The Cell

The Cell is an interactive game developed in Flash and published by McLeodGaming. Created by Gregory McLeod for his biology class, it allows the player to explore and learn about the major organelles of a living .
== Gameplay ==
200px|left|thumb|The main screen to explore the cell.
The game features an from the viewpoint of a microscope lens, allowing the player to closely examine many of its major organelles, as well as several organelles exclusive to other , such as s, and even . These organelles will actively move and roughly simulate their functions. Hovering the mouse cursor over one of these organelles will show its name in the upper-left corner of the screen, and clicking on it will show a small window that gives a brief description of said organelle.
To adjust their view of the cell, the player can either zoom into or zoom out of the cell using a slider. Pressing the arrow keys will move the cell in the direction of the keys, and doing so while holding Shift will move the lens instead.
== List of organelles ==
Below is a list of the 23 organelles available to choose from in-game, including the types of cells they can be found in and their descriptions provided in-game.
Name	Type 	Description
 	Prokaryote and plant cells 	What's this?! A cell wall in an animal cell?! What a discovery! This is quite an interesting find; cell walls are found in nearly every cell but animal cells. It's moving too! Amazing! The cell wall is the solid protective layer surrounding the cell membrane found in plants, algae, and some bacteria. It protects the interior of the cell from any physical movement that could damage the cell.
 	All cells 	Also known as the Plasma Membrane, this thin and flexible layer regulates what enters and leaves the cell.
 	Eukaryotic cells 	Synthesizes various lipids, fatty acids, and steroids; it is also a large transporter of nutrients found in each cell.
 	Eukaryotic cells 	Also known as granular ER, proteins are manufactured and transported to membranes or secreted. Synthesized proteins from here leave the ER and travel to the Golgi Apparatus in vesicles. Ribosomes can also be found binded to the ER.
 	All cells 	Small particle in the cell on which proteins are assembled and is made of RNA and protein.
 	All cells with nucleus 	Similar to cytoplasm, this is the material within the nucleus in which the other materials such as chromatin may move around in.
 	All eukaryotic cells 	Granular material that consists of DNA bound to protein and is a structural building block of a chromosome.
 	Eukaryotic cells 	The nucleolus is where ribosomes are produced and is located inside of the nucleus.
 	All eukaryotic and some prokaryotic cells	Organelle that houses the DNA of a eukaryotic cell. Inside of it are the nucleolus and chromatin and it is protected by the nuclear membrane.
 	All cells with nucleus 	Double membrane that surrounds the nucleus. It is surrounded by tiny pores that control what enters and leaves the nucleus.
 	All cells with nucleus 	Small pore on the nuclear membrane that regulates what enters and leaves the nucleus.
 	All cells 	The material between the cell membrane and the nuclear membrane. All of the organelles within the cell move and reside within this material.
 	Eukaryotic cells 	Important structural component of living cells. They are assembled from several different proteins, and are between the size of microtubules and microfilaments.
 	Eukaryotic cells 	Long, thin fiber made from actin that functions in the movement and support of the cell. It also helps determine cell shape. This is one of the three main components of the cytoskeleton.Cytoskeleton- Network of protein filaments within some cells that helps the cell maintain its shape and aids in cell movement.
 	Plant cells 	A chloroplast in an animal cell?! Outstanding! Chloroplasts are normally only found in plant cells and in some other organisms. They use the energy from sunlight to produce energy-rich food molecules by the process of photosynthesis. A chloroplast is one of the main plastids.Plastid- Structure in the cytoplasm of plant cells where photosynthesis or other cellular processes are carried on. The three main plastids are: chloroplasts, leucoplasts, and chromoplasts.
 	Plant cells 	Wow! A leucoplast in an animal cell?! They are normally only found in plant cells. A leucoplast is a colorless plastid in the cytoplasm of plant cells around which starch collects.
 	Animal and some simple plant cells 	One of the two tiny structures within the cytoplasm of animal cells near the nuclear membrane which plays an important part in the cell division process.
 	Plant and animal cells 	Organelle of a cell filled with enzymes needed to digest macromolecules within a cell.
 	All cells 	Small enclosed compartment that transports, stores, or digests cellular products and wastes. This particular vesicle isn't going to stick around, so it will perform exocitosis to disperse its contents.
 	Eukaryotic cells 	Hollow tube of protein that provides a track for organelles to be moved on, and also helps maintain cell shape. Normally microtubules will be throughout the cell almost like veins in order to to reach all of the necessary organelles, however, in this picture only a few sections are shown.
 	Most eukaryotic cells 	Also called the Golgi Apparatus; it's[sic] primary function is to produce proteins that are targeted to the cell membrane or other organelles. It functions as a central delivery system for the cell. Proteins reach this organelle in vesicles and leave using vesicles that bud from the Golgi.
 	Most eukaryotic cells 	Organelle in the cytoplasm of nearly all eukaryotic cells that contain the genetic material and enzymes important for cell metabolism, including the conversion of food into energy.
 	Plant and other eukaryotic cells 	This organelle stores material such as water, salts, proteins, and carbohydrates.
== Gallery ==
The Cell Nucleus.png|The information window for the nucleus.
The Cell Help.png|The Help menu.
== Trivia ==
*This is currently the only Flash software from McLeodGaming to feature unique functions in the right-click menu, with these being a Help menu and a link to the main McLeodGaming website.
== External links ==
*Play The Cell at McLeodGaming.
*Download The Cell for Windows.