ParkingLot for the iPhone and iPod Touch Video Review

I don't have a lot of phobias, but parking might just be one of them. City parking makes me irritated and cranky. So reviewing an app called ParkingLot didn't sound like it would be a very good time. To my surprise, unlike real parking, ParkingLot offers a simple, straight-forward gaming experience that's fun and addictive.

If you like problem solving puzzles; the sort of little puzzles that drive you bonkers, but in a good way, then you'll like this one. With ParkingLot, you attempt to get one car out of the lot by moving other cars out of the way, but the amount of space, and the order in which you move the cars make it a real challenge. In the top left of the screen, you'll see a move counter. The real object of the game is to get the car out of the parking lot with as few moves as possible, For me, and probably for most, I was far more concerned with just getting the car out. Here's a look at ParkingLot:

iFreshener for iPhone Video Review

It's hard to not sound like an old grumpy man when saying 99 cents is too much to pay for something, but I'm going to do it any way. If ever there was a silly app that didn't really do anything, and should be free, it would be iFreshener.

iFreshener aims to be a virtual air freshener. And I will say, as virtual air fresheners for the iPhone go, this one is at the top of the (non-existent)heap. A few possible improvements to the app though: First, tapping anywhere on the can makes it spray. At least make the user touch the spray cap. And if you make it give you those annoying red rings I always get when I hold sown a spray can nozzle too long, that's be great. Also, the sound the can makes when shaking is far more like a spray paint can than an air freshener.

What would make it worth 99 cents? Fix the two issues above, and then add the ability to customize the can's look. It would be more humorous to name the can yourself. I'll let you come up with your own funny names. Here's a look at iFreshener :

Monster Trucks Nitro for iPhone and iPod Touch Review

Maybe I'm missing something here, but Monster Trucks Nitro wasn't what I expected. Maybe I'm just too used to the old Off-Road Challenge arcade game. Or maybe it's crazy to expect to have a little more control over a truck in a game that costs $1.99. Either way, I'm passing on this one, and you might want to do the same. Take a look:

Word Scramble for the iPhone and iPod Touch: A Freebie Worth Having

We spend a lot of time in the pile of coal that is the iTunes App Store, looking for those diamonds: those gems of programs that restore faith in humanity (or at least in the App Store). Word Scramble by Zynga is one of those gems. First if you don't like word games skip this review. If you like them though, keep reading.

Word Scramble features a Boggle-like grid of 16 letters, and you have to create words using adjoining letters. It's simple, but addictive. While playing alone is fine, the network play feature is clever, and simple. You and several other players (apx 100-200) play the same board at the same time, with realtime stats of your ranking, as well as the top 3 players. Since the review was recorded, I have noticed at night sometimes the servers get a little funny (perhaps overloaded) but usually it all works without a hitch. Which brings me to my other favorite part of this game: It's free.

Yes, my faith is restored in free iPhone apps. Note: there are two Word Scramble apps in the app store, this one is from Zynga.

Ferrari GT: Lite for the iPhone and iPod Touch

Maybe my tastes are too finicky, but it's proving quite difficult to find a good racing game for the iPhone. (suggestions welcome) Today we look at Ferrari GT. There's a lite version, and I would highly suggest playing that one first, since its free. The graphics are acceptable, but for me, the game was held down by two major issues: The first, at times the graphics were slow and choppy, while at others they were fine. I reviewed the game on an original iPhone, and while that shouldn't affect video refresh, I just want to throw that out there.

And the second issue was steering control. I found the steering to be quite unresponsive, even after adjusting the sensitivity in the options. As you'll see in the video review, it takes some almost vertical moves with the phone to steer the car. And again with the drifting/sliding, which doesn't even make a lot of sense in this game. Take a look: