Line of Four: a four in a row review game for the whole class
A four in a row review game for teams: answer right to drop a disc (+1), line up four for +5. Free, on one screen, no student devices, any subject.
Line of Four is a four in a row review game for the whole class, like the dropping-disc game many know as Connect 4. Teams answer questions, and every right answer lets them drop a disc into the column they choose; four of their discs in a line earns a big bonus. It brings a bit of strategy into a review lesson and suits classes from about age 8 up, in any subject.
At a glance
| Players | 2–4 teams free (up to 8 with Oly Pro), the whole class; best with 2 to 4 |
| Time | 15–25 minutes for 16 to 30 questions |
| Works with | Every English question format and every subject |
| Best for | Review before a test, older primary and secondary classes, a little strategy |
| You need | One screen (projector, TV or interactive display) and your phone |
How to play Line of Four
- Make or pick a question set. Snap a textbook page, paste a word list, type a topic, paste your own questions, or open a set from the free library.
- Pick Line of Four, set the teams and start. Each team has its own disc color. Teams take turns answering.
- Play. A right answer lets the team pick a column, 1 to 7 (tap it on the screen or on your phone), and its disc falls to the lowest empty space: +1. If that disc completes four in a line, the team gets +5 more. A wrong answer drops nothing. The game ends when the questions run out or the board is full; the team with the most points wins.
Rules and scoring
- Each disc: +1.
- Four in a line: +5 on top, so +6 for that drop. Lines count across, up and down, and diagonally.
- Each line counts once. Making the same line five long doesn't score again, but one disc that finishes two new lines at once scores both bonuses.
- Blocking: dropping your disc into a gap stops another team's line, and still gives you +1.
What you can switch on the start screen or during the game:
- Steal (off by default): when you turn it on, after a miss another team can answer the same question and drop the disc.
- Double or triple questions: mark a question in the editor and the points from that drop are doubled or tripled.
- Also: a timer per question (running out counts as wrong), wrong answers losing a point (off by default), and hiding the score for the whole game.
What you can teach with it
For English, Line of Four takes every question type Oly makes: picture, find the picture, listen and choose, the missing letter, the English word for a meaning, sentence order, and your own questions. Some ideas:
- Animals or school things at A1: picture and listening questions for a fast pace.
- Prepositions at A2: your own gap-fill questions, "The cat is ___ the box", with three wrong answers.
- Sentence order at B1: longer sentences to put back together, judged out loud.
For other subjects, it plays multiple choice, true/false and open questions:
- Math: mental arithmetic, rounding or equations with one answer.
- Science: true/false statements to check a unit before a test.
Tips from the classroom
- Two to four teams is the sweet spot. With more teams, each one gets fewer drops and lines are rare; play with more questions if you have many teams.
- Set 20 to 30 questions. Four in a row takes at least four right answers from the same team.
- Teach blocking. Older students quickly start dropping discs to stop the leading team, which keeps the game close.
- Call one student per team. Type your class list on the start screen and Oly calls a different student each turn.
- Turn on steal so the other teams stay alert during each turn.
Play it without a screen
- Draw a grid of 7 columns and 6 rows on the board and number the columns.
- Give each team a color of marker or magnet.
- Ask a question; a team that answers right names a column, and you draw its disc in the lowest empty space.
- Score 1 per disc and 5 more for four in a line.
The screen version drops the discs, finds every line, and keeps the score while you run the game from your phone.
Questions teachers ask
Is Line of Four free?
Yes. You can play it free with up to 4 teams, with library sets and your own typed questions. The free plan also makes 10 AI question sets a month; Oly Pro allows up to 8 teams and more AI sets.
Do students need devices?
No. The board is on one shared screen. Only you use a phone, as the remote, and the keyboard works too.
Do diagonal lines count?
Yes. Four discs of the same team in a line across, up and down, or diagonally all score the +5 bonus.
Does the game end when a team makes four in a row?
No. The team scores +5 and the game goes on, so other teams can still catch up. It ends when the questions run out or the board is full.
Can I use my own questions?
Yes. Type or paste them as question, answer and wrong answers, or edit any question Oly writes for you.
How many students can play?
Any number. The class splits into 2 to 4 teams on the free plan, up to 8 with Oly Pro.
For a smaller board, try Three in a Row, or give every team its own card in Team Bingo.