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Download Games Roundup

Vampires! Football! Pipemania rip-offs!

Give people what they want and they'll only want more of it. At least, that's the trend that appears to be emerging when it comes to the weekly Download Roundup.

Already onto the 21st edition, we've covered more than a hundred games already. We've also looked at the best iPad launch titles, the Game Room launch and the best ports. You asked us for an Android special and we obliged. We even did full reviews of download titles like like Limbo and Castlevania, and unexpected indie gems like Ancient Trader.

But it's not enough, is it?

It's inevitable that many interesting games fall through the cracks, such is the sheer velocity of the download market. We're also aware that some of you would prefer we split phone games away from other downloadable titles so more valid comparisons between similarly priced titles could be made. What do you think? What would you like to see more or less of? Let us know. In the meantime...

Dracula: The Path Of The Dragon - Part 1

  • iPad (£2.39)
  • iPhone (£0.59)
Pocket pool at this time of day? How rude.

Anyone who has spent as much time poring over every dog-eared adventure game as I have over the years will understand the disproportionate excitement generated by overlooked gems. Ooh, Dracula. I don't know you. You might be good.

But, of course, you're not. If you were even half-decent, you would have already been leaped upon by the screaming throng of adventure gaming guardians out there. Instead, you're the sort of game only discovered by performing a cavity search of the ludicrously overpopulated App Store.

The prospect of vampire hunting and grisly encounters is appealing. However, you play not as Van Helsing but one Father Arno Moriani as he trudges soberly around the permagloom of a Transylvanian village, chatting to locals and uncovering shenanigans.

Despite looking like a forgotten PC relic from ten years ago, Dracular: TPOTD offers a surprisingly enjoyable couple of hours - especially if you're playing the HD version recently ported to iPad. The plot's overblown bobbins and the voice acting is as wooden as a forest, but there's a sliver of satisfaction to be gained from plodding through the storyline. Especially if you've spent decades patiently putting up with below-par adventures anyway.

One thing worth defending is the 360 degree engine. When granted the freedom to nose around each location by sweeping your finger across the scene, it's possible to become oddly intimate with the gameworld. The tactile puzzles aren't terrible either.

For pennies, you really can't go wrong. Just don't expect too much, and you might just find Dracula satisfying in an endearingly low-budget sort of way.

5/10

Note: Parts 2 and 3 also available. Part 2 costs £1.19 on iPhone and £2.39 on iPad. Part 3 costs £1.19 on iPhone and £3.49 on iPad.