The constant flow of backgammon apps is slowly ebbing away. Only once and then a new app appears in the App Store. And usually it doesn’t feature a new, neural network based high-end AI, but another simple, rule-based “AI” that probably took two weeks to develop and plays like a newbie. Like the app I’m reviewing here, with the pompous title “Backgammon Deluxe Go”.
The app implements the simplest possible backgammon.
The good: it plays backgammon by the rules and has native iPad support. And it doesn’t cheat.
The bad and ugly:
- It only plays single-point matches. No money games, no matches, nothing involving the doubling cube. And if you know backgammon you know that the doubling cube turns a good game into a great game, and without the doubling cube backgammon is only half as fun.
- On hard level, the AI plays a really weak game of backgammon. I didn’t bother to run its moves through XG2 because it certainly will rate it “distracted”. Played 5 games. Won all of them, easily. It blunders like only newbies would.
- It doesn’t actually look good. Simple textures, very simple checkers, “hey is this the 90’s” fonts. It has three different board styles too offer, but none of them is anywhere in the same league as good backgammon apps.
- After every game you have to endure awful full screen video ads, you know, the ones you have to endure for half a minute until a close button ends your suffering.
I won. Again. Effortlessly.
Paid backgammon apps like True Backgammon, XG offer a vastly different experience. Even good free backgammon apps like Backgammon KG or “Backgammon Machine” offer a vastly different experience. Skip this one. It is not worth your time, even if this is the first backgammon app you ever install.