Choose the Difficulty Level and the Theme, before start playing; don't forget to check your Game Settings to set the Next Image Flow, to automatically select the next image to be played.

Once you start, find the 5 differences in each image and tap on them!
But be careful. If you tap on the wrong spot, you will lose points .

Maximum missed taps per image is only three!

While you are playing, at the top of the screen, you’ll be able to check: Time already spent, Number of differences found, Number of wrong taps, Current Score and the Pause Button.
If you Pause the game, you will be able to either Continue or Quit the game.

If you Quit, the image you were playing will be available to continue playing, at the Select Game Status menu under Resume. In case you successfully finish the Image, you will be able to play it again at the Select Game Status menu under Finished.

Once you tap the 5 differences, your Score will be shown and you will be able to post it on Facebook or Twitter.
Please check the Scoring section below to see how your Score is calculated.

Scoring

You get Points by correctly tapping the differences at the Images you selecte to Play.
The number of Points you earn (or lose!) depends on several factors, such as: Level of Difficulty, Time Used, Missed Taps, Flawless and Extra Time Required.

Let us emotionlessly dissect each of the above factors so that you can try to maximize your Score (what you would do without our help, hum?)

Differences Tapped
Even if you pin point a difference by sheer luck, we will give you a few points. How many?
It depends on the Difficulty Level you are playing.
For each difference correctly identified you will get the following points:
- Beginner : 10
- Intermediate : 20
- Expert : 30
- Detective : 50

Missed Taps
Of course we will take Points off from your score, if you miss tap a difference!
Sorry, but we can not be blamed either for your thick fingers, or by a Sarah Walker-type of momentary distraction...
For each missed tap you will lose the following points:
- Beginner : 10
- Intermediate : 20
- Expert : 30
- Detective : 50

Flawless
So, you actually identified all Differences in an Image without any missed tap ... Probably you cheated, but we will still reward you anyway !
The bonus Points you get depends on the Difficulty Level you are playing, according to the following table:
- Beginner : 10
- Intermediate : 20
- Expert : 30
- Detective : 50

Time Bonus
Of course the faster you find the differences in an Image, the faster you will be ready to Buy more Images from us, right?
So we decided to reward you for such noble quest.
However, you will only get a Time Bonus if you find all difference without requiring any Time Extension.
The bonus you get, again, depends on the Difficulty Level you are playing, according to the following table:
- Beginner : 1 x <seconds left>
- Intermediate : 2 x <seconds left>
- Expert : 3 x <seconds left>
- Detective : 5 x <seconds left>
Of course you can not know how many seconds are left in the clock! (this way if our algorithm is wrong, you will never know :-) )
But you can kinda estimate the time still remaining, by looking at the number of little bars left at the top of the screen (not this screen, the one in your phone!)


Extra Time Penalty
Thou shalt giveth, thou shalt taketh.
Or in more prosaic English: If we gave you Points for finding Differences fast, we will take Points from you, by not finding Differences fast enough
The penalty you suffer, again, depends on the Difficulty Level you are playing, according to the following table:
- Beginner : 10 x Number of Time Extensions
- Intermediate : 20 x Number of Time Extensions
- Expert : 30 x Number of Time Extensions
- Detective : 50 x Number of Time Extensions


So when you complete an Image (meaning, you find all five Differences) we calculate your Final Score for that particular Image using the following formula:


Score = Differences Tapped + Flawless + Time Bonus - Missed Taps - Extra Time Penalty

Let us give you a few examples so that everything becomes clear to you (and to us?):

Example 1:
You found all five Differences in an Image playing at Difficulty Level "Expert", with no need for a Time Extension and with 12 seconds left on the clock. However you had 2 missed taps.
Your Score will be: 210
And the partials Points are:
Differences Tapped : 250
Flawless : 0
Time Bonus : 5 x 12
Missed Taps: 100
Extra Time Penalty : 0

Example 2:
You found all five Differences in an Image playing at Difficulty Level "Beginner", with two Time Extensions (what were you doing?) and with 24 seconds left on the clock. The bright spot? You had no miss taps!
Your Score will be: 50
And the partials Points are:
Differences Tapped : 50
Flawless : 10
Time Bonus : 0 (the time left on the clock was just to trick you. No Bonus is given if you use a Time Extension)
Missed Taps: 0
Extra Time Penalty : 10

Example 3:
You found all five Differences in an Image playing at Difficulty Level "Expert", with one Time Extension and you missed one tap.
Your Score will be: 90
And the partials Points are:
Differences Found : 150
Flawless: 0
Time Bonus : 0
Missed Taps: 30
Extra Time Penalty : 30

Can I get negative Points?

Yes. But do not worry. if you get negative Points while trying to find the Differences in any Image at any Difficulty Level, we will consider your Score to be Zero.

When are my Points considered and become available on the Scoreboard?

Well, this is a very smart question. Congratulations !
The basic concept of iDifferences is that you only get a Final Score on an Image when you actually complete the Image (meaning you find all Differences we so kindly added to the Image).
What that means is that if you chose to "Quit" or not to "Extend Time" when you run out of time, the only thing that happens is that the current score you have is saved in the App, but not sent to our server (and the Image will be found under the menu "Play->Resume")
When you Resume playing an Image, everything starts from the moment you stopped playing that Image (Time Remaining / Points / Differences Tapped / Missed Taps)


Hey, I got an Amazing Score on an Image, so why did not I get into the Scoreboard for that Image?

One of two possibilities:

1- Our fault:
Maybe our server was down? Maybe our App has bugs?
Not very likely, so we guess it is the second possibility...

2- Your fault:
You should keep in mind that ONLY the first time you complete an Image, your Score will be considered to enter into the Scoreboard.
If in your first attempt to find the Differences in a specific Image, you score well enough to enter the Scoreboard, congratulations!
It is ephemeral glory at best!

If not, you can still play that Image you like so much, over and over again.
However, subsequent scores for that Image will only be uploaded to your personal account in our server, so that you can evaluate your performance, overtime, in the game. But these scores will not be considered valid for entering the Scoreboard.

Of course it makes sense!
Otherwise you would score badly, in your first attempt to complete the Image and immediately after (knowing where all the Differences are) you would score amazingly well !
You thought we did not consider that ourselves to boost our ego? You got be kidding ...