246: Spot

Number 246
(3.4 points)
Spot
1992: 84

Before Cool Spot was bouncing around platforms, the 7 Up drink mascot was in a board game.
Similar to the board games Reversi and Go, and also released as Infection and Ataxx, Spot is played on a 7x7 board with four spots in each corner at the beginning, shared between players. You can place a new spot in a square next to an existing spot of your colour, or move an existing spot two squares away. After the move, any opposing spots in the adjacent spaces are turned to your spot's colour. The object is to have more spots of your colour on the board once the board is filled. It's a very simple concept that becomes obvious very quickly, but actually winning a game can be a great challenge. The game allows up to four players, either human or computer-controlled, and also lets you edit the board. This, combined with the strategy of the game itself, means it can be a title with long-lasting appeal, and will appeal to gamers and non-gamers alike.

It's a neat concept, and originally wasn't a 7 Up-branded game obviously, but as fun as it is, it really doesn't seem like something that you could charge £25 for back in the day (due to inflation you can double the price to get an equivalent today). This is the kind of game you could get for free even then, and Spot's funky dancing are the only thing that gives it some premium quality. Anyway, I'm being too negative, because this is still worth playing today. Oh, and it inexplicably takes forever to load, so WHDLoad is a good idea.

Recommended TOSEC disk(s):
Spot - The Computer Game! (1991)(Virgin Mastertronic)[cr QTX]