Angry Birds Makes Me Happy

I've come to the conclusion that an iPhone user has no choice but to download Angry Birds. Sure, to some of you, this may be crazy game-loving Jeremy stuffing more content down your throat, but believe me on this one- you will thank me later.

At 99 cents, Angry Birds doesn't require you to make a huge financial decision, yet it comes jam packed with content which the developer, Rovio, keeps updating. All in all, the game touts 195 levels and counting, and let me tell you, conquering them is no easy task.

Here's the very odd plot: A group of birds are watching over a set of unhatched eggs. The birds are so protective that the second a mosquito lands on one, the birds then proceed to give him a mob-style beating. While this beating is going on, a set of pigs nearby are eating grass. Seemingly unsatisfied with their meal, the pigs spot the eggs and decide that the eggs would make a better meal. So they steal the eggs and the birds, horrified that they let such a thing happen, become angry and vengeful. Hence, Angry Birds.

Anyways, the pigs have retreated to structures made of glass, wood, and stone in what eventually escalates to a twisted version of The Three Little Pigs.. At the start of each level, you're given a set amount of birds and a slingshot. Your job is to launch the birds at these structures and "kill" the pigs living inside them. Make no mistake, these birds are on a serious kamikaze-type mission.

The Three Little Pigs this is not.

To help you out, each bird has a different ability. The basic red bird works like a cannonball, while the yellow one thrusts itself at a high velocity. The blue bird splits into three, another acts as a boomerang, and another acts as a ticking time bomb. The structures start out easy enough, but as you gradually move through the game, things start to pick up. You may be given birds that really aren't suited to take down certain structures. The structures are made of more stone than wood or glass, and the structures themselves are more architecturally sound in that they use a lot of triangles and reinforcement so that it takes quite a bit of damage to topple them.

Make no mistake though- this game is addictive. Because a level can take you less than a minute to complete, it's easy to pick the game up and play anytime you have a couple of free minutes. Like I said, it's 99 cents, and if you have an iPad, the HD version is $5- a steeper investment, but considering the larger screen and better graphics, it's still worth it. Either way, there's a reason why this game has been a top seller since it's release, and I hope you buy it and find out why for yourself.