Yes, the little known variables pretty it up and make it somewhat harder to understand...but only as far as looking them up in a reference book. What else does it do to obsufucation? Not to mention, adding or subratcing parentheses shouldn't matter too much...better obsufucated code, in my humble opinion, isn't the product of poorly written code. So with that said, I leave it to you, apparently so ready to dispense advice, to solve the enigma--for if you can't, what right to you have to condescend the code?