Rovio is taking another shot at its Angry Birds cash cow with Angry Birds Stella Pop. but forget about launching birds at pigs; this version is a bubble shooter. The pigs are still there; they're just artfully hidden behind a wall of bubbles that you have to pop to win. Bring down the pigs, win the level. Or, instead, pop every bubble on the screen; it differs from level to level. Sounds easy, but it's not. That's because instead of a straightforward wall of bubbles, the pigs have also put up reinforcements and puzzles: some glass bricks, a maze that move, even some wooden barricades here and there. And you have a limited number of shots.
But even if at first glance it doesn't quite look like Angry Birds of old, there's more than a few similarities. You'll have to get creative – and skillful – with your shots if you want to meet the objectives before you run out of precious bubbles. Each time you fail, you lose a life, and they take time to build back up.
There are some special moves, and each character – Stella, Dahlia, Willow, Luca and Poppy – has their own. When you fill their meter, you can bust out the move and help advance your game.
Like the classic Angry Birds, it's head-bangingly frustrating at times. On more than one occasion you'll drop it, swearing to never go back. And like its predecessors, there are in-app purchases (you can buy coins to help speed up your return to the game, or buy a few extra moves).
Ultimately, Stella Pop is irritatingly addictive. Download it at your own risk.
