Kindle Apps Blog

Whew, Reveersi Deluxe is definitely a brain workout.  The object of the game is to end up with the most pieces at the end of a game.  In order to do this, you have to position your pieces to capture as many of your opponent’s pieces as possible.

I have to warn you, Reversi Deluxe is a challenge at even the beginner levels.  I felt like I was steamrolled by the Kindle’s pieces.  It takes practice though.  Place your pieces around your opponent’s so you can trap as many of their pieces as possible.

I liked the interface, and it fits into the look and feel of the Kindle’s e-ink display.  I could easily figure out where I needed to select my pieces.  Use the toggle button to select the pieces.  The only suggestion I have is to maybe make the dots a little bigger in the squares that are considered when capturing the opponent.

When you first enter Reversi Deluxe, there are several customizable settings available.  You can choose whether you want to be black or white, what player starts the game, and what level to play.  There is also an option to view valid moves.

Overall, Reversi Deluxe is a fun, challenging game that is great for all ages.  I encourage you to review the help section before and while you play.  It provides good tips when to make certain moves and more.

John Stenson

“Reversi Deluxe comes with many options that should satisfy every player. You have the ability to play against your Kindle, obviously choose which color you are playing (White or Black) and who will have the privilege of playing the first move. A nice touch also is the presence of statistics that keep track of all the games you played, how many you won vs lost, how many points you scored, etc… On the performance side, Kindle “thinking” time is quite fast, from 1 second at the beginner level to about 5 seconds when playing Expert.”

A good suggestion for Mobigloo to make note of:

J. Mosher

“If I may make another suggestion, it would be helpful if the beginner level had an option to show possible opponents moves that update with the cursor position; make them X’s or something distinct from the dots to distinguish them from the places you can move. ”

Reversi Deluxe is now compatible with the latest generation keyboardless Kindle.

There is a popular game called Bejeweled or Bejeweled Blitz available for the PC, smartphone, and tablets such as the iPad.  It relies a lot on color, so it isn’t the best fit for the Kindle.

The current version of the Kindle doesn’t have color options, but Mobigloo  has created a comparable game called Jewels that relies more on patterns than than shapes and colors.  The patterns ad more depth to the game because they require you to pay closer attention to detail.

The goal of Jewels is to match up three objects with the same patterns and shapes.  The shapes are all just basic geometric shapes: circle, triangle, square.  Remember to pay attention to the patterns inside the shapes.  Some shapes are similar in structure.

In order to select and move a shape to match it with others you have to select it first with the Kindle’s 5-way toggle button.  Once selected, you use the toggle button to match it up with the others.  The extra step is more cumbersome than just dragging the shape on a touch screen, but it works best with the current Kindle platform.

Other than the look and method of moving the shapes, Jewels is basically the exact same game we’re all familiar with.  You can choose to play casual, untimed games, or timed ones that test speed and accuracy.

If you get stuck, and can’t find a match, there is a hint option available, and a help section in the menu.  Overall, Jewels is a pretty simple game to grasp, and can certainly keep kids and adults alike occupied for hours.

MamaCat

“I’ve always loved the jewel games, but because this game is in black and white it’s more difficult than playing it in color. Also, some of the jewels are similar in design so it takes more time for you to connect the right ones. Definitely a fun game and will keep your brain in shape!”

Roxanne Mchenry

“I’ve played popgame’s bejeweled online for a long time, and so I was intrigued when I saw this game was available. The basic premise is the same and you will have multi-levels drop if you match the right 3 jewels. I liked that the game does have a dropping visual effect, but I dislike having to use the 5-way controller to swap jewels. It works about as good as it possibly could with the limitation of the Kindle. I would rather play this game on a color device as an app– maybe on the new Kindle Fire when it comes out!”

Sticky Notes is a simple note taking tool for your Kindle.  Comparable apps are Notepad and TakeNote.  they’re all the same price: just under a dollar.

Sticky Notes is pretty easy to use.  you can add new notes by pressing selecting new note from the menu, or alt + n on the keyboard.  I like the zoom feature the best.  The notes are pretty small, but you can zoom them to full size by selecting it from the menu, or alt+ z.

All of the commands are logical.  That makes the interface intuitive.  The text is easy to see.  If you need to make the font bigger, make your notes bold or italic, or use serif or sans serif font, select preferences from the menu.  The larger font size helps me see the text a lot better.

I often see books that I want to read, then I never can remember the author or the title when I need it.  Sticky Notes is a good way to have a reminder.

I know a lot of people who like to make notes in their books or jot down memorable quotes.  This is a good tool to use for that purpose as well.

The only real advantage that Sticky Notes has over Notepad is that it records the time that you write your note.  You can turn this feature on or off.  If you make notes over a long period of time, it’d be kind of neat to go back and see what you wrote awhile ago.

Ed Pegg

“With Sticky Notes, you can type out any notes you like, very easily, and when you’re ready to save, the Back button is all that you need to save. You can zoom in on a note if you want to have a full page to type on.

Nine notes show up at once, and each note can have a block paragraph. There is no need to put in Titles as in Notepad. ”

Interesting point about Microsoft Office in the following review…

L. Schaefer

“99 cents for this, or $80-$140 to purchase MS OneNote or upgrade my Windows package. Hmmmm. I got Sticky Notes to help with outlining a project and so far it has been terrific. It allows me to do just what I wanted–make a quick note on a particular topic and be able to see those notes lined up next to each other. ”

I don’t really have any strong preference for one notetaking app over another.  They all have their strengths and weaknesses.  No matter which one you pick, you can’t really go wrong.

Next has been around almost since the Kindle games got started.  Get ready for the some fancy maneuvering.  Your goal is to match blocks with the same symbols in them.  By symbols I mean stars, plusses, hexagons, etc.

Next starts out really really easy, so you have some time to get the feel for the game.  With each passing level, it gets harder.  Sometimes their might be an odd number of blocks, so be careful not to match two blocks too soon.  It is a good lesson in planning ahead.

The other thing that makes Next more difficult, is the placement of the blocks.  You can trap blocks by accidentally moving other ones in their path.  The blocks drop down when they reach an opening in the wall.  There are arrows there to let you know what direction your block will go.

It took me a minute to figure out that I had to hit the 5-way toggle once to select the block, then again to move it.  You will know you’ve selected the block if it turns a darker shade of grey.

Since Next is one of the pioneers of the Kindle game collection, the graphics are a bit simplistic.  But, they are fine for the purposes of the game.  Next includes two sets of 64 puzzles.  128 puzzles is a fairly good sized collection.

AliceUSA1

“I purchased this game because I prefer puzzle games over word or killing games. I love to be challenged and keep my brain stimulated. In fact, one level (level 28) was so challenging that I was forced to email mobigloo and ask for helpful hints. I sent the request late Saturday evening and I received a response early Sunday. It has been quite sometime since I have received that level of customer service and technical support!

The goal of the game is to eliminate all of the game pieces by matching them in groups of 2…3… This is similar to Tetris, Dr. Mario, Block Breaker, Bubble Breaker…etc.”

Reading that review and being reminded of some of my favorite old school games like Tetris and Dr. Mario made me a little nostalgic for the good ol’ days..  The good news about Tetris is, that it is available on the computer and smartphones.  I’d love to see Tetris become available for the Kindle as well.

So, if you like puzzles that require a bit of strategic planning, Next is the perfect game for you.

Mahjong Solitaire is a fun puzzle game for Kindle. Before I tried the game, I thought it was going to be similar to the card game, but it the “Solitaire” part of the title is kind of misleading in terms of that association.

You need to match tiles until they’re all gone. The tiles are stacked up kind of like stair steps. You have to match tiles have one side free and does not have a tile on top of it.

The Easy level is just a set of tiles that consist of one letter or number. You shouldn’t have too much trouble matching those. The hardest part is getting across the tiles to match one from each end.

The Traditional level has more complex images and symbols. It even has foreign characters.

When you first get into Mahjong Solitaire, you will be in a main menu. There is a selection called “Instructions” that tells you how to play the game and provides shortcuts.

In each game you have 3 hints and 3 shuffles. Shuffling means that you can switch the tiles around, which might make it easier to match them. If you mess up, you can always undo your move.

The graphics are well done. I like the Jungle theme. Overall, navigation is pretty intuitive. Don’t let the cursor get away from you. That is a common issue with all of the Kindle games, at least it is for me.

You also have a variety of tile layouts to choose from. The stacks are arranged in a number of ways. Some are more straightforward, others are more complex. Pick the one that fits your preferences.

The following reviews show that this game has a lot of variety and can be played by anyone regardless of technology abilities.

Sam

“This game has gotten me through quite a few 7+ hour rides. What I’ve really come to appreciate about this game is that it’s always different. With other Kindle games you only get so many puzzles before you have to start repeating, not so with Mahjong! Fantastic game, and a must-have for me. ”

P.M. Scogin

“Wasn’t sure how this would work on the kindle but for the price, why not? I love it and it’s kept me amused more times than I want to count in waiting rooms and doctor’s offices. Great game, easy to use even for an old techie illiterate broad. Hope these folks come up with some more fun stuff cause I’ll be standing in line to buy it. “