Julie and Judie\'s Favorite Pocket PC Games Article

Gadgeteer Article by Judie Hughes and Julie

May 23, 2001

Product Requirements:
Device:
Any Pocket PC

Judie and I get quite a few emails asking what our favorite PDA is, favorite cases are, what our favorite utilities are and what our favorite games are. So, I thought it would be interesting to start a collection of small articles that share that information. To start things off, here's an overview of our favorite Pocket PC games that we each have on our iPAQs that we play more often than any other games that we've tried or have installed.

Julie's Favorites
I like almost all types of games, but usually fall back on the puzzles / logic types.

Patrick Hinrichs's Puzznix (v1.1)
Uses 1.143MB

Puzznix is an easy to learn, fun to play strategy / puzzle game. I almost did cartwheels when this game first came out because it is almost identical to a game called Vexed for the Palm OS which I really enjoyed. 

Puzznix is a colorful game where the object is to get rid of all the blocks on a screen. You do this by using your stylus to slide the blocks left or right. When blocks of the same style touch, they disappear. Sounds simple right? Well, there are times when you have to maneuver the blocks in specific ways so that you can get rid of 3 blocks at once. This is what will drive you crazy :o)

This is one of those games where you can play for a few minutes, quit and come back days later and not worry where you left off. In order to proceed to a new level and puzzle, you have to finish the previous one. The game always knows where you've left off.

The graphics effects in the game are smooth and easy on the eyes. The only slightly annoying thing I noticed was that sometimes you will see a very brief glimpse of the busy icon in the middle screen when the game is removing blocks. I can't tell if it is a glitch though because it only lasts for a split second.

The sound effects are pretty simple and can be turned off. Unfortunately, if you do turn off the sound, that preference isn't saved. So you have to turn it off every time you start the game. I hope this gets fixed in the next version.

I'd also like to see an undo last move feature added in the future.

This game is available in a demo version which includes the first 10 levels. Registering will give you a total of 60 levels. The only bad thing is that once you play all the levels, repeat game play is pretty much nil as you'll be playing all the same puzzles over again. Some type of random puzzle generator would be fantastic. Or, the ability to download more puzzles would also be great.

I recommend this game to anyone that likes a little bit of a brain challenge now and then. 

Price: 10DM (~$5 US)

Pros:
Easy to learn
Inexpensive

Cons:
No replay value
Doesn't save sound status upon leaving game

 

Robert de Klein's Bubbles (v1.0)
Uses 120K

Bubbles is a board game that starts with a board full of colored bubbles. Bubbles of the same color that are touching can be removed from the board by tapping one of them with your stylus. Once a group of bubbles is removed, the remaining bubbles fall down to fill the empty sections. The more bubbles you remove in a turn, the more points you score. When you clear the entire board you get bonus points. This game is easy to learn, but hard to master.

There are three board settings from EASY to HARD. The easier the level, the smaller the game board and number of bubble colors.

The graphics are simple and the only audio effect is a sort of clicking noise each time you remove some bubbles from the board. 

I don't play this game to see how many points I can get. I play to see how close I can get to clearing the board. It's just a fun game to play when you are bored and have nothing better to do.

Price: $Free

Pros:
Easy to learn
Fun to play

Cons:
Each game is different


Crypt Quest (v1.0)
Uses 470K

Crypt Quest is another puzzle game which I have been enjoying quite a bit. It is a Sokoban type game with a few twists. For those of you that don't know what Sokoban is, it is a classic game invented in Japan. It’s a very addictive strategy game in which the warehouse keeper, or Sokoban in Japanese, pushes boxes to their correct destinations in a crowded warehouse. It sounds easy, but wait till you've tried it.

Crypt Quest takes Sokoban a bit further by introducing other items into the game such as doors, keys, torches, bombs and water. 

You navigate your character up/down/left and right using the joypad or other hardware buttons depending on what Pocket PC that you have. I sometimes had a bit of trouble with this using my iPAQ. I guess my joypad is a bit touchy as sometimes I would overshoot my desired destination. Unfortunately there isn't an UNDO last move feature in the game. I think I might like it better if there was a stylus mode.

The graphics in Crypt Quest are very good and easy on the eyes. And the sound effects are unobtrusive and fun.

There is a demo version available with 10 levels while the full version has 50 levels.

This game is a lot of fun! But like Puzznix, once you finish all the levels, there really isn't any point in playing again. That said, I liked this game enough to actually shell out the $14.95 for it.... so that should tell you something :o) 

Price: $14.95

Pros:
Easy to learn
Fun to play

Cons:
No replay value
No stylus mode

Judie's Favorites
I tend to go for the logic-type games, more than RPG's or platform games, but one platform game that I have had a lot of fun with is...

Frank Malmer's Weeboo (v0.2 beta)
Full Version: 1.6MB
Minimum Install: 196K (No music or sound effects)

A game like this really makes me glad that my PDA of choice is a Pocket PC. The graphics are great, the game challenging, and it is fun! The music is similar to that of a gameboy - but it sounds better!

Before I tell you about this game, I need to state that I was unable to get any actual screen shots of Weeboo, because the program I use (Screen Snap) needs a hardware button to function, and Weeboo automatically maps all of your hot buttons when playing! Therefore, the few screen shots I can show are from the Weeboo site, itself. 

Take a look...

 

Since there are some multi-button press issues when playing with an iPAQ: you can use the joy-pad to move, and tap on the screen either with your finger or stylus to jump. 

There are coins to gather for extra life, enemies to stomp on, and all kinds of pitfalls. This game is reminiscent of the original Sonic the Hedgehog, and as you will see when you play it, it is a first-rate time waster!!

Price: $Free

Pros:
Excellent multi-level platform game
Developer has added many pitfalls and an editable level
This game has an exit button

Cons:
The game is best played on an iPAQ, decent on Casio, and hideous on an HP 548 - best to use only the minimum version on that platform

Scott Seligman's Puzzle of Pipes (v.1.31)
Uses 60K

This is a fun logic game that functions like a sliding puzzle. The object is to put pieces of pipe together, to make the longest pipe so that the water can flow through it. Many of you will recognize the concept from the popular game Pipe Dreams...

   

This game is challenging in that you have a built in count-down (the water rushing through the pipe), and if you get in a tight spot and can't move your pieces fast enough...then that's all she wrote!

The only thing it would take to improve this game, in my opinion, is if there were a way to make the water flow faster once you have the pipes arranged in their final form.

Price: $Free, but donations are accepted if you like the game

Pros:
Fun, and challenging
This game has an exit button

Cons:
Does not work on the Jornada

eSoft Interactive's Traffic Jam (v1.0)
Uses 1.75MB

Yet another sliding puzzle type game (what can I say - I like them!), Traffic Jam operates on the idea that you are the little VW Bug, and you need to get across the screen to the Exit. Seems like it should be a simple thing, but there are all these darn cars and trucks in the way!

Your mission is to slide the offending vehicles whatever way they need to go, so that you have a clear path. You have a certain number of moves that you can use for each level - and if you don't use them all - they roll over to the next level.

     

This game can be completely simple, or really challenging - and the level number seems to have nothing to do with the level of difficulty.

I especially like that you can save your game at whatever point you decide to stop at. As Julie can tell you, I totally got caught up in playing this game one night...I made it to the 25th level before I began to suffer brain-drain. 

One thing I should mention - the sound of squealing tires is turned on when you start playing. After you hear it a couple times, you will want to turn it off, and there is a menu button to do so.

Of the games I like to play, this one did have a price tag...but I was happy to pay it after messing with the demo. This game is fun and addictive!

Price: $8 

Pros:
Fun and challenging
Can save game at any point
Appears to have infinite levels...
This game has an exit button

Cons:
The tire squealing is annoying after you hear it once - but you can turn the sound off