There was a time when mobile card games consisted of using real playing cards or whipping our your Psion and playing the built in HomeRun. It looked like any other card game, but it held within an experience that was incredibly addictive. It was a game that you simply had to come back to multiple times a day just to beat your high score or to increase your average. These simple numbers became the ultimate challenge, but alas it went away with the Psion range of PDAs.
ZingMagic owns the rights to the game and released HomeRun for iOS some time ago. It was a decent enough port and included all of the original options, but the lack of sounds and general slow performance meant that it didn’t feel as fresh as the original did all those years ago.
HomeRun for iOS has since been updated and is now called HomeRun 3. Sadly, there are still no sound effects, but the game looks much more professional and feels more like the original in the sensations it offers. You are given a layout of cards and your job is to clear every card from the board. This is done by clearing groups in order. For example, if you have a 2 of Spades you can then choose a 3 of any suite if it is available or an Ace of any suite. You can then choose a 4 and then a 5 and then back to a 4 or whatever card is available. This can open up long lines of moves which gives bonus points and if you clear the board, you are then presented with a bonus game where you have to guess higher or lower than the card that is on screen. You can guess for as long as you win or collect the points at any time. And then on to the next round.
It is a game that will eat up your time, but in a relaxing way and is one of the very best card games available on any platform. The inclusion of adverts is understandable, but it would be nice to see a paid version available so that serious players can enjoy the game in full screen. Besides that minor point, HomeRun is still as good today as it always was.