Swinging in the Sand

Captain Games' simple, pure and additive Desert Golfing first caught my eye with its neat little 8-bit golfing avatar in the Kindle store. It reminded me of the hours I used to while away on Great Golf on the Master System.

I loved how stark Desert Golfing was no title screen, no menu - just straight into the action. And that's how it stays, hole after hole after hole after hole. There's no round up after each 18 holes, just a note of how many shots you have taken and what hole number you are on. Level generating exponentially into the far future...

You pull back on the touch screen to gauge your power and aim your shot. The real nice touch is the use of sand as the playing service meaning the ball acts in ways you quickly have to adapt and factor for. The graphics whilst basic are sharp and look great on the Kindle Fire screen. The absence of music just adds to the eerie atmosphere of an empty desert.

Justin Smith has created an addictive little gem here that will keep you going back for just one more hole and it well worth the small price tag.

Monument Venice

When I was holidaying in Venice I resolved to read some works set there by Thomas Mann and Ernest Hemingway. But when I think back to that time this summer it is a game I played on my Kindle Fire that my mind is drawn back to rather than a novel. And that game was Monument Valley.

Monument Valley isn't a challenging game, but the experience is so immersive. Maybe it was walking around and exploring Venice during the day that made it resonate when I settled down with it late at night. The game itself is like a M.C. Escher work come alive, with the ability to twist and manipulate buildings in impossible ways to enable the silent Princess Ida to progress through each level. The impossible objects and optical illusions are used in an ingenious way and everyone I have shown the game to has been unable to resist smiling while playing it. It demonstrates what the final levels of a video game of the (fantastic) movie Labyrinth should have been like!

The graphics and sound effects are pitch-perfect and are a credit to the game. At 10 chapter-based levels it may feel a little short to some, but I dislike the idea that games should be certain lengths. A game should be just as long or as short as it needs to be. This is the beauty of independent games and different pricing structures, meaning a developer doesn't have to string out a game only to justify a higher price tag.

I cannot praise Monument Valley enough, it is the best touch screen video game I have ever played and the experience of it will stay with me for a long while.