Category Archives: Try lite version first
SwipeTap Tap Pro
Another arcade game with a simple premise: you get an unending string of actions you are supposed to perform and when you screw up, game over. Here, you have to tap the screen, or swipe left or right, or double tape the screen, or swipe up or down, or double swipe…well, you get the picture. This game has a solid level-up path, and easily becomes challenging the longer you play. If you lose, you do need to go back to the beginning of the level, which can be annoying. And be sure to leave out the space in SwipeTap when you search for the game.
Survival score: a few games
SwipeTap Tap Pro
Another arcade game with a simple premise: you get an unending string of actions you are supposed to perform and when you screw up, game over. Here, you have to tap the screen, or swipe left or right, or double tape the screen, or swipe up or down, or double swipe…well, you get the picture. This game has a solid level-up path, and easily becomes challenging the longer you play. If you lose, you do need to go back to the beginning of the level, which can be annoying. And be sure to leave out the space in SwipeTap when you search for the game.
Survival score: a few games
Spectre 3D
This is a throwback to the arcade games where you move around a battlefield and shoot things, avoid other things, and collect some stuff. In Spectre 3D (make sure you put the 3D on when you search for it) you are a tank, and you are being chased by other tanks. You have to collect flags to go to the next level (at least, I think you go to the next level, I’ve never made it that far). The tank can jump, which is handy, but it can’t really turn. Who builds a tank that can jump but not turn?!
Survival score: A few games
Spectre 3D
This is a throwback to the arcade games where you move around a battlefield and shoot things, avoid other things, and collect some stuff. In Spectre 3D (make sure you put the 3D on when you search for it) you are a tank, and you are being chased by other tanks. You have to collect flags to go to the next level (at least, I think you go to the next level, I’ve never made it that far). The tank can jump, which is handy, but it can’t really turn. Who builds a tank that can jump but not turn?!
Survival score: A few games
Cursed Treasure HD
Cursed Treasure is a pretty standard tower defense game with enough interesting elements that I actually played all of the levels (about 25 of them) and thought seriously about going back and getting “gold” ratings on all of them. Some people find tower defense games tremendously boring. But I think of it sort of like dynamic chess. I set up my board, invite in the waves of marauders, and modify my defenses in real time to both anticipate their strengths and (hopefully) demolish them. The theme is a gridded open countryside. Each square is either grass, snow, or rock. Or a “special” square. There are three towers corresponding to the three different types of squares, and the square and the tower must match. Any tower can be built on the special squares. The bad guys are pretty ordinary tower defense stuff — some are stronger, some can disappear, some are faster, etc. What is cool about Cursed Treasure is that there are dozens of different upgrades. You “purchase” them with skill points, which you earn by playing (not necessarily by winning). And each of the upgrades has anywhere from 2-5 levels, so the upgrading goes on and on and on… For me, it provides a little thrill of power to see my towers go into frenzy shooting 20% faster than before! and so forth.
Survival Score: Hours. Had to stop myself from attempting a perfect score.
Cursed Treasure HD
Cursed Treasure is a pretty standard tower defense game with enough interesting elements that I actually played all of the levels (about 25 of them) and thought seriously about going back and getting “gold” ratings on all of them. Some people find tower defense games tremendously boring. But I think of it sort of like dynamic chess. I set up my board, invite in the waves of marauders, and modify my defenses in real time to both anticipate their strengths and (hopefully) demolish them. The theme is a gridded open countryside. Each square is either grass, snow, or rock. Or a “special” square. There are three towers corresponding to the three different types of squares, and the square and the tower must match. Any tower can be built on the special squares. The bad guys are pretty ordinary tower defense stuff — some are stronger, some can disappear, some are faster, etc. What is cool about Cursed Treasure is that there are dozens of different upgrades. You “purchase” them with skill points, which you earn by playing (not necessarily by winning). And each of the upgrades has anywhere from 2-5 levels, so the upgrading goes on and on and on… For me, it provides a little thrill of power to see my towers go into frenzy shooting 20% faster than before! and so forth.
Survival Score: Hours. Had to stop myself from attempting a perfect score.
Durion
s you know, I am a word game fanatic. In order to keep my attention, a new game must offer something unusual or distinctive. And it has to have a good dictionary. Durion’s dictionary is mostly OK. But the gameplay seemed to me, initially, to be pretty typical– a dropping letters game. You get a row of letters, make a word and zap it in for points, with bonuses for word length, speed, and how many times you’ve gone without a false entry. And so, it was headed for the recycle bin. But then I uncovered a couple of things — things I couldn’t pick up in the incredibly confusing instructions. First, I could make the letters drop faster. The default speed was mind numbingly slow. Second, I could move the letters around in the tray, a la Scrabble style. So instead of identifying words in the dropping letters, it became more of a strategy and probability game. I could choose some letters thinking that I had a high probability of using them in a word (different letters have different point value, so is a bit of a gamble — play it safe and run out of time, or go for the big points but possibly go bust!?) and then change my mind about what word to make as the letters continue to drop. As a result of this serendipitous discovery, Durion kept me occupied for a good hour straight.
Survival score: 30-60 minute sessions.
Durion
s you know, I am a word game fanatic. In order to keep my attention, a new game must offer something unusual or distinctive. And it has to have a good dictionary. Durion’s dictionary is mostly OK. But the gameplay seemed to me, initially, to be pretty typical– a dropping letters game. You get a row of letters, make a word and zap it in for points, with bonuses for word length, speed, and how many times you’ve gone without a false entry. And so, it was headed for the recycle bin. But then I uncovered a couple of things — things I couldn’t pick up in the incredibly confusing instructions. First, I could make the letters drop faster. The default speed was mind numbingly slow. Second, I could move the letters around in the tray, a la Scrabble style. So instead of identifying words in the dropping letters, it became more of a strategy and probability game. I could choose some letters thinking that I had a high probability of using them in a word (different letters have different point value, so is a bit of a gamble — play it safe and run out of time, or go for the big points but possibly go bust!?) and then change my mind about what word to make as the letters continue to drop. As a result of this serendipitous discovery, Durion kept me occupied for a good hour straight.
Survival score: 30-60 minute sessions.
Train Defense
his game is sort of like a tower defense game except you don’t have towers, you have a train engine with one car, and you use your finger to lay down tracks to travel along. If you run out of track, you just sit still until you make more tracks. So, the game board has passengers to pick up on the left of the screen, and you drop them off on the right. Plus, a big ol’ water tower in the middle you need to go around. Simple enough. Yes, but then bad, bad vehicles start moving in, to steal your water or to shoot you. Did I mention that your train car has a turret on top? Luckily, you don’t have to aim, you just have to get close enough and it shoots on its own. You have a certain amount of life points. Once those are gone, the game is over. When you deliver passengers, you get “money,” which you can use to upgrade your weapons and add train cars, and so forth. Unfortunately, I haven’t figured out how to get them attached. I think that’s just because I haven’t played enough. I get a little stressed out, so I only play a bit at a time.
Survival Score: Fun, in short bursts
Train Defense
his game is sort of like a tower defense game except you don’t have towers, you have a train engine with one car, and you use your finger to lay down tracks to travel along. If you run out of track, you just sit still until you make more tracks. So, the game board has passengers to pick up on the left of the screen, and you drop them off on the right. Plus, a big ol’ water tower in the middle you need to go around. Simple enough. Yes, but then bad, bad vehicles start moving in, to steal your water or to shoot you. Did I mention that your train car has a turret on top? Luckily, you don’t have to aim, you just have to get close enough and it shoots on its own. You have a certain amount of life points. Once those are gone, the game is over. When you deliver passengers, you get “money,” which you can use to upgrade your weapons and add train cars, and so forth. Unfortunately, I haven’t figured out how to get them attached. I think that’s just because I haven’t played enough. I get a little stressed out, so I only play a bit at a time.
Survival Score: Fun, in short bursts
Mystery Case Files: 13th Skull HD
Though PC gamers might be jaded to this, I thought it was so cool that this game had actors portray characters….10 or so… And deliver answers to a bunch of questions. This in addition to the typical hidden object elements…a diary, a set of clues, mini puzzles, etc. Also a plus is that the hint system is not cheesy. The story is also really good, with an ending I did not expect at all. You are called to investigate a disappearance in a small town in the bayou, an old pirate legend is involved, the requisite voodoo, and other southern stereotypes. The puzzles are plentiful, and often very clever, instead of the same old variations on the same old themes. A downside is that you can’t choose to get the info in text form, and if you miss what one of the characters says, you can’t get them to repeat it. So, make sure your husband doesn’t start talking to you during a video clip, and that you have your earphones in if you want to play the game in bed when your husband wants to sleep.
Oh, and when you think the game is over, it isn’t! There is at least 1 more hour more. I will say nothing more!
Survival score: Straight through, a few long nights.
Mystery Case Files: 13th Skull HD
Though PC gamers might be jaded to this, I thought it was so cool that this game had actors portray characters….10 or so… And deliver answers to a bunch of questions. This in addition to the typical hidden object elements…a diary, a set of clues, mini puzzles, etc. Also a plus is that the hint system is not cheesy. The story is also really good, with an ending I did not expect at all. You are called to investigate a disappearance in a small town in the bayou, an old pirate legend is involved, the requisite voodoo, and other southern stereotypes. The puzzles are plentiful, and often very clever, instead of the same old variations on the same old themes. A downside is that you can’t choose to get the info in text form, and if you miss what one of the characters says, you can’t get them to repeat it. So, make sure your husband doesn’t start talking to you during a video clip, and that you have your earphones in if you want to play the game in bed when your husband wants to sleep.
Oh, and when you think the game is over, it isn’t! There is at least 1 more hour more. I will say nothing more!
Survival score: Straight through, a few long nights.
Brave Ghost HD
There are different types of physics puzzlers, but all of them have in common that there is some unseen physical force that is acting on objects, and figuring out that force is the key to solving the puzzle. In Brave Ghost, the force is the gravitational pull of different types of objects (plus a bit of gravity). In catapult action similar to Angry Birds, you set your little Brave Ghost flying along a trajectory that becomes a path around the objects. The goal is to have that path pass through 3 other ghosts you are trying to “save.” It’s amusing and the puzzles are OK. A good game if you’re still enjoying this genre.
Brave Ghost HD
There are different types of physics puzzlers, but all of them have in common that there is some unseen physical force that is acting on objects, and figuring out that force is the key to solving the puzzle. In Brave Ghost, the force is the gravitational pull of different types of objects (plus a bit of gravity). In catapult action similar to Angry Birds, you set your little Brave Ghost flying along a trajectory that becomes a path around the objects. The goal is to have that path pass through 3 other ghosts you are trying to “save.” It’s amusing and the puzzles are OK. A good game if you’re still enjoying this genre.
Ancient Block
I love sliding game puzzles — like the old rush hour game where you had little plastic cars on a gameboard that you set up according to the image on the puzzle card. And then you moved the cars around till the red one could slip out of the one exit on the board. I miss the whole tactic thing of setting up the cars, but I still like the puzzle idea. There are lots of them available and many have hundreds of levels. Everyone iPad gamer should have one of these, they are just good for you. Two things about Ancient Block make it a worthy contender — one is the interface is very smooth. The whole “blocks-on-a-lawn” theme is peaceful. And the other is that you can jump in at different levels of difficulty very easily. It also tells you the minimum number of moves to solve the level, which is also a nice additional challenge.
Survival score: A worthy variant of a must-have game. Still have a few hundred levels to go.
Ancient Block
I love sliding game puzzles — like the old rush hour game where you had little plastic cars on a gameboard that you set up according to the image on the puzzle card. And then you moved the cars around till the red one could slip out of the one exit on the board. I miss the whole tactic thing of setting up the cars, but I still like the puzzle idea. There are lots of them available and many have hundreds of levels. Everyone iPad gamer should have one of these, they are just good for you. Two things about Ancient Block make it a worthy contender — one is the interface is very smooth. The whole “blocks-on-a-lawn” theme is peaceful. And the other is that you can jump in at different levels of difficulty very easily. It also tells you the minimum number of moves to solve the level, which is also a nice additional challenge.
Survival score: A worthy variant of a must-have game. Still have a few hundred levels to go.
Anticlon
I didn’t think I was going to like this game. It’s one of those maze games where you have to go through every box once-and-only-once. Well, I was wrong. The game has just the right learning curve, and chunks the levels so that can sit and do a dozen levels or so and then take a break and not worry that I’ll completely lose what skill I’ve gained. The interface is simple, responsive, and very fast. In higher levels, you deal with blocks that have different abilities — like the first one is a block that explodes if a line runs into it. There are 15 chunks. (About a dozen levels in each chunk with a “boss level at the end of each chunk,” which is just 3 puzzles you have to solve in a row with a time limit. I think it’s funny to call it a “boss.”). I’ve played 7. I may or may not play the rest. I like it, but I don’t feel compelled to complete it. That would feel too much like work.
Survival score: Didn’t delete it right away! Over a dozen sessions, 5-15 min per session.
Anticlon
I didn’t think I was going to like this game. It’s one of those maze games where you have to go through every box once-and-only-once. Well, I was wrong. The game has just the right learning curve, and chunks the levels so that can sit and do a dozen levels or so and then take a break and not worry that I’ll completely lose what skill I’ve gained. The interface is simple, responsive, and very fast. In higher levels, you deal with blocks that have different abilities — like the first one is a block that explodes if a line runs into it. There are 15 chunks. (About a dozen levels in each chunk with a “boss level at the end of each chunk,” which is just 3 puzzles you have to solve in a row with a time limit. I think it’s funny to call it a “boss.”). I’ve played 7. I may or may not play the rest. I like it, but I don’t feel compelled to complete it. That would feel too much like work.
Survival score: Didn’t delete it right away! Over a dozen sessions, 5-15 min per session.
Bebbled and Clickomania
Bebbled and Clickomania are variations of the bubble or balloon popping game that I first played on the Pogo website about 10 years ago (remember its slogan? I think it was “Games for Women” or something similarly awkward). Anyway, the game starts with a board full of circle-ish objects in 3-5 colors arranged in columns (i.e., there is gravity) and when you touch any of the shapes, it and all of the objects of the same color that touch it disappear. The ones above drop down. If a column is cleared, the columns move together to fill the empty space. The object is to completely clear the board.
I generally like these games for casual play, and I can play a long session because the balance between strategy and chance is pretty good. Bebbled adds two twists — you get only a certain number of moves to clear the board and (and this is pretty cool) you can turn the field upside down and reverse gravity. Clickomania also has a twist — you can choose the number of balls on the board (a little to a lot) and you can change the number of colors. Either game is worth picking up for a play.
Survival score: A long casual session, once in a while
Bebbled and Clickomania
Bebbled and Clickomania are variations of the bubble or balloon popping game that I first played on the Pogo website about 10 years ago (remember its slogan? I think it was “Games for Women” or something similarly awkward). Anyway, the game starts with a board full of circle-ish objects in 3-5 colors arranged in columns (i.e., there is gravity) and when you touch any of the shapes, it and all of the objects of the same color that touch it disappear. The ones above drop down. If a column is cleared, the columns move together to fill the empty space. The object is to completely clear the board.
I generally like these games for casual play, and I can play a long session because the balance between strategy and chance is pretty good. Bebbled adds two twists — you get only a certain number of moves to clear the board and (and this is pretty cool) you can turn the field upside down and reverse gravity. Clickomania also has a twist — you can choose the number of balls on the board (a little to a lot) and you can change the number of colors. Either game is worth picking up for a play.
Survival score: A long casual session, once in a while
Air Hockey by accelerato
Air hockey is one of those games that my husband will sometimes play with me when we come across a table and I whine and pout until he gives on. Ok, it’s not quite that bad, BUT. A true air hockey partner is hard to find. Accelerato managed to create an AI opponent that looks and acts like the real thing. The other controller doesn’t just sit there, it moves around, follows the puck the way a real player would, sometimes hits hard and sometimes soft, sometimes banks and sometimes hits straight ahead. Even taps the puck over the middle line like it can’t quite reach the middle of the table. It’s awesome! The pick moves realistically, with adequate inertia. There are multiple levels of difficulty. The controller follows your finger almost flawlessly.
Survival mode: permanent place so I can always get my fix.
Air Hockey by accelerato
Air hockey is one of those games that my husband will sometimes play with me when we come across a table and I whine and pout until he gives on. Ok, it’s not quite that bad, BUT. A true air hockey partner is hard to find. Accelerato managed to create an AI opponent that looks and acts like the real thing. The other controller doesn’t just sit there, it moves around, follows the puck the way a real player would, sometimes hits hard and sometimes soft, sometimes banks and sometimes hits straight ahead. Even taps the puck over the middle line like it can’t quite reach the middle of the table. It’s awesome! The pick moves realistically, with adequate inertia. There are multiple levels of difficulty. The controller follows your finger almost flawlessly.
Survival mode: permanent place so I can always get my fix.
700 Solitaire Games for iPad (aka Solitaire Pro)
I would play solitaire for hours when I was growing up–the kind that uses real playing cards. I knew about a dozen different variations. We didn’t have umpteen different after-school activities and on the weekend our 4 channels of TV seemed to all play golf. So it was always good to have ways to pass the time. This game doesn’t have a pretty interface, but it does have lots of different types of solitaire. They are categorized by difficulty of winning, by luck v. skill, and –this is cool– by how long it takes to play a game. I played a variation that was difficult to win, all luck, and 2 minutes a game. It was great! In solitaire, sometimes whether you win is beside the point — the fun is in the luck of the draw.
700 Solitaire Games for iPad (aka Solitaire Pro)
I would play solitaire for hours when I was growing up–the kind that uses real playing cards. I knew about a dozen different variations. We didn’t have umpteen different after-school activities and on the weekend our 4 channels of TV seemed to all play golf. So it was always good to have ways to pass the time. This game doesn’t have a pretty interface, but it does have lots of different types of solitaire. They are categorized by difficulty of winning, by luck v. skill, and –this is cool– by how long it takes to play a game. I played a variation that was difficult to win, all luck, and 2 minutes a game. It was great! In solitaire, sometimes whether you win is beside the point — the fun is in the luck of the draw.
Anodia
Anodia is a brick buster game I actually like. Most are all about reflexes and speeding pellets. Too frantic and, frankly boring. Anodia has some of that…it is in the genre, after all. But from the start, it’s clear that this is no ordinary brick buster. In the first level, you knock hanging lamps swing on ropes. Second level is light bulbs rotating in a circle. The levels are incredibly clever and beautifully drawn. There are also ample power ups and dropping goodies to do the usual things like slow down time or lengthen the paddle. Also ones to avoid like freezing the paddle or making the ball tiny. I played this in one sitting, because I each level was unique, interesting, and a delight to play. I got over 100 levels for free, with more packs available for purchase.
Anodia
Anodia is a brick buster game I actually like. Most are all about reflexes and speeding pellets. Too frantic and, frankly boring. Anodia has some of that…it is in the genre, after all. But from the start, it’s clear that this is no ordinary brick buster. In the first level, you knock hanging lamps swing on ropes. Second level is light bulbs rotating in a circle. The levels are incredibly clever and beautifully drawn. There are also ample power ups and dropping goodies to do the usual things like slow down time or lengthen the paddle. Also ones to avoid like freezing the paddle or making the ball tiny. I played this in one sitting, because I each level was unique, interesting, and a delight to play. I got over 100 levels for free, with more packs available for purchase.
jAggy Race
In most driving games, you’re supposed to dodge stuff, and maybe (like in Mario Kart) take flying leaps off ramps and try to avoid wiping out on a turn. But what if you could jump any time you wanted? What if gravity was a nuisance rather than a requirement and you could drive upside down? Jaggy Race is a 2 dimensional track racer (kind of more like 2.5 because the camera swerves around a bit) that is smooth, responsive, with good controls, and clever tracks. The tracks are actually puzzle-like levels, so you can just try finish or you can try for a gold trophy. No nonsense car and driver, and I like that the driver wears a helmet! Very good tutorial, and a lite version is available to give it a try (which is why I did). The artwork is nearly console quality and the gameplay reminds me of another favorite, Kona’s Crate.
jAggy Race
In most driving games, you’re supposed to dodge stuff, and maybe (like in Mario Kart) take flying leaps off ramps and try to avoid wiping out on a turn. But what if you could jump any time you wanted? What if gravity was a nuisance rather than a requirement and you could drive upside down? Jaggy Race is a 2 dimensional track racer (kind of more like 2.5 because the camera swerves around a bit) that is smooth, responsive, with good controls, and clever tracks. The tracks are actually puzzle-like levels, so you can just try finish or you can try for a gold trophy. No nonsense car and driver, and I like that the driver wears a helmet! Very good tutorial, and a lite version is available to give it a try (which is why I did). The artwork is nearly console quality and the gameplay reminds me of another favorite, Kona’s Crate.
Grey-Haired Gamer 