Purple Software's Reversi by TANKERx

Introduction
I've been addicted to Reversi since my Nokia 7110. I could spend hours trying to find ways of beating (or getting beaten by) the phone..

So when Purple (I've just finished writing about Yellow's YEDIT - what is it with colours!?) released a suite of new games (one of them Reversi), I figured I'd give it a shot.

Unfortunately, no demo version was available, but I trusted in my previous Psion experiences with Purple and bought it.

The Game
Presentation is very 'posh'. I like posh startup screens, they make me think I've bought something really... ermmmm.... posh?

Anyway, Once the game loads, you get a nice looking board that covers the left half of the screen, and timers for the two players on the right.

You make your moves with the cursor and Enter keys, and when you place a piece, the relevant opposition pieces smoothly spin to change colour

During the game, you are able to change a whole bunch of settings. You can swap colours, have a move recommended, take back a move, change your skill level, have the last move shown and so on. Purple have really gone to town on the options. The only option not included is the one to order a pizza.

Pushover?
Now, the last thing any seasoned Reversi player wants is to play an opponent that doesn't even try to get the corners, but the last thing a beginner wants is an opponent who gives a comprehensive whipping every time he so much as looks at the icon

But the good news for these two is that Purple's Reversi's difficulty settings are good. Up to Ammateur, the games moves quite quick and there's a good chance you could win a game or two. However, once you reach Intermediate or above, the game starts to slow down as the computer takes time to consider its options. Not only that, but it gets friggin' 'ard! You picks your level and takes your choice!

Can't Get Out
One thing that really puzzles me is the why the game is so heavily dependant on saved game files. Just like Word, you can find your default documents folder filled with files named Reversi, Reversi(01), Reversi(02) and so on. Why!? This wouldn't be so bad, but before you can exit the game, you have to save it (even if the game has finished).

It really is frustrating that you cannot have a quickie with this game on the work's toilet! If you want to quit, first Discard Changes (or save them) and then Close. This seems a bit too much like going around the houses for me!

As I said above, there is no demo version, but you can get details from http://www.purpleoftware.com (the site is graphic intensive and may be slow on a standard GSM connection).

Score ***-- (3/5)

For
Well presented
Adaptable learning curve
Reasonable price

Against
Complicated file handling makes this unsuitable for a quick bash at the bus stop