Introduction
Target Clear is a single-player game which is a cross between the 1980s game Space Invaders and the TV game show Countdown.
The user is given a list of five numbers which they can use to create a mathematical expression. The game has a list of 20 target numbers. On each turn, the user enters a mathematical expression which they are aiming to evaluate to one of the targets in the Targets list. This removes the target from the Targets list. The first five elements in the Targets list are blank – giving the user some empty space. However, after each turn the list moves one index to the left, slowly moving the targets into that empty space. If a target gets all the way to the left-hand side of the list, the game is over.
The expression entered by the user can only use the mathematical operators +, -, /, *. The expression cannot include brackets but will correctly interpret the precedence of the accepted operators.
If the user enters an expression which evaluates to one (or more than one) target in the Targets list, that target is removed, and points are awarded to the user. The list then moves to the left.
If the user enters an expression which does not evaluate to one of the targets in the Targets list, points are deducted from the user and the list moves to the left.
This resource aims to help you get to grips and help you prepare for the A Level Paper 1 examination for summer 2025, which is partly based on the Target Clear pre-release material.
It consists of the following sections:
Code breakdown: a detailed technical overview of the skeleton program, describing in detail each class and method in turn – including their purpose/function, parameters and return values. Note that this is intended as a helpful reference document only, and not as a substitute for exploring the code in a practical manner.
UML class diagram activity: requires you to study the program and fill in the gaps with the missing class/method names, data types, associations and access levels.
Video: a quick overview of the Target Clear game mechanics – intended as a visual aid to accompany the notes in the official AQA pre-release material.
Theory questions: designed to test your understanding of the skeleton program. These questions require access to the program, but no modifications need to be made to the program. Write-on (with answer lines) and non-write-on versions are available.
Coding tasks: there are 19 modification tasks to test your programming skills – as well as an additional 13 modification ideas that you may also want to try as extension tasks.
Solutions / Mark Schemes for: UML Diagram Activity, Theory Questions, and Coding Tasks.