★★★★✩ (iTMS)

Glypha is an old Joust clone, originally for the classic black-and-white Macs. It’s basically the same as Joust but simpler, with another theme and slightly different physics. John Calhoun’s retro classic has now been ported over to the iPhone by Kent Sutherland, and it works really, really well on this platform. The game loads quick and starts quick, no tedious loading screens, tutorials or annoying popups, and it’s fast-paced and short-gamed, just what you want on a phone.

The downsides are no multiplayer, and slightly difficult controls. The screen is divided into three segments for the three buttons (left, right, flap wings), and on-screen non-tactile buttons with fast-paced action means you’re dead if you slip outside the button zones and miss a tap. Not much to do about that until we get haptic feedback, though.

It’s free AND fun, so you have no excuse; go get it. ~~nevyn