AppCraver » Anna Axster

GoSanta! Brings the Holiday Spirit But it Doesn’t Last

Anna Axster — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 02:30:39 +0000

The newly released GoSanta! app by developer Great Apps is a Christmas-themed arcade game with a fun holiday soundtrack.

GoSanta is simple and easy to pick up for the young and old. The evil Grinch has stolen all of Santa’s Christmas presents and all of the kids will be sad if Santa does not get them back. The goal therefore is to collect as many presents in as little time possible.

The player can move Santa through using the accelerometer, which lets him go forward as well as backward and increases his speed depending on the tilt level of the iPhone. While collecting gifts the player needs to avoid obstacles like Christmas trees, snowmen, and gingerbread men. But other objects like hearts and clocks will give bonus points and allow more time for the task.

GoSanta is cute and fun at first but it gets repetitive and its replay value is questionable. The 25 levels become increasingly harder but the background theme stays similar and the challenges get harder but don’t provide much versatility in gameplay or graphics. An added challenge is the built-in level generator, which will open up more levels if a perfect score is achieved.

GoSanta’s controls are well developed and work intuitively. Well-developed animation and great Christmas music (from “Jingle Bells” to “Santa Claus is coming to Town”) further add to the Christmas mood and make this app a fun distraction in tune with the holiday spirit but it nevertheless falls short of being truly addictive or challenging.

app_name: GoSanta!
rating: 6/10

Word Flow is Challenging and Addictive

Anna Axster — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 20:30:37 +0000

The new app Word Flow by first-time iPhone app developer 3VGames plays like a new version of Scrabble designed for the iPhone platform.

Word Flow is easy to pick up, and challenging once you get into it. The player has to slide the different rows of letters either vertically or horizontally in order to form as many words in as little time possible. The longer the word, the higher the score, which releases gold letters, which release bonus points when used within a new word. Like Scrabble the point system for different letters varies and the less frequent the letter, the more points you get.

The Word Flow game has three different play modes — 1 minute, 3 minutes, and 10 minutes — allowing for different time commitments. The age rating of 4 years + is a little misguiding since I doubt that there are many four year-olds out there that can play Word Flow and stay interested for more than a minute. But for teenagers and adults who are into this sort of thing, Word Flow is very addictive and can get truly challenging.

The touch-based interface and the game’s animation work well and the graphics are well designed and suitable to the Word Flow’s theme. Overall Word Flow is a simple but challenging word game that allows you to test yourself on your vocabulary skills in a game that feels like trying to master a good cross word puzzle or a good round of Scrabble.

A good debut app from 3VGames.

app_name: Word Flow
rating: 7/10

Bonsai Blast Puts the Zen Into Shooting Marbles

Anna Axster — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 17:30:19 +0000

Bonsai Blast is a zen-themed color matching puzzle game by California-based global mobile game publisher Glu, the company behind the app Space Monkey.

Like other color matching marble games, Bonsai Blast is highly addictive and a great game if you have some time to kill. The game’s objective is simple —shoot marbles to match three or more marbles of the same color in order to make them disappear. Creating different color combinations will cause a chain reaction of marbles popping and the goal is to get all the marbles to pop before the chain reaches the end of the path.

While the game is simple enough for young kids to enjoy, Bonsai Blast gets creative in the 90 levels the game offers.

Some levels in Bonsai Blast will require the player to ricochet the marbles off different walls in order to place them right. Chutes turn up that will guide the marbles along the winding paths and some levels will make the player swap back and forth between different shooters in order to keep up with different rows of marbles.

The contradiction between the game’s theme of a bonsai zen garden and the gameplay of blasting marbles in order to make them explode, works well. The music is soothing and unintrusive and the graphics are well developed and make Bonsai Blast a colorful game with enough diversity throughout the different levels to make it challenging and add great replay value. The simple touch screen controls are very easy to navigate and two game modes (Adventure mode and the never-ending Survival mode) make it suitable for different gameplay options. Overall a great puzzle game with versatile gameplay and a clean, colorful, and tranquil theme.

app_name: Bonsai Blast
rating: 9/10

Stargazers Will Love to Go on a Star Walk

Anna Axster — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 22:00:44 +0000

Ever stared up into the sky on a clear night and wondered what exactly you were looking at? With the Star Walk app on your iPhone you can now find out immediately and use this stargazing guide to learn more about the stars and constellations.

Virginia-based mobile software developer Vito Technology Inc., makers of the business app Task2Gather, has come up with a useful and fun star map that uses your iPhone’s current location in order to provide a picture of the sky located right above you.

Star Walk also allows the user to search the map by stars, constellations, or planets. Selecting one of the above will bring up the chosen object on Star Walk’s screen. The user can then select an object to see more information on it like its size and coordinates. All of this is pretty awesome already, thanks especially to the great graphics and intuitive interface. But the time-lapse function is what makes Star Walk truly great. Selecting the time button on the screen will show the current date and time and an according picture of the stars and planets. Using a scroll bar, the user can scroll through different times, causing the image of the sky to change accordingly. This looks like a time-lapse movie of the stars, going through day and night mode and changing star positions.

Of course Star Walk is not a full planetarium program and any advanced astrologer will probably find the app to be lacking. But as a star map on your iPhone, for $4.99 Star Walk has a lot to offer and will be fun as well as educational to anyone not familiar with all the different stars we see every night. Star Walk could provide more detailed information on the main objects and the search function could maybe include galaxies and comets, but overall Star Map delivers and most users will find what they are looking for.

Star Walk is well developed with great graphics and an interface that is easy to navigate. A great map for anyone wanting to learn a little more about the constellations or as a reference when looking up at the sky at night.

app_name: Star Walk
rating: 9/10

Bounce Trap Mixes Different Games Into One Addictive App

Anna Axster — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 17:30:28 +0000

Bounce Trap by game developer PlayScreen, is a fun puzzle game that combines different aspects of familiar games like Tetris, Solitaire, or Pinball. With a mixture of action, strategy, and chance Bounce Trap can get fairly addicting and will provide entertainment for young and old.

Bounce Trap’s objective is to fill and remove all the round holes on the screen without running out of balls.

The balls are released from the top of the screen and are dropped through a tap. Once a ball hits a hole it is filled and if another ball of the same color hits it, the hole will disappear. If balls of different colors hit the filled hole three times it will also vanish.

Furthermore, the player can make holes disappear by filling three holes in a row with the same color. Fifty balls are released in each of Bounce Trap’s 35 levels and any unused balls rollover to the next level. Obstacles in between the balls will function as bouncers (much like in a pinball game) and can trigger special effects.

Bounce Trap is very easy to pick up and play and it could get to more challenging levels a little quicker, but the combination of reaction time and strategy keep it interesting. An auto save function saves the game at the beginning of the last unfinished level played, making it easy to stay on track with where you left off. The game’s music gets annoying rather quickly but it can be turned off and the sound effects and graphics are well developed, bringing futuristic fonts to colorful backgrounds.

The price tag of $4.99 seems high compared to other apps of a similar nature but in its gameplay Bounce Trap is a great combination of different classics.

app_name: Bounce Trap
rating: 7/10

ComiXology is a Must-Have App for Comic Fans

Anna Axster — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 20:30:36 +0000

All comic book fans and collectors can now get their fix on their iPhone with the new comiXology app, that was released this week. Based on the comiXology website, the app offers tons of information on new releases in the comic world.

ComiXology allows users to browse through comic book covers, read about the stories, and find information on creators. Unlike the website, the comiXology app is based on a three week schedule – this week, next week, and last week. The three featured comics as well as the shipping items are categorized accordingly.

The user can furthermore make virtual “pull lists”, a familiar term in the comic scene. A pull list is a list of items a collector or fan compiles and then provides to their local comic book retailer. The retailer will then “pull” the listed items as they arrive in the store and hold them for the customer. In order to create pull lists the user has to create a free comiXology account. The app provides direct access to the web account and for previous account holders all settings are transferred automatically to the ComiXology app.

ComiXology also provides weekly half-hour long podcasts as well as articles published on the website. While the same service is free online with more information available, ComiXology will be a welcome app store release for all the comic book enthusiasts out there. An obvious shortcoming of the app is the lack of a search function but the developer already announced that an update will take care of this.

Compared to the website, the comiXology app only offers a sneak peek at the new releases on the comic book market. But having access to it on your phone and being able to create pull lists on the go will be great for anyone whose favorite day of the week is Wednesday (when new comics are released). If you want to check the app out before spending $3.99 watch the video preview on the comiXology website.

app_name: comiXology
rating: 7/10

Rudolph’s Revenge is a Fun Christmas Game for Kids

Anna Axster — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 22:00:27 +0000

Rudolph’s Revenge by developer Egerter Software (maker of such apps as Blue Skies, i Fishing, and Coconut Horse) is a simple and fun Christmas-themed memory testing game that kids will enjoy.

The game has enjoyable graphics of reindeers that will cry if you make a mistake. The task is pretty easy — listen for the tones that will light up the corresponding reindeer’s nose and repeat the tone patterns by tapping the noses. Three difficulty levels make this app enjoyable for young kids (it’s rated 4+) as well as older kids and adults who have some time to kill. In all three levels the patterns get increasingly longer, making the task to repeat them increasingly difficult.

A further option is to press the music note button, which will allow the player to create their own melody by tapping the reindeer’s noses. This option does not include any tasks but may be fun for kids to play around with and create their own tune.

The graphics and sounds are well developed but Rudolph’s Revenge could offer a little more in terms of gameplay in order to appeal to older players as well. But with a fun combination of sound and visual recognition Rudolph’s Revenge offers entertainment in the holiday spirit, especially for kids.

rating: 6/10
app_name: Rudolph’s Revenge

Brain Benders Offers Cerebral Teasers

Anna Axster — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 17:30:46 +0000

If you enjoy logic puzzles, brain teasers, and trick questions, Brain Benders might be right up your alley. Brain Benders offers daily brain stimulating puzzles, some of which might have you scratching your head for a little while before figuring out the answer, while others are less difficult and at times not brainy enough.

With sixteen iPhone apps under their belt, developer E.E. Flobes offers another addition to their widely varied App Store selection. Brain Benders offers a new logic puzzle or trick question every day. This can be an added plus to users who look for a new question every day to test their cerebral capacities.

Trying to figure out the answer can make the daily commute more enjoyable or it can be a welcome distraction from daily routines. But for those looking to use this app as a game to play with friends on a road trip or by yourself with some time to spare, the fact that there will only ever be one riddle every 24 hours will defeat the game’s usefulness.

If the questions were built in, the capacity would be limited and soon enough one would stumble over the same questions. But maybe it would be a great improvement for an update to make it possible to store the riddles within Brain Benders so that the user gets fresh content every day but is not limited to looking at only one riddle per day.

Looking at this app for over a week to see the variety of the questions was fun and there are some in there that will make you bend your brain for a little while. But a lot of the content are trick questions, which seem slightly less intelligent and require no true logic problem solving skills. With room for improvement, Brain Benders is overall a fun app for anyone who enjoys a little trivial cerebral challenge.

app_name: Brain Benders
rating: 6/10

Help Save the Planet and Plant A Real Tree!

Anna Axster — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 02:30:30 +0000

In the midst of the holiday season with a country-wide shopping frenzy coming up, the real holiday spirit of giving and doing something good often gets lost as we all know. But iPhone owners can now by an app for a buck and help do their little part in saving the environment.

The idea is simple — you buy the A Real Tree app and a tree will be planted in one of 12 countries fighting deforestation and poverty. Developer Mokugift’s focus was not to make a state of the art interface design or a new fancy app, but rather to create something with meaning and the possibility of having a positive impact.

Upon opening A Real Tree an animated tree will grow to the sound of birds singing and an “Explore the Forest” button will take you to the A Real Tree website, which offers more information. The developer further states that there are surprises to be found in the app (like making the bird fly) and more surprises will be available when you update. There is not much more to the app but as stated above the developer was mainly concerned with the impact and meaning rather than a multitude of gimmicks.

A Real Tree can be found in the “Entertainment” category of the app store, which is slightly curious. Hopefully more of these kinds of apps will be released and a new green category can be created.

The trees are planted by partner organizations Trees for the Future and Sustainable Harvest International in the following countries: Belize, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Burundi, Senegal, Zambia, India, Philippines, and Haiti. The partner organizations educate farmers about sustainable farming techniques and provide them with seeds and resources. Academic research states that tropical tress are more beneficial to the fight against global warming than trees in non-tropical regions. And the app makes it simple and straight-forward — every time the app is purchased from the app store, a real tree is planted in one of these places.

The trees that are planted (banana, cocoa, coffee, etc.) furthermore benefit the local communities by creating sustainable farming. The creation of sustainable lifestyles in countries that suffer from the effects of global warming but that have no financial means to do anything about it, will benefit the local communities as well as the global community as a whole.

Many people out there know about the problem of global warming but are unsure how they can do their part. Planting a tree might seem like a drop in the ocean but if every iPhone owner would take part, the environmental achievement would be equal to taking 500,000 cars off the road. And especially in a time where we go out and consume the most, A Real Tree offers a simple and easy way to take part in saving the planet, one tree at a time, while at the same time empowering less fortunate communities to build sustainable lifestyles.

A Real Tree makes use of the iPhone platform to do something meaningful and anyone with an iPhone or iPod touch can take part. Go out there, buy a real tree for Christmas and help the environment!

app_name: A Real Tree
rating: 10/10

Henry & Hailey’s Preschool Pals Is Cute, Entertaining, and Educational

Anna Axster — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 17:30:59 +0000

Henry and Hailey’s Preschool Pals is a great mix and match game for toddlers and young children that offers entertainment and teaches problem solving skills at the same time.

Developed by 3PM Studios, a company of three brothers that based the game’s characters on their own kids and their playmates, Henry & Hailey’s Preschool Pals is enjoyable and easy enough to pick up for three to four year old kids.

The game’s objective is to match the heads, bodies, and feet of ten different characters. Before starting Henry & Hailey’s Preschool Pals, the players can familiarize themselves with the ten pals by looking at them and listening to them introducing themselves. The group includes a quarterback, a firefighter, a Spanish-speaking dancer, a robot, a dog and numerous other pals that tell you their name and who they are.

Once familiar with how the different characters look, the player has to align the top, middle, and bottom parts of their bodies. Just like the books that the parents’ generation used to play with, this game offers fun gameplay for the little ones.

Henry & Hailey’s Preschool Pals has a well developed interface, good graphics, and suitable sounds and music. It is easy to pick up and offers loads of praise, recognition, and encouragement for getting the alignment right and for matching all ten characters. Henry & Hailey’s Preschool Pals is entertaining, educational, and enjoyable to play.

app_name: Henry & Hailey’s Preschool Pals
rating: 8/10