Color Lines

Goal

A classic “color lines” puzzle (the gameplay of the well-known Line 98): a 9×9 board and balls in 7 colors. Move balls to line up five or more of the same color in a straight row — horizontal, vertical or diagonal. The line pops and you score. Every time you move without making a line, 3 new balls drop onto random empty cells. When the board is full the game is over, so keep it as open as you can for as long as you can.

The Next box above the board shows the colors of the 3 balls coming on the next turn — plan ahead with it. Each color also carries a small symbol (dot, square, triangle, diamond, star, plus, ring) so the balls are easy to tell apart even if colors are hard to see.

Scoring

• A line of 5 is worth 10 points; every extra ball is worth more (6 = 17, 7 = 26, 8 = 37, 9 = 50).
• Clearing 2 lines at once doubles the points, 3 lines triples them.
• On a turn where you clear a line, no new balls drop. If new balls happen to form a line, it is cleared and you get the points too.

Controls

• Computer: click a ball to select it (it bounces), then click the empty cell you want. A ball can only roll if there is a path of empty cells in the 4 directions up, down, left, right — no diagonal moves, no jumping over balls. If the path is blocked, the cell shakes red.
• Keyboard: arrow keys move the cell cursor, Enter or Space picks up / drops a ball, Esc deselects, U undoes.
• Phone: tap a ball to select it, tap an empty cell to roll it there. Tap the selected ball again to deselect, or tap another ball to switch.
• Undo takes back your last move (including the 3 balls that dropped). You get only 3 undos per game; the number left is shown on the button. New game starts over and 🔊/🔇 toggles sound.

Tips

• Don’t pack balls into a corner: a ball boxed in on all four sides can no longer move.
• Build lines near the middle so balls have many routes to reach them; keeping an open “corridor” across the board helps a lot.
• Watch the Next colors: if several balls of the color you’re building are coming, leave room for them.
• Try to make two lines cross at one cell to clear both at once for double points.
• Save your undos for emergencies, like when new balls block an important path.