Four in a Row! app review: a classic game

Introduction

Four In A Row! is a classic game brought to the iPad and iPhone. Play this classic game on three difficulty levels, with a partner, or against the computer or network player.

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A Great Restaurant Game

I like to have a few games on my iPhone for when we're at a restaurant waiting for food. Four in a Row! is perfect for this. Classic one-on-one games are great to teach turn taking, and with the app your child can't stick in their piece before it's their turn because each turn the color of the chip changes. This can be frustrating for older children playing younger children, but you can always start again.

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Similarly, because there are different difficulty levels, you can practice to win the game next time. If you're a beginner, then set it to easy to have the app make more mistakes and be less competitive. If you're an old pro, give difficult a try.

Turn Based Learning

Learning to take turns is an important life skill. Four In a Row! is a great game for helping with this, and if your child needs a game to entertain themselves for a minute while you are waiting in line or on the phone, then this is a great option. It teaches both turn taking, and strategy. Unlike tic tac toe, you must get four of your tokens in a row, but the board is also much bigger.

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I've played this game in physical board format since I was a young child, and have several kits in my home. Little kids love learning to make the patterns, even if they can't grasp the concept. Other than playing the actual game, you can also teach patterning if set to two player, count the chips, and other variations. It doesn't have the satisfying click of the pieces falling into place though, and I do miss that!

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Free
• Turn-based learning
• Patterning
• Counting
• Great for waiting in restaurants
• Multiple difficulties

Cons

• None found

Final Thoughts

Four In A Row! is a great game for teaching your kids turn taking while playing on the iPad or iPhone. I love that this classic one-on-one game is now an app because I can bring it to the restaurant, bank, or anywhere else my kids have to wait a few minutes without worrying about them throwing the chips in my travel game. I keep a few old classics like this on my device to pass the time, while also engaging with my kids, or them with each other. Lots of times you'll see tables of people sitting around staring at their device rather than engaging with each other, and this is silly. With a few multiplayer apps, you can turn dinner into game night.