Angry Birds Android tips - hurl birds, kill pigs, collect eggs

Not content with being the undisputed number one seller on the iPhone App Store, Rovio's bird-brained physics phenomenon Angry Birds is catapulting up the Android charts.

It's hardly surprising either, with its proven mix of charming visuals, accessible gameplay, and pick-up-and-play appeal now accompanied on Google's platform by the fashionable price point of, well, absolutely nothing.

However, whilst the game may be free, it's certainly not easy and the combination of tricky levels and nagging hidden goodies will peck away at your sanity and your time.

Always willing to help, Pocket Gamer has put together this essential collection of tips to help you complete Angry Birds Android.

Angry Birds depicts the life-long struggle of bird-versus-pig, and its your job to catapult these kamikaze birds into the pigs' towers, knocking down their houses and defeating the green swines inside.

High score

Simply killing all the birds will unlock the next level, but if you want to get the maximum three stars on each stage, you'll need to aim for some high scores.

The key to getting a high score in Angry Birds is a mixture of deadly efficiency (unused birds net you an automatic 10,000 points each) and unrelenting damage (smashed objects give off small, but quickly accumulated points).

You'll often need to use both strategies at once, though: simply using a very small number of birds might not get all three stars if you didn't make much damage.

Get physical

Angry Birds contains a deceptively sophisticated physics engine, which allows its structures to topple and fold realistically. That means that offsetting balance and attacking weak points is always a more effective strategy than blindly firing at the main reinforced walls.

Plus, some materials are sturdier than others. It's no use fruitlessly bashing away at a stone wall (especially because it takes about three direct hits to finally smash one) when you could focus on the easily destructible wooden platform that's holding it up.

Assorted tips

Pinch and zoom to see the entire battlefield on one screen, so you can quickly see how far away your catapult is from the pig's base.

Every bird leaves a trail of dust behind, meaning you can replicate (or slightly deviate from) previous throws without the tedious guesswork.

You don't always have to attack from left to right: if you aim the bird high enough you can attack from above. Perfect for levels with fortified walls, but exposed roofs.

Wait until your previous bird disappears. If you hit your last bird's dazed body, your attack will be significantly dampened.

Red
Unlocked: From beginning

Plain old projectile birds. Won't do anything when tapped, and isn't very tough either.

Blue
Unlocked: World 1, Level 10

Scattershot birds dissipate into three small projectiles when the screen is tapped.

Think of these little guys like a shotgun. You can make a scattershot early to hit a good range of targets, but ideally you want to release these fellows close to the target so all three birds will smash into a small area at once. That's how you inflict the most damage.

Yellow
Unlocked: World 1, Level 16

Kamikaze birds rocket at super speeds when the screen is tapped.

Despite their greatly increased velocity, they still won't do much damage on materials like stone and glass. They rip through wood like it's wet paper, though, allowing you to quickly attack enemies buried deep within a structure.

Black
Unlocked: World 2, Level 5

These are caustic birds that explode to create shockwaves and destroy close blocks and birds. They blow up in their own time, but if you tap you can explode them instantly.

Remember, these guys are so heavy that they'll destroy even a large chunk of stone in just one hit.

White
Unlocked: World 2, Level 14

Egg dropping, maternal birds. Tap the screen to launch an explosive egg from your backside, before firing your now deflated friend into the stratosphere. Get as low to the target as possible for maximum splash damage.

Don't forget: these enemies can still be used as classic red-styled birds if you don't tap. Useful if you just need a boring old projectile.

Boomerang
Unlocked: World 6, Level 5

Boomerang birds turn around and fly backwards at roughly double the speed when the screen is tapped. Learning their trajectory is just a matter of patience and experience. In the right hands, though, these exotic toucans can be deadly accurate, and very powerful.

You can fire them backwards, and then quickly tap the screen to make a fast-flying bird. You'll be hard pressed to make efficient hits in this way, but it's a useful trick to keep under your belt.

Developer Rovio has posted videos of every level in themes one through seven on its YouTube channel, showing off the best strategies to beat the levels.

Look out for bird placement to help you pass a level if you're just plain old stuck.

Here are links to all the videos. Each video contains multiple levels:

Poached Eggs Theme 1 Levels 1-5
Theme 1 Levels 6-10
Theme 1 Levels 11-15
Theme 1 Levels 16-21 Theme 2 Levels 1-5
Theme 2 Levels 6-10
Theme 2 Levels 11-15
Theme 2 Levels 16-21 Theme 3 Levels 1-5
Theme 3 Levels 6-10
Theme 3 Levels 11-15
Theme 3 Levels 16-21

Mighty Hoax Theme 4 Levels 1-5
Theme 4 Levels 6-10
Theme 4 Levels 11-15
Theme 4 Levels 16-21 Theme 5 Levels 1-5
Theme 5 Levels 6-10
Theme 5 Levels 11-15
Theme 5 Levels 16-21

Danger Above Theme 6 Levels 1-5
Theme 6 Levels 6-10
Theme 6 Levels 11-15

Theme 7 Levels 1-5
Theme 7 Levels 6-10
Theme 7 Levels 11-15 Theme 8 Levels 1-5
Theme 8 Levels 6-10
Theme 8 Levels 11-15

Golden eggs are hidden Easter eggs that have been liberally sprinkled through the game for the most fanatical supporters of this app. Finding a golden egg unlocks a special, bonus level.

They're just for fun and are either a bizarre mini-game or a meticulously crafted Rube Goldberg puzzle.

You're expected to hunt high and low for the golden eggs, but we'll save you the effort with this handy guide. Right now, there are 13 to find. Here's how to get every single one:

1. Location: Main menu
Tap the sun on the level selection screen a few times for the golden egg to pop out.

2. Location: Main menu
Watch the full credits, and tap the golden egg that appears at the end.

3. Location: Any level, after unlocking World 2 Level 14
Open the 'help' menu (? button), and click through to the white birds. Tap the golden egg.

4. Location: World 1, Level 8
Tap the chest a few times for the egg to appear.

5. Location: World 2, Level 2
Burst the beach ball for the egg to appear.

6. Location: Poached Eggs
Grab three stars on every stage in Worlds 1, 2 and 3, which make up "Poached Eggs", the game's first level pack.

7. Location: World 4, Level 7
Pinch and zoom to see a golden egg perched high above the game area on a clifftop. The only bird that will reach it is the yellow one, so use up all your other birds and aim with the yellow bird. It will take a few attempts, trust me.

8. Location: World 5, Level 19
The top right brick (slope shaped) on the leftmost tower contains the egg. Smash it (the egg-dropping white bird is your easiest bet) to grab the egg.

9. Location: Mighty Hoax
Grab three stars on every stage in Worlds 4 and 5, which make up "Mighty Hoax".

10. Location: World 6, Level 14
Zoom out to see the floating yellow balloon underneath the treehouse. The only way to hit it (which unlocks the egg) is to accurately send a boomerang bird back on itself. No small feat, and will likely take many goes to perfect.

11. Location: World 8 Menu
This cheeky egg is hiding to the far right of World 8's level select menu. Drag the screen left, starting with your pinky at the far right of the screen, to see the egg. Once it's in view, it will be yours.

12. Location: World 8, Level 15
Another egg inaccessible to any bird other than the windy, bendy boomerang bird that turns back on itself with a screen tap. You could try and use the bouncy pink stuff with the yellow and white birds, but your best bet is when the boomerag.

13. Location: Danger Above
Score three stars on every stage in Worlds 6, 7 and 8, which make up "Danger Above", the game's third set of levels.