Review of Orneta Checkers for Windows Mobile 5.0 Pocket PC and Smartphone

Nov 22 Review of Orneta Checkers for Windows Mobile 5.0 Pocket PC and Smartphone
Found in:Games, Reviews,

Orneta released Orneta Checkers for Windows Mobile 5.0 and Windows Mobile 2003 (SE) Pocket PC and Smartphone late last October. One thousand (1000) free licenses of the game were offered with upon release; they were eaten up within the first 8 hours of the release. Since the release over 2500 downloads have been clocked on Handango alone. It even received a Pocket PC Magazine Hot Download pick. The success of the release isn't due only to the promotion however. The new version adds support for any type of Windows Mobile device, including VGA, Square, portrait and landscape Pocket PC's and QVGA Smartphone's, and a very unique feature, theme awareness, a first for any Windows Mobile game.

The interface is drawn based upon the current theme of the device, and looks good. When you change the theme, the game automatically changes to support the new theme. The way the game integrates with the device is superb. Installation is simple and strait forward, and it even supports the new multi-state icons for the new Windows Mobile 5.0 Smartphone Start Menu, when the icon is selected it changes visually to let you know it has been selected. (Use version 1.5.1, the icons have been updated and look better.) If you are using a Pocket PC, it will dynamically switch between portrait and landscape modes.

The new version looks much better than the old version. The game now supports sound. There is no background music, and the sounds it uses are the system sounds from the device theme, to provide audible alerts that the piece has moved, or that the move is invalid. The same application works on all devices, whether they are Pocket PC or Smartphone, and supports hi resolution, landscape, portrait and square displays dynamically.Game play is just like standard checkers, with three levels of difficulty, Novice, Medium, and Expert. The previous version had more levels, the simplicity leads to less confusion. I honestly use only one or two difficulty levels ever. The speed of the computer is quite fast on the Novice setting, but can take a second on the Medium level, and much more on the Expert level. The Medium level is the only acceptable combination of speed and difficulty.
In conclusion, Orneta Checkers is a great game when you have some time on your hand, simply load up the game on your phone or handheld and play a quick game, the game state is saved in case you are interrupted, so you can pick up you game from where you were interrupted at any time.
Pro:
* Theme Awareness - Looks great
* Any device, Pocket PC, Smartphone, Windows Mobile 5.0 and earlier
* Multi-State Icon support
* Persistent Game State
* Treo 700w Square display support
* Motorola Q landscape support

Con:
* Expert Mode takes too much time
* Expert Mode isn't difficult enough



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