The iPhone App Review : iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad App News & Reviews

Price: $0.99    Score: 9/10    By Michael Essany

There’s nothing worse than a remake of a classic game that tries too hard to modernize a formula that, while old, is still not outdated. Fortunately for fans of the retro classic “Snake,” Broken Thumbs Apps has rolled out a modern update called “Snaked” that stays true to the original game while embellishing the attributes we fondly remember most.

Snaked takes the cell phone or calculator incarnation of “Snake” and hatches a modern iPhone/iPod Touch app that is just as addictive as the original. With three options available to set the pace (slow, medium, or fast) the control functionality is provided through a choice from plus, swipe, or tilt options, though I found the conventional “plus” control not only best suited for the game, but more in line with the vintage functionality.

Snaked puts what the developers call a “new, enticing and challenging twist” on the original game. And, for the most part, their description is accurate. Unlike the fairly mundane, rudimentary game objectives in the original, “Snaked” puts your slithery character in hot pursuit of apples and rats in a gaming environment that spans a desert, forest, and swamp.

What else does “Snaked” offer as a $0.99 app?

• Both the updated and classic versions of Snaked
• High local and global scores
• Multiple gaming speeds, controls, objectives, and landscapes

The first app from Broken Thumbs Apps bodes well for the developer’s future. The ability to update beloved games without compromising the classic fun or memories is rare. But they get the job done with Snaked.

Snaked requires the iPhone OS 2.2.1 or later and is compatible with iPhone and iPod Touch.