Lights Out
E-TAP EXTRA

    If you're going to play games during those dreary board meetings, you might as well play one that keeps your gray matter stimulated. Lights Out is guaranteed to energize your noggin as you attempt to solve a succession of seemingly innocuous puzzles.

    Based on a handheld game of the same name, Lights Out consists of a simple five-by-five grid of lights. Tap on a light and it reverses itself--off if it was on, on if it was off. In addition, the four adjacent lights also turn on or off, depending on their starting position. The object of the game is simple: Turn out all the lights.

    It sounds easy, but Lights Out is bound to stump even the sharpest minds. The games start out fairly easy, but each of the 51 puzzles is more complex than the last. On the right side of the screen, Lights Out displays the minimum number of taps necessary to solve the puzzle--in addition to the number of taps you've made. The first level is solvable in six moves--we found this frustrating when our tap count reached the 150 mark. When you're ready to hurl your Palm/Pilot skyward, stop, take a deep breath, and tap on the Solve button. This marks the taps needed to complete the puzzle. Seeing how the solutions evolve does help you figure out strategies for the game. But, as we all know, it's no fun to win by cheating.

    You can't beat Light Out's free price, so load it up and give it a go. You might have a love/hate relationship with the game if you find the puzzles a bit challenging. But you'll find yourself going back to the game again and again, determined to turn out all the lights -Kyla K. Carlson

Rating: ****
The Verdict: An excellent adaptation of the popular electronic game.
Platform: N/A
Contact: Andy Scheffler, www.hamusutaa.com/pilot/lightsout.html
Price: Free

Copyright 1999 GoPilot Publishing, Inc.
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