Playing games has changed a lot since we were kids, with many of our old favourites being converted to smartphone versions. We take a look at the five best nostalgic boardgame apps.
Yahtzee
Since its inception in 1956, there was no greater rush as a kid who played board games as rolling five dice and yelling out “Yahtzee!” Nowadays, you don’t need to throw dice to attain the thrill of scoring the elusive Yahtzee, as it has evolved into a colourful dice game available on your smartphone.
In the new version of Yahtzee, players roll coloured dice instead of numbered ones, and face off against colourful computer-animated characters. The smartphone version is visually appealing, with hyper-colour graphicsand players competing with one another in various multiplayer modes. Players can also earn special awards for scoring various dice combinations and other accomplishments, such as total points achieved. It may not have the tactile sensation of throwing dice, but it’s still a lot of fun.
Available on iPad, iPhone and Android
Boggle
The smartphone version of Boggle looks and plays much like its boardgame counterpart, and is as entertaining for the whole family as the original. Players can connect to Facebook to compare and view high scores,but the game is also still playable without connecting to social media. As with the original, players test their brains by creating words from a random grid of scrambled letters, and the game can be played solo or in ‘passandplay’ mode, whichmeans you can play with a friend using just one phone.
Available on iPad, iPhone and Android
Battleship
The mobile-phone version of the classic boardgame Battleshipemploys the same type of strategic back-and-forth style of play as the original, but it is has much more ‘bang’, visually and aurally. Instead of yelling out “hit” as you did with the board game when your peg hit your opponent’s ship, the smartphone versiondisplays each hit as an actual missile strike, including smoke, fire and loud explosions. The Battleship app features multiplayer gamesbetween people on the same wifi network, or between two players using the same phone in pass and play mode.
Scrabble
Scrabble has always been a great game for learning new words and extending your vocabulary, and the mobile version is no different. In pass-and-play mode, players can play with friends in the same room or you can play and chat with your friends remotely by playing Scrabble through Facebook. In Facebook mode, you can also play matches against random Facebook users. There’s even a‘party play’mode where you use your phone as a tile rack and play againsttwo to four friends.
Available on iPhone, iPad and Android
Monopoly
The family favourite board game Monopolyreally comes to life in the digital version. Players move through a visually appealing virtual world of real estate and money management, with participants employing their ‘inner mogul’ by bartering and negotiating with players for pixelated property. The digital version of Monopoly has the same high-engagement factor, and the addition of three new game modes makes for a captivating and novel gaming experience.
Available on iPhone, iPad and Android
Do you know of any other nostalgic board games that have been converted to smart device versions? Do you think the digital versions have the same level of engagement and fun as their real-world counterparts? What’s your favourite boardgame?
