iPad Board Game :It's Alive

We love to game and have an amazing collection of board games cluttering up the cupboard. But with iPad and iPhone being such a game changer,board games are quickly becoming redundant. One of the more entertaining and less well known iOS board games we've come across is " It's Alive". Or to give it it's full name " Yehuda Berlinger's It's Alive" One of the great things about the iPad board games, aside from the obvious saving space and not paying out a fortune for paper and card games, is the fact that all games from the relatively obscure to the household staples will eventually become available.

Ipad Board game: It's Alive

It's a rare treat when something like " It's Alive" is released for iOS as whatever success the original hard copy of the game has had can be revivified and made new on the touchscreen. Does this board game deserve to be on your iDevice , and even in your gaming cupboard, Yes!

It's a very polished effort combining some simple but competitive gameplay with a suitable soundtrack and custom artwork. We haven't played the original but might see if we can seek it out as the game plays very well with some good mechanics. RH Aidley illustrates the game and does a very good job of combining just a touch of the sinister while still making the game friendly for all ages. The music too is very appropriate and spooky with suitable sound effects, something that the original board game of course can't deliver.

Throwing in words like spooky and sinister iOS game and you might start to wonder what this one is about. Well quite simply the aim is to be a modern Frankenstein and build a body! Combining the staples of a boardgame and cardgame in one, you draw cards from a deck and use them to build that body until "it's alive". Without going into too many of the games rules it's easy to pick up and play and has wild cards and cards that can ruin your game too. The board for this one is the slab upon which your body is built. Quite simply you race against the other players, 5 humans can play or just you against the four AI players. Strategy comes into it as you decide to buy or sell the cards that come out the deck or ransom others cards. Played with the Basic or Advanced rules you can either be the first to build the body or can be declared the winner when the body is built and you have the highest value hand.

The board game works very well on the iPod Touch , which is the device that we've used to review it. On iPad the game would work even better as the lavish illustrations do deserve a bigger screen to be shown off on. The Pass and Play function of this boardgame works very well and the game proceeds smoothly. Stats are also included to keep a running total of who's the better player. AI is also done very well, but could do with a few more AI players and varying difficulty levels.

Other touches we'd like to see included in future updates are multi device play and a better celebration of a game win. 

But all in all a very good adaptation of a boardgame , that like the body that you're attempting to build, really does deserve to see the light of day.

Download "IT'S ALIVE" the iPad/iPhone Monster Building Game from the APPSTORE

And look for the original Yehuda Berlinger Board Game on the Jergames Website