I've always had tremendous respect for the blind. While many cope with this disability every day, I can't even imagine not being able to see where I'm going or play most videogames. Indie developer Ananse Productions won't be able to assist the former, but they could with the latter. Their recent iOS puzzler, Stem Stumper was built from the ground up to be accessible to the vision impaired.

The goal of Stem Stumper is to grow a vine named Mimea by guiding her to fertilizer. The game is played over a grid with Mimea starting out in the lower-right corner. Obstacles like tree stumps, brick walls, and poisonous clouds stand in her way, but explosive acorns, slingshots, and poison-resistant shields will clear such hindrances. Only trouble is that these items are buried underground and must be discovered by scrolling your finger around until you hit pay dirt. Using items injures Mimea, but fertilizer replenishes her roots, and finding all of it completes the stage.

Why are all the trees just stumps? I'm sensing an environmental message here.

It's not a particularly challenging game, but you can increase the difficulty significantly by turning on "sonar mode," where the entire playing field is invisible. Since each item and obstacle makes a specific noise, you can make a mental image of the map by feeling around the screen.

While sonar mode sort of simulates being blind, it's certainly no substitute for the real thing. You still have a grid after all, so remembering where you last spotted an item is much easier than the "pin the tail on the donkey" alternative. It's also less challenging to grasp if you've seen it in full first.

This is sonar mode. It's just like the other modes, except you have to play on sound alone. (This is for the pic of the black and green grid.)

For those with working peepers Stem Stumper won't be the most devious puzzler, but it's still relaxing and addictive. Levels are short and sweet, and I found myself thinking "just one more" far too often while procrastinating on important matters like writing this review.

Playing blind, however, is another ballgame. Sonar mode may be difficult, but that it can be played by the hard-of-seeing at all is a triumph.

The bottom line. Stem Stumper may lack the depth of some puzzle games, but it's fast-paced, addictive, and better yet, can be played by people with visual impairment.