The following are a few screen dumps of: SIZE=100 SHEDS=5 GROW=-10 SHED=50 MAXSIZE=250 ./prog As you will see it took 17 bugs to get down to below 0. Notice how I had to get down to 0 more than once: because I moved enough times before I got the last bug that I grew by 5 in size. I then however moved a bit more and ate a bug which brought me down to -5 therefore winning at the max size of 250. This then showed: YOU WIN! X:62/89 Y:5/25 S:250/250 B:17 Observe all the arrows on the screen; that's where a bug was that I ate and then I split off losing 10 in size. The first one dump I got myself already to 15: X:17/89 Y:15/25 S:15/250 B:13 ########################################################################################## # # # o ooo oooo # # o o ooooooooo> o v # # o o oo o # # o o o o # # o o o o # # # # # # o # # o o> # # oooooo # ########################################################################################## But here now I'm at 0; the head is the sole left arrows: X:19/89 Y:12/25 S:0/250 B:16 ########################################################################################## # oo # # o ooo oooo # # o o oooooo*oo> v # # o o oo o oo> # # o o o o oo # # o o o oooo # # # # o o # # o o # # o o # # < ooo o # # o o # # # # o # # o o> # # oooooo # ########################################################################################## I ended up moving enough times where my size went back up to 5; the head of the snake is in this file line 80 col 56; the bug is at line 81 col 63: X:55/89 Y:4/25 S:5/250 B:16 ########################################################################################## # oo # # oooo> oooo # # o o oooooo*oo> v # # o o oo o oo> # # o o o o oo # # o o o oooo # # # # o o # # o o # # o o # # < ooo o # # o o # # # # o # # o o> # # oooooo # ########################################################################################## But did you see anything strange? The bug is on the fourth line below the upper wall. However it appears to be inside the body of the snake! But actually that's just where the snake split off at some point: the snake no longer occupies that place and indeed I could safely go through that part of the screen.