Aim, wait for the sway, and flick. Play 501 or 301 with a double to finish, or work round the clock from 1 to the bull.
The rules
501 and 301. Both players count down from the same total, three darts a visit, each dart subtracting what it hit. The thin outer ring is worth double the number and the thin inner ring treble; the outer bull scores 25 and the bull 50. You win the leg by reaching exactly zero with a double as your last dart — the bull is allowed. If a dart takes you past zero, leaves you on 1, or reaches zero without being a double, the visit is wiped out: the score returns to what you had before it, and the other player throws.
Round the clock. Work through the numbers in order, 1 to 20, and close on the bull. Single, double or treble of the number you need all move you on. Whoever hits the bull first after their 20 takes the game.
Controls
Steer the sight with the mouse, or put a finger down anywhere on the board and slide it — the sight follows at a distance, so your fingertip never covers it. The hand is never perfectly still: release as the sight drifts over the bed you are after. Flick upwards to throw (a sideways, timid or over-hard flick sends the dart astray), or use the Throw button, a mouse click or the Space bar. Small aim corrections live on the arrow keys.
Scoring and finishing
Early in a leg the treble 20 is the highest target, but its neighbours are the 5 and the 1. If your darts keep drifting, the treble 19 sits between the 7 and the 3 and forgives a miss better. From about 170 down, think about the finish rather than the biggest score: the board shows the suggested route as soon as one exists.
Good finishing is about leaving a double you like. Double 16 is popular because a single 16 leaves 16, a miss into the single halves it to double 8 and then double 4 — you keep a double after every miss. Double 20 and double 10 work the same way. Odd numbers need a set-up dart first, and some totals — 159, 162, 163, 165, 166, 168 and 169 — have no three-dart finish at all, so avoid leaving them. Our checkout table lists a route for every total from 170 down to 2.
The computer opponent
The computer aims at the right bed for the situation — the treble 20 for scoring, set-up shots, and the shortest checkout route — and then throws with a scatter that shrinks with the level. In our test matches its three-dart average was about 25 on Easy, 30 on Medium, 49 on Hard and 78 on Expert.
Questions and answers
Why did my score go back after a big turn?
That was a bust: the turn went below zero, left 1, or reached zero without a double. The score returns to what it was before the turn.
Does the bull count as a double for the finish?
Yes. The 50 bull finishes a leg just like a double.
What is the daily ladder?
Five finishes chosen by the date, from a low double to a three-dart finish, one turn each. Finishes made count first, then the fewest darts.
Can I play without flicking?
Yes. Use the Throw button, a click or Space; the dart flies where the sight is at that moment.