4th & Inches

4th & Inches combines arcade-style football action with strategic play calling. Before each play, the offense selects a formation and then chooses from five associated plays, including draws, curls, sweeps, and long bombs. The defense likewise selects a formation based on its prediction of the opponent’s approach.

Players choose which position to control before an offensive play begins and cannot switch during the action. On defense, control also remains fixed until the screen redraws, when the game automatically selects the defender closest to the ball carrier. The limited field view can obscure developing plays, and reaching the edge of the screen triggers a complete redraw rather than smooth scrolling.

The game was released in 1986 for Amiga, Apple IIGS, Commodore 64, Commodore Amiga, Commodore C64/128/MAX, DOS, and PC (Microsoft Windows). It was developed by Bob Whitehead and Sculptured Software, Inc., and published by Accolade, Inc. and U.S. Gold Ltd.