Morocco HD

It's hard to believe it's been two years since I wrote Morocco for the iPhone. It was one of the first apps available in Apple's App Store. I made it available for free because it had been written as a hobby and a way to learn iPhone programming.

I was unprepared for how popular it would be. Mind you, it's easier for something to be popular when it's free. But beyond that, I appreciated the nice comments that were left in iTunes and the constructive criticism from people who wanted it to be better. Even now, with no updates to it since August of 2008, it gets almost 2,000 new downloads every day.

I'm happy to announce that Morocco HD is now available for the iPad. In writing it, I tried to keep in mind what people said they liked about the original — particularly the clean, easy-to-use interface that lends itself to quick pick-up-and-play games when you want a break.

I also fixed a few valid complaints. Morocco HD has instructions to teach new users how to play Reversi. And there is now an option to require the user to acknowledge forced pass moves, instead of having the game automatically take multiple turns in a row when the player has no legal moves available.

Finally, the graphics and user experience have been greatly improved to provide the level of quality I believe people expect from iPad apps. Nik Daum once again came through with beautiful backgrounds and game boards, as well as outstanding layouts for the game in both portrait and landscape orientations. Honestly, the game would look like poo if it weren't for him. I've also added sound (which can be turned off, of course).

Morocco HD is now available in the App Store for $1.99. The original Morocco, which will run on an iPad although without the beautiful new graphics and other features, remains free.

View Morocco HD in the App Store