iPhone App Watch - Skee-Ball, Ramp Champ, Spider, Buckingham Palace, Harbor Master, Dungeon Scroll and Dr. Awesome+ (Busy Gamer News)

There are hundreds of new apps on the iPhone each week. As time permits, I'll review a few that I've tried to either help you find the good ones or ward you off the ones that sucked me in that weren't worth the time or money. Here are some of my recent finds (prices may fluctuate):

	Skee-Ball. This game has many knock-offs (we'll get to one of them in a minute) but this is the "official, licensed" version of the game. On the one hand, there's not much variety - you just have the standard skee-ball ramp and targets. But the physics are good and the game is amazingly addictive. You earn tickets based on your performance that can be redeemed for virtual prizes, which change after every round. Collecting the hard-to-find and expensive items can take a long time, and there are Plus+ network achievements to be unlocked for collecting some of the funnier and rarer items such as a Senate seat or New Zealand. I found it was worth my while to check the prizes after every game since sometimes you'll find "some kid's tickets" which gives you bonus tickets. I just wish there were a quicker way to toggle between the court and the prizes (say, a sideswipe) and items you already have were marked. Price: $1

	Ramp Champ. I hedged my bets that Skee-Ball would get repetitive and boring (which it really hasn't) and picked up this game since it offered four different ramps and the promise of low-cost expansions. Alas, the physics in this one don't really compare and make this game more about luck than skill. The harder challenges are pretty hard (you need to figure out what makes each ramp tick) and there are fewer virtual items to trade your tickets for (at least with the default game) and none really seem all that compelling, except perhaps the very pricey Tron lightcycle knockoff. Price: $2 for game with four ramps. $1 per 2-ramp expansion pack.

	Spider: The Secret of Bryce Manor. I had reservations about getting this game due to my arachnophobia. My fears were unfounded since controlling a virtual fast-jumping spider with my finger is, as my 6-year-old son put it, "AWESOME!" Maybe it's because I'm in control of the creepy web slinger, but I never get tired of making my spider quickly hop around the screen and stick to various surfaces, building webs and catching some insect snacks. My only disappointment was that, from the title, I really expected a story to unfold - some sort of spider's-eye view of a mystery tale - but it never happened. Exactly what transpired at Bryce Manor, we'll probably never know. But it sure was fun catching bugs and exploring it's many crevices! Price: $3.

	Hidden Mysteries: Buckingham Palace. I won this game in a Twitter contest, and was glad that I did. I probably never would have bought it (particularly at the $5 price point!) but, as hidden object games go, it was fun. The pinch to zoom works much better than the kludgy zoom in that Mystery Case Files: MillionHeir DS game. The story was somewhat compelling (certainly more present than in Spider!) but easily beaten in a day or two. Not bad if it goes on sale, but not worth it at full price. Price: $5.

	Harbor Master. After getting hooked on Flight Control, I was loathe to move on to any of its many knockoffs. Fortunately, I eventually gave into temptation and picked up a game that's basically Flight Control with boats - and lots of little twists. The first couple of levels are basically the same dynamic - trace routes on your touchscreen to land boats in their docking bays without any collisions. You also have to wait for them to unload their cargo (bigger boats take longer) and then trace a safe route for them offscreen. Things eventually get more complicated as boats have different colored cargo to be delivered to specific bays and pirates show up to steal your cargo unless you shoot them with a mounted gun. The more I play, the more I love this one. Price: $1.

	Dungeon Scroll. This is basically a poor man's Bookworm Adventures (which hopefully make it to the App Store eventually). Various enemies show up and you defeat them by spelling words from your sheaf of letter tiles. Complete a wave of attacks and you'll advance. Lose all your health and it's game over. Battles are in real time, so you can't stop to strategize. My biggest complaint here is how quickly you can lose a winning streak. One bad deal of the tiles wipes out all of your progress instead of simply resetting you to the start of the current level. There is some strategy (save your big words for the inevitable big, bad monsters later in the level!) but I'd suggest a pass unless you're a real word game fanatic. Price: $2.

	Dr. Awesome+. If you missed Dr. Awesome, there's a new free version that celebrates its addition to the Plus+ social network, which adds leaderboards, achievements and the ability to challenge your friends. This game is like the classic Qix only with a couple of neat twists. First, you control your laser microsurgery instrument not by drawing but tilting your iPhone. Second, the game draws patients from your phone book (if available) - which can be a little disturbing as friends and family are given only 24 hours to live. That's right, if you don't play every day and rid your patients of the deadly virus that's infecting them, they'll "die." I had a rude awakening when I didn't come back right away and my best friend from childhood had expired (sorry, Rob!). Price: Free but with non-intrusive ads. There's also an ad-free version for $1.