Atari FLASHBACK2 CX-2600 - Manual (Page 44)

Skill And Action Zone
3D TIC-TAC-TOE ® (1 OR 2 PLAYERS)
You have to think in 3-D for this one. Examine the board. Plan your strategy. Then move your move.
Place four X’s or four O’s in one horizontal, vertical or diagonal row, or through all the planes. Play against
an opponent or against the computer. To win, complete your row first.
Play In A New Dimension
In this game there is a perspective drawing of four square boards or planes displayed on the screen,
which is intended to create a three-dimensional effect. Each board is a 4 x 4 grid. The object of the game is
to place four X's or four O's in one horizontal, vertical, or diagonal row. To do this you may use one plane
or all four planes.
You must place four markers in a row before your opponent does, or before the computer does, to win.
There are nine games in all. The first eight games for one player competing against the computer. Each
game number (1-8) is a progressively harder skill level. Game 9 is for two players.
In total, there are 76 possible ways to win. It is not possible to win by using two or three planes, you
must use one or all four.
Controls
To move your "cursor" (the blinking X or O) right or left, move the Joystick right or left. Your cursor
will wrap around (disappear on one side of the level or plane and appear on the other side). Move the
Joystick forward to move your cursor up from square to square or to a new level as it reaches the top of a
plane. To move the cursor down in the same manner, move the Joystick back or toward yourself. Put the
Joystick in a diagonal position and the cursor moves diagonally on the screen, and also moves from level to
level.
To place an X or an O on the screen, press the controller button when the cursor is in the square you
wish to occupy. The last move made is indicated by a blinking X or in the appropriate square.
The computer will not allow a move to an occupied square. It will sound an error message when a
player presses the controller button in an attempt to move into a square which is already occupied.
Strategy
To beat the computer or another player, you must place two three-in-a-rows so that the opponent
cannot block both of them. Occasionally, you may win when an opponent fails to see that you have three-
in-a-row, but that method involves more luck than strategy.
At higher skill levels, placing three-in-a-row becomes difficult. One of the secrets to playing winning
TIC-TAC-TOE is to play in the 16 "strong" squares at the beginning of a game. The 16 strong squares are
the eight outside corner squares, and the eight inside center square.
Try to take over or dominate planes. The four TIC-TAC-TOE boards represent horizontal, vertical,
and diagonal planes. When you place three or four markers in one plane and your opponent has none, you
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