Connect Four Hands-On

The 1970s are remembered for bell-bottom jeans, the rise of disco music and disco dancing, and, of course, Milton Bradley's Connect Four parlor game. Only one of these items remains in style, and Mforma's porting it to mobile. (Here's a hint: It's Connect Four). The game will let you to choose an alias for yourself, and then compete against other players via GPRS multiplayer. Apart from the inclusion of some slick socket programming, the game doesn't seem to be a great departure from its 1974 predecessor.

After choosing a handle to be used online (profanity filtration has been dutifully implemented), you can start a quick game, which will pair you up with another player searching for a session. Specific filtration options are available in the current version, based on your skill level and location. At present, the location selection is limited, and may be subject to change. The version we tested was slightly laggy, but not to the point of hampering Connect Four's simple, turn-based gameplay.

Connect Four seems like a solid fit for a mobile game, and the mobile version seems immediately accessible to anyone who's played the eponymous board game. Networked multiplayer support is of paramount importance for the development of the mobile platform, and we're excited to see any movement in that direction.