Friday, October 15, 2010

Amazon releases 3 more word games - one enhanced and still free

For those who don't follow Amazon's Daily Kindle Post,  Paul Biba does, and I read his tweet today on the new releases.

Here is Amazon's info for those who want to put more text games on their Kindles.

Amazon released 3 more word games on Oct. 14, the first one free.

MINE SWEEEPER - For Kindle Devices
The newly reworked Mine Sweeper for Kindle, at $0.00.

"Mine Sweeper is a free Kindle game where you have to clear a minefield without detonating a mine."

"The objective of Mine Sweeper is to find all of the mines that are hidden on the game grid. When you uncover a location on the grid, the number of mines adjacent to that location is revealed. The game ends when you have successfully identified all the mines and uncovered all the unoccupied locations - or, when you inadvertently uncover a location that contains a mine. The clock is ticking, so challenge yourself to go faster and faster with each game."

The new Kindle version of Mine Sweeper "contains 3 different grid sizes for various levels of difficulty and thousands of different puzzles ... If you are new to Mine Sweeper, turning on 'Tips' will provide helpful hints to get you started."

  There are some early customer reviews with tips on playing this.

  . Helen Gaimari writes:
"This is SOOO much better than Kindle's built-in Mine Sweeper game (which you can access by pressing ALT+Shift+M)! The graphics are really good on an e-ink screen.  Unlike the Kindle's built-in Mine Sweeper, this version keeps track of your high-scores as well as your play-time. You can choose between easy, normal, and hard mode. The harder the mode, the larger the board. You can set this app to give you tips, and it has several extra features that aren't present in the Kindle's built-in Mine Sweeper.

  . Montgomery Scott, a MineSweeper aficionado, says that he was skeptical about its playability
but writes "I can assure you that the game is not only playable, but quite enjoyable" and gives a lot of tips.

EA SOLITAIRE
EA Solitaire - (12 Card Games to Play on Kindle)
by Electronic Arts Inc.. EA has set the price at $3.99

EA Solitaire contains 12 different modes of play--the Klondike game and 11 other variants: Pyramid, Yukon,
Golf, Freecell, Wasp, Peaks, Canfield, Spiderette, Eliminator, Easthaven, and Baker's Dozen.
The game is for both experts and novices alike.

"This version of Solitaire comes with handy features such as a "Tutorial Mode" that will get you started on the different game play variants, optional in-game "Tips" as well as an "Auto-Move" feature that will help you out when you're stuck and don't know what to do next.  For the Klondike game, there is even a "Vegas" mode to track your winnings in (virtual) dollars."

There's only one review so far.

TRIPLE TOWN FOR KINDLE DEVICES
Triple Town -(a Puzzle Strategy Game for Kindle)
by Spry Fox, who has set the price at $2.99

This is a new puzzle, strategy game "exclusively developed for, and available only on Kindle.
  The objective is to try to grow the greatest possible city. You build your city by matching three or more game-pieces: combine three grasses to make a flower, three flowers to make a bush, three bushes to make a tree...until you've filled the board with houses, cathedrals and castles. Along the way, you'll have to outwit evil barbarians and wizards who will try to block your progress. "

  It can be can be played for minutes or hours at a time.
  "You'll have to think several turns ahead if you want to avoid inevitable gridlock as unfinished buildings, barbarians and wizards start to pile up.  And sometimes, if you're lucky, you'll be helped along by a magical crystal (which combines with anything) or a powerful bomb (which wipes nuisances off the board). But luck won't save you forever!"

One review so far on this also.

They're all available for download now though Amazon has not mentioned whether these are available outside the U.S.
Update - jwenting from the Netherlands has added the following comment:
  "Listed as 'not available' outside the US, not even the dreaded 'not available in your location'"...

However, Kindle Support has posted in the Amazon Kindle Community forum that they expect all apps to be international eventually.  I suppose it has to do with the complexities of digital rights and agreed pricing (though I don't know).


Kindle 3's   (UK: Kindle 3's),   DX Graphite

Check often: Temporarily-free late-listed non-classics or recently published ones
  Guide to finding Free Kindle books and Sources.  Top 100 free bestsellers.
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3 comments:

  1. Listed as "not available" outside the US, not even the dreaded "not available in your location".

    ReplyDelete
  2. j, thanks for that.

    I've added your input into the main entry as an update.

    ReplyDelete
  3. They have said that they plan to. Digital rights management problems have caused turmoil with e-book (it's digital rights for 'software' and publishers claim this for e-books, so that one has to get approval from each region;s right holders to deal with these. One e-book may have different publishers in another region etc.

    With the Apps store it's probably ironing out the financial/contractual detail internationally amidst all that...

    I hope it'll be soon that they can do it though. Empathy here for you with all the PR flying at you about it and then their not letting go of it...

    ReplyDelete

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