Please note, this review was written before the big update to iDracula. Review of that update, coming soon.

I know it has been awhile since I reviewed iPhone apps. Let’s get back into it, shall we?

Today’s pick is iDracula. This game will only send you back $0.99, if you are a fan of the old school Midway arcade classic Robotron, I’m sure you would love this one.

The concept is simple. Earn points, and don’t die.

The controls are rather basic, the left-thumb control is your movement (left, right, up, down, even diagonal). The right-thumb control is your weapon. Move with your left, shoot with your right, simple. You start the game out with a sissy little pistol that takes 3 shots to kill the most basic enemy (I like to call them dog goblins) and it takes longest out of the other weapons to reload. That’s okay, since the enemies at this point are easy. The more enemies you kill, the more power ups you get, like new weapons and more powerful ammo.

There is no ending or story to this game. You just try to stay alive as long as you can. Sometimes you meet Dracula who is one powerful dude as you would expect:

After you beat him, you don’t go to the next level per say, you just get a whole new flock of enemies. More dog goblins, spectors, strong dog goblins that are a different shade of gray and blood sucking flying things all begin to appear. It can get pretty intense if you aren’t well equipped:

The graphics for this game are spectacular. By far the best graphics for an iPhone app I’ve seen. It is pretty fun but doesn’t have a whole lot of replay value. It can be very fun for 3-5 minutes at a time. If you have $0.99 to spare then try it out. Do recognize you aren’t buying a game with an adventurous storyline. You’re buying a much needed (quick) dose of monster slaying –an “on the throne” adventure. I give it a 6/10.

I saw this app as the #2 most popular free app, so I had to give it a try. I played a bunch of paper football with my friends growing up during lunchtime so I figured I would give it a go.

The game play is simple. You “push” or “flick” the paper triangle in attempt to get it to hang over the table. If it goes too far you lose a turn and if you don’t quite make it to the edge it is the opponent’s turn.

If you are successful, you get to kick an extra point, which pretty much just means more intense flicking.

You have the option of playing a full game or just kick extra points. If you choose a full game, you get 2 options, easy or tough. In both modes the first team to 40 wins. Obviously on my first try I played on easy and won by 13. On my second try I played on the tough level and won by 33.

So the game really isn’t that difficult, and honestly really not that fun unless you are kicking extra points. However, sometimes kicking extra points can be a pain because the screen doesn’t always register the motion of your finger correctly. One time I felt my kick should have been good but the football flew off the screen.

I have to rate this game 2/10. I played it probably 10, 15 minutes tops and it just doesn’t have longevity. It’s cool at first because it is slightly nostalgic, but beyond that it gets boring fast. The controls don’t always work and there is a floating (annoying) ad in the way the whole time. Just because it is popular doesn’t mean it is good. Pass on this one.

AroundMe is a great anytime you are out around town and need to find the nearest, well, anything! Just open the app and you land on this screen:

You have many options to find exactly what you are looking for including Banks, Bars, Coffee, Gas Stations, Hospitals, Hotels, Movie Theatres, Parking Pharmacies, Pubs, Restaurants, Supermarkets and Taxis…. even the nearest Apple store which is a little unnecessary but probably just a nod from the cult members developers to the Apple team.

The iPhone uses GPS to determine your location, and will tell you how far away you are from the business by the nearest yard. From my apartment, I tried to find the nearest coffee shop:

What comes up first is the shop right next my CTA stop: Beans and Bagels. For Google AdSense fans, sometimes you get an ad show up in the top position, but it is not always well targeted (but almost always annoyingly intrusive). The distance of 605 yards is totally accurate, at least according to my pedometer, as I walk to Beans and Bagels and the train stop daily. When you touch through the destination you want:

You can see company info including address and phone number. If you tap the phone number you automatically dial the business, or “show on map” or “show route” shows you exactly how to get there using the iPhone’s built in Google Maps function. You can email the info about the establishment for you to retrieve later, or hit the plus sign on the top right to add it to your favorites.

The app isn’t always 100% accurate, for instance when I choose movie theaters the movie theater down the street does not appear in the results. But for the most part it does a very good job. It is FREE, so it should be a must have for all iPhone users. It is very much like the Yelp app, without all of the reviews, but I find it to be more accurate at determining your location. So I give it an 8/10, and really recommend it.

Just what I have been waiting for. A way to text my friends without using up my 200 monthly SMS message quota. SMS Touch will be available over the next 24 hours and will cost $4.99 – a small price to pay for unlimited messaging.

The demo shows that users will be able type a text message in landscape mode. This is good for those of us with fat fingers who seem to always hit the wrong button. Plus it feels a lot more natural than portrait mode. It will take a little getting used to though, because you have to send a new message each time you reply. Otherwise your friend is receiving all the added and unnecessary email signature and header info.

I’m very excited about this new app. Will you be getting this?

For anyone who has an iPhone, the Yelp app is a must have! You purchased this device to stay connected and have all the information you’ll ever need right in the palm of your hand—this app has you covered anytime you are looking for a nearby restaurant, bar, coffee shop, bank, gas station or drugstore.

Anytime you are taking a stroll around town and feel like the urge to eat, just turn on Yelp, let it find your location via GPS and voila! You are presented with 7-10 restaurants within walking distance of the exact spot you are standing. Each listing also shows you how users from Yelp have rated the restaurant. I don’t know about you but I have always found Yelp to be very helpful and generally right on the money when it comes product/service reviews.

When you scroll through your dining options and choose one, you are then taken to a page where you can view approximate cost, all reviews about the restaurant, their phone number and their address. If you click on the address, you can see how close you are to the location via Google Maps. Pretty fancy huh? Click on the phone number and you call them instantly. What a great way to arrange a quick reservation!

The only drawback I would say about the app is that you do not have the option to write reviews. I am a Yelp user and wish it had this feature. That way when I’m on my way home or waiting for my check I could give my 2 cents, or at the very least give my star rating.

Bottom line: this is a must have. I cannot give it the highest grade because it has crashed on me a couple times and I wish it had the capability to write reviews. But it helps me find exactly what I’m looking for, with user ratings from a web property I trust.

8/10
For more information about Yelp or the Yelp App for the iPhone, visit Yelp.com

As Matt and I discussed in episode 14 of Bytecast Weekly, I got an iPhone! It not only has made my life easier, but it has inspired me to start writing reviews about some of the apps I have downloaded. I always “judge” (mentally) the products and services I purchase/rent/subscribe to, so I figure I will put some of it into words. I got some pretty good feedback about my review of the Roku Netflix Player, so I will give it a go.

First on the list of apps to be reviewed: Yelp. Stay Tuned!