-= Falconer's Puzzle Bobble 3 FAQ: Version 1.1 =-

-= Trademarks =-

Puzzle Bobble 3 is a trademark of the Taito Corporation.

-= Legal Crap =-

This FAQ is Copyright (C) Scott Faulkner/Falconer (sfaulk@earthlink.net).
It may be posted only on the following sites:

      www.gamefaqs.com   GameFAQS
     www.bubandbob.com   Bubandbob.com
  www.gameoverdude.com   gameoverDude.com

Q:  I see this FAQ on a certain site other than the ones you listed above.
Now what?
A:  Tell me ASAP at sfaulk@earthlink.net.

Q:  If I receive permission to host this FAQ, how may I post it to my site?
A:  Only in its original plain text form.  If I find out that changes or
deletions were made to it, I'll ask you to take it down.  I will do more
than ask if it is necessary.

(Note:  This FAQ should _NEVER_ appear on megagames.com, gamesdomain.com,
or CNET Games Center.  If you found it there, TELL ME.  They tend to rip
off FAQs, from what I've heard.  HTML versions may not appear anywhere
other than Bubandbob.com.)

Q:  Where can I check for the latest version?
A:  The sites noted above should be the only ones with my FAQ, and thus the
only ones that will get updated versions.

Q:  So, can I host your FAQ?
A:  Send an e-mail.  I'll e-mail you back with an OK notice and add your
site to the OK list if I decide to grant you permission.

Q:  Can I use this FAQ for any profitable means?
A:  No.  If it vaguely resembles profit or a reward, even only one penny,
no.  This includes magazines/ publishers in general.  I've heard about what
happened to Kao Megura.  It does not please me one bit.

Q:  Can I use any info found in this FAQ to start my own?
A:  Within reason.  You can't completely copy my FAQ or change one or two
things and then call it your own.  I'll get angry.  That would be bad.  If
you wish to use a part of my FAQ, then e-mail me, asking for permission.
If I grant you permission, I expect to be credited for the information you
use in your FAQ.  I did the same for those I drew info/ inspiration from, so
I expect the same from anyone who wishes to use my info.

I reserve the right to litigate if these terms/ conditions are violated.
Applicable copyright laws will be enforced.  If I use a copyrighted
resource, an acknowledgment will be given in the Thanks and Mentions
section.

If you disagree with the Terms and Conditions, you may not use this FAQ.
Stop reading right now and save both of us the headache of an argument.

SPAM: I do not like Unsolicited Commercial E-Mail (UCE).  If you send me
any UCE, I will likely ignore it.  If you decide to press the issue, your
E-Mail will be filtered and then forwarded to SpamCop.  Simply put, spam me
only if you want trouble.  I have an above average tolerance for spam, but
I'll not smile and nod while you clog my account.  Your ISP may pull your
account or take other sanctions against you, and it may get to the point of
legal penalties if you spam and decide to rip-off parts of my FAQ.

Now, onto less boring stuff.

--
I've been a fan of Puzzle Bobble/Bust-a-Move ever since I played the first
one at a local bowling alley.  The only one I've been able to play in the
arcade is the third in the series (the one this FAQ is for, natch).  I've
always wanted to make a FAQ, and figured this was as good a game as any,
given how often I play it.

What I intend to supply by the time I complete this FAQ are ways through
both main puzzle modes (normal and version 2.5), as well as how to get
fairly high scores.  I'll also provide information on the eight playable
characters (and the two non-playable characters) for those versus
computer/ player enthusiasts, or just those wondering who they're playing
as.

-= Index =-

I.)  Characters
      1.)  Bub/Bubbloon and Bob/Bobblun
            i.)  Bub/Bubbloon voice clips
            ii.)  Bob/Bobblun voice clips
      2.)  Chinkulu/Twinkle
      3.)  Pulichio/Prettio
      4.)  Malissa/Marina
      5.)  Musashi
      6.)  Luna Luna
      7.)  Jack
      8.)  Sonic Blast Man/SSB
      9.)  Debblun
      10.)  Drunk
II.)  Puzzle Mode
      1.)  Practice overview
            i.)  Level designs
            ii.)  Walk through
      2.)  Normal overview
            i.)  Level designs
            ii.)  Walk through
      3.)  Version 2.5 overview
            i.)  Level designs
            ii.)  Walk through
III.)  Miscellaneous
      1.)  Point Layout
      2.)  History
      3.)  Thanks and Mentions

-= Characters =-

First off, I won't make a fool out of myself taking random guesses at what
the characters say in certain situations unless I'm almost sure what it is.
If anyone knows what they actually say, they can send an e-mail with that
info, and they'll be mentioned in later versions of the FAQ.

1.)  Bub/Bubbloon and Bob/Bobblun

      The main characters from the game that started it all, Bubble Bobble.
Not surprisingly, their stage looks to be right out of that game.  The only
difference between them (aside from their color; Bub is green and Bob is
blue) is that Bob has a higher voice than Bub.  Noticeable only after doing
a bubble drop or after completing a round/ stage.

Idle animation:  He sways from side to side, alternating between looking at
you and looking up at the bubbles.

Desperate animation (when the bubbles are about 3 lengths away from ending
the game):  He looks up sadly at the bubbles a few times, then spazzes out.
Repeat until they win, lose or get the bubbles out of the `danger zone'.

Confident animation (when your opponent is in the `danger zone'):  He looks
over at the opponent's bubbles, smirks and starts giggling.  I'm not sure
if this was carried over into puzzle mode like it was in PB2, where you'd
go into this animation when you had about 5 bubble lengths between you and
the lowest bubble on screen.

Hit animation* (when the opponent sent bubbles to your side):  He looks
shocked as his scales briefly fly off his body.

Small attack animation (when you send about 1-3 bubbles to the opponent or
drop that many in puzzle mode):  He jumps up.

Medium attack animation (when you send/ drop 4-6(?) bubbles):  He jumps and
spins 360 degrees.

Large attack animation (when you send/ drop more than 6):  Does his small
animation followed by his medium animation.

Victory animation:  His medium animation over and over, saying the same
thing he does for his large attack animation once at the beginning.

Loss animation:  Looks at the screen sadly, drops to his knees, then to all
fours with his head down, two rainbow shaped streams of tears flowing
freely.

* This shows up only in Versus Computer/Player games.

1i.)  Bub/Bubbloon's voice clips

Small attack: "Po-ppah!"(?)
Medium attack: "Pin-pu-ruu!"(?)
Large attack: "Payon-pah!"(?)
Hit: "Fue-en..."(?)
Victory: "Payon-pah!"(?)


1ii.)  Bob/Bobblun's voice clips

Small attack: "Kokkeh!"(?)
Medium attack: "Urittah!"(?)
Large attack: "Yappah!"(?)
Hit: "Fugya-ah!"(?)
Victory: "Yappah!"(?)

2.)  Chinkulu/Twinkle

      Chinkulu appears to be from a quiz game, judging by her stage.  The
1P side Chinkulu has green hair, wearing an orange and yellow jester's
uniform with white boots and gloves.  The 2P Chinkulu has brown hair and
wears a green/ purple uniform, also with white boots/ gloves.  She gets my
vote for most sickenly cute character, barely beating Pulichio.

Idle animation:  Sways from side to side, occasionally pausing.  Hey, I
call them idle animations for a reason.  ^_^

Desperate animation:  Kneels and turns away from the player, tracing the
ground with her finger.  She glances at the player for a few seconds from
time to time.

Confident animation:  Hops a few times, then grins and does a little dance.

Hit animation:  Hops into the air, looking surprised for a fraction of a
second.  If it was a big hit, she says "Hiddoh-i (That's too awful)!".

Small attack animation:  Hops and says something that sounds like "Ikki-
mah-su (I go)!"

Medium attack animation:  Hops and puts her hands to her cheeks, making an
'ooh' face and saying "Doki-doki-desuu (My heart was beating fast)."

Large attack animation:  Gets a gleeful look on her face, eyes shut, and
rapidly stomps the ground for a second.  Then she jumps into the air, arms
spread out with a 'yay!' expression on her face.  She says "Wakuwaku-
shimasuu (I am being excited)."

Victory animation:  All three attack animations in a row, starting with
small, then medium and finally large.  She says "Motto-asonde-hoshii-desuu
(I want to have more pleasant times with you)!"

Loss animation:  Drops to her knees facing the player and rubs at her eyes
with one glove.

3.)  Pulichio/Prettio

      She looks like a super deformed elf, as far as I can tell.  Her stage
is one of those crane games where you move around an arm to drop and grab
some toys or candy.  1P Pulichio has green hair, a yellow antenna and wears
a purple jacket with green trim.  She wears white and blue striped clown
pants with purple pointy boots.  2P Pulichio has yellow hair, a green
antenna and wears an orange jacket with yellow trim.  She wears light
orange and white striped pants with orange pointy boots.

Idle animation:  She looks to her left (or right as 2P), then looks up at
the bubbles, off to the side again, then bends over and pulls at her shoes,
briefly rolling onto her back.  After that she starts all over again.

Desperate animation:  She sits on the ground with a sad look on her face,
head shaking.  It looks like she's crying without any tears.

Confident animation:  Hops around in a circle on all fours.

Hit animation:  Slams into a wall, sags to the ground and hops up shaking
her head, as if to clear it.  If it's a big hit, she says something that
sounds like "Fu-iiin!"

Small attack animation:  Hops into the air and says "La la!"

Medium attack animation:  Hops slightly higher into the air, doing a
back flip, saying "Luu la la?"

Large attack animation:  Jumps high into the air, and floats to the ground,
rapidly flailing her arms.  She says "La luu le lah!"

Victory animation:  She turns to the right (or left as 2P) and starts
clapping, saying "La la!"

Loss animation:  Drops to her belly and starts beating the ground with her
fists, a disappointed look on her face.

4.)  Malissa/Marina

      She's from a Mah Jongg game (her stage reflects this as does her
intro in Versus Computer).  1P Malissa has brown hair, white skin, a pink
jacket/bracelet and red skirt/shoes/bikini top.  2P Malissa is tan, with
dark blonde hair, a light blue jacket/ bracelet and white skirt/shoes/bikini
top.  She seems to be right out of a hentai Mah Jongg game, given what most
of her animations look like.  She's almost always got a big GRIN on her
face, which unnerves me...  well, that and the fact she has no nose.

Idle animation:  It looks like she's dancing, sliding her legs from side to
side.  She occasionally looks up at the bubbles and nods a few times.

Desperate animation:  She drops to her knees and starts begging, presumably
in hope that you'll find a way out of the situation so she can throw off
her clothes (more on that later).

Confident animation:  Does a hopping dance, ever-present grin intact.

Hit animation:  Looks confused and scratches her head, complete with a
question mark floating over her head.  After a big hit she'll say "A-rree
(Why)?"

Small attack animation:  Throws off her jacket, saying "Yoh-sshi (Alright)!".
Oddly, her jacket reappears once she goes back into her idle animation.

Medium attack animation:  Throws off her jacket and her skirt.  Once again,
they mysteriously reappear after the animation ends.  She says "Kita-kitah
(Here comes)!"

Large attack animation:  Similar to the medium attack animation, but she
does a quick dance at the end and jumps into the air, making sure to cover
her bikini top-devoid chest with one arm while the other throws afore-
mentioned top into the air.  She says "Mou-saikoh (Great)!"

Victory animation:  She blushes and flashes the peace sign (index and
middle finger extended) with a not-as-big grin on her face.  She's stripped
down to her bikini top and bottom as well.  She says "Gomen-ne (Sorry)!"

Loss animation:  Drops to her knees, facing away from the screen as tears
drip from her face.

5.)  Musashi

      Meet Puzzle Bobble 3's incarnation of Ryu, from Street Fighter.  Same
general outfit, moves and sundry other biz.  1P Musashi wears a white gi,
white headband, red belt/ wrist guards and has brown hair.  2P Musashi has
black skin, wears a pinkish gi with a pink headband, reddish hair and a
purple belt/ wrist guards.

Idle animation:  Simply standing in place, kind of like Ryu's idle
animation from basically every fighting game he's in.

Desperate animation:  Drops to one knee and looks up at the bubbles,
shaking his fist.

Confident animation:  Gathers a small blue aura about him, grimaces and
then gathers a bigger aura around himself.  He then stands there with the
energy crackling about him with a smile on his face.

Hit animation:  Winces and staggers back a step.

Small attack animation:  Does a stationary fireball which forms into a blue
bubble-like shape, which stays on screen for a second or two.  It sounds
like he says "Bubken!"  Bubble Fist, maybe?

Medium attack animation:  Does a vertical leaping uppercut with a bolt of
lightning trailing behind his fist, tears streaming down his face.  He says
"Rekkyuu-ken!"

Large attack animation:  Does his small attack animation canceled into the
medium attack animation (goes into the uppercut right after forming the
bubble) and says "Hadan-rekkyuu-ken!"

Victory animation:  Turns his back and looks over his shoulder, grinning as
wind blows his hair.

Loss animation:  He slams his fist into the wall and hangs his head.

(Note:  It would seem Musashi's voice clips in the American version are
slightly different from those in the Japanese version.  His medium attack
voice clip in the American version is the same as his small attack voice
clip from the Japanese version.)

6.)  Luna Luna

      She's from a Tarot machine.  She's probably my favorite character
(I've always been partial to Tarot stuff).  1P Luna Luna has long purple
hair (part of it covers one of her eyes and goes all the way to the ground)
and wears a blue robe with a light blue circlet of sorts.  2P Luna Luna has
long dark green hair, wears a purple robe and has a pink circlet.  Both
have a bluish glowing orb which hovers in mid-air.

Idle animation:  Hovers in mid-air with her eyes closed.  Occasionally
she'll open them to look at you or over to the right (left as 2P).

Desperate animation:  Her fists are trembling as she glares at her orb,
which has stopped glowing.

Confident animation:  She waves her hands and holds them above her head,
mouth open.  Her orb floats high into the air and continuously glows
brightly.

Hit animation:  Flinches and shields her face as her orb gives off negative
energies.

Small/Medium/Large attack animation:  The same as her confident animation,
except she only sticks with the end part for about a second.  It doesn't
matter how big an attack you make, she'll always do this animation.  She
says "The moon." for a small attack, "The stars." for a medium attack
and "The world." for a large attack.

Victory animation:  She cups her fist into her other hand, then bows her
head, hovering in place.  She says "Anata-no-miari-ga-shiawase-de-arimasu-
youni (I wish you a good future)."

Loss animation:  She turns her head away from the screen, a miffed
expression on her face.  Her orb clanks to the ground and rolls away with
no glow at all.

7.)  Jack

      A female card dealer from some sort of card game.  I'm guessing a
matching game (the background during her intro looks a lot like one), but
I'm not sure.  1P Jack has blue hair, wears a white shirt with red laces, a
gold armlet, red pants and blue loafers.  2P Jack has brown hair, wears a
pink shirt with green laces, a green armlet/ pants and brown loafers.

Idle animation:  Shuffles a deck of cards, occasionally pulling out a card,
looking at it and tossing it away.

Desperate animation:  She drops to her hands and knees, occasionally looking
up at the bubbles with a grin.  She almost never is shown without a grin.
Interpret that however you like.

Confident animation:  Relaxes against the wall, sipping from a glass of red
wine.  She goes back and forth between this and standing in place.

Hit animation:  Cards fly everywhere (notably in a spread pattern above her
head) as she gets a concerned "Oh!" look on her face, saying "Ooh..." if it
was a big hit.

Small attack animation:  Tosses about six cards into the air in a fan
pattern on purpose (unlike her hit animation).  She says "Straight!", as in
the poker hand.

Medium attack animation:  A rose magically appears in her mouth as she
turns her back to the screen and throws a diagonal fan pattern of cards.
She says "Flush!", as in the poker hand.

Large attack animation:  Her small attack animation followed by her medium
animation.  She says "Utukushi-sugiru (I'm too beautiful)!"

Victory animation:  She turns to the player, arms wide open, then spins
around a few times before striking a pose.  Roses bloom behind her and rose
petals begin to fall.  She says "Watashi-wa-utukushii (I am beautiful)!"

Loss animation:  She drops to her knees and hugs her chest, crying and
shaking her head back and forth.

8.)  Sonic Blast Man/SSB

      In my opinion, this guy is by far the weirdest of the eight selectable
characters.  He's from the Real Puncher game, and also from a pair of SNES
side-scrollers.  1P SBM wears what looks like blue football gear, complete
with shin guards and boots, grey pants with lightning bolts on them, blue
gloves, a grey helmet with yellow-rimmed blue sunglasses and a yellow scarf.
2P SBM looks exactly like 1P SBM, except substitute red everywhere blue shows
up.  He's almost always smiling, which is really annoying.

Idle animation:  Stands in place and constantly flexes his pecs.

Desperate animation:  He drops to one knee, looks up at the bubbles, then
looks at you and starts whimpering, tears coming from his sunglasses.

Confident animation:  He folds his arms, throws back his head and cackles
madly.

Hit animation:  He looks at the opponent, jaw dropping in anime-style
(hitting the floor, basically).  The voice of a small girl says "Kyah!
Tasuketee! (Oh!  Help me!)" if it's a big hit.

Small/medium/large attack animation:  He rears back and unleashes a mighty
punch (with an exaggerated hit explosion).  If you time it right, you can
make him start the punch, complete another drop and he'll rear back and do
another punch.  For all three he says "Watashi-no-panchi-wo-uketemiro (Take
my punch)!"

Victory animation:  He raises his arm and starts flexing it, making his bicep
bulge and his sunglasses bounce on his nose.  Someone that sounds like a small
girl verbally praises him as he's doing this, saying "Arigatou (Thank you),
Sonic Blast Man!"

Loss animation:  He smiles widely and falls over as a HUGE red bubble lands
on him and starts crushing him.

9.)  Debblun

      What little I've seen of him, he seems like a giant Bub/Bob rip-off.
He uses a 'dark' version of Bub/Bob's stage and is the next to last character
you face in Versus Computer mode.  It's later shown he's a fake, controlled by
the real last boss.

Idle/confident/hit/small/medium/large animation:  Currently either not
known or not completely certain of.

Loss animation:  Sways back and forth with a pained expression on its face,
before falling face first to the ground, eyes shut.

Desperate animation:  He gets a worried look on his face and starts sweating
profusely.

Victory animation:  He gets a sinister smile on his face and starts to
snicker, holding his paws to his mouth.

It sounds like he does lower-pitch versions of Bub's clips.

10.)  Drunk

      The last boss and an enemy first seen in Bubble Bobble (the green mage
with puffed-out cheeks and a brown cane).  It is the final boss in Versus
Computer mode.

Sadly, I still have no good idea of many of Drunk's animations.  However, I do
now have a vague clue for some of the voice clips (hi Jacks!).

Small attack voice clip:  "Akasatanaa!"
Medium attack voice clip:  "Hamayarawaa!"
Large attack voice clip:  "Ekesetenee!"

Loss animation:  Falls onto his back while still holding his red 'potion' and
just lies there.

-= Puzzle Mode =-

The following abbreviations will be used here, as well as in Normal and
Version 2.5 layouts:

      B = blue bubbles
      R = red bubbles
      Y = yellow bubbles
      G = green bubbles
      O = orange bubbles
      W = white bubbles
      b = black bubbles
      P = purple bubbles
      r = rainbow bubbles*
      X = inert blocks**
      . = stabilizer blocks***
      0 = gem bubbles****
      o = bowling ball bubble*****
      _ = the top of the screen; the 'ceiling'

*Rainbow bubbles look like a clear bubble with a rainbow in the middle.
Whenever bubbles are popped next to one or more of these, the rainbow bubbles
change to that color.  If three or more adjacent rainbow bubbles are changed
in this way, they will also pop.  This can lead to chain reactions if there
is a cluster of rainbow bubbles.  For example:

______
B r
 B

If another blue bubble is shot up to pop the two already there, the rainbow
bubble will turn into a blue bubble.  Figuring out ways to transform as many
rainbow bubbles as possible can lead to an easier puzzle, whether by making
another pop easier to pull off, or creating a chain reaction.  They're the
most common special bubble.

**Inert blocks look like an orangish octagon and cannot be burst, only
dropped.  They cannot cause you to lose the game by themselves.  If they're
right before the line that'd result in making you lose and the ceiling drops,
they'll harmlessly fall off.  Only if they've got an actual bubble on them
that gets pushed below the line can you lose.  They're fairly common.

***Stabilizer blocks take the place of the descending ceiling from PB1 and 2.
This results in it being possible to bounce bubbles off the ceiling, as well
as the walls.  Stabilizer blocks look like silver hexagonal donuts with a
glowing center and vanish as soon as all bubbles on them are popped.  They'll
be in every puzzle round you run into.

****Gem bubbles will pop every bubble the same color as the first one they
touch.  If you shoot a gem bubble and it hits a white bubble, every white
bubble on your screen pops.  These can lead to huge drops, resulting in a
large amount of points (and serious hurt in versus play).  They look like a
blue bubble with a shimmering white star in the center.  They're fairly rare,
although some stages start out made entirely from gem bubbles.

*****Bowling ball bubbles look like their name implies.  After being shot,
they will cut through bubbles, stopping only after hitting an inert or a
stabilizer block.  They're used mostly to clean up stray bubbles, although
some rounds require them in order to get past it.  They're very rare,
appearing only at the start of certain rounds.

1.)  Practice overview

      As the name implies, this is the easiest of the three Puzzle choices.
It only lasts for 5 rounds, after which you get the word CONGRATULATIONS!
in big orange letters in the background of round five, followed by a pic of
Debblun with an impish smile saying "Good  Try the next level."  As far as
I can tell, you're stuck with using Bub or Bob, depending on whether you're
on the 1P or 2P side.

1a.)  Level designs and walkthroughs

      What this is is a mapping of what each of the five rounds look like,
as well as my suggestions for how to clear them.  They may not be the best
way, merely the way I feel gets them done the fastest, regardless of the
bubbles you're handed.

Round P-1

_______________
 .   .   .   .
P P   O O   G G
 B   R R R   Y
B O O G G P P Y
 R R Y Y Y B B

This round is relatively straightforward.  Pop the bubbles as you go along,
stranding bubbles you can't use underneath a cluster of bubbles.  That way
when you find the one bubble needed to pop the cluster, the 'rogue' bubbles
get dropped for points.

Round P-2

_______________
 .           .
Y Y r Y Y r Y Y
 X           X
G G r G G r G G
 r           r
B B r B B r B B

Another fairly straightforward round, and an introduction to rainbow bubbles
and inert blocks.  You always start with a blue bubble, and you can fire it
just about anywhere to see a rainbow chain reaction.  Note how it works and
look forward to similar situations popping up in Normal and Version 2.5.  The
inert blocks are there just to show you how they work.  Pop the yellows and
let the chain reaction take care of both inerts.  Hopefully both rainbow
bubbles connected to those yellows are still there to allow both inerts to be
dropped at once.  Also consider this training for how to 'force' the bubble
launcher to use only the colors you have left on the screen.  The best way to
do this is via the 'rogue' bubble method:

__________
B       G
 B       G

In the situation above, suppose the launcher currently has a green loaded
with a green ready to load.  You could shoot the first green on top of the
two greens already there, making those three pop.  That leaves a green bubble
in the launcher and no greens to pop.  Not to worry, just launch that green
so that it hangs to the lower left of the two blues, like so:

__________
B
 B
G

Now, depending on whether the new backup bubble is blue or green, you can
either shoot it into the lower right spot (blue) or right below the rogue
green bubble (green).  If the next bubble is green, it either won't matter
(the previous bubble was blue, which you used to pop the two already there,
drop the rogue green, and complete the round) or you can just shoot it at the
two green dangling from the two blue and pop them.  Eventually the odds will
be against the launcher and it'll give you a blue bubble to pop with.

Generally, this idea leads to better drop points, but eats up time and can be
dangerous (you're making a cluster of bubbles closer to the 'loss' line).
The more colors there are, the harder it gets to set up safe rogue drops.
When mastered though, it leads to good drop points.  Now, back to the puzzles
at hand...

Round P-3

_______________
B B         B B
 .           .
Y Y         R R
 R R       Y Y
B B         B B
 Y Y       R R
R R         Y Y

This round helps teach you how to use the ceiling to bounce bubbles into
popping position.  The best way to start is to pop the highest right most
yellow or leftmost red clusters.  Once you get the hang of angling off the
ceiling, shoot for the left most yellow and rightmost red clusters.  If you
start out with a blue, either park it on the lowest clusters, or aim for the
blues at the very top of the field.  You've got about 2 1/2 bubble lengths (5
rows game-wise) between you and The Line, so even if you stumble upon a swarm
of blues, you can just pop them three at a time with little consequence,
whether you decide to pop the pair of blues at the top or not.

Round P-4

_______________
  W W
 b 0 P
  b P
 . . .

This is possibly the hardest of the Practice rounds, requiring you get a good
grip on bouncing bubbles off the wall.  The gem bubble is there for no good
reason... unless you happen to shoot it with a black bubble.  If you do,
you'll drop the two whites (as well as anything else you may have slapped on
top or on the side of them).  After popping the two purples, shoot any white
or purples under the three stabilizers if you're going for the Black Gem Drop
and clean them up later.  Otherwise, pop the bubbles as they come to you and
move onto the last round in Practice mode.

Round P-5

_________________________________
P P R R O O b b   W W Y Y G G B B
       0     .     .     0
B B P P R R O O   b b W W Y Y G G
       0     0     0     0
W W Y Y G G B B   P P R R O O b b
 r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r
W W Y Y G G B B   P P R R O O b b

The first big round and certainly not the last.  Pop clusters as you get the
chance, and unless a specific color would be a better 'trigger' for a gem,
pop those as they become available.  Pile up rogue bubbles to drop as needed.
When you get a crack at the stabilized bubbles, try and pop all four clusters
to insure big points.

Congrats, you've just cleaned out Practice.  A good score to have after
cleaning out all five is 2 million.  3 million is great and anything higher
is excellent.

2.)  Normal overview

      Don't let the name trick you.  There's no real difficulty increase from
normal PB3 to version 2.5 PB3.  The only visible difference is that normal
has 'tower' rounds.   Basically, where the height of the round is far beyond
what the screen shows at once.  Regular rounds tend to be anywhere from two to
ten bubble lengths from top to bottom.  Tower rounds are much MUCH bigger (I'd
guess twenty is the smallest amount, to toss out a number).  If you clear the
current 'screen' of a tower stage, you get an 100,000 point bonus and the next
six lines drop down.  The time bonus points you get in a tower round are
different than a normal round.  You get a lot of points for finishing the
round in less than two minutes.
      Depending on your path, you'll need to complete anywhere from 14 to 30
rounds in order to beat normal mode.  Much like practice, after you beat
round 30, the word CONGRATULATIONS! in big orange letters in the background.
Then your character shows up on screen with their 'machine' and say "The game
ended.  Let's go home."  Then the credits roll with multiple Bub and Bob-type
dinos (as well as our heroes) doing various acts, such as spinning, walking
and flying in an arc across the screen.  Then a picture of your character is
shown on screen, as well as your ending score.  Version 2.5 ends the exact
same way.
      Both normal mode and Version 2.5 have stages set up in the spread
pattern familiar to players of previous versions:

U V W ? X Y Z
 O P Q R S T
  J K L M N
   F G H I
    C D E
     A B
      .

For those who are unfamiliar with the system above, your character starts at
the '.' and can choose from two stages, one to the immediate upper left
and one to the upper right (starting off, that means A or B).  Once you clear
a stage, you can't backtrack (if you pick B and beat it, you can't go back
and do A) or choose a stage other than the upper left and right (if you pick
and beat A, you can't choose E).

      B = blue bubbles
      R = red bubbles
      Y = yellow bubbles
      G = green bubbles
      O = orange bubbles
      W = white bubbles
      b = black bubbles
      P = purple bubbles
      r = rainbow bubbles
      X = inert blocks
      . = stabilizer blocks
      0 = gem bubbles
      o = bowling ball bubble
      _ = the top of the screen; the 'ceiling'

2a.)  Level designs and walkthroughs

Stage B

_______________
 . . . . . . .
Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
     Y X Y
    Y X X Y
   Y X X X Y
    Y Y Y Y
 G G B P R O O
Y   r P P r   R
 Y B r B r R R
O   B B B R   P
 O     Y     P
R     Y Y     G
 R     r     G
O O O O O O O O
 G G Y Y R R B
R R B B G G Y Y
 G Y Y R R B B
O P P P P P P P
 O O O O O O O
G G Y Y R R B B
 G G Y Y R R B
R R B B G G Y Y
 R B B G G Y Y

This is the first tower round that you can play.  Your chosen character will
be to the left of the playing field, instead of the center like they were in
practice mode.  This round is fairly straightforward.  Look to try to pop the
two lines of orange bubbles to get two 100,000 point bonuses, and the yellow
bubbles near the end for a chance at another 100k bonus.

Stage D

_______________
 . . . . . . .
R R R R R R R R
     X O X
    X Y Y X
   X X G X X
    X B B X
     0 0 0
Y G B R O Y G B
 R O Y G B R O
Y G B R O Y G B
 R O Y G B R O
Y G B R O Y G B
 P P P P P P P
r   r   r   r
 r   r   r   r
r   r   r   r
 r   r   r   r
R R R R R R R R
 Y   G P Y   G
R P B   R P B
 G   Y P G   Y
B P R   B P R
 Y   G   Y   G
P P P P P P P P
 O R Y P O R Y
R Y O R P Y O R
 O R Y P O R Y
R Y O R P Y O R
 O R Y P O R Y
R Y O R P Y O R
 O R Y P O R Y
R Y O R P Y O R

First things first, do NOT immediately pop the purple bubbles.  Unless it
means losing the stage, wait for the playing field to drop twice, which
turns that string into a 1.3+ million point bonus.  A 100k bonus can be
gotten if the line of red bubbles is open and are also the top line.  The
rainbow bubbles aren't a major problem.  If you set it up right, you'll
only have one color of bubbles to use until the line of purple bubbles
shows up.  It's a downhill battle after that, with the last line of red
bubbles as your ticket to the next round.

Stage G

_______________
 . . . . . . .
P P P P P P P P
 X   X   X   X
      P b
       B
      Y G
       R
      X X
 Y 0 X X X 0 G
  Y   X X   G
 R   B   R   B
G B Y O G B Y O
 Y G B r Y G B
G B Y O X B Y O
 Y G B r Y G B
G B Y X G B Y O
 Y G B   Y G B
b   Y O G B Y O
 r   r   Y G B
r   r   r   r
 r   r   r   r
r   r   r   r
 r   r   r   r
r   r   r   r
 b b b b b b b
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      X X
     X X X
      X X
 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Nothing but gem bubbles and inert blocks to work with for now.  Gem bubbles
apparently aren't considered to be normal bubbles, so the game thinks you
have seven blocks/ bubbles left (the inerts) near the top of the screen and
has the playing field shaking almost immediately.  Don't get too upset by
this quick descent of the bubbles, because gem bubbles are easily dealt with.
You'll eventually break through to the black line of bubbles, and by popping
those, have a clear view of the playing field.  After that, it's back to a
sporadic placement of rainbow blocks, and then a cluster of orange, yellow,
green and blue bubbles, with a black and inert thrown in for fun.  Near the
end, the pair of gem bubbles will go a long way towards helping make or break
your chances of beating this stage.  If you can, save one of them for when
the last layer of bubbles (purple) show up, so that you can get out of the
stage in style.  By this point you have gotten halfway through Normal mode.

Stage K

_______________
 . . . . . . .
b b b b b b b b
 X X X   X X X
  X X b b X X
   X       X
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
 R O P R O P R
O P         O P
 R O P R O P R
O   R O P R   P
 R O P R O P R
  P   O P   O
 R O P R O P R
O   R O P R   P
 R O P R O P R
b b b b b b b b
 X b b X b b X
b b X b b X b b
 b b b b b b b
G B P R O G B P
 R O G X P R O
G B P R O G B P
 R O G B P R O
G B P R O G B P
     G Y P
      R O
       r
  r r r r   r
 r r r r r r r
r r   r r Y r r
 r r O O Y r r
B r r     R P P
 B G G   r R r

Sadly (or happily, depending on how sick you are of towers), no more towers
are accessible after clearing this stage.  Starting off, it's simply a matter
of popping bubbles and trying to get rainbow bubbles do extra work for you.
After that, there's no real strategy involved until you get access to the
black bubbles.  Pop them as soon as you can.  Then it's back to more simple
bubble popping until a set of black bubbles and inert blocks remain as the
only obstacles between you and the next round.

Round Q-1

_______________
 .           .
Y     b b     Y
 b W Y W Y W b
  W   b b   W
   b Y   Y b
b Y W     W Y b
   b       b
  Y         Y
 W b Y W Y b W

Break open the bottom of the 'triangle' as soon as you can, because without a
path to the inside, this round will not last long.  Once you do get that path
open, the stage becomes much easier.  Get a few bubble drops along the way to
salvage a decent point total.

Round Q-2

_______________
     .   .
P P P P P P P P
   R O R Y G
    R B G O
     B O G
    r R B r
   r r Y r r
  r r r r r r
 R B G   Y P O

Try to break the rainbow bubbles with a yellow or green bubble.  I find that
makes it easier to access the purple bubbles and finish the round in no time.
If luck is not on your side, just make sure you make good use of the rainbow
bubbles.  Getting a clear shot of the line of purple bubbles is ultimately
your goal, so factor that into your battle plan.

Round Q-3

_______________
 . . . . . . .
    0 R O 0
     X   X
  B P     Y G
 O X R B R X O
G r P r r Y r B
 O Y X   X R O
    P R O Y

Take this one slow and easy.  I really can't suggest a good strategy for this
round, short of use the rainbow bubbles to the best of your ability.  The gem
bubbles will be very useful for getting you out of trouble in this round, so
keep one available just in case things go sour.

Round Q-4

_______________
 . . . . . . .
Y Y Y W O R P B
 b Y W O R P B
b Y W O R P B G
 Y W O R P B G
Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
 W O R P B G Y
W O R P B G Y b
 O R P B G Y b

Pop the yellow bubbles right away.  It makes the round so much easier and
nets a nice 1.3 million point bonus.  After that, it's incredibly simple.

Round Q-5

_________________________________
   Y                         B
    .     R           P     .
           .         .

   O                         G
    .                       .

I dislike this round very much.  The first three bubbles you're given are
bowling balls.  If your bouncing skills are excellent, you can use one to mow
down the orange, red, purple and green bubbles.  The last two can be used on
the yellow and blue bubbles.  Even if you don't go 3-for-3, the round isn't
really difficult.  Once the orange and green bubbles are cleared, it's just
a matter of bouncing bubbles you don't need off the ceiling and popping the
rest.

Round ?-1

_______________
   .       .
  G   r r G
 B   r r B
  P R r r P R
     O r r r O
  G Y r r G Y
 B   r r B
  P R r r P R

Use the rainbow blocks to chew through this round.  Try to stick to one color
that break the rainbow blocks for better overall results.

Round ?-2

_______________
   . .
B P R O Y   0 0
 Y G B P     .
B P R O Y
 Y G B P
B P R O Y
 Y G B P
B P R O Y
 Y G B P

Trigger at least one gem bubble as soon as possible.  After you get one of
the gems, work on popping bubbles until you get a clear shot at the last one.
Pick the best bubble to shoot it with and clean up the leftover bubbles.  A
slower and more risky way is to trim off the yellow bubbles, so that you have
a good shot at both gem bubbles.

Round ?-3

_______________
 .
P   X P   P W
 X W   X W   X
P   P W   X P
 X W X   P W X
  P   W   X P
   W P X P   W
P X     W   X
   W X P X P W

This round is harder than it looks.  The field drops at a fast pace, so make
every shot count.  Drops will make things much easier on you.  More to the
point, drops will insure you don't lose.  This is one of the few rounds where
luck has to be on your side (getting a lot of one color in a row will not be
a good thing).

Round ?-4

_______________
     .   .
  B   O 0 B   O
 P   B   P   B
  R   P   R   P
 O   R   O   R
R B P O R B P O
 P O R B P O R
R B P O R B P O

There's no truly superior strategy for this round.  Just pop bubbles as you
get the chance and keep your mistakes to a strict minimum.  The gem bubble is
just there as a distraction; by the time you reach it, there shouldn't be a
lot you can use it with.  Clean up here, and there remains only one round
between you and victory.

Round ?-5

_________________________________
  G G G   B B B   P P P   R R R
   G G G   B B     P P   R R R
    G G     r       r     R R
 . P P   . r R     O r .   Y Y .
r r X X   R X       X O   X X r r
 P X X     X R     O X     X X Y
    P P     R R   O O     Y Y
 P P P P P X R     O X Y Y Y Y Y
P P P P P P           Y Y Y Y Y Y
 X X X X X             X X X X X

This is it.  The final round of the fourth of seven final stages.  There are
four key bubbles you need to pop and (this is ESSENTIAL) all eight rainbow
bubbles need to be intact.  The first is the purple bubble dangling below the
leftmost pair of rainbow bubbles.  The second is the red bubble that's below
a stabilizer block and a rainbow bubble.  On the opposite side is an orange
bubble also below a stabilizer and a rainbow.  Finally, there's the yellow
bubble hanging below the rightmost pair of rainbow bubbles.  Pop the load of
purple and yellow bubbles to get a clear shot at the respective solo bubbles
they guard.  With those out of the way, angle red and orange bubbles to hit
the last two triggers.  If everything goes your way, pulling this off will be
no problem at all.  The key is removing the blobs of purple and yellow; the
rest will come eventually, unless the randomizer tosses you a bunch of bubbles
you have no good use for.

After you beat this stage, be proud.  You've made it through the fourth of
seven possible 'final' stages.

3.)  Version 2.5 overview

      As far as I can tell, all Version 2.5 is is a remix of the levels from
PB2.  Being familiar with those levels will be helpful, but won't guarantee
success.
      As in PB2, you'll need to complete 30 rounds in order to beat Version
2.5.  Just like in Normal mode, the word CONGRATULATIONS! appears in big
orange letters in the background after you complete round 30.  Your character
shows up on screen with their 'machine' and say "The game ended.  Let's go
home."  Then the credits roll with multiple Bub and Bob-type dinos (as well
as our heroes) doing various acts, such as spinning, walking and flying in
an arc across the screen.  A picture of your character is shown on screen,
as well as your ending score.
      Both normal mode and Version 2.5 have stages set up in the spread
pattern familiar to players of previous versions:

U V W ? X Y Z
 O P Q R S T
  J K L M N
   F G H I
    C D E
     A B
      .

For those who are unfamiliar with the system above, your character starts at
the '.' and can choose from two stages, one to the immediate upper left
and one to the upper right (starting off, that means A or B).  Once you clear
a stage, you can't backtrack (if you pick B and beat it, you can't go back
and do A) or choose a stage other than the upper left and right (if you pick
and beat A, you can't choose E).

      B = blue bubble
      R = red bubble
      Y = yellow bubble
      G = green bubble
      O = orange bubble
      W = white bubble
      b = black bubble
      P = purple bubble
      r = rainbow bubble
      X = inert block
      . = stabilizer block
      0 = gem bubble
      o = bowling ball bubble
      ? = random bubble
      _ = the top of the screen; the 'ceiling'

3a.)  Level designs and walkthroughs

Round A-1

_________________________________
                Y
               Y Y
    . R R R Y Y   Y Y G G G .
     R B   G G B B R R   B G
      R B   G   Y   R   B G
       Y B B   Y Y   B B Y
      Y Y   R R   G G   Y Y

The red and green clusters attached to stabilizer blocks should be your
primary targets.  Pop both of those and the round is done.  If you can't
immediately pop both of those, try to save at least half of the round setup
in order to gain a 1.3 million point bonus by popping whichever 'hub' is left.

Round A-2

_______________
    . r r .
       R r
      R
       P
        P
       B
      B
       G

Hopefully the first bubble you get is a red one.  If so, this is a one-shot
round (pop the reds and the round is over).  If not, it's still very easy.
Just pop the bubbles as you get the chance and bounce ones you don't need off
of the ceiling.

Round A-3

_______________
  .   R R R R
   O O O O   R
  O   Y Y Y Y
   G G G G   Y
  G   B B B B
   P P P P   B
  R O Y G B P

One shot is all you need.  Point the gem bubble at the orange bubble and fire
away.  You'll pop the lines of orange bubbles at the top...  which happen to
be the only thing holding up the entire round's worth of bubbles.  If you miss
it, don't worry.  Try to pop the line of purple and blue bubbles as soon as
possible, to keep the round from getting out of hand.

Round A-4

_______________
   .       .
    G Y B R
   G       R
  Y   Y G   B
 B   B   G   Y
R   R       G
 R   R B Y G
  B
   Y G G Y B R

Try to pop pairs of bubbles as you get the opportunity.  Strand bubbles you
can't pop on the end of a cluster that you can for drop points.  Ultimately
you'll need to pop the red and green pairs at the very top to end the round,
or at least you will if you don't end up stranding bubbles somewhere else on
the stabilizer blocks.

Round A-5
_______________
 .   .   .   .
R R Y Y G G B B
 Y   B   R   O
P   G   P   Y
 P R O Y B Y
  P   Y   B
 G P G Y R O
R   r   r   G

I in all honesty cannot suggest a viable strategy for this round.  The main
reason is that this is one of several 'random' rounds.  Except for the highest
level of bubbles and the two rainbow bubbles, the color of the bubbles is
entirely random.  What I have listed above is just one of several possible
setups.  The only guarantee with a 'random' round is the shape.  If a random
round has gaps in certain places the first time you play through, those gaps
will always be there.

This is the only random round that I have memorized, so if rounds that you've
played through in practice, normal or version 2.5 have an entirely different
color setup than what I have listed, it's safe to say that you found a random
round.  Coincidentally, it would not go unnoticed were I to receive e-mail
from people who have discovered a random round, so that I may list it as such.

Round C-1

_______________
  R . B R . B
   R   P   B
    R R B B
     R   B
R B Y R B Y R B
 P G O P G O P

If at all possible, get rid of the purple bubble in the middle first.  That
way you have access to the lines of red and blue bubbles, instead of just one
(popping the orange or green bubble on either side of the purple one).  Those
lines of bubbles are the key to clearing out a great deal of the round.  With
them gone, all that is (hopefully) left is the triangle of bubbles in between
the stabilizers.

Round C-2

_______________
      Y       .
 R O Y G B b W
P     Y Y r
 W b B G Y O R
      Y Y     P
 R O Y G B b W
P     Y Y r
 W b B G Y O R

The first eight bubbles you get to use are always the same (red, green, blue,
purple, orange, white, black and yellow).  Place the red and orange bubbles
southeast of where they show up on the bottom row of the round itself.  Cram
the rest (except for the yellow bubble) anywhere you want on the leftmost
part, just so long as you can use the yellow bubble to pop the zigzag pattern
of yellow bubbles for a hefty bonus.  From there the round slows down a bit.
Now your main objective is to pop/ drop the pair of orange bubbles you just
made.  After that, clean up what is left over (which shouldn't be hard unless
the randomizer doesn't like you).

Round C-3

_______________
   . .   . .
R B Y P O R B Y
 P O R B Y P O 
R B Y P O R B Y
 P O R B Y P O 
R B Y P O R B Y

This is by far my least favorite part of level C.  I lose at this round more
often than ANY other round I've gone through.  It is one of several rounds
that requires more than a little help from the randomizer in order to beat.
You will need to make every single shot count...  and even then you may end up
losing.  Again, if luck never smiles upon you in any other round except this
one, be happy. (is bitter)

Round C-4

_______________
 . . . . . . .
Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
 Y
Y   r R P b P R
 Y r r   B W R
  Y         P R
 W R
G W B W
 G W B b R

If you can hit the yellow bubbles while the multicolored block below it is
still in the way, then you can end the round instantly.  It will be easier if
you get rid of that mishmash of bubbles, but try not to remove too much or you
won't be able to get an 1.3 million point bonus when you do pop the yellow
bubbles.  This turns out to be another random round, with everything except
the three rainbow bubbles and the line of yellow being random.

Round C-5

_________________________________
. b
 b R B Y G O P b R B Y G O P b
                              R
   R B Y G O P b R B Y G O P b
  b
   R B Y G O P b R B Y G O P b
                              R
   R B Y G O P b R B Y G O P b

This is quite possibly my favorite round, out of ALL of them, not just level
C rounds.  If you play it right, you can theoretically get four 10+ million
point bonuses.  First off, break the right most black bubble on the bottom
row, piling up bubbles on the left half of that row.  If luck holds out,
you'll get the first ten million bonus after popping that bubble.  Repeat the
process with the leftmost red bubble on the next line, then the rightmost
black bubble on the line above and finally the pair of black bubbles on the
top line.  The key is to get several 'junk' bubbles piled onto the bottom of
the line you're currently trying to drop, to insure that the bonus hits 10
million.  I usually only get two such bonuses, but occasionally I can get
three.  It should be easy to get at least one of the bonuses without getting
into too much danger.  If you're more concerned with surviving than racking
up a high score, go for only the top row of bubbles and whatever may be
hanging off of them.  Leaving half of the row below it intact almost always
guarantees receiving the full bonus.

Round F-1

_______________
 .           .
B G B G B G B G
 Y   Y   Y   Y
G   G   G   G
 B b B   B W B
Y   Y   Y   Y
 G W G P G b G
B   B   B   B
 Y   Y   Y   Y

The black, white and purples are there only to interfere with a round that is
not that troublesome.  The sooner you can get them out of the way, the better.
Pop yellow and blue bubbles at the start, hanging bubbles you can't yet use
where popping those yellows or blues might get rid of them.  Once you get past
the line containing the black, white and purple bubbles, you should hopefully
have breathing room in order to finish off what's left.

Round F-2

_______________
      B
     . B P X
  X O Y R P
   O Y X R Y
    R B B Y X
     R G G
        X

This round is fairly easy to clear.  Pairs of bubbles are almost always open,
and when there aren't any, it usually doesn't take bunch to reveal some.  Pop
them as you get to them and move onto the third round.

Round F-3

_______________
     .   .
      P O
     P R O
    R O P R
   O P R O P
  P R O P R O
 R O P R O P R
O P R O P R O P
 R O P R O P R

This one is harder than it looks.  Take your time and carefully pop clusters
as you get the chance.  While not as harsh as round C-3 is (IMO), making a few
mistakes here will quickly end your game.

Round F-4

_______________
     .   .
      R R
     B R B
    Y B B Y
   r Y B Y r
    r Y Y r
   Y r Y r Y
    O r r O
   G P r P G

The key to turning this into an easy round is to get rid of the center wedge
of rainbow bubbles.  Whether you do this by turning them purple, or by turning
them yellow (not as easy), getting them out of the way is crucial.  After that
is accomplished, the last part is fairly simple.

Round F-5

_________________________________
             .     .
            b b b b b
             W B Y G
            P G b W B
             W B Y G
            P G b Y B
             W B Y G
            P G b Y B

To finish this one quickly, angle a black bubble off of either side wall and
pop the top line.  Gradually chipping away until that black bubble turns up
won't hurt any, just so long as you don't chip off TOO much (no 1.3 million
bonus).

Round K-1

_______________
     .   .
Y Y Y b b Y Y Y
 G B R b R B G
B R G Y Y G R B
 G B R Y R B G
B R G b b G R B
 G B R b R B G
B R G Y Y G R B
 G B R Y R B G

This one is tricky, and having a good grasp of finishing a cluster of bubbles
with angled shots will help you a great deal.  Anything less than an average
grasp will not bode well.  Break all of the yellow and black bubbles in the
center, so that you can eventually use angled shots to break the top two trios
of yellow bubbles.  Chip away in the meantime, because you start dangerously
close to the loss line.  In fact, you may spend the entire time with your
character going in and out of panic mode after every other cluster you pop.
Keep your calm and hope that the randomizer isn't feeling particularly cruel.

Round K-2

_______________
 .           .
B             W
 Y     Y     B
  W   B W   Y
   B W Y B W
    Y B W Y
   B W Y B W
  W Y B W Y B
 Y B W Y B W Y

This setup reminds me a lot of round F-3, and a similar approach works just
as well.  Take your time and miss as few shots as possible.  Look out for a
chance to make a sizable drop by breaking the leftmost and rightmost links
that hold up the center blob of bubbles.  With the center gone, the round is
a piece of cake.

Round K-3

_______________
     .   .
      P R
     Y O P
    R P Y O
   Y O R P Y
  R P Y O R P
 Y O R P Y O R
R P Y O R P Y O
 O R P Y O R P

Speaking of Round F-4, this one has the exact same shape, but an extra color
has been added in (yellow).  You start off with a gem bubble, and you should
use it based on what the next bubble is.  If the next bubble is orange, use
the gem on yellow bubbles.  If it's purple, gem either red bubble, and so on.
After that, treat it like F-4 and/ or K-2, and you should make it to the next
round.

Round K-4

_______________
        R
       R .
        R
       R
      b b
 B G b P b G B
Y O Y O Y O Y O

Open up a spot to shoot a black bubble into the u-shaped cluster below the
string of red bubbles when you get the chance.  Pop that, and all that is
left is that string of reds.  I believe you know what comes next.

Round K-5

_________________________________
   .                         .
X R R                       b b X
 X R B Y G P O W W b R B Y G b X
X X R B Y G P O W b R B Y G b X X
 X X     R B Y G P O W b     X X
X X X                       X X X
 X X X                     X X X
X X X X                   X X X X
 X X X X                 X X X X
X X X X X               X X X X X
 X X X X X             X X X X X
X X X X X X           X X X X X X

Don't let the appearance of inert blocks one drop away from the loss line get
on your nerves.  If they drop past the line they'll harmlessly fall off and
leave your chances of winning intact.  Worry about the actual bubbles that 
come down with each drop instead.  If your aim is true, all you'll be needing
is a red bubble for the upper-right cluster and a black bubble for the upper-
left cluster.  Pop those and the round is done.  Get rid of those fast and a
ten million point bonus can be yours.

Round Q-1

_______________
 . . . . . . .
b b b b b b b b
 P P P P P P P
B X B B B B B B
 G G G G X G G
R R R R R R R R
 O O O O O O X
Y Y Y X Y Y Y Y
 W W W W W W X
Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
 O O O O O O O
R R R R R R R R

Try to bounce the bowling ball up as high as possible and shoot the gem bubble
up the same path, unless it wouldn't do much good.  A reliable method is to
shoot the bowling ball anywhere you want, and fire the gem bubble at any red
bubble in sight.  This will give you a lot of breathing room and make the rest
of the round a breeze.

Round Q-2

_______________
 .           .
O             O
 R R r r r R R
G P B G G B P G
 Y B Y   Y B Y
R b G b b G b R
 P O r r r O P
b B Y P P Y B b

This one will take a bit of planning to beat.  The way I always take is to pop
the purple bubbles, which leaves the pair of black bubbles open.  After I pop
the black bubbles, I try to pop the green bubbles and chip away at the bottom
of the screen (preferably chip first, so I don't run out of room).  Once the
two green bubbles are taken care of and the bottom of the mess is not so close
to the edge, I try to angle a red bubble off of the ceiling to take out one of
the strings of gibberish.  With that one down, the other is easier to pop, and
all that leaves is two orange bubbles, one of which may have a minor mess on
it.  Then it's just a matter of getting rid of those and moving on.

Round Q-3

_______________
 .           .
R             b
 R G B     b O
R Y     b O   b
     b O   b O
  b O   b O   b
 O   b O   b O
  b O   b O   b
 O   b O   b O
  b O   b O   b

The layout here lends itself well to making minor and medium point drops.  Get
rid of orange and black clusters as you get the chance and look for a chance
to pop the line of red bubbles so that you (hopefully) get back to using only
orange and black bubbles.

Round Q-4

_______________
 .           .
R R r R R r R R
 B P B Y O W P
  O W R P B Y
   B Y O W R
  W R P B Y O
   Y O W R P

Do everything you can to preserve the rainbow bubbles until you get an open
shot at the red bubbles on the same row.  It won't be easy, and you can clear
the round without saving them to turn red, but it'll end the round instantly.
Chip open a path to either side, if you plan to go for the chain reaction that
popping one of the side pairs of red bubbles yield.

Round Q-5

_________________________________
 .                             .
R R                           B B
 W O O W W r r r r r r W W G G W
    W Y Y W W r r r W W Y Y W
       W G G W W W W O O W
          W B B W R R W
             W P P W
                W

Hit the white bubbles with the gem, then work on hitting the red and blue
bubbles wedged into the top corners.  If you can get both pairs to pop without
doing too much popping on the other colors, you can net another 10 million
point bonus.

Round ?-1

_______________
 .         .
R 0 P 0 B 0 G
 O r W   P r B
Y   b 0 W   P
 G r R   b r W
B   O 0 R   b
 P r Y   O r R
W   G 0 Y   O
 b   B   G   Y

With gem bubbles all over the place, working on a way to make them do your
bidding is essential to get a time bonus as well as low to mid drop bonuses.
Don't go out of your way to set up the perfect gem-induced drop though, just
take them as they come.

Round ?-2

_______________
 .           .
b W   0     W b
 P B   X   B P
W b   X     b W
 B P   r   P B
b W   r     W b
       X
      X

Getting rid of the rainbow bubbles is very important.  Opening up one or both
sides in order to use the gem bubble is also important.  Doing both will most
likely guarantee your victory.  The only thing that may get in your way is a
finicky randomizer.

Round ?-3

_______________
 .   .       .
R     R     R
 O     O     O
  B R   B O   B
 P     P     P
Y   B Y   P Y
 W     W     W
R b O R b O R b

This one can be deceitfully annoying.  It doesn't look too bad, and the bottom
row is not close to the loss line.  Yet.  Making zero mistakes will help you
a great deal, because the ceiling seems to lower faster than normal for this
round.  Get in, pop clusters and move on.

Round ?-4

_______________
 . . . . . . .
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
 G B Y O R G B
B Y O r r B Y O
 R G B Y O R G
G B Y O R G B Y
 O R G B Y O R

This reminds me too much of round C-3.  I _hate_ round C-3.  Luck isn't as big
of a requirement here, since the gem bubbles are there to save you if you have
them available.  On the downside, there are FIVE colors to work with, which
can be a headache if the randomize decides to thumb its nose at you.

Round ?-5

_________________________________
X             Y Y Y             X
 X   Y Y Y   Y X X Y   Y Y Y   X
X   Y Y Y Y Y       Y Y Y Y Y   X
 X Y Y r r Y         Y r r Y Y X
X Y Y r X r X Y   Y X r X r Y Y X
 X Y Y r r Y         Y r r Y Y X
X   Y Y Y Y Y Y   Y Y Y Y Y Y   X
 X   Y Y Y   O     O   Y Y Y   X
X     X X X X X   X X X X X     X

This is it, and I don't have a solid strategy for this round.  What I usually
do is keep firing bubbles straight up.  Eventually you'll get an orange bubble
somewhere in the center, which will eventually let you nestle a yellow bubble
next to part of the giant chain of yellow bubbles, which ends the round and
subsequentially, the fourth path to the end of the game.  Sit back and watch
the credits, or just fast forward to the high score screen (if applicable).

-= Miscellaneous =-

1.)  Point layout

The point system in PB3 is relatively easy to understand.  For each bubble
you pop you get 10 points.  If you pop three you get 30 points, and so on.
For each bubble you drop, you get 10*2^x total points, where x is the number
of bubbles dropped.  This holds true until you drop 17 bubbles (1,310,720
points).  After that point, the system changes.  I've gotten 1,310,720 for
much more than 17 bubbles, yet I've also gotten 2,621,440 or 5,242,880 or
even 10,485,760 for about the same number.  If anyone knows what the key for
getting the drop bonuses past 1.3 million is, let me know.

2.)  History

July 11, 2001:  I start work on this FAQ.

July 12, 2001:  I finish v1.0.  All that remains now is to get in touch
with pre-readers and people I used info to make certain I have permission
to use it.

July 16, 2001:  All the necessary permission checks were received and v1.0
is sent out for its initial run.

July 31, 2001:  Work on Version 1.1 starts, due to various minor typos and
slip ups (Malissa/Marina was fifth on the index, but should be fourth).  I
also receive the first e-mail with helpful info for the FAQ (hello again,
Jacks!).

December 1, 2001:  After several months of school and general laziness, 
v1.1 rises from the dead and has a complete walk through for one (of several)
paths in Normal Mode.  Minor biz for Debblun and Drunk is added, as I have
started to play versus mode on a regular basis.

December 7, 2001:  A complete walk through is started and finished for one
out of seven paths in Version 2.5.

3.)  Thanks and Mentions

Thanks go out to:

- Taito for making Puzzle Bobble 3.

- Otto Chan (chanh@ecf.toronto.edu) for having the initial PB3 FAQ I read
and unknowingly inspiring me to write one of my own.

- Bubandbob.com (www.bubandbob.com) for having a good PB3 section I could
read and get information from.

- Steven Ives (saives@gameoverdude.com) for having a good 'legal crap'
setup I could use.

- Nere (email@withheld.com) for letting me know that Sonic Blast Man had
been in a pair of SNES games.

- Jacks Nanana (j_nanana@hotmail.com) for supplying me with a great deal 
of the voice clips for the characters.

Mentions of note:

Version 1.2 of this FAQ will, at the very least, add:

- More complete paths through both main puzzle versions.

- Strategy for Versus Computer.

- Removal/ changing of various errors I may have made in this version.

- Addition of any info people provide.

- Addition of any sites I decide are trustworthy enough to the point where
they can host my FAQ.