Dragon User


Endless Noughts And Crosses
By R&P International Computer Services
Dragon 32

 
Published in Dragon User #031

Endless Crosses?

The 'Endless' of Endless Noughts And Crosses is perhaps a touch exaggerated, but this is certainly a jumbo-size version of the old favourite, taking place on a 14 x 10 grid on which the aim is to place five noughts or crosses in a row, like an elongated Connect Four. Obviously you could play your own game of Noughts and Crosses with pencil and paper, and make it even more endless than this, so the main attraction has to be the inclusion of a single-player option, in which the Dragon plays the noughts once your first cross has been placed in one of the centre squares.

Each move has to touch the edge or corner of a previous move, as in Othello, and while the computer is 'thinking' you can press the "H" key to see the best move it has discovered so far. The response is reasonably quick, though some of the program's priorities seem a little wrong as you still have to wait even when there's only one move the micro can make to prevent you completing five in a row.

Other options include various combinations of screen colours, the chance to look again at the last two moves made, and also an option to take back the last two moves, though the accompanying notes warn you that this could then lead to certain illegal moves being accepted. There's only one skill level, and it does offer a tough game, though I beat it on the third attempt when I began to work out some of the tactics of this Tic-Tac-Toe.

Not a stunning piece of software, then, but it does while away an hour or so if you fancy something harder than Noughts and Crosses and easier than Othello.

Mike Gerrard

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