Four in a row: line up four before your rival
Against the computer or two of you on one screen
A board of seven columns and six rows, standing upright. You pick a column and the piece drops to the bottom. Whoever lines up four of the same colour wins: across, down or diagonally. The rules are about as simple as they get —a five-year-old works it out by watching one game— and there is still plenty of depth for an adult to play it seriously.
There are three levels against the computer plus a two-player mode. On easy the computer will finish its own line if you leave it there, but it hardly defends and never sees diagonals, so you win almost every time; on medium it thinks about every move, though every so often it gets distracted and that is your opening; and hard looks several moves ahead and is the level for the older ones in the house. You go first in all three, because in this game whoever opens has the edge.
What the game practises
- Thinking one move ahead: where the other piece will land if I block this column.
- Spotting lines in four directions, diagonals included — the ones that are hardest to see.
- Blocking and attacking at once, which is what separates winning from drawing.
- Waiting your turn and losing a game gracefully, in two-player mode.
- Recognising a trap: the move that looks good and hands the win to the other player.
Runs on desktop, tablet and phone, and can be projected on a classroom whiteboard. No sign-up and no download.
Frequently asked questions
Is this the same as connect 4?
Yes, same game under different names: four in a row, connect four and connect 4 all mean the same thing. Pieces drop down columns and four in a line wins.
How is it different from tic-tac-toe?
In tic-tac-toe you place your mark wherever you like and you need three in a line. Here the board stands upright and the pieces fall: you choose the column, not the height. That changes everything, because every move of yours sets up where the other player can land.
Can two people play on the same computer?
Yes, that is exactly what two-player mode is: you take turns on the same screen. There is also an undo button, in case someone drops a piece in the wrong column.
What age is it for?
The rules make sense from about four or five, and at that age the easy level already lets you win. Thinking two moves ahead usually shows up around seven.
Is anything to install?
No. It runs in the browser, it is free and it does not ask you to create an account.
Four in a Row is one of the 10 logic games on Little Kids Games.
