Overview

Quattro is a game for the iPhone and iPod Touch. It is a strategy game played against the computer. Although it looks simple to play, it quickly gets you thinking about how to win. The game is played on a board with sixteen unique pieces. You and the computer take turns placing pieces on the board. The first person to get four pieces in a row, column, or diagonal that all share a common color wins the game.

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The Board

The game is played on a 4×4 grid as a board. Each location on the board can hold one piece. The board can be divided into ten “lines” composed of four locations. The four rows, four columns, and two diagonals for the ten lines. The goal of the game is to fill one or more lines with four pieces that all share the same color.

Example Board

Pieces in play are shown on the board. Pieces not in play are lined up on the left and/or right edges of the iPhone.

The Pieces

The game is played with sixteen unique pieces. Each piece has four colored circles on it. Each circle is a different color. For example, the piece below has red, blue, green, and yellow circles on it. What makes a piece unique is the combination of four colors - each piece has a different set of four colors.

Example Piece

Sequence of Play

Pressing the “New Game” button at the bottom of the screen will start a new game. Either you or the computer is randomly selected to go first. If the computer was selected to go first, it will make a move and then the iPhone will wait for you to make a move. If you were selected to go first, no move will be made and the iPhone will wait for you to make the first move.

When it is your turn, select a piece from either the left or right hand side of the screen. Drag it over to the location on the board where you want to place the piece. Releasing will drop the piece into that location on the board. If you change your mind about which piece to play after you have selected a piece, simply drag it outside of the board and release. The piece will be returned to its starting location.

The game proceeds with you and the computer alternating placing pieces onto the board until someone wins.

Winning the Game

The objective of the game is fill one or more of the ten lines (rows, columns, or diagonals) with four pieces that all share the same color. The four pieces can share more than one color. The example below shows a row with four pieces all sharing a green circle.

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Quattro may look like a Tick-Tack-Toe type of game. However, in Tick-Tack-Toe types of games, each player has their own pieces and the other player cannot play those pieces. Not so in Quattro. You and the computer can play any piece. This means you can put three pieces in a row that share the same color and the computer can put the last piece to win the game.

Options

Pressing the “Instructions” button at the bottom of the screen brings you to the instruction page. The “Clear Statistics” button at the bottom will reset the running statistics to zero. The slider at the top of the screen controls how hard the computer plays against you. Turning the slider on means the computer will play as hard as it can against you.

Contact Us

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