stitch.

As puzzles games go, this is colorful, playful, relaxing and challenging -- all at the same time. stitch. puzzles start off easy, with beginner Hoops only taking a minute or two to complete. Players drag their across the grids with a number on it, such as 3 or 6. Figuring out which grids are included with the number and those that might not be will sometimes require a bit of trial and error. If you make a mistake, you have to double-tap to delete your stiches and start again. Because you need to deduce which grids are part of your numbered section, stitch. might be best described as color-by-numbers meets nonograms (or Picross-like puzzles). Puzzles get trickier, and much bigger, but despite how tough they get, the game's soothing embroidered gameplay, colorful and textured yarn (that looks real) and tranquil music all helps to make the experience feel more relaxing than frustrating. Larger displays -- iPad, Apple TV and Mac -- help you appreciate the artwork over the small-ish iPhone screen.

As an Apple Arcade game, you won't need to worry about being charged to unlock new Hoops, as it's all included. That said, you will need to earn new Hoop collections, plus there's experience points which raise your tier (which in turn lets you play new collections). There isn't much to complain about with stitch., aside from some minor technical bugs that have been squashed with recent updates. That, and some may feel the simple game mechanic gets a little repetitive after a short while. The game might best be played in short 30-minute intervals, perhaps -- to get your fix -- rather than tapping and swiping for hours on end. Puzzle game fans who already subscribe to Apple Arcade should definitely download this small and charming game, which will have you in stitches.