Appiphilia: iPhone gives old-school gaming a new groove

It used to be that with advances in gaming devices, you had to give up the things you loved about previous generations. Not so these days. A number of today's gaming consoles are bringing back the good ol' games -- iPhone included.

Old favorites such as LED football being resuscitated for the iPhone can get even the most cynical thirtysomething to gush.

My back-to-the-future iTunes tour culminated with a sampling of arcade, board and card games.

Centipede ($4.99)

What it is: Old-school arcade game with new, ahem, legs. You still battle the insect that relentlessly pursues you as prey, but this Atari classic has been made over. This time, the 'pede is bringing a bigger posse, including earwigs, inchworms, scorpions, ladybugs, mosquitoes, fleas, bees, you name it. If it ...

... scoots, crawls, stings or flies, you have to fight it. But don't fret. You've got more fire power in this version.

What sizzles: You have three options -- ultra, arcade or classic.

Ultra is a higher-intensity version from the appearance of the first curving creature. The upgrades to fire power include rapid fire (auto fire at double the speed), multi-fire (three parallel bullets with each firing) and reflect shot (diagonal shots that bounce off the walls). There are also little bombs that slow enemy movement and destroy all enemies within range.

Arcade mode is a modernized version of the popular game that had kids slamming their hands on the baseball-size trackball for hours on end. This one just lacks the amped-up arsenal.

But for those of us who might prefer to wade in the familiar pools of nostalgia, there's the classic mode -- which looks and feels like the arcade game in your hand.

You can rack up points to beat your own best score or challenge another player.

Another bonus is you can listen to your music while putting the smackdown on this irrepressible arthropod.

What fizzles: Wi-Fi needed to download this bad boy. The game is a meaty 10.4 MB. 

Bottom line: Sure, it costs more than a quarter to play -- inflation -- but it's well worth the five bones.

Monopoly Here & Now: The World Edition ($5.99)

What it is: Greed goes global. Instead of being able to buy up famous blocks across the United States, you can take Europe, Asia and Australia. Ah, the joys of capitalism.

What sizzles: You shake the phone to roll the dice. The game pieces are animated. The sumo wrestler thunders down the board and the car screeches or sputters. Even though it's played on a virtual board, auctions and trades give it a more interactive feel.

The chance cards offer related fun bits of trivia. And there are three levels of difficulty.

You can play the game by yourself, share the game and the iPhone or play up to three others connected to your local area network via Wi-Fi. 

What fizzles: It's still a long game. And I couldn't find the other classic board pieces. Then again, how animated can a thimble be?

Also, while the the trivia is enlightening and clever, it gets a tad tedious. As far as I could tell, there's no way to turn it off.

Bottom line: To me, playing this game as a child was akin to doing an extended version of a time out, but I loved the iPhone version. (The glee could have been inflated by the fact that I pinned the sumo wrestler into the poor house.) It takes the experience from old-school "bored" game to new-era board game. Probably the safest real estate investment you'll come across these days.

UNO ($7.99)

What it is: Complicated yet classic card game with ridiculous rules you don't have to remember.

What sizzles: This game moves rather quickly, so having the arrows indicating the direction of play helps -- especially as it changes fairly frequently.

And if you wish to play Uno with a duo or trio, there are multiple multi-player options. You can go with Wi-Fi and connect with nearby iPhone owners, share one device or challenge online players.

What fizzles: In solo player mode, I swear that Floyd, Emily and Allan are ganging up on me. The auto players are definitely in cahoots.

Bottom line: Fast enough to get through a game in a waiting room or on a train ride. Maddening enough to keep you hooked. But a tad pricey compared with the other two.

-- Michelle Maltais

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