Jumpy Junior - 3.5 stars

What is it?

Jumpy Jumper is an endless play platform game. The aim of the game is to jump between platforms without hitting walls or falling between gaps. I would describe this game as Flappy Bird meets Ninja Jump. To play the game you simply tap the screen to make the running man character jump, and the more you tap the more mid air jumps you make. This element reminds me of Flappy Bird but instead of keeping the character off the platforms, you actually only score points for landing on them. As you increase the distance travel the game increases in speed, I like this feature and I found it easier than at the slower start.  After several plays though I quickly realised that you can take advantage of the sluggish start by jumping on the longer platforms twice to build up the score quicker. 

On trend the developer has used the pixel design with minimal colours or alterations between game play. Unlike Ninja Jump the characters legs don't move, so it appearance reminds me a little of the static picture of Mario from the retro games.

The game is on the GameCentre which is a big plus for me. After seeing the highest score on the GameCentre today I knew with a bit of dedicated play I could get to the top of the Leader Board, which I did, in less than 10 minutes. There  does however seem to be a design fault with the GameCentre settings applied to the game and only one of the two Leader Boards actually works, which is a shame, but I am holding onto my victory with both hands!

This is a basic game, and similar to many others on the store at the moment, but it does what it says on the tin. If you like Flappy Bird but want to earn points for those unfortunate contact with the platform then Jumpy Junior could be for you.

Now for some ratings.....

Ease of use - 5

The game gives the basic instruction of 'Tap to Jump' at the start of each game, but that is all that is needed really. If you are part of the Flappy Generation, yes I may have just made up a new label here but hey ho, then you will take to this game like a duck to water. The only difference as I mentioned above is that you get the points for landing on the platforms, so if you jump completely over one then you have missed valuable points. 
Price - 5

This is a free game with no in app purchases.

Adverts - 5

There are footer adverts on the app, but to be fair I hardly noticed them and they didn't interrupt my game play at all. 

Keep, jury is out or delete - Jury is out

I have had the app less than a day so I am not sure how long I will keep it just yet. It is a pleasant game that was easy to just pick up and play, but it is very similar to other games out there at the moment. With that said I personally preferred it to Ketchapps Triple Jump which I still haven't managed to master. The app has could be enhanced by earning points to unlock new characters or even options to change the background that I have seen appearing here and there across the App Store in the past few weeks. 

Overall Score - 3.5 
I have selected this score by comparing it to the other apps I have been playing in the past few weeks. This is not a negative rating by any stretch of the imagination, but the concept has flooded the store and it is just missing the special difference that would make it higher. With more user options this game would keep the user engaged for longer, but download it and see what you think (link is below).

Where to find it:

Apple: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/jumpy-junior/id950560531?mt=8

aa - 4.5 Stars

What is it?

Aa is a game of skill and timing. During game play you are presented with a large circle in the centre of the screen with the level number in the middle. At the bottom of the screen are smaller circles that you tap to release. The aim is land the dot on the central circle (attached by a line) without hitting another dot, which happens because the circle rotates so that it looks like a big Ferris wheel. Sounds easy right? Wrong! The levels start easy and then get more complex and introduce different challenges. The speed increases and decreases between and then within levels. A timer is added to some that makes you panic and make silly mistakes. The direction of the rotation changes and this can also happen in levels. The worst thing I have experienced are the dots that expand and contract because you think you’ve landed it brilliantly and then boom, it expands into another dot. Another killer is the timed appearance of additional dots by the game, and if one appears where you have already landed a dot you lose.

The game design in extremely basic and simple, using off white background and black circles. I am currently on level 181 and have stopped playing in a child-like tantrum as I have now been stuck for about three hours. This game is highly addictive and I really like it.

The main annoyance with the game is the adverts. They appear every five times you play as full screen invasions. I did discover that video adverts are displayed if you are on wifi and not 4G, hence I have switched my wifi off. You can pay for the adverts to be removed but I have resisted this so far. 

The game is on the GameCentre and some users have exceeded 700 levels, which is a little depressing  but when I start to play I struggled to get past 50, but the more you play the better you get.

I like this game and I can’t see me deleting it any time soon. As there are levels to the game it grasps my interest more than the tap t play games. The developer has released  a lot of games each with two letter names. I have also downloaded ‘ff’ where you have to land the circles on the rotating lines, but it hasn’t captured my attention as much as ‘aa’. 

If you like tap skill games and have a lot of patience I recommend this.

Now for some ratings.....

Ease of use - 5

The game is pretty basic to play, tap to release the dot. The game does require skill and patience and is addictively frustrating!

Price - 5

The app is free. You can pay to remove the adverts but I haven't done this...yet!

Adverts - 1
The adverts are very annoying and as mentioned in the review if you are on wifi they get extremely frustrating. Don't be surprised when you download that you get to watch lots of videos and full screen invasions. 

Overall Rating - 4.5

I like this game and I can’t see me deleting it any time soon. As there are levels to the game it grasps my interest more than the tap t play games. The developer has released  a lot of games each with two letter names. I have also downloaded ‘ff’ where you have to land the circles on the rotating lines, but it hasn’t captured my attention as much as ‘aa’. 

Keep, jury is out or delete - Keep

Where to find it: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/aa/id905852173?mt=8 

Daddy Long Legs - 1 star

What is it?

The aim of the game is to get the Daddy Long Legs to walk across the screen by tapping to alternate between the legs. Not only was I immediately rubbish at this game I quickly lost my temper at not being able to master the technique, if there is one. 

I suffered the misfortune of downloading this game because it was apparently a "top app" in the 'Games' section of the App Store. It is rare that I take an instant dislike to a game but this really wasn't for me.   

The design of the game is very basic and the representation of this Daddy Long Legs is not like one I have ever seen. Being an insect, a daddy long legs has six legs and wings! This was an ugly looking fluffy box (no wings) with two stick legs that are prone to tripping and doing the splits.

I really did try to persist with this game but it seriously drove me insane and made me want to throw my phone out the window. 

The game offers the GameCentre features and rewards you when you achieve various items. I only won one for falling over so many times in a row, which fuelled my dislike for the game. It also appears that you can unlock special features of the Daddy Long Legs but I didn't get that far. 

I don't know what else I can say about this app but I am relieved this review is written and it can be removed from my phone, never to be re-installed.  It really does make you question how these things get to the top of the charts and featured by Apple. Don't even get me started on how much I disagree with the 8000 gamers that have awarded this 4.5 stars! I'm afraid I really don't understand the appeal! 

Now for some ratings.....

Ease of use - 2

This game should be simple - tap to walk the Daddy Long Legs. However, it is not as simple as it makes out. This game is frustrating and as mentioned I didn't like the game so gave up any attempt to master it!


Price - 4

This game is free to download, thankfully, as I would have hated to waste my money on it, however you can pay to remove the ads. 

Adverts - 3
There are header ads throughout the app but I hardly noticed them. To be honest, I didn't play it enough to experience if there are full screen ads in this game... so I will assume there aren't. 

Overall Rating - 1

This app was not for me. It's design was overly basic and I am not sure why it is called Daddy Long Legs when it doesn't look like one! A more apt name would be 'Ugly box on wonky stilts'. I hate writing bad reviews but I really struggled to find anything I liked about this app! As mentioned it currently has 4.5 stars on the app store so I am happy to be in the minority. I will certainly not be playing the game again. 

Keep, jury is out or delete - Delete 

Where to find it:

Apple: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/daddy-long-legs/id905921908?mt=8

Ninja Runner - 4 Stars

What is it?

Ninja Runner is a game with the aim to get your Ninja to travel as far as possible across roof tops without falling off. Your score is measured in the form of how many metres you cover during the run. 

The game is very simple to operate you simply tap the screen when you want your Ninja to jump. The further you get with the Ninja travel, the quicker the game gets. The roof tops vary in size and the smaller ones together can be tricky to get across.

Throughout the game Double Jump tokens are dropped (in the form of Ninja stars) from the top of the screen. When you collect one you can use it as much as you like until its time runs out then you need to retrieve another for the ability.  The Double Jumps are really needed for the smaller roof tops all positioned together when you get past about 500 meters as the screen gets faster and faster. 

This game was a hit at home as we had mini competitions. The game doesn't take long unless you are pro. When I first started to play the game it took my eyes a while to adjust as the background and the speed of the Ninja made me go a bit cross eyed, but the more you play the less you notice it. 

The game is a little bland in colours and the back ground never changes. It may benefit from some brighter colours  just to make it look a but more interesting, but it wouldn't stop me playing. 

I was shocked that there are no sounds on the game, which is good for me as I always turn this off but I imagine this may put some players off. 

The game is on the Game Centre, which I like, and I have managed to get to 5th place with 950 meters, but I am behind my partner who is 2nd with 1120 meters! 

In summary, I like this game and, like Fist of Fury, I keep finding myself having quick plays to try and improve my score!

Now for some ratings.....

Ease of use - 4

This game has one control, tap to jump, and instructions are provided. This is a really easy game to play once you stop feeling dizzy from the screen movements.

Price - 5

This is a free game with no in app purchases. 

Adverts - 4
The only adverts in the game are in the banner at the bottom of the screen, and they really do not interrupt game play at all, so pretty good.

Overall Rating - 4

I like this game, its easy to learn and simple to play. The game would benefit from a few more injections of colour and maybe some sound, but it wouldn't stop me playing it!

Keep, jury is out or delete - Keep

Keep, I like this game for an easy but addictive break from work!

Where to find it:

Apple: https://appsto.re/gb/1P0l3.i

Out Of Circle - 3.5 Stars

What is it?

Out of Circle is a tap style game with the aim to escape a rotating circles. I was contacted on Twitter to review this game so was pretty excited to get started. I think this is a love or hate  app game as it can be very frustrating. 

The game is a white circle  outline with a gap rotating around a dot, you tap the screen to release the dot but if you hit the edge you die. Once out of the first circle you move to another and so on an so forth. The style, speed and direction of the circle change between moves and the longer you stay alive the more complex it appears. 

One frustration that I did have is that you can't tap anywhere on the screen as you are restricted to a circle at the bottom of the screen. This was particularly annoying when you were into the game, missed and lost the flow. 

There are three modes to the game: Arcade, Time Trail and Chirstmas (which I assume means Christmas with an unfortunate typo!). As it is Christmas I mainly played the Chirstmas version. The screen has a few colours that it changes to between plays, with stockings hanging from the header and festive snowfall. 

The normal version is the same as the Chirstmas game but is a  full colour screen, which I feel is a little plain and would benefit from having anything on there to liven it up a bit. 

If you have played DashUp then this is very similar to it. The colours and set up are the same but the format of the game play is different through the use of circles and not sliding white bars. 

Thus far my highest score is a mere 11 but my partner has scored 13 and is forth overall in the world with the highest being a mere 16. This is a bit of an indication to how difficult the game is to master and that there are some frustrating adverts, that I must admit has made me kill the game a few times. 

Now for some ratings.....

Ease of use - 4 

This is a pretty simple game to get a grasp off but it is difficult. If you have poor reaction speeds you will quickly get angry with it but it is interesting for in home challenges. The main frustration is that you can't tap anywhere on the screen to play and if you miss the tap circle you lose your flow. 


Price - 5

This is a free game with no in app purchases. 

Adverts - 2
This game is riddled with adverts. There is a constant banner at the bottom of the screen, but it doesn't interrupt game play. After three plays there are full screen ads, these start off as manageable but after about 8 plays they turn into 5 second screen invaders. After 4 of these in a row the game got switched off. As this game is difficult you don't want to break your concentration but the ads do it for you!

Overall Rating - 1

I have struggled with rating this app but I am going for 3.5 stars. The adverts are annoying and the game is a little difficult to play. The inability to tap anywhere on the nearly blank screen is also frustrating. With that said it has remained on my phone and from starting the review to now i have upped my score...but will I get the highest in the world. 

Keep, jury is out or delete - Keep

I will be keeping this for a little while longer as I enjoy the competition, but if the adverts get any more annoying it will have to go :(

Where to find it:

Apple: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/out-of-circle/id943841480?ls=1&mt=8

The Gopher Chase - 4.5 Stars

What is it?

The Gopher is a fast paced flappy bird-esque game where you get points for moving a Gopher through a never ending course. As you go forward, left or right, you get a point each move, whilst avoiding rocks and running out of time, as you attempt to go the furthest distance. This is a brightly coloured game which is easy to learn but difficult to master. 

When you first open up the game you are greeted by a lovely bright menu with a cute Gopher dancing in the middle of the screen and flappy bird-style fonts. From this screen you can 'Rate' the app, tap 'Top' to see the leaderboard or press 'Play' where you choose from a range of game modes.

From the 'Play' button you are taken to an option screen where you can choose from eight options, some that are time-driven and others that are points-driven. I started on Classic mode as that seemed the Normal, or Standard, mode! 

The game screen is split into two parts. The bottom of the screen is taken up with a left, right and up arrow with the main body being the game. The game is green in background with a scattering of rocks. The aim of the aim is to go as far as you can without hitting a rock. I kept dying without hitting a rock so was getting a little annoyed...then I noticed the timer bar at the very top of the game.  Basically you have to keep going as quickly as possible and it keeps your timer charged up, if you delay for even a second the timer runs out.

One thing that did bug me about the games is that once you have selected a mode you can't get back to the main menu to change to another. To overcome this I had to force close and re-enter the app.  This was a little annoying but I am sure not too complex to fix. I will say that after a few plays of this, I found that if you hit the pause button, you can return to the main menu, but i would have thought this would be available from the 'Game Over' screen.

As I (I should say we as my partner loves this game!) was reviewing the app I wanted to look at all the game modes, and although it was frustrating to force close the app, it was worth it. So here they are:

10 seconds / 30 seconds mode - these are speed modes where you have to gain as many points as possible within the selected time.

Marathon mode - score as many points as you can within 100 seconds. If you die before the 100 seconds is up then it is 'Game Over' but its a great opportunity to test your tapping speed and agility to move around the screen. 

Impossible mode - as you tap the buttons to negotiate the course, they randomly change directions, i.e. the up button becomes the left button, so you have to take it slower to get a lot of points here. It's a good twist to the game as you have to pay attention and be very quick...I am rubbish at this mode!

Stop and Go - is a mode that's a little like musical statues! Basically you play as normal but the screen will flash up STOP and you've got to resist hitting any buttons or you die. When the screen flashes GO you can resume play. Obviously if you hit a rock you still die (which I did often!). 

Relay mode - is split into two stages 'Easy' and 'Hard'. In the Easy version you are given 8 seconds to get a score of at least 40. If you do, then you are given another 8 seconds, and so on until you do not hit 40 within the 8 seconds. In the Hard version you need to get 50 to get another 8 seconds, and this really is difficult to do unless you have an insane tapping action. You can still die in either mode if you hit a rock.

I did notice that the GameCenter only records the Classic and Impossible mode score and a collective total, which is a shame as we have had great fun trying to beat each other on the various modes. 

I enjoyed this game, its strongly addictive but highly frustrating!

Now for some ratings.....

Ease of use - 3.5 

This game is simple to use, once you figure it out. The game would really benefit from providing some instructions or a tutorial for the first time user. There are no descriptions for any of the modes within the game itself, but I did find them on the App Store, which I rarely read. 


Price - 5

This is a free app and I didn't notice any in app purchases. 

Adverts - 3
There are ads in this game. They tend to appear every third game play but are easily closed.  The please rate me window also appears as frequently and doesn't have the option to stop asking. 

Overall Rating - 4

There are a couple of things that have stopped me nudging this to a five, but I do really like this game! The inability to change the mode of play from the game over menu is frustrating and it did take us two days to find the option from the pause menu. The other frustration is the lack of in app instructions or tutorials.  Please don't let these minor items stop you from downloading this app as it is highly addictive and well made. This is a definite hit in my household!

Keep, jury is out or delete - Keep

No doubt about it this is a keeper! We have had great fun with the Gopher and even if you are watching people play it is very amusing, due to the frustrating screams when the timer catches you. 249 is the highest we have achieved in Classic mode, and 515 in Marathon mode... dare you to beat it!

Where to find it:

Apple: https://itunes.apple.com/ca/app/the-gopher/id947291741?mt=8

Space Mousy - 2.5 stars

What is it?

As the title say's it is a mouse in space! The aim of the game is move the mouse to avoid the comets that fire across the screen in different directions.

When you launch the app you are greeted by the Mouse in the centre of the screen with several other shaded versions with numbers. These are additional characters that are unlocked if you reach that distance. The menu screen also has a sound button to turn off the repetitive music and a link to the Game Centre. Your 'Best Distance' is displayed near the top of the screen below an odd white bar (I assume this is for banner ads that aren't being displayed). At the bottom of the screen is 'Tap to Play'... literally you have to tap those words to start the game!

Throughout the game and the menu bar there are graphics of white dots falling diagonally across the screen. Although these are stars (clue in the title ;) ) it actually looks like a snow storm, and at this time of year I liked the effect :).

When I eventually tapped to play I immediately died! In actual fact this happened three times! I eventually figured out that you don't tap the mouse to move it around you tap where you want it to go.

As I said the aim of the game is avoid the comets that fly across the screen in quite cute graphics. It is a bit of a game of pot luck if you move the mouse to the right place and even when you think you have just cleared the comets path it sometime gets you (bit like those stupid pipes in Flappy stupid Bird).

Once I figured out how to control the game I was looking forward to getting into game play...but then I found a bug :(. After four attempts at saving the mouse a full screen animated ad was displayed. I hate ads that you are forced to watch but this did allow you to close it but the cheeky thing moves where the cross is during the ad so I ended up in the App Store... but that isn't the bug. Once the advert has played and you have closed it, you return to the main menu but when you Tap to Play, nothing appears to happen. I had the sound on while playing the app and quickly realised that the game was in fact playing as I could hear the sound of the comet hitting the mouse. The only way to get back to game play was to force close the app to and reload, which does take several seconds to get back into the action. After 10 times of doing this, with regret I put the phone down. 

This app has potential to be very addictive, especially in my competitive household but the bug is just too frustrating :(

Now for some ratings.....

Ease of use - 3 

Once you figure out the controls this is ok to play but this game could really benefit from a tutorial or some instructions. I imagine as the game gets further your thumb will get in the way of play if comets are darting everywhere but I think this will add to the skill and frustration that will make it super competitive. 
Price - 5

This is a free app, but there is a paid version on the store too that I didn't review. 

Adverts - 1

There are ads in this game and I believe the inclusion of them has introduced a bug to the game. The ads are animated and can be difficult to switch off :( Unfortunately even if you do switch them off it kills game play :(

Keep, jury is out or delete - Jury is Out

Overall Score - 2.5
I feel terrible for having to give this score but the bug killed it for me. This game has potential and if it was fixed I am sure I would be playing it to the point that the phone gets thrown across the sofa in frustration then quickly retrieved to try again. I don't often do this but if the game was updated I would happily re-review to see if my suspicions about its potential are true. 

Where to find it:

Apple: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/id936540390?mt=8

Virtual Beggar - 2 Stars

What is it?

I was browsing for some new apps to review and stumbled across Virtual Beggar. I literally did a double take when I saw the name. When I started to read about the app I couldn't believe my eyes that someone would actual create a game about a homeless person. I wasn't alone in my shock in some comments made but there were several that said it was addictive, so I decided to see what it was like.

The game starts by you basically tapping to earn coins. At first I thought that you had to tap the people that walk past the character to get coins, but no, just tap anywhere. I will admit this got boring quickly. The more coins you collect the higher levels your achieve. With the coins you can buy things but, and it might be that I am playing on an iPhone 4s, it was difficult in the pixilated text to see what I was buying.

As I continued tapping, I won a card, and somehow this led to me buying a shop and being able to hire staff. Now the game wanted me to keep putting the hired staff to work as well as continuing to beg. It is a little like a SIM game. To put this into context when I was a child I gave my Tamagotchi away as it was too much effort with little reward. I did however, continue and put the employees to work.

After playing for a good thirty minutes, I am sorry to say that I lost interest in the game and if I wasn't reviewing it I would have lost it a lot sooner. Even the little notifications weren't tempting me back.

I imagine if you like Tapped Out and don't mind to controversial topic of a homeless person begging while owning a business this could be one to look at. However, if like me you don't like SIM games and like something that has an immediate purpose then this might not be for you. 

Now for some ratings.....

Ease of use - 3 

Can you tap? Then you can play this game. The text on the menu to buy things and the speech bubbles from the players is a little difficult to read, but as I said this could have been that I am playing on an iPhone 4s. The premise of the game as it evolves does so without much explanation so I just kept tapping.
Price - 5

This is free and I didn't come across any in app purchases. 

Adverts - 5

From the time I spent using the app I didn't have any adverts. During my play I didn't come across any in app purchases but thats not to say there aren't any. 

Keep, jury is out or delete - Delete

I hate to say delete to an app but this one wasn't for me. I can see that a lot of work has gone into the app and the popular pixelated theme had been used for design. The game, for me, didn't captivate me sorry :(

Overal Rating - 2
I will give credit where it is due, this is a unique theme and designed well in the pixel world but it wasn't for me.

Where to find it:

Apple: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/virtual-beggar/id922983045?mt=8&uo=4

Cookie Clickers - 1 Star

What is it?

This is a game where you basically repeatably tap a giant cookie, for what reason I still do not know. 

I went back and read up on this, and basically you are clicking to collect more cookies than other players  to get on a leader board. 

This app didn't interest me as I like games that get you to think or are a bit of fun. 

Now for some ratings.....

Ease of use - 3 

This is easy to use in the sense that all you do is tap, but what you do with the credits isn't easily explained within the app. 

Price - 3

This is free, I wouldn'y pay for a tapping app. 

Adverts - 3

There are banner adverts in this app, but they do not interfere with the game. 

Keep, jury is out or delete - Delete

This app bored me and as a result I will not be keeping it. Maybe the premise was lost on me, but if you like games were you just tap, tap, tap and then tap some more then this is for you.

Where to find it:

Apple: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/id703439482?mt=8&affId=2049622