Tiny Diggers – An iPad Construction Truck Game for Kids Age 2-5

While I am not the most proficient mobile gamer I have, from time to time, sat down with games on my phone.  I have a few games on my Windows Mobile, and before that a couple on my iPhone, but it never amounted to more than that.  However, my wife and son both have Droid phones and have a ton of games that they play, mostly because they are free.  One of the newest titles in their rotation of games is Rhythm Racer 2, a game from Avatar Labs.  If you are familiar with Audiosurf and wanted that type of gameplay on the go, Rhythm Racer 2 is very similar.  If that title is a bit foreign to you, think of Rhythm Racer 2 as a fusion of Guitar Hero and a racing title.  It is a lot of fun, although it is missing one piece that would really make it stand out, but hey, what do you want for free.

Rhythm Racer 2 places you in a racing vehicle with small wings and then has you barrel down a winding highway, complete with orbs that you have to pick up.  The speed of the tracks and the pattern of the orbs on the track coincide with the tempo of the music tracks playing in the background.  Controls are simple enough with tilt being used to move the car left and right on the track and tapping the edges of the screen allows you to boost for a limited time.

It does take a little bit of time to get used to the tilt motion, and I did have to dig into the settings to adjust the sensitivity, as I was careening across the track wildly with the default tilt settings.  However, you do start to get used to the motion and the gentle sway that will move you back and forth across the track.

The music included in the mix is also pretty good, blending together some electronica and techno, and it does become infectious over time.  However, the music selection is limited, and it would have been great to see an added feature that would let me use my own MP3 files that were on my phone.  I mean, phones are vast media devices at this point for people, and having the ability to tap into that collection would add a huge amount of replay value, not to mention, attachment to the game over a longer period of time.

As stated before, the game is completely free on the Droid marketplace, and there is an iPhone version available as well, although I do not have the pricing on that version.  At the price of free, it is a no-brainer to at least give the game a spin.  My wife and son have really enjoyed the game, and I had fun with it while I kicked the tires on the game.   I have a hard time attaching a score for a game that is free, but I would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a fun title on their phone.