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So you have gone out an bought yourself a brand new BlackBerry Pearl (or maybe you have owned one for a while), and you realize that having this tiny little device in your pocket now gives you total control over the powers of boredom that creep into your life on a daily basis.

With so many options as far as what the Pearl can do to help you kill time, what is your technique?

For me, the ultimate time killer (aside from catching up on my RSS reading) is playing video games on my Pearl. I love nothing more than downloading a new game and firing it up to see if it is a nice fit for my screen and has the replay value to make me want to keep it installed on my device for a long time. Unfortunately, as with most mobile phones, there is a lot of crap out there for the Pearl that claims to be the perfect solution to your gaming needs.

It can take a very long time to go through all of the available games and pick out a few winners, and lets face it, you are a very busy person and do not have the time to dig through the trash. It is for this reason alone that I have decided to write this article. Join me now as I wade through the muck and pull out a few games that will definitely find a home on your BlackBerry Pearl if you decide to give them a shot.

My Top 25 BlackBery Pearl Games (in no particular order)

Disclosure: The choices I have made for the top 25 Pearl games are based on my own preferences as far as mobile gaming is concerned. When I look at a game I look for stylish, easy to view/read graphics and text, simple controls, replay value and above all else - the “nostalgia factor”.

You will no doubt agree with some of the choices I have made and at the same time you may be thinking “how did this one make it onto the list?”. Clearly there are some games not featured on here that you think should be. If this is the case, please drop a comment below and let the rest of the readers know what you think is the best game out there for your BlackBerry Pearl.

Leisure Suit Larry - Love for Sail:
Leisure Suit Larry is a comically adventurous character who first appeared back in the golden era of PC gaming. With this version of Love for Sail, you can now follow Larry on his search for love right on your BlackBerry.

This incarnation of the popular game is a perfect fit for your BlackBerry device, with crisp graphic detail and smooth animation throughout the entire game. The controls are laid out for you right away and there is no guessing which button to hit next.

Leisure Suit Larry: Love for Sail follows Larry as he hits the high seas in search of love. You will navigate levels and mini games that take you from Larry’s home to the airplane and then to the cruise ship where he attempts to win the hearts of many women in the casino and on the beach.

Download Leisure Suit Larry: Love for Sail for your BlackBerry Pearl and see if you can help the poor guy get a date!

NOTE: This game is awesome and very well executed, however, if you are offended easily, this game may not be the right choice for you. Larry quite often finds himself in risque situations which are definitely not suitable for children or the more reserved individual.

Lego Racers:

Enter into the world of LEGO racing and battle various drivers as you compete to take the checkered flag. This game was made popular on various gaming systems in recent years and now it is entirely playable on your BlackBerry device.

This is the kind of racing game you should be playing on the BlackBerry. It is quick to pick up and play, has all the fun factor of actual LEGO ( you get to be a Pirate, Dinosaur, Astronaut, Construction worker or a Snowman/Arctic character). The controls consist of mainly two buttons to get you turning in the right direction and one to launch any weapons you have acquired throughout the race.

The game also has depth, with 5 themed cars, 15 plus tracks, various terrain to race on, in game power ups/weapons, car modification and upgrade between races and multiple race modes, you really can’t go wrong.

Download Lego Racers for your BlackBerry Pearl today and race for the checkered flag! (or do it just so you can race on team Pirate!)

Super Mario Bros.:

Yes you read that right! Super Mario Bros. is in fact available for your BlackBerry Pearl. Thanks to an enterprising developer that seems to be based out of Germany, the classic NES character that we all know and love finally finds a home on the BlackBerry.

Run/Jump/Shoot games are a perfect fit for this device as they do not require the memorization of a bunch of keys in order to get maximum enjoyment out of the game. Your left and right movements are mapped to the 4 and 6 keys while the 1 and 3 keys, when pressed will cause Mario to jump in the corresponding direction.

There is not much documentation out there for this game (you can not even locate it via search on the getjar.com website), so I am not sure how many levels you get to play through. I can say this for a fact though. . . None of that matters folks — this is Mario and it is on your BlackBerry Pearl. Score one for nostalgia.

Download Super Mario Bros. for your Pearl today for free and make all your friends jealous. (wap.getjar.com | quick code 8100)

Bookworm:

Now here is a game that has been around for a very long time in many forms. Bookworm is one of the most popular digital word games of all time. It is very similar to a traditional word search game in that you are looking to string letters in adjacent tiles together in order to create the longest word possible. Bookworm ups the ante however when it throws special tiles into the mix that will grant you extra points and various multiplier effects when used in combination with other letters on the board to form a word.

The longer the word and the more special tiles used, the greater your score will be and the sooner you will move up through the ranks facing tougher and tougher boards as you progress through the game.

Bookworm is a great game for the BlackBerry Pearl, as all the action is contained nicely on the device screen. Play the game at your leisure and watch you vocabulary increase as you work your way to becoming a full fledged Bookworm.

Download Bookworm for your BlackBerry Pearl for hours of great fun.

Brick Breaker:

We all know and love this one don’t we? Brick Breaker is a classic game that requires you to clear stages by bouncing a ball off of a paddle in an effort to destroy the bricks on the screen one by one. With each progressing stage, the complexity of the brick layout increases and strategy plays a bigger and bigger role in your ability to clear the screen.

Brick Breaker makes the list of top 25 BlackBerry Pearl games for a number of reasons. The first is that it is awesome amounts of fun to play, the second is that it is freely distributed with all BlackBerry devices. In addition to the first two obvious benefits of Brick Breaker, you also get a third that may not be quite so obvious. This is the “community” that has been built around this game. Go ahead and search Brick Breaker in your favorite search engine and you will see people who are discussing the game in depth, strategy guides and top score lists everywhere.

If you only have a few minutes during your commute, or while waiting for an appointment, dive into a quick round of Brick Breaker and see if you can beat your all time highest score!

Crash Bandicoot Nitro Kart:

This is the second racer to be found in the top 25 BlackBerry Pearl games listing. Much like the Lego Racers game, Crash Bandicoot Nitro Kart is an easy pick up and play game that will fill in the gaps in your day quite easily. If you have a few spare minutes, why not jump into a Nitro Kart with good ol’ Crash and fly through some killer racing levels.

With easy to manage controls and some good depth of play, the release of Nitro Kart for the BlackBerry Pearl is perfect for the casual gamer.

With Crash Bandicoot Nitro Kart you have the option of racing with one of 8 zany characters from the Bandicoot universe. You can challenge the rest of the field to races over 16 different tracks and use all kinds of creative weaponry to ensure that they do not finish the race before you do.

Download Crash Bandicoot Nitro Kart for your BlackBerry Pearl and enjoy a very “Mario Kart” type experience.

DeBlocked:

DeBlocked is a creative block based puzzler that does not follow the ever popular “Tetris” styled game play. Instead of battling against falling blocks that have to be rotated into place to clear lines, you will be controlling Trott the fox as he attempts to clear away blocks of varying colors from a 5×5 grid.

DeBlocked provides added value by allowing players to participate in both a straight up block clearing bonanza, or a slower paced but highly enjoyable story mode. Rescuing Trott’s forest friends is ultimately rewarding.

With over 75 levels to play, creative methods of attaining high scores, 3 difficulty levels and lush graphics to boot, DeBlocked is a great alternative to the generic BlackBerry puzzlers you see every day.

Download DeBlocked for your BlackBerry Pearl today and save the forest and all your furry little friends.

Frogger:

This game falls into the category of classic game that no handheld device should be left without. I mean really, who has not picked up their old Atari controller and spent hours guiding your frog across the treacherous roadways and rivers.

This new edition of Frogger looks better than ever on your BlackBerry device. Crisp graphics and intuitive controls make for a very pleasant pick up and play experience. The initial game play is exactly as you remember it. The objective is to get 5 frogs across the pond safe and sound then progress to the next level. There has even been a new game play feature added once you pass the first four levels that takes you into through great new stages in search of gold coins.

Frogger is a must have game for your BlackBerry Pearl and can be downloaded here.

Golden Tee Golf: Mobile Edge

If you have spent any time in a pub/sports bar in the last few years you have no doubt run across a Golden Tee machine with a group of friends placing bets on who can make that killer shot or the longest putt ever. There is a reason for this games popularity. Golden Tee is comprehensive in it’s offerings and allows you to experience what it would be like to play on some of the best golf courses around the world. This is entirely fulfilling to both pros and novices alike.

The Mobile Edge edition of the Golden Tee series for your BlacBerry Pearl is a natural evolution of the game and ultimately fits well on the Pearl despite the small amount of screen real estate available.

With 6 playing modes you will never be left without a challenge and customization is really king here. You can control what your player looks like and what type of game you play. The controls are intuitive and allow for everything you can do in the arcade versions, including: club selection, curve/trajectory, back spin and rolls, strength of swing etc.

Download Golden Tee Golf: Mobile Edge for your BlackBerry Pearl today and tee up for hours of fun on your favorite courses.

Ka-Glom:

Ka-Glom falls into the category of “Tetris-like” games for your BlackBerry. If you are familiar with the game play offered in the classic Tetris, you will be quite comfortable with Ka-Glom as soon as you pick it up.

Ka-Glom offers 3 types of game play that will keep you interested for hours on end. The first is “normal” mode which finds you manipulating falling “gloms” and trying ti line up as many of the same color in a row as you can for huge points and explosions. The second mode is a “time attack” mode which is similar to the first except played on a timer of 3, 5 or 8 minutes. The third mode of play is “puzzle” mode, where you can play through 100 levels in either of two settings.

Ka-Glom is a great game that has proven to be highly addictive and is getting rave reviews all across the net.

Download Ka-Glom today for your BlackBerry Pearl and you will surely have a new favorite way to kill some time.

Big Kahuna Words:

This is another great word puzzler that is available for your BlackBerry Pearl. The concept is simple, using the letters embedded in the stone tablets you need to spell out words from the English language. Longer words are rewarded with higher point values and forming words in quick succession helps to build up your “Tiki Totem” power.

Big Kahuna Words has two game play modes. The first is a relaxed play that allows you to move through the boards and spell words at your leisure. The second is called “Action” mode and has you playing the same game except this time you are trying to beat a timer.

This game surely belongs in the top 5 of all BlackBerry Pearl games. It is highly addictive and very easy to learn. The controls are set up to maximize your Pearls’ functionality and support a variety of ways to locate and manipulate various elements of the game board.

Download Big Kahuna Words for your BlackBerry Pearl and spend every free minute you have creating words and blowing up blocks against scenic under water vistas.

Lost in the Pyramid:

I had lots of fun with this game and included it in the list of top 25 games for the Pearl for one specific reason. That being that I did not find any other “adventure” style games that I found interesting for my device. This type of game is not everyones cup of tea, as it involves a lot of trial and error, puzzle solving and admittedly, some pretty sketch logic. All of that with next to no action at all mind you.

So why does it make the list?

The controls for the game are beyond simple, the concept is easy to follow. The reason I liked playing so much is that Lost in the Pyramid brought back the feelings I used to get playing games like Maniac Mansion on my old Commodore 64. It is really a nostalgia thing for me. While Lost in the Pyramid is still very limited in it’s presentation, it had just enough sense of humor to keep me wanting to find the next answer and move to the next room.

If you are looking for a slower paced game that will help you work on your puzzle solving skills, Lost in the Pyramid is a game you should check out. I will be playing this one through until someone shows me where to get a BlackBerry version of Maniac Mansion or Zak McKracken.

Lost in the Pyramid can be downloaded here for your BlackBerry Pearl.

TrackBall Pacman:

Pacman . . . do I really have to say anything else?

Ok, if you insist. There is a guy named Benny Chow who has created a version of Pacman for the BlackBerry Pearl that is very faithful to the classic game we all grew up with.

Over the years, Pacman has taken on many forms. Some of these evolutions have been great for the franchise, while others will soon be forgotten and disregarded as “lapses in judgment” on behalf of the designers who have created them.

The thing about Benny’s version for the Pearl is that it plays just like the original and utilizes the Pearl trackball flawlessly.

Download Pacman for your BlackBerry Pearl now and then make your friends beg you to tell them where you scored it =)

Monkey Madness:

Monkey Madness for your BlackBerry Pearl is a variation on the classic game known as Rampage. well not so much a variation as it is a complete knockoff. If you are a fan of the ever popular, building smashing, monster mashing, destruction filled action game then this download is a no-brainer.

The game is basically point and smash everything in sight. You control a large ape who is pissed off and running amok in an urban city. The goal is to bring down as many buildings as you can (by punching them) before the army can stop you with a constant hail of gunfire.

In my opinion, smashing buildings and wearing giant ape costumes are high on my “things I like” list and therefore Monkey Madness in all of it’s rip off glory finds a place in my top 25 Pearl games. (wap.getjar.com | quick code 5075 (sound issues) or 3 (no sound))

Zelda:

If you have never played Zelda before you are missing out big time. Zelda is one of the best RPG adventure games to come out on any gaming platform ever. It is for this reason that the Zelda Beta gets a prized spot in the top 25 Pearl games.

Zelda is the story of a boy named Link who must travel the mystical land of Hyrule in search of a series of Triforce fragments in order to save the beloved Princess Zelda from the captive hands of the evil Ganon.

This latest incarnation of the game for your BlackBerry Pearl is almost identical to the version of the game you would have played on the SNES. All the graphic detail, sounds and other stylistic elements are all recreated faithfully. In addition, they all feel quite at home on the smaller Pearl screen.

Despite being in Beta release and not providing any instructions when you download it, Zelda remains one of the best games ever. Download a copy of Zelda for your BlackBerry Pearl and remember the magic!

The Legend of Spyro - A New Beginning:

In this game you take control of Spyro the dragon and guide him through lush worlds that look great on the BlackBerry Pearl. Throughout the levels of the game you will be able to adapt your character using special power up icons that provide Spyro with new abilities to help you progress.

Controlling the dragon was very easy and a handy set of tutorials in the first stage to get you accustomed to Spyro’s moves. There is also a surprising amount of depth to this game. Where it began impressively enough as a side scrolling platform adventure, I quickly found myself solving puzzles and fighting bosses as well.

Overall, this game is a sure winner if you are looking for something that is easy on the eyes, not too complex, and that has a great story.

Download The Legend of Spyro for your BlackBerry Pearl and jump right into a world of colorful adventure!

Mahjong Solitaire:

Mahjong Solitare is a classic Chinese tile puzzle made specifically for your BlackBerry Pearl. The objective here is to match up pairs of tiles which have been stacked on the Mahjong board. With each correct match made, the tiles will explode and new tiles are revealed underneath. When all the tiles have been paired up and destroyed you will progress to the next round.

Mahjong solitaire is a very relaxing gaming experience on your BlackBerry. While there is a game clock that will keep track of how long it takes you to complete each stage, you can feel free to ignore it and play at your leisure. Once you become comfortable with the tile selection process and become familiar with each tile pattern, you can begin trying to solve the puzzles as quickly as possible in order to best your own high scores.

Go ahead and give Mahjong Solitaire a shot and download it to your BlackBerry Pearl.

Poker Blast:

Poker Blast is a great twist on a couple of old ideas. The first thing you will notice is that it follows a similar structure to games like Tetris or Ka-Glom. You have pairs of cards that drop from the top of the screen and you have to arrange them as they fall. In Ka-Glom you have to match various colored Gloms in order to clear the board. In Poker Blast you have to arrange the falling pairs of cards so that you create the best poker hand possible. Once you have completed a hand (there are minimum hands you must beat) the cards will disappear in a cloud of magic dust.

The action begins at a leisurely pace when you first begin the game, but quickly speeds up the pace as you progress. Poker Blast rewards you for making big hands by adding multipliers and other score bonuses depending on what you manage to put together.

The controls are basic and require little effort to figure out. for the less experienced poker players out there, there is also a great help section that explains all of the possible poker hands you can create. Poker Blast is the definition of a pick up and play game for your BlackBerry Pearl.

Download Poker Blast today and bone up on your poker hands to set unbelievably high scores.

Jamtris:

When you think about the classic mainstays for cellphone gaming, there are bound to be a few titles that stick in your head. Namely Snake and Tetris. I never really got into the Snake games because a) they have no graphic styling and b) they kinda suck. Tetris on the other hand has held some type of mystical power over me from the first time I played it. It is undeniably one of the most addictive games ever released, as evidenced by the massive amount of clones that flood the market each year.

I knew right away that I had to get a copy of Tetris for my BlackBerry Pearl and Tetris was on the list of top 25 games for the Pearl before I even thought of making the list. The game of falling blocks is just that badass.

Unfortunately I was not able to find a good version of Tetris to suggest to you in this article so instead I chose one of the “clones” as my favorite. That clones name would be Jamtris.

Jamtris keeps all the classic game play in tact and lets you experience the pure joy of stacking the falling blocks right on your Pearl.

Jamtris is definitely a winner and can be downloaded here.

The Office:

The Office is a one of those quirky little games that is based on a popular TV show. Normally these games are not put together well, with very little thought put into replay value. The office is no exception. I have added it to my list of top BlackBerry Pearl games because I have an unhealthy obsession with the tv show and it does have one mini game I enjoy playing over and over.

The Office is a collection of mini games including: garbage can basketball, office chair racing, paper football field goal kicking, and more. Of these available mini games, I enjoy the garbage can basketball most and it is rather enjoyable to pick up the Pearl and shoot a couple hoops. The graphics in the game, while not ground breaking, are pretty nice and there are not any load times to wait through.

Overall, I would say The Office is at the bottom of my list as far as the top 25 Pearl games go, but it is pick up and play and only requires the use of the trackball to play. The Office game for your BlackBerry Pearl can be downloaded here. Yeah yeah yeah go ahead and tell me how much it sucks in the comments =)

Stratego:

Stratego is a great strategy based board game that has now made it’s way onto your BlackBerry Pearl. The objective of the game is to capture your opponents flag, or to capture as many of your opponents game pieces as you can in attempts to stop them from attacking you. One player is the red team and one player is the blue team. Each player moves on piece at a time. If both teams place a game piece on the same square of the board then a showdown happens and the weaker game piece is captured by the stronger one. The game ends when one side has captured the flag of the other side.

Stratego on the BlackBerry Pearl is a faithful rendition of the classic board game and even adds a few extras to keep the casual gamers interested. New to the BlackBerry edition are Campaign and Duel. Campaign is similar to the original, but has you battling against a series of famous historical generals while Duel gives you 10 game pieces and puts you quickly into the thick of things.

I only played this game a few times with my father when I was younger, but now that I have found it again for the Pearl I have been playing this one pretty regularly. I suggest it for all BlackBerry Pearl owners as it is easy to get into and tons of fun to play.

Download Stratego for your BlackBerry Pearl now and take out those pesky historical generals.

Texas Hold’em King 3:

Poker is the hottest card game out right now and no limit Texas hold’em seems to be the flavor of choice at the moment. Texas Hold’em King 3 is hands down the best hold’em poker game I have had the privilege of playing. The playing area is well defined and all bets and bankrolls are clearly visible at all times.

The opponents seem to have a good enough AI that they know when to fold and when to try and bluff out of a pot. There are always instances where they make questionable calls, but this is the reality of playing poker and I welcome the variety.

The sounds that go along with this game really appealed to me. Particularly the alert buzzer that reminds me when it is my time to act. I am usually playing while at the same time doing something completely unrelated, therefore a little reminder works well. The game also brings to life the action of entering a real tournament. You have to play “ring” games for a while to build up your bankroll and then attack the tournament. When you have a big win you can leave the table and your bankroll will be saved for the next time you need to play a few hands.

Download Texas Hold’em King 3 for your BlackBerry Pearl and build up that bankroll!

Omaha No Limit King:

Omaha is a slightly different animal than Texas hold’em. The concept is similar, except you get 4 cards instead of 2 to try and use to make the best poker hand at the end of the round. With more cards in play and less available hand options you will soon realize that this game can be quite challenging and you will have to modify your existing hold’em strategy.

In the game you can play ring games to build your bankroll and cash out at any time. The game will save your earnings until you are ready to come back to the tables and play a bit more.

Omaha makes it onto this list for a number of reasons. Ease of play is one, crisp clean graphics and smooth game play is another. Ultimately, it is just good to have a few different styles of poker game to learn from so that when it is your turn to hit the tables in real life you will be prepared for the big win!

Download Omaha No Limit King today for your BlackBerry Pearl and expand your poker skill set.

Hearts:

Hearts is a great card game I used to play when I was younger. The objective is to play your cards against your opponents in a series of rounds. For each round, you are trying to get rid of all of your hearts or avoid picking any of them up. In this game the queen of spades is also a card you would look to avoid.

Hearts makes it onto the list of top 25 games for your BlackBerry Pearl because it is a well crafted game with great visuals and game play mechanics. The controls are easy to figure out and the game itself just rocks.

Hearts is a great alternative to poker games and the boring solitaire you play so much on your computers at work/home.

Download Hearts for your Pearl today and mix it up a bit. I am sure you will love it.

Hoyle 4 in 1 Rummy Pro:

Here is another great card game from my youth. Rummy is so much fun I can’t believe I am only finding this game for my Pearl now. I really should have looked for a Rummy game earlier.

Hoyle 4 in 1 Rummy Pro does a great job of bringing the game to life on the small screen. The color schemes used throughout the game are creative and easy on the eyes. Your cards are clearly visible at all times and manipulating them couldn’t be easier.

If you don’t know anything about the game rummy then you are in for a treat with this one. You actually get 4 variations of the game to play including:Gin Rummy, Rummy 500, Oklahoma Gin and Michigan Rum. Essentially, the concept of the game is to build out sets or runs of three cards or more and discard until you have no cards left. The player that runs out of cards first is the winner.

I had never played the Michigan and Oklahoma variants before and I found them quite entertaining. Download the Hoyle 4 in 1 rummy Pro package for your Pearl today and discover the fun filled world of Rummy. You are guaranteed to enjoy it.

Final thoughts and even more games

Congratulations on making it through the list of my top 25 games for your BlackBerry Pearl. Most of these games are available for other models of BlackBerry as well, so if you try one out and like it, feel free to recommend it to a fellow BlackBerry owner.

Most of the games featured in this list have a price tag attached to them. It is logical to assume that those who charge a fee for their games have put a lot of effort into making a quality game and providing a great experience for those who purchase the software. For those of you who are looking for a free solution to gaming on your BlackBerry Pearl, I suggest checking out a previous article which lists more than 200 free games for your BlackBerry. Not every game featured there will be compatible with your Pearl but the majority of them should work just fine.

Last but no least, please do leave comments and let us and your fellow readers know what your favorite game is and why. Cheers!

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