Controls

You play by throwing sticks and moving a piece. Tap to throw, which gives a move of one to five, then choose which piece to advance along the zigzag path.

Movement and combat have their own rules:

• Swapping with enemies happens when you land on a single enemy piece: the two pieces trade places. But two enemy pieces side by side are protected and can't be landed on.
• The house of water is a trap square near the end of the board. A piece that lands there carelessly is sent back, so the final stretch demands caution.

You bear pieces off the end of the board, and the first to remove all their pieces wins.

Against the computer, the difficulty rises across eight levels as it plays the swaps and traps more shrewdly.

Tips

• Protect your pieces in pairs. Two of your pieces side by side can't be landed on or swapped, so keeping pieces paired shields them from your opponent as they travel down the board.
• Use swaps to gain position. Landing on a lone enemy piece trades places with it, so a well-timed swap can jump one of your pieces forward while shoving a rival back.
• Beware the house of water. The trap near the end sends careless pieces backward, so as you approach the finish, plan your throws to avoid landing a piece there.
• Keep your pieces from being isolated. A single, unpaired piece is vulnerable to being swapped, so avoid leaving one exposed in front of an advancing enemy unless you have to.
• Spread your progress. Advancing several pieces rather than racing one keeps you resilient to swaps and gives you more choices for each throw of the sticks.
• Time the endgame carefully. Bearing pieces off requires reaching the end safely, so managing the last few squares, including the trap, is where careful play wins the race.

Frequently asked questions