tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-79732802024-03-07T00:10:15.422-08:00Smart Box DesignGames that make thinking fun.Todd Shermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09485377087172451421noreply@blogger.comBlogger93125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7973280.post-33827295223481901582007-06-21T12:59:00.000-07:002007-06-21T13:01:30.779-07:00I HAVE A NEW BLOG SITEHello - I have switched to WordPress. You can find my new blog at:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.smartboxdesign.com/blog">www.smartboxdesign.com/blog</a>Todd Shermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09485377087172451421noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7973280.post-80546054622313621152007-05-14T15:04:00.000-07:002007-05-14T15:59:49.563-07:00Review: WordPop -- Time To Dust Off Your Spelling Hat<a href="http://justanothermobilemonday.com/Wordpress/2007/05/05/wordpop/" rel="bookmark" fancytooltip="'Permanent"><span style="font-family:verdana;">Review: WordPop — Time To Dust Off Your Spelling Hat </span></a><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">May 5th, 2007 by dgoldring<br /></span><a href="http://justanothermobilemonday.com/Wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2007/05/WindowsLiveWriter/WordPop_6435/pc_capture42.jpg" atomicselection="true"></a><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Everyone remembers the classic word game, Boggle. Mix up the lettere<a href="http://justanothermobilemonday.com/Wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2007/05/WindowsLiveWriter/WordPop_6435/pc_capture4_thumb.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 278px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://justanothermobilemonday.com/Wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2007/05/WindowsLiveWriter/WordPop_6435/pc_capture4_thumb.jpg" border="0" /></a>d tiles, and slam the box to lock them in place (everyone’s favorite part of the game was slamming the tiles into place). Flip the timer and you are off. Whoever could make the most words out of the random jumble of letters won. Well, get your spelling hat ready, because </span><a href="http://www.smartboxdesign.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family:verdana;">Smart Box Design</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;"> apparently remembers Boggle as well. WordPop is the 21st century rendition of Boggle, with a little bit of Scrabble thrown in to spice things up. It has everything you remember, including the fun of finding words in the jumble of randomly lettered tiles; and a lot of things you may not remember from the original game, such as the rotating board and helper tiles. So, sit back and start warming up your dictionaries for WordPop!</span><a id="more-1836"></a><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Installation and Registration: WordPop follows the standard installation procedure. Simply download the desktop installer and load the game onto your device via Activesync. Once installed, you can start 25 new games before you will have to register. (As an aside, Smartbox is among the most generous trial periods of any developer). You won’t need to play all 25 games before you find yourself clamoring for your wallet to buy the full version. If you are the type of person, however, who wants to feel like he got his "money’s worth" out of the free trial, then feel free to play all 25 games before registering.<br /></span><a href="http://justanothermobilemonday.com/Wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2007/05/WindowsLiveWriter/WordPop_6435/pc_capture32.jpg" atomicselection="true"></a><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Gameplay: WordPop is a basic word search game. Just select new and set the difficulty level to drop lettered tiles into the board. Each letter is assigned a point value based upon the point values assigned in Scrabble. Now, the hunt is on. Find words by linking adjoining letters. Note that the letters need not be in a straight line, as long as they are all adjacent to each other. Once you form a word, those letters will "pop" off the board. Clear the board to advance to the next level.<br /></span><a href="http://justanothermobilemonday.com/Wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2007/05/WindowsLiveWriter/WordPop_6435/pc_capture24.jpg" atomicselection="true"></a><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Three Levels of Difficulty: WordPop offers three levels of difficulty, which means anyone from the novice word finder to the advanced word sleuth will enjoy playing this game.</span><br /><div><div><p><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">- In Easy Mode, you will begin the game with three blank tiles which may be used at any time. Each time you clear a level, you will earn an additional blank tile.<br />- In Medium Mode, you will begin the game with a single blank tile. Each time you clear a level, you will earn one random bonus tile.<br />- In Hard Mode, you will start with no tiles, but can earn bonus tiles as the game progresses.<br /></span><a href="http://justanothermobilemonday.com/Wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2007/05/WindowsLiveWriter/WordPop_6435/pc_capture12.jpg" atomicselection="true"></a><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Bonus Tiles: Since we are on the subject of bonus tiles, I’ll give you a little better explanation of how they work. As I mentioned, depending upon which level of difficulty you select, you may start with one or more blank tiles. These tiles are wild cards. They are worth no points, but can really help you out of some difficult situations (such as finding yourself at the end of a level with no vowels; or worse, a "Q" standing alone.)</span><br /></p><p><span style="font-family:verdana;">Additionally, you can earn bonus tiles which already have letters on them. These tiles can be played at any time, and will earn you the same number of points as if that tile had appeared naturally on the board.</span><br /><br /></p><p><span style="font-family:verdana;">In addition to earning bonus tiles at the end of each level, you can also earn bonus tiles for creating words worth a certain number of points. </span><br /><br /></p><p><span style="font-family:verdana;">In Easy Mode, a word worth 40 points will earn an extra bonus tile. </span><br /><br /></p><p><span style="font-family:verdana;">In Medium, it is 50 points, and in Hard Mode, 60 points. </span><br /><br /></p><p><span style="font-family:verdana;">Of course, the obvious question is what if you complete a word worth double those amounts (80 points in Easy for example). Well, in that case, WordPop will award you a double bonus of two new tiles.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"><br />You can only hold onto three bonus tiles at a time. Don’t worry, though, if you earn a bonus tile while you are already holding three, WordPop will not forget about you. Instead, when you earn a fourth bonus tile, one of your existing tiles will turn into a blank wild card tile.<br /></span><a href="http://justanothermobilemonday.com/Wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2007/05/WindowsLiveWriter/WordPop_6435/pc_capture52.jpg" atomicselection="true"></a><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Scoring: Scoring in WordPop is similar to the game of Scrabble. Each tile has a number in the corner. When you form a word, the numbers are added up and then multiplied by the number of tiles in the word. In other words, if you spelled the word "eat", the letters "E", "A", and "T" are each worth 1 point. Thus, the word is worth a total of three points. Multiply that by the number of tiles (3) for a total value of nine points. WordPop will even take care of all of this advanced math for you, tallying the score for each word as you go along. All you need to worry about is finding words and "popping" them off the screen.<br /></span><a href="http://justanothermobilemonday.com/Wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2007/05/WindowsLiveWriter/WordPop_6435/pc_capture63.jpg" atomicselection="true"></a><a href="http://justanothermobilemonday.com/Wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2007/05/WindowsLiveWriter/WordPop_6435/pc_capture72.jpg" atomicselection="true"></a><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Rotating the Board: Sometimes, you reach a point in the game where you seem to have no remaining options. Like children at a junior high dance, the vowels are all clustered together on one side, while the consonants are ignoring them from the other. It seems like the game must be over now. There is no way to form a word unless you can think of one that begins, "OIUAAEI". I sure can’t. But all is not lost. In WordPop, you can rotate the board at any time, without penalty. Just hit the rotate button and the board will shift 90 degrees. What was the top is now the side, and so on. Suddenly, that "N" is next to the "E" and you have the beginning of another word.<br /></span><a href="http://justanothermobilemonday.com/Wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2007/05/WindowsLiveWriter/WordPop_6435/pc_capture35.jpg" atomicselection="true"></a><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Ending the Game: The game ends when you cannot form any words with the remaining letters. One drawback I found in the game is that you will not receive a message telling you whether there are any words to be made. The reason for this makes sense, it is because the rotation of the game board makes it impossible for the computer to anticipate all possible variations of the letters. Nonetheless, I found it slightly frustrating that there was not a message. Regardless, when you cannot locate any additional moves, tap the red "X" button on the right to end your game.<br /></span><a href="http://justanothermobilemonday.com/Wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2007/05/WindowsLiveWriter/WordPop_6435/pc_capture102.jpg" atomicselection="true"></a><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Sounds: I do not typically like to play games with the sound turned on. This probably stems from the fact that I am usually playing in public places, such as the train. Nonetheless, I was extremely disappointed by the sounds in this game. The background music plays only during the introduction, not during actual gameplay. During gameplay, a series of chimes sounds to alert you how you are doing. One chime sounds each time you select a letter. If the last letter selected completes a word, a second chime sounds. A slightly different chime will sound if you complete a high value word. </span></p><p><span style="font-family:verdana;">Additionally, although WordPop has a built in volume control, it can be a little tricky to use. Tap it once and the volume will be muted in the system control. Tapping it a second time should return the volume to its previous position. In order for it to do so, however, you must first set the desired volume in the sound settings menu. One of my main criticisms of other Smart Box Design games has been that the audio controls did not tie into the main system volume. Thus, the sound was difficult to control. WordPop seems to have fixed this problem, as the tie in worked extremely well.<br /></span><a href="http://justanothermobilemonday.com/Wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2007/05/WindowsLiveWriter/WordPop_6435/pc_capture113.jpg" atomicselection="true"></a><a href="http://justanothermobilemonday.com/Wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2007/05/WindowsLiveWriter/WordPop_6435/pc_capture92.jpg" atomicselection="true"></a><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">High Scores and Best Words: WordPop does a great job of tracking your progress through the game. First, it tracks up to ten high scores for each difficulty level. In each high score, it will note the score you achieved, as well as the round on which you ended.</span><br /><br /></p><p><span style="font-family:verdana;">Additionally, WordPop will keep track of your best words. This is a list of the 10 highest scoring words you have played. My best word so far was "junta", which earned me 65 points.<br /></p></span><br /><p><span style="font-family:verdana;">Conclusion: If you are a fan of word games such as Boggle and Scrabble, then WordPop is the ideal game for you. It is a fast paced and addictive game. It takes you from the highs of scoring a 75 point word to the lows of finding yourself stuck with "XVZI" as your final tiles, in a matter of seconds. Give this game a try, and before long words will be popping right out of your dictionary. </span><br /><br /></p><p><span style="font-family:verdana;"><strong>Vital Statistics</strong>:<br /><strong>Name</strong>: WordPop<br /><strong>Version</strong>: 1.01<br /><strong>Platform</strong>: WM 2003 SE<br /><strong>Also Available</strong>: WM5, Palm OS, Treo.<br /><strong>Developer</strong>: Smart Box Design<br /><strong>Distributed by</strong>: Smart Box Design, Astraware Games<br /><strong>Price</strong>: $14.95<br /></span></p></div></div>Todd Shermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09485377087172451421noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7973280.post-21869489945569572232007-05-02T16:08:00.000-07:002007-05-02T16:13:15.489-07:00Review: Cake Mania a Tasty Recipe for Fun! by Darrin Matter<a href="http://www.smartboxdesign.com/images/pc_games/cakemania_title.jpg"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://www.smartboxdesign.com/images/pc_games/cakemania_title.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><span style="font-family:verdana;">Darrin just sent me another fun and interesting review. This time he played Cake Mania.<br /><br />It’s amazing how you can take something that would be stressful in real life, move it over to the video game arena, and it becomes fun. When you really get going on some of the later stages and your kitchen starts filling up with bake-able goods, you’ll either be in a zen-like state of baking concentration, or a frantic fit of quick left clicking as you shout out loud at your customers to wait their turns, but there is no denying the deep-rooted feeling of satisfaction when you’re able to turn what could have been a mess into a smooth-running operation. Thankfully, the game starts you out easy, and since you choose when to buy new additions to your kitchen, you can set your own pace to a degree. In the same way, it’s fun to watch your empty counters and shelves fill up with appliances, to the point that you later look back and say, “Oh man…I remember when I used to cook with only one oven. Boy, how did I ever make ends meet that way?”<br /><br />Cake Mania can keep the attention of many ages of game players with its simple concept and increasing levels of challenge, and its well-designed presentation neither gets old nor disappoints as new game play options continue to increase as you get further into the game. Rumor even has it that publisher Majesco has scooped up the rights to Cake Mania and plans to bring it to the Nintendo DS. However, if you can’t wait, don’t forget that you can always get your baking thrills on the PC where it all started.<br /><br /></span><a href="http://www.smartboxdesign.com/pc_games.html"><span style="font-family:verdana;">Buy or Try Cake Mania at Smart Box Design!</span></a><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"></span></div>Todd Shermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09485377087172451421noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7973280.post-2247635371732297662007-05-02T15:54:00.000-07:002008-11-18T23:38:50.626-08:00Resource: Windows Mobile 24/7<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_cHZ0NVvpcuI/RjkXpJNS8xI/AAAAAAAAAFs/ARwoM6WJuts/s1600-h/winmobile.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5060101651941225234" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_cHZ0NVvpcuI/RjkXpJNS8xI/AAAAAAAAAFs/ARwoM6WJuts/s400/winmobile.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><span style="font-family:verdana;">If you love your mobile device and often show it off to others, then Windows Mobile 24/7 is the site for you. The staff is excellent and Shaun McGill is very creative in coming up with topics of discussions that get you thinking about how you interact with technology. </span><br /></div><div><div><div><br /><div><span style="font-family:verdana;">The site has a large and regular following, which results in great feedback on the ever changing and interesting topics. Plus the humor interjected by the staff can make a simple topic like battery life fun and interesting.</span></div><div></div><div><span style="font-family:verdana;">They are celebrating their 5 year anniversary with a contest. Make sure to check them out<br /></span></div><br /><div><a href="http://r.vresp.com/?SmartBoxDesign/eef9605d16/938989/26e3ce76f2/a54ce9e" target="_blank"><span style="font-family:verdana;">Go to Windows Mobile and Smartphone Web Site</span></a></div></div></div></div>Todd Shermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09485377087172451421noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7973280.post-33462295988001264422007-05-02T15:50:00.000-07:002007-05-02T15:53:18.905-07:00Sale: Word Watch is HOT HOT HOT this Cinco de Mayo!<a href="http://www.smartboxdesign.com/images/sales_promos/hothothot.gif"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 160px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://www.smartboxdesign.com/images/sales_promos/hothothot.gif" border="0" /></a><br /><div><span style="font-family:verdana;">How about trying a hot game to spice up your Cinco de Mayo festivities. Save 20% on the purchase of Word Watch for Palm OS, our timed text game. Hurry, because the sale ends May 10th.</span></div><div> </div><div><span style="font-family:verdana;">- Three games, each with their own appe</span></div><div><span style="font-family:verdana;">- Stay challenged with 18 difficulty levels</span></div><div><span style="font-family:verdana;">- Special interface that helps you solve the word</span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:verdana;"></span></div><br /><div><a href="http://r.vresp.com/?SmartBoxDesign/93297e1de7/938989/26e3ce76f2/a54ce9e" target="_blank"><span style="font-family:verdana;">Click Here to Read More or Try Word Watch</span></a></div>Todd Shermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09485377087172451421noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7973280.post-31012829649775549172007-05-02T15:35:00.000-07:002007-05-02T15:38:35.758-07:00Prizes: WordPop! Contest Winners<span style="font-family:verdana;">Wow! Once again I am thoroughly impressed with the skills and determination in contestants quest to find the longest word. Congratulations to all the winners.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">The longest word was found by:</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">hollybee</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">The two random winners are:</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">jade645 and LiaG</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">If you have not already contacted me for your prize, please do so by replying to this newsletter.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Make sure to play the new Word Watch Contest.</span><br /><br /><a href="http://r.vresp.com/?SmartBoxDesign/565b1cb406/938989/26e3ce76f2/a54ce9e" target="_blank"><span style="font-family:verdana;">Click Here to Play Smart Box Design Games</span></a>Todd Shermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09485377087172451421noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7973280.post-60603306864801857652007-05-02T15:32:00.000-07:002008-11-18T23:38:50.648-08:00Contest: Spelling Counts - Win a Palm or Windows Mobile Game<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVaJGrF5wGglZklr_eCi_RaWlf5TpkhZaJDmbWNv0EN4QEO0dzmcPY6FAsYzbpXy5I5PfjvzgZUxM7r4Csc8icHUWSj_OYlbimAeqhclnCmj0Eh7VEwnaiyDx4p_5MxRlaBAMX/s1600-h/word_watch_contest_1.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5060095325454398162" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVaJGrF5wGglZklr_eCi_RaWlf5TpkhZaJDmbWNv0EN4QEO0dzmcPY6FAsYzbpXy5I5PfjvzgZUxM7r4Csc8icHUWSj_OYlbimAeqhclnCmj0Eh7VEwnaiyDx4p_5MxRlaBAMX/s200/word_watch_contest_1.jpg" border="0" /></a> <span style="font-family:verdana;">To the left is a screen shot of Word Watch, our unscramble timed word game. Create the longest word you can using as many green and red tiles. However, the word must contain at least one red tile. The longest word with the most red tiles wins.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">- The player who submits the longest word wins a Smart Box Design Game</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">- If a tie then the first one to submit wins</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">- Two random winners will also be picked</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">- Contest ends May 11, 2007</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">- Winners will be announced in the next newsletter and / or e-mail</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">- Make sure to register at the forum so we have your e-mail on record</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">- I can't wait to see your words</span><br /><br /><a href="http://r.vresp.com/?SmartBoxDesign/9c59102b06/938989/26e3ce76f2/a54ce9e" target="_blank"><span style="font-family:verdana;">Click Here to Submit Your Words at the Forum</span></a>Todd Shermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09485377087172451421noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7973280.post-44964796385399290952007-04-25T11:38:00.000-07:002007-04-25T11:49:05.720-07:00Review: Murray from Palm-Mac Plays WordPop<span style="font-family:verdana;">Murray Alexander contacted me a few weeks ago to review my games and I was thrilled. Murray's web site Palm-Mac won best new Blog in 2006. Below is his review of WordPop! for Windows Mobile</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"><a href="http://palmmac.typepad.com/palmmac/2007/04/wordpop_for_pam.html">WordPop for Palm and Windows Mobile</a></span><br /><br /><a onclick="window.open(this.href, '_blank', 'width=240,height=268,scrollbars=no,resizable=no,toolbar=no,directories=no,location=no,menubar=no,status=no,left=0,top=0'); return false" href="http://palmmac.typepad.com/.shared/image.html?/photos/uncategorized/2007/04/21/wordpop_ppc_popping_240x268_2.gif"></a><span style="font-family:verdana;"><a href="http://palmmac.typepad.com/palmmac/images/2007/04/21/wordpop_ppc_popping_240x268_2.gif"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 100px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://palmmac.typepad.com/palmmac/images/2007/04/21/wordpop_ppc_popping_240x268_2.gif" border="0" /></a>Todd Sherman provided me with a copy of WordPop for WM and I have been playing this for the past couple of weeks...it's quite addictive. I don't know how best to describe this game...it's sort of like scrabble in that you get points for making words but it then takes it a step further because you have to try and clear the board of all letters. The ultimate aim is straightforward, try and get as many points as you can. Cleverly, and to add longevity, there is a running High Score Board so you can keep playing it trying to get that elusive higher than the last high score. There is also a similar feature for words points.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Like all good games there are different difficulty levels and I being extremely intelligent, of course, went straight to the hard level. Big mistake...ahem...best to try it out on the basic level to get a feel for it. It's not as easy as it may sound however but there are things along the way to try and help. For example, if you are a real smarty pants and make a word that is high scoring you may earn a Bonus. This entitles you to use blank letter tiles which can be brought into the battlefield, and it is a battle, and used to help form words. The game goes on until you fail to clear the board. You can also rotate the board which may help move the remaining letters into more formidable words. </span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">I have noticed with Smart Box Design games that in game help is very good which is a bonus, some games I have tried out and given up previously was mainly because the accompanying "help" was in fact...ahem...no help. </span><br /><br /><a onclick="window.open(this.href, '_blank', 'width=240,height=268,scrollbars=no,resizable=no,toolbar=no,directories=no,location=no,menubar=no,status=no,left=0,top=0'); return false" href="http://palmmac.typepad.com/.shared/image.html?/photos/uncategorized/2007/04/21/wordpop_ppc_title_240x268_2.gif"></a><span style="font-family:verdana;"><a href="http://palmmac.typepad.com/palmmac/images/2007/04/21/wordpop_ppc_title_240x268_2.gif"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 100px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://palmmac.typepad.com/palmmac/images/2007/04/21/wordpop_ppc_title_240x268_2.gif" border="0" /></a>It's not easy but at the same time it is not impossible and there is a learning curve. Once that curve is reached, in other games you can get bored or just lose interest in carrying on but with WordPop the incentive is still there...to beat the high score for both game and individual words. I don't know how it looks on a palm but on my WM device it is great with crisp graphics and clear in game sounds.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">All in all, a first class game that will keep you going for ages.</span>Todd Shermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09485377087172451421noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7973280.post-17917965832753061142007-04-17T10:54:00.000-07:002007-04-17T10:55:55.460-07:00We want you to have the best gaming experience possible.<span style="font-family:verdana;">In accomplishing this, Smart Box Design does not charge for upgrades. You can, at any time, download the latest version and install it over your existing copy. </span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">If you have any problems installing the latest version please feel free to click the below link to visit our support page for upgrade installation directions.</span><br /><br /><a href="http://r.vresp.com/?SmartBoxDesign/2abc958fe9/924292/TEST/TEST" target="_blank"><span style="font-family:verdana;">How do I upgrade to the latest version?</span></a>Todd Shermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09485377087172451421noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7973280.post-33410079606220002472007-04-17T10:51:00.000-07:002007-04-17T10:57:42.370-07:00Farkle Dice Upgrade for Windows Mobile – Same Game, but New Experience!<a href="http://www.smartboxdesign.com/images/farkle/farkle_treo650_1.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 120px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://www.smartboxdesign.com/images/farkle/farkle_treo650_1.jpg" border="0" /></a> <span style="font-family:verdana;">Many of you own the very cool Windows Mobile Treo 700w, 700wx, or 750 and have asked us to make Farkle Dice available for it. We have! Plus we've added several great new features for all Windows Mobile devices running 2003 or greater.<br /></span><div><span style="font-family:verdana;">The FREE upgrade includes:<br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family:verdana;">- Treo line support</span></div><div><span style="font-family:verdana;">- Two more computer players to match wits with</span></div><div><span style="font-family:verdana;">- Improved volume control</span></div><div><span style="font-family:verdana;">- Customized gameplay </span><span style="font-family:verdana;">- you control the dice speed</span></div><div><span style="font-family:verdana;">- Improved phone control (game mutes on incoming calls)</span></div><div><span style="font-family:verdana;">- Updated compatibility and stability for OS 5 (yet still fully compatible with Windows Mobile 2003)<br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family:verdana;"></span></div><br /><div><a href="http://r.vresp.com/?SmartBoxDesign/8c2f954873/924292/TEST/TEST" target="_blank"><span style="font-family:verdana;">Click Here to Read More, Upgrade, or Download the Trial</span></a></div>Todd Shermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09485377087172451421noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7973280.post-72688922989075657872007-04-17T10:46:00.000-07:002007-04-17T10:51:15.093-07:00Upgrade Palm version of Word Monaco – More Words!<a href="http://www.smartboxdesign.com/images/wordmonaco/wordmonaco_treo650.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 120px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://www.smartboxdesign.com/images/wordmonaco/wordmonaco_treo650.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="http://www.smartboxdesign.com/images/wordmonaco/wordmonaco_160_game_anim.gif"></a><span style="font-family:verdana;">We want you to finish all of your games of Word Monaco Solitaire, including those games where you find a word that hasn’t been uttered since the 1700s but will let you make the final move! So to make this possible we've:</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">- Added new words (like "ai", a 3 toed sloth)</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">- Added old words (like "als" a type of tree)</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">- Added forgotten words (like "ut", old version of do)</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">- Made gameplay more fair and satisfying</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Please visit our website and upgrade today for FREE.</span><br /><br /><a href="http://r.vresp.com/?SmartBoxDesign/bbf364f66b/924292/TEST/TEST" target="_blank"><span style="font-family:verdana;">Click Here to Read More, Upgrade, or Download the Trial</span></a></div>Todd Shermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09485377087172451421noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7973280.post-48546329599060190482007-04-17T10:40:00.000-07:002007-04-17T10:45:40.160-07:00Triples Upgrade for Palm – Play it On Your Latest Handheld!<a href="http://www.smartboxdesign.com/images/triples/triples_treo700p_1.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 120px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://www.smartboxdesign.com/images/triples/triples_treo700p_1.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><span style="font-family:verdana;">Of all our in-house developed games, no game lets two great minds face off against one another better than Triples. </span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:verdana;">So why shouldn’t the two player option be a breeze to use? Therefore, we’ve made the changes necessary, and now ensure that your games against other players will always run smoothly. </span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:verdana;">- Fixed a two player bug</span> </div><div><span style="font-family:verdana;">- Updated our registration schema</span> </div><div><span style="font-family:verdana;">- Added a cool splash screen</span> </div><div><span style="font-family:verdana;">- Tuned up the code for today's Palms and Treos</span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:verdana;">Be sure to visit our website today and get the latest and greatest Triples experience!</span></div><div> </div><div><a href="http://r.vresp.com/?SmartBoxDesign/0f8f2cf4d6/924292/TEST/TEST" target="_blank"><span style="font-family:verdana;">Click Here to Read More, Upgrade, or Download the Trial</span></a></div>Todd Shermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09485377087172451421noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7973280.post-66924744027813935712007-04-06T14:55:00.000-07:002007-04-06T15:09:23.655-07:00Review: Murray from Palm-Mac Plays Word MonacoMurray Alexander of <a href="http://palmmac.typepad.com/palmmac/">Palm-Mac</a> reviews Word Monaco Solitaire for Windows Mobile.<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://palmmac.typepad.com/palmmac/">Palm-Mac</a> is an award winning BLOG known for it reviews of mobile technology.<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://palmmac.typepad.com/palmmac/images/2007/04/04/wordmonaco_160_cafe_3.gif"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://palmmac.typepad.com/palmmac/images/2007/04/04/wordmonaco_160_cafe_3.gif" border="0" /></a><a href="http://palmmac.typepad.com/palmmac/2007/04/word_monaco.html">Word Monaco</a><br /><a onclick="window.open(this.href, '_blank', 'width=160,height=160,scrollbars=no,resizable=no,toolbar=no,directories=no,location=no,menubar=no,status=no,left=0,top=0'); return false" href="http://palmmac.typepad.com/.shared/image.html?/photos/uncategorized/2007/04/04/wordmonaco_160_cafe_3.gif"></a>Thanks to Todd Sherman at Smart Box Design for letting me try out a couple of games. The first one I had a go at is Word Monaco for WM5. This is card game of sorts, similar to Solitaire, with a huge twist...you are trying to make words with the cards as you would with Scrabble. So, the best way to describe it would be to call it Scrabitaire...that's a direct cross between Scrabble and Solitaire.<br /><br />I have to own up here. I have always loved card games and therefore I am going to be somewhat biased. I just feel they lend themselves ideally to the smaller screen format of our pda's and smartphones. This game is no exception.<br /><br />There are three different skill levels. The easy one is a good start to break you in gently as it includes 2 random jokers that can be used as any letter. To win you have to make words in all columns and have no unturned cards left. When you have made a word a small green diamond appears at the top of the column to signify success. You can move whole words or letters to other columns to make words in that one or to enable a new card to be turned over. Letters can be placed without an actual word being formed as long as the letters might lead to a word....so for example, you could leave SH on a column but not TT. Sounds easy? It is pretty straight forward on easy level but once you move up to medium and hard things become much harder.<br /><br /><br /><a onclick="window.open(this.href, '_blank', 'width=160,height=160,scrollbars=no,resizable=no,toolbar=no,directories=no,location=no,menubar=no,status=no,left=0,top=0'); return false" href="http://palmmac.typepad.com/.shared/image.html?/photos/uncategorized/2007/04/04/wordmonaco_160_youwon_1.gif"></a><a href="http://palmmac.typepad.com/palmmac/images/2007/04/04/wordmonaco_160_youwon_1.gif"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 160px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://palmmac.typepad.com/palmmac/images/2007/04/04/wordmonaco_160_youwon_1.gif" border="0" /></a>This is the sort of game that you start off thinking, I'll just have a quick 5 minutes and then 45 minutes later you're still playing away. It demands a bit of concentration and use of the old grey matter. There are no time limits and you can come back to the game later on...these are features I always like to see as I hate games where there is some sort of timer involved. Basically, you can play at your own pace which suits me down to the ground.<br /><br />There are three different versions of the game with slightly different aims but the basic premise is the same. It's easy to pick up, the graphics are crisp and there are useful "tips" throughout the game.<br /><br /><br /><br />If you are looking for a nicely paced game where you need a bit of the old grey matter then Word Monaco should be given a run out.<br /><br /><br />You can try Word Monaco Solitaire here: <a href="http://www.smartboxdesign.com/wordmonacoppc.html">http://www.smartboxdesign.com/wordmonacoppc.html</a>Todd Shermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09485377087172451421noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7973280.post-85550883111328419752007-04-03T16:59:00.000-07:002007-04-04T10:53:38.167-07:00Review: Bubble Girl Pops WordPop and Farkle Dice<a href="http://www.astraware.com/products/wordpop/banner_zoom.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 253px; CURSOR: hand" height="264" alt="" src="http://www.astraware.com/products/wordpop/banner_zoom.jpg" border="0" /></a> <span style="font-family:verdana;"><strong>WORDPOP</strong></span><br /><div><span style="font-family:verdana;"></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:verdana;">Word Pop is a delightful twist on the popular game, Boggle. Your goal is to make words of 2 or more letters from adjacent letters still, but as you make them, the tiles disappear. The goal of each level is to remove all the letters, leaving a clear board for the next round. If you get stuck with letters unable to be made into words, it's game over. Valid words cannot be abbreviations, hyphened words, acronyms, contractions or pronouns. Acceptable words will change to bold text in the entry bar. At the same time, green tick will become highlighted and the chime sound as you select tiles will raise in pitch. Click the green tick to enter the word you've made and remove the tiles involved.</span></div><span style="font-family:verdana;"><div><br />...however, that isn't all there is to it. They have added another twist of bonus tiles. Large word scores and game difficulty level will determine how many you earn. Each tile is scored similar to Scrabble, each adding up into a score. If the score is high enough (40+ points in easy mode, 50+ in Medium, or 60+ in hard) you will receive a bonus tile, which could be another letter or a wildcard tile. If you have more than three, a letter tile will be changed to a wildcard. If you have tiles left, they will carry over to the next level.</div><div><br />What if you're still stuck? Rotate it! The board will rotate, allowing you more options with your tiles. Press the round arrow button and watch your letters change places.<br /><br />What I love most about this game is the separate scoreboard for highest ever word scores. You still have an Easy, Medium and Hard scoreboard, but you can also keep your best word creations in check too. </div><br /><div>This has become my new word game obsession! </div><br /><div></span></div><span style="font-family:verdana;"></span><br /><div><span style="font-family:verdana;">---------------------------------------</span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:Verdana;"></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:verdana;">FARKLE</span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:verdana;"><br />Do you feel lucky? </span></div><div><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Farkle is a developed style of Yahtzee, based more on luck and choice. 2-6 players (computer or human) roll six dice in the hope of rolling certain number combinations. However, in this game, you are aiming to earn the most points. </span></div><div><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Possible point-scoring combinations are: </span></div><div><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">1 x 5s = 50</span></div><div><span style="font-family:verdana;">1 x 6s = 100<br />3x2s=200</span><br /></div><div><span style="font-family:verdana;">3x3s=300</span><br /></div><div><span style="font-family:verdana;">3x4s=400</span><br /></div><div><span style="font-family:verdana;">3x5s=500</span><br /></div><div><span style="font-family:verdana;">3x6s=600</span><br /></div><div><span style="font-family:verdana;">3x1s=1000<br />3 pairs = 500</span><br /></div><div><span style="font-family:verdana;">Straight (all 6 dice) = 100<br /></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:verdana;">Farkle earns a new category of its own, as you can choose to keep the score you have and pass, or continue rolling. Once all 6 dice are used, you can choose to try your luck again and roll your six dice again. The trick is to stop before you roll without earning points. Failing to score means your turn is over and any score you have banked up disappears -- called getting Farkle. As the entire object of the game is to earn 10,000 points before the other players, you want to play on as much as possible, but you do not want to Farkle either. If you get 3 Farkles in consecutive shots, you lose 1,000 points. Strategy is very much part of this game, also. Consider using just a 5 or 1 in a roll to leave better odds for the next. </span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:verdana;">Once a player has reached over 10,000 (or 5,000 depending on game selections) they have finished the game. Other players now have one chance to score higher. If they do, they win the game.</span></div><div><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Farkle has been kept simple in graphics and sounds, but to great benefit. The game remains the focus, allowing players to concentrate on the action and strategies. </span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:verdana;"><strong>The board is well set out</strong>, with a large scoreboard to place score and Farkle count in a well-spotted position. (The cute xylophone riff as music really endeared me, too.)<br /></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:verdana;"><strong>The controls are as thought out</strong>. Players can do all that's required with one tap on the correct dice or button. No fussing with dragging or double tapping. </span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:verdana;">Great for PDA beginners.</span> </div><div></div><div></div><div>Try these games at <a href="http://www.smartboxdesign.com">Smart Box Design</a></div><div></div><div></div><div>Read more reviews by Bubble Girl at <a href="http://www.bubblegirl.net/pda.php">http://www.bubblegirl.net/pda.php</a></div>Todd Shermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09485377087172451421noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7973280.post-45887626341560224862007-04-03T14:21:00.000-07:002007-04-03T14:23:35.136-07:00EASTER SALE - Now through April 15th<a href="http://www.smartboxdesign.com/images/sales_promos/easter_wordpop.gif"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 160px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://www.smartboxdesign.com/images/sales_promos/easter_wordpop.gif" border="0" /></a><br /><div>Feast your eyes on this great deal. Get 20% off the best word game around... WordPop! </div><div> </div><div>Forget about spring cleaning and go use this coupon SAVE20WP at checkout.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.smartboxdesign.com/wordpop.html">Click HERE for more gaming details</a>.</div>Todd Shermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09485377087172451421noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7973280.post-76886054143247981832007-04-03T13:59:00.000-07:002008-11-18T23:38:50.912-08:00Resource: Palm Addict BLOG on Palm OS and Windows Mobile Devices<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_cHZ0NVvpcuI/RhLC7WyRp5I/AAAAAAAAAFE/3xd0utVqN9c/s1600-h/capture_03042007_140804.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5049312457220269970" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_cHZ0NVvpcuI/RhLC7WyRp5I/AAAAAAAAAFE/3xd0utVqN9c/s400/capture_03042007_140804.jpg" border="0" /></a> <br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">I think many of us read People Magazine, even if we don't admit it, because it is fun to peak into other's life and relate it to our own. Palm Addict is just as fun. </span><br /><div><div><div><br /><div><span style="font-family:verdana;">At Palm Addict you read how people are using their PDA's and Smartphones in their lives. There's the doctor who describes tracking patients, there's the jet set executive who is tracking all aspects of his life, there's the soccer mom who catches a few games on her Treo while waiting to pick up the kids. </span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:verdana;">Palm Addicts also has video casts where Sammy describes and shows off software and hardware. It is a ton of fun watching him. Give Palm Addicts a read today.</span></div><br /><div><a href="http://r.vresp.com/?SmartBoxDesign/c8f88e350c/903237/26e3ce76f2/a54ce9e" target="_blank"><span style="font-family:verdana;">Read Palm Addicts Blog</span></a></div></div></div></div>Todd Shermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09485377087172451421noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7973280.post-34156994086673872372007-04-03T13:54:00.000-07:002007-04-03T14:17:35.828-07:00Improvements: New Smart Box Design Web Store with PayPal<a href="http://www.smartboxdesign.com/images/credit_card.gif"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 73px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 43px" height="87" alt="" src="http://www.smartboxdesign.com/images/credit_card.gif" border="0" /></a> <span style="font-family:verdana;">Ordering games has never been easier or safer. The Web store now has the following changes.</span><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">1. All major credit cards are accepted</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">2. You can purchase with PayPal</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">3. Each step is simpler and streamlined</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">4. See savings up front as coupon discounts are shown in the first step</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">It is always our goal to make visiting our web site a great experience. Please continue to let me know how we can improve.</span><br /><br /><a href="http://r.vresp.com/?SmartBoxDesign/97c4f95c6b/903237/26e3ce76f2/a54ce9e" target="_blank"><span style="font-family:verdana;">Click Here to Try Our Games</span></a>Todd Shermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09485377087172451421noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7973280.post-77405700570856945612007-04-03T13:50:00.000-07:002008-11-18T23:38:51.068-08:00Contest: Win a Palm or Pocket PC Game with this Word Puzzle<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_cHZ0NVvpcuI/RhK-42yRp2I/AAAAAAAAAEs/0I1hhHATF-I/s1600-h/wp_contest_001.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5049308016224085858" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_cHZ0NVvpcuI/RhK-42yRp2I/AAAAAAAAAEs/0I1hhHATF-I/s320/wp_contest_001.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Above is a screen shot of WordPop, our best selling word game. Try to find the longest word you can, and then submit it to our forum. Just like the rules when you play WordPop on your device, each letter in the word must be adjacent to the next, for example, RENT. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">- The player who submits the longest word wins a copy of a Smart Box Design Game (if a tie then the first one to submit wins)</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">-</span><span style="font-family:verdana;"> Two random winners will be picked from additional submitted words</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">- Contest ends April 14, 2007</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">- Winners will be announced in the next newsletter and / or e-mail (make sure to register at the forum so we have your e-mail on record)</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">- We're looking forward to seeing your words</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span><a href="http://r.vresp.com/?SmartBoxDesign/b5e2075110/903237/26e3ce76f2/a54ce9e" target="_blank"><span style="font-family:verdana;">Click Here to Submit Your Words at the Forum</span></a>Todd Shermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09485377087172451421noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7973280.post-89541125901607929422007-04-03T13:43:00.000-07:002007-04-03T14:20:32.248-07:00Review: Westward Brings the Frontier to Your Home<a href="http://www.smartboxdesign.com/images/westward_pc/westward_box_15x150.gif"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 150px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 152px" height="159" alt="" src="http://www.smartboxdesign.com/images/westward_pc/westward_box_15x150.gif" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:verdana;">Our staff writer Darrin Matter reviews Westward for Windows PC.</span><br /><div><span style="font-family:verdana;"></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:verdana;">Those of us who were raised on Legos know that building things can be very satisfying. Moreover, those of us raised on SimCity know that keeping our cities up and running can be just as fun. Like any good strategy game, Westward includes an excellent tutorial that gets you started and leads you through the details until you’re ready to stake a claim on your own.</span></div><div> </div><div><span style="font-family:verdana;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:verdana;">By the time the tutorial cuts you loose to try pioneering on your own, you’ll have a whole wagon full of curiosity built up around what you could be building and who will come to your town.</span></div><div><span style="font-family:Verdana;"></span><br /> </div><div><span style="font-family:verdana;">Westward keeps you occupied with goals to strive towards and holds your attention with humor, colorful graphics, fluid animation, and superb sound.</span></div><div><span style="font-family:Verdana;"></span><br /><a href="http://r.vresp.com/?SmartBoxDesign/109cd2e384/903237/26e3ce76f2/a54ce9e" target="_blank"><span style="font-family:verdana;">Click Here to Read More and Download the Free Trial</span></a></div><div></div>Todd Shermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09485377087172451421noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7973280.post-6703405400170441702007-03-14T11:12:00.000-07:002007-03-14T11:15:28.041-07:00Review: Super Granny 3 - Classic Game Play Gets Better with Age!<a href="http://www.smartboxdesign.com/images/pc_games/supergranny3_title.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 534px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://www.smartboxdesign.com/images/pc_games/supergranny3_title.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><span style="font-family:verdana;"></span> </div><div><span style="font-family:verdana;"></span> </div><div><span style="font-family:verdana;"></span> </div><div><span style="font-family:verdana;"></span> </div><div><span style="font-family:verdana;"></span> </div><div><span style="font-family:verdana;"></span> </div><div><span style="font-family:verdana;"></span> </div><div><span style="font-family:verdana;"></span> </div><div><span style="font-family:verdana;"></span> </div><div><span style="font-family:verdana;"></span> </div><div><span style="font-family:verdana;">Nowadays, I don’t know if people remember Lode Runner, but those of us who once owned an Apple <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">IIC</span> and used to hold a floppy disk (the 5” kind!) in our hand every now and then likely have fond memories of this platform. Super Granny 3 pays homage to this classic franchise and brings it to a new level with beautiful colors, humor, and a gentle challenge. </span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">The time-tested game play remains, only now you’re collecting kitties instead of gold and trapping bulldogs with boxing gloves instead of stick figures. However, it’s the new additions that really keep the fun at a maximum. </span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">If you purchase the full game, you can really get your money’s worth with nearly 100 levels. As the levels press on, players receive new obstacles and puzzles to overcome, and all of the while Granny provides verbal reactions to her dilemmas that will make you laugh out loud. For PC.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"></span><br /><a href="http://www.smartboxdesign.com/supergranny3_pc.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-family:verdana;">Click Here to Read More and Download the Free Trial</span></a></div>Todd Shermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09485377087172451421noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7973280.post-8413035369827853732007-03-14T11:09:00.000-07:002007-03-14T11:11:50.692-07:00Strategies: Farkle Dice - Learn from your Opponents<span style="font-family:verdana;">Remember that when you’re playing against a computer, you are actually playing a program. While they do get lucky sometimes, they do not cheat. For this reason, you can learn from them. The reason that certain opponents do well is not because they really get that lucky, but because they know when to take risks and when to play conservatively.<br /></span><div></div><br /><div><a href="http://www.smartboxdesign.com/images/Farkle_160anim.gif"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 160px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://www.smartboxdesign.com/images/Farkle_160anim.gif" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;">If you’re way ahead, it pays to consistently receive points and maintain your lead, so you don’t want to roll if you've only got a dice or two left. However, if you’re behind, or somebody is nearly 10,000 points, what have you to lose? Roll again! It’s mastering these situational choices that will help you peel the “lucky” label off of yourself and reveal the veteran underneath! </span></div><br /><div><a href="http://www.smartboxdesign.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family:verdana;">Click Here to Read More and Download the Free Trial</span></a></div>Todd Shermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09485377087172451421noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7973280.post-51136536485750498542007-03-14T11:05:00.000-07:002007-03-14T11:08:56.988-07:00Contest: Win a Palm or Pocket PC Game - Yahtzee vs. Farkle Dice Contest<a href="http://www.smartboxdesign.com/images/farkle/farkle_treo650_1.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 119px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 234px" height="250" alt="" src="http://www.smartboxdesign.com/images/farkle/farkle_treo650_1.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><div><span style="font-family:verdana;">All great ideas come from the same wellspring, the human brain, and some are often quite similar. Many of you have compared our game <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Farkle</span> Dice to Yahtzee. And yet, they certainly aren't the same game! So what do you as players think about this? Is Yahtzee the original and the best, or does <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Farkle</span> Dice more or less represent the bettering of the best? We’d like to set 1956 up against 2007.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">We've opened a forum on this subject, and would like to reward the first posting with a free copy of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">WordPop</span>, Word Monaco Solitaire, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Farkle</span> Dice, Word Watch or Triples. In addition to that, we'll randomly select 2 more postings to receive a free game as well. Contest closes 3/25/07. Winners will be notified by e-mail and / or in the next newsletter. </span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Post your comments at our forum by selecting this link. </span><a href="http://www.smartboxdesign.com/forum/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family:verdana;">Click Here to Go to the Forum</span></a></div></div>Todd Shermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09485377087172451421noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7973280.post-83594632219631069392007-03-14T10:59:00.000-07:002007-03-14T11:01:44.259-07:00Word Challenge Contest Winners<span style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;">We were amazed at some of the words found and the enthusiastic responses from the last contest.</span> </span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"><strong>Congratulations to all the winners.</strong></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">The fastest post with the longest word:</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"><em>marcia_ames</em></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">The three random winners are:</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"><em>mophimbaie, Abimlech, Deeja</em></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">See the next posting for our latest contest.</span>Todd Shermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09485377087172451421noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7973280.post-55945272468150231302007-03-13T15:21:00.000-07:002007-03-13T15:25:38.173-07:00St. Patrick Day's Sale - Now through 3/20/07<a href="http://www.smartboxdesign.com/images/sales_promos/saintpats_farkle.gif"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 162px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://www.smartboxdesign.com/images/sales_promos/saintpats_farkle.gif" border="0" /></a><br /><div><div><span style="font-family:verdana;">Today is your lucky day. See more green by saving 25% off Farkle Dice for Windows, Palm, or Treos. Use the coupon FARKLE25 when checking out.<br /><br /><br /></span><a href="http://www.smartboxdesign.com/farkle.html"><span style="font-family:verdana;">Read more or order this lucky dice game</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;">.</span></div></div>Todd Shermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09485377087172451421noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7973280.post-64638613855139077462007-03-08T10:26:00.000-08:002007-03-08T10:41:03.544-08:00WordPop! review by Shaun McGill of PDA 247<a href="http://www.clieuk.co.uk/pop1.JPG"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://www.clieuk.co.uk/pop1.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /> <span style="font-family:verdana;">Many of you will have no doubt noticed how many times I mention WordPop! on the 247 sites and I make no apologies for doing so. It occurred to me that I play this game to the point of blunting my stylus and that it was time I reviewed it to explain why it sits at the top of my PDA gaming list. I have owned countless PDAs since 1989 (over 40 by now) and in all that time must have tried hundreds of games- WordPop! is the best PDA game I have ever played and will probably become my most played game in the near future. Don't panic- I'm not anal enough to keep stats on how many times I play a particular game but I do find it difficult to let a day pass by without having at least one play. The problem is that one play on WordPop! can become over an hour without me noticing.<br /><br />This is a true story- one night after a few sleepless nights with my children I decided to go to bed at 8pm which is unheard of for me because midnight is my standard bedtime. I sat in bed and thought I would have a quick game of WordPop! I went to sleep at 11:30pm. I was genuinely worried that I had a problem and would be attending a meeting with strangers the next evening... "Hello, my name is Shaun McGill and I can't stop tapping letters with my stylus." It is hard to explain why this game is so addictive but I think the main reason is because the result and combinations are so entirely different every single time I play.<br /><br />In the first image I have chosen three adjacent letters to make the word 'mix' which gives me 33 points (see top panel). When I click the final letter twice the letters will explode and leave gaps at the top. Those are the rules- enjoy the game:)<br /><br /><a href="http://www.clieuk.co.uk/pop2.JPG"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://www.clieuk.co.uk/pop2.JPG" border="0" /></a>OK, there is a lot more to the game but not in terms of complex rules and a steep learning curve. You can be playing this game within 1 minute and if I can use an awful cliche- 'easy to pick up, difficult to master'. On to the second image where you will see a blank tile in the grid (the one on the left)- the was move from the column of three blank tiles on the right and can take the form of any letter you like which is useful if you are really stuck. The idea is to keep all three blank tiles available near the end of the level as letters become scarce. You can win extra lettered tiles by getting words worth over 40 points and higher scoring words will grant you a bonus blank tile.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.clieuk.co.uk/pop3.JPG"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://www.clieuk.co.uk/pop3.JPG" border="0" /></a>It is strange how your mind starts to think so far ahead and can spot a multitude of potential words in the grid, some of which you need to make yourself by removing letters that are in the way. Remember you can only remove them by making another word so you have to be aware of how the letters will fall as well. There is a lot in this game to make you think and it takes the best of Tetris, Scrabble and Countdown and pours them into a very professionally made package.<br /><br />I mentioned earlier how addicted I am to this game and those of you who have played it will no doubt be chuckling at my high score table which I admit is not good (at least compared to some people on the Smart Box Design forums) but I don't care. I worked bloody hard for that 4461 score and am very proud of it!:) I'm also proud of my best word although I have seen some posted that make both of my scores look really stupid...<br /><br /><a href="http://www.clieuk.co.uk/pop4.JPG"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 42px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 40px" height="54" alt="" src="http://www.clieuk.co.uk/pop4.JPG" border="0" /></a>The small curved arrow icon you can see is a crucial part of WordPop! You use it to flip the letters over- for example if you have a grid that is half full pressing this button will caused the grid to spin 90 degrees and the letters will fall in a slightly different order. There is no element of chance to this- they fall exactly as they should and thus you need to be careful that you understand what will happen when you press it. If you use it well it can dig you out of all sorts of trouble.<br /><br />There isn't much else to say about WordPop! except that there is a decent help section built in and that the sounds are just perfect for the game. They are so perfect that my text messages now come in sporting the main WordPop! sound- I just cannot get away from this game no matter how hard I try.<br /><br /><strong>Pros<br /></strong>Value for money- only US$14.95<br />Addictive, very addictive, very very addictive<br />Sounds and graphics are perfect for the game<br />Longevity<br />Improves your vocabulary<br />Support- Smart Box Design are as good as a developer can get<br /><br /><strong>Cons<br /></strong>Ooh let me think. If I could think of a way to improve it besides asking Smart Box to add some of the unusual swear I know to it's database I would.<br /><br /><strong>Conclusion</strong><br />I'm sure you can guess where this is going. Trust me when I say you MUST try this game- it is, in my opinion, the best word game available on any mobile device today and I can see myself enjoying it for many years to come.<br /><br />Available from </span><a href="http://www.smartboxdesign.com/index.html"><span style="font-family:verdana;">Smart Box Design</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;"> for Palm and Windows Mobile devices</span>Todd Shermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09485377087172451421noreply@blogger.com1