SmartGo One

The gameplay in SmartGo one seems fine so far and it has some good features, especially if you get the very fair priced Pro add-on. The computer gameplay is good; it’s challenging, like playing a very experienced opponent, but that’s how you improve. The thing to keep in mind is this app isn’t to teach you how to play Go or optimal strategy, it’s for you to practice Go. You will need to dive into some of the many great books about playing Go to learn the basics and strategies and the app even helps you find those books. The issues that lose the app a star are around user experience. The app’s layout is not intuitive and if you happen to have skipped the first time user demo (which a professional app developer should know most people do) there is absolutely no help available, not even a way to launch the demo again. Don’t know what that icon does? Too bad. Don’t know what the colors mean on move recommendations? Oh well. You’re left to just click buttons and try to infer what does what and what setting changes what function on your own. This app needs the developer to spend some money having a UX professional do a thorough review and then take their recommendations and implement them.

I’ve been running SmartGo apps since they started, mostly for the (GO) problems. I bought this new one just to support the developer. Not that I haven’t played a game against it si this review doesn’t apply to that piece. The GO problems in this game are RIFE with mistakes that a good proofreading would catch. “White to kill”, then black lives and the message says “this exchange doesn’t help black”. Makes no sense. This after following the suggested moves because I thought I was confused. Or, you play the correct sequence but you play one more move than the software was expecting and the stone pictured on the upper right gets a red star indicating you’ve made a mistake. When it’s not a mistake, it’s what would be the correct next move. Probably 20% of the problems have something like these. I’m a paid user, full version.

There is so much in the free version! I was just a at tournament and someone was complaining that their “free” game recording app would not save unless you bought it. Completely nuts! If only I had looked at SmartGo One before, I would have told my friend that the free download records and saves games, has extensive commenting tools, has computer play on small boards, and lets you read and interact with Go books. The FREE tutorial on playing Go is great. Any beginner would be pleased to have so much content in a single package. For the serious student of Go there is so much when you subscribe to the Pro version for less than a dollar a month. 114,000 professional games and counting, a giant set of problems, and play against the computer on full size board. I only purchased an iPad because I wanted a portable version of SmartGo software when I saw it being demonstrated in a cafeteria line at a US Go Congress many years ago. I am so pleased to see a new version come out.