Countdown - Official TV Show App

Price at time of writing 59p approx 99c

It's received very mixed reviews from superb to grim but I don't really know why.

This is actually a very good recreation of the Channel 4 TV programme.

All the usual rounds are available - The word game, the numbers game and the Countdown Conundrum and the official theme tune sounds great.

The word game works fine and you get the customary 30 seconds to work out your longest word from your chosen vowels and consonants.

The numbers game initially takes a bit of getting used to. But when you understand how to pick numbers and 'carry forward' it is an excellent recreation of this part of the show.

The 9 letter conundrum will test you just as the show does and don't think you can buzz in and take all the time you need because you can't. Once you buzz in you are on a timer to type the word in very quickly.

However the developers could have done just a little more to make this into a classic 10/10 app.

Two Player is available - Pass and Play or Bluetooth. This is fine but it would have been nice to have a more global interactive game.

As for the single game there is the choice of short game or whole game. Short game is 1 letters round, 1 numbers round and a conundrum.

Whole game, I feel, should mean all rounds as featured in the TV show but it is still short giving just 2 rounds of letters and 2 rounds of numbers and then a conundrum. This seems a silly oversight.

Local high scores only - no global option

No Openfeint or Game Center functionality.

All in all Countdown is still a great purchase especially at the low price stated above and it is still an app I return to occasionally for a quick challenge.

I just look forward to some updates to this eventually and if that ever happens  I will revisit this, still great, score.

8/10 Download here

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Tiny Wings

Price at time of writing 59p (approx $0.99)

Sometimes apps can surprise you.

Something so simple yet so ruddy addictive.

Many have argued it's an Angry Birds beater. It's fabulous but I don't think you can compare the two games, they are completely different kettles of fish ............or rather birds.

What a simple concept. A solitary bird, a hilly landscape - the aim is just to keep the bird in flight as long as possible between dawn and sunset.

At dawn your little feathered friend awakes but immediately the sun goes down it's game over because he falls asleep (If only I could nod off so easily!)

Control method? One single digit which you can place anywhere you like on the screen (although avoid top right as that's the pause button) Touching the screen results in the bird's wings closing and therefore speeding the bird up on his decent. To do well you need to do this to catch the downward slopes of hills, releasing your finger before you ascend up the next slope.

There are coins and "speedcoins" to be collected on your journey but concentrate too much on these rather than your quick journey and you will literally find time catches up with you as the sun quickly reaches the midday point then moving on to sunset. You need to concentrate and keep speedy to hop from one island to the next to stay one step ahead of time.

Open Feint enabled you can keep track of those leader board to see how your achievements compare with others around the world.

As if that's not all Tiny Wings has a couple of rather nice features which adds to its already addictive universal appeal.

Getting achievements adds to a score multiplier which is then retained so on the next game you keep that multiplication of your score.

Graphics are completely different from one game to the next, so never the same hills, never the same graphics, which are bright and colourful.

With a lovely gentle piece of very appropriate background music which never gets irritating Tiny Wings has that "Just One More Go appeal". It also seems to be very friendly on battery usage.

This would have been a fabulous app to be sponsored by Twitter, featuring the Twitter Bird. It would have been fantastic for the publisher, Andreas Illiger, and brilliant great publicity for Twitter. If it ever happens please remember where you read this suggestion first - I'll be looking for my cut Andreas :)

This is one of those Angry Birds like apps which is going to stay at the top of the charts for a long time and it should sell well in just about every countrry on the planet.

Well done Andreas Tiny Wings is a classic game to be enjoyed by young and old alike.

10/10 and available to download here

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Airport Mania : First Flight

Price at time of writing 59p (approx $1)

One of the little time management gaming apps you can buy.

Like thousands of other users I hope that Reflexive Entertainment are working on a sequel.

OK it's cute graphics may seem like this is a game for little kids. Nothing of the sort. Yes it is cute, but that is part of the charm. The sound effects are a real delight, the graphics are lovely and just for once even the backing track is not ittitating if you wish to have it playing.

Your task? You progress through 8 different airports. You need to manage landing flights, unloading, refueling, repairing and reloading them back into the air as quickly as possible.

A paper plane mode can be unlocked too.

Achieving a perfect score on every level will require a fast finger and a good eye. Difficulty I feel has been set just right and everybody should be capable of completing the 48 levels at the minimum score which is needed to unlock each level.

Points combos can be obtained by doing a fast turaround and for trying to keep same coloured planes loading and unloading at the same coloured gate.

Airports can be upgraded using your earnings. Additional runways, a fan to blow away fof, a hairdryer to thaw out frozen runways, executive waiting areas and much more is there to be unlocked to assist you in getting that perfect score.

For me the purchase of Airport Mania : First Flight is a 'no brainer'. I just hope that Second Flight is in the making.

10/10

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Doodle Jump app review

Price at time of writing 59p (approx $1)

Doodle Jump is a pick-up-and-play delight. Simple, yet effective, graphics yet a very unique game which requires little explanation.

The aim? You have a little "Doodle Man" who jumps from block to block up the screen. You have to guide your little doodle friend on and on up the screen. You will be hindered by brittle landing blocks, enemies and much more. You will be aided by power ups like springs, rockets and again much more - but only if you land on them. Miss a block and plunge back to earth and it's game over!

From the main menu screen, at the bottom, you can scroll through the "theme selections" which are available for the game. Themes change not only the background but also the helps and hindrances you will encounter in your game.

As you progress up your screen which resembles a sheet of graph paper you will pass lines together with a username indicating where others have failed. It is great to sail past the height others have achieved.

The app has both Facebook and Twitter integration allowing you to boast about your latest high score. Alternatively you can use the app to mail challenge to a friend.

I don't thing Doodle Jump is an app you will play for hours on end. It is, however, a app you will return to time and time again to try and beat your previous high score because it's so infuriating if you just miss it!

9/10 and extremely well priced here

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