Read Time:1 Minute, 53 Second
Players: 1-4 (ages 10+)
Playing Time: 10-15 minutes
Whether you’re playing solitaire or going head-to-head with an opponent (or three), On the Dot offers a quick and pleasantly maddening visual challenge.
There are a number of ways to play On the Dot—several of which are explained in the game’s instructions—but the object is always the same: to match the dots.
Before the game begins, each player is given a set of four transparent squares—each with four colored dots printed on it. No matter which rules you use, your challenge is always to use all four transparent squares in your hand to recreate the pattern of colored dots that’s printed on a card. That means trying to make the right-colored dot show up in the right place—while covering up the dots that you don’t need. And, as an added challenge, no matter how you play, it’s a race—either against an opponent (or two or three opponents) or against time (if you’re playing the solitaire version).
On the Dot sounds pretty simple—and, once you get the hang of it, it is—but it’s a challenge to master. In fact, once I read through the instructions the first time and started playing around with a sample puzzle, I was pretty sure that the game was completely impossible. While it’s tricky at first, though, you’ll figure out more and more tricks and hints and shortcuts as you go. You’ll figure out how the colors and patterns work on each card. You’ll learn that you need to rotate the cards—and flip them over, too—as you try to match the dots and recreate patterns.
Instead of making you think numerically or strategically—as many games do—On the Dot makes you think visually. And the fact that the game is a race only adds to the challenge—and the excitement.
Though I’m not usually a fan of frantic, head-to-head, high-speed games, On the Dot quickly became a new favorite. It’s a fun, fast-paced, and flexible brainteaser that’s great for a quick challenge—no matter where you are or whom you’re with.
Kristin Dreyer Kramer has been writing in some form or another (usually when she was supposed to be doing something else) since the ripe old age of ten—when she, her cousin, and their two Cabbage Patch Dolls formed the Poo Authors’ Club. After a short career in advertising, Kristin got sick of always saying nice things about stuff that didn’t deserve it—so now she spends her days criticizing things, and she’s much happier for it.
Since creating NightsAndWeekends.com in February of 2002, Kristin has spent her life surrounded by piles and piles of books and movies—so many that her office has become a kind of entertainment obstacle course.
As if her writing and editing responsibilities for N&W.com weren’t enough to keep her out of trouble, Kristin also hosts a number of weekly radio shows: Reel Discovery, Shelf Discovery, and On the Marquee. She’s also a proud member of the Broadcast Film Critics Association (CriticsChoice.com), the Central Ohio Film Critics Association (COFCA.org), the Online Film Critics Society (OFCS.org), and the Women Film Critics Circle (WFCC.Wordpress.com).
Kristin lives in Columbus, Ohio, with her husband, Paul, and their daughter, Anna. She welcomes questions, comments, and fan mail at kdk@nightsandweekends.com.
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Kristin Dreyer Kramer has been writing in some form or another (usually when she was supposed to be doing something else) since the ripe old age of ten—when she, her cousin, and their two Cabbage Patch Dolls formed the Poo Authors’ Club. After a short career in advertising, Kristin got sick of always saying nice things about stuff that didn’t deserve it—so now she spends her days criticizing things, and she’s much happier for it.
Since creating NightsAndWeekends.com in February of 2002, Kristin has spent her life surrounded by piles and piles of books and movies—so many that her office has become a kind of entertainment obstacle course.
As if her writing and editing responsibilities for N&W.com weren’t enough to keep her out of trouble, Kristin also hosts a number of weekly radio shows: Reel Discovery, Shelf Discovery, and On the Marquee. She’s also a proud member of the Broadcast Film Critics Association (CriticsChoice.com), the Central Ohio Film Critics Association (COFCA.org), the Online Film Critics Society (OFCS.org), and the Women Film Critics Circle (WFCC.Wordpress.com).
Kristin lives in Columbus, Ohio, with her husband, Paul, and their daughter, Anna. She welcomes questions, comments, and fan mail at kdk@nightsandweekends.com.