Karuki

Oh Karuki. Even the name sounds adorable, and that's exactly what this game is. The object of Karuki is to draw lines that the small little Karuki character will bounce off of and hit the various jewels. You have to gather as many jewels and small smiley faces as you can before heading towards the exit door which is usually located near the center of the arena. But that's not all. While collecting all these things, you also have to avoid the skull and cross-bones as well as not letting the Karuki get so low to the ground that he hits the water and drowns. This is another one of those fun games that will hold your attention for a few minutes to pass the time. It is definitely not a game that is intended for you to play for several hours, like Rolando. I have a love hate relationship with these types of games. On one hand, they make standing in line for something bearable, but on the other hand, what happens when you have to stand in line for much longer than the 10 minutes the game can hold your attention? Then you have to keep jumping from mini game to mini game. The AppStore could really use some more games that hold your attention for much longer. With all that said, Karuki is still worth the $.99 it costs.

Bejeweled 2

Now your favorite PC/Mac game now on the iPhone! Pop Cap games has brought you another great title in their collection, Bejeweled 2. This game is very simple to play and provides a ton of fun for many hours. This was actually the game I purchased right before I left SJO airport in route for Denver, Colorado for my first visit to CU Boulder. And boy was this game great. It entertained me the whole flight and kept wanting to play it. My dad liked the game so much, he constantly stole my iPhone just to play it. I think that tells you how great the game really is. We couldn't keep our paws off it.
So, basically the gameplay is exactly the same as the PC/Mac version. The goal is to make big connections by getting three of the same color/gem in a row. The more of the same color/gem in a row, the bigger the excitement and more points you receive. You simply just need to tap one of the gems and line it up with 2 others of the same color. This will start the madness. And if you ever get stuck, and arent sure where to tap next, a little silver, solid arrow flashes above the gem you can move next. It's a great feature that can be toggled on and off.
There are three game modes for Bejeweled 2. The three modes are Classic, Action, and Endless. Classic is the basic mode. You make groupings of three or more and you get points. The points equate to a green progress bar at the bottom, and the more points you get the more the bar fills up until you win the level.
Action mode is almost like Classic. The only difference between Action and Classic is that in Action mode, the progress bar moves both ways. The better you do and more combinations you have the the more the progess bar goes up. If you slack off and start taking too long of trying to fit a gem where it doesnt belong, you lose progress. The game is over when you either beat the level, or you fail.
Endless mode is the third and final mode, and there is no way you can lose. If you run out of options for matches, the game gives you a new board and replaces the gems for you.
I highly reccomend you check out this game in the App Store today. Get Bejeweled 2 for $2.99! I really reccomend it! :D