Tic-tac-toe is a free mobile board video game wherein you can play the classic game on your phone. Developed by M. Brodski Software, this is a lightweight app containing a single game with its simple mechanics. However, while it does its job well enough, it falls quite short compared to other similar apps. Its graphics aren’t inspiring, and there’s not much else that would make playing it worth opening the app again.

No need to make it complicated

Tic-tac-toe, also known as “noughts and crosses” and Xs and Os, is a paper-and-pencil game for two players who take turns marking the spaces in a 3×3 grid. One player will use “X” as their mark while the other will use “O”—and X is usually the first to play. You win if you successfully place three of your marks in a diagonal, horizontal, or vertical row in the grid.

Similar to other apps with this concept, this one lets you play the titular game on your mobile device. It’s unique in that it uses a simple low graphics black-and-white grid and markers to imitate how you can easily make your own game with basic drawing apps. Here, you can play against an AI and select its difficulty by tapping on the three colored buttons at the top: green for easy, yellow for normal, and red for hard.

Unfortunately, unlike apps such as Tic Tac Toe Glow, there’s no multiplayer option here, so you’re stuck with the AI. There’s also no feature for checking past scores once you exit the app or start a new game. Plus, tic-tac-toe is a futile game, as the best plays for it ends with the players in an unsatisfying draw. Thus, with no other options to make it exciting, you’ll grow bored with this app pretty soon.

Unfortunately lacks substance

All in all, while Tic-tac-toe is playable, it doesn’t have enough of its charm to make you keep it for longer than a day or so. You can’t play with a friend or stranger using the app, and there aren’t any achievements or scores to best when playing against the AI. The graphics can be quickly uninspiring, too. If you’re looking for actual challenges, try out Tic-Tac-Toe (other).