Quarqa
Quarqa is available in the iTunes AppStore
Every year the brightest minds in the Universe come together to play a tournament of Quarqa: a game of numbers that surpasses language barriers and simply requires one to outsmart the opponent.
This time around you are invited to challenge the top-players from the comfort of your Earthly surroundings using your iPhone or iPod Touch.
Have you got what it takes to beat Moo'oo Lah, the undisputed Quarqa master? Or any of the other worthy contenders?
Gameplay
The rules of Quarqa are simple, but the game requires some thinking. The computer is objective and will setup the game-board for the players. If the board is against you, you'll need to work even harder to win the game.
The game is turn-based and the computer decides who makes the first move. The computer also decides whether you play horizontally (rows) or vertically (columns). If you play horizontally, your opponent has to play vertically and vice versa.
Each turn you have to pick a tile. Green tiles give you positive points. Red tiles give you negative points. If you pick a tile, the tile will be removed from the game-board to reveal a background-image. The opponent can only pick a tile from the column or row you just selected so you can try and force your opponent into a set of lower numbers.
If the same tile appears multiple times in your row or column, you get the points multiple times. This is also true for negative points!
In the screenshot above you are expected to pick a tile from the highlighted row. So picking the green 7-tile will remove it, but brings your opponent into a column that still holds 2x7 points. This may not be what you want to do.
On the other hand, if you don't pick the 7-tile, it stays on the board and your opponent may, in a later turn, end up getting even 3x7 points.
If a player cannot move anymore, the game ends and the highest score wins.
Reviews
TouchMyApps - Quarqa in Review - Math CAN be fun
The App Podcast - Video review:
Quarqa is available in the iTunes AppStore