DIRECTIONS

AWARI, or the Bean Game, originated as a game played on the ground by scooping handfulls of dirt to form two rows of six shallow pits. The playing pieces could be pebbles, beans, or whatever was handy. Later versions of the game used pits carved into the flat side of pieces of wood. This computer version uses text boxes like this instead of pits, and zeros displayed within those text boxes as beans. The first player has control of the boxes at the left of the screen (the blue side), and the second player, or the computer in single player mode, has control of the boxes at the right of the screen (the red side).

Each box starts with three beans. A larger box at the end of each row serves as a 'Home' to collect each player's beans. The first player chooses a box on his side (the blue side) by clickinig its button.

All of the beans from that starting box are 'sown' one bean per box in a counter-clockwise direction until no beans are left. If the last bean is sown in the player's own Home, he gets to go again. If the last bean is sown in an empty box, he gains all of the beans in the box directly opposite the one he ended in, and all of those beans are moved into his Home. The opponent, either the second player or the computer, moves in a similar manner, and turns are taken, with beans accumulating in each Home box. When one side runs out of beans, whoever has the most in his Home wins.

To play, click the button next to the box that you want to start from. Your computer will do all the work of 'sowing' the beans during play.

As an option, you may type your name into the label box under the Player's Home, or each player may type in his name when playing with two players.