Tic Tac Toe

Noughts and crosses on boards large enough to make it interesting. The classic three-by-three version is a solved draw between competent players; extend the grid and require four or five in a row, and it becomes a genuine game of threats, forks and forced responses. That change is substantial. On a large board the winning idea is the double threat — a move that creates two separate lines of three, only one of which can be blocked — and most games are decided by whoever builds one first. Defence becomes about recognising those setups two moves early rather than simply blocking the obvious line, which is exactly the kind of thinking the small version never demands. There is a computer opponent at several strengths and a two-player mode on one device, which is where it works best. Games take a couple of minutes, the grid and win length are configurable, and the pieces can be cosmetic variations rather than letters. It plays with taps, runs on anything, and is suitable for any age while being a considerably better game than its reputation suggests.