Zombie Cannon Carnage (iPhone)

So, right, there are three zombies who are, somehow, superheroes. They’re aliens, I think, and they want to get back to their home planet. They’re not very bright, though, so instead of building a spaceship of something, they build a cannon and fire themselves out of it. They don’t get home, but they do fly through the city, slamming into things and generally causing a mess.

Fly, zombie, fly!

You choose an angle and fire your chosen zombie out of the cannon. You control how they move with a thrust button and tilt controls, making sure to stay under the tops of the skyscrapers so you don’t get shot down by the Air Force. You get points for distance travelled and how much stuff you hit along the way and get a bonus multiplier for hitting pinball-style obstacles along the way.

Between each round you get to purchase upgrades, such as more fuel or armour. After three rounds (or more, if you buy them) it’s back to the beginning.

I have no idea what that crate of TNT actually does.

Longevity comes from achievements, leaderboards (I’m currently fourth in the world using the second zombie) and, you know, this just being a damn fine game that’s fun to replay.

Sometimes unfair and often random, it takes a while to reveal its charms. At first it’s very hard to tell what’s going on with the fast-moving, tiny graphics and you’ve no idea how or why you’re getting points – but after half an hour or so of confusion it all begins to click and I find it very hard to tear myself away once I start it up.

I’m still not quite sure about everything – like what most of the “mystery” items you can buy actually do – but it’s a lot less confusing than it was at first. I’ve got tactics and everything now. Pretty cool, eh?