When Alpha Jax hit the Microsoft marketplace in the early stages of the mobile OS, people were smitten by its clean, friendly user interface, its ease of use, and the fact that it was a Scrabble clone with a heavy dose of quality thrown into it. Even though it borrowed heavily from the formula of that Hasbro classic board game, it made it into its own by creating a great feature set that elevated it above rip-off status. With that sort of pedigree established as something to strive for by other developers looking to create apps that mimic the game play of classic board games, it’s no wonder that a good app that can tap into that nostalgia and create a compelling gaming experience is an enticing proposition for devs out there.
With that in mind, Shantek Studios’ Wheel of Wealth is a perfect example of an app implementing that compelling experience based on a classic game show that most of us grew up with when watching prime time television.
The premise is simple, and for the most part, it sticks to the formula to a T. If you’ve never experienced the soothing tones of host Pat Sajak and the flipping acumen of Vanna White here is a brief recap. Playing with up to two other players, one must spin a wheel and hope to land on one of the numerical slots that will allow you to guess a letter that might be contained within the word, phrase or name on the board. Guess correctly and you’ll win the monetary value of that slot and allow you to continue guessing or try to solve the word puzzle. Win a round and advance to the next round with $30,000 and the extra winnings in hand. If you guess incorrectly or land on a ‘bankrupt’ or ‘lose a turn’ slot, the chance to guess goes to the next player. Player with the most money at the end of three rounds wins.
That’s the gist of it. It’s not overly complicated, but the fact that you have to slowly build up enough information through the letters gathered to obtain a feasible answer is the real draw here. It not only tests your deduction prowess but also your knowledge of different topics in current pop culture, entertainment and food to name a few.
Wheel of Wealth throws in some specific categories that you’d never find in the television program. Categories like video game titles and geek-centric puzzles (with plenty of eye-rolling Twilight references in the mix as well) you’ll find something in there that will have your inner geek squeaking with glee.
The game features a nice set of features to compliment the gameplay. Things like game chat, leaderboards, pass-the-phone play, and the ability to play against the computer really add the depth that places Wheel of Wealth above the true knock-offs of the marketplace world. One must compliment the developers for also updating the app consistently and with newer and richer features.
The app has already amassed 11,000+ downloads, and the newly established weekly and monthly leaderboards adds a competitive edge to the proceedings. The game is free with ad support, and it benefits from this as there are plenty of games to go around. Wheel of Wealth impresses and gives Windows Phone users a good game to test their trivial knowledge, as well as give a competitive game to challenge some of the more established players in the player pool.
You can download Wheel of Wealth in the Zune Marketplace now.
