Appidemic: Slide Circus for iPhone, iPod touch

Welcome to the Slide Circus. It may not be three rings of fun, but it’s entertaining nonetheless. FDG Entertainment offers up a variation on the tile slide game to tease your puzzle solving skills.

What is it?

Slide Circus is a puzzle game that requires a little pattern recognition coupled with planning skills. You will be shown a picture on a grid, the game will then shuffle the tiles, and you have to slide the tiles around to put the picture back together. You can slide a whole row either left or right and whole columns may be moved up or down. It’s a bit like a cross between a Rubik’s Cube and a combination lock.

How does it work?

The interface is all tap and slide, so it’s about as easy as it gets. There is some innocuous background music and some sound effects—just enough to let you know you are doing something in the game. The graphics are pretty simple, but this is a 2D puzzle so nothing looks out of place or inadequate.

Once you reassemble the image, you get a “you did it” ping and earn some coin. The trend to collect in-game coins to unlock new levels is represented here as well. Of course, you can purchase game coins with real coins if you want to unlock new levels right away.

When you are sliding your rows and columns around, be careful to remember that all of the segments will move, and plan your adjustments carefully. Also, some levels will have what looks like an embossed square in the image. This tile is immovable so you will have to consider that when it comes to lining up your moves.

Is it contagious?

Since this is a free game, you can’t argue with the price. The game is entertaining and fun for the kids as well. It is slightly less aggravating than the old plastic number slide game from the days of yore. Besides, there are plenty of images to thumb through so the game can keep you busy for quite a while. Overall, a pleasant bit of gaming and entertainment.

Category: Game
Seller: FDG Entertainment
Cost: Free
Download: Slide Circus (also available for iPad)