If there’s one of the most practical uses for the iPad it’s bringing classic board games to your hands, and Yahtzee is certainly no exception. From EA – the same makers of other iPad boards games like Scrabble and Boggle you notice straight away the level of quality in their previous games is impressively held up here.
When you start your first game you’re given the easy to follow ‘How to Play’ tutorial by the Yahtzee Sensei but this only occurs once. Not to worry if it’s your first time though, because you have the option to turn the tutorials on every time you play or see all the instructions in the help menu.
The menu layout is clean so you won’t have any trouble navigating between game choices, the options menu or the extras.
Once in-game you roll the dice by either moving your finger back and forth on the cup then releasing, alternatively you can hold your thumb on the cup and shake the iPad. The dice roll out and tumble around the Yahtzee board realistically, then selecting the die you want to hold for the next roll is just a case of tapping them.
The visuals and animated backgrounds are sharp and bright, creating a game that’s not only fun to play but also wonderful to look at too. It doesn’t end there though, the gameplay and visuals are top notch and the audio is also spot on. Everything so far, coupled with realistic sound effects are enough to make you forget you’re playing on the iPad and not the original game itself. The background music however is an ongoing jazz soundtrack, but if jazz isn’t your musical preference you can play the music stored on your iPad… I know I did!
Yahtzee brings an abundance of game modes including Classic Yahtzee, Rainbow, Duplicate and Battle modes. There’s even a single player adventure mode where you play through all the different variations of the game against characters with diverse gameplay styles. When you beat a new contender for the first time they will be unlocked for quickplay and their bio will be available in the extras menu.
Another great advantage for newcomers to the game is how EA highlight your available scoring options after you roll the dice. If you roll a Flush, the score will be displayed under the Flush button, so you will always be able to see all your point options, giving you the ability to easily pick your best scoring move without having to do the math in your head.
As for multiplayer mode, you need a Facebook account to be able to take full advantage of the challenges and leaderboards and you cannot play locally with separate iPads via wifi or bluetooth. You can however, play up to four players on the same iPad using pass ‘n’ play.
If you already own Yahtzee for the iPhone and might have second thoughts about shelling out for the iPad version, don’t! This is a game of it’s own right, and not just a rehashed iPhone version.
Final Rating
I had never played Yahtzee before so I’ve approached the game as a complete newbie in every aspect of the word. For those of you that already know how to play Yahtzee you will be able to dive right in and enjoy the game and all the extras features. For all those that have never played before, have no fear as there are easy to follow tutorials for all the different game modes for this incredibly fun and addictive game. The presentation and execution of are head above shoulders and you’ll be screaming out Yahtzee with delight in no time.
I’m going to give Yahtzee HD a Full Five stars! YAHTZEE!!!!
Yahtzee HD is out now for $4.99. Get it on the 
