Hex

In general visual style and layout, the game is similar to a turn-based version of Q*bert that takes place on hexagons instead of cubes. There are a number of key gameplay elements that result in very different play.

The game takes place on an isometric playfield consisting of a series of nineteen hexagonal platforms arranged into a larger hexagon. The top surface of each hexagon is colored green, blue, red or purple. The player, represented by a unicorn, can jump between the hexes, which will change color based on a fixed pattern - blue, purple, red, green. Adjacent hexes of the same color will all change when any one of them is changed by the player.

George Millare reviewed the game in COMPUTE! and called Hex "one of the most challenging and fascinating strategy games yet devised for a computer." He concludes that players will "be amazed at how quickly your opponent ceases to be just a computer and seems to acquire distinct personality traits of its own."

In a January 1986 review for Antic, Suede Barstow describes Hex as something like a cross between Q*bert and Archon, but the result is unique. He concludes that "Hex is a clean piece of programming and one of the best strategy-board games I've seen on a computer. It sets a high standard for future ST entertainments."