eMoraba Free

Strategize and collect as many pebbles as you can in this delightful pebble game now on windows 8. Play against a friend or take on the computer in nine playing levels.

This game is adapted from the original classic African board game Morabaraba or Mancala or Oware etc. The game has been designed around a wooden board with nicely cut bowls. The game play is the traditional one except that there are enhancements in the scoring that totally transforms the game into a highly charged contest between human and machine.

Numbering the pebbles instantly turned a fairly predictable game play into an enhanced experience where no two matches are ever the same and winning depends on high skill, strategy and concentration. Addition of the blank pebbles enables the breaking of any opponent's winning streak in a completely random and transparent fashion making sure there is never a match where the moves are exactly predictable.

The powerful artificial intelligence in three distinct levels of strength will thrill those who love a real challenge in their games. The AI follows exactly the same rules as the human player and the random toss of the pebbles and the random dropping of pebbles is precisely the same for both human player and AI opponent. The game is very much a high skill game. With increased skill and strategy the AI is quite beatable. It will however punish you if you lose concentration.

Scoring is sophisticated and exciting. Points are gained for captured pebbles, face value of pebbles, capture of triples (3 pebbles of the same color) as well as length of moves. A high score can be achieved using good tactics and strategy to deny the opponent high value pebbles as well as determining starting bowls which give the best string of moves.

There are 9 distinct play levels. The first three levels have 32 pebbles in play with AI difficulty levels ranging from Easy, Medium and Hard. The next 3 levels have 40 pebbles in play completely altering the capturing strategy required to win at the three difficulty levels. The last 3 levels have 48 pebbles in play and the strategy for capturing pebbles and winning is again thrown wide open at the three difficulty levels. A player can toggle down at will to lower levels but any level above the current achieved level has to be earned by beating the computer. There are more levels and variations being worked on for a soon-to-be released update to the game. All in all the game should prove well worth it to lovers of good strategy games.