Vexed

Developer: gandreas software
Price: FREE
Version Reviewed: 1.0

This is the game that I've probably played the most on all mobile platforms combined. It's been around for years, originally released as open source for the Palm OS. Vexed has now been released for the iPhone OS by gandreas software. It has some nice improvements over the Palm OS version and comes with 1,100 levels total from 19 different packs for nearly endless entertainment.

This is a game that can be quick to play, is simple to pick up, and contains a ton of short levels. In all it just works well on a mobile device.

The object of the game is to group multiple pieces of the same color together, a similar goal on many games. But the difference here is that each of the 1,100 levels requires that you do it in a stratigic way. Using pieces of differing colors you will generally be required to group pieces in groups of 2 or 3 by moving them in a particular order. Varying pitfalls include no being able to get pieces to the right location and pre-mature matching.

A new feature added to the iPhone OS version, if you get stuck on any level, you can see the solution to help you progress to the next level. This helps greatly for some of the tougher levels. It's something that you will probably use more than once early in the game to get used to the mechanics of the game.

This version also includes some preferences to change the piece and background graphics. Though honestly none of the included ones are that good. A nice feature is the automatic progress saving this application does. This feature is a must for a puzzle game on a mobile platform like this one. Instructions are also available under the info menu.

Overall this is a fantastic puzzle game. One that is entertaining and truly works well in the mobile / casual game environments. The only bad thing I can say about this game is that it needs some better graphics -- the ones here are very simplistic as you can see from the screen shots. But a must download, especially since it's free.