How to Play Color Lines
Color Lines (often called Lines 98 after a popular PC version) is a slow-burn puzzle from 1992: one ball moves each turn, three arrive, and the board slowly fills unless you keep clearing lines.
The rules
- A 9×9 board and seven colours. Five balls start on the board, and three announced colours wait to drop.
- Each turn, move one ball to any empty square it can reach through empty squares (orthogonal steps; no jumping, no diagonals).
- If the moved ball makes a line of five or more of its colour (row, column or diagonal), the line is cleared and scored, and no new balls arrive.
- Otherwise the three announced balls drop on random empty squares, and three new colours are announced.
- The game ends when the board is full.
Scoring
| Balls cleared | Points |
|---|---|
| 5 | 10 |
| 6 | 12 |
| 7 | 18 |
| 8 | 28 |
| 9 | 42 |
Two lines cleared by one ball score each line.
Playing on kawu
Tap a ball, then one of the marked squares. Hint suggests a move. Your best score is kept; the daily board gives everyone the same balls in the same order.
Next: Color Lines strategy.
Frequently asked questions
Can a ball jump over other balls?
No. A ball travels only through empty squares, moving up, down, left or right. If there is no clear path, it can't go there; squares you can reach are marked when you pick a ball.
Do the new balls ever clear lines?
Yes. If a dropped ball completes five or more, that line is cleared and scored at once.
Why don't new balls appear after I clear a line?
That is the reward for clearing: a free turn. Only moves that clear nothing bring the three announced balls onto the board.
Last updated 2026-10-21