Color Lines
| Color Lines | |
|---|---|
| Developer(s) | Oleg Demin |
| Publisher(s) | Gamos |
| Designer(s) | Oleg Demin |
| Platform(s) | MS-DOS |
| Release date(s) | 1992 |
| Genre(s) | Puzzle |
| Mode(s) | Single Player |
Color Lines (aka Lines) is a computer puzzle game, invented by Oleg Demin and first introduced as a video game by the Russian company Gamos (Russian: Геймос) in 1992.
Game rules
The game starts with a 9×9 board with three balls chosen out of seven different colours. The player can move one ball per turn, and the player may only move a ball to a particular place if there is a path (linked set of vertical and horizontal empty cells) between the current position of the ball and the desired destination. The goal is to remove balls by forming lines (horizontal, vertical or diagonal) of at least five balls of the same colour. If the player does form such lines of at least five balls of the same colour, the balls in those lines disappear, and he gains one turn, i.e. he can move another ball. If not, three new balls are added, and the game continues until the board is full.
Lines for Windows (1995)
In 1995 the first Windows version was developed by Igor Nedelko and Andrey Akselrod for the AbrewSoft company as a shareware. This was a faithful remake of Color Lines, with 256-color graphics and a custom window with buttons for all the functions. The characters on the pillars, champion and pretender, were still there, but in a modern office instead of a medieval setting. The figurines to the right was ever so slightly animated, blinking and tapping a hand now and then. The ball with the four cyan arrows was for moving the window around. A new concept of a four-color balls on advanced levels was introduced with this version.
Actually, "Color Lines for Windows" was released on CD (Games for Windows) by Gamos in 1995. The Windows version was written in 1993. It was a port from DOS sources supplied by author with a little improvements (random generator, Lee algorithm, 256 color graphics, etc.). Lately the game was licensed by Namco and released as "Gholly!Ghost!Go!" coin-op game.