GameCyte

Few game developers hate velociraptors as much as Blurst, that much is clear. Now, with the recent release of "Raptor Copter" for the iPhone, Blurst is encouraging gamers to do what comes naturally when it comes to raptors: Fly around in a Chinook Helicopter, smack raptors with a ball-and-chain, toss them into meat grinders, and teleport them into the future.

Though rendered in 3D, "Raptor Copter" is played as a 2D side-scroller, using both the iPhone's tilt sensors and its touch screen. Careful movement of the helicopter, in conjunction with the in-game physics engine, allows the player to swing around the heavy spiked ball at the end of an unbreakable chain, which is used for every action in the game: Players will use the spiked ball to club raptors, pick up raptors and crates of raptor meat, and throw one's cargo across the map with a swing of the chain.

The game sounds simple enough, and it is -- the level is fairly limited in size, and there will only ever be a few raptors to deal with at any given time. In addition, a game of "Raptor Copter" lasts only three minutes, making it ideal for mobile/casual play, though perhaps difficult for deep experiments with the gameplay.

This latter point is fairly important to note, since high-scoring success in "Raptor Copter" is only possible after extended practice and exploration of the mechanics. "Raptor Copter" provides minimal instruction and no hints, leaving the player to discover the game's surprisingly long list of bonuses and achievements on their own. After several games, one discovers that spending three minutes catching, processing, and teleporting raptors is worth 25,000-50,000 points. One is awarded far more points, however, for throwing the raptors into the various stations from long distance, allowing scores in the six-figure range. What's more, "Raptor Copter" gives out its biggest rewards just for creatively screwing around -- if you can throw an object into the air and catch it again before it bounces, that's worth half a million points.

Many of these special feats are also worth persistent achievements, which are a rarity for iPhone games. Players are encouraged to sign into the game with a Blurst.com profile, which will allow the game to save one's achievements for later viewing online. At press time, this feature had not yet been implemented, but the game does provide an online leaderboard within the iPhone -- another rarity for the platform -- including daily and overall ranks.

Apart from a few minor snags (it's too easy to get a raptor irretrievably stuck under the processor), "Raptor Copter" really nails the "easy to learn, difficult to master" formula. It certainly doesn't have much in the way of depth or longevity, but it's perfectly suited to mobile gaming circumstances like bus rides or long lines. In the end, for the game's current introductory price of 99 cents, it's hard to go wrong with a game that lets you fling velociraptors through time and space -- and rewards you for your longest throws, even if they don't hit anything.