Another free game this week from CleverMedia (MacMost parent). Just Solitaire: Pyramid is your basic pyramid solitaire game. But the problem with pyramid solitaire is that different people play it different ways. Sometimes there is one waste pile, sometimes two. Some people play with reserve cards. This game allows you to customize the rules to play like you want to.
Here’s another innovative game that uses the touch screen in a way we’ve not seen before. In Cut the Rope you’ve got to slice ropes with your finger to release candy for a creature to eat. Then start adding multiple ropes, floating bubbles and spikes and you’ve got challenging puzzle levels that require both skill and dexterity.
If you like tilt-based puzzle games, vParticle+ is for you. You guide particles through complex and challenging levels with a huge variety of rules and features. A nice departure from the over-simplified puzzle games that clog the App Store.
Hard to believe that we’ve not gotten around to recommending Angry Birds yet. You sling various irate birds at the homes of these pigs that have somehow pissed the birds off. This game combines strategy and whimsy to create one of the best iPhone games out there. But if you can, play the iPad version of Angry Birds which is even more enjoyable.
Looking for a good match-three alternative the one with the jewels? Arrrgh! Gather pirate treasure instead with Pieces of Eight! This full-featured puzzle game has all the same bells and whistles, plus bonus games.
There are several solitaire games out there, but we’ve got to take the time to point to our very own (made by MacMost producer Gary Rosenzweig). Not only is Just Solitaire Klondike full-featured with lots of game options, but it is also free!
While the release of SimCity on the iPhone was nice, the graphics and gameplay are a little out-dated. Enter Virtual City, a more modern city-building game. The graphics are great and the task-oriented tutorial brings you right into the gameplay.
Yet another classic computer game is finding a new life on the iPhone. The Oregon Trail was one of the first attempts to use gaming as a teaching tool. It may not have succeeded in that, but it did find a place in popular culture. There is quite a debate on whether this new version is faithful to the original. But at last you can “die of dysentery” on the iPhone.
Prizmo turns your iPhone into a scanner. It uses the iPhone’s camera to take a picture, and then use optical character recognition (OCR) to read the text. For instance, you can take a picture of someone’s business card and it will read the text on the card and create a contact. The process isn’t automatic, as you have to check the data for errors. But it still beats tapping it in. You can also grab bills, whiteboards or any text document. There is even the option to purchase a “voice” and have your text read out loud.
Since the release of the very first iPhone I’ve used panoramic stitching apps. But this one is the best so far because it takes all the work out of your hands. When I’m somewhere interesting enough to take a panorama, the last thing I want to do is stare at my iPhone screen for minutes on end working with an app. Just take some photos and feed them in to AutoStitch Panorama and it will do everything for you. Then send to your friends while still enjoying the view.
Years of having nothing but Risk clones on the iPhone are over, as Electronic Arts finally gives us the real thing. Risk: The Official Game works on the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad and also supports a local multiplayer mode. The options are pretty basic, but you can’t beat the original ruleset anyway.
It seems weird to spend money on an app that basically gives recipe ideas an grill times. But the On the Grill app from Weber becomes worth it quickly if you spend your summers grilling out back. Saving just one steak from being over or under cooked makes it worth it, and the rest is gravy — or, barbecue sauce.
Finally there is a good space adventure/trading game on the iPhone and iPad. Warpgate for the iPhone and Warpgate HD for the iPad offer deep playing experience and great graphics. Travel around in space trading goods, performing missions and destroying enemy ships.
It has been a while since I recommended one of my own iPhone games. Something Fishy is another port of a game that has been wildly successful on the Web. With the iPhone, you get to use the accelerometers to move Walter the fish around. I’ve also added some bonus games and music.
Funny how point-and-click adventure games built for 1980s computers seem to be made for touch-screen devices. Now we have the re-release of the classic Monkey Island 2 for the iPhone (and the iPad). Whether you played this years ago and want to re-discover it, or you just want a fun and funny game to play, you can’t go wrong with this classic. The graphics are all new and look gorgeous. And as a bonus you can switch to the original bitmap graphics for nostalgia.
Between playing games and messaging your friends, you can actually use the iPhone and iPad to learn something. It helps when the information is presented in a stunning way. The Elements for iPhone 4 uses the high resolution screen for great graphics. Though if you have an iPad, the iPad version is worth getting. What you get is a semester’s worth of knowledge in an app.
With so many apps in the store, rarely can any one app ever be called “highly anticipated.” But that is the case with Apple’s new iMovie app. It is only for the iPhone 4, but is sure to become a must-have app for those with the new phone. Editing and uploading video is now something that no longer requires a computer.
Not too long ago a device like the iPad that just ran something like Google Earth would have been worth a small fortune. Now you can add Google Earth to your iPad for free. It works as you might expect, allowing you to zoom in and around the planet looking at satellite imagery, photos and information. You can get a lot of education and entertainment from this app, and kill a lot of time. This app has been around for the iPhone for a while, but the new version adds native iPad viewing as well.
I’m not big on racing games, but when I saw a few appear for the iPad, I had to try them to see what they would be like on the device. Real Racing HD for the iPad blew me away. The graphics are so good and then gameplay so easy to get into . There is also a version of Real Racing for the iPhone.
If you like strategy board games, along the lines of Risk, then Strategery is for you. It works on both the iPhone and iPad. You play on a random map with many rule variations to keep the game fresh. It only takes minutes to play most scenarios for a quick hit of strategy game fun.
