All of you iPhone users out there have a new style of gaming to look for ward, thanks to the ingenious software developers at Gameloft who have just released ‘Chess & Backgammon Classics’ for the iPhone.

It’s difficult to build up any suspense before announcing the splendid game variety since, well, the name kind of gives it away, but users will be able to play (drum roll anyone?) Chess and Backgammon!

Okay, that wasn’t very impressive, but here comes the neat part. The features of the iPhone can be used to play both chess and backgammon games, allowing players to drag-and-drop chess and backgammon pieces with the touch screen and roll the backgammon dice by shaking the iPhone. Yes, you’ll need to shake that tiny little sensitive device, but don’t worry – Nintendo Wii has been doing it for years – it’s safe.

iPhone users can choose from three play modes, Instant Play, Classic Games and Quiz Mode. 2D and 3D views are available, and I must say the 3D graphics are pretty impressive for such a small screen. For all of you self proclaimed Grand Masters out there, make it more of a challenge by selecting from a range of difficulty levels, including ‘human-like artificial intelligence’. There’s a large selection of themes as well to liven up the action.

Gameloft’s Chess and Backgammon Classics retails for about £5.99.

- 2008-08-05