Gameplay is based on a
strategy table game called
Othello or
Reversi, which originates from 1883, but it takes place on a 7×7 board, though in some variations, certain locations on that board would be unavailable. Two to four players alternated turns, with each player controlling pieces of a specific color. On each turn, a player selects an existing piece of his color, and then an empty position one or two squares away. If the selected location is one square away, a new piece is created in that location; otherwise, the chosen piece moves from its original location to the new location. In either case, all adjacent pieces are then changed to that player's color.
Spot: The Video Game offered an animated approach to moving the pieces. Depending on the proximity and direction of the move, the Spot character would appear as the moving piece and do a dance, roller skate, cart wheel, dive, fall backwards, etc. to the destination location. The NES and DOS versions allowed up to four players, each designated by a specific color. Human players would hand off controllers so all members could make their moves when their turn arose. ==History==