Ataxx (rev 5)

Ataxx is a two-player tabletop game released in 1990 by Leland Corporation, offering a unique strategic challenge controlled through a trackball. Players compete to dominate a 7x7 grid of tiles by converting the opponent's pieces to their own color. The core gameplay involves maneuvering your colored “globs” adjacent to an opposing piece to claim it, or executing jumps across two spaces—though these jumps don’t create duplicates. Each round presents a dynamically changing playfield with varying obstacles, demanding adaptable strategies from both players. To expand your influence, you can also place new globs next to your existing pieces, doubling their number and extending your reach across the board. The game concludes when all spaces are filled; at that point, the player controlling the majority of globs is declared the winner. A time limit governs each match, adding urgency to decision-making. Single-player mode features escalating difficulty as you progress, with increasingly challenging computer opponents appearing after victories. Players can also choose to end a game early by "buying out" – a feature that allows for flexible play sessions.