| The Best Of The Dobbs Challenge |
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 Before you get started on your developments for Dr. Dobb's Challenge Deuce, we thought it might be nice to re-visit some of the best entries of our original challenge, merely known as "The Dobbs Challenge". The specifically remarkable thing about the work that the entrants did in The Dobbs Challenge was that they modified original challenge games into a variety of very different games, something that's well worth keeping in mind. The winners of the inaugural The Dobbs challenge, selected by a panel of expert judges, were:
Best Total
Conversion
Like all of the categories Best Total Conversion was hotly contested, but in the end our judges had to select Giuseppe Navarria's Ninja Run because it simply astounded them with the extent it was different from the original Dr. Dobbs Challenge. Turning a 2D single screen platformer into a cel-shaded 3D platform game (with working physics!) even with the help of NVIDIA PhysX was just so unexpected that it was the winner even in the face of more complete entrants. If there was criticism to be made it would be that while the technology is there the "game" wasn't complete. 
In stark contrast to the previous category, what won this category for Georg Rottensteiner was how complete he made his title. A full scrolling 2D platformer with a new setting, story and design, Georg Rottensteiner's version of Dr. Dobbs Challenge sent Dr. Dobbs inside a computer to clear out a bug infestation, in a challenging (and fun!) adventure.
The judges were impressed with the gameplay and level design (even
if they felt one hit kills on Dr. Dobbs was a little harsh) and Georg
Rottensteiner received a $1,000 prize.
Best One Button Game
The one button category was a challenging category that entrants had to "give their all" to in the hope of winning, and although there were many amazing entries, Lukasz Lesicki's Wobble Bob came out of nowhere to win it by virtue of its unique game design. Though our judges are au fait with many different kinds of one-button game, they had never played one with a character who "wobbled" backwards and forwards allowing movement in two directions with a subtle, timing-based gameplay. In addition, both graphics and level design offered a unified pleasant feel, and as a result Lukasz Lesicki walks away with the $1,000 prize. 
Best Windows Mobile Game
Many entrants overlooked the mobile game category perhaps because of a perceived difficulty in developing for the hardware, but it was to Daniel Morillo's benefit that he decided to take on the challenge, as he took home the $2,000 prize! Our judges were surprised and delighted with Daniel Morillo's entry, as an isometric puzzle game with 3D blocks to manipulate and clever use of existing assets to create a very playable game well worth the download if you've got a Windows Mobile device (or the ability to emulate one.) 
Best Windows Game
The big prize, with $4,000 on offer, this was one of the most difficult to judge. But in the end our judges had to go for Mr. Spiff's Revenge on the basis that not only was it a clever modification of the Dr. Dobbs Challenge source, it also innovates in ways that they never expected. Though a 2D platformer similar to the original title, the entire game is played using mouse gestures -- even movement of the titular skeleton Mr. Spiff – and while our judges took a while to get comfortable with the controls, they particularly enjoyed the gestures used to attack enemies and perform the huge, screen clearing "smart bomb" attack!
Mr. Spiff's Revenge also
featured excellent new graphics that only added to the immersion.
Congratulations to POW studios, which consists of Betson Thomas, Justin
Varghese and Chris Lau. 
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