The free iPhone game Trawler Report - Puzzler World, Call of Atlantis, Solomon's Keep

There's no such thing as a free lunch.

We try not to write in cliches here at Pocket Gamer, but as the Trawler Report gets closer to its hundredth instalment it was only a matter of time.

The cliche carries some weight on the free iPhone game front, though. We don't argue that every free iPhone game is pure marketing - we're not that cynical - but your time has value. That's why we say that we "spend time", after all.

The App Store only serves to emphasise this. To make use of all the free content on the App Store would be more than a full time job. What we're saying is - free junk is still junk. That's why we're here.

Each of this week's picks has been certified as thoroughly worth your time. Even if the sun is shining outside.

The best free iPhone games on the App Store

Puzzler World Lite
By Puzzler
Type Demo The iPhone platform has become home to all sorts of weird and wonderful takes on traditional wordsearch games, but if there's a company that can do justice to the simple originals, unembellished, it's Puzzler. Puzzler is best known for its paper puzzle magazines, but in the last few years it has moved onto mobile, DS, and now iPhone games. Although there are no cute characters or storylines attached to Puzzler World, its strong execution of classic games like Sudoku, wordsearch, and spot the difference make the game one of the better iPhone compendiums.

The lite version lets you play a 16-puzzle Challenge mode and Quick Play, which includes eight different game types.

Call of Atlantis Lite
By Playrix Type Demo

It has been a while since we featured a match-three puzzler here on the trawler, but Call of Atlantis wins a mention thanks to its high production values.

Call of Atlantis's puzzler gameplay is bolstered by an adventuring storyline that sees you skipping through a handful of ancient lands, although it's the match-three levels that'll keep you coming back. In each level you need to match a certain number of symbols to progress - there's more to this puzzler than just beating your high scores.

The lite version of Call of Atlantis lets you check out the first few levels. It makes you play an odd gesture-based mini-game to start off with, but have patience as the real meat of this demo is only a minute or two away.

Alive 4-ever RETURNS Free
By Meridian
Type Demo Alive 4-ever was one of our favourite twin-stick shooters of 2009, and now it's been resurrected with Alive 4-ever RETURNS. Not a great deal has changed - you're still blasting zombies from dusk 'til dawn - but if you've not yet had your fill of undead blood and guts, you need to download this freebie.

In each mission you're given an objective, whether it's to kill X zombies, save Y survivors, or survive for Z seconds. The levels are arenas you can move about freely in, with ammo and health pick-ups appearing randomly at intervals.

Work your way through a handful of missions and you'll be able to up your character's skills, giving Alive 4-ever RETURNS a role-playing element that enriches the otherwise delightfully boneheaded carnage.

Pick of the Week

Solomon's Keep Lite
By Raptisoft
Type Demo Remember Diablo - the PC game that cast you as a lone hero in a fantastical world packed with skeletons and zombies, which boiled down to trekking down a seemingly never-ending sequence of dungeon floors? Solomon's Keep is a cutesy twin-stick version of that classic. At the start of the game, you choose a weapon before heading up from a quaint village to a big castle. From this point on, Solomon's Keep is all action. After every few dozen kills you go up a level and have the chance to upgrade either you weapon, mana, or health. In many ways it feels like a standard twin-stick shooter, but as a seamless adventure rather than a selection of blank arenas it offers more of a sense of progress. The lite version ends after you take on the first boss. Diablo fans should check it out.

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Crap Apps Box of Shame award

Terrible App
By Salvatore La Mattina
Type Full You might say it's pointless to criticise an app called Terrible App. Aren't we just playing into the developer's hands, giving him publicity he doesn't deserve? Yes, probably.

Parts of Terrible App will make you cringe in embarrassment, like the YouTube video that gets all metaphysical about calling something terrible, saying "how can you call something crap unless you've experienced the whole thing." Terrible App is too dumb to pull this stunt off. And no, we didn't watch the video all the way through. It was almost four minutes long. We will admit to chuckling at the counting simulator. Tap the screen and a voice will say a number, then "Mississippi", and it's up to you to tap for the next second in time. But yes, it's crap. Obviously.