Four-in-a-row Game Instructions:

This is a version of the classic four-in-a-row game (also known as Connect Four, connect 4, four-in-a-line and plot four).

Start the game by clicking on the "GO" button and you will then see the game score box (which will be 0:0 at the start of the first game). The computer will pick randomly whether it will start or you will start on the very first game and a message will be shown beneath the scores at the start of each game. After that, you will take turn about to start.

After a few seconds, you will see the main four-in-line game board with 6 rows by 8 columns (slightly larger than the traditional connect four grid which has 6 rows by 7 columns, but we always like to be slightly different!).

You take turns to drop a counter into the board. You do this by moving the mouse over the column you want to drop into and then clicking the left mouse button to drop. An arrow at the top of the board will show you which column you are going to drop into before the mouse button is clicked and you can be in any row. You always play as red counters and the computer as blue.

In order to win, you need to get four of your red counters in a row. They can be placed in a horizontal, vertical or diagonal line. Of course, if the computer gets four in a row, then you will lose! The number of games that you have won and lost will be shown at the start of each game. If you want to clear this back to zero, then click on the "clear" button at the top-right. You can do this any time but if your are playing a game at the time then it will not be finished.

Be warned - at this level, the computer is very difficult to beat and it will not make very many silly mistakes!