Angry Birds on Facebook is now Angry Birds Friends, a re-naming that will either horrify you or launch a new Facebook gaming addiction. (Try it here.)
The absurdly popular game is still free on Facebook, of course, but now it's more linked to friends and operates more like Bejeweled Blitz, running regular multi-level tournaments every week. As you play each of the tournament's four levels, you can see how your score compares to those of your Facebook friends. If you do well in the tournament you win prizes of some sort... in-game items probably. You probably also feel like a winner, at least for a week.
I tried Friends this morning and was surprised at how tricky the opening tournament's levels are.
I was not surprised that the game doles out a limited number of bird-expanding, bird-aiming and pig-shaking power-ups. You get more by inviting Facebook friends to play the game. Or you could buy them:
In general, the levels in the tournaments seem more complex than the game's standard fare. That's good. They're tricky, but occasionally you'll nail a great shot. Call it luck. Call it skill.
Good luck in the weekly tournaments!