SmartGo Player App Reviews

Description makes it seem like you can play over the network, but you cant. Also no ability to see the whole board before you commit a move.

If youre new to the game of Go this is a great tool to get playing. Very helpful tutorial to walk you through the rules, and a good computer opponent thatll keep you learning for quite a while.

Absolutely horrible. Waste of money.

Is there a computer opponent? I cant tell. It seems like Im supposed to play both sides, because nothing happens unless I tap one of these obscure icons and place a piece of the other color myself. What does the flag button do? What do any of these buttons do? I tried the tutorial, but its just a text document about the rules of Go. I already know those. I want a tutorial on how to use this obtuse and incomprehensible app, but now I cant even get out of this rule book document without closing the app. Save your money. Do not buy this.

Can not play over network. I live by myself so there is no player 2 at home. The computer always win. Boring.

No idea why other reviewers are ripping this game, it is absolutely great. The computer opponent is fairly strong (for me) and I can definitely see myself improving playing against it. Only downside is no network play, hope they add that feature soon.

Ive tried many iOS variants for a Go AI(solo play). There appears to be no network play. I was first confused on the first game as the AI didnt play by itself. Then after that the AI adjusted to play automatically. Other apps are either way too weak, or way too long(joygo9x9 takes 30seconds/move). There other app that was good was fixed 20x20 and joy go. Its fine, but the gam is too big and takes to long. Could be five stars, but this app makes you earn your way to play on a 11x11 board, and 13x13. So if you want a good game AI for beginners, this is worth the $3

Very well done

Computer wont take a turn.

It is as elegant an app as the game itself. Coming back to Go after 15 years away, this is a fantastic submersion. The tutorials are excellent and the computer opponent, devious! To those with reactionary dismissive comments just put down the hyper-brain 21st century freakout stick and breathe! Would someone intentionally release an app in a closed system that didnt work at all the way it was supposed too? Probably not. So maybe you arent using it correctly. Probably so! See that grid with the plus in the top left corner? Click it and it brings you to a New Game screen with your choice of Computer or Human opponent. Choose one, hit play and you are playing Go. It doesnt say anywhere that you can play this game on a network and if you are put out because you assumed it could well... No, I dont work for this company but I love their product and tolerance for sheep jerks is low.

Really enjoy this app. Have loved Go for a while but couldnt find a good program to learn and practice with. Good tutorial, smart and challenging AI, and easy navigation. I would have rated this a five except that the in-game score sheet doesnt seem to be very consistent, I have been given slightly differing results when pulling up the sheet consecutive times on the same move. Please fix this and I may even consider buying the Kifu version.

Forcing the player to start on a 9x9 board is a terrible way for a beginner to experience go. Professionals lose to computers on small boards, so artificially restricting the game is an excellent way to frustrate beginners and casual players hoping to learn the amazing game on their iPads

If you are a beginner, do not hesitate to invest $3. It is really worthwhile.

This is the app that will get you into Go. It is recommended that to get at Go a beginner must “lose her first 50 games as quickly as possible.” With SmartGo Player, you can reach that milestone easily in an afternoon. The AI is surprisingly fast (<2 sec moves), but will challenge a beginner (although the generous handicaps will prevent you from throwing your iPad at the wall in frustration). The territory estimation maps are a neat touch and the automatic resignation feature (which can be switched off) is equally as nice an addition. It is an incredibly smart, adapting program— the not-so-kindly grandfather you need to jumpstart your Go career. Absolutely worth the money.

A mis-feature in the latest version is that launching SmartGo stops podcast or other background music. But otherwise, I play with this often and enjoy it very much.

Great for noobs and looks good for higher levels but I cant really judge

If you are looking for an aide to learn Go, or an intelligent Go game board look no further. SmartGo is an extremely high quality application both in terms of how it is written (polished and intuitive) and the features it provides (great tutorial, helpful features). It is easy to use and helpful for either human vs. human play or computer vs. human play. After a many year hiatus it has helped me get back into the game. The tutorial is particularly helpful if you are just starting out or need a refresher. My 13 year old did it and learned the game well enough with it to play other beginners. The scoring and play analysis features are also really helpful. I also exchanged emails with the author (who replied almost immediately on a Sunday night) and he offered me some great advice on how to get better even steering me away from the more expensive kifu version until I got better. (Checkout the Go Book app). Suffice to say, you can’t go wrong with this app if you are interested in playing Go on either an iPhone or IPad (I’ve used the app in both and it works great on either).

Its the best app available for playing go. It provides all the options I would need. Puzzles would be a nice.

Recently i had an issue with the game and thought it might be technical in nature. As it turns out the game was functioning perfectly and the individual in customer support was very helpful. This game is outstanding and the customer support is even more so. Keep it updated, this is one of favorite apps!

I find that the lengthy interactive tutorial is a great way to start understanding the fundamentals.