Bottom line: If you like strategic board games then...just download it already!
I LOVE board games. Oddly enough, despite being in the chess club for some time at school that game never became a favorite of mine, but draughts (checkers), backgammon, Mah Jong, Risk, Carcassone...the list goes on...are all on favorite lists, as well as the mini versions of Connect Four and Mancala when traveling.
So, playing Q4, by developer Q4 Strategy, felt like coming home. It is played on a traditional-looking chess or checkers board and the objective of the game is to manuever four game pieces into a vertical, horizontal, or diagonal row (just like Connect Four). Game pieces can be moved in any direction but they cannot pass over any other piece. Your opponent endeavors to do the same – the first person to get four in a row is the winner. That’s basically it – the game is incredibly simple to learn, making it accessible to all ages from younger kids to grandparents.
It is a two-player game but if you don’t have another person handy (or, like me, you have a partner who refuses to play games with you) you can play against the app. Single player mode has easy, medium and hard settings and in both modes you can vary the extent of the challenge by changing the amount of time players are allowed between moves. Other features include:
* Three different board themes: counters on a game board, ladybugs on a checkered lawn or starships with a cosmic background.
* Hint mode which is useful for beginners as a visual reminder of their possible legal moves.
* If selected, the timer between turns can be set anywhere from 3 to 59 seconds.
* Who goes first can be varied, the options are – Player 1, the last winner, or alternating.
* Game statistics can be tracked.
* Music and sound effects are different for each board theme and can be turned off if desired.
I'm making Q4 a top pick because, in all honesty, I couldn’t find a single thing wrong with it. It’s simple to learn and is exactly the kind of game I would have had a blast playing with my grandparents when I was kid. Its replay value is huge, especially given the possible variations in difficulty levels. All this and it’s only 99 cents! If you don’t like board games then give this one a shot. It might be the one to change your mind. If you like board games then why are you still reading?!?
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If you would like to purchase Q4 please use the links provided. Thanks for your support!
iPad/iPhone ($0.99): U.S. Canada Europe Australia
This review was written by Deanne Shoyer who is a self-confessed board game nerd. smartappsforkids.com was paid a priority-review fee to complete this review in an expedited manner.
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