Befruited for the iPhone and iPod Touch Video Review

(Disclosure: The developers of Befruited have also been advertiser on TDL.)

A confession: I never really understood Bejeweled. Sure, I could change gems and some would vanish, but the strategy ended there. Befruited is a similar type of game, but there's something about the sliding of the rows and columns in Befruited that makes it easier, at least for me, to play the game.

It's a straightforward match-three game. And as a bonus, for some odd reason, if you look at the fruits long enough, they take on a strange 3-D quality. If you like Bejeweled (even while secretly not knowing what you're doing) you'll like Befruited as well.

(iTunes link)

Here's a look:

Hotel Mogul for the iPhone and iPod Touch Video Review

We can't all be Paris Hilton, so here's your chance to be a Hotel Mogul. Hotel Mogul plays like SimCity, with you controlling building, repairing, and buying properties to meet specific revenue/hotel goals on each level. Be sure to take the time to go through the tutorial to better understand how to build and upgrade your properties. You get a fun game, in which before long you start caring about your properties, and want to experiment to see how you can get your hotels built and profitable as quickly as possible.

Here's a look:

Lines of Mania for the iPhone and iPod Touch

Lines of Mania looks like a simple game of connect-the-dots, but the more you play, the more you realize how important strategy becomes in the app. Essentially, you connect a series of points in numerical order, but if you simply go in a straight line from point A to B, you'll soon realize you won't be able to connect all the points.

You can take the strategy up a notch with the multi-player option, with points going to the person who completes the puzzle, as you take a series of turns.

(iTunes link)

Here's a look:

Labyrinth 2 for the iPhone and iPod Touch

The 1970's. Curly hair, pet rocks, and those wooden marble maze games. I'm sure there's a pet rock app somewhere on the app store, but you're on your own for the curly hair. However Labyrinth 2 brings fun, modern twists to a game classic.

Labyrinth 2 combines the simple get-the-marble-from-point-a-to-point-b concept of the original game, and combines it with unique extras like pinball bumpers, marble-killing cannons, and activated doors. If it all sounds like too many bells and whistles, for the traditionalists, there are plenty of game levels that are more in keeping with the physical game. 

Speaking of levels, there are plenty built into the game, but you can also download additional levels from other players, and purchase free packs from the developer as well.

Overall, a solid app that shows the creativity you can bring to a game "ported" from the physical world to the iPod Touch and iPhone.

(iTunes link)

Knife Toss for the iPhone and iPod Touch Video Review

I'll be honest: I didn't really think I'd enjoy a knife toss game all that much, but Knife Toss proved me wrong. A combination of fun graphics, fast levels and surprising extras make it a delight.
A clown is strapped to a revolving target, surrounded by balloons. Simply throw the knives and break the balloons without inflicting too much pain on the clown, and do it within the alloyed time, and you'll be moving on to the next level. Power tip: watch for the bonus round dropdowns, as those are the key to replenishing the clown's health, and increasing time for each level.
OpenFeint leaderboards and accomplishments keep you coming back for more from what is a surprisingly addictive game.
Here's a look:
(iTunes link)