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Super Mega Worm Lite is a free, five-level preview of Super Mega Worm, a retro-looking arcade game in which you control a giant bloodthirsty worm that's out to wreak some (cartoonishly) gory eco-vengeance.

Thanks to the addition of new directional-pad controls and the option to continue your game, Super Mega Worm has gotten much better (and easier) in recent updates--although the game also has a Hard difficulty setting (in addition to Normal) and the original tilt and touch slider controls for more hardcore gamers. You control your mega worm ("Wojira," in classic mega-monster-movie style), navigating back and … Read more

Flight Doodle is a simple, fun, and extremely polished casual flying game in which you pilot a hot-air balloon through endless hazards to ever-increasing heights.

The interface is simple: you use tilt controls (tilting your device left and right, with adjustable sensitivity) to steer a hot-air balloon up an infinitely scrolling vertical skyscape; you can use touch-screen buttons on the left to slow down, speed up, or get a temporary boost. You face an inexhaustible supply of enemies that threaten to pop your balloon and end your game--including rock-throwing cloud men and pointy thumbtacks that materialize at the edge of … Read more

When Josh Lowensohn bought and wrote about the TyPad--the Bluetooth keyboard and iPad case combo--I knew that I had to have it. Though it's a bit expensive for a case ($129), the included black keyboard and fold-over leather case just seemed too convenient and classy to pass up.

I just received mine today, and I'm already glad I bought it, but it does have some minor annoyances. There is no right-Shift key, for example, which will be tough for formally trained typists to get used to. It also makes it difficult to play a lot of games because with the added keyboard it can be pretty unwieldy. Still, the ability to quickly convert my iPad into a laptoplike experience will be better for working than using the onscreen keyboard, and the controls for music, cursor arrows, and tactile typing make the case worth it to me.

What do you think? Does the TyPad seem like a good deal to you or should I have just bought a laptop if that's what I wanted? Is there a better case/keyboard combo you know about? Let me know in the comments.

This week's apps include an iPhone/iPad text editor that automatically syncs up with your desktop, and a game in which you control a man-eating giant worm.… Read more

ORLANDO, Fla.--When you're lucky, you're lucky. And on Saturday, I was lucky.

At about 9:20 a.m. Saturday, walking into the Orange County Convention Center here, where the massive Celebration V "Star Wars" fan fest is being held, I stumbled onto a scent that could only be described as geek heaven: a group picture of dozens of droid builders and their motley collection of R2-D2s and other creations based on George Lucas' sci-fi saga.

I wasn't the only one, of course. There were many people gathered around watching the scene unfold, including an … Read more

LilRacerz Pro Rally is a top-down 2D racer where you'll need to win races on various terrains to unlock more cars, tracks, and upgrades. The control system consists of two touch-screen buttons on the left for turning and a gas pedal and break on the right. You also get a turbo button above the gas pedal for brief bursts of speed on straightaways. LilRacerz has two game modes including Quickrace for practicing on tracks with cars you've previously unlocked, or Cup races where you'll race against the AI and unlock cars and tracks by winning.

LilRacerz Pro … Read more

Buster Red is a vertical-scrolling arcade shooter with frenetic pacing and a cool and colorful pen-and-ink aesthetic.

Your ship is constantly firing in Buster Red (no fire button needed), and you control movement by touching and dragging around the screen--a system that works surprisingly well most of the time, although occasionally your finger does get in the way, requiring quick repositioning. You also tap the screen to activate temporary or one-off "Buster Moves," such as a forward-firing beam, screen-filling electricity, or a giant, slow-moving fireball. Your ship can hold two "Moves" at once, which you pick … Read more

MiniSquadron Special Edition is the free sequel to the hit game Minisquadron, a 2D cartoony airplane dog-fighting game with excellent gameplay and a ton of new content. Just like the original, the control system consists of an onscreen joystick on the left and a fire button on the right. In the game, you'll need to battle through 12 waves of different types of airplanes to complete a round. Completing rounds unlocks new airplanes (there are 50 new planes to unlock), each of which will have unique weapons, varying flying speeds, and other perks that will help you in the … Read more

StarCannon is a remake of classic arcade shooters of the past, with 2D shoot-'em-up action and challenging boss fights. The graphics are smooth even on the older iPhone 3G. The controls are mostly effective, but can sometimes feel sluggish using a touch-to-move system rather than an onscreen joypad. Your ship fires automatically as long as you are touching the screen so you can play the game using only one finger or your thumb.

You can acquire three different weapons as you play and, just like top-down arcade shooters of the past, StarCannon lets you upgrade each weapon with more … Read more

If you've been reading this column for any length of time, it should come as no surprise that I decided to buy an iPad last week. After reviewing the iWork apps on the iPad Apple loaned us for review purposes, I found that I could use it for both work and play. Now that I've had it for a week, I'm extremely happy with my purchase.

To me, buying the iPad was a pretty easy decision knowing that I would already be reviewing iPad apps for iPad Atlas, and (as I wrote in an earlier post) I … Read more