ArtPuzzle HD by MacPhun is a fun art history lesson on the iPad
The iPad has transformed a lot of things – and now it has even brought us a new way to work a jigsaw puzzle.
There are several iPad apps out there for working these age old games. One such app is called Art Puzzle HD .
Beautiful Works of Art
The unique thing about this game is that you are working puzzles of classic paintings.
When you first fire up the app, you are in an art museum – with several galleries behind closed doors.
The first four galleries contain 20 puzzles each – which is a total of 80 puzzles. Each puzzle is a famous painting.
The first painting in each gallery is available for completing, while the remainder of the puzzles are covered with a white cloth.
As you solve each puzzle the next one is revealed.
In addition to the first four galleries, there are several more that are “closed”. You can open these through an in app purchase.
While you solve the puzzles – you can choose to have the app play some classical music in the background.
Working the Puzzles
I had expected the puzzle pieces in this iPad puzzle game to be shaped like traditional jigsaw puzzle pieces. However the pieces are square and placed randomly on the board – like a “15″ puzzle.
You have the option to set the difficulty level of the puzzle. There are four levels to choose from. The easiest has fewer and larger pieces – while the hardest level has more pieces that are smaller.
To move pieces around the board, you tap on one piece and then tap on a second piece for them to switch places.
Pros and Cons
Pros
I found this game to be fun, educational, and relaxing. It’s really an art history lesson and an iPad puzzle game rolled into one.
I turned off the music, turned on my favorite TV show, and solved a few puzzles while watching. Multi-tasking at it’s best!
Even younger children can play this game on the easy level – and become familiar with the classics while they play.
Cons
The only downside to this iPad game is that you cannot move blocks of pieces as a single unit.
So, if you happen to piece together a section in – say – the upper right hand corner, but in actuality it belongs in the center, then you have to shuffle each piece one at a time to the correct position.
One thing that I would like to see is a “box lid” as well. You know, when you buy an old fashioned, offline puzzle – you can always look at the picture on the box lid as a point of reference to see what the finished puzzle will look like.
Where To Buy
Art Puzzle HD is available on the iTunes App Store. At the time of this writing it is .99.
Disclosure
I purchased this Art Puzzle HD on the iTunes App Store for my personal use.
