Arimaa Trainer

Arimaa is one of the fastest growing modern strategy games. Rules are simple and intuitive enough for kids to play easily, yet there is more than enough strategic depth to satisfy the most demanding gamer. If you enjoy challenging games like Chess, Checkers, Go, or Shogi, discover Arimaa and see why it was chosen in the Discovery Channel's list of the Top 10 Mind-bending Strategy Games and also recommended by Scientific American MIND magazine.

Category	Price	Seller	Device
Games	$0.99	Martti Juotasniemi	iPhone, iPad, iPod

“The rules are simple enough for kids to learn, and the game was creative and engaging.”
—Frederik Joelving; Scientific American Mind magazine

With millions of opening setups to choose from, every game requires creative thinking right from the beginning and no need to memorize openings. It's a never ending puzzle, each game is different. In just the first 10 moves of Arimaa there's more possible games than there are atoms in our universe.

“Because the number of possible moves in an Arimaa position (roughly 20,000) is much higher than in chess (about 30 or so), even the fastest computers will not be able to search very far into the tree of possibilities.”
—R. Wayne Schmittberger; GAMES magazine

Arimaa provides the whole family a chance to show the computer who's boss. Many games boast of the strength of their computer AI, but Arimaa requires a higher level of intelligence which humans possess and computers have yet to achieve. In fact Arimaa offers a $10,000 prize for anyone capable of writing an AI that can defeat the top human Arimaa players. Visit www.arimaa.com for more details.

This Arimaa app includes a video tutorial to teach the rules of the game making it easy to get started. There are increasing levels of difficulty to help you build your skill, and a score to let you know how well you played. Try beating the AI faster or by losing fewer pieces to top your high score. The app is loaded with features and settings to help you learn this addictive new game.

Features:
• video tutorial to teach the rules
• several difficulty levels
• ability to play handicap games
• keep track of high scores
• keep track of ratings
• mode to pass and play with a friend
• option to auto-rotate the board between moves
• option to auto-rotate the game between moves
• option to pause between moves
• option to play rated games
• option to use a move timer
• ability to load and save games
• ability to email the game
• ability to replay a game from any position
• dedicated full screen mode for iPad

Awards and Recognition:
• Scientific American MIND magazine: Brainy gift recommendation
• Discovery Channel's HowStuffWorks: Selected as 3rd most mind-bending game
• Parents Choice: Approved award
• Creative Child magazine: 2010 Game of the Year

This app is provided in compliance with Section 2 of the Arimaa Public License. License #100520.

DISCLAIMER: Apple is not a sponsor of, or responsible for
conducting, the $10,000 Arimaa challenge.

Reviews

Good beginner game (excepting some 1st release bugs)
Fractl

Haha...I bought this app one day before the price drop. Oh well, I hope my $10 will encourage the developers to work on some new releases. Yes, it's more expensive than most apps, but the market it much smaller...and it will be worth the price if I improve enough to beat my friend in a game for cash. I'm a new player, and the AI is certainly tough enough to give me a challenge. I can win about half the games on novice, I haven't tried the tougher levels yet. The interface is nice, and I love the elephant icon! I prefer the smoothness of the movement in the iPod version to the internet gameroom. Set-up is certainly faster when you can jump multiple spaces. It takes only 4 clicks to set up my favorite initial position. Sadly, there seem to be quite a few bugs in this first release. Occasionally one piece will move on top of another, or will have strangely restricted movement (I assume due to a phantom piece near it). This usually signals a crash. The game is lost when it restarts. I'm wary of starting games because so many end in this way. I'm sure once these issues are resolved, it will be a very enjoyable app...

Awesome
John Q Private

I love this application. It is a great way to learn Arimaa which is difficult because there is a small player base. I have not found any bugs but have not played more than a few games so far. I do wish it support iPad as a universal app. By that, I'd like a full size and landscape screen. Maybe hints and/or rules explanation when I try an unallowed move, too. I think the price is fair, but a lower price might encourage more people to get into the game. I did use the Lite version first.

A lower price and even one update would help
dancroke

The author released it and them abandoned it. It could be great, but bugs and a slightly unfriendly interface keep it from more stars. Just one update and it could be a 5 star app.

Too freaking hard
JoeStrout

...and no fun to play.

Previous Review Updated from 1 to 4 Stars
Lorigayle

After installing the Oct. 28, 2013, update the Menu button is now accessible on an iPad mini running iOS 7. If you are looking for the video tutorial, it can be found by clicking the onscreen link in the Rules section.

Review
Kupad2

Unable to complete a game without a crash that loses the state of the game. Responsive customer support said they're looking into it. (Didn't want to use this feedback to post the bug but they requested I did) Rating is tentative...waiting for the bug to be fixed.

Great reinvention of chess, very fun!!
Mykior

I absolutely love this game, it is a reinvention of chess that is very creative, strategic and fun. I keep trying to teach anyone I can how to play, and the app is a great way to start--highly recommend!! Much more fun and engaging than chess.