A game that’s been floating around the top of the charts for a while now is Ski Safari so we thought it was about time that we took a look at what’s making this 99 cent universal app so popular.

In Ski Safari you are faced with controlling Sven down a steep snow covered mountain side in a desperate attempt to avoid being swallowed up by the avalanche that is tearing down behind him.

From a controls point of view this task is easy, tapping the screen will cause sven to jump while tapping and holding either side of the screen will enable sven to perform forward and backward somersaults. The actions are all helpful for avoiding obstacles such as piles of rocks but also to help boost your speed by grabbing and riding with penguins, birds and the odd abominable snowman!

The action comes at you very fast as your speed down the mountain side attempting to keep out of the clutches of the foreboding avalanche that is chasing you, so quick reactions are a must if you are going to keep yourself alive.

If you are familiar with games like Jetpack Joyride and Subway Surfers you’ll also be familiar with the process of having mini goals set each time you take to the slopes. This can range from performing a double backflip or picking up 3 penguins to flying with a bird for X distance to tumbling for a given amount of time.

All this adds to the basic game premise of travelling as far as you can before you get swallowed up in a cloud of snow. These goals keep the game interesting and while all this is going on you also pick up coins which you can then spend on purchasing items such as coin magnets, costumes and rockets which will boost the distance you travel.

The key to a successful run is using the variety of animals that frequent the mountain side to boost the distance you travel and your ability to survive hitting the obstacles. If you manage to fly with the the bird, ride the abominable snowman and tame the wild wolves you should be on to a good score and even open.

The cartoon graphics lend themselves well to the snowy environment and even though you won’t have time to appreciate it as you speed down the slope the background detail of having other mountains with animals running down them is a nice detail.

If you haven’t joined the Ski Safari party {$.99, App Store} yet then there is no time like the present. It’s a fun game which you can use as a quick pick up and play title when you have a spare five minutes only to find that 3 hours later you are still playing it!

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

What we like

• Addictive gameplay
• Easy controls
• Cute graphics
• Fast action

What to know

• Repetitive for some

Miniclip, most well known for the game Fragger, is adding a new game to their extensive iPhone / iPad game portfolio in the form of Rat Fishing where you are challenged with killing rats across over 100+ levels of challenging puzzles.

The cartoon graphics look cute and effective as the tiny hypnotized rats follow the smell of cheese to their impending death. You have a limited number of cheese pieces on each level and it requires careful planning of the location placement to kill all of the rats, especially if you want to get the maximum rating and coins.

Each level is graded on a bronze, silver and gold star rating based on the number of pieces of cheese that you use and how quickly you complete the level. You also earn coins for your endeavours and these can be used to unlock levels, get hints and also skip levels.

Of course you can also purchase coins via in-app purchase and this will probably be required as the levels get aggressively difficult and skipping some, or getting hints was certainly required by me at least!

The aggressive nature of the difficulty is based on the variety of tools and the timing of their use that is required to complete the levels. While the initial levels simply require luring the rats to their deaths onto mines and down holes later levels start to not only introduce multiple rats and additional tools but also require you to time the placement of items to create a daisy chain of destructions.

Putting all of these actions into practice is very easy with the simple touch controls and the ability to instantly restart the level when you realize that something has gone wrong is nice too, especially as these feature doesn’t cost you any coins.

Rat Fishing also includes leaderboards for all 6 levels and over 40 achievements that provide a good amount of replay value, although that being said the 144 levels and the inbuilt difficulty should keep you either entertained for a while or frustrated.

Rat Fishing should be available on the App Store soon and will be priced at 99 cents. It’s a fun challenging game for those that enjoy a challenge, although the more casual gamer or younger player may find it a little too difficult.

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

What we like

• 100+ challenging puzzles
• Simple controls
• Cute graphics

What to know

• Aggressive difficulty curve
• In-purchase possibly required

Fat Cats Review – Cats out of the bag?

Fat Cats for iPhone and iPad is a game for all ages. It’s a simple pick up and play game that might seem a little familar to millions of people. The reason it might seem familiar? It has the same core concepts as Angry Birds. If you haven’t heard of Angry Birds, you must be living under a rock, just kidding.

Fat Cats takes from the wildly popular Angry Birds and gives you a slightly different style, with different story, different maps but same fun game-play. You might look at it and say that it is just another Angry Birds clone and you wouldn’t be far off. Who says you can build off of a successful platform?

Taking down greedy cats is the name of this game. Catapulting objects at symbols of greed is the primary goal. Along the way you can check out the witty backgrounds and their play on words. At times, the backgrounds were my favorite part of the game.

Fat Cats has a number of different characters that you will launch at the cats to clean them out. Some will drop things, some will launch super fast when you double tap and others split up like a shotgun shell. That being said, you’re trying to take out the money bags, diamonds and other symbols of greed while taking out the cats. The idea is to take out all of the symbols of greed as well as the cats in as few catapults as possible. Sound familiar?

The game definitely looks, acts and feels like Angry Birds so if you haven’t been able to get your Angry Birds fix then this game might be for you. I will say that the game doesn’t seem to be as polished as Angry Birds but does feel and act incredibly similar. At 99 cents, its something that is worth giving a shot but don’t expect it to outpace Angry Birds.

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

What we like:

• Very Similar to Angry Birds
• Funny Backgrounds
• Solid Game

What to know:

• Maybe a little too much like Angry Birds

2011 seems like a distant memory already but we shouldn’t forget that it gave us some of the best iPhone, iPad and universal games that we’ve seen. It’s been difficult to narrow the list down to just 10 but after reviewing which of the games are still on my iPhone and iPad and which I’m still playing I was able to bring it down to the following 10.

# 10 Mini Motor Racing

I love my racing games and Mini Motor Racing came as a great addition to my iPhone. A top down racer with you a 5 opponents racing around beautiful looking and designed tracks makes for a lot of fun, frantic action.

There’s a great career mode, local multi-player and the ability to upgrade you car to challenge with the most fast and aggressive of opponents. Additional value is add by the GameCenter integration which consists of 16 achievements and leader-boards for all 22 tracks.

Mini Motor Racing can be grabbed from the App Store for just $1.99.

# 9 Tiny Tower

Tiny Tower by NimbleBit is the ultimate in addictive simulation game where you become the owner, manager and contractor of a tiny tower where you aim is to make it huge. Huge that is in the sense of the number of floors as it’s your task to build level after level of residential, commercial and retail stores.

The game uses a freemium model where the initial purchase is free and you can speed up your progress via in game purchase. That being said though in all the time I played it I never ended up spending an additional dime.

If you haven’t given Tiny Tower a try yet I urge you to do so although be prepared to not see your family and friends for a while as your addiction takes hold!

# 8 DrawRace 2

Another racing game makes it to my top 10 and this time with a whole new control system ideally suited to the touch screen of the iDevice. DrawRace 2 is another top down racer but this time instead of controlling your vehicle with an accelerator and a steering wheel you draw the path you wish your vehicle to take. It takes a bit to get used to but the satisfaction of getting around a sharp hairpin at full speed and in first place never gets tiring.

There are a range of vehicles all with differently handling and skills that can be unlocked as you progress and the tracks look wonderful too. If you are looking for a racing game with something a little different look no further than DrawRace 2, available in the App Store for just 99c for a limited time.

# 7 Moogies

This one finds it’s way into the Top 10 mainly thanks to my daughter who is addicted to the fun game aimed at the younger age market.

The 9 Moogies are a variety of brightly colored farmyard animals that live in a barn. Each one can be clicked on and you will enter their weird and wonderful world. From a horse on a treadmill, a vacuuming cow and an experimenting mouse the animals are all kept pretty busy. The animals and their surroundings can also all be interacted with and along with the great sounds and music the game can keep a child entertained for as long as you’ll let them play with it.

The great thing about it for us adults is the fact that it’s not annoying, in fact I will quite happily find myself humming along to the music all day long at times! The Moogies is a universal app which is available in the App Store now for just 99 cents.

# 6 dream:scape

This audio and visual delight of a game takes you on a mysterious adventure where you are to solve a range of puzzles to to uncover the truth about your characters life.

You unravel the dark mystery as you wander around the rural location that is beautifully rendered on both the iPhone and iPad. The controls are intuitive and as you play the game you’ll find yourself engrossed in the excellent story telling.

While a little short in length it’s an experience not to be missed. dream:scape is available in the App Store for $2.99 and is a universal app.

# 5 W.E.L.D.E.R.

There have been plenty of new and worthy word games released for iDevices this year and for many people W.E.L.D.E.R. possibly flew under the radar, it most certainly shouldn’t though.

W.E.L.D.E.R. is played on a 8 x 8 grid of letters and the aim is to make as many words as possible while swapping as few tiles as you can. While swapping adjacent tiles is the main way to move them you can unlock the ability to jump, reverse and group tiles. These additional options are limited though and are earned by scoring points.

I thought I would miss the fact that there is no mulit-player option but the challenge to clear each level by completing the required number of words with the given number of moves makes you want to not socialize anyway!

W.E.L.D.E.R. is another universal app and is available in the App Store for $1.99.

# 4 Bike Baron

More racing in my top 10 games of 2011 only this time it of the two wheel variety and instead of racing around a track against other opponents this time you are racing against yourself along a crazy motorcycle assault course.

The controls are simple yet effective and your success is measured on each track on three conditions consisting mainly of beating a set time, collecting all the coins and completing the course.
There are 70 different tracks to complete, either riding as the Bike Baron or as a gorilla! But in addition to these pre-built tracks Bike Baron comes with a track editor that not only allows you to build tracks to race yourself but allows you to share them with your friends and the Bike Baron community.

At just 99c Bike Baron is available in the App Store now as a universal application.

# 3 Angry Birds Rio

The Angry Birds juggernaut continued in 2011 not only with the original Angry Birds and it’s follow up in Angry Birds Seasons but also with the release of it’s movie tie-in 3rd game Angy Birds Rio.

The saying goes that “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it” and Rovio have certainly achieved that with Angry Birds Rio and with 6 episodes, 180 levels and 90 pieces of fruit to find there is plenty to keep you busy including a new bird that appears occasionally and which is not available in the other Angry Birds games.

If you are looking for a game to while away the hours then Angry Birds Rio will certainly achieve that with the even more charm, fun and entertainment as the two previous incarnations.

Purchasing Angry Birds Rio for just 99c from the App Store could be one of the best dollars you’ve ever spent.

# 2 Jetpack Joyride

When this game fell into my lap to review I was completely taken by surprise. All you need is one finger and fast reactions to enjoy this game as you power your jetpack wearing character along the never-ending level.

As you attempt to travel as far as you can you must avoid death by navigating around a variety of both static and moving lasers as well as rockets which aim to stop your progress. While the ultimate purpose of the game is to get as far as you can before you crash and burn the mini-objectives that you care challenged to complete on each and every turn keep things interesting as you always have something to achieve.

As you play you will also earn coins that you can then spend on power-ups, new cloths and a range of different jetpacks.

The balance of this game is in that sweet spot that just keeps you coming back for more and as a universal app it’s which is currently FREE in the App Store Jetpack Joyride is a must for every iPhone/iPad owner.

# 1 Grand Theft Auto 3

The irony of a game that was originally released in 2001 making the number 1 spot for 2011 is not lost on me, however the release of Grand Theft Auto 3 in it’s full form onto an iPhone is an amazing feat in itself.

The fact that it’s been done so well providing a huge open world environment of gorgeous sprawling city streets and a storyline which takes murder, revenge, violence and criminality to a whole new level Grand Theft Auto 3 has not been off of my device since it was downloaded and installed.

It loads fast, plays fast and is quick to jump in and out off which considering its a huge game is a great achievement.

While this may be the most expensive game in my top 10 it easily provides the best value for money and will provide hours and hours violent enjoyment! Get is from the App Store today and you won’t be disappointed.

LITE-BRITE Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

If you have ever played the original toy where you create beautiful patterns with pegs that light up then you will certainly enjoy Lite-Brite. Brought to you by EA Mobile the app is a great version of the old classic toy.

Lite-Brite for iPhone is an easy and fun game to play. You start with a blank, black screen and on that you can see little peg holes. The idea is you put the colored pegs into these holes. The pegs are lit to make a coloured bright pattern as you go.

There are three modes to try, animated which is where you can make an animated moving pattern. For example you could make a flashing sign and picture or even make it look like it is actual moving.

The other mode is Templates which I thought was really good. You choose a template to copy and each one shows the letter of the coloured peg you need to place. You follow the guide until all the pegs are placed and then at the end you have a picture with a few added background drawings. Some of the templates available just show you what you can actually do with this app, it was quite impressive! If you like you can also do this in a timed mode.

The last mode is free hand where you can do your own thing and create what ever pattern and picture you like. There are options to add shapes and your own animation. Choose from lots of colors and unlock others as you create.

If you make any mistakes there is an erase button or you can simply undo it. There is also an option to turn the back light off so the pegs are not as bright. It is very easy to create patters, there is a tab at the bottom that when you tap it and it brings up all of your tools.

The one thing that did become difficult sometimes was placing the pegs in the right holes. They are quite small and it is hard sometimes to tap on the exact place you want it to go. I think it was just down to the screen being dark and not being able to see where your finger is tapping at times. It wasn’t a big deal it just mean’t that sometimes you have to do a couple of taps extra to clear and place again.

Lite-Brite for iPhone is a great, fun app for all ages and one that children will definitely enjoy. There are lots of templates to use and with the section to create your own designs the options are limitless and offers many hours of play.

Pros

• Great easy to use interface.
• Replay value

Cons

• Pegs can be hard to place at times.

Price: $0.99 (App Store)
Category: Games
Released:Sep 09, 2010
Reviewed Version:1.0.0
Size: 15.7 MB
Languages:English, French, German, Italian, Spanish
Seller:Electronic Arts
LITE-BRITE © 2010 Hasbro. All Rights Reserved. Game code © 2010 Electronic Arts Inc.
Requirements:Compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. Requires iPhone OS 3.0 or later.