> I hate tictacto, tic-tac-toe, noughts & crosses or whatever else you want to call it. It's a lousy idea for a game. Games that end in a tie 99% of the time are not fun.

I used to dislike tic-tac-toe for that same reason. However, on my last school trip to SeChart (the really expensive Marine Biology one that I liked immensely) my friends and myself found that tic-tac-toe could be a somewhat amusing way of passing the time on the three hour bus ride. The trick is that you *don't* use paper and pencil. If you do so, well, as you said it ends in a tie 99% of the time, which is really stupid. Instead, just number the squares 1-9 and have someone else record the moves on paper. Then play normally...but you have to remember where all of your pieces are and where all of the other person's pieces are. After all, you're not allowed to see it on paper! It's much less likely for it to end in a tie then because, well, chances are that one of you will forget where one piece is from time to time (and if someone makes an illegal move, well, they lose). After all...there are 3 different states for each spot and 9 different spots....27 things to keep track of at the end of the game. And then it can be sort of fun I think.

Or, well, more fun then staring out a bus window at very boring, repetative scenery...which I suppose doesn't say all that much.

-Ka"Hasn't play tic-tac-toe since then"z!