Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

This game lived up to its description, and is one of the better games offered by Amazon in general (the last couple of weeks has seen some amazing apps being offered, which itself is unusual). Red Weed has a "steampunk" feel to the graphics and decor, as well as the music, although with a Theremin twist to it. Except for the network access requirement, there are no ads, no In-App Purchasing (IAP), or FB Like/Review requirements as we've seen with too many FAotD offerings these past several months. This is a variant of Othello/Reversi/etc., and offers different playing fields which lends to more interesting play than a standard blank field due to the change of tactic or strategy. The sound effects work well, and dramatic emphasis was given to the red grass taking over your green grass, which gives a sense of urgency which can be lost in a generic game of this type. There are a couple of niggling things that I'd like to see improved, such as an Undo button, at least for the last action, as sometimes a touch screen can accidentally cause a wrong move. Another one is that the tutorial and instructions are brief, which might lead to some confusion as to why the tiles are changing the way they do. Lastly, I'm not a fan of leaderboards nor unnecessary internet access requirements; that usually causes me to drop a star, but the beauty of this game and the lack of other permissions gave it back. With just a dozen levels currently, the game is short, but more levels are promised and there are three difficulty levels, for a total of 36 playable levels. When I get through all of them, I might have a shot at beating my wife on its two-player "Hot Seat" mode. In all, the game is about 4.5 stars, and I rounded up for good measure due to the atmosphere, two-player setting, and the promise of more levels. (Too much to hope for an 'undo' button?) Yes, I'd pay $1.99 for this game. PROS: ° Great graphics, thematics, music, and sound. ° Different playing fields make it more challenging and offer varying strategices. ° Nice twist on Othello/Reversi ° More levels promised ° Only network permission, and NO IAP or other funny business CONS: ° Can be confusing to beginners ° Sensitive touch screens can make accidental moves easy ° Network access permission TAKE AWAY: Nicely produced, innovative beautiful game that's worth $1.99, especially if you like the setting and atmosphere.