🐍 Snake Game

A classic Snake game implementation using Pygame with modern features including a persistent leaderboard system and smooth gameplay.

🎮 Features

• Classic Snake Gameplay: Navigate your snake to eat red apples and grow longer
• Progressive Difficulty: Game speed increases every 5 apples eaten (up to 20 FPS)
• Persistent Leaderboard: Top 15 high scores are saved locally with player initials
• Polished UI: Grid-based movement, visual effects, and clean menu system
• Pause Functionality: Press 'P' to pause/resume during gameplay
• Smooth Controls: Arrow keys for movement with collision prevention

🎯 How to Play

Controls

• Arrow Keys: Move the snake (Up, Down, Left, Right)
• P: Pause/Resume game
• Space: Start game from menu
• L: View leaderboard
• R: Restart after game over
• M: Return to main menu
• ESC/Q: Quit game

Game Rules

1. Navigate your snake to eat the red apples
2. Each apple eaten increases your score by 1 point
3. Your snake grows longer with each apple consumed
4. Avoid hitting walls or your own body
5. Game speed increases every 5 apples for added challenge
6. Try to achieve the highest score and make it to the leaderboard!

🚀 Installation

Prerequisites

• Python 3.7 or higher
• Pygame library

Setup

1. Clone or download the game files:

   git clone <repository-url>
   cd snake
   

2. Install Pygame:

   pip install pygame
   

3. Run the game:

   python main.py
   

📁 Project Structure

snake/
├── main.py                 # Main game file
├── snake_leaderboard.json  # Local leaderboard storage (auto-created)
└── README.md              # This file

🏆 Leaderboard System

The game features a persistent leaderboard that:

• Stores the top 15 high scores locally
• Prompts for 3-letter initials when you achieve a high score
• Displays scores with player names and dates
• Persists between game sessions in snake_leaderboard.json

🎨 Visual Features

• Grid-based display with subtle grid lines
• Color-coded snake: Dark green head with eyes, lighter green body
• Visual apple effects: Red apples with shine highlights
• Clean menu interface with multiple options
• Responsive feedback for all user interactions

⚙️ Technical Details

• Screen Resolution: 800x600 pixels
• Grid Size: 20x20 pixel cells
• Base FPS: 10 (increases progressively)
• Maximum FPS: 20 (for maximum challenge)
• Font: System fonts (Consolas, Courier New, Arial fallback)

🐛 Troubleshooting

Game won't start:

• Ensure Python 3.7+ is installed
• Verify Pygame installation: pip show pygame No sound: This is a visual-only game - no audio components included. Leaderboard not saving: Check write permissions in the game directory. The game creates snake_leaderboard.json automatically.

🤝 Contributing

Feel free to submit issues, feature requests, or pull requests to enhance the game!

📄 License

This project is open source and available under the MIT License

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