iPhone - Labyrinth 2

Labyrinth was one of the best, and most addictive App Store titles of all time. That was until Labyrinth 2 was released. Labyrinth 2 offers a much more exciting gaming experience, and includes better graphics, more objects and ultimately a better App.

Labyrinth menu screen compared to Labyrinth 2 menu screen.

The object of the game is to guide a metal ball, by tilting the device, to the finish, through a perilous maze of holes. To add to the fun, there are also countless objects, such as lasers, buttons, magnets, cannons, etc. The game comes with a few official level packs (including a Tutorial pack), but what makes this game stand out even more is the ability to download other people's levels, made using the level editor. There are literally endless levels to download, which will keep you playing for hours.

Guide a metal ball to the finish..

As touched upon in the last paragraph, another great feature is the ability to make your own levels, at levelpack.com. Of course, this requires an internet connection and a PC, however that's a very small price to pay for a great feature. You can publish unlimited levels for other people to download, and the editor is very simple to use.

The online level editor is very simple to use..

Yet another great feature is the 'Multiplayer'. You can race amongst your friends to reach the finish hole first, in any level pack. Some level packs have been specifically made for multiplayer by fans, and these are available to download too. One final feature I'd like to mention is the awards feature. You receive awards for completing certain things, such as not touching anything in 40 levels (that one's difficult!) or completing 20 medium level packs. Gaining a certain amount of awards unlocks better balls, such as a bronze or silver ball.

You're rewarded for gaining a certain number of achievements.

To conclude, I personally would say that Labyrinth 2 by Illusion Labs is one of the best - if not the best- App on the App Store. I recommend it to anyone who enjoys challenging games, yet simple games. In fact, this game appeals to almost anyone. 

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Positive: The number of features in the game, and the addictiveness!

Neutral: The lack of a soundtrack; admittedly it does allow you to use your own music, but personally I prefer it without music, therefore this is neutral.

Negative: The cost of the App (£2.99 or $4.99)... this is quite expensive for an App although I certainly think it's worth it.

My Rating: 95% - One of the best games I've played in a long time, although it does lack a few things and comes with a hefty price tag.. for an App.

Illusion Labs website.

Labyrinth 2 website.

Labyrinth 2 on the App Store.

PC (Game) - Spore

Spore's website claims "In Spore, you'll have freedom to create and guide your unique personal creatures on epic journeys of discovery", a claim which I would completely agree with.

The simple but effective logo

Spore is all about creating your own creature, and evolving through five different stages;

• Cell stage, where your only instruction is to eat meat or plants, avoiding bigger predators as they look for food
• Creature stage; you have a lot more control over what you do in this stage. Your main goal is to evolve into a cleverer being, by befriending or attacking other creatures
• Tribal stage, your main goal is to befriend or attack other tribes
• Civilisation stage; this is where it gets much more complicated. You can design cars, boats, and aeroplanes, this time your main goal is to conquer the rest of the world you've designed, either economically, militarily, or religiously.
• Space stage, by far the best stage, in this stage you have free roam to explore the stars however you wish. You have the opportunity to run missions for other species, and set up trade routes, you can destroy worlds, or make planets habitable and set up a colony; The possibilities are endless.

We'll start with Cell Stage. You decide whether your creature is a carnivorous or herbivorous, and pick a world you'd like to start on. You have free roam of the dangerous waters, to eat what you please, making sure you avoid other, larger, creatures. As you advance you discover new body parts, and you can call a mate to create a new creature. The controls are wonderfully simple; use the arrow keys or click to control the creature, with the goal also being a simple but frustrating one.

Call a mate to enter the Cell Creator, but be careful of larger creatures attacking you!

As you eventually evolve legs at the end of Cell Stage, you enter Creature Stage. This stage gives you a lot more power over what you do, as you now have free roam of the land, not the water. There are many other creatures that have evolved legs with you though... will you friend them or kill them?

Again, the controls are simple, use the arrow keys or click to move. The goal is basically the same as Cell Stage but it is a lot more entertaining to  try and achieve it this time.

Friendly or not?

I wont spoil the rest of the stages for you as they're thoroughly entertaining to play through and complete. The goals get more and more complicated and more and more difficult to achieve, yet the controls stay simple and easy to use. Spore offers hours of fun, especially when Space Stage is reached, as I said earlier, the possibilities are endless.

Space Stage offers hours of fun

So looking back at the statement, "In Spore, you'll have freedom to create and guide your unique personal creatures on epic journeys of discovery", I hope from my review that you can tell why I agree with it.

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Positive: You have free roam of space, and it offers hours of playability. 

Neutral: I've found that the game does go rather slow in places; although my computer isn't the fastest computer in the world!

Negative: Some parts of the game can become boring, especially the Tribal Stage as I found that it's quite similar to creature stage.

My Rating: 87% - A great PC game, it offers hours of fun but can be boring at certain times.

EA Games website.

Spore website.

Buy Spore.