Last updated on January 15th, 2026 at 11:29 pm
Niggle (Oh Hell) – Entertainment Game Review
Niggle (Oh Hell) is a Entertainment/Strategy/Card game from Sean O'Connor, first launched in 16th August 2010.
It’s rated 4+ and currently has 15+ ratings on the App Store.
What Makes Niggle (Oh Hell) Stand Out
If you're looking for the card game Oh Hell! then this is the app for you!
It's got a powerful AI so you'll never have an easy game (I write AIs for a living!) and a huge range of customisable rule options to suit however you've traditionally played the game yourself. The AI players even have emotions and get happy and sad when they think they're going to make their bid or not. You can also play against your friends on their own devices over local WiFi or Bluetooth.
For newcomers to the game, Niggle (also known as "Oh Hell") is an easy to learn card game in which you must try to guess how many tricks you are going to win each round. The fun comes from trying to get exactly the number of wins you guessed while stopping your opponents from achieving their target.
For the latest news on all of my games follow @SeansGames on Twitter!
This Entertainment game offers engaging gameplay and regular updates for mobile players.
Player Feedback
As a newer release, Niggle (Oh Hell) is building its player community. Early feedback suggests .
Recent Updates & Development
Latest Update: 24th August 2024
Recent improvements include:
- added a new mode: 'trumps are chosen by the next card, but an Ace will mean No Trumps'
Download & Availability
Niggle (Oh Hell) is available through the official App Store for iOS devices.
Get Niggle (Oh Hell) on App Store
Requirements: Requires iPhone 5s / iPad Air / iPad Air (Cellular) / iPad Mini 2 (Retina) / iPad Mini 2 (Retina, Cellular) / iPhone 6 / iPhone 6 Plus / iPad Air 2 / iPad Air 2 (Cellular) / iPad Mini 3 or later.
Compatible with iPhone and iPad devices.
Player Experience Highlights
Community Insight:
We have played this app for years and it is great. No ads to drive you crazy, challenge games- even in novice mode, we dont win much. We play this game for real with friends and almost always win! Love the mix of strategy and randomness in this game. Never gets boring. Thank you for making it.
We have loved this games for years. The ability to configure the rules is fabulous. It lets you replicate the game you grew up with. With one exception When the trump suit is random, there is no way for No Trump to ever be played. In our family, the rule was: If an Ace was turned over as the card to indicate the trump suit, then there would be No Trump instead of the suit of the Ace. It seems like this would be an easy option to add. WDYT.
After playing this for several years, they have really rigged the game against. During the last few months ALL of the hands we see are really crap. In 150 games nothing but hands that are traps appearing appearing that defy any reasonable type of existence. Odds of only one card in a suit with 40 cards dealt must be 1000 to one. No one wants to see hands that are impossible. Those 200+ sets are no longer possible.
We've been playing this for many hours. Our new favorite. Sometimes we win. Usually not. Great fun, great game.
We love all your games but this one needs to be updated. As other reviewers have stated it crashes almost every single game. It is very frustrating. Please put out an update. Thanks.
The game is fun, it just disappears quite often. It ask if we want to restart the saved game, but it doesn't take us back to the same spot. The free oh hell game is better. Want our money back.
It's a fun game but it crashes every single game, just at different points. Also, the computers will almost always come out on top. If there is one trick unaccounted for it will almost always be you that takes it, even if all you have is a four or five.
The update ruined it. It's slow, clunky and now has stupid little faces. Bring back the one with no faces! Why can't you fix the freezing? Please fix the bug. Take the time please to fix the bug.
Not Ok version. Graphics a little basic but play was ok until it started freezing. We took it off our iPad.
This is a fun game to play but it will just crash mid-game and you have to start that hand over. Frustrating when we find one we like and it functions like this one. Watch out before you buy. Better still if you want to have fun while wasting your money, this is your game…. New review 2016 and this thing is still crashing.
So we got this app because we like other games by this developer. But lately they haven't been working. IPhone 6 Plus here. Anyway, this one crashes constantly. We could demand our money back but we like the game and just wish they would fix it. Last review on here is for July 16… So are they going to fix it.
Play this game if you're willing to do everything right and still lose the hand. This is the best card game out there.
Game is good with a number of different options. However, when you change options it freezes up on ipad3. Very frustrating. The other annoying thing is the avatars are little kids. Is this a kid game? It has much potential but the freezing up kills it.
It's great practice for playing live Oh Hell. App works great.
Nary a crash on the new iPad. Love all the options and that it keeps the game results! Great app! If only there were one for our daughter's Kindle–her Oh Hell app choices are few and awful.
We love this game! We find the ability to fine tune the rules is a huge differentiator when trying to replicate your own version of how this game is played. One rule option we would like them to add is the following: When an Ace appears as the Trump card, this means there is No Trump. The bidding and the game play is a little different when there are no trumps and we feel it adds a little variety. Regardless, this game is one of the few games that we choose to play over and over again. Thank you! Ps. – Now if you would just PLEASE change the name to "Oh Hell" and get rid of the N-word altogether! Please.
This game used to be great until May of 2015 when it started to crash every time we play it.
As others have said, this used to be a fantastic game. However , now the app constantly crashes. Wait until there is an update before purchasing.
This game could be lots of fun, but it constantly crashes. PLEASE fix it! Could be a great game.
We complimented the program too soon. It was working OK and then….CRASHED repeatedly. Sean if you still have the old version put it back in the app store so we can play the version that actually worked.
Cannot complete a game without it crashing. Very frustrated. We feel like we have completely wasted our money on this app.
Was a great game that after update crashed every game. They fixed that with this update. Now it freezes every game.
Thank you for the Dec 27 update. Our favorite game is back.
Review of 3.2: This used be one of the best card game apps in the store. Then came 3.0 and it became one of the worst. Those foibles are chronicled below and in other reviews. Fortunately, the creators are listening to this feedback and the two updates have addressed many of the concerns. This latest update improves the visibility of the scores and the cards. This bumps our ranking from one star (3.0) and two stars (3.1) up to four stars! Our one big holdout for five stars is the ability to make the hands straight instead of curved. Perhaps this can be an option in the settings. Another small complaint is that with the score board in the corner, there is no longer a reminder of what round is being played during the hand. Perhaps if the controls were moved to a row at the bottom there could be room for this. (Putting controls at the bottom of the screen is a good idea anyway considering the screen sizes of the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus). Finally, it would be nice to have a button to access the settings from the score screen. Overall, this latest update does the trick and we can once again recommend buying this game. Thanks for making it good again. Review of 3.1: This update addresses some of the concerns that were raised about 3.0. There is a way to get rid of the childish faces. Turning off the sound really turns off the sound. It is still difficult to see the cards and scores. It was much better when the hands were straight rather than curved. It would also be better if the scores were against a better background contrast. Our rating is going up from 1 star to 2. Bringing back the old interface would rate 5 stars. Review of 3.0: First we were surprised. When we opened the app, nothing looked familiar. It looked like a child's game. Then we were confused. All the controls had been moved around. Then we were embarrassed. Our phone was muted. So was the sound button on the app. But childish voices still screamed when we started a game. Finally we were frustrated. From the curved hand to the scores being low contrast and all over the screen, the game was largely unplayable. The new version belongs in the same pile as Windows 8 and the New Coke (remember that?). Please bring the old version back. Or at least make "classic view" an option. And make the "sound off" button actually turn off the sound. It was a great app.
This previously highly enjoyable game has been junked up with stupid little faces and a confusing layout of cards that makes the whole thing a LOT less fun to play. What were the developers thinking? Big mistake.
We like the set up of this game and how it plays but for some reason it keeps freezing or kicking us out of the app. We have played this on two different devices and the same thing has happened. If this problem can be fixed that would be great.
Now it crashes mid-game. Please fix. This is (was) the best oh hell game.
We are sorry but we have to agree with the other reviews. We are sure that you put a lot of hard work into the new version but it is very buggy. Is there any chance for Christmas you could give us back the old version? Either way thanks for your efforts on making it a better game.
We were totally addicted to the previous version. It was simple classic and fast paced. The new version's interface is clunky and tries to be too cute. It's distracting and jerky as it plays cards and the layout is so much worse than the previous one. So disappointed we did the "upgrade". On the plus side. We can get all that time back by not playing this. It's all too annoying. We really loved the previous version.
Except the game keeps crashing and everything is lost.
As others have said, this was a great game gone bad. Our only complaints from the previous version was that you don't have the option to bid "even" on the lowest three hands (1,2,3, and 3,2,1). And that you can't play to 13 (no trump on 13). Now that seems minor compared to this childish interface. The faces and voices are a distraction, but the shadow over the cards makes this game nearly unplayable for our old eyes. Went from 4.5 stars to a generous 2. Please give us the option to play with the old interface. Please and thank you.
We really loved the old version of this game. The new user interface is childish and slow. Please Give back the old interface. We can hardly stand to play it.
If you're an adult, you'll want to avoid this app completely, and delete it immediately if you already have it. Sounds you can't turn off, a cluttered display that adds nothing and a ridiculous new scoreboard ruin what was one of our top two games. We won't be keeping this one.
Horrible. What on earth were you thinking? Reverting back if we can. If not, we want a refund.
How do we revert to previous version.
We liked this game until the most recent update. The graphics are now designed for children 3 and under. We hope the designers reverse course and restore the previous version or at least allow users to select a look that is not so childish.
Your latest update ruined our favorite game. Why don't you give the option to use the updated version (which seems to be for kids- so juvenile) or the older version? Please fix this. Your loyal viewers will go elsewhere. We are. What a shame.
How can we get the old version back.
We LOVED this game (past tense). The update ruined it. Deleting. Sorry, you really screwed this one up.
The new change limits the game's functionality while adding sounds that cannot be muted. This has been a game we have liked, but unless it is reworked we fear we will be abandoning it.
Can't make up our mind if this update is silly or juvenile. Deleted and reverted to previous version.
You have to learn how to strategize. Fun card game.
Great app! Please add a speed option to speed up computer plays so we can get through a game in a more timely fashion. Cheers.
Cards played off suit by opponents who have cards of the suit played, inaccurate scoring, and hands frequently awarded to the wrong player. Have tried several times to write a review, but apparently only positive ones are permitted, because we keep getting bumped from that, too, only serving to increase our annoyance with this game.
Loved this game until it just stopped working right after we updated. Could be we got to 100 games and experienced "the crash" or maybe the update caused it. But we can't play now even after we uninstalled then reinstalled it. Help! We love this game and want to continue to play. No cards will deal and everyone's score says 200! The game won't do anything for us. Please fix in next uodate.
We've been playing "oh, hell" for 40+ years, and we love this app. It's about as close as it can get to the aggravation and frustration of the game with live players. We would like to suggest a few additional options: (1) add the option that trump is not revealed until AFTER bidding is complete (it ups the aggravation level) (2) 3-5 players, rather than just 4. (3) Make the high score list include only 10 scores, who cares if the pitiful score you just made is #45? (4) make the background behind the trump designator a bit lighter, so that it's easier to see. Other than that, we just can't stop playing.
The game is very nicely made, the AI is smart, too. The speed issues of the previous version are gone (works fast on 3GS, too.) The customizable scoring system is great. (Try the Lite version if you are concerned to update.) The only thing still missing is that many people play this game (we mean the real-life version) with simultaneous bidding (not sequential). Oh, and could it be just $.99? :-).
Had a great time playing but once it reaches 100 games it won't play any more.
Freezes at the opening screen then closes. Was a good game before this happened though.
We don't normally review apps, but wanted to do so for this one because it is deserved. With version 2.0, you can customize many different features (scoring, appearance) to make the game more like what you are accustomed to. We grew up playing this game with our family, and this is now our go-to app for passing time. Get this app – you won't be disappointed.
User feedback from Apple App Store
App Details
- Version: 5.2.0
- Size: 42.05 MB
- iOS: 12.0 or later
- Languages: EN
- Content Advisory:
- Developer: Sean O'Connor
Last updated: 24th August 2024 | Genre: Entertainment, Strategy | Developer: Sean O'Connor