Puzzle games don't have to be needlessly complicated. Usually, all it takes is a simple, approachable premise to make a game memorable. Glass Tower [$0.99]�managed to create such a foundation and ride its way to success as an online flash game, success that was somewhat duplicated when brought over to the App Store in the first two iterations of puzzle series. However, despite this accomplishment, excessive IAP, non-retina graphics, and the lack of online leaderboard support seemed to hold it back both titles. Glass Tower 3 [$0.99] looks to address all those issues while keeping its simple gameplay the center of attention. �After spending some time with this puzzler, notwithstanding a few issues, Glass Tower 3 is the definitive version of the series and should be checked out.

In Glass Tower 3, you are tasked with manipulating a tower full of multi-colored glass blocks sitting on a platform. Towers are comprised mostly of red and blue glass pieces, and your goal is to break all of the blue glass blocks without causing any of the red glass to fall off the platform. Increasingly difficult arrangements of glass pieces, as well as the game's physics system, are the primary obstacles in successfully saving all the red blocks. In addition, power-ups ranging from extra lives (you lose a life every time red glass falls off the platform) to a temporary suspension of physics, help the player in solving each level.

I love the fact that there are a variety of ways to solve each level in Glass Tower 3. A patient player can methodically eliminate each blue piece while predicting the physics of the rest of the tower, while other players (myself included) can also solve levels by quickly taking out piece after piece trying to quickly balance a mass amount of falling blocks while relying on power-ups to (hopefully) bail you out. Regardless of play style, I just found the game soothing to play, especially with its ambient soundtrack.

While I do enjoy the variety that the physics system brings to each level, some players may be frustrated by the occasional erratic movements of glass pieces. Also, some of the power-ups that appear during the game just aren't balanced correctly � an entire level can easily be won or lost based on the power-up picked up. Still, I'd rather have the power-ups exist than not, as they certainly add an additional element to the gameplay.

For those of you that have played the previous games in the Glass Tower series, this third title offers several significant improvements. Most notably, retina graphics were finally integrated in the series, which was a long overdue request. Similarly, Glass Tower 3 also includes Game Center support, as well as an overhaul of the scoring system to make it easier to track scores for each level. For players that may have felt put off by Glass Tower 2's [Free] IAP centered approach to delivering content, Glass Tower 3 has 150 levels which are all available without any additional purchases. Each of the additions above have significantly improved the overall quality of Glass Tower 3 and it's good to know that the developer has been listening to player suggestions. My only real complaint is that Glass Tower 3 is missing the level editor that was available (as IAP) in Glass Tower 2. Considering the enhancements to the overall graphics system, it would have been interesting to design some levels utilizing these improvements.

Whether you've played a Glass Tower game before or are new to the series and looking for a new puzzler, Glass Tower 3 should be a title worth looking into.� It's taken the success from earlier games, incorporated a ton of requested features, and then fleshed it out with enough new levels to keep you busy for quite some time. Physics-based puzzles aren't for everyone, and this game certainly won't change your mind if you're not a fan. However, if you're looking for something new, Glass Tower 3 looks to be a clear choice to check out.

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Scryptic [$1.99] from LKS GameWorks looks like a traditional Scrabble game. It has a board and letter tiles sitting on a rack, but trust me, the gameplay is VERY different. Two players start in different positions on the board and use words to combat each other. Each player can either build up words defensively around their starting point ("city"), or spread out towards the opposition, in an offensive attack. Sometimes there's additional city squares to be claimed, which can spark a word-race across the board to get there first, as cities offer extra protection.

There's not a 'double word score' or 'triple letter score' in sight. Instead, the squares on the board each represent terrain, like mountains, forests and water. And the rules around each type of terrain make this game really interesting. I'll give you two examples to demonstrate.� If you want to place your word on a blue water square, you must� form a bridge, by ensuring the first and last letter of your word are not in the water.� Whereas ice squares will crack and turn to water if you place any "heavy" letters worth 2+ points on them, drowning your entire word. The game mechanics may seem a little complicated initially, but the game walks you gently through the rules with tutorial levels and help screens, so you learn it pretty quickly. Although I took some notes, which proved helpful.

How does the combat work? Well, you simply deploy a word on top of, or adjacent to, the opponents word(s) to attack them. This isn't like scrabble where your letters need to fit in with the opponents words. You just link your own words together until your word-network reaches the enemy, then drop your word right over theirs to battle. The highest scoring word will be victorious, causing the defeated word to disappear. You can even cut off the opponents supply chain, by destroying connecting words to leave other words isolated and defenseless. It's like playing two different games of scrabble on one board, against each other.

The terrain also has an impact on combat. If your word crosses a mountain square, you have a higher-ground advantage so your word is strengthened. But if your word crosses water, it's weakened. And if you're fortunate enough to find a power token in the game, you can create "elemental forces" such as volcanoes, firestorms, droughts and floods, to strategically modify the terrain. I haven't discovered any of these yet, but I'm itching to flood my opponents words.

Your choice of words makes a difference, as the game is programmed to detect words associated with four topics:� Attacking, defense, sneaking or deforesting. So if you place a word like "kill"� or "sword" it automatically gains extra attacking power, whereas words like "fortify" or "shield" add defensive power. If you discover a word associated with one of these four headings is not rewarded, don't despair � you can add words via the options screen, or advise the developers via their word feedback form and they'll add it in.

The game ends when you capture your opponents city square(s) and you're rewarded by some obnoxiously loud trumpet blasts. Seriously, the occasional sound effects are not great. The game also ends if the letter tiles are all used or when both players pass twice in a row, in which case the player with the most points wins. Phew! That's enough about the rules. Although they are quite fascinating. It's quite unusual for the rules of a game to be a highlight!

Scryptic manages to successfully turn Scrabble into a strategic combat situation. You can play against a friend using pass-and-play or battle the AI opposition on 21 unlockable terrain boards, of different sizes. But be warned, this is a game of skill and strategy, and once you've completed the easy levels, the AI definitely steps up his game. The larger boards can take ages to complete, so there's many hours of game-play, plus 12 achievements and rankings via Game Center.

This game is perfect for Scrabble lovers, who enjoy competition and want to add combat to the mix. While playing the game for a few hours, I did experience one crash and a bug, but fortunately neither caused my game or progress to be lost. The developer advises he's currently working on his first patch upgrade. With Wooords and Scryptic both being released recently, plus a new update for Wurdle, it's a good time for word games!

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QuakeCon 2011 doesn't have a whole lot in store for id Software's mobile fans. The studio's focus is squarely sitting on the promotion of RAGE, which is hitting this fall. Even in past years the show has been more about the 'big' titles as opposed to the 'small' mobiles ones, but we thought you should check out the opening keynote from designer John Carmack anyway, which has been graciously uploaded to YouTube.

Carmack speaks with a totally unique voice. Not only is the dude brilliant and articulate, he's a visionary in the games design and technology field. What he says matters and what he does has mattered to mobile audiences in the past; we wouldn't have, say, RAGE HD [$1.99] or DOOM Classic [$1.99], if there wasn't a John Carmack. We also wouldn't even know what DOOM was if not for him and his team of pioneers. Anyway, here's the video:

The keynote is over a hour-long and we're still working through it. Dude hooked me within the first 15 seconds, though, so I'll be sticking around until the end.

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Do you like Minecraft, but find that all of the tedious mining, building, and exploration mechanics get in the way of your enjoyment? Are you a fan of crafting objects, but feel like a 3�3 grid isn't nearly hardcore enough? Yes? Then my friends, have I got a 6�8 upgrade for you.

At first glance, TerraCraft [Free] could be easily be confused with your standard match-3 affair. The twist here is that the game requires you to configure blocks into patterns for crafting items such as the planks, boxes, pickaxes, swords, and shields you've all come to know and love. This Minecraft-ian conceit takes the standard and kicks the variety up a… notch.

You begin the game with a small list of blueprints for items you can construct. Once the timer begins on each level, you drag and drop the designated materials (wood, rock, bronze, silver, gold) into the right pattern on the grid to "craft" an item and clear those materials from the board. Each item crafted is worth a set number of points, and the goal is to reach a target score before the timer expires.

As you advance through the levels, the point threshold for victory becomes progressively higher. �The number of material types grow, while the number of each individual material tends to shrink. These challenges are more than offset by the fact that the time limit also grows and that you unlock newer and more complex blueprints that are worth more points.

And that's a concern. The difficulty curve in this game is non-existent. In fact, the game gets progressively easier as time goes on. While there are many blueprints to consider, there are also a number of high-value yet easy to craft items that you can spam for maximum points. Once you identify them, you'll end up cruising. After the first few levels, I was never in danger of hitting the time limit, and after the last blueprints were unlocked I found the mystique wearing off all too quickly.

TerraCraft has some things going for it. For a ham-handed iOS gamer like me, the touch controls were much more responsive than I expected. I rarely had to redo moves. The game also sports OpenFeint integration, which gives some leaderboard support. While there's only one main theme to listen to, the music was catchy and appropriately conducive to getting my pickaxe zen trance on.

The game is ad-supported through the first few levels, but an in-app purchase of $1.99 is required to unlock the full game and get rid of the ads. For myself, I don't mind the use of ad-supported demos in general, but they should never directly impede the gameplay. There's no issue on the main menu here, but once you get to craftin', the ads partially obscure the bottom row of the grid. It's possible to work around them but hardly a welcome means of promoting your IAP.

TerraCraft succeeds in its stated goal of providing a Minecraft spin on the puzzle genre, but the game really could have used an additional layer of complexity to create a difficulty curve and provide some longevity to the title. Why not flood part of the grid with water or lava tiles from time to time to change the shape of the playing field and force you out of relying on certain patterns? Maybe introduce an enemy tile that eats points until you craft the appropriate item (sword, shield, etc.) to destroy them?

While I was definitely left wanting, it certainly can't hurt to give the free portion of this game a try for yourself. The Minecraft oriented theme, gracious lack of user-generated phallic sculptures, and chilled-out crafting action may be right up your alley. Personally, I'd rather punch a tree.

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