Collect as many pebbles as you can as you play against the computer or a friend.
This much loved board game seems simple enough but will have you strategizing for hours. Collect as many pebbles as you can as you play against a friend or take on the computer in nine playing levels.
Features:
Difficulty levels from Easy to Hard.
Play with a friend in tabletop mode or play against the computer.
Unique scoring system that will challenge you every step of the way.
Detail features:
This game is adapted from the original classic board game Morabaraba or Mancala or Oware. Mancala is thought to be the oldest surviving board game family in the world. It is also called Bao in East Africa and is a strategy game whose complexity and depth is akin to chess depending on the rules and the variation of the game.In Southern Africa the game from ancient times has been called Morabaraba in Botswana or Mulabalaba in Lozi (Southern Zambia). As people moved to the South African mines a mix up of names occurred with the miners ending up using the name Morabaraba for another traditional game, Seven Men's Morris or Mhele in Setswana. The mix up has persisted to this day as it is not now clear what the traditional Mancala games played in South Africa by generations of kids in the villages should be called. In the Limpopo province of South Africa mancala is called Moruba while it is called Morabaraba in the North West province although by traditional villagers and not by those who went to the townships. It appears the township pressure to use the name Morabaraba to refer to Mhele has prevailed however. So, sooner or later a ruling by the mind sports authorities will be needed to settle the names issue.
In this rendition the game has been designed around a wooden board with nicely cut bowls. The game play is the traditional one except that there are enhancements in the scoring that totally transforms the game into a highly charged contest between human and machine.
Numbering the pebbles instantly turned a fairly predictable game play into an enhanced experience where no two matches are ever the same and winning depends on high skill, strategy and concentration. Addition of the blank pebbles enables the breaking of any opponent's winning streak in a completely random and transparent fashion making sure there is never a match where the moves are exactly predictable.
The powerful artificial intelligence in three distinct levels of strength will thrill those who love a real challenge in their games. The AI follows exactly the same rules as the human player and the random toss of the pebbles and the random dropping of pebbles is precisely the same for both human player and AI opponent. The game is very much a high skill game. With increased skill and strategy the AI is quite beatable. It will however punish you if you lose concentration.
Scoring is sophisticated and exciting. Points are gained for captured pebbles, face value of pebbles, capture of triples (3 pebbles of the same color) as well as length of moves. A high score can be achieved using good tactics and strategy to deny the opponent high value pebbles as well as determining starting bowls which give the best string of moves.
There are 9 distinct play levels. The first three levels have 32 pebbles in play with AI difficulty levels ranging from Easy, Medium and Hard. The next 3 levels have 40 pebbles in play completely altering the capturing strategy required to win at the three difficulty levels. The last 3 levels have 48 pebbles in play and the strategy for capturing pebbles and winning is again thrown wide open at the three difficulty levels.
A player can toggle down at will to lower levels but any level above the current achieved level has to be earned by beating the computer. There are more levels and variations being worked on for a soon-to-be released update to the game.
All in all the game should prove well worth it to lovers of good strategy games.
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