Further into the game you have different types of ninja stars – some that explode after a certain time into lots of smaller stars, some that almost disappear as ghosts and others that I’ve yet to unlock. You also get steel bars on the edge of the wood that you cannot slice through. Cutting off certain larger chunks of wood gives you bonuses such as extra lives, slow-motion for a few seconds and a random star that gets removed from play via a nice little explosion.

The looks, sounds and feel of the game are very very slick. It’s a joy to play, it’s perfect for simply picking up and playing while waiting for the wife to come out of Morrisons (you know, when they just ‘pop in for one or two things…). It’s just the right difficulty – not too easy that you complete it in no time but also not so hard that you get fed up and give up. There are also a good number of Game Center challenges and achievements to try to beat too. I’ve had this game for a few months now and it’s one that I still keep coming back to. At 59p (99c) it’s a bargain!

iSlash iPhone Game Trailer from Duello Games on Vimeo.

Pinball, as a game, is something I feel transfers well to the iPhone (and iPad) – the screen is the right shape and you only need two ‘buttons’ to play the whole thing. GameProm already have a handful of other Pinball games which look good and work well and have teamed up with the metal band Slayer for the theme of this release.

The 3D-looking table looks great, the views scroll really well and you don’t get ‘lost’ as to where on the table you are while playing. You even have the option to use 3D glasses with the app – sadly I don’t have any so can’t comment on how effective it is. Slayer Pinball Rocks is a ‘universal app’ meaning it is designed both for the iPhone and iPad. The iPad version looks really nice owing to the larger screen but the overall gameplay is exactly the same so iPhone users aren’t missing out on anything. The in-app music is great (in my opinion) and they even provide a link to buy the album in iTunes. This is a bit of a shame though as it essentially becomes a paid-app (£2.99 / $4.99) but with ad’s…

I started off by saying “pinball is fun”, which it is, however the fun can be quite short-lived. You see, pinball is pinball. Different pinball tables (or apps) are essentially the same but with different clothes and different holes to get your balls into. Don’t get me wrong, Slayer Pinball Rocks IS a good game – the graphics are great, the transfer to iPhone works a treat and the controls work really well. However, if you already own one of GameProm’s other iPhone pinball apps then I think you may find this a bit ‘samey’.

Well, the premise is simple: you are on a shooting range and you need to shoot the targets that appear in groups throughout the level. Anywhere between 1 and 7 targets will appear at any one time and you simply move your phone to line up the target and tap the screen to shoot. Sounds simple, right? Well, in theory, it is pretty simple. But you need to have steady hands to hit the targets that are further away. In order to unlock the subsequent levels you need to hit a set number of targets – extra credits are awarded if you hit more targets. Once you have progressed through the levels and earned enough credits you can then unlock extra guns.

There are 12 guns in total each with 12 challenges so there is quite a lot for your 59p. However, game play is fairly limited as the same levels appear twice for each gun and you are always aiming at the same targets. A different target could spice things up a bit or, even better, the option to add photo’s of your ‘friends’ to shoot at as the targets.

Still, for a first game to use the gyroscope and costing only 59p, it’s not bad at all. The new style of game play is refreshing and should keep you occupied for a while.

It’s currently on sale in the AppStore for 59p ($0.99) until the end of March so go and grab a bargain! If you miss the offer and it goes back to the full price (£2.99 / $4.99) then they also have a free version with a sample level so you can try before you buy. It’s a great little platform game with enough little extras to make it a very unique experience.

The only issue I’ve had so far though is the iPod control / playlist set up doesn’t seem to work and ends up hanging. Other users have reported a ‘black screen of death’ where the app simply won’t load but I’ve not had this yet and have been playing it endlessly for the last few days!