Free stuff

from the author of goScreen


PENTIX

This is a remake of a classic game by Marta and Adrian Soncodi, created in 1986 for MS-DOS. I like it a lot. Unfortunately, that game does not work on modern Windows OS. I could not find a decent remake, so I have created it myself. This one is 64 bits application, UNICODE, high DPI aware, and what not. That is, it is built to last. I hope.

In case you have never heard of PENTIX, this is how it works. A random sequence of blocks fall down the playing field. The objective is to manipulate these blocks rotating them and moving them left or right to fill a row, leaving no gaps. Once such row is formed, it disappears. The game stops when there no room left for the next block.

System requirements and Installation

The game requires Microsoft Windows 7 or newer. Both 64 and 32 bits versions of the game are available.

Click here to download 64 bits version (version 2.0.64, zip archive 67K), or here for 32 bits one (version 2.0.32, zip archive 60.6K). Installation is not required. The archive contains a single file - pentix.exe. Just run it. The results are stored in pentix.res file next to pentix.exe. So, the file directory should not be write protected.

What is new in version 2

I have added touch input. Now one can play without keyboard. Start it, touch the screen and read instructions. There are few gestures only: sweep left, sweep right, flick down. See here how it works.

At this time (September 2017), it seems unlikely that I ever make version 3, because I do not know what else I could add into it. But, who knows... If you have any suggestions, drop me a line... Definitely, I am not going to "improve the UI", make it 3D, or something. I like it the way it is now. Maybe, when I am bored, I could try to make it UWP application, if you know what I mean...

Differences

I do not know how original PENTIX generates a sequence of blocks. I simply use a random number generator. Probably, original game does the same.

I did not measure original PENTIX speeds. So, my version feels different. While original version at speed 9 feels pretty comfortable (for experienced players like myself), my version is faster. Probably, speed 8 corresponds to speed 9 of the old version. At speed 9 it is very fast. I do not know if it is humanly possible to play at this speed. I keep trying.

I have added option to randomize block's color and initial rotation. This makes it more fun. When playing, one has to decide what to do next within a fraction of a second. Random colors and rotations make the decision more difficult. Your brain has to work faster.

I do not know how to count "points", so I count full lines only.

Screenshots