox/

If you use Microsoft Internet Explorer, go to - http://www.microsoft.com/windows/downloads/ie/getitnow.mspx

We also recommend Apple’s Safari browser. To get it, go to – http://www.apple.com/safari/

Some tips to try if the game is not playing correctly:

Check your zoom level: some browsers behave strangely when at less than or greater than 100% zoom level.  Internet Explorer and Firefox are known to function correctly, others may not.

- Check to see if you have any anti-virus software or other CPU intensive programs running, they can make some games run extremely slowly.

- Try closing your Internet browser, make sure all of it's windows are closed and open a new window to try again.
- If you have any browser toolbars installed, particularly lesser-known varieties, try uninstalling them, or use a browser that does not have them installed.

If your computer system uses a firewall, then you may see a delay of around 5-10 seconds before the game starts.  Note that this does not affect all games or all types of firewalls.  To avoid the 5-10 delay, ask your network administrator to open port 9339 for inbound / outbound traffic for your firewall system.

The puzzles might not display because you do not have the latest version of Flash Player installed, or you may have JavaScript disabled.

Possible Solution #1:
If you see a message requesting to install Adobe Flash Player, click 'Install'. This will update your Flash Player to the latest version.

Possible Solution #2:
Your JavaScript might be disabled. To enable it:

for Internet Explorer users
click Tools>Internet Options>Security>Custom level, and scroll down until you see 'Scripting'. Ensure that 'active scripting' is enabled.

For Mozilla Firefox users
click Tools>Options>Content, then ensure 'Enable JavaScript' is selected.

Possible Solution #3:
Your ActiveX controls might be disabled. To enable them:
Click Tools>Internet Options>Security>Custom level, and scroll down until you see 'ActiveX controls and plug-ins'. Under this subheading, ensure that 'Run ActiveX controls and plug-ins' is enabled or at least set to 'Prompt'.

If the puzzles are still not displaying, it is probably because you have another security measure preventing it, such as AntiVirus software, or a firewall. Please visit Support Tickets for further help.

ActiveX is a software module which enables certain programs to function, including some games on YouPlay.

You will need to install the correct ActiveX in order to play third party games (such as PopCap). You should receive a prompt to allow Active X the first time you play. If no prompt appears, it could be that more than one person uses your computer, and you are not recognised as having sufficient privileges to install software. If this is the case, try restarting your computer after logging in as the Administrator.  

If you still do not receive the steps to install our ActiveX, you have another option. You should see a yellow drop down box appear near the top of the window asking if you would like to install the PopCap Games Loader, please click this box and select 'Install ActiveX Control'

Once you have installed our latest ActiveX, your game should begin!

To make Internet access more efficient, information is often saved in a 'cache', either on your computer or at your ISP. Occasionally this can make it seem like a page or data file is staying the same, even though it has been updated at the source.

We do our best to work around this by using various technical means, but in case your puzzles are not refreshing properly you can try clearing your local browser cache (or Temporary Internet Files, if you're using Internet Explorer), or waiting 6-12 hours and trying again.

If these steps don't help, please contact us so we can investigate the problem.

This could be several things.

Make sure you have cookies enabled.
Add *.youplay.com to the safe list in any anti-virus, anti-spam or ad-blocking software you may have loaded onto your machine.
Try to log in on the Forum page.
Clear your Internet cache and cookies and try again.
Try another browser (such as Mozilla Firefox).

In the orange log-in box (top-right corner of the Home page), click on 'Forgot password?' (do not click on Go, do not collect $500). Type in your User Name and the email address you registered and you'll receive an email with a new temporary password that you can change once you've logged in again.

Go to Account Details in the menu under the orange Your Account tab. The second item on the list is your password. Click on the 'Change' button and type in your new password. When you have finished, click on the red 'Reset Password' button to save details.

The YouPlay leader boards reward YouPlay members for excellence in game play, adding some friendly competition to the community! If you earn the most points, get the best time, or are a frequent player of a particular game, you will find your user name and avatar represented on the leader boards.

You can visit the profile of another YouPlay member by clicking on their user name in the leader boards.

How high can you climb?

Visit the leader boards in the Players Lounge. Select a game from the drop-down menu on the right. Click on 'Top Point Scorers', 'Top Times' or 'Most Plays' to reveal the best players in each category.

If your name does not appear on a leader board, keep trying!

PopCap Web Games — For Your PC and Mac

Troubleshooting Tips

Note: Online games are free games and only playable over the internet.
In order to play these games, certain components need to be installed and activated on a computer through its browser. Depending on the computer and its browser, this could range from ActiveX components to Java components. If these are not installed through the computer's internet browser, PopCap Games products that are web-based will not operate properly.

Other possible issues that could cause blocking of our online games may be pop-up blockers, firewalls and virus scanners. Please refer to your computers help articles or your browser's help articles regarding installing and activating these components. Purchasing the full-versions of PopCap Games products does not require the usage of browser components. Here are some options in troubleshooting this issue:

Option 1 - Installing our ActiveX [PopCap Games Loader]

If your web game does not automatically start, you may not have the proper ActiveX installed on your computer.

How do I install ActiveX?

You should see a yellow drop down box appear near the top of the window asking if you would like to install the PopCap Games Loader, please click this box and select 'Install ActiveX Control'.

Once you have installed the correct ActiveX, your game should begin!

Option 2 - Clear your internet cache (cookies)

Clearing your internet browser cache/cookies can fix many common issues such as loading or crashing in mid-game. Some browser components may need to have their cache cleared as well. Please select your browser for instructions:

Internet Explorer 5.x or 6.x
1. Launch your Internet Explorer browser.
2. Click on the Tools menu at the top of the browser.
3. Click on Internet Options from the drop-down menu.
4. Click on the Delete Cookies button.
5. Click on the Delete Files button.
6. Click OK.
7. Close your browser and restart Internet Explorer.

Internet Explorer 7
1. Launch your Internet Explorer browser.
2. Click on the Tools menu at the top of the browser.
3. Click Delete Browsing History.
4. Click Delete All.
5. Close your browser and restart Internet Explorer.

Firefox
1. Choose Tools from the main menu (at the top of the Firefox window).
2. Click on Options, and the Options window will appear.
3. Click on the Privacy button on the top left of the window.
4. Click the Cache tab and then click the Clear Cache Now button.
5. Your computer may take a minute or two to delete everything.
6. Once your cursor reverts from the hourglass to the normal cursor, click the OK button at the bottom.
7. Now, close all Firefox windows and re-open Firefox again.

We recommend that you also clear the Java cache and temporary internet files.
Many internet games and tools use Java to operate. Often, clearing the cache for Java will resolve numerous issues. In order to delete the Java cache, which is different from the browser cache, please follow the steps below.

1. Click Start
2. Select Control Panel

Option 3 - Enable Java

Internet Explorer
1. Under Tools, select Internet Options
2. Select the Security tab
3. Set your security level to Medium or lower
4. If you have chosen to customize your security settings for the Internet zone, be sure that under the Java heading, "Java permissions" is not set to "Disable Java." Select one of the three safety levels instead. Also be sure that under the Scripting heading, "Scripting of Java Applets" is set to "Enable" or "Prompt."

Windows XP Users
If you have a new installation of Windows XP or Internet Explorer 6, you may need to download the Java Virtual Machine from Sun. Please refer to the following link: http://java.sun.com/getjava/download.html

Netscape
1. In the Menu bar, click Edit
2. Click Preferences
3. Select Advanced
4. Check mark Enable Java and Enable JavaScript

Firefox
1. Under Tools, select Options
2. Select the Content tab
3. Check mark Enable Java and Enable JavaScript and select OK

Option 4 - Temporarily disable your firewall, pop-up blockers, or anti-virus software

Some antivirus or personal firewall applications incorrectly identify our products as viruses and disrupt or block the software from downloading or registering. Please be assured that products that come from PopCap Games are virus free. We recommend the following options regarding this security software:

Update Your Anitvirus Software
Please visit your AntiVirus Software website for the latest virus definitions to allow the component to load properly.

Disable your Anti-virus Software, Firewalls and Blockers
Temporarily disable your firewall, pop-up blockers, or anti-virus software until the ActiveX successfully loads.

Please refer to your computer or internet browser customer support section for further information on how to temporarily disable these programs.

IMPORTANT: PopCap Games strongly recommends that you re- enable your firewall, anti-virus software and/or pop-up blocker after the ActiveX properly loads.

"Deluxe" is the fancy title for the version of the game which is downloaded and installed on your computer. We no longer use the "Deluxe" reference and just refer to these games as the Download versions of the games.

You need to connect to the Internet to download the game, and also to register the game for unlimited play if you later decide to purchase it. However, you don't need to connect to the Internet to PLAY it. We have compiled some troubleshooting tips below to assist you in achieving optimal performance.

When you download a game from our site, you receive either a Timed Trial or "Level Locked" version of the game. This allows you to try the game in your own time, either within an hour trial or up to the first 3 levels of a game and decide if you would like to purchase the full version of the game.

If you do decide to purchase the game, you will receive an order confirmation email containing an Serial Number which allows you to register or unlock the game and play the full version. We explain how to register or "unlock" the game below.

When you purchase one of our games, you receive 3 "licenses" which means you can reinstall the game up to 3 times. This is useful if you have more than one PC, reformat or replace your current PC.

We can issue some more! We treat this on a case by case basis, and reserve the right to do so. If you require more licenses due to a problem registering your game or due to repeated system formatting, please email the accountmanager@youplay.com and they will review your case.

Some antivirus or personal firewall applications incorrectly identify our products as viruses and disrupt or block the software from downloading or registering. Please be assured that products that come from PopCap and Trymedia Games are virus free.

For more support information about our Trymedia download products, please visit http://csc.trymedia.com/

Additionally, we recommend you add our site to your list of "Safe" or "Trusted" Sites for your browser, firewall and virus scanners. Please refer to your software's help articles regarding adding safe/trusted sites.

Once your game is installed on your computer, start the game and follow the instructions below.

1. Click "Register Now" to register your game.

2. Copy or type the Serial Number as displayed in your Order Confirmation Email into the form when instructed.

3. Click on the Register button to launch the online process.

4. After validating your order, your game should be registered and unlocked for unlimited play.

5. Return to your game to verify it is unlocked. Click "Continue" to play!

*Remember to always use the numeral 0 and not the letter O when registering your game.

Clearing your internet browser cache/cookies can fix many common issues such as loading or crashing in mid-game. Some browser components may need to have their cache cleared as well.

Please select your browser for instructions:

Internet Explorer 5.x or 6.x Launch your Internet Explorer browser.

Click on the Tools menu at the top of the browser.

Click on Internet Options from the drop-down menu.

Click on the Delete Cookies button.

Click on the Delete Files button.

Click OK. Close your browser and restart Internet Explorer.

Internet Explorer 7 Launch your Internet Explorer browser.

Click on the Tools menu at the top of the browser.

Click Delete Browsing History.

Click Delete All.

Close your browser and restart Internet Explorer.

Firefox

Choose Tools from the main menu (at the top of the Firefox window).

Click on Options, and the Options window will appear.

Click on the Privacy button on the top left of the window.

Click the Cache tab and then click the Clear Cache Now button.

Your computer may take a minute or two to delete everything. Once your cursor reverts from the hourglass to the normal cursor, click the OK button at the bottom.

Now, close all Firefox windows and re-open Firefox again.

The majority of games on YouPlay automatically award tokens. You receive more tokens when you play quickly and accurately. You can win tokens by playing the following games:

Crosswords

Classic
Cryptic
Elevenses
Giant
General Knowledge

Number Puzzles

Addoku
Kakuro
Shapeshifter
Sudoku
Windoku
X-factor Sudoku

Word Puzzles

Code Cracker
Wordsearch
Alphabet Mix
Wild Words

Trivia

Quiz Time

The majority of games on YouPlay will award you tokens for playing quickly and accurately. Tokens can be traded for additional game play and other features. You can view your token tally in the orange profile box, found in the top left hand corner of the screen. 

YouPlay Members can trade tokens for:
- Additional puzzle save slots

YouPlay Premium Members can trade tokens for:
- Premium avatar items
- Additional puzzle save slots

Additionally, YouPlay Premium members can increase the amount of cash they have a chance to win in our weekly cash prize.  The more tokens earned, the more cash can be won, up to $200 every week! 

No. The tokens that you earn are yours to trade for additional game play and other features.

Every Friday at 11am (AEST/AEDST) the new winner and amount won will be published on the Cash Prize Draw page. Bookmark this page for easy access!

If you’re a lucky winner you’ll also be sent an email through your YouPlay inbox.

Any problems or questions you have can be submitted via a Support Ticket. A member of our Technical Team should get back to you within 48 hours. Our game logs record all tokens allocated so you can rest assured any issues will be swiftly resolved.

Each week a new winner is selected at random from the entire Premium Membership playing pool. As required by law, a mechanised ‘Random Number Generator’ approved by the NSW Dept. Gaming and Racing (2007) is used to select the winner.

All cash prizes are in Australian dollars and will be sent as a personal cheque. Prizes will be dispatched within six weeks of receiving your contact details. Any queries can be sent to: accountmanager@youplay.com

Spending your tokens – for instance, in the Avatar Store – will not reduce your weekly token count for the cash competition. Tokens spent will not be deducted until the end of each weekly period.

No. To remove any confusion, if you visit the Profile page of another member you will not see their token calculator.

Unfortunately there are a crippling number of legal obstacles and costs involved in obtaining international online competition permits, and this severely restricts our conditions of entry. We’d love nothing more than to open the competition to ALL countries – but the laws prevent us!

The competitions are open to all valid YouPlay Premium Members (subscribers) from Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. Entry is automatic and you do not have to have visited the site to be selected as the winner.

Not yet a Premium Member? Sign up today for instant access to the competitions - plus a great range of benefits.

A new competition begins at 11am every Friday (AEST) and runs until 10:59am the following Friday.

The minimum cash prize is AUD $100. Increases of $20 are awarded when you earn the requisite amount of tokens. The maximum weekly cash prize possible is $200.

The rainbow Cash Calculator on your Profile page will convert your accrued tokens into a (progressive) cash figure. Remember - every token you earn goes towards increasing the cash prize. Watch as your balance grows and grows!

An annual subscription to YouPlay costs AUD $19.95.

If you enjoy the site and play regularly a subscription could be an option for you. In addition to some great privileges and benefits, each new Premium Member now also receives four Lovatts puzzle books (valued at $18.00).

You can upgrade your account here.

YouPlay Members have an inbox capacity of 50 emails. 

If you reach the capacity of your inbox (50 messages), you will not be able to send or receive mail. Once you have deleted old messages, you will again be able to send mail.  

No. You can send one message to one person per minute.

Subscribing to a YouPlay Premium Membership gives you access to the complete range of games and features:

- No annoying ads to interrupt your game play
- Access to every puzzle and game category
- Personalized avatar with exclusive accessories
- Chat with friends in real time
- Community blogs
- Leader boards
- A Premium Membership is great value at only $19.95 annually.

Receive 250 tokens instantly when you sign up as a Premium Member!

YouPlay takes every measure to ensure the safety of your personal details. We use VeriSign SSL for secure e-commerce and confidential communications and do not store credit card numbers.

Yes. As a service to our members, YouPlay will reactivate lapsed or cancelled accounts for up to 12 months. This means that if you are unable to visit the site for a period of time, you can rest assured that your account (tokens and points, avatar, etc) will not immediately be wiped.

To reactivate an old account, you must sign-up with the same user name and password.

If you have any difficulties, please fill out a Support Ticket for help from a YouPlay team member.

Simply go into the game you have saved and then exit out again (without re-saving). The game will automatically be deleted. 

To cancel your premium membership, please forward an requesting the cancellation of your subscription to: accountmanager@youplay.com

Please note that it can take up to five business days for cancellations to take effect.