Set Cards Game

The idea behind Set, the now-classic card/puzzle game, can be mind-numbingly difficult to explain. Some people just can't wrap their heads around the "all the same or all different concept." Of course, some people get it right away. For both types, the new Set app [$1.99] for the iPhone and iPod touch&iPad is a fine challenge, even if it's not perfect in all aspects.

Here's the gist of the game: each card in the 81-card deck has between one and three images on it. These images come in three shapes (diamond, oval, and squiggly), three colors (red, green, and purple), and three levels of shading (solid, lined, and empty). Every possible combination is available on one single card.

The app's clear graphics and simple look work great. The only problem, carried over from the card game, is that people who are red-green colorblind might have difficulty identifying colors correctly. The app really should include an option to set the three colors on the cards to whatever a player wants, making it possible for anyone to enjoy. Well, anyone who can get what a set is, anyway.

Something about Set just screams higher level math. And yet, when you're playing, it's simply fun. But, speaking of getting geeky with Set, check out this paper (PDF) about the ACTSet program in Mac OS X called "How to Construct a Believable Opponent using Cognitive Modeling in the Game of Set." Whew.