The NES Series:

Gomoku Narabe Renju

"Is he gone?"

"I'm not sure."

Villager climbed up onto a stack of crates and peeked out through the tiny window that provided the only view of the outside world to the tiny stone basement he and Olimar were currently hiding out in. Outside on the cobblestone street, he could see the feet of a sailor and several others running back and forth looking for something.

"Not yet," Villager said, turning back to where Olimar was hunkered down between two barrels. "He and his friends are still out there looking for us."

"How long do you think he'll keep looking?"

Villager shrugged. "Who can say? With all that spinach he ate when we passed that open air market, he could be at it for months."

"Ah," Olimar said, twiddling his thumbs. "So what do we do until then?"

"Well," Villager said, hopping down off the crate, "there's a year's supply of food in all these crates and barrels, and running water in that sink. We may just have to wait it out."

"Great. And just what are we going to do in the meantime?"

"I don't know. We could play a board game."

Olimar considered for a second, and then shrugged. "I suppose. What did you have in mind?"

"How about . . . Gomoku Narabe Renju!"

Villager pulled a small board and a bag of black and white chips from his pocket. Olimar stared at him for a second.

"It's never just checkers with you, is it?" he asked.

"Oh, come on, it's fun," Villager said, setting the board down on the concrete floor.

"Sure, but how am I supposed to play something when I can't even understand its name?"

"You play Parcheesy, don't you?"

"Fair enough. Still, what does it mean?"

"'Five Points in a Row,' roughly. It's basically Connect Five."

"You mean that kids' game with the weird blue stand that you drop red and yellow pieces into like a coin counter."

"Sort of. That kids' game is actually based on this."

"Okay, I know how to play this. I call white."

Olimar held out his hand for Villager to deposit the white chips.

"Just remember," Villager said, "On this board, you place the chips where the lines meet, not in the squares."

"Got it. I'm first!" Olimar threw down a chip into the center of the board.

"Actually," Villager said, removing Olimar's chip and replacing it with one of his own. "Black goes first in this game."

"Dude, not cool."