ByteClub

Among all the games that I've been playing on the iPhone recently, there are a few that were created by people that I have actually met. And so, I wanted to mention them here.

Owen Goss from Streaming Colour Studios recently released a new iPhone game called "Monkeys in Space". I helped Owen test early versions of it, and enjoyed the game play even when it was rough around the edges. He finally got it released and it's a treat! It's a great addition to both the "pick up and play for a few minutes" and "sit there and try beating your own records" categories of iPhone games. I highly recommend it - and while you are at it, try chaining as many monkeys together as you can. Personally, I find that to be at least half the fun of the game.

Another game worth checking out is called "Payload", by Rod Strougo (who is part of a company called Prop Group). It literally came out a couple of days ago - and it's a perfect filler for anything from a short coffee break to a prolonged procrastination period (trust me on this one). I personally like the physics and responsiveness of the truck and that elusive simple-but-addictive feel of the game play. Try it for yourself.

-- Peter Bakhirev