Like many others out there, I’m quite fond of digging out an old classic to see how it has aged.  I was over the moon when Lucasarts announced that they were re-releasing The Secret of Monkey Island and despite Dragons Lair being a game that is pretty much one long quick time event, I have bought the game on several formats over the past few years.

It’s important to remember games from your childhood, in the same way it is important to listen to some classic songs you liked as a teenager. Hearing those songs can take you back to how you felt when you first heard them.

And in the same way, playing Another World on the iPad I was instantly transported back 1991 as it brought back memories of when I first played the game on my old Atari ST.

Taking control Professor Lester Knight Chaykin, the stories protagonist who does an experiment and finds himself transported to a strange and hazardous world, the game is essentially a platform action adventure.

At the time, the graphics and cinematic animation during the cutscenes were somewhat innovative and the game was seen as a benchmark both in terms of gameplay and visual presentation.

In this day and age, the game looks somewhat quaint.  However, bizarrely the minimalistic approach of the game means it has actually dated quite well and it retains a surprising amount of charm.

Needless to say, the touch screen controls don’t do the original game justice.  However, with a bit of perseverance you can slowly get the hang of it.

Overall, I’d recommend this to any retroheads out there who are looking for a slice of gaming history.  First timers might find themselves a little lost on first impressions, but this faithful adaptation should do fans of the original proud.

Verdict: 7 out of 10

Gameloft are certainly no strangers to the handheld market, and they are certainly no strangers at taking inspiration from other established series and putting their own spin on them.

Some may accuse Gameloft of being unoriginal, however, one can’t grumble about the quality of their work and since for the most part, their games are consistently of a good standard, I like to think that they are simply paying a homage to the bigger boys out there.

Zombie HD sees Gameloft tackle the survival horror genre and taking the mechanics that most of us are familiar with in the later Resident Evil games and applying them to the iPad.

Set in Brazil, you start off controlling a character called Damien Sharpe.  A journalist, sent to investigate reports of poor working conditions at Umbrella, uh, I mean Auricorp.

Accompanied by a fellow female reporter, the buxom Alexander Rayne, the game switches between both characters as the proceedings unfold.

It’s a deliciously cliched story that sees our protagonists starting things off completely out of their depth and aside from picking off the undead with a shotgun, you also have to fight various other nasties, including a 20ft crocodile, lions  and a chainsaw wielding brick shit house.

Naturally, being a touch screen game, the controls rely on two virtual analog sticks in both the left and right bottom corners.  The action buttons, including fire, climb and first aid are located on the bottom right corner.

At first, the controls prove a little tricky, but once you get the hang of it, it plays like that other undead survival horror series that rhymes with “besident schmeival”.

In fact, the similarities to that series are so astounding, they’ve got to be mentioned.

Firstly and most obviously, the aiming mechanic is identical, to the point that a red laser is visable enabling you to see exactly where you bullet will end up.

Secondly, the voice acting is pretty dire, but that is a charm that I have always enjoyed with the Resident Evil series, and on Zombie HD, it only helps endear the game.

Thirdly, like Resident Evil 4 and 5, the game is presented from a third person perspective and for the most part it looks pretty good.  Colours are vibrant and the graphics are sharp, which makes the game one of the ideal titles to show off on the iPad.

Sure enough, there are a few bugs, but considering the format, this is to be expected.  What Gameloft have achieved with the game is actually quite impressive and they should be commended for what they’ve done here.

Zombie Infection HD may be Resident Evil 5 on a budget, but it’s such familiar territory to fans of the undead, it’s hard not to let the infectious enjoyment spread to your iPad.

Verdict: 8 out of 10

The Good
Cheesy plot
Good controls
Well paced

The Bad
Sometimes a bit fiddly

The aim of the game is to explore mines and search them for gold, diamonds and all sorts of hidden treasure. Equipped with a pickaxe and a safety helmet, you have to guide your miner through a variety of 25 different mines, with each level featuring its own objectives.

Miner Disturbance - App Store

The earlier levels are pretty straight forward, you dig and collect all the precious minerals that you can. However, as things progress, the process gets a little more complicated.

Occasionally, your miner will have to fend off a pesky bat or a giant mole! Luckily a swing with a pick axe will fend off most opponents, however at times, the task can involve something a little more creative.

The moles for example can only be killed if a rock falls of them and getting this to happen is some what tricky.

Finding the precious minerals and artefacts rewards the miner with money, which can then be used for upgrades. Aside from upgrading your health or equipment, you can also purchase other items such as a gas mask, a climbing hook, lava boots and a jet pack.

Miner Disturbance - App Store

The game features a virtual joystick, a standard on most iPhone games, with the jump and attack controls to the right hand side. When selecting which mine you’d like to tackle, you’re present with a map, where you can direct your miner by just tapping on the desired level.

Graphically, considering the platform, the game is of a pretty strong standard and holds up well with other games in it’s genre. And the sound design is strong enough to not become annoying or repetitive.

Ultimately, Miner Disturbance is a fun little platform game that is well worth the asking price.

Verdict: 7 out of 10

The concept behind Dizzy Pad is simple. Tap the screen at the right time, a small arrow on the pad points the way forward, to help your little frog jump from spinning Lily pad to spinning Lily Pad.  As the game progresses the pads spin faster and are further apart making it increasingly more difficult to hop between.

You start with 3 lives, represented by flowers on the right hand side of the screen. To gain extra lives you either have to skip a pad, not as simple as it seems, or eat the pesky dragonfly as it buzzes past and lives are lost if the frog hit’s the water (not the most accurate of zoology lessons). The aim is to get the highest score possible before you run out of lives.

Extra incentives are brought by the games use of the Plus+ network, through this you will find leader boards, covering high scores, highest amount of flowers etc and achievements, which when completed unlock you different coloured frogs.

At the moment there is only one game mode and once all frogs are unlocked the only thing to play for is points, but this is only a minor gripe within a very polished title and one the developers may address in future updates.

Overall Dizzy Pad is an excellent game and another great pick-up-and-play title to recommend for the iphone. Describing it as a cross between Doodle Jump and Koi Pond is unfair. While the game is as addictive as the former and nearly as pretty as the latter, it has it’s own individuality and charm which makes it stand out.

Verdict: 9/10.