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Once upon a time, in a land far away, a happy family of birds celebrated its new eggs. The birds gathered around the nest hoping to protect them until the day they hatched into tiny new baby birds.

One day, as the birds sang their happy little song over their nest of eggs, a bug landed on one of them. For just a minute, the birds turned away from their nest of eggs long enough to defend their home from the intruder. One second was all it took for some hungry, green pigs to sneak up to the nest to snatch the eggs.

The war that ensued is now known as the video game “Angry Birds.” Created by Finland-based Rovio Mobile, the game gives the player the ability to wage war against the crazy nation of green pigs on behalf of the birds of the world.

I downloaded “Angry Birds” in the fall. Beginning with the trial version, I placed my first red bird in the slingshot to launch him to where the green pigs were hiding. Level after level, the fun continued as I attempted to destroy each pig and its barricade with as few birds as possible. It did not take long for me to purchase the full version created for mobile devices.

As I continued, I was given other birds that have different abilities. Red birds offer only basic destruction capabilities as he is flung through the air. They are great for the simpler levels or for causing some preliminary destruction.

The tiny blue birds will split into three birds before landing if the screen is touched after they are launched. They are helpful for getting multiple pigs that are in one particular area of the pigs’ hideout.

The yellow birds are more powerful than the red or blue birds that speed up when the screen is tapped. They tend to be great precursors before sending in weaker birds or for taking out a whole row of green pigs with a single shot.

White birds that resemble chickens can drop destructive eggs, and bomb birds ignite after landing or when the screen is touched, causing a great deal of destruction. Huge red birds and boomerang birds make their own type of destruction in the game.

Last but not least is the Mighty Eagle that you can purchase as an inexpensive add-on. It will totally destroy everything in its path for those hard-to-master levels. Throw a sardine can into the air and the mighty eagle will swoop down, lured into the war by the smaller birds that need a break.

How you use the various kinds of birds is a part of the strategy and logic in the game. Because you never get the same rotation of birds, the player has to consider what each bird is before flinging them through the air toward the target. Distance from the slingshot to the target also must be considered as you determine how to launch a particular bird into the air.

If you lose a level, the pigs will mock you with broad grins. If you win, the birds can be heard cheering in the background. At the end of each main level, there is a mini-movie showing players that even though they might have won the battle, they are a long way from winning the war.

People have expressed their love of the game in various ways. One story I read online told how one man created “Angry Birds” vignettes out of food for his pregnant wife on bed rest. Another wrote a series of “letters from war” from the perspective of the red, blue and yellow birds, describing the horrors of war that they had seen while battling the green pigs. The letters inspired a video of images that someone created as if they were in the Civil War era.

Conan O’Brien even had a special segment on his show a few weeks ago in which he created a life-size “Angry Birds” setup. With giant red birds perched on a large slingshot, the pigs were destroyed despite their attempts to hide under various pieces of furniture made by the Swedish company IKEA.

On Dec. 11, “Angry Birds” declared “Angry Birds Day” as a way to celebrate the game among its users around the globe. In a cross promotion earlier this year, “Angry Birds” was featured in a Super Bowl advertisement for an upcoming movie “Rio” due for release in April.

It’s a great little game to play on the go when you just have a few minutes here and there. With such a simple premise, it has continued to challenge me for many months. One day, I will not only win the battle, but also the war. That is my promise to all the “Angry Birds” of the world.

Linda Vestal is a wife, mother, daughter, sister and friend living in Gibsonville. Contact her at lindavestal@triad.rr.com.