App review: Boulder Dash: Vol1 for iPhone

Boulder Dash first made an impact on the Commodore 64 and 25 years later the same basic game is just as compelling on the iPhone.

The objective is to race through 80 scrolling caves, collecting the requisite number of diamonds to open the exit before time runs out.

It’s a simple premise that starts with only gravity and falling rocks to contend with, but the challenge ramps up remarkably quickly.

It’s this gentle learning curve that grabs your attention and never lets go. Fireflies follow set paths but butterflies follow you relentlessly, providing a challenge and an opportunity.

Both explode if they connect with you, but with some diamonds sealed off by impenetrable walls, an explosion is exactly what you need to reach them. It’s all about timing your boulder dash to ensure the falling rock hits enemy at exactly the right moment.

Then there are the spooky alien amoebae that slowly expand to fill all the space around them, cutting off your exit given half a chance but also exploding into a shower of new diamonds if you can find a way to starve them of growing room.

Finally there’s magic walls that turn boulders into gems as they pass through but also work the other way round – making careful planning the only way to succeed. In next to no time, Boulder Dash becomes a puzzle game like no other – truly arcade-like in the dexterity and speed you need to triumph.

And it’s beautifully designed for iPhone too, with excellent use of Pinch Zoom, one-flick scrolling and instant switching from portrait to landscape. Admittedly, the graphics can be a bit on the fuzzy side, and it’s disappointing more new elements haven’t been added but, as the saying goes, ‘if it ain’t broke…’

Arcade classics have always been a staple diet for handhelds, yet few have survived as well or transferred as successfully as this one. It’s like meeting a long lost lover only to discover they’re even cuter than you remember.

Verdict: 8/10

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