COUNT_DOWN_TIME takes a tick off the clock every third frame, but first checks for zero with a JR Z at $8DDD that jumps straight to the printing. Make it an unconditional JR: the time is still printed, but never goes down, so the game can never run out of time (and every rescue scores the full clock, since the score is the time left times the rescues). Tested: with the clock set to 5 at the start of level 1, the game ran out of time within 40 frames and went to the "TIME UP!" card without the poke; with it the clock still read 5 after 40 frames, and play went on.

POKE 36317,24

THROW_GRENADE checks that there is a grenade left and then takes one with DEC A at $8D1A; make that a NOP. The count stays at 20 however many are thrown. Tested: three throws from the city gate took the count from 20 to 17 without the poke, and left it at 20 with it.

POKE 36122,0

A bite costs the player a point of energy in HANDLE_EVENTS, with DEC (HL) at $8F41; make it a NOP. "BITTEN!" still shows, but the energy stays at 20. It does not cover being caught in your own grenade's blast, which sets the energy to 0 outright: for that, see the grenades that hurt nobody. Tested: an ant put two cells from the player bit eight times in 60 frames, taking the energy from 20 to 12 without the poke; with it the energy stayed at 20 through the same eight bites.

POKE 36673,0

The same for the person being rescued: their bite is the DEC (HL) at $8F6A in HANDLE_EVENTS. Since either energy reaching 0 ends the attempt (CHECK_GAME_OVER), this keeps a follower from being eaten on the way out. Tested: an ant placed beyond the stunned rescuee bit them once in 80 frames, 20 to 19, without the poke; with it their energy stayed at 20.

POKE 36714,0

Every frame of its flight, THROW_GRENADE checks whether the grenade is in the player's cell or the rescued person's, and if so blows them up (see the bug about throwing on the move). Both checks end in a RET NZ that skips someone already exploding: make them plain RETs, at $8D67 and $8D8A, and the grenade passes through people. The blast still kills and stuns ants as before (GRENADE_BLAST). Tested: throwing while walking blew the player up, energy 0, without the poke, and with it the player walked on at 20; a grenade thrown at the rescued person two cells ahead blew them up ("HOW COULD YOU ?") without the poke, and exploded harmlessly beside them with it.

POKE 36199,201: POKE 36234,201

ANT_TURN lets an ant move on every frame but one in n, where n is the ant's own speed at +$0D: 20 for the first ant, so it hardly ever rests, and 2 for the other four at first, rising to 3 and 4 as the rescues mount up (BASIC's sp, line 90). Where it reloads the count, replace LD A,(IX+$0D) at $8A6F with LD A,2 and a NOP, and every ant rests every other frame whatever its speed. On the first levels this only slows the fast ant; from the fourth rescue on it slows them all. Tested: over the first 60 frames of level 1 the fast ant took 57 steps without the poke and 39 with it, as its counter predicts (it was 19 frames from its first rest); the other four took 30 steps each both times.

POKE 35439,62: POKE 35440,2: POKE 35441,0