Rescue Pine iPhone and iPod Touch Video Review

What's a lost porcupine to do!? Get back to his father, of course! The only way you can Rescue Pine is to complete each puzzle correctly, re-arranging branches and rocks to re-unite Pine and his Dad. The game combines puzzle and timing elements, as you need to not only remove the proper pieces, but also ensure Pine touches his Dad before landing on the ground.

The graphics are fine, and the puzzles are tough: maybe too tough at the beginning, especially for younger players.

Here's a look at Rescue Pine:

Rescue Pine in the App Store.

All in One Casual & Puzzle GameBox delivers

There are a bunch of all-in-one game packages popping up in the app store. As you might expect, the quality is all over the place. Today's app offers a great value for the casual gamer (as the name implies.) This package has eight games: Solitaire, Mahjong, Bounce, Word Search, Samegame, Minesweeper, Bubbles, and Shisen-Sho. 

Personally, I enjoy a very occasional game of Solitaire, but not nearly often enough to warrant buying a Solitaire app. The same is true for word searches, and yes, even Minesweeper.

All the games are well produced, with nice fit and finish. You are spared the bells and whistles, but aren't left with an entirely sparse gaming experience either. Again, if more than one of these games appeals to you, it is worth picking up the All-in-One Casual & Puzzle GameBox.

Here's a look:

All in One Casual & Puzzle Games in the App Store.

A Ninja Dude: Ninja School Video Review

I like the concept of a game based on flicking ninja stars. It seems like someone can do better than A Ninja Dude: Ninja School though.

You swipe your finger across the screen to send the star flying. With (lots) of practice, you can start to get a bit of a feel for how much force is required, and where to aim to successfully hit the target. Unfortunately, you'll probably tire of the game before you get to that point. Try the lite version first to decide if the game is for you.

Here's a look:

A Ninja Dude: Ninja School in the App Store.

Monkey Madness for the iPhone and iPod Touch Video Review

Is there a time when one plus one plus one equals less than three? If there is, I think it is in the app store. Fortunately, Monkey Madness (narrowly) avoids this equation. Monkey Madness consists of three minigames: a wahck-a-mole style game, a concentration game, and a reaction time game. All of these games are, well, okay, especially for kids.

No single game would be worth 99 cents. Wisely, the developer has packaged them, making 99 cents for all three seem more reasonable. Are there better games of these styles in the app store? Sure, but when you put them together, and if you happen to be mad for monkeys, then it makes sense to buy Monkey Madness.

Here's a look:

Monkey Madness in the App Store.

Jiggle Balls: Spikes for the iPhone and iPod Touch Video Review

Jiggle Balls: Spikes is sort of an off-shoot of the labyrinth style of gameplay. Rather than trying to move a ball around a wooden maze and avoiding holes, in Spikes you are trying to collide a large, spike ball with several small balls before times runs out. You do this by strategically tilting the phone to move both the spiked ball and the smaller balls together.

The game rises above the level of a mere proof of concept, but it still it feels like it is missing the "it" factor to make it stick out in the crowded app store.

Here's a look:

Jiggle Balls: Spikes in the App Store.