 |
| OVERALL RATING |
3.0 |
| Presentation |
 |
3.0 |
| Control |
 |
3.5 |
| Gameplay |
|
3.5 |
| Fun factor |
|
3.0 |
| User Rating |
 |
2.5 |
 |
Posted: October 23, 2007
Skipping Stone IQ is a seemingly simple game that allows you to strap on your thinking cap and solve a series of puzzles. It isn’t like those brain “training” games that have crowded the marketplace recently, but it does test your IQ, in a tongue-in-cheek sort of way.
The game contains a total of 99 timed setups to solve by placing the stones in all of the available slots. You can move around the entire board to launch the stones, but there are also direction-changing obstacles that you must pay attention to. Sometimes these will help, and other times they will just make the puzzle more difficult to solve. The main thing to remember is that the stone’s momentum won’t be stopped until it reaches a barrier wall or another stone.
A few helpful items are available such as Cancel, which allows you to remove a previously placed stone, and Direct, which lets you throw a stone at a slot without being affected by any obstacles. These are not always available however, unless they are indicated by a specific level. One last handy item is Time, which can be collected to extend the time limit you have to solving the puzzle.
IQ is determined by the difficulty of the puzzle, the time it takes to complete it, and the number of moves and items used. Don’t get too excited though because it is very lighthearted and you’ll most likely end up with a score similar to that of a monkey or primitive man. The game does however challenge your problem-solving, foresight, and visualization skills, but be prepared to meet some really tough puzzles in the later levels.
While you’re sweating it out trying to solve all of the puzzles in Normal mode, remember that there is also a Hard mode, and a Mirror mode that allows you to play levels in reverse. This adds to the number of available levels to solve.
Throughout the entire game, Skipping Stone IQ includes a storyline wherein Skip (the stone) must rescue Pebbie (his girl) from the clutches of Dark Stone. (This is why you’re stuck solving all of the puzzles.) It’s a cute addition to the game and it gives you some motivation to complete all of the levels, but you’re most likely to continue playing anyway, just really, don’t take the IQ scores too seriously.
