Guide to Getting a High Score in "Typing Maniac"

"Typing Maniac" is a super fun game available as a Facebook application. Confession: I am extremely addicted. Luckily for me, I have figured out the best strategy for playing this game. Lucky for you, I'm willing to share that knowledge.

First, you have to know what each "helper word" does.

Fire: Pretty much useless. It wipes away all of the words that are falling allowing you to get a fresh set.

Ice: Freezes all the words for a period of time. Great to use to catch up.

Slow: Makes the words scroll down slower.

Wind: Makes your "danger" meter go back down to 0%. This is awesome if you're on the verge of losing.

Using these helps the right way is how you get a high score. You don't even have to be a fast typist. You only really have to be able to type without looking at the keys.

The first few levels are easy. Make sure you don't make any mistakes. Type the words carefully, this way you get the "error free bonus". You can also get an "error free bonus" if you use the help words. All you have to do is not allow any words to fall completely off the screen and not make any typos. This will become impossible after a few levels. So, don't worry about it.

You only get to have six helpers stacked up. So, it's important to use one if you have six. If you get anymore, they won't be saved. You may as well use them. Another good thing to know is if you have six and you see one scrolling down. You can type the one you see going down, quickly type a help and the new one will count. It takes 2-3 seconds for the word to "fly" over to the right of the screen. As long as there's a space for it, you'll get it. Very, very useful hint.

The key is to consistently use the help words. If you have "slow", from the very beginning of the level use it. Make it the first or second word you type. This will give you a great head start in beating the level.

Always go for the words that are the helps. If you do this, you'll pretty much always have three. Even if you have to use a help to get a help, it's worth it! You'll be replacing it anyway. You should be using one help after another.

You might think, "If I use all my helps, I'll run out". This isn't true! I tested it. If you're consistently typing words that are helps, you won't run out. I promise. So, if you see a "wind" and a "slow" on your screen, use "ice". Type out the "wind" and "slow" words. Now, because you've used "ice", you've gained "slow" and "wind".

It's important to always know which helps you have. Never keep "fire". It clears the screen. You may think that's great. But, if you have a help scrolling down the screen, it will get rid of that. Now, you've just wasted a help, but didn't get anything in return. Only keep "fire" if you have only three helps. I suggest only using fire in the chance that there are no helps scrolling down the screen. That way, at least it's not wasted.

Combining "ice" and "wind" is great. Just make sure that you're typing out the help words first so you are replenished.

Relax. Most times you lose because the words are scrolling down the screen so fast, you just don't know what to do first. Or, the words are scrolling so fast you can't make them out. It's fine! Just use a help. As I said before, you should be using one help after another. So fast scrolling words shouldn't be an issue.

Don't get frustrated. Play a few times with this strategy to really get the hang of it. In no time at all, you'll have the number one score of all your friends. You'll even be improving your typing speed as you play. Good luck! And please let me know how it went!