Before there was Sheepstacker, the App Store had Scoops.  Every time I ran across a thread discussing it, people were always raving about it.  The funny thing is that I didn’t even realize it was a stacking game until not too long before I actually got a copy.  While it might not have the cool sheep animations and sounds of Sheepstacker, or the multiple game modes of that other game, it is a fun game in it’s own right.  I’m just not sure if it’s enough fun to be the same price as Sheepstacker.

Stacking To The Moon

The premise is simple.  You start with a cone and one scoop of ice cream.  Using your device you tilt back and forth to move the cone left and right, collecting falling scoops of ice cream.  As you collect scoops your points and score multiplier goes up.  If you bump a scoop but don’t get it on your stack, or if you collect a vegetable, your multiplier goes down.  Also, if you collect a vegetable you lose a life.  Once all three lives are gone, the game is over.  I like the fact that they use an outside force – the vegetables – as the means of you losing a life, and not just simply missing a scoop.  I also like the whole multiplier scoring mechanism.

What I’m not sure about is the price vs. content ratio.  At full price the game cost as much as Sheepstacker and twice as much as Totem, two other quality budget stackers.  Sheepstacker has 3 different game play modes, and Totem at least has a purpose besides just stacking.  The other problem is that both Sheepstacker and Totem provide music, while in Scoops you have to bring your own.  I know this is a somewhat common trend with iPhone games, and it’s fine as an option, but it’s not an acceptable substitute, especially for people like me who use my device primarily for gaming, and not music.

The graphics in scoops are decent enough.  I do like how the background changes, especially as your cone starts to wander out into space.  That’s one huge cone!  The sound effects are pretty much limited to dings when you get more than one scoop of the same time of ice cream.

Scoops is a good game, and if you have kids they will probably particularly enjoy the ice cream theme.  However, in terms of it’s value versus similar products, it really puts me on the fence for recommending it.

Final Verdict: On The Fence
App Store Link
App Shopper Link

[Note: image courtesy of App Shopper]