# 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. Source: https://olyclass.com/classroom-games/line-of-four/ · Updated 2026-10-29 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. ![The Line of Four board in a playroom: a blue grid of 7 columns and 6 rows with column numbers 1 to 7 on top, one red disc at the bottom of column 3, a key on the left showing +1 per disc and +5 for four in a line, and the banner +1](https://olyclass.com/classroom-games/line4.webp "Team 1 answered right and dropped its first disc in column 3: +1. The key on the left shows the bonus for four in a line.") ## 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 1. **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](https://olyclass.com/library/). 2. **Pick Line of Four, set the teams and start.** Each team has its own disc color. Teams take turns answering. 3. **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. ![A Line of Four question: a cartoon parrot with "What is it?" and four answers, parrot, kangaroo, snake and crocodile, with "Team 1, your turn!" above and "Four in a line wins +5" at the bottom left](https://olyclass.com/classroom-games/line4-ask.webp "The question covers the board while the team answers. Get it right and the team chooses a column.") ## 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](https://olyclass.com/classroom-games/three-in-a-row/), or give every team its own card in [Team Bingo](https://olyclass.com/classroom-games/team-bingo/).