boardgame

Conquer a medieval world

Carcassonne is the extremely well-done iOS version of the popular, German-style board game of the same name.

The interface of Carcassonne is a faithful, interactive adaptation of the physical board game, in which players take turns placing small, square tiles to create a medieval landscape with roads, cities, cloisters, and fields. In some ways, the touch-screen Carcassonne is almost superior to the physical game. You can touch and drag tiles into place, rotating them with a tap, and the app highlights legal placement options (and marks with a scratched "X" any squares that can no longer be used). … Read more

Battleship for iPhone: Best board game adaptation yet?

Free of messy pegs and full of clever touches, Battleship for iPhone and iPod Touch ($2.99) gives the classic board game a terrific 21st-century makeover.

In addition to Classic mode, the game offers two new options: Salvo and Superweapons. In Salvo, you get to select one target for each ship in your fleet--meaning for the first few rounds at least, you get to lob five shots instead of just one.

Suffice it to say, that makes the game go much faster than a traditional Battleship exercise, which can easily last 30-40 minutes.

In Superweapons mode, you get to choose … Read more

Beloved boardgame Settlers of Catan comes to iPhone

If you've never heard of Settlers of Catan, you owe it to yourself to read the Wired story, Monopoly Killer: Perfect German board game redefines genre.

Then you owe it to yourself to buy a copy, as I did, and find two or three friends for one of the best board game experiences you'll ever have.

No friends? No problem: Settlers of Catan just landed on the iPhone and iPod Touch. And you don't need 2-3 available humans, 3-4 available hours, and a flat surface to play it.

For the uninitiated, Catan unfolds on an island. It'… Read more

Kolonists: Like 'Settlers of Catan' for iPhone

Good news for fans of the board game Settlers of Catan: There's an app for that. Specifically, the new iPhone game Kolonists offers decidedly Settlers-like gameplay.

In other words, it's a strategy game of empire-building for 3 to 4 players. (If you've never heard of Settlers, check out the Wired story, Monopoly Killer: Perfect German board game redefines genre.)

Like Settlers, Kolonists unfolds on an island, which here fills in for Roman Empire-era Rome. Your goal is to rise to power by developing and capturing territories, which involves resource-gathering, trading, bribery, and some inevitable plundering.

Unlike Settlers, … Read more

King me!

Checkers Free is a free application for playing the board game checkers on your iPhone or iPod Touch. You can play with one or two players (on the same device), or you can even watch two computer players compete in a demo mode.

In the one-player mode, you can adjust the difficulty of the computer opponent with a slider, and in both modes you can type in player names and choose which color goes first. Clean, wood-grain-themed graphics and simple sound effects give the game a more realistic feel, and an undo option allows you take back your last move. … Read more

Pretty sneaky sis'

Touch4 is a fun, free app that lets you play the classic game Connect Four (similar to the iconic game from Milton Bradley, whose TV commercial spawned the famous line "Pretty sneaky, sis...."). Playing against an AI or a fellow human (on the same device or over Wi-Fi or the Internet), opponents take turns dropping checkers onto a 6-by-7 grid, and the first to connect four in a row wins. Gameplay is simple but satisfying, and Touch4 offers ample customization options, everything from different-size game boards to multiple AI skill levels. Touch4 also goes the extra step of … Read more