Newold-fashioned games
By Meg Rivera
‘TIS the time of plenty, and in more ways than one. There is an abundance of family members under the same roof, often because of the work and school vacation time at this time of the year. Those who are in school have a glorious two weeks off, but it’s really after the first couple of days that cabin fever kicks in. The crawling feeling of needing something to do, the restlessness that settles over the household…I’d be surprised if mums and dads across town weren’t checking calendars for the start of school already!
If you were to take the opposite tack though, this is the time to spend with your family. You can always go old-school, by whipping out the Monopoly or the stack of cards with a couple missing. Or, you can check out these three apps and savour family time in a new, old-fashioned way.
App name: Bop It!
App developer: Electronic Arts
Available on: iTunes and Google Play for $0.99
Easy to use: For those who are familiar with the original toy, this should be a snap to transition into. For the noughties kids who were born after this toy’s time, this has its own kind of appeal. Go through the tutorial at the beginning, or get somebody to explain the game’s concept to you.
Overall comment: Boy, does this one take me back. Obviously your phone or tablet can’t take the beating that the original toy can, but it still provides a lot of fun of the physical sort. It could do with a few more actions though, but I doubt that a flat surface could provide this. Four clicks out of five.
App name: iDixit
App developer: Toboco
Available on: iTunes and Google Play
Easy to use: This is not for kids and adults who struggle with complex instruction manuals. Think of this as the n00b version of Dungeons and Dragons, but using storytelling cards. It’s a storytelling game. That’s all I could possibly tell you at this point.
Overall comment: I will be fair, I did go through the tutorial at the beginning. I imagine this is the sort of game that the older ones of the household would be interested in. It certainly doesn’t lack for imagination, but it does try one’s patience because of how complex it can be. Give it a shot though, you might like it. Three clicks out of five.
App name: Heads Up Charades
App developer: Matthew Gutierrez
Available on: iTunes and Google Play
Easy to use: Dead simple. There are tutorials that take you through the game, so no problem there.
Overall comment: This game has gone rather viral, so I won’t go on about this. Think of this game as charades given a modern boost. The easy-to-navigate user interface makes it simple for players of all ages to use, and the variety of categories assures lots of fun playing time for everybody. A hearty four clicks out of five.
