The Trawler Report: The best free iPhone games on the App Store

It's been a bumper week for freebies, with nigh on forty free games checked-out alongside the various dolphins and confused ancient mariners that the app trawler regularly rakes-up*.

While the precise point of this article is to make it so you don't have to spend ages scrolling around the App Store, we do suggest that you try it occasionally.

There are several games that we've had to leave out that are still worth a look. Even games that aren't that good often have design quirks that make them worth a play, like the Geometry Wars-a-like Engio Lite or the gravitational puzzle game Slingshot Lite.

Anyway, that's quite enough shooting ourselves in the foot. Here's the good stuff..

*No dolphins were harmed in the production of this feature.

The best free iPhone games: 2nd February 2009

Venger
By Wretched Games
What is it? It's a 3D space shooter
Type Demo

If there's ever to be a game that'll get you lurching from side-to-side on the bus, as if dodging bullets Matrix-style, it's Venger.

In this 3D space shooter, you control your craft using the accelerometer, tapping the screen to fire. You only get to play one level from the full game, but at least you'll thereby skip merrily past the difficulty curve issues discussed in our review of the game.

Just flying around is oddly involving, so if you're not against pulling strained faces and making involuntary movements - as is seemingly unavoidable when playing this game - give it a look.

Super Monkey Ball Lite
By Sega
What is it? It's a demo of one of the best-selling games on the app store
Type Demo

This Lite version has been a long time coming and is a big step towards the Lite version becoming an obligatory tool in every marketing department's belt. We've already mentioned it a few times, but we couldn't go without mentioning just one more time here.

Unfortunately, it's not a particularly impressive package. Not wanting to satisfy gamers too much, you only get three challenges to play out of the full game's 100+. However, it does give you a feel of whether you'll be able to get on with the game's controls while showing off the impressive visuals.

Alphabetic Lite
By No Monkeys
What is it? It's Sesame street on acid
Type Demo

Just describing this title will leave you thinking it's a sort of educational game, but the actual experience of playing it is much more like a dayglo rave that may well melt your brain than an English lesson.

All you do is work through the alphabet, tapping the required letter. The arrangement and movement of the letters changes at each stage though, so it's as much a workout for your eyes as your alphabet skills.

This Lite version lets you play a quick game, which is one run through the alphabet. The appeal of the full version is in unlocking in-game achievements, but you'll get a good dose of this title's slick, cool charms here.

7 Cities Lite
By Neptune Studios
What is it? It's perhaps the deepest tower defence game on iPhone
Type Demo

The genre may have its detractors, but tower defence games work well on the iPhone. Damn well.

The huge success of Fieldrunners is testament to that. Unlike in Fieldrunners, your enemies move along a fixed path in 7 Cities, but the tower upgrade process is much more involved.

Playing the game gets you tokens to unlock new towers and upgrades along a technology tree, plus your towers actually level-up as they sink enemy ships.

You get to protect one of the seven cities of the title in this demo, but you do also get to experience the game's more involved elements too. It's a definite rival for the iPhone favourite Fieldrunners - it's just a pity that the recent sale on the game has just finished. D'oh!

Freebie Pick of the Week

Tangram Puzzle Pro Lite
By The Embassy Interactive
What is it? It's a generous, slick jigsaw-style game
Type Ad-supported full game

Tangram puzzles are like jigsaws with an added Zen factor. Maybe it's all those triangles, or perhaps it's just because they don't have gaudy images pasted over the top of them.

Either way, Tangram Puzzle Pro is a super little package with loads of tangram puzzles to solve, plus great touchscreen controls to help you along the way. The non-Lite version does come with a few more puzzle packs, but there are 240 here already.

The downside? Well, you have to look at an advert for seven seconds before entering each puzzle. Just pretend it's a load screen and everyone's happy. Apart from the advertisers.

Crap Apps Box of Shame Award

Burp.olator
By Exploding Spec
What is it? Burp synthesiser. Yipee!
Type Full release

When Tom Hanks jumps onto that huge floor keyboard in the 80s classic Big, it's a touching moment. Now just imagine if it had piped out burps instead of dinky little piano sounds.

Burp.olator is a touchscreen piano that, yes, plays pitched burps instead of instrument sounds. If the success of iFart is anything to go by, this could be a smash hit. Oh, woe! You can even get it to play Blue Danube.

Special Mention Goes to...

Box Run Free
By Doron Kramarczyk
What is it? It's a bizarre game about boxes
Type Ad Supported full game

Before the Burp.olator came and stole its thunder, this was a definite candidate for the Box of Shame, but we didn't really want to put it in there.

You see, it's bad, but you can't help but love it. From the whistled theme tune to the hilarious DIY spoken lines, it's simultaneously bordering on being both awesome and terrible.

You drag a box around the screen, trying to keep it from being caught by another box and its smaller 'guard' that follow you around, while collecting letters form the word 'save'.

Its charms can't quite be described adequately with words alone, so go download it!