Hive, the well known game by John Yianni, is on the iPhone courtesy Lotusland Studios, Inc. This board game comes with a huge difference from other similar games, for there is no board here. The board is formed when the pieces are added to it, so we sort of build up the game as we play it.

The main objective of the game is to add pieces in such a way that we are the first to surround the opponent’s Queen Bee. The game pieces are made up by other creatures, and each has got their own unique moves. I confess that reading the game rules overwhelmed me a little, but I guess the developers are simply trying to give a helping hand.

The cool thing is that there is an indicator about where we can place a certain kind of piece, so that should be a useful tip for first-timers. The Queen Bee can be placed anytime from the first to the fourth turn. Once that is done with, we can choose to either place the other pieces or move them around when our turn comes.

The Beetle has restricted movement, for it can move only one space at a time. Its unique feature is that it can move on top of the hive. The Grasshopper on the other hand, can jump over other pieces, but only to another space that is aligned in a straight row. Just as the Beetle can move one space, the Spider can move three places at once, but it has to stick to that number only. The Soldier Ant is the piece with the most flexibility, for it can move to any other position around the hive. But my personal preference is the Mosquito which can take on the move of any piece it is touching, except when it is touching another of its kind.

We need to adhere to the One Hive Rule at all times. This rule dictates that all the pieces must be linked together. Another rule is that pieces can be moved only when they have the ability to slide into another position. This rule is an exception for the Beetle and the Grasshopper which do not have a sliding movement. While on the subject of rules, the developers have also put in a Tournament Rule which states that the Queen Bee cannot be placed as the first move in a game.

The player who can surround the opponent’s Queen Bee first is the game winner. One thing to remember here is that it does not have to be our own pieces which surround the Queen, but both the players’ pieces.

Hive has got cool graphics. Zooming in and out can be done by double tapping on the screen. The board can be tiled by simply touching the screen with two fingers and moving up and down. We can even rotate the board by circling the screen with two fingers.

We can choose to play in one or two player modes. There are four difficulty levels in the first mode, thankfully with a beginner mode too. Hive also has some interesting tracks to listen to while playing the game, and our own library is always an option.

If there is anything to improve the game, I would say being able to play with another opponent via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth. But nonetheless, it is a great game, and Hive has truly taken the classic version up another notch.

• App Name: Hive
• Price: $4.99
• App Category: Games
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• Developer: LotusLand Studios Inc.
  
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