Saturday, January 25, 2003
Dice Game pocketPachisi 1.0 Reviewed
Posted by MobiliT in "SOFTWARE" @ 04:00 PM
Remember the board game from India that you spent hours playing with your family? Surely you recall the tiny wooden dice that when shaken (but not stirred) with the included dice roller created a high-stake James Bond game atmosphere? Try your luck with the newly released Pocket PC version of pocketPachisi! Read on for my full review.
In the latest board game ported to the Pocket PC platform, pocketpc Studios releases pocketPachisi. One to four players, composed of human and/or computer opponents, take turns attempting to get their four pawns from their individual home, around a common outer track, to their individual final destination.
Gameplay
Upon the start of each turn, your dice results are shown at the bottom of the screen. A pawn is moved by first checking the die you wish to use, then clicking on the pawn you would like to advance. You may check multiple dice to combine the amount a pawn may move.
A token is moved out of its base automatically with a die roll of five (or combination of five by two dice). Anytime a die amount cannot be used, the game will alert you with a buzzing noise and state illegal move. When all moves that are possible have been made, the turn switches to the next player, in a clockwise fashion.
The computer players have no problem tackling the strategy of which tokens to use with each die roll. I found it very challenging during my testing. There is a good balance between the computer opponent's goal of winning the match in the long term with what short term mayhem can be realized on an individual turn. Fortunately, the AI will take out its full vengeance against other computer opponents as equally as it battles you!
Figure 1: Main board screen. Battery level shown at top center; player turn indicated at top right.
I began to wish a marker was included in the game that would provide the count of 10 or 20 spaces ahead of your tokens, saving players from having to manually count when receiving an award move. I realize this is pure laziness on my part, but since you have to count in the real game I can't complain about its absence.
Audible signals alert you when a token is captured and sent home by another. Computer opponents also produce random talk bubbles (such as “watch out!”, “stuck” and “oh, yeah!”) as they perform well or become victims themselves.
Options
Players may decide which color they will assume and which color tokens will be human or computer opponents. If only one human is playing, that color will be located at the bottom right of the game board. Multiple human players will have to use the same Pocket PC as there is no wireless support.
One may also select the animation speed and sound level. The numerous sound levels are overkill. An average game, set to a high animation speed, lasts approximately 10-15 minutes. Turning sound off creates faster game speeds.
Figure 2: Options menu screen.
Another nice touch is the ability to view remaining battery life on the same screen as the game board. This becomes helpful as the addictive play takes over and begins to consume you.
Gotchas
When started, the application takes over the entire screen. You may encounter a bug if the game is left on and your device powers off, where you cannot see the password screen when power is restored if your device is password protected. This forces the user to perform a soft reset to continue. However, if you purposefully exit out of the PocketPachisi application when real work calls, you’ll return to the same point in the game where you left off the next time you run the game.
Where To Buy
A trial version can be downloaded from Handango or purchased and registered for $14.95 (affiliate link).
Conclusions
I enjoyed this digital version of the board game as much as playing it in real life. I believe this to be a strong test of a successful pocket adaptation. If you’re looking for a fun and simple diversion, download the trial and watch the hours fly!
In the latest board game ported to the Pocket PC platform, pocketpc Studios releases pocketPachisi. One to four players, composed of human and/or computer opponents, take turns attempting to get their four pawns from their individual home, around a common outer track, to their individual final destination.
Gameplay
Upon the start of each turn, your dice results are shown at the bottom of the screen. A pawn is moved by first checking the die you wish to use, then clicking on the pawn you would like to advance. You may check multiple dice to combine the amount a pawn may move.
A token is moved out of its base automatically with a die roll of five (or combination of five by two dice). Anytime a die amount cannot be used, the game will alert you with a buzzing noise and state illegal move. When all moves that are possible have been made, the turn switches to the next player, in a clockwise fashion.
The computer players have no problem tackling the strategy of which tokens to use with each die roll. I found it very challenging during my testing. There is a good balance between the computer opponent's goal of winning the match in the long term with what short term mayhem can be realized on an individual turn. Fortunately, the AI will take out its full vengeance against other computer opponents as equally as it battles you!
Figure 1: Main board screen. Battery level shown at top center; player turn indicated at top right.
I began to wish a marker was included in the game that would provide the count of 10 or 20 spaces ahead of your tokens, saving players from having to manually count when receiving an award move. I realize this is pure laziness on my part, but since you have to count in the real game I can't complain about its absence.
Audible signals alert you when a token is captured and sent home by another. Computer opponents also produce random talk bubbles (such as “watch out!”, “stuck” and “oh, yeah!”) as they perform well or become victims themselves.
Options
Players may decide which color they will assume and which color tokens will be human or computer opponents. If only one human is playing, that color will be located at the bottom right of the game board. Multiple human players will have to use the same Pocket PC as there is no wireless support.
One may also select the animation speed and sound level. The numerous sound levels are overkill. An average game, set to a high animation speed, lasts approximately 10-15 minutes. Turning sound off creates faster game speeds.
Figure 2: Options menu screen.
Another nice touch is the ability to view remaining battery life on the same screen as the game board. This becomes helpful as the addictive play takes over and begins to consume you.
Gotchas
When started, the application takes over the entire screen. You may encounter a bug if the game is left on and your device powers off, where you cannot see the password screen when power is restored if your device is password protected. This forces the user to perform a soft reset to continue. However, if you purposefully exit out of the PocketPachisi application when real work calls, you’ll return to the same point in the game where you left off the next time you run the game.
Where To Buy
A trial version can be downloaded from Handango or purchased and registered for $14.95 (affiliate link).
Conclusions
I enjoyed this digital version of the board game as much as playing it in real life. I believe this to be a strong test of a successful pocket adaptation. If you’re looking for a fun and simple diversion, download the trial and watch the hours fly!
