Before playing, make sure that your volume is turned up. You can test the volume by pressing the down arrow key, which plays a hint for the current game you are playing and repeats the question.

If you would like to change the computer's voice, first press Quit to exit the game. Then, go to Start->Control Panel->Speech. Then click on the tab called "Text to Speech" at the top, and choose which voice you would like to use from the drop-down menu for Voice Selection.

If you want to change any options, such as key delay or whether to show the current and correct answers, select the "Options" button. There will be a "Help" button in the window that pops up with instructions for setting the game's options.

There are 2 possible types of games to play, matching and category. In a matching game, you will hear a question followed by a prompt sound; the goal is to select the answer that matches the prompt sound. In a category game, you will hear a question, and the goal is to choose the answer that does not belong in the same category as the other answer choices.

To begin cycling through the answer choices, use the left or right arrow keys. Press the down arrow key to listen to a hint, if one exists. In a matching game, the hint (and the picture, if one is displayed) is associated with the correct answer that the game player is trying to identify. In a category game, the hint (and the picture, if one is displayed) is associated with the current answer choice that the game player is on in the list. Use the up arrow key or the Enter key to select that answer choice as the correct answer. Press the Esc key to end the game and choose a new game.

To quit Hark the Sound, either select the "Quit" button or press the keys Alt + F4.