Drag Racing

 Now we've stumbled upon our first "free" racing game, Drag Racing. The premise is simple it's you and another car racing down a 1/4 mile or 1/2 mile strip. There is nothing too complex about and even the controls are simple with you controlling just the start and when the car shifts.

Despite the simplicity of the concept of game the first thing that strikes you is actually the way the game looks. It's actually very polished graphically for an

 Android based game with simple but solid and bright colours.

The game starts with you choosing a car to buy (see the screen on the right) and through the game you race and upgrade your car bit by bit in a bit of a Gran Tourismo (GT) lite type of game (or Forza lite if you'd rather). Although there is a lot of depth in terms of upgrading this is also where you find one of the games two major problems. The upgrading is done with money ($) and Respect Points (RP) with RP being limited and really limiting you in terms of upgrade unless you choose to pay real money to buy them...maybe this game isn't so free afterall.

As well as the RP "issue" the actual game is simply too simple. There is nothing but a straight race down a drag strip. Not a corner in the game and this feels somewhat limited and relatively boring as you find yourself grinding to earn the ingame money doing the same race over and over and over...Whilst this doesn't take away from the short term appeal of the game it leaves you with not really wanting to come back for long.

Whilst the game does feature an online mode it is quite a limited one and is more like racing a ghost than a true head-to-head online race.

Whilst it's a fun arcade thrill the game lacks the depth it feels it has due to the way you need to pay for the RP. Whilst I under-stand the developer putting in a monetary system we only review FREE games and asking us to pay isn't "FREE". Hence the game limits it's self to us.

Addictiveness-4/10 Playable and fun but limited by it's "freeness"
Controls-7/10 They do their job but they are awfully simple and somewhat uninteresting for a racing game
Graphics-9/10 Best part of the game by a mile. Looks brilliant for an Android game.
Sounds-3/10 Simple engine noises when your car is moving. Nothing to be amazed by here.
Originality-4/10 It's racing, it's taken a trick out of the GT book of tricks and yet it's racing isn't original at all

Total score 27/50

Overall it's fun but you can't help but feel the developer is asking for far too much if they feel like they will be paid for Respect Points. Had they put in a free way to get a reasonable amount quickly you'd likely be hooked but sadly they've only made it possible to get a limited amount and it's a real shame as it cuts the game into pieces. What is, if you pay, presumably a very good game is more like a fun but limited game for free.

Game mark C

Wordaholic

 After enjoying a number of maths based games I decided to try some word based games and downloaded Wordaholic. I was hoping that this would be just as addictive as things like Mathgame, Math Maniac and the excellent The King of OX though was left sadly under-whelmed by this for some reason.

The game sees you making words from the letters in the honeycomb like structure that can see below. Each of the letters has a number on it that corresponds to the score you get for using it in scrabble (Z=10, A=1, J=8 etc) and the idea is that you try to build the biggest score you can with all your words added together. In principle this sounds fun and set against a clock it should be frantic and really, really good fun.

The games big flaw comes in with it's "reward" system. For every 5 words you create you get a bonus 15 seconds on all 3 of the games timed modes (Normal, Lightning and Chaos) although this is a good idea in principle it leads to a big flaw with the game. The ability to create endless strings of 2 letter words. Using the image to the right you can create a number of very quick and easy 2 letter words (things such as "aw", "it", "de", "da", "to", "ho", "aa" and "he" amongst many others) to in essence give you unlimited time. Whilst it's nice to be rewarded it turns what should be a quick and addictive game into a real slog to try and put your name on the leaderboard (or should that be leader bored?).

The huge flaw in the game is the worst part though the graphics don't do anything amazing and won't blow you away either. Oddly the game, which played fine 12 hours ago, now seems to be plagued by yet another, much more serious problem, repeated Force Close screens after pressing "Submit".

Addictiveness-4/10 When it was working it was flawed, fun but very flawed
Controls-7/10 They do their job but feel a little bit off at times
Graphics-4/10 Uninspiring and unexciting
Sounds-0/10 Silence means a score of 0* (At least it seems like silence, the game is now crashing before I get to test)
Originality-3/10 Similar, in a way, to Boggle and boggle clones so it's nothing original though it's still a nice idea to put onto the phones.

Total score 18/50

The combinations of the Force Close screens and the games "big flaw" has seen me actually uninstall the game as it's broken. Our rule on "broken" games is that they are automatically given an F. Oddly when the game was working fine I'd have given it a D+ as it's acceptable but boring and the "flaw" kills the game's sense of urgency addictiveness.

Game mark F
This game has been inducted into our Hall of Shame

Smart Tac Toe

The games default screen

 Having played Tic-Tac-Toe and Four in a Line recently I had also seen the very similar "Smart Tac Toe" which expands on the concept. Instead of needing to connect 3 or even 4 you need to connect 5 in a line (either horizontally, vertically or diagonally) on an open layout (unlike the gravity based Four in a Line) that expands far beyond the realms of both the other games.

The game gives the option of 3 types of opponents, Human (shared phone), as well as 3 levels of AI and the very ambitious Online. Sadly the online version is still in Beta mode and is awfully flawed with the 3 games I tried playing all finishing within seconds with the other "surrendering". Hopefully the developer will improve this part of the game in the future.

Although the game is technically a very strategic one and will, with 2 equally leveled opponents be very interesting. It's not likely to be the sort of game that will draw you too it. For a start there isn't a title screen, the screen to the right is the first screen you see when the game has loaded. It doesn't help that there graphics are so ultra simple and there is no clever background just a plain white grid it really is stupidly simple and the sounds (or again, lack of) don't help to add anything.

A full match played
in just a 5 by 5
square

 Whilst the idea is a brilliant one in principle the game sadly fails to build on it and whilst the strategy of it is a good idea it's just too plain and too unexciting to keep you hooked. Sadly the game's one big step forward is still in a beta and you see lots of the screen to the right when you attempt to play online.

The typical screen
that follows
an attempt at
playing online

 The lack of sound, the lack of colour and the lack of a title screen all take away and make the game look amateurish and whilst I do like the concept of a large scale O's and X's it just fails to really come together as it should do. Added to the fact you're forced to see an advert after every single game and you soon get sick of it. Hopefully the developers do come back and sort out some of the flaws, add a little background music and a little more colour as well as correcting the Online mode and they maybe on to a winner, for now they have a good idea but not great.

Addictiveness-4/10 It is fun and a nice idea but until the online works it'll have very limited appeal
Controls-8/10 They do their job and are really simple.
Graphics-4/10 Uninspiring and unexciting
Sounds-0/10 Silence means a score of 0
Originality-5/10 Tic-Tac-Toe with a a twist that improves the game but fails to completely reach the heights that I hoped it would.

Total score 21/50

Overall the game is, at heart, Tic-Tac-Toe with a twist and it's a twist that could really work. Sadly though the game can be a little boring on single player and until the online version works completely it's got limited appeal. If the developers want to get in touch when they fix the online I'll be happy to update the review, though for now it's a slight disappointment.

Game mark C

Turn Me On

 With a name like "Turn Me On" you'd expect this to be some sort of sexual fantasy based game in with you get someone like Erica Campbell to strip on screen or Britney Spears giving a lap dance. Sadly guys we need to look elsewhere as this is games as far from that as you could possibly imagine.

The game actually sees you linking squares together to try and make them green. To turn them green you need to link them to the the number on the square (just follow the rules which are below).

 The game looks incredibly simple from the rules and in fact it is simple sadly it's a bit too simple and even when your in the later levels the game doesn't really give any major challenge as you'd perhaps expect it to. Instead of mentally challenging you it ends up sadly boring you as you brisk your way through the game which lacks any major mental tests.

Although it's playable enough, if far too easy, it's really the other aspects that leave the game feeling shallow. The graphics for example are really really dull, the background doesn't change from the dull 2-tone colouring and the "squares" are always one of 3 colours. If you then count the black and white of the numbers the entire game uses just 7 colours. Whilst there is no need to use all whatever million colours the phones can show a few more colours, variable backgrounds and even obstacles would make the game look better and be tougher.

The sound is another issue or rather the complete lack of sound. There is no music, there is no sound effects, it's just complete silence. This is a shame as again the game could seriously use some form of background music, or even a celebratory noise when you've managed to complete a level. It's a shame that something so simple hasn't been put into the game.

Addictiveness-4/10 It is fun to start but no challenge so you won't find yourself hooked for too long
Controls-8/10 They do their job and are really simple.
Graphics-4/10 Uninspiring and unexciting
Sounds-0/10 Silence means a score of 0
Originality-4/10 There is a bunch of similar games that manage to do it better.

20/50

This has a lot of potential though sadly they've failed to really go with the potential. If mkoss want to update the game they need to put in some sort of obstacles to add difficultly, some sounds and music to make it more fulfilling and some different backgrounds as the current one just feels boring after 3 or 4 levels. It seems like they could make some easy improvements to make the game better and hopefully they will. Sadly as it is, it didn't turn me on, rather turned me off tbh.

Game mark C-

Hangman

After doing Tic-Tac-Toe it's only fair to look another school classroom classic and this time it's the vocabulary torture game "Hangman". The classic game in which you need to guess the letters of the word before dying in the game.

On paper this has always been a fun little time waster, though how does it convert to the Android system? And the bigger question for some, what words, are actually limited?

The game comes with 2 modes a single player and a two player variation, the one player/single player mode sees a computer generated word used whilst the two player mode sees one of the players choosing a word to use.

Through this review we will be looking at the two player mode though everything is pretty much the same apart from this one screen to the left. This screen is the one where one player inputs the word that needs to be guessed. Now this is a bit weird in that you can literally put anything in there as long as it's 13 characters of less. There is no need to put an actual real word in there which is a bit of a sham to be honest, though so be it, there is also no spellchecker function which is a little bit annoying.

Oh yeah! Buttface again

After selecting a word (on 2 player) or starting the game on (on one player) you are then able to select the letters to play to try and help find the word. The game is simple to play and the letter choices are easy as expected...though you quickly notice something...the game is incredibly simple looking. You honestly would struggle to tell the difference between a real version and the games version. Whilst authentic it is relatively monotone and uninspiring. It's certainly not a game that pushed the Samsung Galaxy S2 that we were using to it's boundaries. The sounds also don't do anything to impress and whilst it's a fun game it'll be short lived maybe broken out once in a blue moon.

Addictiveness-4/10 It is fun with a friend but nothing great on
Controls-8/10 They do their job and are really simple. Can't improve them but they don't add anything to game.
Graphics-4/10 Black and white, pencil styled and boring
Sounds-2/10 Very, very limited sound effects when you select a letter, that's about it.
Originality-0/10It's hangman. Nuff said.

Total score 18/50

Basically it's hangman but computerised, there is little to it and nothing that will keep you hooked for long. It's something that maybe worth a download if you spend a lot of time wanting to play hangman, though it's failure to push the hardware is a shame. The lack of music, inter-changeable backgrounds and spell check are also missing when they could all add to the game.

Game mark C

Mole Whacking

 The best games are typically the most simple and the most addictive and Mole Whacking by funweaver manages to prove that simplicity is fun. The game is a new take on from the old arcade Mole Whacking game (you know the one, played with the big fancy hammers) and one that works wonderfully on the android.

Straight from the initial title screen you can tell the game has a cute feel to it and it's a feeling that continues well into game play which sees you whacking the red and pink moles and trying to protect the "cute" little ginger one...I know, why would anyone want to protect a ginger animal? But I didn't create it sadly and funweaver will need to answer questions about protecting gingers. To whack a mole you need to tap the mole when it pops out of it's little hole and you need to make sure you whack the red ones and the pink ones. You have 3 lives and lose a life if you either let a bad mole get back down it's hole or if you hit the "cute" mole.

Although the game has nothing spectacular in terms of graphics does have a nice cute look to it and the imagery is done well though it's one of the few games where the the music is actually one of the best parts. The tune is a very likeable one that wouldn't actually feel out of place in a Mario Kart game on a level like Moo Moo Farm.

Along with the cuteness and wonderful music the controls are exactly what you'd expect and it overall makes for a very appealing and very fun game that is addictive. Whilst it is simple it gets faster and keeps you on your toes and turns out to be a really good reaction test later in the game. Whilst it does get a little bit repetitive it is fun and you will enjoy it for as long as it has you hooked.

Addictiveness-7/10 It is fun and although it does get a bit samey after a while you'll find yourself giving it another go
Controls-8/10 They do their job and are responsive and accurate. Whilst it's not as much fan as using a hammer like in the arcade version it is very playable.
Graphics-6/10 Cute and cheerful though a bit samey and it's the same image all the time.
Sounds-9/10 A real delight and one that would fit in well with much more expensive console games
Originality-4/10 There is a number of similar games on the Android market and there is similar games in arcades so it's not unique.

Total score: 34/50


Overall the game is fun, addictive, charming and has some of the best music I've heard on any Android game so far. Although it's simple and fun it certainly won't be the longest lasting game you play on an android phone and it certainly doesn't push the Samsung Galaxy S2 anywhere near it's boundaries. Fun and cheery but limited.

Game mark B

Reversi

 After reviewing a few other games we are back to a simple board game, this time the popular and complex Reversi (otherwise known as "Othello"). Reversi is, like Chess and Checkers a very strategic and intelligent game and one that again sees players playing on an 8x8 board with small pieces. The idea is to try and end up having more of your coloured piece showing at the end of the game (more about the rules of the game can be found here on Wikipedia). Though how does this fair when taken over to the android system?

The game comes with the 3 modes, One Player, Two Player or Puzzle. First we will look at a 2 player game which (which is played with a share phone) and is pretty much identical to the One Player game (which is played against the AI). This game mode is the one that people will be familiar with except using  the phone to play it is much quicker than playing it for real (which is slow and arduous in all honesty).

The game is swift and tactical and the 2 player mode is pretty good, certainly more fun for a novice like myself than playing with real tiles which would take a long time. Though the lack of a timer can make the game drag on at times if you are playing a mercifully tactical player who likes to take their time.

As well as the 1 and 2 player games which follows the standard Reversi rules we also get a puzzle mode, a very addictive and brilliant extra where you are given a patter that you need to replicate by using the rules of the standard game. This is a wonderful extra and a smart move by the the games creators (Magma Mobile) which separates their version from many of the other versions available on the market.

Although it's better to play than the original board game (due to the fact it's less fiddly) it is the same game at heart and a game that although fun is limited. The graphics and sounds are pretty authentic though as with many board games that are authentically reproduced for the Android system they limit themselves an awful lot. It's a catch 22 admittedly and people who want to play Reversi won't mind too much but it's hard to be impressed by either the sound or the looks.


Addictiveness-4/10 If you like Reversi this should be right down your alley, otherwise it's unlikely to convert people. The Puzzle mode however is a nice addition.
Controls-9/10 They do their job and it actually makes the game more playable than the board version
Graphics-5/10 They do a job but are limited to the authenticity of the game
Sounds-4/10 Again they are authentic as opposed to being amazing. Could have added some music however.
Originality-2/10 It's a board game ported to the android system. Not original at all except for the puzzle mode (which is a great addition)

Total score: 24/50

This is an authentic enough version of Reversi and although it's not going to run down your battery it is very playable and if you are a fan of Reversi you will find yourself playing it a fair bit. Sadly though I'm not a big Reversi fan and won't be coming back to play this often. The puzzle mode may see me turn it back on at some point though I'm not hugely excited by it.

Game mark C-

Droppa Lite

Whilst looking for a new and addictive puzzle game I stumbled upon
"Droppa Lite" a game that was apparently a clone of the popular Sega
Genesis / Sega MegaDrive game "Columns". Columns was a simple idea and similar to Tetris but rather than needing to make a line across the screen you just needed to make a line of 3 of the same colour in any direction (horizontal, vertical or Diagonally) by rotating piece. It was seen as the Sega rival to Tetris and although it wasn't as good as Tetris it is still a very playable game that I still find myself turning on now and again.

The original Columns was a game that started slowly but eventually got up to speed and could end up being frantic sadly though this version of it really lacks everything the original game had. The game is slow, cumbersome, graphically uninteresting, musically garbage and frustrating...for all the wrong reasons. The controls, which were so simple on the original console port have no become as responsive as a coma patient (I'm allowed to say that damnit, I was in a coma) and just don't seem to work.

Whilst the concept is the same as Columns and in some respects the the graphics are "similar" it's taken the charm, the colour and the style and drained it. What were sparkly gems in Columns have become dull and boring squares with all the life of a stuffed animal and the game just looks so boring as a result. Sadly the sounds don't help the matter and whilst Columns had a fantastic musical score by Tokuhiko Uwabo which seemed to be Greek themed this has very basic effects when you move a piece or rotate a piece.

Yay the torture
has ended!

Sadly the developers of "Droppa" (both the "Lite" version which is free and the "Pro" version which has a small cost) CRB Games have managed to take a classic, destroy it and leave a really nasty feeling in my stomach. As a fan of Columns I feel disgusted by this cheap and tacky imitation that really doesn't do anything well. It controls badly, looks dull, sounds cheap and is our first entry into the Hall of Shame.

Addictiveness-3/10 If the controls weren't so broken it would be addictive. Sadly the controls are so badly done that you can't be addicted to it
Controls-2/10 It seems to respond sometimes but not all the time, the controls are simply frustrating
Graphics-5/10 They do a job but really are dull, lifeless and uninteresting
Sounds-2/10 Click, click woo...oh so amazing! The game this is based off has a memorable musical score this has...erm...clicks.
Originality-0/10 It's a straight off Columns clone...without the charm, the controls, the music or the playability.

Total score: 12/50

Overall it's garbage. I'm about to delete it (the first game from the Android Market that I'll have deleted from my Samsung Galaxy S2) it's genuinely atrocious. The only way it could be worse is if the game actually spat acid in your eye rather than just took a dump on Columns.

Game mark E

The King of OX

 It seems to be that the Android game market is oddly flooded with education games that are oddly addictive. The most recent one is WestRiver's excellent "The King of OX" which is very different to the other ones I've reviewed. This time the sums have been done for you and you're job is to be the teacher marking the answers. Although the premise might seem incredibly stupid and pointless you will quickly find yourself hooked and with the leader boards for the game allowing you to compare yourself against the world and against your country you'll be back for more.
The game sounds very simple and is simple if the equation is right you click on the "O" and if it's wrong you click on the "X". So in the image beside this paragraph you would click X for the first one and the second one then O for the third one.

Your score is recorded and shown in real time on the screen (in this screen shot the score is O=5 and X=1, or 5 right and 1 wrong) and set against a clock. In the image to the side the "clock" is displayed over the score and runs down swiftly, each wrong answer taking a portion of the clock away meaning if you rush you will do worse than just thinking about things carefully.

OMG Buttface returns!

Although graphically the game is very simple it moves along at a very quick pace and the style suits the game really well. The sounds are similar in that they too are very simple, a different noise for getting something wrong or right though again they fit the idea of the game well and due to the speed would over-pollute if you were to have a background tune.

The best part of the game needs to be the leaderboard which is really well done and has allowed "Buttface" his first appearance on a worldwide game. Although I've not managed to break into the Global or Daily rankings I've managed to break into the "Country" (British) rankings a few times (and at the time of writing I'm 16th in Britain with a score of O=56 X=1, an improvement on the screen capture to the right).

RiverWest have really nailed this game and created something that despite having a stupid premise is addictive, rapid fire and enthralling. It's educational it's fun and although it won't appeal to everyone it's worth a download (if just to try and beat me). Technically it's nothing amazing but this shows you don't need to pushing the boundaries of realist graphics or having amazing music to make an amazingly addictive and playable game.

Addictiveness-10/10 What is it with these maths games being so addictive? The leaderboard is amazing and will have you trying to beat everyone!
Controls-10/10 So stupidly simple...but so ridiculously effective
Graphics-6/10 It's a shame here that the graphics are limited but like many other games it doesn't depend on the looks to be brilliant
Sounds-2/10 The weakest part of the game. It simple makes a different tune depending on a right or wrong answer. Oddly they work though are limited.
Originality-7/10 It seems that mathematical games are actually rather common but they all take a different slant on using numbers, this is unlike the other two.

Total score: 35/50

Overall probably my favourite of the maths games, though it's close between the three of them. The developers are apparently trying to add a Facebook Friends part to the game soon which will hopefully make the game even more addictive. With it's simplicity and it's speed it's hard not to love. If only being a teacher really was this much fun.

Game mark A

If you like this try:
Math Maniac
Mathgame

DogFight

After 12 previous reviews on this site we've finally managed to come across a flying shooting game. DogFight, by WestRiver (not to be confused with the paid game of the same name by Joaquin Grech) is a top down fighter plane game. Although the idea is nothing new and has been around for years in various forms it does seem to work well on the android system though can become boring swiftly.

The plane is controlled by your finger and you need to draw a path for the plane to get close to enemies and shoot them down. As you play you come across various different type of enemy ranging from the very slow and low armoured to the kamikaze like planes and the faster tougher ones, all the while the background sky is changing colour. You are aided in your task by various power-ups which give you new weaponry, a shield and other advantages over the enemies.


The game for all it's playability does only have very limited sounds (things like gun shots, pinging of shots and planes blowing up) which is a little bit off putting. It is however the repetition of the game that is it's big downfall. There is only so many times you can guide a plane behind an enemy plane before asking yourself why you even bother.

Whilst it is fun, it's long term playability does need to be questioned. Although the game is literally brand new on the market (it's been up for about a week) and updates will be rolled out, I have to hope that West River do do something to add to it's long term playability. At the moment it's fun, basic and short lasting despite the challenge of needing to kill so many enemies to unlock the next plane (of which there are 3 of in the game).

Addictiveness-4/10 It's fun but won't have you hooked
Controls-7/10. They work well though do seem slow and although the idea is nice it's a little bit simple
Graphics-7/10. One of the more delightful parts of the game is that the background changes colour and the enemies are all different colours and shapes.
Sounds-2/10 Ping, ping, ping boom. Nothing to impress.
Originality-4/10 There is a lot of similar games out there and you'll likely have already played one on a browser.

Total score 24/59

Overall the game is very playable though you can't help but think it'd be easy to improve. Maybe adding tiered levels early on (10 kills in the first level, then 20 and so on) with purchasable upgrades and more variation would add to the games life span. I want to like it (and do) but I can't see myself coming back next week and putting it on again.

Game mark C

Farm Tower HD

When it comes to cute looking games few will rival the innocent cuteness of Farm Tower HD which just oozes charm from the first moment you start the game. Just looking at the title screen (image to the right) you could almost think this was the next big kids TV program, but no, this is one of the Android's most attractive and appealing games.

 The idea of the game is really simple, and although not completely original it's one that suits the touchscreens brilliantly. What you need to do it get rid of the colourful blocks on the screen but don't let the various animals touch the ground (they are to stand in on solid "metallic" block). In principle it's really easy but yet due to the excellent level design the game gets genuinely challenging and yet you will find yourself addicted to it because of it's simplicity.

With over 100 different levels set between 4 "episodes" (Episode 1 has 16 levels, Episode 2 has 80 levels, Easter Special has 5 levels and Valentines Day has 6 levels) the game has got a solid life span and with the difficult of some of the later levels being genuinely tough you will be challenged in the game as the puzzles become less straightforward.

As well as looking relatively cute and having a cute concept the game also features some rather nice music (though it does seem limited to the title screen), whilst the in game sounds are limited to very simple (though oddly irritating) animal sounds, such as "squeaks" from the chickens).

Now onto the flaws with the game and there is a few of them which can take away some of the fun of the game. Firstly some levels are too big for the screen. You end up trying to drop the animals onto completely off screen metal blocks and it almost becomes a game of chance. What doesn't help are the adverts sitting on the bottom of levels where you are trying to put the animals. I understand the need for adverts on free games, honestly I do. But how about putting them between levels and on the level select screens rather than over the actual gameplay screens? Add these problems to the irritating in game "sounds" and you end up having a game that although cute is badly flawed.

Addictiveness-7/10. If you can oversee the flaws with the game this will have you coming back for more
Controls-10/10. Exactly what you'd expect and they work sublimely
Graphics-6/10. Plenty of cuteness though also bland at times especially the backgrounds.
Sounds-4/10 Nice music on the title screen but irritating sounds in-game.
Originality-4/10 There is a lot of similar games out there and you'll likely have already played one.

Total score 31/50

Although the game if cute it has too many flaws for me and the problem is that many of them would be easy to solve. A sound menu (allowing you to turn them off), playing the music in the main game, putting the adverts between levels and allowing a permanent "zoom out" would all improve the game. It's almost as if it's just fallen short of being a really good game and it's a shame as it's got a genuinely cute charm about it that although sickly you really want to enjoy.

Game mark B-

Math maniac

 After having had more fun than I should of whilst playing the very simplistic "Mathgame" I decided to see what other mathematical based games were on the Android market. One of the highest ranked was the wonderfully named "Math Maniac" which has a red android on the title screen (as you can see to the side) and has a very basic but effective look to it.

One of the great features about "Mathgame" was that as much as you felt frustrated you feel like you were always testing your brain and it made "learning" fun. The big challenge for any other learning game was to try and match the level of addictiveness and fun, and it's something that I didn't expect "Math Maniac" to even get close, I'll admit I've been surprised by the game.

The idea of the. The game is a simple one (and as you can see below the game actually features it's own instructions), you need to tap numbers on the screen to to make the larger number in the bottom corner. For example

 if the number in the corner was 45, you'd have to click something like 4,5,6,7,8,9,6. You have 20 seconds (10 on hard) to reach the number or you fail and your game ends. Like the quick mode on "Mathgame" you find yourself panicking and worrying and making silly mistakes as you feel the count down though you keep starting over trying to set yourself a higher score and reach higher levels.

When you clear all the numbers on the screen you move onto the next level and the target numbers become larger and more complex. In the first level for example you can generally get the target by needing to select just 2 or 3 numbers but by the 4 level you are looking at needing 5 or 6 numbers at a time. It leads to you improving your reactions and your maths and yet no matter how many times you fail you will find yourself coming back to try and beat your scores and get further.

Math Maniac and Mathgame have more in common than just being games about maths. Both games have a very simple but effective graphical display
with Math Maniac though you have a slightly more simple but a slightly better visual. The numbers are each given a different colour, but using more of the same colour to reach the target you get an improved score (whilst in Mathgame you'd have only 1 or 2 coloured tiles to use, each providing bonuses). As well as the improved graphics of Math Maniac we also have music (yay!) although on the Samsung Galaxy the music is incredibly quiet and hard to hear it does seem quiet a nice soft backing.

Addictiveness-9/10. Learning is once again stupidly addictive!
Controls-10/10. Exactly what you'd expect and they work sublimely
Graphics-6/10. It's a slight improvement on Mathgame and is colourful and bright. Not amazing but looks good for what it is.
Sounds-5/10 A nice, simple sounding tune plays in the background. Although it is awfully quiet it does it's job.
Originality-7/10 Not completely original but it's no less original than Mathgame so it has the score here.

Total score:
37/50

Overall the game is addictive, it looks good, there sound, it's original, it's brilliant. Although it's genuinely difficult so split this and Mathgame (I think Mathgame is slightly more addictive whilst this has a better look and sound to it) both are brilliant. It's a must whether you want to sharpen your maths or just waste a few minutes.

Game Mark B+

Four In a Line Free

As well as things like Checkers and Tic-Tac-Toe another maybe obvious 2-player game that has a classic feel is "Connect 4" or as this AI Factory game is known "Four in a Line". The game sees 2 players, each playing with separate coloured disks, taking it in turns to drop a disk into a plastic contraption attempting to to make a line of 4 (either vertical, horizontal or diagonal).

From the title screen (seen to the right of this paragraph) you can select to play with a friend sharing the phone or with the AI. Whilst it's good that you can play on your own, can I actually ask...how many people do play Connect 4/Four in a line by themselves? It just doesn't really seem to be a single-player idea (unlike computerised chess which is a good idea).

So now onto the gameplay, the controls are incredibly simple, you press the screen above the vertical line that you want to drop your disk into. Much like the real version of the game it's incredibly simple to play though

 it's not really a game that lends it's self to the idea of being played on a phone screen. As with the similar games that have been ported from "real" games the game is incredibly limited to what it can do and it shows. Whilst the controls are effective the game is so simple they really couldn't mess it up.

Graphically the game is not only limited but also rather dull. The game set is unexciting and plain looking whilst the background is boring and dull there isn't any change in backgrounds and although it looks "authentic" is looks...boring as well.

As boring it looks the sounds don't really help. Like many similar games the sounds are limited to "movement" sounds, a select sound on the option screens (as seen to the left) and a small celebration sound. Although the game could have added background music it instead goes for silence with a horrible echoey "thud" of piece being places.

Whilst the game is authentic and replicates the original game it sort of has the same problem or so many other games that have been converted to becoming video games. They developers really can't add anything to it, unless they want to bundle 3 or 4 games together or really modify it to the extremes they are stuck with the same basic principle of the original "real" version. Of course we don't need to set up the real copy or tidy up the piece if we play it on the phone it just doesn't any anything special to make it download-worthy.

Addictiveness-4/10. It's Connect Four and not something that has much in terms of addictiveness. With 2 players you might play a few games but certainly won't be hooked.
Controls-9/10. They do exactly what you would expect of them.
Graphics-5/10 Authentic but nothing amazing, in fact it looks a bit boring and dull.
Sounds-3/10 Just very basic “movement” sounds, and "ending" sounds, nothing amazing but something.
Originality-0/10 It's Connect Four. Not original in the slightest.

Total score
21/50

Overall it's worth a 5 minute mess about on 2-player but that is literally all. Unlike the Optime Software games you can't even name yourself (so no Buttface's here). It's just very boring and dull in all honest.

Game score C-

Checkers free

 We've seen that Android games can clone better known games from video game history such as Bust-a-Move incredibly well. We've also seen that they can replicate things from the classroom such as Tic-Tac-Toe and now we'll have a look at the Android version of a board game classic. We'll start our look at board games by starting with Checkers Free from Optime Software (the same developers that made Tic-Tac-Toe).

Checkers, for those who don't know, is an old game also referred to as "draughts" and is similar, in some ways to Chess. Both start with the same number of piece at opposite sides of a board and need to try and take all of the opponents pieces off to win. Although the game is more complex than I'm making it sound it's simple enough to pick up and play and is a game that most people will have played at least once in their life.

As we can see from the title screen on the right the graphics are pretty basic but effective. The in game screens shots keep a similar sort of look
with a traditional feel of wood which looks authentic but doesn't blow you away. Though of course with a game like Checkers you're not going to be blown away with the way it looks. You could be playing with a 3-D board on a background of explosions and it'd still be the same game with the same basic "coloured piece on a board" look to it.

So lets get off looking at the game and lets get onto playing it. As is almost par for the course with this sort of thing you control the pieces by simply touching them with your finger. A simple control method for a well established game and one that works, oddly this is actually almost like the real thing and works well.

The return of Buttface!

Unlike the Tic-Tac-Toe game (which offered sound but never managed to deliver any) Checkers does manage to deliver some simple sounds. Most obvious is the sliding sound of moving the pieces around though if you beat the computer the is a congratulatory sounds whilst a loss is met with a loud "awww". Yes it seems a pointless addition but it's a nice addition.

Whilst the game and gameplay is something that works well we are just playing an electronic version of a a classic board game. Whilst it is nice and can be played with either 1 player (against the AI) or two players (sharing the same phone) you kind wish they'd of managed to get an on-line version and back ground music (not just the occasional sound) just to complete it.

Whilst the game isn't anything special it's obvious that Optime were limited to making it a Checkers game and Checkers having it's traditional rules will have stopped the developers from playing about too much. It does it's job and allows you to play checkers but it won't amaze you and unless your a big fan it won't have you hooked.

Addictiveness-6/10. It's checkers, you might love it, you might hate it but it's not hugely addictive.
Controls-9/10. They do exactly what you would expect of them.
Graphics-7/10 Authentic but nothing amazing, of course the limitations of it being "checkers" is a bit limiter.
Sounds-3/10 Just very basic “movement” sounds, and "ending" sounds, nothing amazing but something.
Originality-0/10 It's checkers. Not original in the slightest.

Total score
25/50

Overall it's an authentic checkers experience, it plays smoothly it looks alright and due to the number of difficulty settings you will find a challenge with it. Though then you realise it is checkers, it's not amazing and it lacks an online functions. Yeah it does what it does pretty well, the sound could be improved but it's solid through and through.

Game mark B-

Mouse Trap

As well as a high number of "clones" of better known video games such as Tetris, Bejeweled and Bust-a-Move and of classic games such as Connect 4, Tic-Tac-Toe and Checkers the Android market has found another set of "clones". The market has a high number of "move the blocks to clear a path and let the sprite reach the end" type of games. Although Mouse Trap isn't the best of them it is one of the highly rated ones on the market and is the first of them to be reviewed by this site. I guess you could infer it as being the standard bearer for similar games.

The title screen (to the right) looks pretty and cute but gives you nothing really to write home about. It's nice but nothing special and that's sort of the feeling you do get a lot of with the the game which in principle is a puzzle game that gets the mind working. As indicated by the title screen the character you need to help out is a mouse which gets trapped in a variety of situations. In fact with around 1200 levels to the game you could almost assume this is a mouse that actually wants to be trapped.

In this screen shot from an early level (one of the Laboratory levels) you can see the mechanics of the came. You need to move the blocks from the mouse to allow him to reach the small space at the end. Things are made trickier by the fact the mouse can only move backwards and forwards (no left and rights).

As you can see the game doesn't look amazing graphically but is a solid display and everything is clear and chunky, you won't be getting confused between the mouse and the blocks. Though again it's the feeling of it being "nice" as opposed to good. Things aren't helped the combination of some very simple levels and the limited (and dull) sound effects when you move a block.

What you may find about the game is that the concept is simple and the levels are
decent enough to want to play a few of, though that's also the biggest problem. With over 1200 levels you often only find yourself sitting down and doing 2 or 3 before feeling a bit bored and turning the game off. Which is a shame as it's almost certainly going to take weeks to reach some of the later worlds like "Heaven", "Bermudes" and "Sawmill" which all have potential to be a lot more interesting than the dull Laboratory. Whilst you may see that as having fantastic longevity the fact than you're only playing it for 5 or 6 minutes at a time would say that the game struggles to keep you occupied rather than having an extraordinary life span.

With so much to do, you will find it takes a lot of beating though you will also feel like you are grinding through it rather than enjoying it which isn't a feeling you want from a game.

Addictiveness-5/10 It will keep you entertained for 5 minutes at a time
Controls-7/10 Simple and effective but they do work well.
Graphics-6/10 Simple but dull in places. Although the later levels do look different you may never get around to seeing them.
Sounds-2/10 A garish dragging sound isn't particularly appealing, especially not when it's the only sound the game makes
Originality-5/10 Although there is a lot of these on the market they aren't a clone of classic, just more a clone of each other.
Total score 25/50

Overall the game is fun but only in short bursts and this kind of takes away from the fact it should be able to keep you playing for longer. With 100 levels in the laboratory alone you can lose the will to live long before you complete the games first real world.

Game mark C+

Tic Tac Toe Free

As well as having clones of video gaming classics the android market also has versions of school ground classics and boards games. One of the most obvious "school games" that the android was going to get was of course "Tic Tac Toe" (or noughts and crosses if you're British).

"Tic Tac Toe Free" by Optime Software is probably the most visually appealing of the numerous Tic Tac Toe clones on the market and is the version I am looking at here. As you can see from the screen shot to the right, the game is for 1 or 2 players and I don't think the rules really need explaining. Though for those few that have never played Tic Tac Toe. You play against an opponent (in 2 player this is against a fellow human in one player it's against the AI) taking it turns to put either a X or a O into a 9 space grid trying to make a line of 3 in either a horizontal, vertical or diagonal line.

On paper the game is an incredibly simple concept, it's why we've all played it since being little kids. Despite most games ending as a draw we all seem to love, but how does it port to the Android system? Is there anything the game can actually add? Or are we treat to a computerised version of a game that really was best left at school?

 

The game, graphically, looks very decent, it looks more attractive than a blank piece of white paper with shoddy drawn lines on it though it was never going to be a game to blow us away with realism. In fact if it looked more "real" I guess we'd actually complain about the looks of it. Though despite a stylish looks upgrade from the pen and paper version the game at heart is identical to the one we all know. There is nothing at all added to the game and yet that was always going to be the problem-what can you do to revolutionise Tic-Tac-Toe? It's not like you can add guns to it or anything.

Whilst it is what we know and love, part of Tic-Tac-Toe's appeal was playing it whilst Mrs Dubois, the eccentric French teacher we couldn't understand was scribbling on the board and we were sat at the back of the class. We weren't supposed to be playing games in class and we did it anyway. With this Android app it just seems rather pointless. The body and the heart are still there but the soul is absent. The sexy French accent in the background isn't there, the noise of chatter isn't there and although, from a technical standpoint, the game is the same, it's just not the same.

Rather oddly, the settings of the app do allow you to choose between having sounds "on" or "off"...it seems no matter what choice you make the game is played in complete silence. There is no cheering if you beat the computer or booing if you lose, it's just silence. There's no in game taunting (another thing that makes the paper based Tic-Tac-Toe so much fun is the taunting "Who's ya daddy?") and although you can taunt away from the phone it seems less fun for some reason.

Hee Hee Buttface wins.
I'm  sooo funny!

Arguably the best features the game adds to the normal Tic-Tac-Toe are the ability to play against the AI and the ability to name the players. Even then it's only funny seeing "Buttface wins" a few times  before even the humour of that wears off.

Whilst it looks nice there simply isn't enough you can do with the game to make it worth your time. It's all fine and dandy replicating Tic-Tac-Toe perfectly and giving it a nice new suit but it's still a game that was meant to be played at school, not sat on the couch or sat in bed with the other half.

Addictiveness-3/10 It's Tic-Tac-Toe with out the heart.
Controls-6/10 Simple and effective. The controls are very basic but their job
Graphics-6/10 Simple but nice. The app adds a nice look to the game but it's still a bunch of X's and O's.
Sounds-0/10 No sounds at all (despite turning them on in the menu!)
Originality-0/10 It's Tic-Tac-Toe
Total score 15/50

Overall it's a game that you might play a few times if you download it, but trust me, it's not one you'll keep coming back to replay.
Game mark C

Mathgame

The title screen

By now I'm sure we've all had some form of experience with the mega-selling Brain Training series of games which attempt to test your brain an allow you to improve your brain age. If you enjoyed those games but felt that the maths part of those games was too easy or too short then Eddie Hsu's excellent "Mathgame" is the answer for you.

The concept of the game is simple, you need to select two numbers and a function from the randomly generated ones on the screen (between 2 and 81) to create a full equation. It sounds so simple and in fact it should be simple but you will quickly find yourself panicking, pulling your hair out and wondering why you can't see the most obvious equation there.

The game comes in two modes a "normal" game and a "quick" game. The normal game sees you playing the game until there is no possible equations on the screen much like the marathon mode on Bejeweled, all the while racking up a score. The games scoring system is a clever addition that sees you getting a bonus multiplier for using the same number in different equations. I.e. 5+4=9, re-using that 9 (which will be coloured) adds an extra multiplier. So then going 9-5=4 would give you a bonus and make the 4 tile the bonus number.

Whilst the normal game mode is the long term choice it's the games "quick" mode that really stands out. This mode gives you 1 minute to try and rack up the biggest score possible, all the while you are getting more and more worried and finding it harder to think. The quick mode really sorts the men from the boys, sadly I appear to be a boy. It's the pick up and play speed that really separates the two game modes and it's the difference between having a leisurely walk in the countryside and being chased by ravenous dogs.


As well as being very simple to play with you selecting the relevant tiles by just using your finger to literally touch them the game also has a very simplistic look to it that perhaps wouldn't look out of place in a late 1980's home console. The idea, I think, is that the monkeys are sat in a classroom and whilst it looks simple it does the job. There isn't really much point in over-doing the graphics here as it's the gameplay that the game relies on, not beautiful glowing colours, yet the graphics do have a real charm about them. The games one lacking quality is sound. And by lacking quality I mean there is no sound at all. Whilst this doesn't make any difference to the gameplay or the addictiveness it would have been nice to have had some soft soothing music and maybe even some sounds come to congratulate getting an equation.

Whilst the game is incredibly charming and addictive as well as infuriating it's also a learning experience and one that you will find yourself coming back to time and time again. Whilst the game doesn't break the boundaries of video gaming, it plays nicely inside the boundaries whilst teaching kids maths in a fun and addictive fashion.

If I was asked what could be improved maybe a difficulty setting (for example easy uses just numbers 2-20 whilst hard could be expanded to 1-100) and some light "elevator music" (with the option to turn it off) as well as a small graphics over-haul though they are only minor things and certainly don't take away from a fabulous game.

Addictiveness-9/10. Learning has never been this addictive!
Controls-10/10. Exactly what you'd expect and they work sublimely
Graphics-4/10. It looks simple and is charming but nothing amazing on the eye
Sounds-0/10. Completely absent. I turned the sound all the way up but nothing at all.
Originality-7/10. Yes it's a concept borrowed from Brain Training but it's done in a very unique and clever way that feels fresh and original.

Total score
30/50

Overall this is the best learning experience I've seen put into a game. Whether your a young child just learning how to use numbers or an adult you will be hooked and you'll try repeatedly to break your own top scores. The scoring system of the game makes you want to come back for more whilst the quick game is the most frustratingly brilliant thing I've seen on the Android market so far. Eddie Hsu you have made a monster!

Game Mark B+