|
|
Pocket Bornes
Product: Pocket Bornes
Category: Games
Website: http://www.micaceler.com/
By Conrad Cox
Imagine racing down the highway against your opponent, seeing the miles click off the odometer, and reaching that checkered victory flag. Imagine accomplishing this without leaving the comfort of your easy chair. Thanks to Pocket Bornes and your Pocket PC, you can start a race anytime the spirit moves you.
"
Starting a new game
Overview
Pocket Bornes, from Micaceler, is a card game based on the French card game Mille Bornes. The rules of play and scoring are very similar to the Parker Brothers adaptation of Mille Bornes. The game can be played by one human player against the computer, or two human players against each other.
The object of the game is to accumulate miles (points). At the same time, you must slow your opponent while overcoming your opponent's attempts to slow you. Pocket Bornes separates game play into several hands, like several legs of a road race. The player who travels 700 miles without exceeding that number wins the hand. Winning a hand gives you the option of extending the hand to 1,000 miles. The player who accumulates 5,000 points wins the game.
Extending the game
Playing the Game
The Pocket Bornes card deck contains 112 cards. The game deals each player 6 cards, and play begins. Players take turns drawing a card from the deck then playing a Mileage, Safety, or Hazard card. If no play is possible, the player must discard.
Simply tap the card you want to play or discard. The game moves discarded cards to the discard pile and played cards to the appropriate area of the screen. When Mileage cards are played, the cars on the center roadway move forward, reaching the finish line when a player winds the hand. Pocket Bornes can give you hints if you wish. Hints are very helpful for the new player.
Players slow their opponents by playing red Hazard cards. They represent hazards that one might find on the road. Yellow Hazard cards have the power to fix the hazards so the player may continue down the road. For example, a green Spare hazard card will fix a red Flat hazard card.
With a little luck, players may run across Safety cards. Having one of these rare cards is like having a "Get Out of Jail Free" card for a hazard. For example, having the Spare Tank Safety card gives the holder an unlimited amount of fuel until the end of that hand. Safety cards have point values that vary, depending on when the cards are played. Thankfully, Pocket Bornes does all the scoring for you.
Pocket Borne Score Sheet
User Controls
The user interface on Pocket Bornes is colorful and easy to read. The animated cards move at an almost breakneck speed on my Compaq Ipaq Pocket PC. The seasoned player will appreciate the heightened speed of the game. The speed can be slowed down to a crawl, a good setting for the novice player. Other settings can be turned on or off according to the player's taste.
The Options screen
I especially like the very complete help file accompanying Pocket Bornes. The help file information is also available at the Micaceler web site.
Sample Help Screen
I highly recommend Pocket Bornes. A downloadable 15-day trial version of the software can be downloaded from the author's web site, http://www.micaceler.com/ or Handango.com. The trial version is full featured except that the Undo command is missing. The full version is priced at $15USD.
Give Pocket Bornes a run around the track. I think you will like it.
Info
Want
to know more about us?
Or get in touch with us?
Click here!
