Games tend to be rather grander entities than diversions: multi-coloured scrolling graphics, sound effects, background music tracks, etc - altogether deserving of far more attention than I am inclined to offer. Diversions, on the other hand, are often much simpler in size and scope, and provide an essential service when I'm a bit bored or have half an hour to waste. Games can justify double page reviews in Acorn User (sorry Steve, but I usually skip these). Even in its heyday, I don't recall Tetris receiving such prestigious treatment. I hope Roger won't be offended by my calling Continui a diversion. It's really a compliment, as I hope this review will demonstrate.
P1aying Continui
I've read the notes that come with Continui (in
both printed and textfile format) and don't believe
that I can describe the method of play any better
than the author himself. Therefore I quote:
"The purpose is to make continuous snakes of the same colour running through the tile that you have just played. The longer the snake, the more points scored, with each square of the snake contributing one point. Before playing, you may rotate the tiles to try and get a higher score."
"The game is over after all the tiles have been played. No tile may overlap another. Except for the first tile, the played tile must touch any other tile along at least part of an edge. The played tile cannot touch at a corner only. Neither can you play a tile away from the other tiles. The program adheres to these rules. Trying to play a tile wrongly will result in a beep, and the tile won't be played. It's still your go until you play the tile correctly."
"Tiles are moved about the board using the mouse, and tiles are placed in position by depressing the middle mouse button. Tiles are rotated clock-wise or anti-clockwise by depressing the outer mouse buttons, respectively."
Cyber opponents
The two players in this game (yes I know I called
it a diversion, but repeated use of the term may
become a little conspicuous) can be human,
computer or one of each. Mostly, I have played
against my RiscPC. I enjoy pitting my wits against
a computer knowing, of course, that they are
essentially stupid machines, but have the advantage
of being able to compare numerous alternative
positions very quickly. More often than not, you are
challenging the person who originally programmed
the routine the computer follows. Interestingly,
Continui allows you to choose between high or low
IQ computer players! My experience so far has me
always beating the low IQ computer but losing to
the high IQ version in three out of four games.
Conclusion
Continui is essentially a simple game but I really
like it (say nothing!). I would have preferred it if
it could have been a little more challenging. I can
imagine a few variations that might have added a
bit of edge to it. What about varying shapes of tiles,
8 x 2, 2 x 8, or even non-rectangular tiles with
16 component squares. A high score table could
easily be added, I guess. It is quite cheap, at £7.95
from Atomic Software, but bearing in mind the sort
of games you can get free in the public domain,
perhaps even this may be over-pricing it. You pays
yer money and takes yer choice.
Steve Blyth, steveblyth@argonet.co.uk
Archive magazine, July 2000 (Vol13 No10).
by Steve Blyth, "Archive" July 2000 issue
Steve Blyth is correct in his speculation; when set to the high-IQ setting the cyber opponent does indeed play the highest scoring position, but this need not mean that any human contestant is, on average, bound to lose. The human player can apply other tactics: Blocking off any potentially high scoring runs would be one. Looking at the tiles played would be another. The cyber opponent employs neither of these gambits. May the force be with you. Let game commence.
Roger Darlington, Summer Solstice, 2000.
THE AUTHOR REPLIES
Digital Signal Generator Review