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A version of the popular Minesweeper puzzle game for Xbox Live Arcade. Find and flag all the bombs by searching spaces around the explosives, using the numbered clues to zero in on the bombs. Just don’t tap the bombs themselves or you’ll go up in a bang.

Genre: Puzzle

Publisher: TikGames

Developer: TikGames

Online Play:

Local Play:

February 12, 2009 –
The puzzle game Minesweeper has been bundled with copies of Microsoft Windows since the early 1990s, and it remains a popular time-waster in offices and high school computer classes worldwide. Now, a version of the classic hunt-and-peck game is available on the Xbox Live Arcade in Minesweeper Flags.

Developed by TikGames, Minesweeper Flags follows the classic grid-based Minesweeper formula in which you must uncover squares on a board without hitting mines. Clicking on a tile reveals a mine, a blank square or a number. The number (from 1 to 6) tells you how many mines are hidden under the adjacent tiles. By marking squares you think are mines, you can make your way across the board safely. If you complete the puzzle and sweep all the mines, you’ll be rewarded with a smiley face. Hit too many mines and the mines all explode, which will make you weep uncontrollably.

Sweep the leg!

Minesweeper traditionally takes place on a small gray grid, but Flags takes the game into the 3D realm, placing the playing field in outdoor environments around the world. In the Campaign mode, you’ll unlock various regions (South America, Australia, Africa, etc.) as you complete each level. And, instead of the typical square or rectangular Minesweeper play areas, Flags includes irregularly shaped boards, which can make for some interesting plays.

The 3D environments are a strange addition and add little of value to the Minesweeper experience. Playing the exact same game I’ve been playing for 10 years on a grassy field surrounded by bears and deer is no more fun than playing it on a gray grid. And some of the maps are the same in each region, so what’s the point? Also, playing on Flags’ 3D maps makes the game a bit frustrating, as the camera is tilted at an odd angle that doesn’t allow a top-down view. The camera also follows your cursor around the board, so each time you move a square, the screen slides around, which I found incredibly annoying.

The new game mode, Minesweeper Flags, is an interesting, multiplayer-only new take on classic Minesweeper. Instead of trying to avoid those nasty bombs at all costs, now you’re in a race to find them before your opponents do. You have a limited amount of time to make your turn, so it brings more tension to the game. The problem is, the left analog stick moves your cursor one square at a time, and the whole time I was playing I wished I had a mouse instead. The whole idea of Minesweeper originated with the idea that it’s easy to click little squares with a mouse. On a console, it just feels clumsy.

Hot multiplayer Minesweeper action.

The multiplayer functioned well in my online tests but that doesn’t mean it was fun. The only thing more boring than playing Minesweeper is waiting for other people to play Minesweeper. Even with the turn timer set to 10 seconds, I had to stifle yawns while waiting for my turn, which involved clicking on a single square. Now this is what console gaming is all about!

Closing Comments
There is something addictive and mindlessly fun about Minesweeper, which is why it