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Kindle Yahtzee Review

12 Dec

Kindle Yahtzee Active Content: Amazon Listing

Yahtzee: Review Introduction

Yahtzee is a classic dice game by Electronic Arts Inc. Originally released in June 2011, the newest update for this game was released in November 2011, and it currently is part of the Best of 2011 Editors Pick List. Yahtzee is currently priced at $0.99 until January 2, at which point it will go back to its regular price of $4.99. Yahtzee has a 4.0 star rating with 26 customer reviews at this time

Yahtzee: Main Takeaways

Yahtzee is the classic dice game for Kindle, with several variations for fun hours of electronic play. Choose from Classic, Duplicate, or Battle mode, and then decide if you are playing solo or Pass-n-play with up to 3 additional players. All these options mean that there is fun for all styles of players.

I started out playing in classic mode, and had quite a bit of fun. The rules are the same as in the traditional board game version, with the extra help of the computer doing the math for you and letting you see just how many points you would score in each category before you place your roll. The controls are very simple and it’s very easy to play.

Kindle Yahtzee Active Content: Game In Play

As you progress through the game, you can see your score add up and see if you are earning any bonus points, plus see your overall score. For a score over 300, you are congratulated. Score below 300 you are told well done, and to try again.

Yahtzee: Conclusion and Overall Rating

I had a lot of fun with Yahtzee. It was everything I remembered from playing with my family as a child, but in a nice compact form and no math required. I’ll give Yahtzee a 4.5 star rating, and my only suggestion would be to add in more keyboard shortcuts in future updates to allow moving between the dice and scorecard easier.

 
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Posted by on 12/12/2011 in Review

 

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Kindle Choice of Broadsides Review

09 Dec

Kindle Choice of Broadsides Active Content: Amazon Listing

Choice of Broadsides: Review Introduction

Choice of Broadsides is an interactive text-based adventure by Choice of Games, released in December 2010. A Best of 2011 Editors’ Pick, it is currently priced at $0.99 until January 2, at which point it will return to the normal price of $1.99. Choice of Broadsides has a 4.25 star rating and 38 customer reviews.

Also available from Choice of Games along the same line are these games:

Choice of Broadsides: Main Takeaways

The game starts out with an intro chapter, followed by a little quiz to help you define your character. Once you answer the quiz, you are presented with a screen to see just where you are starting at.

Kindle Choice of Broadsides Active Content: Game in Play, Beginning

Once you have named your character, the adventure truly starts. The chapters have multiple decisions in them, and your progress is determined by the choices you make. Throughout the game you can use the menu to pull up your character ranking and see the progress you have made.

Kindle Choice of Broadsides Active Content: Game in Play, Middle

As you make rank, your choices get more complex and give you more opportunities to advance through the game and develop a personality for your character. The storyline carries through the entire book and brings back characters from earlier chapters as you progress as well.

Kindle Choice of Broadsides Active Content: Game in Play, End

As in all good stories, there is an ending. The final chapter wraps up the storylines that have been developed throughout the adventure and show you how your character has progressed from start to finish. Once you complete the adventure, you can start again from the beginning and make new choices to see where they lead.

Choice of Broadsides: Conclusion and Overall Rating

Choice of Broadsides was surprisingly fun and easy to play. The storyline is simple enough to be enjoyable, complex enough to capture your attention. I’d give it a 4 star rating, as I’d like to see more options to backtrack when a choice is made or to be able to save your game, but enjoyed it in general.

 
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Posted by on 12/09/2011 in Review

 

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Kindle Picture Cross Review

09 Dec

Kindle Picture Cross Active Content: Amazon Listing

Picture Cross: Review Introduction

Picture Cross Volume 1 is a logic puzzle picture game by puzzle.tv. Currently priced at $0.99, Picture Cross has a 3 star rating and 22 customer reviews and was released in August 2011. There is also a Picture Cross Christmas Edition available for $0.99.

Picture Cross: Main Takeaways

There are 5 sizes of puzzles to choose from when you start the game, from 8×8 grids to 25×25 grids. The puzzles have names assigned to them, so you have an idea as to what the puzzle will reveal itself to be.

Kindle Picture Cross Active Content: Game in Play, Beginning of Puzzle

You start by placing black squares on the board, filling in according to numbers. Use the white squares to make empty spaces, and the puzzle is slowly revealed. Stumped on a puzzle? You can go back to the main menu and choose another puzzle, and come back to the one you were working on later.

Kindle Picture Cross Active Content: Game in Play, Puzzle Solved

Once you solve the puzzle, you can automatically move on to the next puzzle in the list, go back to the main menu and choose a puzzle of your own choice, or replay the puzzle again.

Picture Cross: Conclusion and Overall Rating

I’ve played a few puzzle games along this line since starting reviewing Kindle Apps. I enjoyed this version and like the large variety of sizes of puzzles to choose from and having a rough idea of what the puzzle looked like in advance. I’ll give Picture Cross a 3.5 star rating, with points knocked off for clunky button controls and too many options in some cases.

 
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Posted by on 12/09/2011 in Review

 

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Kindle Jewel Quest Solitaire Review

09 Dec

Kindle Jewel Quest Solitaire Active Content: Amazon Listing

Jewel Quest Solitaire: Review Introduction

Jewel Quest Solitaire is a solitaire style game full of riches and adventure by iWin. A Best of 2011 Editors’ Pick, Jewel Quest Solitaire is on sale for $0.99 until January 2, 2012, at which point it will return to its normal price of $3.99. Jewel Quest Solitaire has a 4 star rating and 4 customer reviews.

Jewel Quest Solitaire: Main Takeaways

Jewel Quest Solitiare is not the traditional Jewel Quest game. There are no gems to swap, but there are cards to match and a board to clear.

Each level has a different layout, and the first level walks you through on how to play the game. The levels get progressively more difficult as you advance through the game, with wild cards added in later levels to help make clearing the game board easier.

Kindle Jewel Quest Solitaire: Game in Play

Clearing the level unlocks another clue towards the puzzle. Go back at any time to replay a layout and increase your score. Let family members and friends create their own profiles so they can play without messing up your game!

Jewel Quest Solitaire: Conclusion and Overall Rating

 

Addictive. Fun. Everything you could ask for in the Kindle version of the popular Jewel Quest game. I give Jewel Quest Solitaire a 4.5 star review, and the only thing I really missed were the bonus levels available in the computer/online version. If you like solitaire, this

 
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Posted by on 12/09/2011 in Review

 

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Kindle Triple Town Review

08 Dec

Kindle Triple Town Active Content: Amazon Listing

Triple Town: Review Introduction

Triple Town is a puzzle strategy game by Spry Fox. Released in October 2010, Triple Town has a rating of 4.75 stars with 166 customer reviews. Triple Town is priced at $3.99.

Triple Town: Main Takeaways

Triple Town starts with a great tutorial level, that walks you through step by step and teaches you how to play the game. The basic premise is simple: combine 3 like shapes to form a new shape.

Kindle Triple Town Active Content: Game In Play

Along the way, you face several challenges, first in the form of barbarians and wizards. They block squares and make it difficult for you to make matches, so you have to think carefully. Another challenge is how the squares combine: each set of three combines into the square of the last piece played, so place your pieces carefully. As your pieces combine, they can combine even further to help your town grow into a civilization. The game has a hint at the bottom to give you some guides about what to do and to tell you what your last move scored.

Kindle Triple Town Active Content: Game Over

Your score at the end is calculated based on pieces played, time spent playing, level you got your village to, and how many wizards you defeated. The game lets you name your game afterward and you can see your rank on the score list, and work towards beating your previous high score.

Triple Town: Conclusion and Overall Rating

Triple Town is not a cheap game at $3.99, but it is worth EVERY penny. This game was so much fun, and I didn’t want to stop playing. I loved every aspect of this game and will continue to play it for a long time. I’d suggest giving this game a try if you like strategy or puzzle games.

 
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Posted by on 12/08/2011 in Review

 

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Kindle Doodle Fit Review

25 Nov

Kindle Doodle Fit Active Content: Amazon Listing

Doodle Fit: Review Introduction

Doodle Fit is a tangram-style puzzle game with a fun hand-doodled feel. Released in August 2011 by Gamelion Studios, Doodle Fit has a rating of 5 stars and is priced at $1.99.

Doodle Fit: Main Takeaways

Doodle Fit opens and right away is eye catching. Designed to look like it is doodled in a notebook, the game has a nice hand-written and drawn feel to it throughout. The game starts you out with the beginner’s pack, and walks you through how to play and tells you how to unlock hints and additional levels. There are over 250 puzzles available in the 9 themed packs, and multiple solutions exist for some puzzles, allowing you to play over and over again.

Kindle Doodle Fit Active Content: Game in Play

Starting with the beginner pack, the first few levels are unlocked and as you solve each level, you unlock new levels and earn hints. For every 2 solutions you find, one new hint is unlocked. In order to move on from the beginners pack, you must solve all 27 puzzles.The main menu screen lists each puzzle, the number of solutions available and the number of solutions you have found to help you know which puzzles have multiple solutions.

Each puzzle has a fun shape and name. At the bottom of the puzzle, you can see all the available pieces, and as you move the pieces into the puzzle shape, you can see that each shape is doodled differently. It’s very easy to swap out pieces(almost too easy) and the puzzle automatically grabs the next piece in line for you after you place each piece.When you hit SPACE BAR for a hint, it tells you how many hints you have left in total, how many hints available for this level, then gives you the choice of using the hint or going back without using a hint.

You can choose to go back to any unlocked puzzle at any time and work on finding additional solutions or simply playing for fun. I like that the game only allows you to get hints for up to 50% of the puzzle, and makes you find the rest of the solution on your own.

Doodle Fit: Conclusion and Overall Rating

Doodle Fit is super fun and addictive. I give it 4.5 stars, with the .5 star mark down simply because I wish it was clearer on how to switch puzzle pieces and put them into place. I suggest anyone who loves tangram-style puzzles or Tetris give this game a try.

 
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Posted by on 11/25/2011 in Review

 

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Kindle Mahjong Solitaire Review

25 Nov

Kindle Mahjong Solitaire Active Content: Amazon Listing

Mahjong Solitaire: Review Introduction

Mahjong Solitaire is the classic tile game of Mahjong, built for your Kindle. Originally released in December 2010, the newest update was released November 21, 2011, and is published by Mobigloo. With a rating of 4 stars out of 73 reviews, Mahjong Solitaire is on sale for $0.99 through January 2, at which point it will go back to it’s normal price of $3.99.

Mahjong Solitaire: Main Takeaways

Mahjong Solitaire is the traditional Mahjong game for Kindle. When I first launched the game, I was expecting some sort of solitaire card game to tie into the mahjong, but there was no twist, just the traditional mahjong tiles and layouts.

Mahjong Solitaire offers you 10 different game layouts, with hints available for each game, the ability to shuffle tiles, and unlimited “undo” moves.

Kindle Mahjong Solitaire Active Content: Game In Play

The game provides some basic statistics for you at the bottom of the screen: time elapsed, tiles left to be matched, matches available, hints available, and shuffles available. As you progress through the game, the stats change to show you how you are doing and to help you if you get stuck. When you complete the game, the stats are saved and the game keeps track of your fastest time for each layout. There are no additional levels to be unlocked, this game is very simple and just focuses on the classic Mahjong rules.

Mahjong Solitaire: Conclusion and Overall Rating

Mahjong Solitaire was fun to play and easy to do. The games had enough matches to force you to think ahead, but not so many as to make it too easy. I appreciate the simplicity of this game. It’s the traditional rules, traditional layouts, and no extra functions or steps to unlock tricks of the game. I did find sometimes the controls would cause the tiles to be skipped at times, but it might be the limitations of my Kindle 2 that I was playing the game on that caused this to happen. I’d give Mahjong Solitaire 4.5 stars, and recommend it to anyone who likes the traditional game on the computer or on other devices. At the current price, it’s definitely a steal and worth grabbing.

 
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Posted by on 11/25/2011 in Review

 

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Kindle Inheritance Review

25 Nov

Kindle Inheritance Active Content: Amazon Listing

Inheritance: Review Introduction

Inheritance is a text based game by Game of Penguins. This game was released in July 2011, and is currently rated 4 stars with over 20 customer reviews. Currently, Inheritance is available for $0.99.

Inheritance: Main Takeaways

Inheritance is a text based adventure game that reminds me of the “Choose Your Own Adventure” novels I read as a child. At each step in the game, there are multiple choices for things you can do, and different ways of interacting with the objects in the room.

The game starts with a basic tutorial level, walking you through the basic controls and letting you get a feel for the game. There is no real end to the tutorial, but the game encourages you to move on to main game play after a few minutes of testing the tutorial.

Kindle Inheritance Active Content: Game in Play

The game has clear shortcuts for available actions, and at every screen tells you what buttons to push to move forward or backward. At each stage, you earn points, and your score continues to increase as you progress through the adventure. The game has quite a few options in every room, and just when you begin to think you have it solved, another twist is thrown in.

Inheritance: Conclusion and Overall Rating

Inheritance reminds me of the fun books I loved as a child, but is done on an adult level. This is definitely not a kids game, and was challenging to me in a very good way. I’d give Inheritance 4 stars, as I truly enjoyed the difficulty level and the controls were very simple. I do wish that the game had some graphics, and maybe a map to give you an idea of where you were and where you had been. After 30 minutes of play, I was nowhere near done with the game and will definitely continue to play more as time allows. I recommend this game to anyone who likes word adventures and logic games, just be warned that this is not a quick adventure.

 
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Posted by on 11/25/2011 in Review

 

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Kindle Blossom Review

28 Oct

Kindle Blossom Active Content: Amazon Listing

Blossom: Review Introduction

Blossom is a maze game available from Braintonik Games. It was released in July 2011 and it currently rated 4.7 stars, with 12 reviews. Blossom is currently priced at $1.99. Braintonik Games has also released Blossom Halloween, available for .99.

Blossom: Main Takeaways

Blossom is a maze game, based around a flower garden. In the center of each puzzle is a watering can, and from that many pipes, and then finally at the edges are flowers. Your goal is to rotate the puzzle tiles and connect the pipe pieces from the flowers to the watering can.

Kindle Blossom Active Content: Game in Play

The pipes turn black when they are connected to the watering can, helping you see what links are successful and which ones you still need to work on. There is a hint option as well, that shows you what tiles it suggests you work with next. The level ends when you have connected all the flowers to the watering can. You can change your level at any time, and choose to replay any level as well.

Blossom: Conclusion and Overall Rating

I give Blossom 4 stars. The concept of the game was fun, but the controls were a bit clunky and the game was almost too challenging at times. The hint option is not too useful, and I would have preferred to have a ‘tutorial’ level where the game walks you through how to best play the game.

 
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Posted by on 10/28/2011 in Review

 

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Kindle Jewels Review

28 Oct

Kindle Jewels Active Content: Amazon Listing

Jewels: Review Introduction

Jewels is a matching game for Kindle, styled after the various online variations. It was released in September 2011 from Mobigloo and is currently available for $1.99. Jewels has a rating of 3.6 stars, with 10 customer reviews.

Jewels: Main Takeaways

Jewels is a matching game with two game modes, Easy Mode and Timed Mode. In both modes, the concept is the same: swap jewels around to make matches of 3 or more in a row(horizontal or vertical), and fill up the bar at the bottom. There is a hint button, but it takes away from your score to use it. In Easy Mode, you continue to make matches until either the bottom bar is full(you win!) or until there are no matches left(you lose). In Timed Mode, you follow the same concept as in Easy Mode, but you also must beat the timer. If you win the level, you advance to the next level, and your score continues to add up. If you lose, you must start again, at the very beginning.

Kindle Jewels Active Content: Game in Play

Jewels: Conclusion and Overall Rating

I like Jewels, and this is a fun matching game without requiring too much effort. I give it a 3 star review for a few reasons. First, the help file is not the clearest. Second, the controls and movement on the Kindle 2 are not very smooth, and I lost valuable time watching the controller jump around. I’ve heard this is much better on the Kindle 3(Kindle Keyboard), but have not had the opportunity to try it myself. If you are a fan of matching games, give it a try. Just be warned it might be a bit clunkier than the online versions you are used to!

 
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Posted by on 10/28/2011 in Review

 

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