Light.  Invisible electromagnetic energy.  We only see it when it's filtered and bounces off something.  It travels in straight lines at a constant speed (through a vacuum, at least) and staves away the darkness and whatever monsters might be lurking in its eerie depths.  So what better subject for an iPhone game?  Exactly, that's what I thought!  Ladies, gentlemen and variations thereupon, I give you Helsing's Fire. 

Helsing's Fire is a puzzle game that'll set you back a mere 59p (99¢) from the App Store.  The premise is that in any given 'room', you're provided with enemies that are burned by your light, and objects that block it.  The idea of the game is to position the light in such a way as to burn all the little critters and collect the gold.  As the game progresses, Helsing and his faithful lover companion Raffton begin to use 'tonics', which infuses the light with a coloured energy.  Use the red tonic to destroy red critters.  Then, then critters get coloured shields that can only be destroyed with the corresponding tonic and Bob is very much one of your parents' brother, you have yourself a puzzle game.  While the Victorian Poe-esque setting can be as much a part of the game as you want it to be (the camaraderie between the characters can be quite entertaining, but conversely is easily skipped) the sheer delight of the game is in its simple interface; the iPhone might as well have been made for the game and moving the light into the right place is as easy as pi, while there is a certain enjoyment in watching the dynamic lighting effects.  Since it's no action game, having your finger obliterate part of the screen doesn't matter as it does in many other iOS offerings.


What adds to the longevity of the game (it has four worlds with thirty 'rooms' in each world) is the inherent pick-up-put-down-ability.  The levels can be breezily quick or more taxing, though in my experience, they don't tend to take much longer than a minute at the maximum, which is perfect for playing while on the loo, waiting for a bus, trying to ignore someone who's talking about things you're not interested in, or while waiting for your McDonald's veggie deli to come out at the drive-through.  Graphically, it's uncomplicated, but follows a very keenly-developed Victoriana design motif that's as pleasing to the eye as it is easy to understand.  For the price and the addictiveness of the game, it's a real must for any iOS user.

5/5