In Spellsword, you play a young adventurer fighting his way through various missions. There’s some attempt at story here, but it’s all mostly incidental. Actual gameplay takes place in one of (currently) three environments, and each environment is small and static, with waves of enemies coming at you until you achieve the mission goal (collect a certain number of items, defeat a certain number of enemies, etc.). Actual play time for each mission is about a minute. It’s fast and hectic and something of a button-masher. It’s fun in the moment, though it’s also easy to lose track of the action in the chaos.

There’s a fun and heavy RPG element to Spellsword. As you play, you earn coins (“rupees” in the Zelda vein), better equipment, and stronger weapons to help you advance in the game. There’s no strict leveling system, but clearly the more you play, the stronger you will be able to make your character. There are also in-game power-ups, modeled as cards, that are absolutely vital to completing missions. In fact, there are times where the game really feels like “chase the next card” is your primary objective. [Actually, a few times, it literally is.]

As fun as the missions can be, I actually found myself enjoying the Endless Mode more. In Endless Mode, there’s no goal; just wave after wave of enemies. This endurance run not only leads to a longer game, allowing you to practice your play and find your rhythm, but it’s the perfect grinding tool for earning treasure.

In terms of style, Spellsword is really retro, and that’s part of what makes it fun. It’s got a 16-bit style that feels like an old side-scroller and a chipset soundtrack that, while repetetive, will certainly get stuck in your head. While younger players may not fully appreciate the style, I do as a child of the old console era.

All that said, there are a few things about Spellsword that I’d like to see addressed in future updates. The biggest one to me is a lack of iCloud syncing. Like many people, I have both an iPhone and an iPad, and a Universal game like Spellsword is something I’m going to play on both. It should be a standard move nowadays for devs to build iCloud game syncing into any Universal app. It just makes sense.

Also, I really hope that, like other puzzle-style games, future updates bring new settings. It’s not like in a game such as Angry Birds, where the setting retains a theme but the specifics change each time. The levels don’t change for the entire zone. There are times when the completely unchanging levels of Spellsword get repetive; and that, coupled with the limited number of enemies in any given zone, can really lead to a sense of sameness sometimes.

Warts aside, there’s a whole lot of goodness packed into this little 99-cent gem. It’s an easy recommendation for fans of fast and fun iOS games.

Our Score: 4 out of 5.

Spellsword Review: Old School Grind is Quick and Dirty Fun is a post by App Chronicles

In Skylanders Cloud Patrol, you take on the role of gun-toting Trigger Happy, one of the 30+ Skylanders characters. Riding in a cannon turret on an airship, your job is to clear floating islands of evil troll invaders. Along the way, you must collect coins, dodge bombs and projectiles, shoot some sheep, gather presents, and complete achievements that help you level up. The further you get, the more rewards you collect; and then you use those rewards to purchase in-game items and even more Skylanders.

It’s a fairly simple game presented in a fairly straightforward way. There’s no plot or side missions; it’s purely a shooting gallery where you move from one island to the next.  The progression of areas is broken up by things like bonus areas and “Hideouts” where trolls appear whack-a-mole style, and generally the game moves at a fast enough pace that it does not get monotonous. It’s also a fairly quick game to play, especially since one mistake — shoot a bomb or get hit by a projectile — is all it takes to end the game. There are no extra lives in Skylanders Cloud Patrol!

The game is also definitely a Skylanders game, not just a generic game retrofitted with some Skylanders skins. Shooting galleries pop up all through the console game, and it’s a good idea to leverage them into their own little pocket player. In addition, all of the Skylanders are represented here, as are several of the objects from the game. Power-ups come in recognizable forms and work in ways that make sense in the game, even when they’re different from the console versions.

Graphically, too, everything is bright and colorful and recognizably Skylanders, though things can look awfully polygon-shaped sometimes (such as the balloon on the airship). But as the game’s constantly shuffling you along to the next area, you never get a chance to linger on these graphical hiccups. And the Skylanders themselves all look authentic to the console game, so kids won’t notice the other flaws.

And really, kids are the target demographic here. For kids, Skylanders Cloud Patrol is not only fun, but offers the added benefit of being able to “portal” their toys into the game via the toy codes that come with each figure. That’s assuming your kids have kept them; my son had lost most of his, though we were able to quickly get a Terrafin and a Stealth Elf via card codes.

I’m not sure that many adults will pick this game up.  It’s not that this game can’t be a challenging little guilty pleasure; it’s just that you’ll feel a little silly playing it in public. This one’s really for the kids, especially kids who own the console game. It’s something that they’ll want on their iPod Touch, or their mom’s iPad. And for a good game at the low price of 99 cents, it’s something that’s easy to treat a kid to.

Our Score: 4 out of 5

Skylanders Cloud Patrol Review: Kid-Friendly Gallery Shooter is a post by App Chronicles

If you’re unfamiliar with versions of Clear Vision from days gone by, then think of it as Grand Theft Auto on a budget. While this sniping game isn’t even in the same realm as the visually-rich, variety-filled GTA, it does contain the same sense of humor and story-driven thrust… The saga of Tyler the stickman begins with his getting sacked from his job at a grocery store. After being let go by his unjust supervisor, what recourse does Tyler have but to take up arms and become a hitman? That’s what he does; however, the rest of Tyler’s story isn’t filled with wealth and security, because his new lifestyle is fraught with the consequences of his choices…

While the cutscenes, newspaper clippings, notes, and emails make up a big part of Clear Vision’s story, the heart of the game is found in the assignments, which invariably send Tyler out on the streets to take someone down. When this happens, you’ll find yourself staring through the scope of a sniper (of which there are five models in the game). Sometimes making the shot is as simple as tapping the screen and moving the crosshairs onto the head of the unlucky stick figure before firing. But Clear Vision follows a nice progression of increasing difficulty by forcing you to factor in wind and distance. The calculations are never overly complicated, but they do make for a more rewarding shot.

Speaking of the “rewards” to be found in Clear Vision, it should be said that the game definitely earns its “17+” disclaimer. FDG Mobile might be making a conscious effort to cater to more mature gamers, but the blood splatters and animations that accompany a well-placed shot are always good for a laugh or a gasp, as are the situations brought to your attention by clients. This is the business of killing, and everyone Tyler comes into contact with is entirely unapologetic about that fact.

As Tyler grows his “business,” there’s need to spend money on more advanced rifles. One way to get more money faster is to take your earnings to the underground boxing ring. It’s here that you can bet on red or blue and then watch an amusing stickman fight that ends in someone getting brutally bashed.

It’s difficult to say what makes all this nasty business so much fun… Surely, the humor is part of it. But there’s also a compelling story that ends with a cliffhanger and the promise of more to come. Is it simplistic and shallow? Absolutely, but aren’t those traits acceptable for a guilty pleasure such as this? Clear Vision is in an entirely different category than the 3D productions of some major studios. Let’s call it retro, for lack of a better word… But the ultimate test for an iOS game is whether or not we care when an update is released–one that brings new content and more challenges… When it comes to Tyler and the hole he has dug for himself, I can honestly say I’m interested in what happens, and I want to be staring through the scope as it unfolds. That’s enough for me to call this minimalistic effort a big success.

Our Score: 4.5 Out of 5

Clear Vision (17+) Review: Everyone’s Favorite Stick-man Got a New Job as a Hitman is a post by App Chronicles

In terms of plot, Swordigo is very standard fantasy fare. There’s a young hero; a supernatural evil out to destroy everything; a kingdom in trouble; a magic sword to assemble. It’s a straightforward set-up that lets the game exist, and it’s clear that no one at Touch Foo thought too deeply about it. But that’s okay, because you’re not playing Swordigo for the story. You’re playing it for the hours of hack-n-slash genre goodness.

In this regard, Swordigo delivers in spades. You make your way, side-scroll style, through enemy-infested areas — a forest, a cave, a castle, an icy plain — swinging your sword and slinging spells. Every kill earns you experience points, which levels you up and makes you stronger; you also improve your weapons and armor, of course. It’s all the things you’d expect, and it’s all done incredibly well. It’s a fun game to play, one that scratched my RPG itch quite well.

Swordigo also challenged me, because it’s pretty hard in spots. Some areas are cleverly designed and just frustrating enough to make it fun; and some of the game’s boss battles are teeth-grittingly difficult. Yet the game is still designed with a more casual iOS gamer in mind — it has a forgiving redo system in place for when you die, it offers ample checkpoints for when you actually die, and each segment of the world is small enough to be negotiated in a few minutes.  This balance of real challenge and casual sensibility is incredibly well struck.

Great game play and design are accompanied by a finely tuned control scheme. Touch controls are always going to be a limitation of the mobile gaming genre, but games like Swordigo and the recently released League of Evil 2 show that they can be really, really well done. You’ll rarely be frustrated by these virtual buttons.

The game play in Swordigo is so incredibly good that I’m almost depressed about the story and graphics. There’s not a lick of originality in the generic setting, story, and graphical presentation. In fact, as a big Legend of Zelda fan, I couldn’t quite overlook how much of that franchise is in Swordigo’s DNA. They really don’t try to disguise it; some of the enemies, items, and graphical elements seem lifted straight from that franchise. And the cartoon, almost plastic graphics sometimes jarred with the high-fantasy adventure feel of the game play.

But this game isn’t good because it’s original; it’s good because of the way it has used those familiar elements, like a DJ mixing samples of familiar songs into something you want to keep listening to. I can’t quite bring myself to give Swordigo five stars; but I just enjoyed it too much not to recommend it. I only hope that Swordigo 2, if and when it hits, tries to forge into less familiar territory.

Our Score: 4.5 out of 5

Swordigo Review: A Fantastic Action RPG with Familiar Plot, but Stellar Execution is a post by App Chronicles

Players of the two previous games in the series, Chaos Rings and Chaos Rings Omega, will be immediately familiar with the structure of Chaos Rings II. You play a pair of characters who move between set scenes and grind their way through various world-levels in turn-based combat. The story is set aboard the massive and mysterious Ark Arena, and before the end of the story, most of the main characters will be scheduled to die. Piu-Piu will dance in the corner with his cardboard ladies and sell you upgraded weapons and armor. The music will be pretty good. Yes, this is familiar territory for the Chaos Rings series.

Having said that, it is the best executed of the three games. The characters are more interesting, and you get to know them all a little better. The plot has more … well, plot to it, and the Ark Arena (and its handlers) have been recast into something more interesting and textured. The graphics are stunners, with everything from the character designs to the pre-rendered backgrounds impressing. And unlike Chaos Rings Omega, Chaos Rings II doesn’t just recycle level and enemy assets; the setting and monsters are new and better-looking than before.

Like its predecessors, Chaos Rings II isn’t an open-ended RPG, but a linear story that you guide the characters through. Unlike the previous entries, here you aren’t following one pair through most or all of the game. Characters are constantly switching off, and through the life of the game (and it’s LONG life, with many hours of gameplay to be had) you’ll take control of at least six different characters. This could be seen as a bad thing, since it means sometimes having to redo levels just to level new characters to the same level as the ones you were previously playing; but the benefits are variety, story, and drama. I consider that a fair trade.

In every conceivable way, Chaos Rings II is better than either of its predecessors, except in the one way that perhaps matters most: core game play. It’s still stuck in a single linear dimension: grind wandering monster mobs (almost all of which require nothing more than straight face-beating) to reach bosses (where things like character abilities and items become relevant). I liked the original game enough to play through this one, but boy did I find myself wishing for some sort of change to the combat routine. Especially since the game entices you to replay and grind higher to develop the many characters and to unlock more story elements.

The other potential turn-off for this game is the price. It is not cheap, at $17.99 for the iPhone and $19.99 for the iPad. In the App Store, that’s a premium price to pay. If you like RPGs and liked the precious games in the series, it’s definitely worth it; but still … ouch!

All in all, I love and appreciate Square Enix’s approach to big, dramatic RPG opera storytelling, and I enjoyed my time with it in Chaos Rings II. But the edges are wearing thin on the Chaos Rings formula a bit, and I can only hope that they take some cues from their more famous franchise in the future. Chaos Rings III needs to open up the gameplay options a bit, and perhaps expand the story beyond the Ark Arena. I’d hate to see the franchise go stale.

Our Score: 4.5 out of 5.

Chaos Rings II Review: Better Story, Better Graphics, Same Gameplay is a post by App Chronicles

While the game may not always be the most realistic (some physics based laws can be broken here and there), it still serves up an incredibly detailed and realistic experience. Sky Gamblers is incredibly fast paced and full of action, all taking place in that great equalizer: the sky. Fly through the heavens at break neck speeds; twist, turn, and dive with pinpoint precision; and shoot, attack, and defend against enemies that would do wrong against you.

With varying difficulty settings, you can determine how you want to play, but even some of the lowest difficulty settings still give you a ridiculous amount of control. The higher difficulty settings allow you to play with accelerometer control, which is great, but be warned: it can get incredibly touchy and difficult to perform your maneuvers and simple flight tricks due to the fact that you might get so engrossed in the experience that you aren’t paying attention to how you’re holding the device.

Regardless of which setting you choose, everything pretty much happens within the palm of your hands. Tilting the device up, down, left, or to the right will drive your aircraft in that direction. With advanced controls, such as swiping the screen up/down and many others, you can perform an array of tricks and maneuvers that might even make some of the most seasoned pilots a little queasy. Increase or decrease your speed with the touch of a finger, command your wingmen, and so much more with intuitive gesture based controlling. While it can get a little overwhelming at first, I was able to pick up the tricks of the trade, so to speak, in a matter of time. Once I had the hang of it, I felt like there was very little anyone could do to stop me. If you’re a stickler for advanced gaming control, you’ll definitely find Sky Gamblers to be appealing, as it would take me writing a post much longer than this one to detail all of the possibilities in controls.

While the story mode might not be the most unique (hey, how many variations of flight combat stories can one really come up with, anyway?), the campaign modes are still excellent and challenging. But that’s not all. You can take part in dogfight missions, multiplayer modes, as well as deathmatch, capture the flag, and base defense. No matter what your preferences, I think it’s safe to say that Sky Gamblers might have you covered in every area of entertainment possibilities for a game like this.

The graphics are really a thing to behold, especially on the iPad’s new display. Colors pop and animations are wonderfully smooth, with a few choice moments bringing me to an almost giddy giggle. Almost, I said. For a game as technologically intensive as this one, I was surprised to find that I rarely had an issue with crashes or stuttering. I encountered perhaps a few moments like that, but I was able to quickly pick up where I left off and I didn’t even think about it. There is one gripe about the graphics, though. They can be a bit inconsistent. While breathtaking in one moment up in the air, visuals can get rather underwhelming the closer to the ground you are. There isn’t a lot of detail there, and I suppose you would expect as much, since this is a game that’s all about…well, the sky. But it created a stark contrast for me.

While the game can be a bit of a difficult pick up right off the bat, Sky Gamblers: Air Supremacy more than holds its own in not just the mobile gaming platform, but the flight simulator genre as well. All of the planes are incredibly detailed, and the artwork is top notch, not to mention the game play. With only a few minor quibbles, it’s safe to say that Sky Gamblers: Air Supremacy is quite the win for Namco Bandai, the developer.

While it might cost a bit more than your average gaming app at $4.99, Sky Gamblers is worth the price, if you ask me. Since it’s a universal app, I’ve played it on both my iPhone and new iPad, and it’s the exact same experience on each device.

Our score: 5 out of 5.

Sky Gamblers: Air Supremacy Review: Gorgeous Graphics, Fast Paced Action, And an Intense Experience is a post by App Chronicles

There was a time when it seemed questionable if the iPad’s touch interface was suitable for real work, but as I mentioned earlier, I think we’ve moved on… Once you launch your first project in iMovie, you’re met with a screen that’s segmented into three parts (in landscape mode, anyway). You’ve got your iPad video clips in the upper left, with the “My Project” viewing pane positioned right beside that. Below is where you’ll drag video clips, photos, and songs as you arrange the final product… And working with these materials has been made incredibly simple by Apple. Adjusting video length is accomplished by sliding on the ends of the clip, and it can be done either before you’ve sent the content to the timeline or after. The rest of the processes are a combination of drag-and-drop and multi-touch gestures. One thing is for sure, you won’t find yourself in many situations where the solution to your problem can’t be easily figured out through some experimentation.

A couple of the special new features added through recent updates are the ability to swipe down on the playhead to split a clip, or swipe up to freeze a frame. These missing features were on my list of “cons” until I visited the app’s iTunes page and saw them advertised in the description. Such “advanced” features would be worth mentioning in a tutorial, but none is made available inside the iMovie app. Other things you might not figure out on your own would be pinching horizontally to zoom the timeline, or pinching vertically to open the precision editor… Cool tricks, but not very well explained unless you do the research.

With any $4.99 mobile video editor, you have to expect that there will be some things you can’t do, and that’s certainly the case with iMovie. As much of an amateur as I am, I occasionally come up with ideas that seem to be out of the reach of the simple software. So if you’ve got any experience whatsoever (that freshman year video production class counts, as I discovered), you’d do well to limit your expectations with iMovie, or maybe look elsewhere. The themes and trailers (which are fun for a few minutes, and entertaining for the kids) are all heavily pre-formatted, meaning that you’ll have to be willing to fit your creativity into Apple’s presets to find satisfaction.

Another annoyance to mention—which could easily be stripped from the app in an update—is iMovie’s insistence on adding a cross-fade transition after each clip you drop into the timeline. If you want to avoid the soft look that goes along with 40 cross-fades in a five-minute movie, you’ve got to tap-and-hold and delete each one.

… But again, when you consider the market for iMovie and what’s it’s supposed to accomplish, there’s no denying that Apple hit the mark. Not only is it incredibly easy to throw together a handful of clips and then post the product online, there’s even enough here to improve your skills and get more out of the app as you go… Professional tool this is not, but for all other purposes, its worth five bucks.

Our Score: 4 Out of 5

iMovie for iPad Review: Great for Casual Filmmaking is a post by App Chronicles

There’s a lot to be happy with, and really only one complaint. The unfortunate thing, though, is that the one complaint is quite annoying, but we’ll get to that soon enough.

Like its predecessor, Flight Control Rocket is an air traffic control game where you do your best to avoid, or minimize any damage and accidents in space. Where this iteration stands out is its difficulty when compared to the first. You have to contend with larger ships, weird flight patterns, and heavier flight traffic, adding a level of difficulty that the first didn’t possess.

Each ship has a color coordinating with its port, and your job is to direct that ship’s path into the ports set in various places within the giant “mothership”. Instead of just landing the ships, you have to actually plan ahead the flight patterns to avoid collisions with any other ships that they might come in contact with. If you take your eye away for too long, a ship might come into view and a possible collision with one you’ve already set a path for, thus forcing you to reroute the previous ship. Another added difficulty is that some ships come with a whole squadron of other ships of the same type. So instead of directing just one ship’s path, you have to take into account that five or ten more ships will be following closely behind the first one. Every type of ship has a varying speed, so pay close attention and soon enough you will have the ship types, formations, and speeds down.  Otherwise you’ll be starting the level over much quicker than you’d hoped for.

If you’re wondering how the game looks on the new iPad’s Retina Display, it’s freaking fantastic; although, that could probably be said about any app that utilizes the new screen. The graphics are crisp and colorful, as nearly every design element pops and shines while an array of multicolored ships zoom across your screen. The animations are also done quite well, being that they’re smooth and purposeful, giving a very fluid visual experience. Never once has the app crashed or skipped a beat on me, and that’s saying a lot when you account for the considerable amount of technical things happening behind the Retina Display.

You aren’t on your own in Flight Control Rocket. No, you’re given help from a robot that will aid you in maximizing your scores, but this is where things get annoying, and in my opinion, the game takes a drastic dive. The one free robot is great and all, but you’ll soon find EA constantly asking if you’d like to purchase another robot within the app in order to aid with the increasing difficulty. For every new challenge you encounter, you can bet your sweet bippy that there’s a robot for that, as long as you’re willing to part with some coinage. This wouldn’t be a huge annoyance if the game itself were free, but that’s obviously not the case. In app purchase solicitation is annoying enough for me, but when I’ve already paid for a game, I don’t want to be pestered more and more to buy something else in order to make playing the game fun and more simple.

Flight Control Rocket can get pretty challenging pretty quick, and it’s obvious EA made it this way so that you would be even more tempted to drop a few dollars in order to keep progressing at a consistent rate. If you have enough skill and patience, you could definitely save up your points and coins you earn as the game goes on, but that would honestly take a long, long time. Again, EA isn’t forcing you to buy them, but the constant solicitation starts to rub you the wrong way the more and more it happens, detracting from the escapism the game is supposed to give.

Overall, Flight Rocket Control is a highly entertaining game that you could easily immerse yourself into for quite awhile, and a bargain at only $0.99. It’s safe for every member of the whole family, and gameplay is dead simple, making it easy for kids to get the hang of; while still being enough of a challenge for adults to be entertained by.

Our score: 4 out of 5

Flight Control Rocket Review: A Beautifully Designed app that Builds on its Predecessor is a post by App Chronicles

After rolling through the first few levels of Tank Hero, you’ll quickly catch on to the game’s structure. The original release boasted 120 levels that were split into three worlds. Levels are unlocked in the campaign mode by destroying all the other tanks present and earning a gold, silver, or bronze medal (depending on your time and the damage you suffered). As you might expect, things get harder as you go, with more complicated layouts and enemy tanks that are more difficult to destroy… Besides the campaign mode, you can also dabble in Survival or Time Trial.

Throughout your explosive adventure, you should expect to find six different kinds of AI tanks, and you’ll get access to an equal number of weapons with which to combat them. Clapfoot keeps it pretty traditional by strapping your tank with such projectiles as grenades, howitzers, heat seekers, and cannons… Along with your choice of weapons, you’re given different methods of controlling your tank. You can choose to utilize virtual d-pads, swipes, and taps for getting around and shooting. All are viable options, and it will just take some experimenting to determine your preference. I find that the easiest method is whichever allows you to not cover your tank with your thumb.

With all of those tanks, weapons, and control schemes, it would seem that all the pieces are in place for Tank Hero to be an absolute blast. For the most part, that’s the case… The OpenGL 3D graphics means the game looks wonderful, and all the effort that Clapfoot must have put into providing the control methods really pays off. All things considered, the multitude of levels provide plenty of thrills and challenges to make Tank Hero well-worth your dollar.

… But I wouldn’t feel like everything has been laid on the table without noting that this is a game in sore need of multiplayer. And without it, Tank Hero won’t live up to what it could be. There’s just no better time to team up with a friend than when trying to blow up opposing tanks. Alternatively, there’s no more purer form of competition that lining up on the opposite side of an arena and trying to eliminate your friend.

Perhaps multiplayer has been scheduled for an upcoming update, but if so, Clapfoot hasn’t mentioned it on the app’s iTunes page. And with the last update to the game coming in July of 2011, we’re left to assume that Tank Hero might be left in its current form for good… Even if that’s the case, I’m still not complaining about what this dollar bought me. There’s more than enough joyful destruction and narrow escapes to be found here, and you’ll find it difficult to not keep coming back for more.

Our Score: 4 Out of 5

Tank Hero Review: Fast-Paced and Explosive is a post by App Chronicles

With iPhoto for iOS, users have the ability to take full  advantage of an intuitive interface that’s easy to navigate and create gorgeous, lightly edited photos, with minimal work. It’s a photo storing and editing software that virtually anyone can get the hang of, not just those familiar with the Mac version.

It should be stated that iPhoto isn’t here to replace the native photo library on your device. Instead, what it is here to do is provide you with more functionality and to work in tandem with your library to provide enhancement tools that help you edit your photos just right in order to look a little better. While it is by no means an end all be all editing program, it provides just enough power, tools, and options to give you the ability to get the job done.

The moment you launch iPhoto, you’re given four functional tabs to choose from: Albums, Photos, Events, and Journal. Albums, Photos, and Events are exactly what they are on the Mac iPhoto counterpart, with Journal being the only new addition here. Journal is a wonderful little feature that lets you create an album of your choice photos for sharing. You can add a background and border to your photos for that more finished look. Create a Journal name, and fine tune all of the other aspects, and then you’re ready to share your Journal via iCloud, Slideshow, or iTunes. It’s a great way to show people where you’ve been, as well as store some of your memories, and it adds a bit of a more refined touch and feel that the Album function lacks.

Now, it’s probably the editing features you’re wondering about most. Let’s be certain, iPhoto is going to give you the feature rich experience and power of Photoshop, and it might not even be as good of a photo editor as other iOS apps, such as Snapseed and Camera+. But what it might lack in power, it surely makes up for in ease of use. The editing toolbar at the bottom is where you’ll find all of the necessary tools to get the job done; such as crop and straighten, exposure, color, brushes, and effects.

Most of the features are easy enough to figure out for yourself by name only, and the gestures necessary to perform such functions are as simple as anything can be on the iPad or iPhone. The standard pinch and rotating gestures are there, along with functions that take advantage of the device’s gyro in order to move the effects to our liking to get the desired result.

With the exposure setting, you’re given a liner adjustment tool that enables you to customize certain things like shadows, highlights, contrast, and brightness. Next, on over to the color tool. This feature works almost exactly like the exposure tool does, and you’re even given the ability to long-press certain areas in the image you wish to make your changes to, which gives you even more focus and ability in certain areas of the photo. Let’s talk about the Brushes feature, as it’s pretty awesome. Click the icon to bring up 8 different brushes that contain the ability to repair, fix red eye, saturate, desaturate, lighten, darken, sharpen, and soften. Activate the detect edges option to keep yourself from worrying about staying within the boundaries of your editing area, and you’re good to go. The brushes features, when used right, can give us a litany of options, such as removing blemishes or spots on photo subjects and background objects. Finally, there’s the effects tool, which allows you to apply a predetermined look and feel to your photo, with choices ranging between warm/cool, duotone, black/white, aura, vintage, and artistic. This feature is great for the user who may not quite understand how to utilize the previous features very well yet, and just wants to add a better looking veneer to their photo without getting too deep.

Having used the iPhone version for nearly a week and a half now, and the iPad version for a couple of days, it’s safe to say that I was able to figure out how to use almost every feature the application gives me in a pretty successful manner. While the iPad version gives you plenty of screen real estate to work with, the iPhone version can be a bit of a chore to edit on, but that’s a given considering its relative small screen size. What’s great about both versions, though, is that iPhoto is a universal app, so you’re given complete and equal functionality on each device. There’s no fear of missing out if you’re just in the market for the iPhone version.

Overall, iPhoto is exactly what it sets out to be: an easy to use photo organizing and editing suite. As I said before, it’s not going to replace any of those major editing apps you might already have, but that’s not what it’s trying to do. With iPhoto, you get a one stop location for all your photo albums and edits, as well as the ability to sync via iCloud, which is perhaps one of its greatest aspects. At $4.99, it runs a little bit more than the average editing app, but considering its functionality and ability to sync with your Mac’s counterpart app, that’s a bargain.

Our score: 5 out of 5 stars.

iPhoto for iOS Review: A Dead Simple and Powerful way to Edit your Photos on the Go is a post by App Chronicles

After just getting underway with the career mode, returning racers will realize something right away. Polarbit has left behind some of the characteristics that made the original what it was. Instead of countrified characters with southern drawls and ugly cars, we’re treated with a long list of beautiful courses (dirt and tarmac), and an equally long list of vehicles, all upgradeable… You get the feeling that—sometime after making the original game—the developers realized what they had on their hands, and that’s a racing game that shouldn’t be taken lightly. So they went with it, and we’re glad they did.

Along with giving a major facelift to the “feel” of the game, Polarbit delivers by offering a complete career mode, as well as arcade, single-event, and multiplayer… You’ll probably find yourself dabbling in each mode, but the career is a great place to get started. Earning money means winning circuits, but don’t expect that to happen right away, because these courses are just as treacherous as you might remember, and power-sliding around turns and making dangerous passes has never felt more reckless. Take heart, though, because now you can compliment your practice efforts by upgrading your car to match your style (handling, tires, rims, colors). Just figure out your strategy, and then determine whether you’ll spend money on parts, or opt to save up for a pricey new car.

One of the most important factors to enjoying Reckless Racing 2 is to make sure that you don’t get so caught up in the competition that you ignore what’s going on around you. Polarbit did an amazing job polishing these dirt/cement tracks, whether it’s a brick path running around a beachfront castle or a dirt road marked by pylons, everything is luscious and fully-realized. I don’t claim to know how they did it, but the game’s iTunes page touts its “shader based game engine with normal maps, reflections, specularity, shadows, particles and more.” All I know is—it works.

A main thing to be aware of before dropping $4.99 on Reckless Racing 2 is the high difficulty level. Let’s just say, it’s not a game that can be handed off to a small child and expected to provide hours of entertainment. It’s incredibly easy to find yourself sliding off the road at every corner or doing accidental donuts on a straightaway, and winning a race requires restraint and quick decision-making. You’ll also want to test out the different control schemes, as each makes for quite a different ride. I’m partial to tank mode, in which your vehicle automatically accelerates, with turn arrows on the sides of the screen and a brake button in the middle.

While the investment of time it takes to get good at Reckless Racing is respectable, the rewards of sliding off a dirt road and onto a paved straightaway to overtake the first-place car are worth it every time. By not taking itself too seriously, Polarbit has managed to keep everything fun while also challenging you beyond what you might have expected. It’s not for kids, nor is it for anyone just looking for a casual, one-off racer, but Reckless Racing 2 has a ton to offer for those interested in a quirky, exhilarating new perspective on the iOS racing genre.

Reckless Racing 2 Review: Hillbilly Racing just got Sophisticated, in a Good Way is a post by App Chronicles

Angry Birds Space takes the popular bird-flinging mechanic and brings it into outer space, where flat surfaces are replaced by gravity-generating planetoids. In so doing, Angry Birds Space is far from the first game to introduce gravity-generating planetoids as a physics mechanic. Nintento launched Mario into space several years ago, and even iOS has had the gravity-centric shooter Bombardier’s Guild for nearly two years.

But regardless of how original the idea is, it was the right idea for the game. The original Angry Birds game, plus Seasons and Rio, are all great games, but they’re all basically the same game with different themes. AB Space is the first Angry Birds game to really play differently, thanks mostly to the gravity mechanic. Thinking through a level takes on more challenge when there’s more physics involved! It’s really fun to have to shoot a bird around the back end of a planetoid in order to score three stars, instead of directly at the target.

This is a different game, but not too different; this is, after all, still Angry Birds. You’re still launching the titular fowls at egg-stealing pigs protected by shakily-built structures. You’re still chasing three star rankings per level. you’re still finding hidden golden eggs (here dubbed “eggsteroids” and themed after popular video games like space Invaders and Super Breakout). Rovio has done something that every sequel hopes to do: it’s made changes, brought the game forward, while still maintaining the fun of the original.

One change that really delighted me was the changes to the birds themselves. Many of the birds have more or less the same abilities, but in space they can be used in very different ways. And the yellow bird has taken on both a different color — purple — and a more space-friendly targeting mechanic that makes him more precise and useful. There’s also the new ice bird, which makes metal and stone as fragile as ice and therefore sets the next bird up for a big hit.

Graphically, it looks great. Some of the visual refinements that began in Angry Birds Rio continue here, including the more impressive scoring screens and the richer use of color and shading. Everything has a retro sci-fi look and feel to it, which was the right choice, and the soundtrack is also delightfully retro-fied. I kept expecting to hear a theremin in there!

It seems like every AB game I review has some downside, though, something to prevent it from getting that elusive 5th star. In AB Space, it’s the IAP. Sadly, AB Space seems to mark the beginning of Rovio’s shift to a more IAP-based model. That 99 cent price tag is sweet, but know that this is the first AB game ever to feature IAP level purchases — specifically, a 30-level set called the Danger Zone. Sure, that just makes the $1.99, and isn’t that reasonable? But one can’t help but feel we’re just being desensitized to the whole notion of playing for new levels. Also, a single 99 cent IAP no longer gets you The Big Eagle indefinitely; instead, the Space Eagle is purchased in bundles of uses. Sigh!

Angry Birds Space is a great game that loses a little luster for having a level of IAP we’re just not used to seeing in an Angry Birds game. I love the game, but hate the direction these developments hint at. Still, for 99 cents, there’s 60 new boards here that offer enough innovation on the AB franchise to definitely make it worth a purchase.

Our Score: 4.5 stars.

Angry Birds Space (iPhone)

Angry Birds Space HD (iPad)

Angry Birds Space Review: Sending the Birds Into Orbit Was A Great Idea! is a post by App Chronicles

In Hero Academy, you take control of an army — currently the Council (humans), the Dark Elves, or the Dwarves, though more armies are coming soon — and face off on a game board against an opponent. Each board has one or two crystals on it that you control, and the same for your opponent. The goal of the game is to either destroy your opponent’s crystals or eliminate their entire army. You get five moves per turn, and you gain resources (more units, special items) from a pre-determined “deck” dealt out 6 items at a time.

It’s a satisfyingly simple premise that, thanks to the random draw of resources, the different layouts of the boards, and the strengths and weaknesses of the factions, leads to a complex and thoughtful game play. The decks are balanced in their composition (one “special” unit, two power scrolls, three special weapons, etc.), and there’s no leveling or grinding XP or overpowered IAP purchases to drive the game. It’s all about luck of the draw (especially in the first handful of rounds) and pure strategy to pull off a win.

Because of its asynchronous nature, it’s a hard game to plan ahead for. You very quickly have to get in the habit of assessing each turn as it comes up, try out a few plays to see which one works, and then act. The game is well designed, though, such that the process of taking a turn is both quick and enjoyable, with a convenient reset button so that you’re never committed to an action until you submit your turn. Clever players might be able to think ahead several turns (there’s a league, for example), but most players will be content with taking each turn as it comes.

The whole game is also presented in a graphically interesting way. The look is cartoony, but not absurdly so, and colors are crisp but not too bright. Each unit sports a large head, and each upgrade visually changes the appearance of each unit in a unique way. Animations and special effects are also well done.

Where the game is currently weakest is in army balance and variety. Each army is balanced in terms of numbers of units and items, but sometimes individual units or unit/item combos can be very overpowering – the Council Archer, for example, if she gets her hands on an upgraded bow. Also, before the latest update, the Dark Elves lagged heavily behind the Council in terms of playability; and frankly, with there only being two armies available, that meant a lot of Council-on-council action. A recent major update added a third army, the Dwarves, and readjusted some Dark Elf and Council units; now, the two are more evenly matched, but the Dwarves struggles against the Dark Elves more often than it should. Hopefully, more armies and more re-balancing are in the game’s future.

Another thing to note is that, while the basic game is free to play, Hero Academy is supported by a fair number of IAPs. For example, the app comes only with the Council army; Dark Elves and Dwarves both are gained as IAP, and any future army releases will also be separate purchases. The other purchases are for things like uniform colors, avatar pics, and in-game taunts. Buying the other armies is a no-brainer if you enjoy the game; the rest of the IAPs are hit-or-miss … and also expensive! For example, each faction has a $2.99 purchase for one — yes, ONE — avatar pic. That single avatar is a full dollar more expensive than the playable army it represents!

There’s no excuse for any fantasy combat fan to sample a few games of Hero Academy. You’ll only get access to the Council, but I guarantee that, before long, you’ll feel the enticement of the Dark Elves or the Dwarves. It’s just a blast of a game, and so long as Robot Entertainment keeps updating the game and making the necessary balance tweaks to keep things competitive, it’s a game that will remain fun for some time to come.

Our score: 4.5 out of 5

Hero Academy Review: It’s Swords With Friends! is a post by App Chronicles

Midway Arcade packages six classic Bally/Midway classics from the 1980s: Defender, Spy Hunter, Rampage, Arch Rivals, Root Beer Tapper, and Joust. In addition, two 99 cent IAP three-packs offer NARC, APB, and Total Carnage (the “Action Pack”) or Gauntlet, Gauntlet II, and Wizard of Wor (the “Fantasy Pack”). I’ll be honest; if someone had told me that I could buy JOUST for my iPad for 99 cents, I wouldn’t have blinked an eye. But to get six games for that price, especially since some of them are such classics as Defender and Rampage, is a real value.

 [NOTE: 99 cents is the "Launch Sale" price; there's no indication yet of what price the app may rise to in the future, though $1.99 or $2.99 is most likely.]

The games are presented in a nostalgia-laden graphical recreation of an old-school arcade. You select your game by moving from game cabinet to game cabinet, past bright, cheesy decorations. There’s even four playable “arcade” games, including Basketball, Skeeball, Air Hockey, and Pool. These four games can be quickly dismissed as part of the game’s arcade trappings; they’re not very good and you probably won’t want to play them more than once.

No, you’ll want to spend your time with the core six games, and of course any games you buy via IAP. And what you’ll find here are fun and wholly authentic ports of the original games. These are not reimaginings, or recreations, or licensed games. They’re authentic and unadulterated, almost to a fault; there’s no saving a game, or choosing a level, or multiplayer over wifi with these games. It’s plunk a virtual quarter in, play through, enter your initials when you’re done, play again. Totally old school.

The only real problem with the games is that the controls are not always optimized. It’s a given that virtual controls don’t play quite like physical controls; but I think there’s definite adjustments to be made here in some games. Defender, especially, feels a little sloppy; and in Gauntlet, you stop moving everytime you attack. Really? Two-touch controls weren’t accounted for? It’s kind of an obvious oversight.

I also miss multiplayer. It’s a shame I can’t throw down in a game like Gauntlet with three other people! Perhaps getting these old ROMs to work with something like WiFi just wasn’t in the cards, or perhaps they’re going to work on such implementation in the near future. Let’s hope so.

So, yes, there are warts, but they’re minor compared to all the greatness here. Am I willing to forgive some of the warts because I’m nostalgic? Probably. But the flaws, such as they are, can be tweaked in app updates. And the sheer amount of classic awesomeness available here for such a bargain price can’t be understated. And the possibilities for future IAP offerings is just juicy; even assuming licensed fare like Tron won’t make it here, there’s still things like Defender II, Robotron, or Galaga that could make their way into the eager hands of nostalgic gamers everywhere.

If you’re a fan of retro-gaming or a child of the arcade, then you’ve got to get this app. It’s an excellent treatment of classic games in a pocket-friendly bundle.

Our Score: 5 out of 5

Midway Arcade Review: Nostalgic Value Pack of Excellent Classic Games is a post by App Chronicles

The story to Beat Sneak Bandit is one that everyone can agree is fun and unique: all of the world’s clocks have gone missing. Simple enough, right? Well, these missing clocks have led to global panic and chaos, as nobody is able to tell when anything is on TV or when they’re supposed to get up in the morning and so on and so on. Everyone has their suspicions that Duke Clockface, a hermit with a bad rep, is behind the worldwide caper. It’s quickly revealed that he has stolen all of the clocks so that he can build a machine that will actually freeze all of time. It’s up to the Beat Sneak Bandit and his buddy Herbie to infiltrate Duke Clockface’s lair and steal back all of the clocks in order to save the day. And time itself.

Gameplay for Beat Sneak Bandit is incredibly simple: just tap the screen in beat with the music playing and you’ll get your character to move. Continue to tap in beat and Bandit will move along the floor, closer and closer to his end goal in each level: the clock. Do your best to avoid obstacles and mistiming your taps, or else the clock will explode and you’ll be forced to start all over. There are trap doors, patrolling henchmen, cameras, and vacuums, plus many more, and all of these things will only serve to deter you on your mission if you don’t navigate them correctly. Once again, though, Beat Sneak Bandit is a game of timing, and every one of these obstacles comes with an ability to overcome them based on the timed rhythm they each have.

One other thing that’s just great about this game is the soundtrack. You would imagine that due to the game’s general thesis dealing with music that the soundtrack and sound effects would be top notch, and you would be correct. It’s just fun to listen to, let alone play the game with. The graphics are wonderful, as well, with clean lines and great character animations and style. I honestly can’t say enough about how visually appealing this game is, as every single level had something beautiful and wonderful to offer, keeping things fresh and interesting throughout the game. The writing is also a thing to rave about, with clever bits of humor and dialogue thrown in, making this game more than just a visually and musically appealing one. I actually found myself getting into the story and caring about what happens and how much further I could go, not to mention how much I couldn’t stand the arrogant jerk known as Duke Clockface.

If I had to nail down any complaints, I guess things can get just a tad bit repetitive at times, but that’s to be expected with a rhythm game like this. It’s all based on beats and how well you can keep time with them, so it only stands to reason that after a little bit, you might get a little tired of it.

But even that is nitpicking because everything else (the graphics, the music, the dialogue/story) keeps this gem moving and fresh.

Beat Sneak Bandit costs $2.99 in the App Store, and it’s worth every penny. Download it today and get moving on those sick beats.

Our Score: 5 out of 5

Beat Sneak Bandit Review: A Gorgeously Designed Rhythm Game that demands your Attention is a post by App Chronicles

Newcomers to Ice Rage really have no choice but to jump right in. Once on the ice against an AI opponent, you should be able to grasp the complete control scheme in about five seconds. A virtual stick on one side of the screen slides your skater around the rink, while an “A” button on the other side makes him check your opponent or shoot the puck. When on offense, hold the “A” button down to charge the shot.

…. I hope you found that learning process as painless as I did. While the controls couldn’t get any simpler, I’m of the opinion that mastering Ice Rage isn’t so easy. The delayed physics employed as your skater glides around the rink means that thinking ahead to where the puck is going to be makes all the difference. Lining up checks and firing off slapshots all require quite a bit of accuracy, meaning it’s not quite as easy as it looks to hit the ice and start bruising… Those wanting to go all the way with Ice Rage can even bump it up to the “Hard” difficulty, where your virtual stick controls both your skater and your goalie at the same time. Switching your focus on which player you want to move adds another element of difficulty to the gameplay—requiring even more strategy for a deceptively simple-looking game.

While playing hockey with this colorful cast of characters in single player mode is lots of fun, multiplayer is at the heart of this kind of raw competition. To that end, Mountain Sheep puts both players on the same device for a matchup that unfolds just like the single player, but from a slightly different perspective. Yeah, it’s pretty cramped on iPhone, but not so much that it can’t be enjoyed.

Ice Rage has already faced criticism for being shallow, and it’s hard to argue with that claim since both the single-player and multiplayer modes are one dimensional. Updates could change that in the future, but with only a short tournament available in single player and a complete lack of online multiplayer, those who enjoy the game will likely be left wanting more.

When comparing Ice Rage to other deeper, more complex hockey sims in the App Store, there’s no competition on which offers more fun, user-friendly gameplay. That’s not to say hockey enthusiasts like myself don’t appreciate the ambitious effort of 2K Sports with a game like NHL 2K11, but for now hockey is too big and too fast to really feel at home on an iPhone. So, if you can’t get to the rink but really need more hockey in your life (and who doesn’t?), I’m going to say this is the best way to get it. Ice Rage gives you the fast-paced thrills that are so unique to hockey, even if it does it in a cartoony, dramatic way. This may not look like a realistic title, but for matching the bare-knuckle excitement of scoring a game-winning goal, it’s the closest thing to real life.

Our Score: 4 Out of 5

Ice Rage Review: A Raw Hockey Experience that’s Tons of Fun is a post by App Chronicles

Ragdoll Blaster 3 could easily be summed up as one of “those” games.

The story to the $1 game is fairly straightforward. A number of ragdolls are chilling around, and rather bored out of their minds. Eventually, an intrepid member of this rag-tag (see what I did there?) group invents a machine that enables them to travel across great distances to whatever destination would enable them to experience something to take away their boredom.

Levels involve elements like timing to hit the target at a certain point, launching multiple ragdolls to interact with objects, and just incredibly precise angle jockeying. With each level beaten, a new one is unlocked which gives a piece to an overall blueprint for whatever vehicle or device is necessary to make it to a new land, with each land being populated by other ragdolls with specific and unique traits based off the island. Something else to keep things interesting is that you can collect gold coins throughout the game in order to get a 3 Star rating at the end of each level. The more you collect, the more options you have for in app purchases that allow you to unlock new ragdoll designs, but other than that, they don’t serve much more of a purpose.

The graphics are a delight, as the ragdolls themselves have a bit of character to their cartoonish appearances that lets out unique personality traits in each one of them. It’s a wonderfully visually appearing experience, and the different environments and ragdoll types make for an interesting exercise in creativity by the developers.

As for gameplay, it’s rather straightforward and simple. Just tap a section of the screen and the cannon will fire your ragdoll right to it. To create a more powerful shot, tap a further from your cannon. There is a level of difficulty added in that you have to figure out how each varying object in the levels work, and how your ragdoll will interact and change its flight pattern as a result. The better aim and timing you have allows for a wonderful chain reaction of events  that will nail your target within a couple of shots.

There are only a few of minor complaints I have with the game. While it is available for the iPhone/iPod touch and iPad, it’s not universal on the iPad, so there isn’t a “save game” function to go between either device if you have them. If you’ve ever played the previous versions of Ragdoll Blaster, it’s not necessarily a new experience for you, even if the graphics and style are completely wonderfully different. The core function of the game hasn’t changed, so fans of the  previous versions aren’t getting much of a revolutionary change here. The last little quibble I have is that the voices of the characters can get a little annoying, but that’s nothing the volume switch can’t solve.

Overall, Ragdoll Blaster 3 is a wonderful and creative experience that adds a little something unique to the physics puzzle platform. If you have kids, they’ll love the fun and playful characters. But if even if you’re not a kid there’s still tons of enjoyment to be found in this creative and ridiculous (in a good way) game.

Our score: 4 out of 5.

Ragdoll Blaster 3 Review: A Unique Look and Feel to the Physics based Puzzle Platform is a post by App Chronicles

Trust me, I never expected to get this excited about an app that falls squarely in the category of productivity and “to-do lists.” But as soon as you start learning Clear’s gesture-based controls, it’s really hard not to love what you’re working with… When you launch the app for the first time, you’ll be ushered into a quick tutorial session that uses its own interface to teach you the basic gestures you need to know in order to get to work creating shopping lists, personal to-do lists, reading lists, notes, etc. We’ve all written lists before—that’s not where the hook sets in; instead, Clear gets it so right when it comes to modifying items and switching through the apps tiered layout.

Remember: no buttons. That means that adding an item to a list can be accomplished by pulling down or pinching open anywhere on the list. To delete or clear an item, swipe right or left. Want to go back a step and view all your lists at a glance? Pinch closed on the screen to see your list collapse on itself as the app pulls up another tier… Along with these basic functions, you’ll occasionally discover another layer to the gesture controls, which is always a nice surprise when you’re in the middle of a mundane task like listing out the day’s chores.

While the developers “clear”ly wanted to keep Clear stripped down to the bare essentials, those who like to customize should rest assured that the app comes with several different theme and sound options. In addition, the menu provides you with some tips and tricks that will make sure you’re getting the most out of Clear.

So there you have it, a 5-star to-do list app that should pretty much shut the book on further entries in the genre… But is that all we have here? Many have been quick to point out that the gesture-based controls that make this app work could be put to all kinds of uses in really any other type of application out there. Once you try Clear and see how slick and painless it is, it’s hard not to wonder what else is going on in the Realmac studios. Is Clear the end result of the wonderful user interface they’ve developed? I imagine it’s not. These elegant gestures and thoughtful hierarchies could even become a natural part of future smart phone operating systems, if we’ve got anything to say about it.

To quote the developers on their own app—”We became obsessed with how to simplify our lives without adding clutter… Our solution is Clear.” And what a great solution it is. We’ll be very interested in seeing what Realmac Software Limited has for us next. Let’s hope they’re thinking bigger than to-do lists.

Our Score: 5 Out of 5

Clear Review: Stroke of Genius- Who knew a to-do list could be so Sexy! is a post by App Chronicles

Camera+ is one such app I tell my newly minted iPhone-owning friends about, and it would appear I’m not the only one, as it’s been downloaded over 6 million times.

But if you’re anything like me, you need to be fairly convinced that an app is worth the purchase, especially if there’s an equivalent app already built in (in this case, the iPhone’s camera app). Why do I need a different app? What could be in this app that makes it worth my hard earned money? Simply put, Camera + has features that the camera app that came on your phone doesn’t have, and then some you never thought you needed.

The reason I find myself using Camera+ most is that it gives me a 3×3 grid to help better compose and align shots. I have an OCD personality type when it comes to symmetry and alignment, and this feature tends to be my lifeblood. With this app, you can also set the focus and exposure points independently by using two fingers, which is a huge advantage over the iPhone’s built-in app. If you have shaky hands when it comes to taking photos, like I do, the app’s stabilization feature is another nice touch.

With Camera+, you have 15 different lighting scenes you can choose from to suit whatever look and feel you’re trying to achieve. You can crop, rotate, and flip your photo, apply one of 27 effects (9 extra available through an in-app purchase) like HDR, Toy Camera and Sepia, and utilize the 6x digital zoom.  There are also 18 different borders you can apply to your masterpiece to give it that gallery feel. While some of the filters and effects may not apply as seamlessly and easily as the ones you might find in Instagram, the customization and adaptability you’re afforded with Camera+ gives it a slight edge, in my book.

One of the things I most like about Camera+, aside from its hefty editing features, is the ability to take timed photo shots. You’re given the option for a 5 second, 15 second, or 30 second timer to suit whatever it is you’re trying to capture. I can’t tell you how much I loath holding the phone up for a self-photo moment, as it makes me feel like a teenage girl creating a Facebook album.

As you want with any camera app, Camera+ gives you the ability to upload from your photo library in addition to shooting from within the app itself. As default, you edit the photos in the Camera+ Lightbox and save only those snaps you approve of into your camera roll, but there are options to save all into the standard camera roll, or even in both. This gives me the chance to check out what kind of creativity I can muster with a shot I made long ago, or even with another app, but only now realized a different possibility with.

As far as sharing goes, most of the usual suspects are there: Twitter, Facebook, and Flickr.

As for what’s not so good about Camera+? It’s really hard to find fault with the app. If I have to find one, I’d say that a lot of the effects can look a little artificial, but this is generally true of any kind of excessive use of photo effects, and each effect can at least be decreased.

Overall, it’s difficult to state why you SHOULDN’T at least try Camera+ out. It may not have as many features as Snapseed (Read Review), another great photo-editing app, but at half the price, it definitely makes up for that in the bargain department. If you ask me, $1.99 is more than fair.

Our score: 5 out of 5.

Camera+ Review: The most Powerful $1.99 Photo App you’ll Find is a post by App Chronicles

Each level of Smash Cops is framed like an helicopter shot of a police chase, complete with a news banner overlay. Your goal is to complete a stated objective, said objective usually boiling down to “Crash X cars by any means necessary .” It sounds repetitive, but the levels are fast enough and fun enough that you don’t feel bored.

Hutch has really done a good job of building a fast-paced driving game that feels like it belongs on a touch device. This is mainly due to the controls. In Smash Cops, you put your thumb (or finger — I found I got better control that way on the iPad, where the thumb is a bit short) behind your car to accelerate. Sliding your thumb left or right causes the car to turn the opposite direction. It takes a bit of getting used to, but you’ll quickly figure out how to execute turns and get it going in a relatively straight line. Tapping with a second finger or thumb gives the car a burst of “ramming speed,” which you use to damage & destroy the cars you’re chasing.

One of the reasons Smash Cops works well is that the levels and missions are short. It’s a high-adreneline burst of action, after which you get some satisfying crashes and then move on to the next level. Some levels have other goals — like driving to waypoints — and those levels suffer a bit from the lack of action. This game is about smashing and crashing, and any level that doesn’t let me flip a perp’s Mustang is a level I don’t want to replay.

Replaying is necessary , though, as it earns you stars that you need to unlock other levels and other features. Chief amongst these is other cars, including the “Super” cars, which are limited use items and give you advantage in finishing a board. Of course, many of these are also unlockable via IAP (what isn’t nowadays?), but grinding for stars isn’t too bad.

I did find the controls a little overly sensitive for my taste. While the touch-driving is innovative, it takes some getting used to and precision driving is hard. You’ll want to scream at the first cone relay, which challenges you to make it to the end without hitting any cones — a feat that seems far more difficult than it should be. There is a jopypad, but it feels like more of an afterthought than anything. You’ll quickly switch back to the touch system.

Smash Cops is a good racing game with a neat control scheme, good graphics, and plenty of action. If you’re a fan of games like Reckless Racing or Death Rally, then you should definitely check Smash Cops out.

Our Score: 4 out of 5

Smash Cops Review: Reckless Law Enforcement you Won’t See on TV is a post by App Chronicles