Olympic Curling for 1 or 2 Players

MaxNick has announced the introduction of iCurl 1.0.1, their new 1 or 2 player game for the iPhone and iPod touch. The game comes in the wake of the excitement of the 2010 Winter Olympics, where the sport of curling generated world-wide enthusiasm. Similar to shuffleboard on ice, the game is played on flat ice curling sheet, roughly 15x150 feet. Players slide round stones of about 40 pounds towards bull's eye targets at either end. Two teammates may use brooms to sweep the ice in front of the moving stone.

iCurl attempts to simulate Olympic Curling by incorporating many aspects of the actual sport. Fundamentally, curling is about force, mass, friction, momentum, rotation, and collision. The app exploits the sophisticated physics engine built into the iPhone OS to generate a convincing simulation of all these elements as they interact. In the terminology of curling the weight is the velocity of the stone; the turn is the rotation of the stone (which affects its trajectory); and the line is the direction of the throw or delivery. iCurl allows the player to continuously and independently control all three, permitting advanced tactics such as the guard, takeout and tap. In addition, the app allows the player to sweep the ice while their stone is moving, adjusting trajectory after the delivery.

Feature Highlights:
* Realistic, hi-res simulation of Olympic Curling
* Complete control of force, direction and rotation of the stone
* Advanced features permit tactics used in actual play of game called "chess on ice"
* Detailed instructions for gameplay
* Can be played by 1 player against the computer, or 2 players against each other
* Exploits advanced physics engine of iPhone OS to simulate realistic motion


iCurl 1.0.1 features realistic, hi-res graphics, which include an innovative representation of the stone's momentum as it slows. Sounds of music, crowd reaction, stone travel and collision are all present. There is also a 2-player mode, where opponents can compete via blue-tooth or wi-fi.

"Curling is a surprisingly exciting game, because it is a game of inches," commented developer Nikolay Verevkin. "iCurling captures the excitement of Olympic Curling, as you watch your stone sliding down the ice."

Pricing and Availability:
iCurling 1.0.1 for iPhone and iPod touch is available now for only $.99 (USD) at the App Store in the Games category. Review copies on request.

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