I've been a fan of Rube Goldberg's drawings of overly complicated inventions since I first saw one. Now, through the magic of the iPad and Rube Works ($2.99), you can recreate some of his inventions, using an elegant, sophisticated interface.
If you're not familiar with Rube Goldberg, you owe it to yourself to do a Google search. Basically, he takes simple tasks, like an alarm to wake you up, and combines a plethora of obscure devices and even animals to accomplish the task! Rube Goldberg machines are far more complex than they need to be, and that's the point.
With the Rube Works app, you need to create an invention that performs the stated task, using the materials available. There are multiple ways to solve the puzzle, and if you use all of the tools, you get full credit.
Rube Works is a challenging and fun game that can also teach the user about physics and logic, while not appearing to be an educational app. Rube Works makes the iPad a great learning tool and I highly recommend this beautiful and well made app.
