In Out Game - Free Brain Game

NOTE: This is an old Adobe Flash game. It no longer works.
Please visit the Free Online Brain Games page for the current online games.

Play: Small | Medium | Large

This In Out game brain teaser doesn't come with instructions. Part of the puzzle is figuring out the rules! It's a brain workout before you even start playing.

click the Small, Medium, or Large link under the picture of the game. This opens the game in a pop-up window.

Even I don't know how to play this game. If anyone figures it out, send me an email.

Spoiler Alert - The Rules

This game obviously has something to do with electricity and circuits. But beyond that I'm completely puzzled.

UPDATE: Several people have figured out this game and emailed me with an explanation of the rules. Discovering the pattern is half the fun, and half the mental workout, too. But for those who just want to know how to play, here's how:

Chris said: I wanted to write to let you know the goal of the game "In Out".

The goal is to match the numbers on the colored boxes around the center box with their corresponding boxes in the lower right hand corner of the screen.

Emanuel said: Fill the empty colored boxes with the same numbers that the colors around the central box show.

Diane said: I successfully completed this In Out puzzle in 5 minutes. It did take an hour to work it out though.

What you have to do is match the numbers in the coloured boxes by the big number and put that number in the other box of the same colour on the right hand side. It follows a circuit type system. When all the numbers in the boxes are correct the puzzle is finished.

Lisa provided the most detail: I understand the IO game, and you know what, it's very simple once you figure it out.

First thing, take note of the numbers (in the coloured boxes) around the largest greyish box. Ultimately, you need to get those numbers (around the greyish box) to be inside of the four coloured boxes at the end to win.

The catch is, they need to be the sum of the other numbers in the bright yellow boxes. AND take note that the four boxes at the end are connected to one other yellow box.

Right! So...

On the right side of the yellow boxes with the numbers in it is the INPUT and that allows the said box to take the value of whatever is in the grey box. E.g., if the grey box has 0 and you hit the input button the value of that box becomes 0.
On the left side of the yellow box is the output, and that does the opposite of the input. I.e., takes whatever value in that particular box and outputs it to the grey box.
Keeping those two points in mind, you need to add figures like and 5 and 8 to get 33 and 26, etc... to get those values in the boxes at the end.

So let's add the numbers. Suppose want to get 17 for the blue box:

Output the 8 to the grey box.
Input the 8 from the grey to both of the orange boxes below.

You would now notice that the blue thing acts like a calculator and adds up whatever is in the orange boxes and inputs the sum to the mustard one below.
Output the 16 from the mustard box back to the grey box.
Input the 16 to ONE of the orange boxes.
Output the 1 from the yellow box (somewhere on the right side of the screen) to the grey box.
Input the 1 to the OTHER orange box.

Now you have the 17. (Now do you see the light?)
Input the 17 into the YELLOW box connected to the blue box at the end.
Now you can use the input button on the blue box at the end to input the 17 and do the rest with the remaining values for the other boxes.