QUINTA

1993 · strategy · MS-DOS · Les Penner

QUINTA (Version 3.0) is a shareware board game for IBM and IBM-compatible MS-DOS computers requiring a mouse and an EGA/VGA display. It is similar to Go-Moku, Go, and the game Pente. The game is played between two players (human or computer-controlled) who alternate placing stones on a grid. Players can choose between three modes: 0 players (computer vs computer), 1 player (human vs computer), or 2 players (human vs human). The objective is to win either by forming five or more stones in a row (horizontal, vertical, or diagonal) or by capturing five pairs of the opponent’s stones. Captures occur by surrounding an opposing pair with stones at both ends. The game includes configurable sound, skill levels (Novice and Advanced), move take-back (backup), and step-by-step computer move control in automated modes. The AI uses a rule-based system with fifteen ranked tactics covering offensive, defensive, and random strategies, without deep lookahead planning. The shareware version is limited to 30 moves. QUINTA is distributed by Pennant Enterprises and authored by Les Penner.