Smart Tac Toe

The games default screen

 Having played Tic-Tac-Toe and Four in a Line recently I had also seen the very similar "Smart Tac Toe" which expands on the concept. Instead of needing to connect 3 or even 4 you need to connect 5 in a line (either horizontally, vertically or diagonally) on an open layout (unlike the gravity based Four in a Line) that expands far beyond the realms of both the other games.

The game gives the option of 3 types of opponents, Human (shared phone), as well as 3 levels of AI and the very ambitious Online. Sadly the online version is still in Beta mode and is awfully flawed with the 3 games I tried playing all finishing within seconds with the other "surrendering". Hopefully the developer will improve this part of the game in the future.

Although the game is technically a very strategic one and will, with 2 equally leveled opponents be very interesting. It's not likely to be the sort of game that will draw you too it. For a start there isn't a title screen, the screen to the right is the first screen you see when the game has loaded. It doesn't help that there graphics are so ultra simple and there is no clever background just a plain white grid it really is stupidly simple and the sounds (or again, lack of) don't help to add anything.

A full match played
in just a 5 by 5
square

 Whilst the idea is a brilliant one in principle the game sadly fails to build on it and whilst the strategy of it is a good idea it's just too plain and too unexciting to keep you hooked. Sadly the game's one big step forward is still in a beta and you see lots of the screen to the right when you attempt to play online.

The typical screen
that follows
an attempt at
playing online

 The lack of sound, the lack of colour and the lack of a title screen all take away and make the game look amateurish and whilst I do like the concept of a large scale O's and X's it just fails to really come together as it should do. Added to the fact you're forced to see an advert after every single game and you soon get sick of it. Hopefully the developers do come back and sort out some of the flaws, add a little background music and a little more colour as well as correcting the Online mode and they maybe on to a winner, for now they have a good idea but not great.

Addictiveness-4/10 It is fun and a nice idea but until the online works it'll have very limited appeal
Controls-8/10 They do their job and are really simple.
Graphics-4/10 Uninspiring and unexciting
Sounds-0/10 Silence means a score of 0
Originality-5/10 Tic-Tac-Toe with a a twist that improves the game but fails to completely reach the heights that I hoped it would.

Total score 21/50

Overall the game is, at heart, Tic-Tac-Toe with a twist and it's a twist that could really work. Sadly though the game can be a little boring on single player and until the online version works completely it's got limited appeal. If the developers want to get in touch when they fix the online I'll be happy to update the review, though for now it's a slight disappointment.

Game mark C