REVIEW: Angry Birds Seasons

Those with them-there Smartphones (you know--- SMARTphones... the ones that will rise up and overthrow us...) know of a little addictive time waster called ANGRY BIRDS.
Those who don't know what I'm talking about I'll try and explain (if you want to skip the description you can scan ahead for the word PINEAPPLE).

Angry Birds is a game.
A very simple, very clever, VERY addictive game.
It goes a little something like this:  Pigs have stolen the birds' eggs and the birds are trying to enact revenge by flinging themselves, kamikaze-style, into the structures the pigs have built.  When you knock the structures down and crush the pigs, you move on to the next level.
That's it at its' simplistic.
The strategy and skill of the game comes in as each bird has a different ability such as being able to explode like a bomb, split into three smaller birds, or boomerang back.  I think THIS Oatmeal comic sums up their abilities and their usefulness (caution, contains a swear word) better than I ever could.
PINEAPPLE!

So last year, Rovio put out what was then called ANGRY BIRDS HALLOWEEN.  The .99 cent download gave you 45 new levels all done in a Halloween theme.

How's it look?
It's done in lovely Halloweeney colors:  oranges, blacks, yellows, grays and greens (for the pigs).
Jack o' lanterns are stacked throughout levels and when they tumble, they explode into a flurry of black bats.
The backgrounds incorporate twisted dead tree shadows and a full moon usually sits high in the sky.
Sometimes the boards themselves incorporate a Halloween theme (like the jack o' lantern board in the pic to the left) but they're usually few and far between.  

How's it sound?
There's a montage of sound effects on a loop that provide a great Halloween soundscape while you game.  Crickets, church bells, a werewolf howl, and of course that spooky Theremin all add up to a spooky mix that helps keep the Halloween spirit active while you play.
Those exploding jack o' lanterns elicit a high pitched witch cackle to accompany the flurry of bats.  It's satisfying to say the least.  You can watch the trailer HERE on YouTube to get an idea of the sights and sounds you'll get in the game. 

Is it fun?
Angry Birds has been downloaded almost 10 million times so... y'know... that should say something.

What else is there to know?
As it's been almost a year, the game is now called ANGRY BIRDS SEASONS and includes extra levels (provided free via updates) for the December holidays, Valentines Day, Easter, and St. Patrick's Day.  So if you buy it now, you'll automatically get 5 seasons at once.
And the price can't be beat:  still only .99 cents.  That's less than a dollar for a ton of gaming entertainment.
Buy it for the Halloween levels, but stay for tons of boards for the other holidays.
No Arbor Day update yet, but we can hope.  

Buy it HERE from the iPhone app store.