Where’s My Water? [iOS]

Who knew that helping a sewer gator to keep clean could be so much fun?!

I was browsing the top grossing iPhone apps and came across one called Where’s My Water? which featured a shower head and an animated alligator. The graphics and premise seemed interesting but I wondered how such a simple game could be so popular. Now I know. I love this game and highly recommend it. In fact, I believe this is my best app purchase since Angry Birds!

The basic storyline follows an alligator named Swampy. This little guy just wants to take a shower but his fellow alligators have been chomping on the underground pipes of the city sewage system, disrupting the water flow. You need to help redirect the water so Swampy can get squeaky clean.

All you have to do is drag your finger across the screen to dig through the dirt. Using these tunnels you must figure out a way to get the water to Swampy’s showerhead. This is no easy task. The flow of water can change drastically based on the variable curvature/angle of the tunnel, timing, and water pressure. Many attempts will be needed to carve the tunnels just right and get enough water to pass each level. An added challenge is having the water first flow through each of the three rubber ducks shown, taking detours which may lessen both pressure and water volume.

The puzzles continue to get increasingly difficult as you progress through the levels. Poisonous ooze, acidic liquids, mechanical dams, and pesky algae are just some of the obstacles you will need to tackle.

The controls are very sensitive and accurate. The physics are fantastic as the water smoothly flows as you would expect it. I found the music to be upbeat and, combined with the sound effects, it never got irritating. Both my daughter and I really enjoyed the short, wordless cut scenes which set and followed a fun storyline. My only complaint was that Swampy gets kind of aggressive when waiting for the water. Sure he’s irritated but does he really need to growl and whack the pipe with a wrench? Oh well, I guess no one in his hatchery taught him patience.

There are currently 264 levels including bonus levels that can be unlocked. I was able to finish all the levels in about two days but I got a bit obsessed once I started playing it (thus the Angry Birds comparison). The nice thing is that more levels are on the way and free updates are included in the inital 99¢ purchase price. Worth it? Totally, and more. I just hope more levels are released soon since I can’t wait to play more!