A four-in-a-row disc game against the computer

Drop Four is a free four-in-a-row game in Games by Zaweba, played against the computer. Take turns dropping discs into an upright frame with seven columns, and the first to make a line of four, across, up and down or diagonally, wins. It's an original game in the app, it runs offline and it has no adverts.

Four in a row is a game children grasp in seconds and adults keep losing in surprising ways. That's what makes it so good against a computer: you can keep playing until you see the traps coming.

How Drop Four plays

You play red and go first. Choose one of the seven columns and drop a disc into it. The disc falls to the lowest free space in that column. Then the computer drops one of its own. The first to line up four discs in a row, horizontally, vertically or diagonally, wins. If the frame fills up with no line of four, it's a draw.

You can click a column to drop a disc, or use the keyboard: Left and Right to choose a column, then Space or Enter to drop. You'll find Drop Four on the Board games shelf of Games by Zaweba.

Thinking ahead in a vertical game

Gravity is the key. Because discs fall to the bottom, you can't put a disc anywhere you like; you can only put it on top of what's there. A threat is only real when the space beneath it is filled, and that changes how you plan.

Start in the middle. The centre column takes part in more possible lines of four than any other, so it's usually the best place for early discs.

Always check the computer's next move. Before you drop, look for any line where the computer has three and needs one more. Blocking it is often the only move that matters.

Watch the space under a threat. If you have three in a row with a gap at the end, and the space below the gap is empty, you have a threat waiting. Be careful not to fill the space below it yourself, because that would let the computer block. The same applies the other way round: don't drop a disc that gives the computer the space it needs.

Make two threats at once. The surest way to win is to set up two places where you could complete four. The computer can only block one.

Don't forget the diagonals. They're the lines most easily missed, by people and sometimes by the player who thinks they're safe.

A quick game for all ages

A game of Drop Four is short, which makes it ideal for a break or for children who want a game they can win. The title card explains the rules and controls before you start, and F1 explains them again during play. Esc pauses, and the game also pauses itself if you click into another window.

Games by Zaweba keeps your plays, wins and best score on each tile, so you can see how often you're beating the computer. Those records stay on your PC.

If you like Drop Four

Noughts & Crosses on the same shelf is another lines game, played best of five on a 3 by 3 board or a 5 by 5 board where you need four in a row. Flip Discs is the disc-flipping game of reversi, and Dots & Boxes and Mill both reward the same habit of looking a move ahead.