iPhone Weekly Digest: Updated Arcade Classics, Handy Utilities, and a Map of Brussels

It’s Friday and it’s time for a weekly digest of tiny iPhone reviews, courtesy of iPhoneTiny.com, with some extra commentary exclusive to Cult of Mac.

This week, I review Smart Maps – Brussels, Who’s Buying, Tasks – Tick If Off, Pac-Man Remix, FortuneBall, Mr.AahH!! Lite, Space Invaders Infinity Gene, A Quest of Knights Onrush, Power Toppler, and CrunchUrl.

APP OF THE WEEK

THIS is how you revamp an ageing arcade classic.

Space Invaders Infinity Gene: SI evolves, meets Rez. Pretty, engaging & essential, if a bit stop-start. 5/5 $4.99 http://is.gd/3iW6k

Smart Maps – Brussels: Offline map of Brussels. Good search/zoom, but many streets not labelled. 3/5 $0.99 http://is.gd/3dXxi

Who’s Buying: 3 quickfire multiplayer minigames. Limited & slow to load, but amusing & just about worth a buck. 3/5 $0.99 http://is.gd/3dXYJ

Tasks – Tick If Off: Robust and simple to-do list. Lacks sorting options & edits awkward, but works nicely. 3/5 $1.99 http://is.gd/3dZtP

Pac-Man Remix: Colourful, varied Pac-Man update, largely ruined by lack of challenge & imprecise controls. 2/5 $4.99 http://is.gd/3e2nY

FortuneBall: Virtual Magic 8-ball. Works well and enables you to add user-defined replies. 3/5 Free http://is.gd/3iVVb

Mr.AahH!! Lite: Compulsive tap-based action game – get your swinging stick-man to the next cliff. 4/5 Free http://is.gd/3kPIp

A Quest of Knights Onrush: Hack & slash game w/ Knights Onrush characters. Fun, but tough & exhausting to play. 4/5 Free http://is.gd/3kR3I

DON'T MISS
iPhone Weekly Digest: the Return of Edge, the Bonkers Mr.AahH!!, a Great FTP App, and More!

Power Toppler: Platform game/puzzler set on rotating towers. Playable but hugely frustrating later on. $1.99 3/5 http://is.gd/3nVpz

CrunchUrl: Serviceable URL shortener, somewhat hampered by iPhone’s inability to run multiple apps at once. 2/5 Free http://is.gd/3q0Nq

No contest for this week’s best app—Space Invaders Infinity Gene wins by a country mile. Taito’s original Space Invaders port was serviceable, but unexciting, especially when compared to Atari’s iPod updates and Taito’s own Space Invaders Extreme on DS.

SIIG shows what happens when you take a few risks with an old property and bring it bang up to date. A combination of beautiful retro graphics, pounding audio and hypnotic shooting action makes for the best overhead blaster on the App Store.

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