1010! - 4.5 Stars

What is it?

1010 is a Tetris type game but instead of positioning falling blocks to make lines to score points, you drag and drop them into place on to the board, which is a 10x10 square hence the name. The blocks are given to you in sets of three and once all of them have been placed on the board the next set is given to you. To score points you make complete lines , horizontally or vertically, and they are removed from the board to give you space to place further shapes.  The game is lost by you not being able to place the shapes you have. 

The game is simple in it appearance with a white or black background, that can be changed in the settings. The shapes are nice colours that look good against the background. These are it's main elements, and that's all thats needed.

Unlike Tetris, the game doesn't increase in speed and pressurise you into place the blocks flying down the screen. This game gives you time to think and apply logic to make your score as high as possible. I liked this element of the game as I used to find myself holding my breathe in Tetris when it got fast or near that old 100,000 score, I am surprised I never passed out!

As a massive Tetris fan, this was right up my street and I became highly addicted to it. The addiction was made worse by my partner also having the App and me seeing his score on the GameCentre. I am currently winning that battle with a score just over 5000, but that is nowhere near the top scores, made by gamers that I am convinced have created a hack or programme that increases their score!

There are full screen ads in the game that appear every three-four plays which at first was frustrating as my initial games didn't last very long, but as I improved I noticed them less until the video ads started... yuck. 

If, like me, you like logic games and still remember and love Tetris, then I highly recommend this app to you. When I originally downloaded it, I found it through a Twitter search but noticed today that its in the top 200 games in the App Store. So well done to the developers of this game, it's well deserved. 

Now for some ratings.....

Ease of use - 5 

This is a case of drag and drop onto a grid, so it is pretty simple to play, but needs concentration and perseverance to master (I hope to master this!). Sometimes you feel like the game is stitching you up to not win, but that is infrequent and the challenge only makes me want to play more.

Price - 5

This game is free in the App Store, and I didn't notice any 'in-app purchase' options. 

Adverts - 2
There are adverts in this app in the form of full screen ads and, the worst type, video ads that you are forced to watch. I hate these type of ads, but I liked this app so reluctantly tolerated them and didn't switch the game off. 

Overall Rating - 4.5

I love this game. Its simple and familiar and, even though it is a twist on Tetris, it has its own identity. This game will remain on my phone and will continued to be played. This would have got 5 stars but the video ads really let it down. Highly recommend it for logic game players. 

Keep, jury is out or delete - Keep

Where to find it:

Apple: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/1010!/id911793120?mt=8

Numtris - 4 Stars

What is it?

Numtris is a game where you match numbers that fall from the top of the screen to complete challenges. The 'tris' element made me think of the classic Tetris, my first ever game! The similarity is the falling of the pieces that you need to get rid of before the game reaches the top of the screen. Instead of falling shapes, there are squares with different numbers.

The aim of the game is to connect the same numbers to remove them from the screen i.e 3,3,3 and they are deleted.  As you progress you need to connect the squares to change the number to complete chains for example 1 and 2 becomes 3. The tutorials for the introduction of new methods are well written and caused me no confusion. Currently I am on the fourth world and have numbers 1-4 to play with. 

As you play you earn credit. The more you frequently play the more your earn and this can be exchanged for lives and to continue playing if you fail the level. I continued play a few times, but to be honest it didn't help me!

Don't let the first world on this game make you think it is easy, as you progress the challenges get more difficult especially when the blocks speed up!

The appearance of this isn't graphic filled it clean, clear and colourful on a white background and I think it works, if there were loads of fancy effects I think it would detract from the game.

One thing I don't like about the game is how the lives are used. Basically every time you play you use a life, even if you win! I can understand why they have done this as it is addictive and you find yourself tempted to buy credits, but if like me you play these types of games this is unusual.   Like Candy Crush and Jelly Splash you can buy more lives or wait a set period of time for the lives to be earned. 

I liked this game, and have found myself playing it quite a bit of an evening, it even prompted me to download the Letris, which I haven't played just yet. Don't get me wrong I did get level frustration and found myself dipping into the credits I had earned throughout game play to continue! If you don't like logic games, numbers or the classic Tetris this may not be for you but it was right up my street!

Now for some ratings.....

Ease of use - 4

The instructions for this make this game easy to function, that is not to say it is an easy game.  Sometime connecting the squares I had a couple of difficulties especially when the board is more full, but I will accept that could be user error. 
Price - 4

This is free, with in app purchases. I like that the purchases are subtle and not constantly promoted. 

Adverts - 4

There are occasional adverts in this app, but I hardly noticed them. The reason I have given this rating is because the ads shown don't trick you to the App Store and they are very infrequent. 

Keep, jury is out or delete - Keep

Keep! I like it as it is right up my street. The only draw back is the lives issue as I do not like that I lose a life when I win... bitter sweet!

Where to find it:

Apple: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/numtris/id770145061?mt=8