Pros

  • Large interactive elements

  • Responsive interface

  • Multiplayer (pass & play) option available for up to 4 users

  • Autoprompt for inactivity

Cons

  • Cannot adjust computer animation speed

  • Requires some previous knowledge of game rules

  • Recommended for ages 6-12

  • Infrequent adverts present

Board Games by pescAPPs showing game og goose, recommended app for people living with dementia

Board Games by pescAPPs showing game og goose, recommended app for people living with dementia

Review

Popular in various European countries, the game of goose is a Racing board game designed to be played by two or more players. The game consists of a spiral track with 63 numbered spaces along with a single die used to advance each player’s piece according to the number rolled. Scattered throughout the board are several special spaces which either represent shortcuts or penalties. The goal of the game is to reach the last square by an exact count of the dice, otherwise you move backwards the surplus number of points.

Special Squares

  • The Goose: Move to the next square marked by a goose and roll again

  • The Bridge: Go from one bridge to the other and roll again (Landing on the bridge in space 6 allows the player to advance to space 12. Landing on this space in space 12 causes the player to fall back to space 6)

  • The Inn: Lose one turn

  • The Well: Lose 3 turns

  • The Labyrinth: Move back to square 30

  • The Prison: Lose 3 turns

  • The Death: Return to square 1

This app has many dementia-friendly features such as large interactive elements, sound feedback, autoprompts for inactivity and clear graphics. One notable feature of this app is the presence of its auto-zoom feature. Where other games require the user to manually advance their gamepieces over small square spaces, this app automatically zooms into the board and moves the player’s gamepiece the correct number of spaces after the die has been rolled.

A limitation of this app is that the user is not able to control the speed of animations which at times can be confusing if the user is not familiar with the meaning of the special squares. Furthermore, the app does not offer any instructions or tutorials for gameplay. Due to this, we recommend that users have some knowledge of the rules prior to playing.

Recommended Settings

The app is equipped with four different games to choose from such as Tic-Tac-Toe, Parchis, Snakes and Ladders as well as Game of Goose. To play, select the icon in the upper left corner of the app’s launch screen to begin. Afterwards, you will be prompted to select the number of players in order to begin the game.

To change the language:

  • From the app’s launch screen, select the corresponding flag from the left side panel.

    Choose from English, Spanish or Portuguese