Apple approves several misleadingly advertised clone games for iPhone

Don't get me wrong: while we'd love to see games like Zelda or Super Meat Boy heading to the iPhone (however unlikely), we often don't mind getting stuck into fun alternatives that run with the basic concepts.

There's nothing inherently wrong with clones if they're done well, but we draw a line when unscrupulous developers post misleading or plain dishonest product descriptions of games that, to all intents and purposes, stretch the definition of the word 'clone' to breaking point.

The dodgy-sounding Top Best Adult Entertainment seems to be making a living out of releasing shoddy, half-made titles that purport to be likeable-looking 'clones' of major titles like Minecraft and Mario, but both the screenshots and descriptions are designed to mislead.

Take the developer's Minecraft clone Craft - Build Terrain. Far from being the '"Best Arcade App for all ages!" - (5/5)' as the unattributed press quote reads, it's actually just a gallery of Minecraft images with a straight copy of Armor Games's Space is Key, according to a review by an App Store customer.

The same picture is reflected in the developer's Zelda clone, Zanda - Linked Swords, which is described by one reviewer as being "the same scene over again and again. Not even real monsters, not a real game."

The Mario clone Super Retro Ninja, meanwhile, has three one-star reviews claiming the game is "literally unplayable", and "about 20 seconds long."

While we wouldn't normally take much notice of terrible games, Top Best Adult Entertainment has been making quite a bit of money scamming users, with XYOLogic estimating downloads for Zanda of over 11,000 - more than $7,000 after Apple has taken its 30 per cent.

MOONcraft, meanwhile, has appeared on the popular games chart on AppShopper.

Given that Apple is supposed to police its store, it's baffling that a developer like this can continue to operate without sanction.

Until the inevitable ban comes along, our advice is to stay away.