Simon Hands-On

If you want more proof that Sorrent's diversifying its way out of its historic base as a sports- and action-game house, here's the coup de grâce: It's bringing Simon, everyone's favorite disk-shaped electronic pastime from the 1980s, to the mobile platform. It's somewhat surprising to see a company that's known mostly for games like Driver 3 and Fox Sports Boxing take on this kind of project. It's even more surprising to see a mobile Simon looking so good.

Simon is such a simple memory game that a 3-year-old, or possibly an especially intelligent canine or dolphin, could play it. That doesn't mean it's easy, however. The Simon machine is divided into quarters, each of which is a different color and plays a different sound when hit. Simon plays patterns, and you have to remember them and play them back. The mobile Simon, thankfully, expands on this idea by offering a wide range of game options. You can play a classic game of Simon, where the CPU will start off with a single signal and then slowly ratchet up to 31 consecutive tones, or you can make up your own patterns and keep building on them until your forebrain gives out. No matter how you play, your short-term memory is going to get some exercise. Developer Super Happy Fun Fun is also implementing a pass-and-play multiplayer mode, so you'll be able to put your buddies in their place.

This version of Simon's most impressive feature is its wide range of customizable skins and sound sets, which really help liven up an otherwise exceptionally elementary game. The skins range from the classic machine's look to wood, metal, and transparent skins, all of which look great. There are plenty of sounds to choose from, too--you can make your mobile Simon play organ notes, synth blasts, or the old-school beeps.

It's nice to see this classic product receive such a high-class makeover. We expect that Simon will keep a lot of memory-game fans and nostalgia freaks busy, when it hits the download decks in January.