Genre: Board / Puzzle
Developer: Entersoft
Publisher: Entersoft
Year: 1984
Platform: Enterprise
Five in a Row is a digital adaptation of the traditional strategy game Gomoku, published by Entersoft in 1984 for the Enterprise computer. Sometimes referred to as “Five in a Line,” the objective of the game is to place five pieces in an unbroken sequence on a 15×15 board. The rules are derived from the ancient game, offering a more complex version of tic-tac-toe.
Players alternate turns placing counters on the board, aiming to align five pieces horizontally, vertically, or diagonally. The game allows the player to choose whether to make the first move, or to let the computer opponent begin. Matches continue until one side wins, or the computer determines that neither player has a chance to succeed, at which point the game is declared a draw.
The Enterprise release includes a range of options to expand playability. Several difficulty levels are available, enabling stronger computer opposition as the level increases. Players can also make use of a “Take Back” feature to undo mistakes, or replay completed moves with the “Forward” function. Additional menu commands allow the board to be reset, the player side to be swapped, or the computer to perform a move automatically.
Beyond single-player matches against the computer AI, Five in a Row also supports a two-player mode, allowing users to compete directly against each other on the same system. This mix of classic gameplay, adjustable challenge, and extra features helped translate the long-standing board game into a computer format that appealed to both casual and strategy-focused players.
