Retro-gaming continues to be very popular and the simple play style of many older games makes them a good fit for mobile phones. Ba-Boom! is based on the classic “columns” style games made popular by Sega and others. The game starts with a basic set of colored stones at the bottom of the playfield. Columns of colored stones fall from the top of the screen and pile up on the bottom. The player’s goal is to keep the stones from reaching the top of the screen. By grouping the same colored stones in straight line sets of four or more, the sets will disappear.

The player controls the columns by moving them left or right as they fall and lining them up with the piles at the bottom. The color sequence of the stones can also be changed so that the colors of the column will be optimized for their place in the pile. The score is based on the number of columns that fall and the size and number of sets eliminated from the playfield. Make sure that you take advantage of the “Next” box in the upper right that shows you the color sequence of the next column to fall. The game ends when the pile reaches the top of the screen.

I found that this game runs a little too fast in the beginning. So it is hard for the novice player to get used to the game. This may be caused by the SmartPhone that I use (Mitac Mio 8380), but I did not have another phone to try the game on. Make sure that you try the Trial version on your phone. It can be downloaded from the web site listed above. The game does have some options which allow you to adjust the difficulty and visual style of the game. From the Option Menu, you can change the number of stones in the falling columns (2-4), number of colored stones in the game (3-5), and the graphic style of the stones (5 different choices). There are also 3 styles of game-play to choose from. Rack ‘Em is all about scoring points. Eliminate has 20 levels and the goal of each level is to completely eliminate all the stones from the playfield. Survivor is a combination of Rack ‘Em and Eliminate where you must survive for 3 minutes in each level to progress to the next level. There are other elements in the game that help your score such as five different types of bombs to remove stones and point multipliers.

This is a simple game with simple graphics. The animations are smooth and the sound effects clean. A classic game with easy game-play, it is as addictive today as it was in years past. If you loved Columns, then you will love Ba-Boom!

Harvey Lee
--Technology Editor

Pros
Simple to play
Addictive
Options to adjust difficulty
Multiple styles of game-play

Cons
Too fast in the early stages
Repetitive

Rating:
7.5 out of 10 Stars.

Product: Ba-Boom!
Developer: Infinite Ventures
Web Site: www.portable-games.com
Category: Game – Action/Puzzle
Price: $9.99
Requirements: Microsoft SmartPhone Compatible Device
Phone must be “application unlocked”.
Software:
Microsoft ActiveSync