Easter is on the horizon and with the extra long bank holiday weekend I'm sure you're going to want to find a way to relax and unwind in between eating chocolate eggs.
Here is a selection of iOS games which may be of interest to blind or partially sighted iPhone, iPad or iPod touch users. All the applications listed in this blog are available from the app store and are compatible with the VoiceOver feature on any supporting iOS device.
Naval Combat is a classic battleship style game for iPhone and iPod touch. The game has initially been designed to work with VoiceOver as well as to be used on the go when you are out and about.
There are three ways to play Naval Combat:
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Try challenging your friends using a Bluetooth or WiFi connection
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Find new opponents to play against online
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Play against the computer at three varying levels of difficulty.
Check out this AppleVis podcast on Naval Combat which provides a walk through and review of this game Naval Combat as well as another game called Roll It!
Stem Stumper, lite version is free, full version £0.69
This game is based around a standard puzzle-game template, in which the player guides a funny-looking plant creature around various obstacles such as angry tree stumps or clouds of nasty weed killer, in order to find bags of fertiliser.
In order to play this game you can drag your finger along the screen to create a path, once you begin you will see/hear clues which let you know when you have come across something important or useful.
This application is great fun and I thoroughly enjoyed my experience playing it as a partially sighted iPhone user!
Take a look at the AppleVis page on Stem Stumper which contains further information on accessibility and VoiceOver performance.
Please note the use of headphones is required for this game.
This application was the first sound-only video game for the iPhone. The aim of the game is to keep the ball from hitting the ground by either catching it or bouncing it on your paddle.
However there is a catch! In this game you can't actually 'see' the ball ... you can only hear it. Bing Bong enables you to hear your visual world and in doing so see life differently.
Frotz lets you play free works of Interactive fiction, described in the app store as 'Interactive fiction at your fingertips!'. You might want to note that this application involves reading, thinking and typing, so if you're the type of person that likes lots of action then it may not be the game for you.
You can play many fiction titles written in the Z-Machine format. This format was invented by Infocom and was used to produce classic text adventures from the 80s such as the Zork Trilogy, Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, and Trinity.
The application includes several built-in games, and comes with a web portal for downloading new ones.
The AppleVis page on Frotz contains further information on accessibility and VoiceOver performance.
Do you want to learn to sing, improve your hearing, or train your memory... all at the same time? Simon Sings plays a sequence of musical notes that you have to memorize and then repeat by singing, humming or whistling into the iPhone's microphone.
With each new round the sequence becomes longer. Start in Beginner mode with only 3 possible notes, move up to Intermediate with 6 notes, and finally become a master with all twelve notes of the musical alphabet.
The game works best in a quiet environment. If the sound emitted is too soft, try using headphones. As well as this, you may wish to note that singing or humming the melody into the microphone works a lot better than whistling.
As usual, the AppleVis page on Simon Sings has more further information on accessibility and VoiceOver performance.
Want to know more?
If you want to find more accessible iOS games for blind and visually impaired users then check out these two lists:
You may also wish to visit the AppleVis website which we have provided review links to. This website hosts a dedicated community of blind and partially sighted apple device users and is an excellent source of information to view before making any kind of device or application purchase.
Alternatively if you are interested in accessible games in general head over to the Game Accessibility website.
Got a suggestion?
We want to hear from you, our users. Which apps and websites should we be writing about on the TechKnowMore blog? Is there an app you can no longer live without? What website is at the top of your favourites list? Drop us an email on DigitalAccess@rnib.org.uk to let us know, and your favourite service could be featured in the very near future!