60
seconds
A device slides onto a workbench under a desk lamp. A red seven segment display starts counting down, a fuse cord starts to burn, and there is one word on a strip of tape. Type it and the display flashes green. Miss the deadline and the lamp goes out in a white flash.
Every bomb carries a single word on a piece of masking tape stuck to its circuit board. The letters you have typed light up, and a bar under the next letter shows where you are. The moment the device stops sliding, the fuse is lit and the timer runs. Finish the word and the display freezes at 00.00 in green, the status light turns green and the bomb slides off the bench while the next one slides in.
Keys you press while a device is still sliding in already count, so a fast reader can be halfway through a word before the fuse even catches. Spaces are ignored, so a habit of hitting the space bar after a word never costs you anything.
Each bomb is worth ten points per letter, plus a bonus for the time left on the display and a little extra if you defused it without cutting a wire. A streak of defusals in a row raises a multiplier, and a detonation resets it. Higher levels multiply everything a little more.
Most typing practice runs against a long, calm clock. Here every word has its own short deadline, and the last two seconds tick faster while the lamp starts to flicker. It trains you to stay accurate when you feel rushed, which is where most people's speed falls apart. A mistake costs time rather than just a red letter, so you learn quickly that one clean attempt beats three hurried ones. Advanced mode starts with longer words and a tighter fuse, so it stays tense well past 80 words per minute.
The letter is not entered. One wire on the board snaps, the device jolts and the fuse loses half a second. Type the right letter and carry on.
It depends on the word and the level. On level one you get roughly a second per letter plus time to react; each level takes about fourteen percent off the time per letter.
Yes. As soon as the tape is visible your keys count, even while the device is still sliding onto the bench.
Yes. The scene scales down to small screens and works with an on-screen keyboard, though the later levels are much easier with a physical one.