Tic-A-Tac 21 Hands-On

There are those who would argue that a game of blackjack, or 21, involves intense strategy. They're probably wrong. Tic-tac-toe has never ranked as one of the most challenging mental sports either. When combined, however, these two relatively strategy-free activities involve number theory, forethought, and a full spectrum of curse words.

In Tic-A-Tac 21 the goal is to apply cards to a three-by-three board, creating sets of three cards. Scores are tallied horizontally, vertically, and diagonally, so the placement of each card affects several scores. Among other things, this gives the ace elevated importance, as its placement can help you avoid going bust or (if things don't go your way) can leave you with a really low score. While there's still an element of luck in Tic-A-Tac, the game feels more like an IQ test than a game of chance.

During our brief time with the game, we didn't break the 100-point mark. A score of 168 is the theoretical maximum, however. Infer what you will about our intelligence levels. In our defense, we will say that this game is challenging and rewarding when you best your previous efforts.

This is a game that exemplifies the mobile mantra "simple to learn, tough to master," so we have relatively high hopes. We'll bring you more information about Tic-A-Tac 21 as it becomes available.