puzzle

Unblock Me Free is the free version of Unblock Me, a simple but stylishly made puzzle game in which you solve spatial challenges involving rectangular wooden blocks.

The gameplay and interface are fittingly simple: you use your touch screen to slide blocks back and forth inside a tight grid (only left and right, or up and down, depending on the block's placement), maneuvering them around in sequence so that you can slide a red block out of the grid. This setup is the same on every level, but each time you have to move a different set of blocks … Read more

Some folks would rather not finish a crossword puzzle than look up the answer; to them, it researching an answer feels like cheating. For those who like to learn new words and don't see anything wrong with a little assistance, there's Cross+A, a feature-packed application that can help you solve just about any kind of puzzle.

Cross+A's interface is plain and somewhat utilitarian, with its 158,000-entry word list displayed in the main pane. Small icons across the top give users access to each of the program's many features. We can't even begin … Read more

Looking at my iPhone yesterday, I noticed that there was a crack about a centimeter long right up the middle of the back of the handset coming straight from the charging area. It's hardly noticeable and I'm sure my iPhone will continue to work, but it definitely serves as a reminder that when my two-year contract is up in June, I'm going to be ready for a new iPhone.

Fortunately, a story over at AppleInsider points to a rumor that the next generation of iPhones are set to come out right about that time. Eldar Murtazin, an … Read more

For a friend's birthday the other night, we all went down to his rehearsal space (he's in a band) and played music, often switching instruments to see what we could come up with. Not everyone there was a musician, but with drums, guitars, basses, a keyboard, percussion instruments, and microphones, everyone found a way to get in on the jam. To add to the fun later in the night, my friend also had a cord to connect an iPod or iPhone to the PA system which meant I could try out some of my music apps. Among the … Read more

Sliding Block Puzzle does exactly what its name implies by mimicking a favorite childhood handheld game. Its simple graphics and relatively challenging gameplay make it a perfect choice for those looking for a brief brain-teaser or a bigger challenge.

In Sliding Block Puzzle, you click and drag tiles around to move a red square from a frame. We enjoyed the design of the program's interface, which is simple but with a clean, professional look. While the commonsense directions are straightforward enough that we didn't need any additional instructions, we were nevertheless disappointed to discover that the Help file … Read more

A few weeks ago, I received e-mails from two developers within the space of about two hours. Each was pitching a new, "totally unique" puzzle game, and would I like to review them?

Now, I'm a sucker for puzzlers, especially on the iPhone, but the App Store is already teeming with them--each one claiming to be "original," "addictive," "brain-teasing," and so on. How truly unique could either of these newcomers be?

The first one, Connected, instantly reminded me of countless lay-the-pipe-before-the-water-escapes games--until I started playing it.

Connected does involve pipes, but … Read more

SuDoKu-Cracker is a feature-filled version of the popular Sudoku number puzzle. With plenty of options and difficulty levels, this game is sure to satisfy the most serious Sudoku player.

The game's interface isn't stunning, but it's fairly intuitive, with large, easy-to-read numbers. All of the program's features are arranged to the right of the grid, giving users easy access to them. Beginning Sudoku players may wish for a little more explanation of the features and how they're useful--the online Help file doesn't address this--but experienced players will have no trouble. (And, really, beginning players … Read more

Here's a little Friday fun for all you game fans: From now until Oct. 25, the insanely popular puzzle game World of Goo is on sale--and you get to name the price.

It normally sells for $20, but in honor of its first birthday, developer 2D Boy decided to run a little experiment. (Check out the results on the company's blog. Very interesting stuff.)

Basically, when you click the Get It button, you're whisked to a PayPal page where you specify your "donation" amount. (No PayPal account? Click the "continue" link on … Read more

Crossword Puzzle is a basic word puzzle that purports to be a twist on the classic crossword. Unfortunately, the program's weird clues and lack of options make it somewhat disappointing.

The program's interface is pleasant enough, although we immediately noticed that the program contains no options, settings, or Help file. The program displays a crossword-style puzzle, but with a twist: users can only view clues by mousing over the word in question, and doing so blacks out the rest of the puzzle. We suppose that this could add an extra challenge to the game, but we didn't … Read more