Here is how you play Minesweeper:

Run it. In Windows XP, it is in Start Menu > All programs > Games. In Ubuntu, just search for it in the Dashboard.

The rest of the instructions are for Windows XP.

Click somewhere on the squares. If the number you get is just a 1, click the smile and try again. Once you get a
substantial amount of squares gone, go to the next step.
Look at a square.
If a number is on a square, it indicates how many mines are in the eight squares that surround the numbered one. If there
is nothing on a square, there are no mines surrounding it!
To mark a square you suspect contains a mine, right-click it. The reason you should mark it is just for your own benefit, not necessary.

For example:

Code:

Where "X" represents an unclicked square.
This one right here:

Code:

is a mine, because the one above it says "1", and that spot is the only one around that 1!
Now look at arrow "A":

Code:

Because the number at arrow "B" is a 1, and there can only be one mine around it, and there already is a mine around
it, therefore the square at arrow "A" cannot be a mine!
So click it to remove it. That will reveal a number. Suppose the number is "1":

Code:

That agrees with the above "1"s that the square above it is a mine. But therefore, the two squares below it cannot be mines - it already has 1 mine somewhere around it! So click both of them to reveal them. Now it looks like this:

Code:

There is a "2" right there:

Code:

If you look around the "2", you will see that there are only two squares around it, therefore, they must both be mines!
This game takes a while to figure out the logic of, but that is fun.
The reason I am posting this is because Minesweeper is a really fun game that all should and can play. It is on nearly all systems. And it is sometimes more fun than Minecraft. Post any questions here, and see if you can beat my score of 16 seconds!

[EDIT]
Thanks Comic, got it fixed!

Nice tutorial. It is definitely an "essential skill" to know how to play Minesweeper on a computer.

One thing that ought to be mentioned is that on all Windows systems with two mouse buttons, you can click both mouse buttons simultaneously to perform a "chord". Basically, if you do this on a numbered square that already has that number of flags next to it (e.g. a 1 that already has 1 flag next to it, or a 3 with 3 flags), Minesweeper will automatically reveal the other squares surrounding the square. This obviously makes gameplay very fast, but should only be done if you are absolutely certain of the mines' location, because an improperly placed flag will cost you the game.

I should also mention that the Windows 8 version of Minesweeper has 40 G worth of Xbox Live Achievements, and, at the time of this writing, is creating Leaderboards, Challenges, and an Adventure mode.

You forgot both-button clicking.

EDIT:

My highscore is currently 14 seconds on easy.

This can also be done by clicking when holding Shift, which I prefer.
Wow, that seems pretty odd. I like Minesweeper better when it's just a small and simple game

There you go - you beat me! Congratulations.

To everyone else: Thanks, your comments are part of the tutorial. All I (really) want is for hellninjas to play Minesweeper .

I have not yet found where Minesweeper is located in Windows 8, and I don't like the version in Windows Vista. My favorite is the one from Windows 3.1, but all the others are good too (barring Vista). Up until Vista, they never really changed anything about Minesweeper!

Oops, I missed that part of his post. Anyway, that should be included in the main tut, as it allows easier comprehension of higher-level logic.

You have to get it off the Windows Store - it's labeled as Windows Minesweeper. It's still free, but you have to explicitly download it. It is a little more complex-looking, but (like all Windows 8 games) is designed to be touch friendly. For instance, you can simply tap a number to do a chord, rather than having to click both mouse buttons or shift-click. But that still works, too.
Oh, yes, and the Vista, 7, and 8 versions also support interaction with a keyboard, and the Vista and 7 versions even support a gamepad (axes to move, button 0 to reveal, button 1 to flag).


The achievements in Windows 8 minesweeper are really just to prove how uber-pro you are. For instance, you can get 10 G by completing a minefield without flagging a single square. In addition, Windows 8 makes it really easy to boast about your high score, since it's on the Leaderboards and you'll be able to Share it at some point.