Contents of Issue
From Issue 47
Title: Tic-Tac-Cross
Requires: 8MB RAM, VGA graphics, Windows 95 or above.
Do you like playing tic-tac-toe, but hate that the games almost always end in a draw? Or, just the opposite -- you can't seem to find your equal in the game of X's and O's? Well, Tic-Tac-Cross will answer your challenge as it takes the concept of tic-tac-toe to a new level. Tic-Tac-Cross pits you in a race against time to score as many three-in-a-rows as you can muster. You play both the X's and the O's in this solitaire game, but that doesn't make it any easier than it's predecessor. Quick thinking and lots of strategy play a big role in attaining high scores in this fast-action version.

You're also no longer confined to that boring 3x3 grid. In Tac-Tac-Cross, the playing field can be expanded from a challenging 5x8 grid all the way up to a whopping 8x16 grid -- the extra grid squares are crucial when playing at higher levels! And you no longer just mark a single X or O at a time. Each turn, you're given a 3x3 mouse-controlled pointer that contains X's and O's in several of its squares. Your job is to move the pointer to a section of the playing field so that the letters on the pointer don't overlap letters already marked on the board. As in tic-tac-toe, you are trying to get at least three X's or O's in a row, horizontally, vertically, or diagonally.

When you do, a line will be drawn through them and they will be erased from the board. More points are awarded for making longer lines and multiple lines at the same time! But don't take all day plotting your strategy. When the timer runs down, the game's over!

The truly skilled tic-tac-toers might try setting some of the Tic-Tac-Cross' preferences before starting a new game. They include:

% of blocks - Can be set from 0 to 33%. A block is a filled-in white square. You cannot drop a letter on it, and it stays a block for the entire game.

Number of Xs an Os in the pointer - Can run from 1 to 9. As the game progresses, the number of letters in the pointer will increase.

Number of Rows - Can be set from 5 to 8 and determines how many squares tall the grid is.

Number of Columns - Can be set from 8 to 16 and determines how many squares wide the grid is.

Note: Available on CD-ROM issue only.