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 Scuba ScoutVersion: 1.2 Price: Free and paid versions ($.99) Platform: iPhone, iPod and iPad |
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| Description: | Scuba Scout puts you in a mini submarine where you dodge and blast mines while racking up points. |
| Pros: | Works in both touch mode and accelerometer mode; easy to play; whimsical sound effects; good for all ages. |
| Cons: | Accelerometer mode needs adjusting; response is not nearly as quick as touch mode. |
| Bottom Line: | Low-resolution graphics, simple game play, easyto- understand goals and fun sound effects all make this an enjoyable app for anyone who can use an iPhone. Within seconds of launching the app, I was able to play — you don’t really need the instructions. It was nice to use either the onscreen touch buttons or the accelerometers in the devices to play the games. |
 Booty DiverVersion: 1.0 Price: Free Platform: iPhone, iPod, iPad, and Android |
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| Description: | Scuba dive for sunken treasure in Booty Diver while managing your air and avoiding sharks and jellyfish. |
| Pros: | 3-D game play requires touch and accelerometer game play simultaneously; upgrades make the diver more efficient and faster underwater. |
| Cons: | Very disorienting at times; repetitive after a few boards. |
| Bottom Line: | While similar to other games, this one takes game play up a level by adding a third dimension. The images in the game have much more depth and interaction than any other diving game at this price point. Responsive interaction is also a plus. Adding more challenges or obstacles and eliminating the monotonous boards would be better. |
 ScubaDiverVersion: 1.4.0 Price: Free and paid versions ($.99) Platform: iPhone, iPod, iPad, Android and Kindle (Amazon) |
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| Description: | Snorkel in the seven seas to find treasure while avoiding dangers along the way. |
| Pros: | Free for Android and Kindle at time of testing; great audio and visual game play; very responsive game play and feedback. |
| Cons: | Not a lot of instructions; low-resolution graphics and repetitive background. |
| Bottom Line: | Deceptively named — it really is a freediving game — ScubaDiver was still fun to play. This game will play on just about any mobile device. The object is to manage your breathholding as you avoid dangerous obstacles and collect treasures to put in your museum. There are also hidden treasures on the boards. |
 Sea CleanerVersion: 2.5 Price: $.99 Platform: iPhone, iPod, iPad |
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| Description: | In Sea Cleaner, players help Scuba Dude clean up trash in the Pacifi |
| Pros: | Introduces kids to the marine-debris problems in the world’s oceans. |
| Cons: | No instructions; no information on developer’s site and very little information on the App Store. |
| Bottom Line: | You bounce a red ball and try to land it on waves by tilting the iDevice left or right. Every wave you jump to without falling off earns points. Some waves have plastic garbage on them. If you land on the garbage, it shoots you past a few waves and gives you a bonus. That is the entire game and probably only fun for kids age 5 and under. |
Michael Dombrowski is an electrical and software engineer, and owner of DomCo Electronics, with more than 10 years’ experience specializing in iOS application development.
