Gomoku Narabe Renju (五目ならべ^?, "5 Points in a Row")^[4] is a Japan-exclusive video game for the Nintendo Entertainment System (in addition to the Virtual Console) which is based on the board game Connect Five.

This game can be found in pirated multicarts under a numerous amount of alternative titles like Chinese Chess and Five Chess. Many of them can be downloaded on the Internet in addition to being purchased at flea markets. Notable examples are Power Player Super Joy III and Game Stick; both of them are bootleg devices that are meant to be hooked up to the player's television in some manner.

Gameplay

[[File:|200px|left|thumb|The player using the "white" tiles has managed to get six in a row and has won the game.]]

There are three difficulty levels in addition to a two-player mode - beginner (初級^?), intermediate (中級^?), and advanced (上級^?). Unlike tic-tac-toe where there is usually a draw if both players pay attention, there is always a possibility to win in Gomoku Narabe. Since 1936, studies have proven that players controlling the "black" tiles can win by playing a completely perfect game. Some rules were introduced to keep the game fair and to reduce black's advantage on the board. The game follows the Renju rules. For example, the player controlling the black tiles only wins with five pieces in a row. Rows of six or more are called overlines and will result in a loss instead. White tile-controlling players, on the other hand, has no such restrictions and can win by collecting a row of five or more tiles. A direct sequel called Super Gomoku Narabe Renju (スーパー五目ならべ連珠^?, "Super 5 Points in a Row")^[5] was released in 1994 for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. The game was basically a graphically enhanced version of this game.

References

External links

• Virtual Console game information (Japanese)