Overall, the app works well, and is easy to use. This is my favorite backgammon app as far as interface and design. When playing against hard AI though, it seems like die rolls are not random, with the computer often getting an amazing roll after offering 2x and I accept. That may just be the frustration of losing skewing my memory, but it also seems like matches start with a 4-2 roll more than any other.UPDATE: The seven matches I played after originally writing this review all started 4-2. Seven matches in a row is significant enough that it doesn’t seem random. I believe there’s a 13.3% chance of rolling a 4-2 combination on the opening throw. The chances of doing that seven times in a row is incredibly low. I wanted to test to see if I could reproduce this. I started a match, and rolled 4-2. I surrendered the rest of the games in the match, and started another. Doing this three times in a row resulted in three more 4-2 rolls to open each match. That totals ten matches in a row that have all started with a 4-2 roll.Either the developers are lying when they say die rolls are random, or the algorithm they’re using to randomize has a bug they aren’t aware of. There’s a good chance die rolls during the games are random, and only the first throw is not random. It’s hard to test randomness once you get into the game.

When playing a one player game, the algorithm is set to give the computer what it needs to put your chip on the bar or get off the bar. While it takes several rolls for me to get off the bar it will only take the computer 1 to 2 rolls depending on the number of slots I have open. The computer might have 2 slots blocked and that is the numbers the I roll while I will have 1 slot open in the home area for the computer to use to get off the bar and it will roll that slot. The number of doubles also favors the computer. I normally only get them when I can’t use them. I had to laugh, I had 1 chip by itself in my home area. There was a stack of 6 beside it and I rolled a 1 & 6. No mater how I tried I couldn’t move a chip from the stack of 6 one spot to protect my vulnerable chip. I was close to winning. I had to move another chip that left 2 other chips in danger. Of course the computer landed on 2 chips and sent them to the bar and the computer won the game. It is amazing how the computer can be behind and get enough doubles to win the game. I have given up the on the idea of winning against the computer. Now I try to just get one chip in before the computer wins. It was too depressing to try to win, so I had to change my thought to I will try to get one chip in before the computer wins. That way I can laugh when I see the computer get multiple double rolls the the exact roll that it needs.

The overall look and feel of this app is great when it comes to gameplay and aesthetics. The issues with this and some other apps is the (rightfully so) feeling that the dice rolls are rigged. I will explain….So for instance, you’re playing a game against what you assume is another player in the world, although I have my doubts - I think they’re mostly bots. And say you’re playing a good strategic game, but then make one small error. I was playing off my pieces when I had two in the 6 spot and I believe four in the 3 spot and six in the 1 spot. My competitor had two in the 2 spot. I roll a 6/1 and what I probably should have done was play off a piece in each spot, leaving a single piece in the 6 spot. What I did was play off one in the 6 spot and moved the single piece forward. What happened next was exactly what you think would happen. They were given the roll to take my piece and then every subsequent roll was perfect for them to block options until I had nothing. Every roll I had never game me even one spot to the point of being statistically impossible. For the longest time, they only had two areas blocked for me to re-enter and every time, I was thwarted. Fix the rigged dice roll mechanic and this would be a near perfect backgammon app.

Updating this review to sound slightly less harsh. Probably not the best idea to write a review when you’re frustrated and tired at the end of a long day. I’ve read multiple comments from the developers claiming that the dice rolling is random and does not depend on anything that is happening at that point in the game but there are times when the AI system seems to have very lucky streaks when playing on the hard difficulty. These streaks have happened frequent enough to the point that it doesn’t feel random. The developers have been quick to provide feedback and the game functions ok. There is currently an issue where the game doesn’t update correctly with iCloud and you will be thrown back to a point midway through your last game when reopening the app. The interface is nice but I’m not sure if this app will be my go to backgammon app. Had higher hopes seeing that it was offered in the Apple Arcade but will likely search for a different app to see if I can find one that I like better.