Dots and Boxes Offline

How it plays

It's the game you probably played on the back of a notebook. Tap anywhere close to a line. The line lights up while you press and only gets drawn when you let go, so a slip of the thumb doesn't give away a box.

The start is quiet, because nobody wants to draw the third side of a box. Then the safe lines run out, the board turns into chains, and whoever counts them best usually wins.

What's in the game

Three computer levels

Easy plays loose and grabs a box now and then, so it's a good place to learn. Medium always takes what you give it and won't hand you a box while it still has a safe line. Hard counts chains and loops near the end, and it knows when to leave you two boxes so it keeps control.

In my tests on 4x4, Hard won all 50 games against Easy and all 30 against Medium. It plays by the same rules as you with nothing hidden, and it can be beaten. You'll just have to think about chains.

Three board sizes

Pick 3x3, 4x4 or 5x5 boxes, and choose who starts. A 3x3 game takes about a minute. On 5x5 the endgame gets long and the chain counting really matters.

Two players on one phone

Hand the phone back and forth. Player 1 plays circles and Player 2 plays squares, each in its own color, so you can always tell whose box is whose.

The small things

Undo takes back your last line and the computer's reply. The game saves after every line, so you can close the app and carry on later. Stats for each level and size keep your wins, best winning streak and boxes taken. There's a dark Midnight theme and a light Day theme, or it can follow your phone.

Questions