Battleship is one of the most popular board games of all time. It has been available on the iPhone and iPad in many different versions. Battleship for iPad is a free application that keeps things simple, just like the original. It’s not graphically intense or full of additional features, but it’s a solid app that offers ad-free gameplay.
You can start either a one-player or two-player game. The one-player game is just you against the computer. The two-player game allows two iPads to connect to each other. That’s it for the main screen menu options, as there are no buttons for settings or high scores. Having such minimal content might seem odd, but it’s somewhat refreshing using an application with only the necessities. All you really need is a “start game” button.
The screen shows your grid and the opponent’s grid, with a chart that displays which ships have been hit or sunk. You first need to place your ships on the screen by tapping on them and dragging them into the grid. You can rotate the ships by using two fingers to place them vertically instead of horizontally. However, placing the ships can prove to be a bit frustrating. When placing a ship, it doesn’t always snap into the correct location. For example, it might appear as though the ship is in column seven, but when you release it, it might snap into column six. The ship needs to be almost perfectly positioned in order to snap into the correct place. This isn’t a huge issue, but it happens enough to become annoying.
Playing the game is as easy as tapping on the screen, trying to find your opponent’s ships. If you miss, a torpedo sound will play, and the grid will become shaded. If you get a hit, an explosion sound will play, and you’ll see a red burst. You simply go back and forth until someone sinks all the ships first. It’s a simple application for a simple game. Even though it lacks all the bells and whistles, it’s a free game that will certainly entertain the casual gamer.
