aa - 4.5 Stars

What is it?

Aa is a game of skill and timing. During game play you are presented with a large circle in the centre of the screen with the level number in the middle. At the bottom of the screen are smaller circles that you tap to release. The aim is land the dot on the central circle (attached by a line) without hitting another dot, which happens because the circle rotates so that it looks like a big Ferris wheel. Sounds easy right? Wrong! The levels start easy and then get more complex and introduce different challenges. The speed increases and decreases between and then within levels. A timer is added to some that makes you panic and make silly mistakes. The direction of the rotation changes and this can also happen in levels. The worst thing I have experienced are the dots that expand and contract because you think you’ve landed it brilliantly and then boom, it expands into another dot. Another killer is the timed appearance of additional dots by the game, and if one appears where you have already landed a dot you lose.

The game design in extremely basic and simple, using off white background and black circles. I am currently on level 181 and have stopped playing in a child-like tantrum as I have now been stuck for about three hours. This game is highly addictive and I really like it.

The main annoyance with the game is the adverts. They appear every five times you play as full screen invasions. I did discover that video adverts are displayed if you are on wifi and not 4G, hence I have switched my wifi off. You can pay for the adverts to be removed but I have resisted this so far. 

The game is on the GameCentre and some users have exceeded 700 levels, which is a little depressing  but when I start to play I struggled to get past 50, but the more you play the better you get.

I like this game and I can’t see me deleting it any time soon. As there are levels to the game it grasps my interest more than the tap t play games. The developer has released  a lot of games each with two letter names. I have also downloaded ‘ff’ where you have to land the circles on the rotating lines, but it hasn’t captured my attention as much as ‘aa’. 

If you like tap skill games and have a lot of patience I recommend this.

Now for some ratings.....

Ease of use - 5

The game is pretty basic to play, tap to release the dot. The game does require skill and patience and is addictively frustrating!

Price - 5

The app is free. You can pay to remove the adverts but I haven't done this...yet!

Adverts - 1
The adverts are very annoying and as mentioned in the review if you are on wifi they get extremely frustrating. Don't be surprised when you download that you get to watch lots of videos and full screen invasions. 

Overall Rating - 4.5

I like this game and I can’t see me deleting it any time soon. As there are levels to the game it grasps my interest more than the tap t play games. The developer has released  a lot of games each with two letter names. I have also downloaded ‘ff’ where you have to land the circles on the rotating lines, but it hasn’t captured my attention as much as ‘aa’. 

Keep, jury is out or delete - Keep

Where to find it: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/aa/id905852173?mt=8 

Ninja Runner - 4 Stars

What is it?

Ninja Runner is a game with the aim to get your Ninja to travel as far as possible across roof tops without falling off. Your score is measured in the form of how many metres you cover during the run. 

The game is very simple to operate you simply tap the screen when you want your Ninja to jump. The further you get with the Ninja travel, the quicker the game gets. The roof tops vary in size and the smaller ones together can be tricky to get across.

Throughout the game Double Jump tokens are dropped (in the form of Ninja stars) from the top of the screen. When you collect one you can use it as much as you like until its time runs out then you need to retrieve another for the ability.  The Double Jumps are really needed for the smaller roof tops all positioned together when you get past about 500 meters as the screen gets faster and faster. 

This game was a hit at home as we had mini competitions. The game doesn't take long unless you are pro. When I first started to play the game it took my eyes a while to adjust as the background and the speed of the Ninja made me go a bit cross eyed, but the more you play the less you notice it. 

The game is a little bland in colours and the back ground never changes. It may benefit from some brighter colours  just to make it look a but more interesting, but it wouldn't stop me playing. 

I was shocked that there are no sounds on the game, which is good for me as I always turn this off but I imagine this may put some players off. 

The game is on the Game Centre, which I like, and I have managed to get to 5th place with 950 meters, but I am behind my partner who is 2nd with 1120 meters! 

In summary, I like this game and, like Fist of Fury, I keep finding myself having quick plays to try and improve my score!

Now for some ratings.....

Ease of use - 4

This game has one control, tap to jump, and instructions are provided. This is a really easy game to play once you stop feeling dizzy from the screen movements.

Price - 5

This is a free game with no in app purchases. 

Adverts - 4
The only adverts in the game are in the banner at the bottom of the screen, and they really do not interrupt game play at all, so pretty good.

Overall Rating - 4

I like this game, its easy to learn and simple to play. The game would benefit from a few more injections of colour and maybe some sound, but it wouldn't stop me playing it!

Keep, jury is out or delete - Keep

Keep, I like this game for an easy but addictive break from work!

Where to find it:

Apple: https://appsto.re/gb/1P0l3.i

The Gopher Chase - 4.5 Stars

What is it?

The Gopher is a fast paced flappy bird-esque game where you get points for moving a Gopher through a never ending course. As you go forward, left or right, you get a point each move, whilst avoiding rocks and running out of time, as you attempt to go the furthest distance. This is a brightly coloured game which is easy to learn but difficult to master. 

When you first open up the game you are greeted by a lovely bright menu with a cute Gopher dancing in the middle of the screen and flappy bird-style fonts. From this screen you can 'Rate' the app, tap 'Top' to see the leaderboard or press 'Play' where you choose from a range of game modes.

From the 'Play' button you are taken to an option screen where you can choose from eight options, some that are time-driven and others that are points-driven. I started on Classic mode as that seemed the Normal, or Standard, mode! 

The game screen is split into two parts. The bottom of the screen is taken up with a left, right and up arrow with the main body being the game. The game is green in background with a scattering of rocks. The aim of the aim is to go as far as you can without hitting a rock. I kept dying without hitting a rock so was getting a little annoyed...then I noticed the timer bar at the very top of the game.  Basically you have to keep going as quickly as possible and it keeps your timer charged up, if you delay for even a second the timer runs out.

One thing that did bug me about the games is that once you have selected a mode you can't get back to the main menu to change to another. To overcome this I had to force close and re-enter the app.  This was a little annoying but I am sure not too complex to fix. I will say that after a few plays of this, I found that if you hit the pause button, you can return to the main menu, but i would have thought this would be available from the 'Game Over' screen.

As I (I should say we as my partner loves this game!) was reviewing the app I wanted to look at all the game modes, and although it was frustrating to force close the app, it was worth it. So here they are:

10 seconds / 30 seconds mode - these are speed modes where you have to gain as many points as possible within the selected time.

Marathon mode - score as many points as you can within 100 seconds. If you die before the 100 seconds is up then it is 'Game Over' but its a great opportunity to test your tapping speed and agility to move around the screen. 

Impossible mode - as you tap the buttons to negotiate the course, they randomly change directions, i.e. the up button becomes the left button, so you have to take it slower to get a lot of points here. It's a good twist to the game as you have to pay attention and be very quick...I am rubbish at this mode!

Stop and Go - is a mode that's a little like musical statues! Basically you play as normal but the screen will flash up STOP and you've got to resist hitting any buttons or you die. When the screen flashes GO you can resume play. Obviously if you hit a rock you still die (which I did often!). 

Relay mode - is split into two stages 'Easy' and 'Hard'. In the Easy version you are given 8 seconds to get a score of at least 40. If you do, then you are given another 8 seconds, and so on until you do not hit 40 within the 8 seconds. In the Hard version you need to get 50 to get another 8 seconds, and this really is difficult to do unless you have an insane tapping action. You can still die in either mode if you hit a rock.

I did notice that the GameCenter only records the Classic and Impossible mode score and a collective total, which is a shame as we have had great fun trying to beat each other on the various modes. 

I enjoyed this game, its strongly addictive but highly frustrating!

Now for some ratings.....

Ease of use - 3.5 

This game is simple to use, once you figure it out. The game would really benefit from providing some instructions or a tutorial for the first time user. There are no descriptions for any of the modes within the game itself, but I did find them on the App Store, which I rarely read. 


Price - 5

This is a free app and I didn't notice any in app purchases. 

Adverts - 3
There are ads in this game. They tend to appear every third game play but are easily closed.  The please rate me window also appears as frequently and doesn't have the option to stop asking. 

Overall Rating - 4

There are a couple of things that have stopped me nudging this to a five, but I do really like this game! The inability to change the mode of play from the game over menu is frustrating and it did take us two days to find the option from the pause menu. The other frustration is the lack of in app instructions or tutorials.  Please don't let these minor items stop you from downloading this app as it is highly addictive and well made. This is a definite hit in my household!

Keep, jury is out or delete - Keep

No doubt about it this is a keeper! We have had great fun with the Gopher and even if you are watching people play it is very amusing, due to the frustrating screams when the timer catches you. 249 is the highest we have achieved in Classic mode, and 515 in Marathon mode... dare you to beat it!

Where to find it:

Apple: https://itunes.apple.com/ca/app/the-gopher/id947291741?mt=8

Dash Up - 5 Stars

What is it?

I wasn't sure what this was but I stumbled upon it when I searched for 'Christmas Apps' on the App Store and scrolled like a lunatic to find the less popular or featured not offering.  Dash Up  can be compared to the popular follow up to Flappy Birds, Swing Copters. The aim of the game is to tap the screen, navigating a bauble to the top whilst avoiding obstacles. If you hit an obstacle you break the bauble with a shattering smash.

I have been thinking of the best way to describe what the obstacles are and I might be having a slow day but basically they are white blocks that close together like elevator doors. If you hit them whilst closed or get the bauble suck between them then game over. 

I haven't fully mastered this game yet, with my pitiful score of six (which was smashed by someone getting 25 as I typed this review), but I like this one. I found Swing Copters infuriating and I couldn't get past one, much to the delight of who I was playing against! Dash Up on the other hand isn't so brutal and is much easier to play, but do not be fooled into thinking it isn't frustrating! 

What I liked about this Christmas app is that it is festive. When you start there is a little festive jingle that plays that soon builds up into Jingle bells. The app uses bold festive full screen colours with crisp white snow falling and Christmas Trees. The bauble is red and decorated and I really liked the whole package, though I appreciate this may not be to everyones liking. Another nice touch to the game is that when you get past the white obstacles you hear a festive jingly ping.

I will be honest I am not a fan of the flappy phenomena that took the world by storm this year but I am liking this. I think the crisp, although basic graphics, and the absence of the abnormal bird with huge lips instead of a beak has done it. I am not adverse to pixilated games but it is nice to have a game that has a similar format and is modern.

From the main menu there is a 'Mode' option. There are four modes, each of different colour and the one I have been playing is 'Christmas'. I like that the app can still be played after the festive time without the Christmas features.  In the other mode you play with a white ball, and because I am in a festive mode i am going to refer to it as a snowball, but of course the music changes!

The game is on the GameCentre so you can complete ;) You can also remove Ads, if you pay but to be honest there are only banner ads at the bottom which I hardly noticed. 

I think there will be a contest in my home this week with this app which I will without doubt lose at but I will try!  

Now for some ratings.....

Ease of use - 5

Can you tap? If yes then you can play. 


Price - 5

This is free, you can upgrade to get rid of the ads, but I wouldn't bother as they are not intrusive.

Adverts - 4
There are ads, but only banner ads at the bottom and they do not interfere with game play, after a while I forgot that they were there. You can upgrade the app to remove the ads, but unless they do an update to add more I wouldn't bother. 

Overall Rating - 5

It could be my festive mood or the watching of frustration on peoples faces playing this app but I really like it!! It is not often that I like this type of game, so I am very impressed!

Keep, jury is out or delete - Keep

Keep, no doubt about it!

Where to find it:

Apple: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/dash-up!/id910959738?mt=8 

Fist of Fury

What is it?
Like quick apps that are addictive but don't take over your life? Then try this!! I love games that don't take up hours of my day, but allow me to be competitive, and lets just say this was punch contest in my house! Designed in a retro way, yes pixilated fun, this is a bright, simple, fun and addictive game!

The aim of the game is to punch, by swiping left, right, up and down, opponents/ninjas to stay alive! As you progress the game gets quicker and you find yourself manic across the screen. As you play more and get more points you unlock different characters! My personal favourites are the Vampire and the Cat!

A great feature of this app is your last play is recorded and can be uploaded straight onto YouTube! I think it would be even better if could record your reaction and speech at the same time but I fear that mine would have to censored as I do get quite...er... involved in the competition!

There are no big prizes, just the satisfaction of beating your friends... it took me two weeks to break the 200 mark and I unlocked all the characters. I still play this game when I have a cheeky few minutes, as my boyfriend is beating me at an embarrassing rate!

Now for some ratings.....

Ease of use - 5

If you have the freedom to swipe then you can play this. I would say if you have slow reactions then you may quickly become annoyed with this game. I will admit i had difficulty using my thumb for this game, but looking like my dad and holding the phone with one hand, sticking out my tongue and using my other hands index finger was very effective :D
Price - 5

This is free. Obviously there is an in app purchase to remove the ad's, but for the most part these aren't noticeable.  

Adverts - 4

There are ad's in this game pop ups about every four plays and some at the bottom bar during play. For the most part I didn't notice the ads, and I wasn't taken to the store to buy them. As a game with ad's goes this is ok. 

Keep, jury is out or delete - Keep

If you like Bruce Lee then you are bound to like this. I can't bring myself to admit defeat on this one yet and its still has pride of place on my phone. It makes me frustrated with myself but it is addictive! It is free so why not give it a try?!

Where to find it:

Apple: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/fist-of-fury/id913105070?mt=8