Yahtzee is another childhood favorite being reintroduced to today’s gadget-laden iPod generation. We grew up huddling together on cold winter floors, rolling dice for the chance at five-of-a-kind. (This was before iPods and global warming, mind you.) Now iPod owners can experience the same thrill on a bus (or in class) without a dice-ready surface.

Players roll certain combinations to win points, filling out a scorecard with slots for four-of-a-kind, straights, and others. A few simple clicks set aside any of the previously rolled dice for two re-rolls, improving subsequent odds. We had fun with these original rules, but Rainbow Rules add a little more variety, featuring three colors of dice and additional, color-related scoring combinations. And another mode rolls the exact same dice for each player; the final winner emerges with the best strategy. Gamers face the iPod AI or pass it to a friend for two-player matches. But we’re disappointed that more players can’t join in.

The bottom line. The iPod game adds a few twists to real-world Yahtzee, but it’s basically the same statistical fun.

COMPANY: EA

CONTACT: www.ea.com

PRICE: $4.99

REQUIREMENTS: iPod Nano (3rd generation), iPod Classic, or iPod Video (5th generation)

Easy to control. Clear graphics and presentation. Can play with two people on one iPod. Same-dice mode and multicolor-dice game add variety to original style.

Weak limit of two people per game. Limited statistic tracking comes off as a tease.