Mille Bornes (pronounced Meel Born) is a classic card game invented in the 1950s. For years, it has been a favorite of both children and adults, and for a reasonable price of $2.99 you can play the iOS version on the iPad.
The game itself is simple to learn. The main goal is to be the first to travel 1,000 miles, with a variety of ways to obtain bonus points on your journey. Along the road, your opponents will send hazards your way in the form of flat tires, empty gas tanks and speed limits. It’s wise to keep the corresponding remedy cards in hand to quickly resolve these problems, or you’re bound to be left in the dust.
Mille Bornes gives the option to play a single trip to 1,000 miles, or multiple trips until a score of 5,000 is reached. Sometimes this longer mode can take a lot of time to finish, and with no way to stop the animations between player turns, it can sometimes seem like an eternity until you draw the one card needed to get your vehicle moving again. This luck-of-the-draw game mechanic will allow children and inexperienced players to beat old pros, and is part of what makes it a charming game for adults to play with children.
The single error that I found when playing the Mille Bornes app was that it continued to allow play after all of the cards should have been exhausted from a single deck. Traditionally, the game would end when the deck is finished, allowing card counters to play a bit more strategically. This flaw in the app makes it impossible to know if the last remedy card that you need has been played, and the round will never end until someone eventually passes the finish line.
Apart from that flaw, the gameplay is exactly like the printed-card game. Artwork is also taken from an earlier printing of the game, with animations and sound effects that bring the game to life on the iPad. My six-year-old and I had lots of fun playing several rounds of each game type, and I enjoyed teaching it to him, as much as I enjoyed playing it as a child. Anyone looking for a new card game to add to their iPad arsenal, or simply a trip down memory lane, will enjoy Mille Bornes.
Download the free Appolicious iPhone app
