Four in a row: drop, block, and look up!

Drop your counters into the frame and be first to line up four: across, down or diagonally. Dotty’s ladybirds and Bo’s blueberries tumble into the holes with a little bounce.

Play four in a row now, free → A hand-drawn yellow four-in-a-row frame with ladybird and blueberry counters

How Fig helps

“Can you make four right now?” when a win is waiting.
“Bo has three in a row… can you stop it?” when a block is needed.
“Look up! Is there a column you should NOT play?”: the classic trap, where your counter gives the other player a winning spot on top.
A cheer for a double threat: two ways to win at once.
After a slip, a take-back before the computer replies.

Why the middle column matters

More lines of four pass through the middle column than any other, which is why strong players start there. Fig explains it in the opening tips.

Three levels

One star plays loosely, two stars always blocks, and three stars searches ahead and is genuinely tough. Or play a friend on the same screen.

Questions grown-ups ask

What age is four in a row for?

About five and up. Younger children love dropping the counters; Fig’s “look up” tip is how they start thinking a move ahead.

Is this the same as Connect 4?

It’s the same idea: drop counters and line up four. Connect 4 is a brand name for the game; Trickly’s version is free, drawn by hand, and comes with a coach.