Spb Software House has introduced something new in the way of handheld gaming.  They've mixed a bit of fantasy with a town sim game, added a few fast paced mini games, connected it to other players on the web and turned out something totally new and refreshing.  They're calling it Spb AirIsands and I've been playing it avidly since it was released last week.

Introduction

The premise of the game is that there was a fantasy world held together by towers that provided sufficient gravity to hold the planet together.  One day these gravitators failed due to age and decay causing the planet to break apart into thousands of islands in the air.  Your job as a player is to supervise the development of a village on one of these AirIslands, earn money and supplies and rebuild the gravitator device.

Developing Your Island

To begin the game you are given an empty island.  You are able to use water, bricks lumber and money (of course) to build homes, barns, lakes, windmills and other important structures.  Over time your town will grow and the people there will earn gold coins by doing work around the village.  The gold can then be used to further improve the town and repair the gravitator.  But you've got to make sure you keep your village's population, economy, pollution and happiness in check. 

This portion of the game differs little from other sim games out there.  But one aspect I like about the village simulator is that there's a purpose for all this work.  You're goal is to build a gravitator, not just sit and watch the village change from day to day.  The graphics in the simulation portion of the game are jaw dropping.  I've been playing on a VGA device and the detail amazes me.  The surface of the lakes ripple.  The tiny people chop wood and perform other detailed tasks.  Smoke rises from the houses' chimneys periodically.  The stars twinkle at night as the clouds drift by.  You've really got to see this game's graphics for yourself to appreciate them.

Earning Your Keep

The folks at Spb Software House realize that you're not just going to want to sit and stare at your town earning money.  That's where the mini games come in.  These are revised versions of other Spb games that are included as part of AirIslands.  And they have a purpose.  You have to earn your resources by getting good scores in the mini games.  A good game of Bubbles will earn water for your village.  Arkaball will help you earn bricks to build a new windmill.  And Xonix will help you earn wood to build a new shed or house.  So if you've got a minute standing in line at the store, you can fire up a mini game and help your village progress.

Game play is fast and fun in each of these three games.  Xonix is the most challenging, of the three.  There you have to use a laser to cut off pieces of the board on screen before being hit by wrenches, bearings and other obstacles.  Arkaball is the classic paddle brick breaking game.  And Bubbles requires fine aim to break matching colored water bubbles.  If the simulation aspect of the game isn't entertaining enough, the mini games will help add an extra challenge.

The AirIslands Community

The mix of different game genres isn't the only thing that makes Spb AirIslands unique.  There's also a growing community of islands in the sky at www.spbairislands.com.  There, any registered player can upload his or her island complete with a screen shot, stats and mini game high scores.  The site features a map of all the AirIslands which allows players to see each other's islands and how they're growing.  Then players can check out their standings in the various mini game high score boards and participate in the forums.  The forums have already begun to fill with good tips on how to make your island progress faster.  The website really helps add a community feeling to the game.

Conclusion

Spb AirIslands is a new concept and one I'm quite fond of.  It's not perfect.  I'd like to be able to upload my island directly from my handheld.  Right now I have to sync with a desktop.  And I'd like to be able to save multiple islands at a time.  Currently if you choose to create a new island, the previous island is completely deleted.  Despite these things, AirIslands is a captivating and detailed playing experience.  I'm willing to call it the most entertaining original game for Windows Mobile that I've played so far.  It runs on Windows Mobile 2003, 2003 Second Edition and Windows Mobile 5.  There are versions for both QVGA and full VGA screens as well.

Final Grade: A

Pros: Addictive story line.  Good mix of sim and faster paced games.  Fun original game concept.

Cons: Must use a desktop to upload your island to the web and only one island can be played at a time.

Spb AirIslands is available from www.spbairislands.com and  www.handango.com.